1 The Incident: Our Long Forgotten History

In our world, there are five great nations, each in control of their own economy and resources, some rumored to have access to dangerous magical entities our society has yet to see in over a century. These nations are under the rule of the hierarchy and the nobles, who are protected by law enforcement and are loved by all their people.

Long ago one of the world's most tragic events of history occurred. None have given it a name, yet we refer to it as The Incident.

It began when the owners of terrible secret organizations made their first declaration against the government, overthrowing the kingdoms with their brutality and skills. Mysterious bombings occurring around the continent, death threats, and massacres too many for hands to count seemed to appear from nowhere, all led to the drastic divide in Pyrulia that still lingers till today. Meanwhile, Officers were overwhelmed as they were forced to watch the citizens they failed to protect get slaughtered one by one.

Many loved ones were lost that day, men and women killed in their sleep while several children starved to death with no one to care for them. The Incident struck conflict between the great nations and sooner or later sparked one of the very first civil wars our continent has ever had.

The world was hell itself, soldiers brutally slaughtered across the battlefield with many militaries and citizens gone missing in the middle of all the conflict. Those that fought in war couldn't tell you which side started it all and some were merely following blindly given orders.

The war lasted for decades, and some even assumed the battle would last for all eternity until one day the leaders of each nation gathered together in an attempt to find a solution. The Majestic Five, the most powerful magicians and warriors the continent had ever seen, laid down their lives to seek the favor of the goddesses. who later took over possession of our land and led our paths into one of righteousness and freedom.

That was a little less than a hundred years ago, and current information on all those who were responsible seems to no longer exist. Rumors claim that some members of the organization passed away from old age while others died in the midst of the battle. The government tried to cover up the ashes of the past and assisted all those who suffered, providing them food and welfare in exchange for their silence. They destroyed the evidence linking towards The Incident and discarded all belongings of those apart of the Majestic Five, till the entire war was nothing more than folktale, along with the previous Pyrulian leaders.

Peace was finally re-established, and order seemed to take place again. New treaties were created and severed bonds connected once more. The whole world shared some time off to focus on the reconstruction of their lands, mending their hearts and mourning their lost ones. Little by little all the missing broken pieces were picked back up again, currently being sealed back into place as though they were never lost, to begin with. It was time for a new era of Pyrulia, beyond the great war and the history of magic.

However, trouble stirs about yet again in Pyrulia, when evidence of the incident starts to appear all around the world, and those who vaguely remember the existence of the majestic five.

These are the people who the government fears the most, the people who still recall the events of the war and the Majestic five. They are the ones who were shunned by society, thought to have been insane, and were forced to isolate themselves to prevent 'infection'. In a moment of desperation, they all stood together to form a new organization fixated on revealing the truth of what occurred nearly a century ago. They dedicated their lives to revealing the buried secrets of the past, and their goal to permanently eradicate all those that were participants of the incident or responsible for why so little know of it at all.

Not many people know that this organization is real, not many even acknowledge their existence. But I assure you they are well and they are thriving.

They will not stop till they know the truth, they will know no bounds or restrictions when it comes to revealing the truth of the world. They are above the law, they are not your average human beings.

They are...The Rebels.

-

Our story begins in The Gaean Empire, home of the kingdom of Aparia and the kingdom of Efflore, known for their spiritual connection towards the earth and their abundance of food and medicinal herbs.

Often referred to as The Great Nation of the land.

Seven hours ago

It was a chilly bright and early Sunday morning, many still asleep as they prepared themselves for the drastically long services that were held weekly in the town square. Except for a young lady, in her early twenties, dressed in a long trench coat and thin black gloves. Blond gorgeous hair pooling down her shoulders and framing her slightly tan face with her green mysterious eyes.

She made her way down the road and reached her destination, a small bakery store known for being one of the most popular in the land. As she entered inside the smell of hot piping fresh bread was the first thing that hit her nose, then the sound of the bell that chimed when she walked in.

She tapped gloved fingers on the counter in front of her to grab the attention of the man on the other side. He turned around in surprise at the sudden presence of the beautiful woman behind him, before standing straight and giving her a warm wrinkly smile.

"How may I be of assistant ma'am?" he asked her politely, dusty hands covered in flour clapped together as he bowed slightly. He stared at the women in concentration before his eyebrows rose in realization, "Ah, you must be here for pick up yes?"

The woman nodded her head in agreement, "I am, I ordered a cake about three weeks ago I believe?"

"Well, it's just about ready, I'll have it boxed for you in no time."

The old man made his way to the back of the bakery to retrieve her ordered food. She twirled a proportion of hair around her finger as she waited patiently, her eyes scanning the room. "I do say that this bakery of yours is quite barren, do you perchance work here all by yourself?"

"Indeed I do," the man confirmed, slipping on his gloves, "the business hasn't been booming much ever since my wife became terribly ill. I've been holding up on my own the best I can, but orders aren't coming in as much. So that's why this here cake of yours is special."

The women gasped, "Working all by yourself at all time? It must be rigorous and dangerous too. Do you not fear for your produce at times? Does it never cross your mind you could easily be robbed at any given?"

"No I assure you not," the man encouraged, "I promise all my customers that this is the safest place in the entire empire. Criminals have a bad taste in bread, you see, so they buy their goods in rundown shady markets where the floors are dirtier than the people."

They both shared a short laugh in amusement at the joke.

He placed a heavy box gently onto the counter and slid it forward, leaning in and lowering his voice, "The secret is I bake with my old grandmother's special magic seeds and slip one inside each and every loaf of bread. The smell is rumored to draw away evil spirits and enhances the taste tremendously. It has kept me and my generation safe for years."

The woman was quite shocked at the given information, "Oh my, you'll share with me where your grandmother must have bought such a wonderful thing, it sounds delicious."

"And it tastes even better. You have to buy a loaf before you go, I insist, I promise you that you'll be hooked the minute you try," He bribed as he began to open the package, revealing the large desert inside. It was very well-decorated, covered head to toe in bittersweet buttermilk pink frosting, a rose-like pattern around the perimeter. On the top layer, there was a thin layer of word arrangments writing in strawberry jam, just like she requested.

"Oh wow," she gasped in awe, "you are such a talented decorator. If I had known it would come out this good I would have paid you even more."

"It is all right, what you first offered us was enough to knock the socks off our knees. Though I do understand your dilemma," The man stood back a bit, arms crossed in a prideful demeanor. "This is one of my finest works if you will. Glad you gave me the extra week, decorating it was nothing but pure muscular endurance, all by myself as well."

After some time he had a thoughtful look on his face, "Though I do say, such a strange request you wanted us to write down. Are you meeting up with someone special perchance? Is it a close relative's birthday coming up soon?"

A part of her ticked at the nosy question though she covered it up with an innocent laugh, "Well...we are close if that's what you could say, we've had some old ties in the past but those were about years ago. Our friendship kind of runs deep and I've been dying to find the right time to see them again."

The old man smiled fondly, "Aww, that's so sweet of you, whoever they are I assure you they are the luckiest person in the world to have someone who cares for them so deeply. If you don't mind me asking, what made you lose touch in the first place? People like you come once in a blue moon, it'd be foolish letting you go just like that."

She looked down sadly, "I wish they felt that way, they work for the Aparian police department. They took their job too seriously and pretty much abandoned all relations they had. I haven't seen nor spoken to them since."

To this, the man scrunched up his face, "Forgive me for my words but I just can't help it. Those officers are the dullest of the dull you will ever set your eyes on. They lack any sympathy or remorse whatsoever, why I've even seen them kick bodies to make sure they're dead without a care in the world. It's a waste of a good cake to try to convince your 'friend' into whatever it is you're trying to do. You'd have a better chance of wooing those people with a fresh corpse instead, trust me."

To this, the lady hummed, an idea in her head as she gently tapped her chin. "You know what sir, you make a good point. This silly old cake will do nothing to get the attention I seek. I need something bigger, something drastic, something with a much better impact."

She gave him an evil grin before reaching into the depths of her coat, "Perhaps a fresh corpse will do the trick after all."

Before the man could ask he felt an enormous amount of pain coursing through his body, starting from the side of his neck until it was almost impossible to breathe. He collapsed to the ground, shakily profusely and feeling his collar dampen with what he knew wasn't sweat. He grasped his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding but found himself paralyzed. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and he was in so much pain.

"S-stop…" his lips trembled in desperation, though it was almost as if his jaw was screwed shut, "stop it, please. Help me-help me..."

The sound of his screams were muffled by his jaw that refused to oepen, his heart pounding intensely while it felt as though the weight of the world was resting against his back.

"There, that should do it," he could barely hear anything, the sound of his own lungs working desperately hard to preserve himself coursing through his ears. He made out the noise of sheathing, while hands dusted and rubbed themselves of thick soft fabric. "I assure you the tip was much appreciated, I couldn't thank you enough," She turned around to make her exit before looking back. "Oh, and don't fret too much about the cake, it's not for me anyway."

He felt his eyes grow heavier as his breathing stopped, blacking out with boney fingers gripping the floor for his life. The last thing he thought was what would become of the woman upstairs if she were to see him in a state like this. How would she fare on her own knowing her own husband was slaughtered and their business ruined? Or maybe the sight of it all along with her sickness would take her out too and they could finally be reunited once more.

He blacked out, his subconscious being the last thing he could recall.