Hello everyone ! I havn't been really present recently, for a lot of different reasons. I hope you all are as safe as possible, and in good health, but enough with the depressing stuff... Today is a bit special, not only because it's the start of a brand new fic, but also because it's my birthday!
So i decided to post this first chapter, this project is something i wanted to work on for some time, and I really want to see it flourish, instead of just sitting in a corner of my brain. I hope you will enjoy it and let me know whet you think in the reviews.
The Beginning.
According to legends, Gaea is the planet of dreams, created by the wishes of the people of the Mystic Moon whose name is still shrouded in mysteries, the Atlante. It was the ideal planet, caressed by the wind, nurtured by rich soil and earth, mountains reaching the sky, and blessed oceans to ease the propagation of life. Among other forms of life the humans were not the only things living on the new planet, with dragons, beastmen, mermaids, and other creatures, it was a sanctuary for them all, and the last safeplace for the draconians. Descendants of the now cursed atlantean of old. It was meant to be the planet of peace, a home for all, a bastion of hope. A dream comes true.
And for a time it was, but dreams never last, and reality crush them without care or mercy. As time pass Gaean people learned not to love and respect other races, but to mistrust, hate and kill what wasn't to their taste. Soon enough Gaea learned the taste of blood, memorised the sound of wars, and the scent of death and anguish, it was feasting on fear.
Throughout history, countries went at war for different reasons, some prospered, some were destroyed and lost to Time. And with the countries went the people. Many races became hunted and almost wiped out at one point or another, becoming legends either for their survival skills, or their downfall. The morphs were one of the first races recorded to be purged, alongside the draconians. To this day they were still hunted and killed on sight if discovered. They were doomed, cursed, filth of the earth, lower than dirt and vermine. Or they were prized, dead or alive, kept as pets or trophies, an anomaly, a rarity.
Others races have seen cruel fate too, cat and feline people have been reduced to slavery, or killed for their fur for centuries. Canines were slaves too. Mermaids were lucky in a way to live deep under the sea, for their flesh was sought after, with the fable that it would grant immortal life to the one who feast on it. Others were pretending that they were shading jewels as tears, of the highest quality, and purity, and so mermaid eyes became items to be collected. All for false beliefs, and the words of a poet in love distorted by greed and hunger for more than one can get.
Men have conquered the sky, the earth and the mountains, there was little that was not on a map somewhere, as natural hardship had been conquered over time. The creation of leviships, melefs, armors, weapons and other things made sure that Gaea was no longer wild, but a grand playground for the powerfuls. The depth of the sea was one of the last unknowns of this world, like the mysterious land of Asgard far to the north. These were the last bastions of the dream that was the core of the twin planet of the Mystic Moon. But that too won't stay untouched forever.
Already there were tales of new kinds of ships meant to explore below the sea in Asturia, and many had dreamed of exploring the last continent beyond the mist with the newest technologies. Time was moving fast, and Gaea's last dream filled places would some day soon be ripped of their mysteries, and maybe it's life too.
It was a time of relative peace for many, until Zaibach made its move.
At first it wasn't much; the emperor Isaac N. Dunkirk, have been in power for four decades, and have made Zaibach reach a golden era of prosperity in his youth. By bringing a revolution of science, the once poor and desolate country flourished like never before, and was rumored to have been finally blessed by the gods. Under his rule the country who was once a dry wasteland, became the place to go, to see the world change to a pace never seen before. Scholars from all around the world were sent there to study. The empire even became a rival for the kingdom of Asturia, the richest kingdom of Gaea, in mere decades, entering the short list of the most powerful countries of Gaea. It was fantastic, unheard of, miraculous even in a way, for before the emperor the country amounted to nothing. And it's allied countries who fared better were not near enough to support the alliance on their own. But now things were different. Everything was different.
The good, kind old emperor took decisions that changed Zaibach for the best… at first. Now his decisions were taking a darker turn. The army was more important, allied countries were progressively absorbed, and rumors were heard of things happening in the capital, among the "sorcerers", the elit scientists of the nation. Bad things.
It wasn't worrisome at first, things like that happened all the time afterall, and some were just rumors, every country who worked on their army was suspected of nefarious goals, that wasn't new. It was misinformations and baseless rumors spread by jealous people, like usual when one prosper. But the reality was that Zaibach was on the warpath.
Nippon were the first to get a taste of the war. The arshipel was a long time ally of the empire, and for generations it had been their link with both the sea, and it's treasures, and Asturia. Nippon was a small empire of its own, composed of a number of islands, it could stand on its own, but the world was wild and trade a necessity, Zaibach and Nippon got a long history of helping one another in times of need, especially against nature. Were there a draught, or a famine in either country the other would help. Things were not always fair, taxes were high, and circulation between the islands and the main land was difficult, but it had worked. Thanks to Nippon Zaibach was able to commerce with Asturia, and in return, Zaibach provided the arshipel a connection to the mainland.
Nippon waters were plentiful, the best fishermen were rumored to come from there, but trading was hard with the fact as an archipelago it repelled a lot of the country, either from invading, or simply finding the effort to travel not worth it. Nippon wasn't a bad country, it wasn't backwarded, even if secluded, but it was prideful, and it was it's downfall.
Since trading with the archipel wasn't easy, many ignored what resources Nippon could possess. Only Zaibach ever made the effort to learn and tried to get some benefits out of it. But even with its allies Nippon wasn't sharing everything. No one was sure if they really had river dragons, or if some of the beast people described in scrolls were real, for who had ever seen a shape shifting raccoon man or a gender changing fox person? Shape shifters were unheard of ever since the purge that killed almost every Morphs centuries ago. The few still alive were cursed creatures fated to die if they ever drop their disguise for a second. Mermaids were also believed to have a settlement near some of the unpopulated islands of the small empire, and were kind to fishermen, or so they say.
Nippon could, and would offer many things to the empire of Zaibach. But no one was sure what they were looking for exactly, and what the consequences would be.
It took three years for the people of Nippon to understand what was going on, what was the price they were paying, and by then it was too late for them.
It starts when Zaibach asks for Nippon to help it's army by sending volunteers, and more resources. Then there were Zaibach dignitaries, and "ambassadors" in the capital of Edo and how the emperor was more with the Zaibach men than his own counselors and ministers. Then start the conscription in ports, and villages. The Empire needed them, and many youth were eager to become soldiers rather than farmers. It was an honor for their families, and their country, to serve not only the Nippon emperor, but the great Empire of Zaibach.
After that came the speeches, about the greater good, how other nations were foolish and decadent, how they were ruining opportunities by making bad alliances. How some kingdoms were nothing because they were making trades with the wrong kind of people…. There was poison in the words, and people listened to it without a care, because Nippon hadn't fared well the last decade with the trades. And no one said anything about who were the "bad kind" of people. They knew. They assumed. They were thinking the same thing.
Beast men.
The prejudices against beast people was popular, since ancient time beast people were always the first ones to suffer in a war, the first ones reduced to slavery, the first ones being killed for no other reason than looking less "human". In Nippon things were not that different, even if some races got better treatment than others, and so they were the first to be scorned from the great project of emperor Dunkirk.
It didn't help that some started hiding, and leaving the country as soon as they felt the wind turn. Not after they heard the warning from the Shrines.
All over Gaea, many Gods were revered, and prayed to. Many religions coexisted without too much trouble, even if holy wars were led a long time ago, and could happen again. Freid was the holiest country in the world, it's temples and shrines were dedicated to all and every god, with prayers and offerings. Other countries only followed either only one main god, often a dragon god, and a handful of lesser deities, or a whole pantheon of deities.
Asturia was known to pray for the fortune goddesses, and mostly Jesha, the dragon god of the sea. While the rural country of Fanelia prayed mainly to the great white dragon Escaflowne….
Nippon prayed to it's own deities too, but Zaibach have left gods behind them merely a decade after the emperor ascended to the throne. And after Zaibach took progressive control over Nippon, they too started to pray less. Listen less. Believe less. Mistrust more.
For in the many shrines over the islands, some were rather unique. The white snake temple for exemple, was revered by all beast men no matter their species. It was the first to be abandoned, it's priestess, a middle aged white snake woman, vanishing in the fog of an early morning. Only her garb was ever found.
Then the shrine of the fox was ravaged, and no one wanted to pray to suffer the whims of a god for the crops. Not when the Empire gave machines, and chemicals that reduced the efforts, and made sure the crops were good year after year. The head priest died, his old heart didn't survive the destruction of the temple. No one searched for the culprits of the destruction.
The great shrine of the forest was always a bit mysterious, and mostly left alone, for it was more difficult to access it. The fire that ate it should have been a sign of evil, especially with the smile of a young Zaibach soldier as the fire made the whole mountain glow a sick red deep in the night for days on end. But people just said it was good riddance to a cursed old place, and a chance to clear the mountain to make place for new structures, in view of the emperors projects. No one asked or searched for the monks of the forest, no one cared.
After that, many shrines just closed up, even if Zaibach officials, and soldiers, were eager to "help them enter the new era" by visiting them. They were searching for something, that was obvious, and so the people just saw that as a sign that the shrines must have hidden something, something that could have helped their country and the Emperor.
At this point people weren't even sure who they were calling emperor anymore, emperor Hiro being nothing more than a figure head at this point. He was just the voice of emperor Dunkirk in Nippon, and little else.
The searches were conducted in every town, every shrine, without anyone asking what was being looked after. When it didn't produce a result, smaller towns got a rougher treatment. And soon enough villages were rensaced in the search of something that no one was able to say what it was.
The search was looking more and more like a hunt as time passed, and the presence of the Zaibach army grew in Nippon like weeds in a garden. Beast people started to get deported to the mainland to work in the field around the capital and near the coast, or so it was said and believed, and soon others, humans this time, were sent too. At first it was jobless, and homeless people, then peasants. Few were ever seen after that last trip. People were blind to what was happening, and they were so willingly.
After a time requisitions were made. Yet no one was wiser about what was the goal of the empire for Nippon, and their search became more and more frantic.
Then at some point the Zaibach must have lost their thin patience, and sent all over the country messages that were read to the population. Nippon was secured in their grasp, so it was easy to make people comply, and this time they revealed what they were searching for, not once doubting the people would lend their help.
What they have been looking for, what the emperor was seeking in every part of Nippon, what was being the reason behind the destruction of so many shrines and holy places : Mystics.
There was never an explanation behind the appearance of a Mystic, they could be from any species, any gender, any age. Rarely revered, more often than not treated as monsters, they were shroud in mysteries, them and their abilities.
One of Nippon's founder empresses has been believed to be one. Her Highness Himiko was still revered as her role in the country creation, but her abilities, supposedly that of a seer, were kept silent. All over Gaea Mystics could be found, hiding for the most part, unaware of their powers for the others, or simply too weak to be considered Mystics.
Nippon was proud of having some powerful Mystics among it's denizens through their history. Mikos, and Monks, who worked to keep the evils from flooding their country, or died sacrificing themselves to save whole cities from terribles fates. But like everything Nippon wasn't keen on sharing theses. And Mystics were few, and rare, and what was rare, was pricely.
When a child was reported to show signs of even a lick of potential, may they be babies or infants, they were snatched by lesser than recomendable shrines, to be trained in their powers, and be tools for the nobles, and higher clerics. The children training was more often than not, tortures, of various kinds, and left them either barely functioning as humans, or dead when they were lucky. Sometimes, the death of the Mystic, would result in the destruction of the shrine, or castle where they were jailed. The results were catastrophic and therefore rarely used anymore. The only places where this still was in effect were deep in the countryside, where even a single Mystic, even a weak one, could mean the fortune of the village, or it's last mistake.
No one can predict where and when a Mystic will appear, not even another Mystic. It could run in a family, pass generations, or appear out of nowhere in a single person at any age. It was also documented that some Mystics powers were one time things, and therefore unpredictable. They were good at hiding too, for their own survival most likely.
Outside of Nippon, Mystics were either legends, or have been so thoroughly hunted, that there were none left. Only fake fortune tellers, and scammers were left. Nippon with its mysteries as an archipelago were reputed to be their last sanctuary by the other countries and kingdoms. Mystics were just smart enough to hide their powers when they were conscious of their nature, and that in every country.
Zaibach was looking for Mystics now, for what no one was sure, and no one really cared. It was for the emperor projects and that was enough for most of the population. It also explains why so many beast people have gone missing without a trace. Why mikos reputed for their powers have disappeared along with some great monks. They were either fleeing the empire like cowards when they were needed, or they were hiding the mystics from the empire, if they were not mystics themselves.
Both were now acts of treason, and punished. If you knew something, you had to report it.
For the few not blinded by the Zaibach and their acts, ths new developpement meant only one thing. The beginning of a mass hunt for whoever could, and would fit the empire desir. But who would willingly turn on their own? Who would sell their fellow, loved ones, or their own flesh and blood?
They learned quickly, and painfully that wasn't a problem for most of them. To them everything was lost, and they couldn't turn to anyone, Zaibach soldiers were everywhere now. And while Nippon was conquered, Zaibach started invading others' kingdoms, but with more brute force. For the people who understood how dire the situation was, everything looked bleak, and lost.
Yet there was a glimmer of hope, for among those who managed to flee the country before it was too late, there was one person who was at the same time exactly what the Zaibach empire was looking for, and a factor of their ultimate demise.
A lonely Mystic, young and uncertain, chooses to act, despite the consequences, or the hardship that would litter the way to see peace and freedom grace Nippon, and Gaea once more. Even at the price of it's own life, for if Zaibach were to get their hands on the powers it carried, then the planet created by dreams and wishes, would be plunged in an eternal nightmare.
But in the middle of a war ravaging a whole world, even with powers unseen, can a sole young woman make the difference? Who could she trust, not only with her powers, but also with her life?
There, first chapter, which is just the global introduction, is done!
I hope you enjoyed this AU, and what I intend to do with it.
A big thank you, and a huge hug to my friends Banryuu, and Irina-Orange, who are the reasons I managed to finally write this.
See you in the next chapter! (I don't know when i will post it, sorry)