The Four of the Kingdom

Prologue

The Four would begin like my first good idea—a typical fantasy story: a magician casting lightning, a warrior wielding a sharpened sword, and a few guys chasing power, willing to walk all over anyone. As always, following tradition, the main character suffers countless miseries in order to defeat evil. But then, when my favorite character appeared, everything changed. My interest in magic plummeted, or at least, was pushed into the background.

Instead of pushing myself to create the most sophisticated spells to capture the reader's attention, I began searching the deepest corners of this imperfect heart, digging through pits covered by a hypocritical layer of sand called time—time that holds back countless memories capable of stirring powerful emotions, even if they lie dormant in forgetfulness.

It is precisely in those depths that I draw out the fiercest hatred, the purest love, and the most primitive fears to inspire me—attempting to channel my most intense emotions into my characters and their situations.

Speaking as a dear, he says: We'll come to an agreement when we both understand true pain.'
But as for me—I'd say: 'We'll understand each other only when we've both tasted the same terror.

I'll commit the sin of being honest. It might seem counterintuitive—or even anti-marketing—but I'll speak mockingly in an objective tone. If there's something that could make The Four fail, it's that it's a chaotic blend of wildly different themes. It could be seen as a medieval fantasy... or a foolish book, full of flashy ideas that go nowhere. It's also a beautiful, tragic romance, a bit of an erotic novel, packed with eerie moments, and—if I did it right—some truly frightening chapters.

Earlier, I confessed to the sin of honesty—but now, I'll commit the sin of greed. I've tried to cover all of these themes, which means I might scare away a reader who came looking for medieval magic and instead finds a rotting corpse guiding my protagonist through the dark passages of an unknown place.

Or I might bore the reader, eager to stir his heart with subtle descriptions that slowly build into fear—only to be met, instead, by a romantic scene: two beautiful women sitting by a fire pit, about to make love.

Certainly, the scenario of readers expecting one thing and finding something completely different is entirely possible in this book. However, at the same time, it might attract the kind of reader who—despite enduring the poetry, the romance, and all those soft, sentimental things—is really just holding on in hopes of uncovering the origin of this unfortunate revenge.

Speaking by mouth of one of my characters I would say that this book is a composition of waves that quit harmony instead they fight in hard combat looking to kill each other. Is the dance of two bodies of different nature, that can kill mutually, giving a fantastic fight as a show, but by a trick of the destiny or coincidence they ended up deviating and getting in a conspicuous love and strange alliance, that's the way of many plots in The Four.

Now, speaking more plainly and leaving aside complex descriptions meant to catch the reader's attention, I'd say that The Four is about a tragic revenge—and I advise you to keep that in mind.
This book tells the story of a man born into disgrace who, by virtue of his swordsmanship and sharp strategy, managed to change not only his own fate, but also that of everyone around him, thus earning grace.
However, a betrayal turned him into a fallen angel. Fortune lost track of him, and his once-promising destiny spiraled into a torturous downfall. Yet driven by an overwhelming thirst for revenge, he ultimately awakens an ancient and long-forgotten fate.

Author Notes

I think it's necessary to do some clarifications. In spite of having a decent management of grammar, that you can assess as decent, grammar doesn't steal my dreams and I can't transform myself an expert all of the sudden, it works like that for both languages English and Spanish (I'm at b2 level English) ChatGPT is helping me a lot, but writing this type of literature requires a Shakesperian level of English that I definitely don't have, so please forgive my mistakes, don't be so strict.

I think it's necessary to make a few clarifications.
Although I have a decent grasp of grammar—which you might assess as "acceptable"—grammar doesn't keep me up at night, and I can't suddenly transform into an expert overnight. This applies to both English and Spanish (I'm at a B2 level in English).

ChatGPT has been helping me a lot, but writing this kind of literature demands a Shakespearean level of English that I definitely don't have (yet). So please forgive my mistakes, and don't be too strict.

I should also advise you of the deliberate presence of some anachronistic elements throughout the story—such as references to time, distance, and forms of institutional order like monarchy or democracy. These inclusions were necessary to anchor certain concepts and guide the reader's imagination more effectively, even if they don't strictly belong to the era the story evokes.

Another clarification: at a specific point, I insult a couple of female characters, using language that may carry homophobic overtones. In the context of the scene, the character is facing a mortal enemy, and such harshness—while not admirable—fits the emotional and narrative tension of that moment. I trust that readers will distinguish character expression from authorial belief.

Also, I make reference to the Codex Gigas, also known as "The Devil's Bible." There's a curious legend surrounding that book and its supposed connection to the devil. Personally, I believe that's just folklore. I've never had any direct contact with the book, and given its nature, I doubt I ever will. I mention this primarily for those with curious or imaginative minds.

Additionally, I'd like to clarify that I had originally named my two sadistic doctors in the story Josef Mengele (the "Angel of Death" from Auschwitz) and Jacob Mengele, a fictional brother. Their names suited their roles, but after some reflection, I decided to change them—it will probably save me trouble in the long run. I bring this up because their names appeared multiple times in the draft, and correcting that decision afterward has proven difficult. I've made efforts to fix it, but you may still come across a few lingering traces of that initial choice.

As for the character Sisne (originally spelled Cisne, like the bird), I initially gave her the name Cisne, but later I changed it to Sisne to take advantage of the name. If you notice her name misspelled or used inconsistently, that's another widespread mistake I've tried to fix throughout the manuscript.

Finally, I don't really know if all of this content is part a prologue, but if it doesn't just allow me this as the innocent mischief of a new writer.

I'd like to say goodbye by saying that I'll achieve my dreams — by recounting my nightmares