Long ago at the beginning of time there were 4 powerful beings; Genbu, Byakko, Suzaku, and Seiryu. These beings had tremendous power and eventually had beings that would love and worship them; humans. The humans called the beings Gods and prayed to them for miracles. For a long time, the 4 Gods answered the prayers of the humans and showered them with gifts; fire, water, fertile land, and food.
However, the humans eventually began to question the great power the Gods had and feared them. Soon all the humans no longer loved the Gods and hid from them. Only one human would still pray to the Gods and give them love; a human girl. The Gods watched the girl and felt her love as she whispered her prayers and thanks to them. Soon, they fell in love with the girl.
But eventually the girl grew very sick and death was nearly upon her. The Gods discussed it and finally agreed that they would make the girl theirs for all eternity. They bestowed her with the gift of immortality and protective powers. She was called the Priestess of Heaven. Many years of happiness soon followed and the land was blessed with peace. However, jealousy soon grew in the hearts of the 4 Gods. Each wanted the Priestess for himself and eventually a war between them broke out.
The lands turned dead and desolate without the nurturing care of the Gods and humans gradually began to die. The Priestess saw what was happening and knew that it was her fault. She went to the heart of the world where all four territories of the Gods touched each other and with her powers, sacrificed herself so the world would not need the power of the Gods to continue to thrive.
The lands returned to as they once were and slowly, the humans began to live again. Realizing what had happened, the Gods mourned the sacrifice of their beloved Priestess of Heaven. They would not allow her to suffer the pain that had caused her to sacrifice herself once again, so they separated her soul into four parts. When the time was right, she would come back and bring peace to each God as a new person.
Unable to wait the long time it would take for her to return, the Gods agreed to sleep until she returned. Realizing they would not know when she would return, the Gods created a being and gave him the power of a God. He was to be a messenger to the Priestess each time she returned and help her to awaken the Gods. They each placed a part of their power in a scroll and gave it to the being. When the Priestess returned, he was to give her the scroll so she could summon the God.
However, the Gods realized that many humans would try to hurt their beloved Priestess if they knew of her power, so the powers they gave to the Priestess they turned into 28 beings. Each time the Priestess returned, she would have 7 warriors to protect her and help her to reunite with the Gods.
With that, the 4 Gods sealed themselves away in a long sleep waiting for the day when they would once more be reunited with their beloved Priestess of Heaven.
And so time passed. . . .