[center][h1][b]The Consortium:[/b] [i]Howl of the [color=yellow]Yellow King Disciples[/color][/i][/h1] [hr] [youtube]https://youtu.be/CbyoMof5tIc?t=4m49s[/youtube] *press play before reading* [/center] [hr] [center][h2][b]Prologue:[/b] The Smile of a Childless Heir[/h2][/center] [indent][indent] [i]600 Years Ago... [/i][hr] Cold was the night, vanquishing the sun and all of its hopeful rays upon a lone, ivory castle. The tired eyes of a weary man stared into the fire pit of his chambers. Oh, how he desired a moment's respite from the madness that possessed him! Every sound was a nuisance to his psyche. The floorboards groaned like yawning hell hounds. The wind echoed through the halls of his kingdom like whispering sirens, murmuring into the darkness of his mind. But above all, an unmistakable noise kept clawing at him. It was distant... muffled, like a feint heartbeat. The man cupped his ears, desperately trying to block it out. "I beg you, please...STOP!!!" Silence came as demanded, and for a moment, he felt the grace of normalcy once more. [/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][i]Ahhhhhhhhh... Ahhh... Ah...[/i][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent]He clenched his teeth and violently shook his hands. He kicked and screamed, then leaped off of his oaken chair toward the double-doors. He forced them open with all of his might as the flames from the pit bellowed, casting his eerie shadow down the corridor. His boots clanked against the stone floor in a frenzied panic. The castle that was his, a monument to his reign, was a building that he once knew like the back of his hand. But in this moment he knew nothing. All that was certain was that the noise must be dealt with. For the sake of his sanity, it must be silenced! He searched and searched, walking up and down spiral staircases, fishing for the cryptic annoyance that haunted him so. Each turn brought him deeper into a labyrinth, losing all sense of direction with each turn. That godforsaken sound was his only guide. The man began uttering nonsensical things, the language he had spoken all of his life slowly becoming indiscernible, slurred, and cluttered. "R-rugath...Shrethh..Umayethh" The words rolled off of his tongue like oozing blood. He could feel himself losing all sense of control. Then he heard it. The sound...it was beaming now! Intense as ever, growing louder and louder. He shuffled forward like a drunken fool, hands desperately probing outward into the darkness.[/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][i]Ahhhhhhhhh... Ahhh... Ah...[/i][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent]His hands felt immediate resistance, but he pushed forward, opening steel doors to find an empty room. A lantern in the corner did little to light the small area, but there was no mistaking it: whatever made that sound was here. He entered without hesitation, and as he did, the noise was no more. Silence. Absolute nothingness. Even the sounds of his boots clanking against stone cobbled floors could no longer be heard, but he stepped forward anyway until a feint silhouette came into focus. The dim lighting made the object appear like a shadow until he was just within reach. There stood a black cradle, and within it, a sleeping babe. The newborn was glowing with a radiance that contrasted with the raven painted crib it sat in. It was the most beautiful child he ever laid eyes on.[/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][i]Ahhhhhhhhh... Ahhh... Ah...[/i][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent]"You're the one making all of this racket?" A wave of calm washed over him, reverting the man back to his normal self. He delicately plucked the infant with both hands and cradled it into his arms. "You're a beauty." Overwhelmed with emotion, tears began falling down his cheeks. "What is your name, little one?"[/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][i]Ahhhhhhhhh... Ahhh... Ah...[/i][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent]The man frowned. That sound...no way could it have come from this child. It was asleep in his arms, cooing softly, not making the slightest disturbance. His own question played back into his mind, but the voice was not his. Its tone was much lower, menacing.[/indent][/indent] [center][i]What is your name, little one?[/i][/center] [center]The child's eyes shot open, revealing two sickly orbs of putrid amber.[/center] [center]"The Yellow King." [hr][h2]End of Prologue[/h2][/center] [hr]