Prologue: The Legendary Four
One hundred years ago, a team of four heroes fought to bring back the King's four daughters and the Crystal of Light from the forces of an evil wizard whose name is still unknown. The heroes were known simply by the color of uniform they wore- Red, Blue, Green, and Orange. Combining strength of arms with their own unique elemental powers, the brave knights were able to destroy the evil wizard and reclaim what had been taken, and their adventures were remembered by storytellers across the land.
After their victory, the heroes went their separate ways. Orange, a legendary archer, married Princess Elaina, who he had rescued from the Barbarian horde. Unfortunately, in the final battle, the evil wizard hit him with a powerful psychic curse that gradually ate away at his sanity. Despite this, he and Elaina managed to live out a relatively peaceful life in Conehead territory and raise a family. Green, the fastest swordsman in the team, took his bride, Princess Vivian, far from the Church where she had almost been forced into marriage with a Conehead lord. They eventually settled on the Ninja Pirate Islands in the south and adapted to the local culture. Blue, the strongest of all the heroes, lived a long and happy life in Home Castle nobility with Princess Claire, rescued from the frigid Ice World. Red, the team's most powerful mage, spurned Princess Emilia after seeing her clownish appearance, and left for the ancient ruins of the Desert, never to be heard from again. Emilia, too, left the castle shortly afterwards, although where she went remains a mystery.
The Kingdom, meanwhile, grew in size, as regions previously controlled by the evil wizard swore allegiance in gratitude. The Crystal of Light's benevolent power allowed the Kingdom to prosper once more, and the entire known world entered an unprecedented era of peace. The royal line passed through the King's son, Prince Arin, who had fought in the Grey Guard alongside the legendary heroes. All, in short, was well in the Kingdom.
Yet a prophecy began to circulate among the people that indicated something was about to change. No one knew who originated it, and its phrasing changed slightly every time it was repeated, but there were some common threads. It would occur a century after the knights' triumph, it would be caused by the "humorless overlord" and their minions, and it would also involve four descendants of the heroes- the "evil-blooded", the one "born of poison and shadows", the "shattered one", and the "sandwich born". No one in power took it seriously- after all, it couldn't even be traced back to a reliable oracle and had spread through word of mouth. Still, the common folk spoke of it widely, and as the hundredth Heroes' Day approached, curiosity and apprehension over whether the prophecy would come true rose to a fever pitch.
Which is where our story begins...
