Now, without further ado . . .

I give you the prologue of Limit of Life II!

It's a seemingly ordinary day in the Kingdom of Aria. Our protagonist, Drake, lays on his bed, reading a book. We can immediately tell he is of royalty. He is clothed in princely garb, and his bed as well as his room are huge and glamorous. All of a sudden, a series of loud explosions are heard and the room shakes a little. Drake immediately puts down his book and darts to the nearest window. Outside, he can see whole districts of th city burning. Despite his distant, objective vantage point in the castle, he can feel the chaos and pain of his people. Truly, this is no ordinary fire. Something is not right. He must know what has happened. Drake quickly makes his way to the grand throne room. The room has it's share of chaos. There is a group of people addressing his father, the King. The Queen sits near him. Drake rushes past them and up to his father. There is silence out of respect for the prince.
"Father, what event's have transpired here?" This is the first time we here Drake speak. His voice sounds somewhat cold. He cares for his people, but at the same time he has been trained since his youth to be capable of being stern and confident to a fault, especially in times of trouble like this.
"Ah, Drake. Our city has been invaded."
"What? By whom?"
"An unknown army."
On this note, an out-of-breath messenger comes in. He runs up to the King.
"Your Highness, our foes are making quick time."

We now jump outside, into the burning city. After seeing some scenes of fire and fighting, we see a group of men are gathered in a city square, while buildings burn around them. Suddenly they all line up, and a man with an entourage enters. He appears to be of some high rank from the way he is dressed and carries himself. He has a definite cockiness about him. This is the man known as Marthor. Amidst the fire, there is silence from the men. Marthor speaks.
"How goes the invasion?"
One of his men addresses him. "Excellent, Sir Marthor. There has been virtually no resistance to speak of. This city is nearly ours."
"Excellent work. This is going exactly as planned. Ryle, take your men and storm the castle. Kill anyone in your way, but do not, under any circumstances, kill the prince. I want him alive."
Ryle shouts. "Did you hear that, men? Seize the castle and kill all in your way save the Prince! Get him alive!" Ryle then speaks to Marthor again. "Why do you want the prince alive?"
"You couldn't if you wanted to."
"You would insult me so? I kill all who stand in my way!"
"Just follow your orders. I'll follow from the rear. Don't mess up.". Ryle leaves with his men. Marthor smiles.

We now jump back to the castle. There are people wandering all about, and the King appears to be in thought for a second. Another messenger enters. "Your Highness, they're approaching too fast. At this rate, we stand no chance."
The King asks. "Where our our men?"
"Most of them remain stationed in the castle. Until you give the order to attack, most of them will continue to remain on the defensive and guard the castle. But I fear that will be enough."
The Prime Minister speaks. "Enough. The King, not you, will decide if enough is enough."
The King responds. "Don't worry, Izak, I know what we must do. Give the order to march. Doing battle within city our city will cost us lives and destroy our homes, but it is better then to do nothing at all. I will not simply turn our city over and let them loot as they please."
"Thine will be done." The messenger responds and leaves.

Now we see a scene of the troops pouring out of the castle. They meet the forces of Marthor and Ryle and an epic clash begins. We see scenes of fighting.

Then we return to the throne room. The chaos appears to be growing. Another messenger enters.
"Your Highness, things aren't looking good out there."
The King sighs. "It is as I feared." Everyone looks at him. "The King looks at his wife. "It's time. Do it."
The Queen nods. "Drake, come with me."
"Yes, mother."
They enter a back room. She speaks. "Drake . . . my son." Her voice is withdrawn and melancholy. Drake starts to feel very nervous. She inwardly clams herself and grows more confident. "Listen, Drake. We haven't been completely honest with you."
Drake looks puzzled. "Mother . . ."
She hands him a letter in an envelope. "Take this letter, and leave this castle now. Do whatever it takes to get out of the city alive. Once you make it to safety, read this. It explains everything."
"Mother, what is going on?"
"Drake, trust me. We don't have much time. If what your father fears is correct, you must leave now. Take this back way out of the castle. Virtually no one knows about it. It should be safe. Once you exit the castle, head for the hills. But . . . whatever happens, do not get caught."
"Won't you come with me?"
She pauses "No, I will be fine. You can travel faster alone, and it is not in anyone's best interest to kill royalty."
"But then, why must I leave and abandon my family and kingdom?"
"Drake . . . trust your mother. We will meet again"
Drake nods. "Yes."
"Drake, put this on. This way no one will recognize you" She tosses him a more a cloak. He puts it on and covers his clothing. He starts to leave.
"One more thing." He looks back at her. "Take this." She tosses him a rapier. "Let's see what the rewards of all that training! Good luck, Drake."
"Good bye, mother." He looks away. "If it should happen that we should not meet again . . . thank you for everything." He leaves.

Part 2 coming to a LiveJournal near you soon!