History Lesson

[Chapter 1: The Original Creator/First Era (Creation Era)]

"In the beginning, there was nothing but an endless void, desolate of existence and all its inhabitants. Concepts had yet to exert their influence, with even primordials such time and space being absent. Yet eventually, somehow, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 appeared and altered the void. With Its appearance, the world was born from the darkness and light blossomed freely across the sky. Space, Time, Water, Fire, Ice, and all other concepts were created one after the other, with the one that started it all coming to be known as the Original Creator. The Creator sculpted reality to be inhabitable to Its creations, the various Races and lifeforms that we know. And once all had been made, the Original Creator lay down to rest. Its body formed Orvonia, and the Gods were spawned from it's flesh. One of Its eyes became the sun, the other the moon. Its bones formed mountains, Its veins flowed into rivers Its organs became the various Continents."

"At first, all was well in Orvonia. The Original Creator slumbered peacefully, creating new Races and adding to reality through Its dreams. But eventually, beings of darkness and depravity were born from the Creator's flesh too. The Creator made up all things, good and bad, and so It spawned evil in equal measure to virtuous. The Gods born from the Creator quickly divided "Themselves" in factions, each at the throats of the others. War waged eternally during this time, with co-existence being impossible between the differing Gods. For the Gods of this era were more untamed and mad than the present ones. As beings born directly from the Creator, "They" lacked humanity and were solely defined by what "They" embodied, rigidly stuck by the concepts."

"In time, two deities stood above the rest as the leaders of the two camps. Allmer the Primordial and Abaddon the Abysmal. Allmer represented all the god and pure of the Creator while Abaddon was the opposite: the manifestation of evil in its truest from. Both Gods fought and both caused the other to perish, splitting the world of Orvonia between "Them". Allmer's body became Astoria, the Central Continent and "His" blood formed the Angels. Abaddon formed the Tartarus Continent and Demons, Vampires and Devils crawled forth from "His" flesh. With the loss of the two strongest Gods, the two camps broke out in civil war, each God scrambling to claim the absent thrones. This is the end of what most call the [First Era], which lasted approximately 1,500 years"

[Chapter 2: The Second Era (Chaotic Era)]

"The [Second Era] began shortly after the fall of Allmer and Abaddon. While their creators were dead, the Angels and Devils elected new leaders amongst themselves. Aside from the two aforementioned Races, others found their foothold in Orvonia, rallied behind especially powerful Gods. Elves, Vampires, Giants, Dragons, Mermaids and Beasts became the powerhouses of Orvonia. Of these Factions, the Beasts were the most diverse, being made up of many species such as Leviathans, Phoenixes, Unicorns and others that would become prominent in the future. The Devils and Vampires were natural allies, the Elves and Angels worked together while the Dragons and Giants hated each other. The Mermaids and Beasts remained relatively neutral, as infighting was still prevalent in their own forces."

"Each Race had a powerful God behind them, with multiple subordinate Gods and powerhouses under "Them". During this time, Concept Skills were monopolised by the 8 groups: if you possessed mainly Water-based Skills, you worked with the Mermaids. Ether and Nether usage defined you as a supporter of the Devils or Angels, while Prana implied a connection to Giants or Dragons. The Elves, Beasts and Vampires were the most diverse of the Races, each had their own niche Skills. During this time, Humanity was held in low regards due to lacking an innate connection to Mana like the other Races. Vampires, Beasts and Devil used Humans as food, Angels used them as batteries for Faith while Giants, Elves and Dragons employed them as slave labourers."

"Change came when the conflict between the Race reached its peak. War broke out, with Gods and "Their" subordinates falling en-masse. First to perish was the Vampire God, followed by the Elven Deity. The Angels and the Devils slaughtered each other with no regards for the future, driving both Races to near extinction. The Dragon God killed the Giant King and eradicated the Giant Race itself afterwards. By the time the ashes of was came to a rest, only the Dragons, Mermaids and Beasts were in a stable position. Yet with all "their" fighting, the Gods were blinded by an up-and-coming threat, one that brewed right below "Their" noses: Humanity. This Era lasted longer than the First, approximately 2,000 years"

[Chapter 3: The Third Era (The Golden Age)]

"While the Gods and "Their" Races fought against each other, Humanity plotted and schemed from the shadows. Assisted by other Gods that grew disillusioned with the reign of "Their" superiors, Humanity managed to unlock the secret to command Mana: Ranks. Humanity was lead by a newly born God, one that had been birth from the Creator directly, the first God to have been so in eons. This God called "Himself" the Almighty Primordial, claiming to be the successor to Allmer here to liberate Humanity and usher an age of peace. With the Almighty Primordial as the spearhead, Humanity and its allied Gods, the last of the old reign was overthrown. The Dragon and Beast God were killed, while the Mermaid Race submitted to Humanity."

"After the destruction of the unified Beast Race, several individual species emerged in prominence, such as Phoenixes and Unicorns. On the other side, Dwarves appeared for the first time. Having been created by Giants centuries ago, and having survived the Dragon's purge, the Dwarves had finally repopulated enough to be counted as a Race. These Races were brought under the wing of the Almighty Primordial and their Gods offered a seat at "His" table."

"Under the reign of the Almighty Primordial, Humanity managed to reach Legendary and beyond, where no Human had gone before. The Almighty Primordial possessed twenty-two subordinate Gods, some raised by "Him" personally and others recruited from the side of the 8 Gods previously. Together, these 23 Gods ruled over an era of true peace and the golden age for Orvonia. During this time, Sovereign existences were plentiful and the overall strength of the people was overflowing. But even the glory days of such a being like the Almighty Primordial could not last forever, and soon the golden rays began to recede."

"While the Almighty Primordial was the successor of Allmer, the remnant influence of Abaddon has not bene vanquished either. From the depths of the Tartarus Continent, champions of evil emerged: Aenrys, Navruavati and Seraphic, three immensely powerful Gods that sought the depravation of the world itself. These three Gods tempted those under the Almighty Primordial, swaying "Them" to "Their" side. After claiming a sufficient number of Gods, the three Gods waged war against the Almighty and succeeded in striking "Him" down. After "His" death, the 22 subordinate Gods split and scattered, and calamity descended on Humanity once again. The shortest Era, the 3rd lasted only 1,200 years."

[Chapter 4: The Fourth Era (The Dark Age)]

"With the death of the Almighty and betrayal of several of "His" subordinates, Humanity was cast into another Dark Age. A delicate balance was reached between the Evil Gods who followed Abaddon and those who remained loyal to the Almighty. The biggest change to the world following the death of the Almighty was the destruction of the Neriea Continent. Once the stronghold of Humanity and the Almighty Primordial, it had been tarnished, corrupted and degenerated into a disgusting mess of filth. So toxic was its new nature, not evil Aenrys and Navruavati could live there. Out of all the Gods, only Seraphic retained "His" ability to travel to Neriea unharmed."

"Under the effects of the balance, the Gods split the Continents between "Them". The Evil Gods controlled Tartarus while the Orthodox Gods controlled Astoria, but the remaining three Continent were up for grabs. Due to "Their" treaty, the Gods were unable to intervene and grasp the Continents personally, instead acting through Human agents. With the backing of different Gods, various Empires and Kingdoms sprung up. In this turbulent and brutal time, the weak were oppressed and innovation ceased. The art and splendour from the Third Era were jealously hoarded by the rulering powers, and powerful Skills once again monopolised. The Gaia Continent was controlled by the Fernandez Family, the Ouranos Continent by the Pallez Family and the Borealis Continent by the Yareli Family. These three Royal Families were the beginning of the modern-day Noble Houses."

"As all expected, the treaty was eventually broken and yet another war stirred. The Fernandez Family operated under the command of the Orthodox Gods, and allied itself with the Angels of Astoria. The Tartarus Continent was led by Aenrys and Navruavati, but "They" were betrayed by the various Gods that had been tempted from the side of the Almighty in the Third Era. These Gods split: most backed the Pallez Family, but some chose Yareli's as "Their" champions. Such Gods were Seraphic, Fallacy, Jester and Daemon. With four factions formed spanning all Continents, the conflict was aptly named the Great War. The War dragged on for multiple centuries, with entire generations knowing nothing else but bloodshed and chaos. It ended with the defeat of the Tartarus, Yareli and Pallez Families, with their respective Gods scattered and beaten. The Great War lasted between two to four hundred years."

"The Fernandez Family was victorious, but had still been weakened in the conflict. Most members of the Family had been killed in battle, and the throne was eventually passed on to House Augustus. Over the centuries, the modern Great Houses of the Gaia Continent were founded: House Augustus, House Legendry, House Atrazark, House Ornstein, House Melvix and House Gregorio. In the Great War, nearly every Sacred and Supreme Tier existence had been killed, with Sovereign and Mythic Tier existences becoming incredibly rare. The whole world entered a period of weakness from which it has not yet fully recovered. Countless priceless artefacts and knowledges were lost in the War, crippling society as a whole."

"At the end of the Fourth Era, three new entities managed to Ascend to Godhood: Metallus, Ingrid and Weaver, an Orthodox and two Secret Gods respectfully. The longest Era, the 4th lasted a whopping 3,700 years."

[Chapter 5: The Fifth Era (Modern Era)]

"The modern era, the one we are in today. Under the guiding hands of the 10 Orthodox Gods, Humanity and the various Races have reached an equilibrium. Discrimination between Races has been lowered, and inter-species cooperation is growing. The Giants managed to made a small comeback in recent centuries, going from near-extinct to "simply" endangered. The Vampires have reached an amiable agreement with the other Races, and the Devils have also reduced their tensions with the outside world. Certain Secret Gods, such as Chanteur and Fallacy, have been given unofficial amnesty as long as "They" do not cause trouble. Travel between the Continents has also been made possible after the Fourth Era."

"Unfortunately, the number of Magi and Ascenders in general has never recovered to its Third Era levels. With the downright extinction of certain Races and species, gaining EXP has become increasingly harder as generation pass. Excluding Dragons, Angels and Devils, there are very few Supreme Tier beings. The Gaia Continent alone only has 12 Sovereign Tier existences, and only two Supreme existences have been recorded in the last 1,000 years. It is currently the year 1134 M.E (Modern Era)."

[End of Book]

Endyr closed the book and looked up, his voice sore from reading the entire contents out loud. Beside him, Sia yawned and removed her head from his shoulder. "What a read" she murmured sleepily. Endyr looked out the window and realised the moon had moved, nearing the horizon. The night had nearly passed while he read, surprising him. Even with his thirst for knowledge, he rarely lost track of time while reading.

Sia moved off his bed and over to hers, getting in and pulling the covers over her body. "Good night Altair" she said, turning off the Mana lamp on her bedside table. Endyr got under his own covers and responded in kind "Good night sister."