4 Prologue 4: The Comedy

Sometimes, absurdity was the greatest comedy of them all... Much more than any joke or pun.

The Demon King left in his wake the destruction of the alliance between the children of the night and the Mystic Races who had been their allies even after the death of the greatest Beast King of all.

The world was in chaos as even the Hero Lineage that had passed down the Divine Sword of Infinite Light were unable to have hope for the future. The prideful men and women of old tried to take matters into their own hands to obtain peace in the world, but nothing seemed to work... The cycle of hatred continued as blood was spilt on all sides.

For hundreds of years, they fought and fought without any reconciliation for the past. History became redder than blood as atrocities were committed alongside acts of heroism and valour.

Borders were created and crossed by those who wished to terrorise others with violence and death.

It was at this point while they were fighting one another that a new threat emerged, and a being that was unable to be contested was born among the myriad of species within the Beast Race.

It was called a 'Dragon', but no one knew if this creature was truly part of the Dragon Race or not since it seemed more like a Beast than a reptilian born of flames. The word 'Daemon' became the new name of the Beasts who roamed the lands at that moment... Despair settled into the world as the Dragon that devoured the Night devoured heroes.

Ta 'Daemon Dragon' had been born...!

The greatest warriors from here and far were no match for the monster they named the 'Greatest Darkness'. It was a darkness that opposed the creatures around it, a monster so large that the average dragons looked like frogs in comparison.

The moon had been grasped by it!

"That happened...?" There was a boy listening to his grandfather with glistening eyes as he heard the tale- No, the fact that this history lesson could sound so interesting was something in of itself.

"They called it the 'World Dragon', a lump of darkness so large that it blotted out the sky."

"What happened after that?"

"We died. The end. My back hurts so I'm going to go lay down. ...What? What are you looking at?" A cheeky grin appeared on the bearded man's face as he saw at his obedient grandson frown at him.

"Did the Jade Emperor save us?" The child quickly speculated on his own, infuriating the elderly oaf.

"Who told you that?! Do you think that dumb bastard who sits on his thrown all day could do anything to save us?!" He grabbed the child by his collar and shook him around after hearing that absurd theory, as if flustered he'd even say that.

"Then what about the Calamity Crusher? Even those 'Daemons' hide and run when they bump into him." The little boy asked innocently as his grandpa sighed, putting him down before explaining:

"There was no 'Calamity Crusher' back then."

"What about the Jade Emperor?"

"He had yet to take his position as well. The myriad Mystic Races still had animosity towards us."

"Then did everyone work together to fight...?"

"Child, you must understand that living creatures don't always do what would benefit them." He shook his head as he remembered the wars still raging on despite the World Dragon threatening to turn them all extinct. The Beasts especially so...

"Then what could've happened?" The child didn't want the history report he was doing at school to go awry. He wanted his grandfather to say something already so he can get the point quicker.

"We summoned Otherworlders again." The child slammed the textbook he was taking in on the wooden floor in front of him before looking at the bearded oaf before him as if he had lost his mind.

"I knew you wouldn't believe real history..." The old man clicked his tongue as he glanced at the child.

"I'm 20 years old, and not dumb enough to believe everyone forgot that Otherworders always fail." He crosses his arms as his pointy-ears trembled a little as he anticipated something extraordinary was the reason why Druids and Beasts worked together back then. Before their relationship crumbled, the now named Daemons allied with them once.

"...Time can make anyone forget things. Even if it has to do with a long, passed down tradition."

"So we 'Summoned' another Hero?"

"That's right. When the Druids had nowhere to turn to, they could only rely on someone else to solve their problems. The same could be said for the Beasts who were already traumatised by the Demon King, who caused great harm everywhere."

"They must have been desperate..."

"Everyone was. There wasn't anyone who could bring them together better than this wild card, and the funniest thing is that they succeeded. It was almost like the Grand Hero and Beast King thought as one, almost as if they were the same person..."

"But that couldn't be it, right?"

"..." The old man who remembered didn't answer.

"Riiight?!"

"Anyway, our beloved Sun Goddess, the Greatest Light of Druids, who are now called 'Celestials', was born at our darkest moment and defeated the World Dragon with everyone's help. The second otherworldly Beast King and Grand Hero working together to support her were what allowed us to be victorious." The bearded man shook his head.

"...I already know that, but what are you hiding about the 'truth'?" The pointy-eared youth looked at his grandfather seriously. This caused the old man great dismay as he checked to see that no one was around, only then did he give an answer:

"This is off-the-record, but..." The child nodded at the bearded man's words and leaned in, giving an ear so he could hear the whispers: "...they say that the Divine Swords were destroyed that day. When the alliance was finalised, they died of old age."

"...What?" That sounded more like a joke than a part of reality. How could they die so easily?

"I can't tell you more than this."

"I'm confused..."

"About what...?" The old man pretended not to know the boy's question by avoiding eye-contact.

"No one ever tells me why we outcasted the Beast Race from the alliance. None of them was actually at fault, right? I mean, I know of the Sin Daemons under the World Dragon of Great Darkness, but-"

"Say no more than that." The old man's tone turned emotionless as he stopped him from speaking of it.

"...Why?"

"You might be a child among Elves. However, you must never ask this question even to your closest friends in the future. The only reason we can be worshipped by the 'Humans' of this world is all thanks to the first Sun Goddess, the Greatest Light who defeated the World Dragon, unifying the myriad Mystic Races, and ousting the Daemons."

"That's cruel."

"I know it is. We all know it's injustice, but this lie benefits everyone who has animosity towards Daemons. Someone has to take on the hatred left behind after we were driven to near extinction. It's only thanks to us Mystic Races who were left banding together as 'Celestials' that we can fill out the headcount needed to rule over the heavens."

"...But this isn't right." Hearing these rash words, it was with a sigh the old man patted the kid's head.

"Just do as tradition dictates and find a good human companion in the future. Your only task is to stay alive and pass down the bloodline of the Wood Celestials. Only after we have regained our numbers will we no longer have to stay under the ruling of the Jade Emperor's Celestial Court. We can hardly go against the 'True Celestials' at all."

"That would take millennia...!"

"What other choice do we Elves have?" This was the last thing the old man spoke before leaving.

The pointy-eared child traced his hair wit his hand as he lay down in the wooden temple-like residence they lived at and sighed. The Wood Celestials had the lowest numbers among the myriad Mystic Races that joined the Celestial Court, and the only reason they were able to keep their standing was thanks to alchemical wisdom.

The 'Elven Garden' they lived in was where the rarest of herbs and plants grew, as well as where the most humble of Immortal Medicines were made. It was thanks to them that True Celestials were also dubbed as 'Immortals'.

Even though the Elven boy was merely a child by Wood Celestial standards, he was a curious person who hated inconsistencies. It was also not in the nature of those most attuned to the life energies of the world to feel hatred and disdain for another like most Celestials did towards Daemons. He even found it strange when bringing up 'Humans'.

After a short nap, he took out a crystal ball created by the Water Celestials and manifested an image onto it. The former Mermen of the deep now were in charge of running communications and the entertainment for those of the Celestial Court.

A screen appeared above the orb along with the voice of someone acting as an anchor for a game show. In the less fantastical environment of the Human Realm below the heavens, those who had a lot of free time on their hands helped the non-Mystic Race that had been born from unknown origins find a way to spend their time productively.

Internal Martial Arts Tournaments, Game Shows, Great Trials, and more were set up the Celestials could flaunt their influence to the masses. There was a lot of variety, even those he was restricted to look at unless he reached a certain age range.

There was talk that criminals and those who had gone against the authority of the heavens were in bloodier and brutal trials given by the most virtuous among Immortals. The Four Cardinals of the Heavenly Order, a mandate was given to them in order to weed out the rebellious and those who could potentially become a threat to the heavens.

It was at that point the child laughed in a way he would have never done in front of his grandfather.

His laughter was filled with a strange sense of peacefulness despite being tinged with madness and insanity. He turned off the screen being manifested by the orb in hand before asking:

"Although they say otherwise, don't True Celestials actually fear the 'Humans' they so look down on?"

His words were heard by a particular red rose that seemed like nothing special at first until it reacted to his question and grew into larger... This sort of scene was truly terrifying, but the child seemed accepting of it as he looked at the 'plant creature'.

"Their potential isn't to be underestimated."

"Even though we are the 'Divine' and they are mere 'Mortals'? They aren't even worth becoming fertiliser for the Divine Herbs of our garden." The youth's voice change as he became more arrogant.

"Having nothing is the same as having a 'vessel' with infinite possibilities. Please don't look down on them, Poison Divinity." The really creepy 'Flower Woman' spoke while bowing to the little Elf. She would be kneeling if her legs weren't just a stem.

"Is that what you Daemons have been calling me behind my back? You should call me the Medicine Divinity...! Or are you thinking my grandfather is better than me? I have already surpassed his concocting skills a year ago." The Elf boy frowned.

"...I will call you whatever you wish, Medicine Divinity." The woman stroked her petal-like hair.

"That's better~ Now, how is the progress with the artificial birth and maturation of Wood Celestials?"

"Our King has been encountered many setbacks with failures recently. They seem almost like Elves on the surface, but they seem more in tune with death rather than life. We need more time."

"...I guess I shouldn't blame you for this. I'm more talented in creating killing concoctions than healing medicine like Grandpa. Send over the message that I'll sponsor the Wood Daemons for now. You can acquire more test subjects yourself, right?"

"Humans are hard to deal with recently... We have decided to stop activities and revise our research."

"You or the Red Tryst Flower King?"

"It was a unanimous decision."

"Cowards...!"

"It is advised that you don't look down on the martial arts of humanity. It will be your downfall if you stay ignorant." He glared at the plant woman with bloodlust, who quickly reverted back into a plant and vanished after shrinking back into her roots. He then sighed as a non-childish look you'd expect out of a child appeared in his eyes.

Believing humans to be a threat was comical...