~Eons ago, the world was nothing but a barren sphere. But soon, the four aspects of Life, Death, Darkness, and Light appeared. With their infinite love and compassion, they blessed the wasteland with their power. The aspect of Life created the homunculi, mortal beings made in the aspect's image. The aspect of Death created an afterlife for the homunculi, as they would eventually decay and depart from the mortal plain. The aspect of Light created the Sun, to give the world light for the homunculi to thrive under. The aspect of Darkness created the Moon, which would dominate the Sun every night to create darkness, and to provide the homunculi with a time to rest their weary bodies. With their blessings given, the four aspects departed to four corners of the world, to watch over the homunculi. But, a malicious entity grew jealous of the Aspect's new home. This demonic creature, known as the Dracolord, was equal in power to the aspects. In his anger, he blessed the world with his own race... Dragons. The dragons, with their overwhelming power, wreaked havoc upon the world, forcing the homunculi into hiding beneath the surface. Life underneath the surface was oppresive, cold, and lonely. Barely any food could be found, and the only way to create living space was by stacking rocks. All hope seemed lost for the homunculi. But suddenly, a fire appeared within the main underground city. This fire was stronger and brighter than any other made before. This fire was created by the Aspects, and within the blaze were four legendary weapons. Four homunculi were chosen by the fire, and along with the weapons, they received immense power. With this new strength, the homunculi returned to the surface and went to battle against the dragons The homunculi managed to seal the Dracolord under the ground. The dragons were unable to defend themselves against such strength, and with their leader gone, they were forced to take refuge in the Eastern Mountains. They remain there to this day, living in fear of the Aspects. The four heroes, thankful for the power given to them by the Aspects, established the Land of Anya, and formed four kingdoms dedicated to the Aspects. Vitanimula, the kingdom of Life, Felmors, the kingdom of Death, Calinanis, the kingdom of Dark, and Livisfulmen, the kingdom of light. All four kingdoms lived in peace and friendship, in an era that came to be known as the Age of Fire. But, all peace can never last. 10,000 years later, Livisfulmen sent a legion of troops to expand their borders. Calinanis, wondering why this was happening, sent their own troops to investigate. Upon their arrival, the Livisfulmenian troops attacked them. Enraged by this sudden act of violence, Calinanis declared war on Livisfulmen. Years have passed, with neither side gaining the upper advantage. Because of this conflict, the Aspects have begun to falter in their power, and earthquakes rack the landscape. But, a Vitanimulan Prophecy states that a hero will arise to end the war, and bring back the Age of Fire...~
-20 YEARS AFTER THE WAR BEGAN-
A young boy was walking through a town in Livisfulmenian territory. He looked battered and tired, as he walked towards a small military hut. He walked inside, and was greeted with a gruff face from a Livisfulmenian general. "It's been three days." He said crossly. "I know, I know..." the boy said. "Did you do the job I asked of you?" The general said. "I tried to, but... there was a Bar, and..." He stuttered. "Just as I expected." The General grabbed the boy and pinned him to the ground. "This... is why I NEVER, EVER trust a mercenary." He grabbed a knife. "Let this be a reminder of your failure, Maggot." He made a long cut along the boys left cheek. "NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" The boy ran out of the hut. "Geez, nobody has respect for anybody these days..." He muttered. He made his way towards the town square. There was a tavern there that he always liked to visit.
After downing a few shots of Ale, the boy went outside of the Tavern and sat at a bench. He took a moment to admire his surroundings. The town was rather quiet, not normal for a Livisfulmenian area. Still, it was nice to be in a peaceful area for once. The slash on his cheek still stung from earlier, and he decided he should go and wash it. Just as he got up, something caught his eye. There was a person in a black cloak on the opposite side of the street. He recognized this person immediately. It was the person that he was hired to kill by the general.
"HEY!" He shouted. The cloaked figure turned their head towards him. The boy ran towards the person. The figure tried to run, but the boy had them pinned down within seconds. "You think you can run away from me, idiot?" He yelled. "There's quite a bounty on you..." He pulled the hood off of the person's head. He was shocked when he saw the person's face. The figure was a woman, with long red hair tied into a long braided ponytail. "Uh... um..." He sputtered. The woman glares and slapped him across the face. "I-I'm so sorry! I try to not fight women..." He said. The woman got up and turned away. She shot him one last glare and ran away.
The boy stood there, bewildered. Everyone around him was giving him dirty looks for what he just did. He sighed. "Why can't anything good ever happen to me..."
The woman had reached the forest outside of the town. Once she knew nobody was watching, she reached into her bag. She pulled out a small statue. The statue itself was a carving of a dog, but the other half of the dog was missing, almost as if the dog was dissapearing. She muttered an incantation, and the statue disappeared in a puff of smoke. In its place was a dog-like creature.
"Heya, Cain..." she said. The dog jumped on her and whined. "Yeah, yeah, I know... I haven't let you out in a while..." she said. She stroked the dog's fur. "Listen, I need you to deliver a message to the others." She pulled out a piece of paper. She wrote on it briefly, then gave it to the dog. The dog grabbed it with his mouth. "Don't slobber on it too much..." she said. "I'll go back on my own. I have some other business to attend to..." The dog whimpered, and then turned around and ran in the other direction.
"Heh... it looks like there's still hope after all." She said.
"...about time you showed up, Taka."
TO BE CONTINUED
