Chapter 0:

Unification: Formation of a Federation

Yggdrasilian Chronicles: Book 1


Three centuries ago, in a time of great unrest, war brewed between inhabitants of the land of Arum. The alliance of Humans and Dwarves, who sought to expand their territories in pursuit of wealth, against the alliance of Elves and Nymphs, who defended their precious natural lands from those who would inevitably ruin them. Caught in this conflict were the Cait Siths, a normally nomadic race that Humans began to enslave for their natural fighting and hunting abilities.

As these five races began their conflict, an even more dangerous foe rose from the depths of Hell, intent on conquering Arum. Maladeus, the Lord of Demons, broke the barrier that separated Hell from the mortal realm. Monsters and Demons followed him to the surface, and struck the two opposing factions while they were preoccupied with each other. After forcing a series of retreats, Maladeus brought his forces to full charge on the weakened races.

However, there were seven young royals who refused to give up, and sought to make peace and band their races together.

Prince Henry III of the Humans

Prince Blackstone IV of the Dwarves

Princess Lorica The First of the Elves

Princess Serendine II of the Nymphs

Princess Kana The First of the Cait Sith

After rallying a second wind to their followers, the royals fought their way through Maladeus's armies and met each other at his fortress in the center of the Arum Plains. It would be here that a new age would begin, one of unity and peace for all the races of this land

It would all begin…with the defeat of Maladeus in what became known as the First Dark War…

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All Henry could feel was pain…cold…and tiredness. He could barely keep his eyes open, as his body was drained of all energy and was slowly giving in to fatigue. He could hardly even see the sky anymore, as it was consumed by dark clouds that were filled with red lightning. All around him, scorched debris of varying sizes was scattered. The remains of the Malefic Fortress…Maladeus's home turf.

Beside him, Blackstone was struggling to get up. His armor was broken in several places, showing his short but muscular form and sweat-covered face. The other royals slowly stirred, groaning as they got on their knees. Seeing his comrades still having some spirit, Henry managed to work up enough strength to push himself up, panting heavily as he did so.

They all looked up to see the true form of the Demon Lord himself. A humongous being that towered over the remains of his fortress. His dark-blue bestial body was blazing with purple flames, and his red eyes gleamed as he leered down on the seven mortals at his feet.

"You dared to think that you could even match me, you pathetic mortals?" He said with a gravelly boom. "I am the Demon Lord Maladeus, a force of darkness that you should have surrendered to while you had the chance! Now all of you will suffer the most excruciating deaths!"

He raised his right hand, which crackled with scarlet electricity. He then swung it down, firing a powerful bolt of red lightning at the party. Serendine's hair waved like ocean water as she hurried to the front. 

"Ramirror!"

A glass-like barrier formed in front of her, just in time for them to be struck by the thunderbolt. They held for just a moment before shattering completely, and the bolt continued on its path. It struck the ground in the middle of the group, and exploded into a sparking sphere of electricity that enveloped everyone. They screamed in agony as they were shocked, flying in different directions from the force of the explosion.

Henry coughed as his back hit the ground outside the ruined fortress. His vision blurred…and his body felt numb. He tried to get back up, wanting to keep fighting for the sake of peace. But his body just couldn't do anything, as he was too worn out and injured.

He heard the clack of armored boots, and someone kneeled beside him and picked up his head. His vision came to focus on a redheaded young woman in chain mail, who was looking down with a worried frown.

"Milord, you need to get up!" She urged, shaking him a little.

"Aria…" Henry muttered.

More footsteps…and clapping hooves…The army was gathering.

Maladeus took a wide step forward, the earth shaking as his clawed foot came down. He held up his hand again, a sphere of Dark magic gradually expanding in his palm.

"You all have one last chance to surrender." He warned with a scowl. "Do so, and all I'll do is turn you into Demons and monsters. You can live in a new kind of existence, and there will be no more needless death and suffering. You can live in peace, all of you."

It was a rather absurd suggestion. No more needless death and suffering…as if Maladeus was saying none of this was his fault at all. Henry grit his teeth, becoming rather mad as he thought about what everyone lost in this damn war. All of this tragedy…was Maladeus's fault.

Henry forced himself out of Aria's arms, groaning from pain as he struggled to stand on his feet. He looked around, seeing the other royals standing up as well, their respective armies right behind them. None of them were going to give up either…and that drove Henry to shout up at the Demon Lord in defiance.

"We will never surrender to you! Not after everything we've been through! We're going to defeat you, right here and right now! Even if we die trying!"

"He's right, you hear!?" Blackstone shouted fiercely, waving a fist. "We'll defy you every step of the way! We'll do it together, because that's what friends and comrades are for!"

"For everyone dear that we lost, we'll make sure their deaths aren't in vain!" Serendine said with conviction, hands clasped over her chest.

"We're proud warriors." Lorica added, flipping her golden locks. "There's no way we'll surrender to the likes of you."

"This is for our freedom!" Kana shouted bravely, cat ears folded back. "You speak of peace, but you're really just removing our humanity! We will never become monsters or Demons!"

Maladeus growled and clenched his free hand, narrowing his eyes at the armies before him.

"So that's it? You'll all just die here? You wish to be obliterated completely?"

"If we are to be obliterated, we'll still stand together." Henry said with confidence. "All seven races are here to face you, as one united force."

"Hmph…Then you'll all die together. This is the end for you! Now…WAVE OF CHAOS!"

With a mighty sweep of his hand, Maladeus unleashed the Dark magic in the form of a black energy wave. This attack encompassed an area so wide, it would no doubt envelop the entire group if they couldn't defend against it. The Nymphs quickly split up, casting their protective spells over those who had none. Everyone else huddled up, their weapons braced for the inevitable impact.

And as the Wave of Chaos closed in, Henry thought about how even if he died there…at least it was while holding onto Aria, and standing by those he had sought to unite. Even if it was only for now…at least the five races stood together. He shut his eyes, thankful for this moment, where for once there was no animosity between them.

He waited for the darkness to crash through the barriers and drown them all…but it never did. There wasn't even a sound from it anymore. And for some strange reason…Henry felt a soothing warmth. He opened his eyes, and he saw a great miracle happening before him.

A curtain of golden light had pierced through the dark clouds and came down to surround the unified armies, protecting them from the surge of Dark magic. Everyone watched in wonder and confusion as the darkness receded, driven back by the powerful light. Within moments, the dark wave was extinguished completely, leaving Maladeus dumbfounded.

"What is this?" He muttered. "Who dares to interfere with my conquest?"

From the glowing rift in the sky, a white-cloaked female figure descended upon the battlefield, surrounded by five orbs of light. Her glittery, insect-like wings gently fluttered as she hovered above the mortals.

"Denizens of the land of Arum!" She announced with an angelic tone. "By the will of the Five Deities, Luxord, Fulmen, Pyrus,  All this time, they have heard your griefs and witnessed your struggles! And in this final act of unity, they have seen fit to bless you all! Now take these, the Sacred Treasures of the Heavens! Use them to defeat the being of darkness that stands before you!"

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And so, the Overseer delivered the legendary Sacred Treasures to the five royal youths. These divine weapons, carrying the blessings of the Five Deities, granted the royals great sacred power. With the Sacred Treasures in hand, they were able to turn the tide against Maladeus and defeat him after a destructive battle.

However, he was unable to be vanquished completely, as he was the most pure form of darkness that could not be destroyed. So with no other option, the Overseer channeled her own powers to form a seal around Maladeus and cast him back down to Hell. What remained of his forces retreated with him, and with that…the First Dark War finally ended.

Afterwards, the leaders of the five races met and decided to unite their hands in newfound friendships and understanding. They formed the Federation of Arum, and promised to work together to maintain peace amongst their kins. As the barrier to the mortal realm was still broken, monsters would still rise from Hell to hunt men, women, and children. But with the formation of several guilds, mortals would still enjoy a relative peace across the land.

Even then…darkness still finds a way to rise again. One day, Maladeus's seal will break, and he will once again terrorize the land. When that day will come…nobody knows.