Prologue
A darkness deep with veins of ice
Will once ascend through flaming wall
One martyr pays the final price
Reclaim their crest, once and for all
First, there was nothing but darkness. No light, no sound, no air. It was the calm before the inevitable storm, an ominous herald of both miracles and doom. But the world was yet asleep, dreaming its existence in all colours imaginable. Its dimensions still countless and its possibilities ripe with promise, the world was whole, and healthy. It was not yet a stage for the show of strength between the irreconcilable forces that are in eternal contrast and contest with each other.
But oh, what bitter price to pay
For such short spell of tranquillity
Soon or late will come the day
That robs the world of its stability
Moments or aeons passed, and in the darkness, something changed. As the gears were set in motion, eyes opened and breath was drawn. Life came into being, its manner authentically callow and beautiful. But this life came not without another, one that from its birth knew pain and hatred, red and hot burned into its countless souls. And as forces beyond comprehension awoke, their minds as one, they set to the only task worth their dreadful and tormented existence: sheer and utter destruction of all creatures of light.
Falter not when hope seems lost
For others may yet see it done
Though tricks are turned and aces tossed
When day has dawned, the war is won
Yet just as darkness beckons when life and light are in abundance, a glimmer of hope can be found when vile forces prevail. That hope was faint, though not through lack of strength, but through time and distance. In this moment, when everything hung in such fragile balance, only one thing was for certain: Hope would make a long journey to arrive where it was needed most.