Prologue – Sothing Awakens.
High above the clouds, upon a majestic flying castle crafted from darkened stone and ethereal magic, two figures engaged in a fierce battle. One was a man donned in silver armor, wielding a radiant blade in his right hand. The second figure, in stark contrast, was dressed in a pitch-black suit of tallic armor. The atmosphere pulsated with tension as the two formidable beings locked eyes and disappeared just before colliding and unleashing a spectacular clash of magical energy.
Gripping his enchanted sword tightly, the man in gleaming silver armor faced his opponent with unshaken determination. His piercing blue eyes locked onto the fiery gaze of the adversary, whose twisted, horned visage exuded pure malevolence. As the confrontation intensified, the ominous figure's obsidian wings unfurled, casting a foreboding shadow over the battlents of the soaring fortress.
A thunderous roar echoed through the air as the clash between the two warriors unfolded, forcing both n to montarily retreat. Strangely, they seed to have sustained a comparable amount of damage. One left behind trails of radiant energy, a testant to the holy power coursing through his enchanted blade, while the other exuded fus of shadowy darkness, a manifestation of the malevolence that fueled his dark prowess.
“You are strong hero but haven’t you realized it, are you this much of a fool?”
“Be quiet demon, the ti for words has ended, accept your fate at the end of my blade!”
“I see… Then die!”
The demon clad in pitch-black armor unleashed a terrifying surge of dark energy, materializing into demonic heads that hurtled themselves toward the so-called hero. However, just before the ghastly heads could collide with the handso man, his silvery armor emitted a bright glow. Mysterious symbols erged, weaving into a luminous shield that dispersed the fiendish spell.
“How are you able to counter my death spell?”
“I am protected by the goddess; your demonic mana has no hold over !”
The demon posed the question, swiftly t with a response as the hero charged forward. The clash of these two beings, each wielding imnse magical power, unfolded in a more direct and upfront battle. The once-majestic castle walls began to crumble under the relentless pressure of their magical and physical attacks. Before long, the combatants burst through the ceiling and continued their fierce duel beneath the vast expanse of the night sky.
The confrontation between the hero and the demon elevated to new heights as they soared through the open air, exchanging blows and magical projectiles that illuminated the night. The once-gigantic flying castle beca riddled with holes from the relentless barrage of attacks before they both landed on a large, flat section of a collapsed roof. As the battle unfolded, it beca apparent that one individual was gradually inching toward victory, signaling the impending conclusion of this epic clash.
The hero swung his radiant blade with precision, each strike guided by the divine energy coursing through him. The demon countered with dark and twisted spells, yet the blade drew near with every clash. Soon, the demon's arm was severed and disintegrated into rays of light. The demonic individual collapsed onto his knees in defeat. Despite being out of breath, the hero grinned triumphantly and pointed his sword at his fallen adversary.
“This is the end for you, Demon King Aburdon. Your reign of terror ends today; humanity has won, and I shall guide them!”
“Haha…”
The demon king began laughing while clutching his shoulder that had been severed along with his arm. Even when he tried to activate his regenerative abilities, it would not regrow due to the corruption of holy energies that had invaded his wound.
“What’s so funny, fiend? You have lost!”
“You are indeed a mighty hero, but your sheer stupidity overshadows your might. Have you not realized it yet?”
The hero didn’t release his grip on his blade and his gaze remained fixed on the weakened demon king. Though his opponent was in a weakened state, the hero understood that it didn't necessarily an the demon king was devoid of one last trump card. However, the demon remained on the ground, his eyes fixed on sothing unfolding behind the hero.
“Realized what? I’m not going to fall for your tricks. At least try to die with so dignity.”
“Oh, I will but it seems that your so-called ‘allies’ wish to bury you with .”
Laughter erupted from the demon king's mouth, and it was followed by a brightening of the night sky. The hero, sensing sothing amiss, turned his head to take a glance. His eyes widened as he saw nurous bright rays streaking through the sky, resembling a massive teor shower.
“No… why would they… they were supposed to only activate the magitech cannons if I failed… but I’m still alive; they should know this.”
After exclaiming in disbelief the man took out a white dallion from beneath his armor, adorned with a symbol representing the alliance that he was fighting for. Frantically, he activated the dallion, attempting to communicate with his supposed allies and halt the impending disaster. However, to his horror, there was no response. His once allies in his quest against the demonic forces, seed to have turned a deaf ear to his desperate plea.
“You see, hero, your allies have abandoned you. Did you really think those bastards would allow soone with as much power as you to exist? You probably don’t even know why this war was started in the first place; you were nothing more than a puppet for them all!”
The hero’s eyes widened in realization, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. The teor shower wasn't ant for the demon king alone; it was ant to obliterate both the hero and the defeated demon in one fell swoop. Betrayal stung deeper than any wound he had suffered in the battle.
In a desperate bid for survival, the hero channeled every ounce of his remaining energy into a protective barrier, creating a shimring do around himself and the demon king. The celestial teors collided with the magical shield, causing a spectacular explosion of light and energy that sent shockwaves through the sky.
For a mont, it seed like he might actually survive, but he had used up most of his energy in the previous battle. In his current state, he was not much stronger than the average high-knight, and soon the explosions engulfed the entire area, shattering the radiant shield that was supposed to protect him. His body was tossed towards the demonic being he swore to defeat. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the demon king's eyes filled with pity.
Both of them would die this day, and the true perpetrator of their demise would go unpunished. Both individuals were filled with imnse rage, but their screams were quickly silenced by the mass of explosions, along with the demon castle exploding with them. The hero and the demon king, once bitter enemies, now found themselves entwined in the sa tragic fate. As the remnants of the flying castle rained down from the sky, the once-majestic structure now resembled a celestial funeral pyre and marked the end of an era.
The hero's entire life flashed before his eyes, beginning with his arrival in this strange world. mories of the beautiful princess who welcod him flooded back. He reminisced about the years of training and hardships he endured to reach this point, only to realize that everything may have been a lie, perhaps planned from the beginning.
Yet, his thoughts weren’t the only ones present. Strange visions of a younger horned boy filled his dying mind. He witnessed the boy crying over the charred remains of other horned beings, presumably his parents. The boy's sadness and indignation were sothing he could perceive, along with many more old mories of his past deeds. However, this feeling didn’t last long, as both n soon faded away into the void, their consciousness along with them.
From a safe distance, the people responsible watched as the shockwaves collided with their armies and magical weaponry responsible for this disaster. There were many individuals here, so showed faces of triumph, others of disgust or uncertainty. The demon king along with the hero were presences that couldn’t be ignored. They all quickly rallied their troops to investigate the crash site.
“Could he have survived?”
A woman asked, her voice resonating with authority and a touch of sadness. She stood amidst the gathered group, adorned in an intricate nun’s habit that seed out of place amid the war-torn landscape. Her eyes, however, were sharp and discerning, revealing a depth of wisdom that surpassed her outward appearance.
“It is unlikely, Sister Seraphina. The explosion was imnse, and even soone of his prowess would struggle to survive such a cataclysmic event. We planned to eliminate both the hero and the demon king and it seems to have succeeded.”
A man with a stern expression, clad in elaborate mage robes, responded to Sister Seraphina’s question. The mont he brought up the planned assassination, a deep scowl adorned her lovely face.
“Please don’t say it like that, it was all god’s will. He would have brought ruin to the kingdom…”
“Hah, whatever makes you sleep at night, lass.”
A third person decided to chi in, he was shorter than the mage and priestess but a lot wider. In his hand, he was holding a large axe and his red beard covered most of his face.
“Think what you will, Ungrim.”
The woman replied while turning away from the laughing dwarf. Soon a fourth mber approached the three, a man dressed in intricate armor with a crest adorning his chestplate. The mont he did, many of the surrounding soldiers started to bow and just the three individuals that were previously talking retained a more casual air about them.
“If Malakai believes that we were successful, then it is probably so. However, it won’t hurt us to verify his death.”
“If it’s Prince Leander’s wish.”
Seraphina nodded while also looking out into the distance. There a man of unprecedented beauty and elongated ears stood. An elven man of unparalleled grace, observed the aftermath of the cataclysmic event from his vantage point. His keen eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any signs of movent or survivors. The once mighty flying castle had been reduced to smoldering debris, and the area below was scarred by the impact of the celestial teors.
As the armies closed in on the crash site, the elf turned around to leave. Everyone else ignored him and instead ventured towards the scene of devastation. It took them many days to sort through the rubble, but eventually, the mage nad Malakai approached the epicenter of the crash, examining the charred remains of the once-proud flying castle. His trained eyes scanned the area for any lingering magical residue. After a mont of contemplation, he spoke.
“There is no doubt. The hero and the demon king are no more. Our plan was successful.”
A heavy silence hung in the air as the gravity of their actions settled upon the group. Prince Leander, however, remained composed. His regal deanor betrayed none of the internal conflict that may have brewed beneath the surface.
“The hero fulfilled his purpose, and so did the demon king.”
Prince Leander said, his voice carrying a sense of closure and relief.
“The kingdom is safe from the threat they posed. We have accomplished what needed to be done. Gather up their remains, we shall return to the kingdom with good news.”
Seraphina nodded, her expression conflicted but resolute. Ungrim grunted in agreent, still uninterested in the moral intricacies of their actions. Malakai, though seemingly satisfied, couldn't shake the feeling that sothing was amiss.
As the group prepared to leave the desolate scene, a faint whisper of wind carried an echo of distant laughter - a haunting sound that seed to linger in the air. The three remaining mbers of the group exchanged uneasy glances, unsure if they were rely imagining things or if the remnants of the hero and demon king still lingered in so form.
Little did they know that the consequences of their actions would unfold in ways they could not anticipate, and the threads of fate were not so easily severed. The epic tale of the hero and the demon king might have reached its tragic conclusion, but the journey of another was just about to begin.
*****
A new life had awakened - a creature without a form, resembling a gray amoeba. It floated comfortably in a void filled with nothing but darkness. The being had just been born, and it had no idea where it was or what it was. It simply floated around without a care for the world, lacking much intelligence to ponder its existence. Having just been created, it knew not of its purpose or whether such a concept was even relevant.
It had no care in the world, lacking any real senses besides feeling so sensations on its outer shell, rendering it unable to perceive anything. From ti to ti, it bumped into other beings just like it, their amoeba-like bodies bouncing off each other as they floated in the vast open space. However, this one, in particular, was a bit more curious than the others. It attempted to bend its body to maneuver around or even poked the other shapeless creatures whenever it collided with them.
In the middle of one of these curious outbursts, sothing novel occurred. A phenonon made its way into the space filled with shapeless creatures. It was a strange occurrence that elicited a reaction from the many beings in this dark expanse. Most saw it as unfavorable and utilized their limited capabilities to move away, but the curious bundle of gray matter was different. Instead of fleeing, it moved toward the cluster of strange energies, eventually colliding with it.
After the contact was made, a bright light flashed, illuminating the void. For a mont, it showcased the endless expanse that these creatures had found themselves in, along with the countless numbers of them. Resembling jellyfish with a more pale coloring, they seed to be composed not of flesh, but of so other form of energy. The mont the light appeared, they began to scatter and reacted as if the radiance caused them pain.
The curious one from among them, who had approached this strange phenonon, felt sothing new. Emotions that it had no capacity to comprehend started rushing in. For a mont, it felt anger, then quickly switched to sadness, and again rage took over. Strange visions of worlds and events that it never knew were rushing into its very core, altering it. The entity it made contact with looked like a bundle of white and black energy, and its gray body was now absorbing this peculiar energy form which was causing changes.
Its once gray and lackluster body began to shift; the creature was transforming. Initially, the surface turned pure white, shedding the gray tone, and made the amoeba appear as if it were made of pristine white snow. However, not long after, it began to darken. It was as if the absorbed dark and radiant energies were engaged in a battle inside this new being's body.
The newborn creature was experiencing sothing new: pain. Its entire body was being torn apart by the conflicting energies, and during the ordeal, strange images presented themselves. At one point, it saw a peculiar being with pointy things protruding from its head. This being was surrounded by other similar individuals, all bowing before it as if in worship. Shortly after, the vision shifted to a new individual, this one devoid of any pointy extremities and surrounded by fewer creatures that were showcasing peculiar expressions that it didn’t understand.
Together with these images the formless being was receiving a lot of information. It senses were becoming overloaded with everything it was experiencing and its body was about to collapse. To preserve itself, it attempted to counteract these two conflicting energies by attempting to contain them within its body. Miraculously, it succeeded, and its form, which had been shifting between two colors, settled into a darkened silver luster that remained.
Proto Nucleus has evolved into Divine-Demon Nucleus
Sothing echoed throughout its being as it finalized its form. The shape of its body remained sowhat similar, but it had grown twice in size. The grayish tone was no more, replaced by a shiny dark silver shell. The information overflow that it had been fighting against had settled down, but the energies were still present. However, before this being could ponder its situation, a new occurrence hit the empty void.
Suddenly, strange rifts started appearing everywhere. They produced various colors and beckoned to the residents of the void. The other grayish amoebas were drawn to these rifts and willingly entered through them. The curious one didn't feel as compelled as the others, but one of the openings seed to be calling out to it. Slowly, it ignored the previous events and headed toward the rift, answering the beckoning call.
‘ A… R… ISE!’
As it went through the rift in space, it felt as if it were traversing through sothing akin to a strange mbrane, requiring effort to push itself through. Due to its enlarged body, it beca montarily stuck within the rift. After shifting back and forth a few tis, it managed to squeeze itself through. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over it as it found itself in an unfamiliar place. Its senses expanded further, and it felt as if it were changing its shape to fill sothing up.
‘SER …VE … PROTECT … DES …TROY … ARISE!’
The voice beca more audible than before, and the commanding tone was apparent. The being was instructed to arise, and so it tried. It managed to open its eyes, or in this case, sothing different which allowed it to fill its vision with the new scenery. The void from which it ca was no more, replaced by an unfamiliar landscape. As it attempted to move, it sensed that the shapeless body it had previously occupied had also transford.
It observed strange protrusions that weren't malleable but instead allowed only rigid movent. The newborn being attempted to move these new limbs, and when it did, a strange screeching sound was produced, followed by a lot of rattling as the being tried to propel the new body forward. Progress was slow, but it was beginning to understand how to use this new body which was sowhat similar to the mories it had been given. The being identified the upper limbs as arms and the lower ones as legs, which it could move.
The only problem was the loud, distinct sound that it could now hear whenever it tried to do sothing. After a few monts, this sa sound attracted so unwelco guests - more creatures walking on two legs but sowhat different. These creatures weren't identical but shared similar parts from which its body was created. They were draped over their limbs, and one was even wearing an almost exact replica of its own body.
“⏁⊑⟟⌇ ⋔⎍⌇⏁ ⏚⟒ ⍙⊑⟒⍀⟒ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⍜⎍⋏⎅ ☊⏃⋔⟒ ⎎⍀⍜⋔.”
“⟟⏁'⌇ ⟊⎍⌇⏁ ⏃ ⍀⎍⌇⏁⊬ ⌇⎍⟟⏁ ⍜⎎ ⏃⍀⋔⍜⍀.”
There were three beings in total, and they produced a strange sound from their upper orifices, which this new being identified as mouths. The mories continued to flow in, but it could not yet understand the language being spoken. Its contemplation was interrupted by the voice it had previously heard, giving it a direct order.
‘PROTECT, KILL, DESTROY!”
The ssage was quite clear, and when it glanced into its right hand, it noticed so type of tallic object there. In response to the voice's demand, it felt sowhat enraged. It raised the object it was holding and started moving towards the trio. It felt an urgent need to protect this place, to kill whoever was here, to destroy everyone in its path.
It charged forth, producing various screeching and clacking noises. Its footsteps echoed throughout the place, and it took in the new sensation of sound while trying to fulfill the order. Soon, it swung the tal object at the first person in front of it, ready to take the head with one quick movent. However, it did not go as the newborn being had planned. As it swung down to hit its target, the person just moved out of the way.
“⊑⏃⊑⏃, ⏁⍜⍜ ⌇⌰⍜⍙!”
Instead of hitting the living being, the tal weapon collided with the ground. At this point, sothing struck its chest area, sending it flying against the wall. The mont it collided with the wall, a tallic clang echoed through the area, and it could feel that so of its limbs had been torn apart. One of them landed on the floor, while another one rolled into the distance, where one of the beings it was trying to attack stepped on it.
“⟊⎍⌇⏁ ☌⟒⏁ ⟟⏁ ⍜⎐⟒⍀ ⍙⟟⏁⊑, ⋏⍜ ⎍⌇⟒ ⌰⍜⌇⟟⋏☌ ⏁⟟⋔⟒ ⍜⋏ ⌇⎍☊⊑ ⏃ ⌰⍜⍙ ⍀⏃⋏☍ ⋔⍜⋏⌇⏁⟒⍀.”
Unable to fully comprehend the words of the other beings, it could identify that the tone was mocking its demise. Before it could stand up again, a fast-moving object collided with its head, sending it flying into the air. It rolled around the area before coming to a stop close to one of its enemies' feet. At this point, it could see the rusted-over body that it once occupied - a strange tallic shell that mimicked the humanoid form.
It began to bla the voice that had ordered it towards its demise for this failure. The enemies it faced were far too strong, and the body it was given was far too weak. It could only remain in that spot as the beings it now identified as humans clobbered it over the head with a heavy tal object. It could not resist, nor could it restore itself back to its previous shape. Soon, its vision went blurry, and nothing but the void awaited it.
This place was different, it was not the sa void that it had been created but sothing much colder and devoid of anything else. The feeling was uncomfortable but soon it heard the sa voice once more.
‘ARISE MINION’
It was much clearer than before and it found itself being summoned yet again. As the being was called forth from the void, it felt a surge of energy. This ti, it erged in a different environnt. It found itself standing in a dimly lit chamber surrounded by strange symbols and runes on the walls. The air was thick with an otherworldly essence, and the being realized that it had taken the sa form as before.
The more it existed, the clearer the mories beca. It started comprehending its existence as so sort of tallic creature. It looked at its limbs, mostly rusted over plates of tal. Many small holes within its body continuously produced loud sounds, sothing it now realized was not conducive to survival. Learning quickly from its last encounter, it understood that the more it moved, the more likely a group of humanoid assailants would arrive to slay it.
Not sure what to do, it observed the changed scenery and found itself in a collapsed temple. Before it was a small circular basin with so water, and upon glancing into it, it saw its head, which looked like a helt that would be adorned by sothing called a knight. With the help of the mories it was gaining, it acquired more knowledge, allowing it to identify itself. It was a monster found in places called dungeons, categorized as living armor.
This revelation didn't help much, but as it focused on the reflection showing a rusted piece of armor, a strange feeling washed over it. The creature desired to know more about itself and what it was. Suddenly, as it tried to decipher its origin, sothing strange appeared before it. Floating words with strange symbols began to materialize, and it started to slowly understand. If it was correct, then this thing before it was called a status screen, and it had all the information that this creature desired…
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