Kingdom Chronicles: Mayhem at Gizmo Tower

The Void, a dark, loathsome place where darkness dwells. Throughout the vast reaches of the universe, those with dark hearts call this place home, but not all feel the same. Plenty of these monsters crave to be free and to live as wildly as they so desire. The door is opening and an ancient evil is about to be released. On a distant rock, an ancient statue starts to c***k. Chunks of heavy stone fell at the feet of the stone statue revealing a beautiful and vicious woman, locked away for centuries and ready to regain her place. “My lady Malice, you’re finally awake, Grum, is so happy,” said Grum, a loyal imp to Malice, as he jumps up and down. “Ah, my dear Grum, have you completed your task?” Malice asked as she stretched and brushed the remaining dust from her shoulders. “Of course my lady, Grum has found old and new friends for you to play with, they are waiting for you at your castle,” Grum giggled. Lightning flashed in the rainy night sky, illuminating an eerie castle. The gates, rusted from centuries of stagnating rain, slowly opened making noise similar to nails on a chalkboard. Malice walked the eerily empty and dark halls to meet some old and new friends, who were expecting her arrival . The room was busy with people from across the universe all chatting and drinking. “My friends,” Maya praised as she walked into the room towards the center stage, “ it is almost our time, soon every corner of the universe will be ours.” There was an explosion of laughter and cheer from the crowd that vibrated through the room. “The oppression of silence ends tonight! ” Malice proclaimed, raising a goblet high above her head. In a different world the sun was rising on a beautiful island with swaying palm trees and crisp air. “Dani, time for school,” Mallorie says as she cooks breakfast. Dani sits up and rubs her eyes, yawning as she hops off her bed. Dani walks down the hall towards the kitchen where her mother, Mallorie, and her father, James, are eating breakfast and watching the news. “Today’s news, our resident guardian has passed away due to old age,” proclaimed the newscaster. “Morning mom, morning dad,” said Dani as she ran down the stairs and gave them a peck on their cheeks. Grabbing a buttered toast and a banana from the table, she walks out the door to school. Along the way, Dani meets up with her best pal, Sherry, who was waiting for her. “Morning Dani,” Sherry chirped as she waved at Dani. Dani smiled and they went on their way. “Dani?” Are you feeling well? Sherry asked. Dani, confused, answered, “yeah, why?” Sherry took out a mini mirror and showed Dani the dark circles under her eyes. Dani grabbed the mirror, “damn these nightmares,” Dani cursed as she rubbed her eyes, “I just can’t get a good night's sleep.” As they reached the school Dani and Sherry went their separate ways to their respective classes. Dani shuffled to her seat, her mind still swirling with the vivid remnants of dreams that plagued her slumber. The bell for the end of the day rang, Dani packed up her stuff and headed to her favorite spot, the juice shop. “Well, well, if it isn’t my little flower,” Ace smiled as he wiped the counter. Dani took a seat and says, “hey Ace, just waiting for Sherry so we can walk home.” Ace made Dani her favorite smoothie as they talked. “I’m gonna take a nap, wake me when Sherry arrives please,” Dani yawned. Ace’s expression darkened, “sure thing.” Dani closed her eyes and within minutes felt like she was falling, falling deep into an abyss of nothingness, when she opened her eyes she was not at The Juice Shop. Looking around, all Dani could see was asteroids floating around her. “Where the hell am I?” Dani asked herself as she continued to survey her surroundings. Dani felt a warm light hit her on her left side, when Dani turned around she was confronted with old ruins of an ancient temple. Tentatively, she stepped forward, the ground beneath her a curious blend of star-strewn dust and shattered tiles. Walking through the ruins Dani noticed images on the pillars depicting warriors fighting a monster with three heads. The ground begins to rumble and Dani hears a roar from a distance. Dani froze and turning slightly she spotted the monster that was depicted on the pillars, a three headed hydra. The Hydra roared again and charged forward, Dani sprinted in the opposite direction, not daring to look back. Heart pounding, she dashed through the ruins, desperately searching for an escape route. Dani found herself at a dead end with no way out. The Hydra towered above her but before it could eat her Dani woke up, only to find Ace and Sherry staring at her with worried eyes. “Are you ok?” Sherry worriedly asked, “was it one of those nightmares?” Rubbing her eyes Dani laughed, “it’s nothing, just a nightmare, let’s go home.” Dani grabs Sherry’s arm and waves Ace goodbye as they walk home. Ace watched on with a concerned look on his face. Days go by and Dani’s health starts to suffer due to lack of sleep. “Hey Ace, can I ask you a question?” Dani asks sleepily. Ace looks at her with caring eyes and says, “sure thing, what’s on your mind?” Dani yawned, “have you ever had the same dream every night?” Before Ace can answer, Dani falls into a deep sleep once again. As the sky dimmed, Ace closed up shop and hurried to the forest. Looking around every now and then, Ace made sure he wasn’t being followed. After trekking through the forest for a while Ace arrived at the stunning oasis. The oasis is the island's greatest tourist destination but behind the waterfall hides a secret cave. Entering the cave, Ace pushed through the vines and moss until he came to a clearing. In the clearing stood, what looked like, an old abandoned church with broken windows and busted wood paneling. Ace stood at the entrance and called, “Artemis, we need to talk.”