Prologue: The Legend of The Dark War

"The Wheel of Fate is ever turning..."

"They say that over a hundred years ago, mankind found the first gate. They thought it heralded a new age for them. Scientists and sorcerers studied it for years, trying to discover its potential. They realised that the power that could flow from it, if they merely reached out into the dark realm beyond it."

"They called it the Boundary."

"But the world beyond that gate was not for mankind. It was too harmful, too dark for them to survive. So they made machines to search this dark realm, to find the power that lurked within, the legendary Azure."

"Instead they found the Black Beast. A roaring, hatred filled monster that devoured cities and tore mankind's armies apart. It was darker than obsidian, and seethed with a toxic mist known as Seither."

"For five years the Beast rampaged across the world, and none of mankind's weapons worked. It seemed so dark at that time."

"Then, for one year, the Beast stopped. It simply stayed still, and no one knew why, no one dared to see why it had ceased its assault. And in that time, they appeared."

"The Beautiful Sage. The White Clad Knight. The Crimson Eyed Lotus. The Werewolf. The Great Witch. The Dark Hero."

"Six Legendary Heroes taught mankind the art of using magic and the craft of Alchemy. With the tutelage of the Great Witch herself, mankind made the Ars Magus, magic and science forged together. And the Great Witch and the Dark Hero worked ceaselessly with the greatest smiths to forge the Nox Nyctores, ten legendary weapons meant to be the arch enemies of the Black Beast."

"For four years, the armies of Mankind rallied under the banner of the Six Heroes, under the name of the Novus Orbis Librarium. And together, they finally vanquished the Black Beast. The Six Heroes went their separate ways, thought the White Knight warned mankind of their hubris for trying to control the Boundary."

"And while they vanished, the flesh of the Black Beast corroded, exuding Seither all across the world in a great, dark cloud. Mankind retreated from it, the N.O.L. creating great cities on the mountain ranges and highlands of the world to act as humanity's safe havens, the Hierarchical Cities. And with that, the N.O.L. become the most powerful political and military entity in the world."

"But the absolute power of the N.O.L. chafed with many, and a tiny federation tried to secede from the N.O.L."

"Within four days, the tiny group had been obliterated, and the N.O.L. demonstrated that to turn against them was to invite destruction."

"It would seem that none would stand against the N.O.L. til the Grim Reaper appeared."

"A man clad in crimson wielding a great, white sword and a legendary ars magus. The SS class criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge."

"He's a man responsible for the destruction of several N.O.L. facilities and has the largest bounty on record, over ninety million Libra. That's enough to buy a small country!"

"..."

"Tao, are you listening?... You aren't sleeping... You are..."

"What am I going to do with you?"


Author's Notes: Yep, I'm back. Darn, it's been too long. I apologise for being away for so long and for not updating for the past three months. My writing mojo has been off as of late, my laptops have been dying on me, and I've got a job so I've been busy. Far too busy.

My Persona fics may go unupdated for a bit, as I'm getting back into the swing of things, as will my Halo fic, though believe me,

I will finish those.