Some of you might remember a short epic I was working on some time ago, which was known as The Ghost King's Tragedy. I put it aside for a while to work on an original novel, but recently I have been working on it again and I am pleased to say it is almost ready for posting.

Assuming I don't run into any unexpected problems, expect to see the first chapter of The Ghost King's Tragedy on August 1st.

So, to get y'all excited, here's a short preview of the epic. It's more of an explanation of who the Ghost King is and where he fits into the Shikaverse - written in the form of a short legend - than an excerpt taken from the actual story, but I hope it generates interest in the epic nonetheless.

Without further ado, here is the preview:

The Legend of the Ghost King of World’s End

In the time before time, the Great Beings finished creating the entire universe. They created many different beings and creatures: Matoran workers, Skakdi warriors, large aquatic Rahi, industrious Vortixx, and a variety of other beings besides. The Great Beings finished the universe in a matter of days, putting all of their skill and effort into every island they created.

But not all islands were loved equally. While the Great Beings put loving detail and attention into the northern islands, many of the far south island suffered from a lack of care. One island in particular -- located at the end of the world itself -- was unloved and neglected. The Great Beings were growing tired of working on the universe, so they put less effort into the last island of the universe, which eventually became known as World’s End.

World’s End was not an entirely useless island, however. While working on the universe, the Great Beings made many mistakes and errors. So they put their mistakes on World’s End, far from the eyes of their other, more correct creations. World’s End was the dumping ground for their creations. The seas around World’s End were filled with dangerous Rahi that made travel to that island difficult, if not impossible, for normal beings, so that no one could look upon the Great Beings' shameful failures.

World’s End also had another purpose. In the time before time, a fierce and evil being known as the Ghost King threatened the universe with an army of Ghosts and Dark Horses. He was determined to kill everyone and did indeed cause much chaos and death and pain (this was before the Great Spirit Mata Nui was created).

The Great Beings, in all of their wisdom and goodness, defeated the Ghost King and his Ghosts. They could not kill him, however, and so instead imprisoned him on the island of World’s End along with his ghostly servants. Though the Ghost King had free reign over World’s End, he could not leave it, nor could his Ghosts.

You see, the Great Beings needed a guardian to keep the Ghost King and his Ghosts from escaping World’s End. So they created a new being who would use his powers to prevent the Ghost King’s evil from ever spreading beyond the borders of World’s End.

This being was named the Master of Mist. He was, in contrast to the Ghost King, a wise and benevolent being. He had no desire to rule over others or cause pain and suffering. He stood for order and justice, which made him ideal for the role the Great Beings assigned to him, for the Ghost King stood for chaos and injustice.

Using his powers, the Master of Mist created a huge mist barrier all around World’s End. The mist was so thick that not even the Ghost King himself could go through it or break it. The Ghost King tried many sly and cunning tricks to get around it, such as pretending to have given up his evil ways, but each time he was thwarted by the Master of Mist, who could not be deceived by the Ghost King’s trickery.

To this day, the Ghost King remains on World’s End, still kept in check by the Master of Mist. And the Ghost King will never escape World’s End. Not as long as the Master of Mist keeps in his duties.

So remember: August 1st. The truth is not what it appears.

-TNTOS-