Chapter 0: The Whispered Chronicle of the Fallen Light

A woman’s voice—soft yet filled with authority—echoed as though it traveled through time itself.

“Long ago... five brave heroes rose from distant lands. They swung their blades and channeled their magic, protecting humanity—protecting every race that had once been oppressed. Together, they formed a sacred alliance to fight the darkness that sought to devour everything.”

Her voice carried deep sorrow, yet also pride, as visions of fire and steel flickered through the mind.

“In the middle of seas of flame and rivers of blood, the Five Heroes stood tall. Their blades of light and sacred spells split through waves of shadow. But their victory was not theirs alone. Behind the veil stood a mysterious figure—the right hand of the Gods, known only as the Lord Arbiter. He guided them, ensuring the light never faltered. With a single calm gesture, demon armies were reduced to ash.”

Her tone deepened, as if recalling a forgotten wound.

“Through their courage, the Demon King was finally slain. The world rejoiced, believing peace had returned at last.”

But her voice trembled, a shadow tainting every word.

“Not all Gods desired freedom for mankind. There was one God—and his wife, a Goddess—who believed humans were too weak to live without control. They sought to seize the divine will... and rule humanity with an iron hand.”

Her whisper lowered into a trembling chant.

“Their whispers brought calamity. From their hands emerged the Shadows of Darkness—monstrous beings that devoured the restless and incomplete souls of humans. And from their wrath was born the Dark Cloud—cursed rain that spawned more monsters with every drop that touched the earth.”

Visions danced within the fog of her words: black rain pouring over cities; humans screaming as beasts rose from their graves; unrelenting Shadows devouring souls without mercy.

Her voice hardened.

“The treacherous Gods violated the laws of heaven. Thus, they were cast out from their thrones. But their corruption had already tainted the earth... and so began the Great War.”

The echoes of war thundered within her narration:

“A colossal battle erupted. The Five Heroes, guided by the Lord Arbiter, fought against legions of Shadows of Darkness and tempests of the Dark Cloud. The sky split under lightning and magic. At last, the fallen Gods were repelled. The world seemed saved. Yet, in the midst of triumph... the Lord Arbiter vanished. Without trace, without a single word.”

A silence. A void. Then, her voice returned, drenched in grief.

“His silhouette faded into the mist, leaving the heroes calling his name in despair. Without their guide, unity crumbled. Ambition spread like plague. Greed, betrayal, and lust for power turned the heroes’ blood against one another. A civil war engulfed the world, and once again the land drowned in chaos.”

Then, gently—like dawn piercing a storm—her tone shifted.

“But... a glimmer of hope descended from the heavens. A prophecy whispered by the dying voices of the Gods—of someone who would descend from the sky. Someone who would reunite the heroes... before a far greater darkness was born again.”

The ancient visions dissolved like smoke consumed by time.

Dust swirled beneath a dim lantern in an old, forgotten library—its shelves towering like silent grave markers for civilizations long gone.

A small girl with snow-white hair and crimson eyes slowly closed the ancient book with trembling fingers. The heavy cover thudded softly, echoing like a seal placed upon a prophecy too dangerous to speak aloud.

She lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, as though addressing the unseen Gods themselves.

Her whisper flowed like the final thread of fate:

“If that prophecy is true... then the time will come soon.”

The lantern flickered.
The shadows on the walls shuddered.
A distant rumble echoed beneath the earth—faint, like a heartbeat stirring after centuries of silence.

The girl tightened her grip on the book, her breath unsteady.

Windows rattled.

Something old awakened.
Something vast.
Something the world had forgotten.

Her crimson eyes widened.

“The cycle… is starting again.”

The flame of the lantern extinguished, plunging the library into darkness.

And with that single breath of wind—

A new era quietly began.