A Blank World

Secluded on all sides by hundreds of leagues of clear, crystal-blue water, miles and miles of concrete, metal, and shattered glass lay strewn across the landscape, bearing the rough patterns of former purpose-- consumed by the unfettered and relentless growth of the native greenery; these are the only signs of the civilization that once existed in these lands.

The sky is entirely white today, almost as if it were a blank canvas. Directly below, legions of tall trees stood in rank and file, silent and still in their majesty. As if to paint directly over that peace, a murder of crows cried loudly against nothing, circling mindlessly across the empty heavens. Below, the wildlife looked up into the unpromising above, the light reflecting the inhuman innocence behind their eyes as they bounded into the clearing, and back into the shadows on the other side, leaving nothing but a few unsettled leaves in their passing.

This land was once known as the island of Paradis, and later the reborn nation of "Eldia." Today, it is nothing. It has been nothing for nearly two hundred years.

Legend says that long ago, there existed beings known as the "titans." These beings slaughtered and consumed humanity without discrimination, and the latter was all but powerless in the face of the might of such creatures. Nevertheless, humanity *did* fight back. They fought tooth and nail and were ultimately able to wipe the root of the titans-- a progenitor of true evil-- from the world.

And from there, the world rebuilt. Nations revived and prospered with renewed strength, and as they grew, so did their worries and memories diminish. Knowledge of terror and fear of evil were soon replaced with curiosity for progress and hope for the future. These "titans" became a relic of folktale and discreet histories, relegated to empty threats upon misbehaving children or frivolous storytelling.

The world was moving on.

But one place stayed stagnant. As other lands strengthened their connections and refined their policies, this land stayed lawless. As other lands comforted their populace with security and resources, every day there was a fight harder than the last. The island that was forgotten, beneath its silent exterior, hid a turmoil whose force threatened to boil over unto the unsuspecting lands.