1 Chapter 0: Our Beginning is their end

In ancient times, the Gods walked among man. While man worshipped the Gods, the Gods offered services that allowed man to thrive. One day, there came a craft, bearing strange creatures. These creatures had powerful weapons that allowed them to combat the Gods. Over several decades, war ravaged the Earth, causing man to devolve due to the struggle for survival. Great monoliths were toppled, mountains became valleys, and oceans became desert. Lush forests burned, and with it, the wildlife fled. By the end of the war, the Gods were crippled so heavily that they had to abandon the planet, taking the creatures with them. It took many centuries after for the planet to heal, and with time, the Gods were all but forgotten, passed down as tales in myths and legends. Far in the future, mankind has almost reached the pinnacle of what they once were, when they stumbled across a legacy. This legacy was left by the Gods, and from it sprung Mana, a power source through which miracles were once made. Within the chamber where the legacy was found, were crystals that seemed to form naturally over time due to the presence of Mana. These crystals, later called Catalysts, held within them the power to grant Systems. Systems were the source of the power once held by the Gods. Each System, while they may contain the same Ability, could grow and develop in its own way based on the user. Each person can only have one System, but all System users are connected to the Aether. Within the Aether, physical death was impossible, but the rich aura of Mana was great for Forgemasters and shopkeepers. Trade flourished within the Aether, which mirrored the physical world in most ways. New materials and methods of crafting helped mankind make great strides in development, and soon, they were able to develop Warp Points. Warp Points are places where the fabric of space is bent enough to allow near instant teleportation. By creating these points, it was now possible for humans to easily travel the galaxy.

By the year 2225, humanity had colonized almost 100 planets surrounding the Earth, when they met the Others. Others were the race that had come to Earth in ancient times to destroy the Gods. They came in many different forms, but the most common, the Ashen, as they were called, resembled humans except for the fact that their skin was an ash gray color, with what looked like cracks running along it. They weren't that much stronger than humans, but used advanced technology to augment their strength by many times. Very quickly after encountering the Others, Humanity lost eight of their colonized planets. They were by no means ready for war, and were swiftly annihilated. Very quickly, the Government came together and launched a counter-offensive. The Special forces squad sent in, thinking there was nothing to be feared, was nearly wiped out. Only twenty-two members out of the 200 sent were able to escape.

The returning members of the squad reported just how powerful the Others were, and fearing annihilation, the Government changed society into a complete militaristic meritocracy. For the following 20 years, many planets were lost and many were gained through the war with the Others. After these 20 years of fighting, suddenly, the Others stopped attacking. Taking this as an opportunity to rebuild and grow stronger, humanity followed suit. Now, every person age 16 must enroll in one of the 16 military academies for 3 years.