Once upon a time there was a large island. An island that sat in the middle of an endless sea. On this solitary stretch of land lived a diverse multitude of peoples, plants, and animals. Life was peaceful here, and each passing day brought only joy and prosperity to all.

Among the human population of this island, there lived a small family; that consisted of one father, and two small children. The father's name was Oe (pronounced "oh"), and his children were Salaia (pronounced "suh-lay-uh") and Ozarius (pronounced "aww-zare-e-us"). Salaia was Oe's firstborn; she was curious, wise, crafty and bold. Ozarius was Oe's second child; and he was shy, soft-spoken, and a bit of a coward. The three lived together in peace and love.

But all of that would change one fateful day.

On a day just like any other, Salaia and Ozarius decided to go out and play in the woods. Their father readily consented to their decision, and happily saw them off, telling them to have fun. And so Salaia and Ozarius traveled deep into the island's forest. Laughing and playing as they went. But suddenly, without warning, as Ozarius chased his sister during a game of tag, he fell into a hole in the ground; one that had been covered by twigs and fallen leaves.

Down, down, down Ozarius fell. Down into a pit that seemed to go on forever. When the poor thing finally reached the bottom of the pit, he fell straight on his arm, with a crack and a thud. Ozarius whimpered as he rose to his feet, and cried out for his father and sister. The child then looked around, hoping the two would suddenly appear to aid him. But alas, all Ozarius could see in the near total darkness that surrounded him, was a cavernous path, that trailed off in another direction. Having no where else to go, and no one to help him, Ozarius decided to follow the path. And what he found at its end would change his life forever...

At the end of the long and winding path, was a large subterranean chamber. And in the center of that chamber, there was a humongous crystal. This entity would later come to be known as the Rainbow Crystal; so named, because it shined all the colors of the rainbow. Aside from its shine, the crystal was, again, notably large. It was the size of a small house, in fact; with several sharp points that sat atop it. The crystal was glorious, and it seemed to hum with power. But Ozarius feared the object with all of his tiny heart.

Before Ozarius could succumb to that fear, however, his sister appeared and called out to him. Ozarius ran to his sister and embraced her, never so happy to see her in his life as he was now. Luckily for him, Salaia had noticed her brother's absence. She then quickly re-traced her steps in order to find the place where he was last seen (the place where he fell). Salaia consoled her frightened brother, and the two made plans to leave at once; that was, however... until Salaia laid eyes on the Rainbow Crystal.

Before, the girl had been so focused on finding her brother, that there was nothing else in the world that could get her attention. But now, with Ozarius having been found, the Rainbow Crystal could now creep its way into her gaze. And as soon as that happened, Salaia became transfixed. She was mesmerized by the crystal's radiant beauty. By how it seemed to whisper to her, telling her to come closer. As if in a trance, Salaia began to walk towards the Rainbow Crystal. Ozarius begged his sister to stop. To turn away, so that the two could leave that horrible place. But Salaia would not be dissuaded. She told her brother they would leave soon enough, once she got a better look at the island's hidden marvel.

And then, once Salaia was close enough to the crystal, she reached out her tiny hand and touched it.

And that's when everything changed.

The crystal began to shine a dazzling white light. Bright enough to make the sun seem dim by comparison. Then the crystal shook, shaking the ground and the chamber that housed it. Salaia and Ozarius closed their eyes and fell to the ground. Both terrified at the unfolding events. Finally, the crystal erupted with power. The same white light that filled the crystal, now shot up from it, into the ceiling of the chamber. The column of light pushed away tons of dirt and rocks, not only reaching the surface, but eventually reaching high enough to pierce the sky.

Every living soul on the island saw that column of light. They marveled at the sight briefly. Unaware of what it meant.

And as soon as the pillar of light appeared, it began to disappear. It thinned out, and then faded... into oblivion.

Back at the Crystal's Chamber, which was now a giant hole in the ground, Salaia and Ozarius were still hunched over and trembling. When they finally opened their eyes and looked around, they discovered that the once proud Rainbow Crystal, was gone. What was just as strange, was that the injuries that Ozarius had sustained from his fall, were all healed. But the strangest thing of all, was the knowledge and wisdom and power that had suddenly appeared in the children's minds. Salaia and Ozarius looked at each other; and even without a word between them, they both knew. They knew that both of them had been changed forever. That they (and only they) had been bestowed with ancient knowledge and wisdom, that had previously been sealed within the crystal. And in addition to said knowledge, they (and everyone else on the island) had been imbued with something else...

Something that had once run rampant in the world, but had been suddenly sealed away...

Something that Salaia had just unleashed, that would ultimately change everything...

Yes...

Magic, had now been released into the world.

Though nobody knew enough about it then, to regret it.

The islanders eventually found their way to the source of the column of light. And at the source, they found Salaia and Ozarius standing before a giant hole in the ground. The islanders naturally asked the two children what had happened. So the children told them. Along with some of the other things that they had learned from the Rainbow Crystal. Namely, the things relating to magic, and how every islander could now use it.

This triggered a magic age in humanity's history. And what transpired during this time, laid the foundations for what the world of Remnant has become now...

But getting back to the story...

Salaia and Ozarius grew and matured. And as the two children grew, so did humanity's knowledge and use of magic. The two children, once just a small part of humanity's single great community, immediately found themselves leading said community. And how else could it have gone? Sure, Salaia and Ozarius were children at the time. However, having been thrust into a new magic age, with no prior warning at all, humanity would need someone (or some people) with magical knowledge to lead it; child or no.

So Salaia and Ozarius lead mankind into this new and strange magic age. The two, before this time, were seen as just children. But now, and in the time to follow, they would be seen as being divine.

Though with all of that being said, things did not go so smoothly for mankind. Primarily because their double leaders had divided views of magic.

Salaia, now a young woman, had great and ambitious plans for magic. She planned on using it in any and every area of life where she could, so as to make life easier for all. Things like flying carriages, magically enhanced clothing and items, and even magically fortified communities, were all just the tip of the iceberg. Even nature itself seemed to support Salaia's views, as small magic crystals, imbued with the powers of the elements, began to appear all over the island.

Ozarius, on the other hand (now a young man and much more bold), was of a different opinion, and promoted a minimal use of magic. Or said another way, Ozarius believed that magic should only be used as a last resort; and even then, it should only be used to fix broken things, or to help and heal others. Ozarius was fearful that magic would lead to a perversion of normal life. That magic would change the world into something grotesque and unnatural. His sister did not share his fears. And as such, the two fought over this issue.

But don't fear; for the two siblings' "fights," never went beyond an unpleasant conversation, and/or some harsh words.

That is, however... until the Faunus were created.

But again, getting back to the story...

Salaia and Ozarius co-led the human race into this new age of magic. Salaia promoted the use of magic whenever and wherever possible. While her brother, promoted a minimal use of magic, in conjunction with living an honest and humble lifestyle. Each of the siblings gathered followers and supporters for their views. And although mankind was finding itself more and more divided (via differing views regarding the use of magic), it continued to live on in peace and harmony for a time.

Though over time, strange occurrences were beginning to be observed by the islanders. Small crystals imbued with the power of the elements, crystals which were later dubbed "dust," began appearing throughout the island. What's more, it became clear that the animals that lived on the island, had undergone profound changes. Some animals were much larger than they should've been. Others had too many horns, or sprouted horns when they shouldn't have. Still, even with these changes, mankind pushed on. Adjusting to these new developments quickly, and without concern.

Though Ozarius took all of these things, quietly, to heart.

Over time, Salaia became more and more impatient with mankind's lack of magical development. In order to "fix" this, she devised a cunning plan, through which she would advertise magic's many benefits to the people; thus gaining more support for her cause, and ultimately spurring on mankind's magical development.

So in accordance with her plan, Salaia began to demonstrate the destructive power of magic. She showed the islanders how patches of forest could be burned down and cleared in an instant; so as to make room for houses, communities, and the like. And every time Salaia destroyed something, as if on cue, Ozarius would appear, and fix everything she destroyed (with his magic). At first glance, it would seem as if Ozarius was a detriment to Salaia's cause. But it was just the opposite. Salaia knew what her actions would do to Ozarius, and how they would spur him to act. So every time Ozarius fixed something she destroyed, she would look to those around her and say, "Look, good people. See how magic can not only be used to destroy, but also, to rebuild. In light of this glorious fact, how can we do anything but embrace the powers that our magic grants us!"

Salaia was so determined to make her point, in fact, that she even went so far as to create creatures of darkness. Creatures formed from the darkness within peoples' hearts, that would appear at random, and harm whomever they laid their eyes on. Ozarius, being the man that he was, was willing to teach the islanders defensive magic; so that they could defend themselves from this new threat. The people thanked Ozarius. And Ozarius was glad that, through his teaching the people, they became less fearful of these strange entities. But he was no fool. He knew that Salaia, despite the fact that she feigned ignorance, was undoubtedly responsible for these horrible creatures. But without any proof, and without the strength to divide mankind even further (between he and his sister), he was forced to remain silent.

Ozarius did not enjoy being a pawn in Salaia's schemes. But the young man didn't posses the intellect that his sister did, so he could never hope to outwit her; and he didn't have the resolve to do nothing, as Salaia destroyed whatever as she pleased, in the name of promoting magic. So again, all Ozarius could do was keep quiet and watch, as he was forced to be a part in his sister's games. Though Ozarius found comfort in the fact that those who followed him, were also loyal to him. Meaning that no matter what Salaia did or said, they would not embrace her ideology.

Salaia continued with her magic machinations nonetheless. While Ozarius kept on with his minimal-magic monologues. Mankind was increasingly trapped in between these two opinions, and their development, magical or otherwise, became stagnant (for a decade) as a result.

And on one day during this stagnant period, Salaia found herself taking a contemplative stroll in the forest. While strolling, she looked upon the magic-imbued animals and wondered to herself. Wondered what the animals would do if they could use magic. Then an idea hit Salaia with the force of a lightning bolt.

Why wonder about what the animals would do, when she could make them wise, teach them magic, and then see what they would do?

So Salaia summoned a large portion of her magic, and used it to make all of the animals on the island smarter. She did this behind her brother's back, of course. And behind the back of everyone else on the island. But Salaia didn't care. Magic could be used to make progress; and progress, thought Salaia, halts for no one.

The animals on the island thus became wise.

Though this was not something that they all celebrated.

Animal-kind became split between three different opinions. The first opinion, was one of fear. The animals that held this opinion, feared what Salaia had done. Not because they were afraid that she was going to harm them. No... they feared her brother, Ozarius, whom they knew would be furious at what his sister had done. And in this light, they fled to the far reaches of the island, vowing to hide themselves from both Ozarius, and the rest of mankind.

The second opinion, was one of complacency. The animals that held this view, didn't really care about what Salaia had done for them. Sure, they were much wiser. But with that said, why did they need additional wisdom? They were already wise enough to find food and shelter for themselves. And it was not as if they needed to outsmart anyone. So in the end, these animals chose to keep their standard way of life; and ultimately spurn Salaia's offer to learn to use magic.

Salaia was upset with these first two groups of animals. She was even beginning to think that she had wasted her magic, and her time.

But when the third group of animals began to speak up... Salaia was delightfully surprised...

The third group of animals, with the third and final opinion, were grateful to Salaia for what she'd done. They were even eager to learn how to use magic. In fact, they wanted to use magic to such a degree, that they wouldn't have to live as animals anymore. This would be a serious undertaking. But, in the name of progress and magical development, Salaia agreed to help this group of animals reach their goal.

And so this third group of animals, with help from Salaia, used their magic in order to transform themselves into humans. Humans that Salaia introduced to humanity as a "lost people."

Mankind at that time, so innocent and naive, could not even think about being suspicious of Salaia and these "lost people;" no matter their view of magic. Even Ozarius himself, though hesitant on account of his sister's involvement, couldn't bring himself to take any action against this people.

So these "lost people," integrated themselves into mankind's single community. And in time, some of these "lost peoples" had managed to create families and produce children.

That's when it became clear that deception had been afoot.

The children that were born from these "lost people" families, were born with bizarre, animal-like features. Some children had horns, some had claws, and some had scales and shed-able skin. These children would later come to be known as the "Faunus;" and from their birth, to this day, they've known little else but hardship.

But back to the story...

At first, the islanders were concerned that some strange sickness was going about; and that it was this strange sickness, whatever it was, that was changing their children in this way. The "lost people," having kept secret the fact that they were once animals (throughout their stay with humanity), remained quiet at this time. Scared about what their families would think of them and their lie (that they were an ordinary and "lost" people). Salaia also kept quiet about her hand in this matter. Though she did speak kindly to the people, telling them that as long as their children were healthy, that they should not worry about their physical appearances.

Some of the people took Salaia's advice. Others merely listened, all the while worrying about their children.

Ozarius would not be consoled.

The young man actively looked into the cause of this problem. He looked through every piece of magical knowledge that had been put in his brain. He read through every book that he and his sister had written about magic and its properties. He inspected every singe animal-like child, looking for any type of curse or magical foul-play.

Eventually, in desperation, having not found a single clue up to that time, Ozarius subjected all of mankind to a magic-spell analysis. If mankind was indeed suffering from some strange new disease, then Ozarius could use his powerful magic, to both find and purge it from his people.

But what Ozarius found as a result of his spell... was not some sort of disease...

Ozarius discovered, to his bewilderment, that some of his people had once been... animals!

It took only a couple of seconds for Ozarius to figure out what had happened.

And it took even less time for his anger to explode like a volcano.

Ozarius. Was. Furious.

The air around him burned under the heat of his rage.

The "lost people" looked upon Ozarius's face, and realized that the first group of animals' fears, had not been unfounded.

Ozarius immediately used his magic, to turn every singe one of the "lost people" back into animals. Humanity was shocked at this development. So much so that half of them couldn't even find the strength to speak. But mankind was not left bewildered for long; because Ozarius, his anger not even half spent, was not finished. For perverting the natural order of the world, and for deceiving humanity in this way, Ozarius used his magic to banish the "lost people" to a magical realm; a realm from which they would never be able to escape.

No one in the village had the power, or even the thought, to stop Ozarius. The only one who could, Salaia, was remarkably absent at this time; having some other obligation that required her attention.

So the "lost people" had been outed, and banished, in the blink of an eye. Their children, the Faunus, however, had been left alone. The children, in Ozarius's eyes, had done absolutely nothing wrong. Therefore, they were allowed to stay on the island. Yet even still, approximately half of humanity's families had just been broken. And mankind was to stunned to do anything about it.

Salaia, however, did not share this sensation.

When she returned to humanity's single village, and heard about what her brother had done, well...

Let's just say it was her turn to be furious.

She stormed right up to Ozarius, to her outrageous little brother, with an anger that made the clouds above crack with thunder; She demanded to know what right he had, that justified his banishing of her people.

Ozarius, in kind, demanded to know what right Salaia had, in turning a group of animals into people, in the first place.

"You've grossly upset the natural order!" Ozarius said.

"Your 'natural order' means nothing!" Salaia retorted.

The air around Salaia and Ozarius was filled with magic energy and tension. It was clear that a fight was currently unfolding. But whereas every other fight they'd ever had up to that point, ended with just a few bitter words...

This fight would result in magic and violence.

The two attacked each other with a viscous fury. The magic they hurled at one another, turned the sky black and foreboding. It made the ground beneath their feet crack and rumble and shake. The sea began roaring, and large waves slammed into the island.

All the islanders could do was watch the two siblings fight. And tremble in the face of their power.

Salaia and Ozarius fought for a long while. Neither one giving so much as an inch. But soon it became apparent that neither one could best the other. For they were evenly matched. So... in anger and desperation... each of the siblings did the unthinkable...

Both siblings went into the village of mankind, and uncovered secret dust crystals they had hidden there.

These were no ordinary dust crystals, ones that disappeared after use. No... these were Relics, and they were imbued with the core aspects of the universe, itself.

These Relics had been hidden away, for fear of what one might do with them. But now the siblings, both lost in their emotions, took up the very Relics that they had decided never to use.

And so, with the Relics in hand, Salaia and Ozarius rushed each other one last time. For one... final... desperate attack...

And when the two collided, something even more unthinkable happened...

One of the Relics broke.

And then all hell broke loose...

The Relic that broke created a tremendous explosion. And as a result...

The island that mankind once lived on, was shattered into pieces, with each piece scattering to a far corner of the sea.

The world itself also divided. One half of it remained in the light, and the other, sank into the darkness.

Salaia and Ozarius were also affected.

In ways that neither of them, to this day, completely understand...

Salaia's soul was broken that fateful day. Her sense of compassion, sympathy, kindness and love, slowly flowed out of her; like tears from a broken heart. And this partial pouring out of Salaia's humanity, left room for darkness and other foul emotions, to take center stage in her soul.

Ozarius's soul was also broken that day, though most of the injuries he suffered were quite different. His soul, as supposed to losing its ability to feel, lost entire portions of itself. Or said another way, Ozarius's soul was shattered into pieces, with each piece being scattered throughout time itself.

There was one wound, however, that the siblings shared. And that was a loss of memory.

Because of the shattering of the Relic, and the violent release of magic when Salaia and Ozarius collided, each of the siblings' minds was wiped to a certain extent.

When the two woke up after their fight (each in their respective locations), each of them had a hard time remembering who they were. They couldn't remember their names, their homes, or anything about their lives.

It was only after a long period of time, that Salaia and Ozarius finally began to remember something.

And even then, what they remembered, despite what they may think, had actually little to do with them.

The evidence of that is in the new names they've decided to adopt...

The new names of Salem and Ozpin.

But that is a story for another time...

So getting back to this one...

Mankind was left bewildered and physically divided (among the island's scattered remains) after the sibling's fight. Their island... their homes... their people... which were all at one point, together- had now been mercilessly ripped apart.

The two leaders of mankind, Salaia and Ozarius, the two individuals who were responsible for humanity's current plight... had disappeared in an instant. They'd vanished into thin air with the breaking of the Relic.

Yet even so, even though scattered and divided among new and strange lands... and even without any form of their former leadership... mankind continued on.

Most notably, however, without the use of magic.

The sibling's fight left a scar not just on the world around them, but also, on the hearts and minds of every single human being. And from these scars, humankind learned one thing. That magic was something not to be used.

Oh, how painfully ironic it is...

Salaia was convinced that by displaying her magical power, all of mankind would come to appreciate magic, and ultimately give themselves over to a pursuit of it. Yet, when Salaia demonstrated her true magical power, during her fight with her brother, she only managed to scare mankind half to death; and ultimately drive it away from magic on mass.

With that said, Ozarius was not left untouched by this irony...

Here he had spent most of his life, telling humanity to only use magic as a last resort. He even decided to live by example so as to convince mankind that magic shouldn't really be used. And yet, mankind would only understand and heed his message, after he used a monstrously large amount of magical power; and nearly destroyed the world in the process.

But I digress...

Mankind lived on after Salaia's and Ozarius's fight. Though things would never be the same as they once were. For starters, mankind, which had developed in a single large village up to that point, was now divided. Scattered across different continents, each with its own unique and strange climate.

Magic was labeled as a "forbidden power," and as such, most human beings stopped using it (with the exception of certain families, who continued to study this power in secret).

Humanity's development continued to stagnate for a while. But by utilizing resourcefulness, ingenuity, and a whole lot of dust, mankind lit its way through the darkness; and created a new world for itself.

And thus... the days of Salaia and Ozarius became little more than a strange, and fleeting dream.

Of course, there were those who tried to preserve their story.

Those who tried to capture the history of the world's earliest days...

However...

As time moved on, and man's memory dimmed...

"History," as it had been recorded, became a far cry from the truth.

Instead of being two ordinary people, who had been imbued with awesome power, Salaia and Ozarius became divine beings, in the mouths of the worlds' first story-tellers. The two siblings also went from being sister and brother, to brother and brother; with Ozarius being depicted as the older and kinder sibling, and Salaia as the younger and more sinister sibling.

More can be said on this, but in the end...

The world as it is now, is ignorant in regards to history and truth...

And ignorant of that fact that it's been left a Remnant of its former self...

But...

Perhaps the world will not remain this way forever...

Maybe the truth of that past could be uncovered, during the events that unfold in the future...