Prologue

"Uncle Brandyn, please tell us a story!" A young girl exclaimed, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement.

A bearded man, Uncle Brandyn, chuckled and sat down in his wooden chair, "Okay but a short one, okay?"

The little girl laughed gleefully before hopping up onto her Uncle's lap. The blazing fire to the right of them casted long shadows on the wooden floor, and fell onto the body of a small boy. He was sitting cross-legged, his lip curled and blue eyes narrow. The shadows danced on his back, his body engulfed by them.

"Jace, my boy, come sit with us!" Brandyn exclaimed, waving a hand towards him.

"No, I don't want to hear another stupid story about fairies and unicorns." Jace, replied irritably.

"Hey! They're not stupid!" The girl exclaimed.

"It's okay Amber." Brandyn whispered in the girl's ear before talking to Jace, "This one doesn't have unicorns in it though, Jace. It has Gods and Goddesses."

Jace's back suddenly straightened as he turned his head, "Gods and Goddesses?"

Brandyn nodded, "Yes," Jace stood up and walked over to his uncle, sitting on his other knee. "Now, this story happened centuries ago, when the world was still young. There were many Gods, Trisha the Goddess of Knowledge, Barrott the God of the Sea, and the most powerful of them all, Jarius, the God of the Sun." Jace and Amber's mouths went wide as he continued, "All the Gods lived in harmony, and all of us were happy. Everything was good, until one day everything changed."

"What? What happened?!" Jace exclaimed, clutching onto his Uncle's leg firmly.

Brandyn smiled, "Jarius's brother, Reaper, was the God of Evil. The world isn't perfect, you know, and there will always be evil lurking around somewhere. His job was to make sure that there was some evil in the world, just so there was a balance. But, one day, he turned. There was what the Gods called The Uprising. Reaper and a few other Gods wanted to get rid of humans, since they saw them as useless puppets."

"No!" Amber shouted, slamming her tiny fist into her Uncle's leg.

"Yes," Brandyn replied, "There was a ferocious battle, but Jarius killed Reaper, his own brother. He didn't have a choice," He paused, "After that, all the other Gods that were with Reaper escaped to Earth, where they were hunted down and eventually killed. Everything was peaceful again, and Jarius took his brother's sword and locked away in the Temple of Ozira in the heavens. His sword was the key to his power, and he never wanted anyone to wield it ever again. Ever since then, everything has been peaceful and tranquil, and the Gods still watch over us to this day. The end."

Amber smiled delightfully, "That was great Uncle!" She gave him a grand hug, wrapping her small arms around his round belly.

"It was," Jace said as he jumped down from Brandyn's knee.

Brandyn laughed, patting Amber's back before gently placing her on the floor. "Thank you. Now, off to bed."

Jace and Amber both let out a whine. "But I'm not tired," They both complained at the same time.

"Yes you are," Brandyn said as he snatched them up in his bulky arms. They squirmed around, trying to escape from his grip. It was pointless. "Goodnight children, and may Ezra watch over you." He said as he placed them in their beds, kissing each of their foreheads.

He blew out the candle on the nightstand in-between their beds, then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Jace and Amber laid in their beds, exhaustion suddenly sweeping over them. The moonlight poured into their room, shining onto their creamy white faces. Amber suddenly let out a yawn and rolled over onto her side. Her eyelids flickered, her eyes gazing at the bright, round moon.

"Hey Jace?" She asked wearily.

Jace answered, "Yes?"

"Do you think mommy is in heaven, with all of the Gods?" Amber asked, her voice full of fatigue.

Jace closed his eyes, smiling sadly, "Yes, I think she is."

Amber rolled over onto her stomach before sealing her eyes shut, "Goodnight Jace."

Jace put his hands behind his head, glancing over at her sister, "Night Amber." He saw her blonde hair shrouding her face, the blanket pulled up to her neck and her fingers grasping around the edge. His eyes lingered towards the ceiling, his mind lost in his thoughts. Then, after a few mere seconds, Jace rolled over on his side and closed his eyes, the moonlight shining onto them as he drifted to sleep.