The Last Eclipse (Prologue)

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A.N: This is my first story here and it's based off of a dream I had the night before. I hope it's as interesting to my readers as it is to me. Sorry for the shortness of the prologue, it's just an introduction to how everything started.

A shadowy figure trudged through the rain soaked mud that layered the ground. His face was hidden beneath a dark mask and his body was shrouded in a black cloak. A distant glint of reflected light caught his eye causing him to stop. The man squinted in the half-light trying to find the shining object. A sudden flash of lightning lit up the area just long enough for him to spot a small round object laying in a low crag in a cliff face.

The man veered off his path to investigate. He approached the object with caution, still unsure of what it was. He knelt in the mud to get a better look and his breath caught in his throat when he realized what it was. An Epsilon egg.

With trembling hands the man gingerly pulled the egg out of the crag. Even in the dim light it radiated the most brilliant hues of reds and blues and greens. Any color the human mind could imagine danced across its spherical surface as if alive. The man dropped the egg -rather carelessly- in the soggy dirt and drew a sword from his belt. He raised it to smash the treasure but hesitated. It very well may have been the last Epsilon egg. He dropped the sword and bent to pick it up, shielding it from the rain with his cloak, and hurried across the plain, in the near horizon a village came into sight.

A single question nagged in the back of his mind, could he betray everything his people stood for for a single Epsilon?




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I really like this. Is there going to be more? Because this doesn't really explain what an Epsilon egg is. I get that they are rare but why? Why does it put his people at risk? Alot of unanswered questions .
Know that she's back in the atmosphere I'm afraid that she'll think of me as a plain old Jain told a story 'bout a man who was to afraid to fly so he never did land. ~Train




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It's just the prologue so I left out a lot on purpose to add a bit of mystery. In chapter one I'll include more such as who found the egg and what an Epsilon is




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Alright, interesting hook. I didn't really see any errors, so there's not much to critique. My only suggestion would be to add a little more description of the settings; the cliff face sort of comes out of nowhere. Is he walking through a forest? Or through a ravine in a mountainous region? Also, it's not entirely clear whether it's night or day. Little details like this help the reader transition more smoothly into your story.
Keep up the good work! I look forward to seeing what you do with this.
I aim to misbehave.

Is it weird in here, or is it just me? --Steven Wright




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Yeah, thanks for the tip! I have the setting all written out in my outline so I guess I forgot to add that it




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Hi Silvy.

So, for a prologue, this isn't too bad. I mean, you introduce the plot, but not entirely, which is kind of what a prologue's job is. However, I noticed one or two things that I think you should consider adjusting.

First off, the first paragraph is the epitome of info-dumping. That means, if you don't quite know yet, that the first paragraph is more telling rather than showing and you, quite frankly, are dumping a load of information on your readers. This can be a massive turn-off for some readers because lots don't like reading an opening line or paragraph where everything is told in one go. You need to keep it fairly simple in a prologue so as not to confuse the audience. But, if you want to describe everything in exact detail, I suggest dragging those out, making the prologue longer. You'll still be describing what you wish to be described, but the details will be spread-out through a larger area and therefore it won't quite appear as info-dumping.

Secondly, (this also ties in with the part about info-dumping) your opening line is way too wordy, sad to report. An opening line should be fluid, sans the info-dumping and straight-to-the-point. Below, quoted, is my suggestion for your opening line:

A shadowy figure trudged through the rainsoaked mud that layered the ground.


Now, what you did here was you told everything in one go. SLOW DOWN. You could, however, follow up with the first sentence with something maybe like this?

His boots squelched in the thick mud that layered the ground.


That's only a suggestion, though. I'd like it if you came up with something from your own imagination ;)

Overall, you just to lay off on all the information. Slow down. Prologue's only introduce the story. You'll have loads more time to say more later on. I think it's a good start, though.

Yours,
Lavvi
this tender selfmetamorpoiesisi have returned with the swell

What is to give light must endure burning. – Viktor Frankl




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Nice. You really piqued peoples interest with the noticing of the egg. As stated before, it leaves a lot of questions. What is an epsilon? Who is the man? What does his people believe? why did he hesitate?. Definitely leaves you wanting to read more and find out what is going on.
"Live in the present, remember the past and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now."
Saphira

"That's the spirit. One part courage. Three parts fool"
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