Elson Noctis, Magius.
War Journal - 21st September 2038
To the next generation.
I hope… that as you are reading this, humanity has regained full control of Earth.
I hope… that you and your generation have grown up in an era of peace, where your fellow brothers and sisters did not have to die in the endless wars against the Godfall Invaders.
I hope… that you are even ignorant of the horrors of the war that my generation had to go through.
I hope… and I pray that you are strong.
In times of peace, may you never forget what your ancestors had to suffer because of their weakness.
Though it was not their fault that they did not know of their impending doom, the fact remained that they were weak.
If they were stronger…
Let me start from the beginning.
Planet Earth…
It was once our beautiful home.
A place filled with wonder and endless hope. For all its natural perils, it was still home.
But one day, three dead gods fell upon our world.
And from their corpses came their followers.
Dragons from the Dragon God.
Demons from the Demon God.
Specters from the Specter God.
They took over our planet, and in an instant, Earth was home no more.
It became the cruelest death trap imaginable, a beautiful prison where only death, slavery, or worse awaited us.
Humanity was routed in our short-lived wars against the three monstrous hordes.
The Demons claimed the North and South American continents.
The Dragons seized Africa.
The Specters conquered Europe, Russia, and China, leaving humanity with only Southeast Asia and the scattered islands of the South Pacific.
Tragedy.
Tragedy!
Of nine billion souls, eight billion were killed or vanished within months.
We regrouped in Australia and spent the next hundred years fortifying it.
But desperation breeds both creativity and progress.
Our technology advanced at a terrifying pace. Not only that, strange and powerful supernatural abilities began to appear among those born after the Godfall.
After two centuries of evolution and generations of blending technology with newfound mutant power, we were finally ready to strike back.
We were finally strong enough to challenge one of the three hordes.
We chose the Demons.
The fiends who had claimed the Americas.
In the year 2350 A.D., Humanity launched its first Expedition Army.
Upon landing at the southern tip of what was once Chile, we made a shocking discovery. Pockets of humanity were still alive!
But alas, they were enslaved by the Demons, bound in chains and despair.
Still, despite their power, the Demons had grown complacent. Their strength had stagnated over the centuries, while ours had multiplied beyond imagination.
With our advanced weaponry and awakened powers, we cut through their ranks and pushed all the way to their southern capital, freeing millions of our brethren in the process.
But there… we were stopped.
Valar, the Two-Headed Shaman, the Demon General stationed there,
was too powerful.
His vile magic repelled our energy blasters and even our mini thermonuclear bombs.
Only the awakened, those of us born with power, could so much as crack his glowing shield.
And so, I, Elson Noctis, Fire Mage, step forward in our darkest hour.
Tomorrow, I will lead six other fire mages to face Valar.
This may be the final entry in my journal.
If it is, then let it be known that Elson Noctis gave his best for Humanity.
And if one day our kind reclaims the world, may they remember this name.
Remember that Elson Noctis fought and died for your freedom.
But above all, if you are reading this…
Become strong.
Become strong!
Become strong!!
By my hand,
Elson Noctis, Magius.
XXXX
Elson's eyes clouded over as his life flashed before him.
Faces of family and friends drifted through his mind for a fleeting moment before they melted away, replaced by the image of a beautiful young woman in white.
She lifted her arms with graceful ease and smiled at him, a smile so tender it made his heart ache. Then she began to dance.
It was the same dance she had once performed for him in private, long ago, to a song she had written herself when she was still alive.
He could almost hear her soft, ethereal voice again, carrying through the air and wrapping around him as her slender form swayed in perfect rhythm to the memory of her song.
Elson's heart tightened as all the regret and pain he had buried deep within came bursting out.
Ah, Lyra… Lyra!
Only at the end of his life did he truly feel the depths of his emotions. And all of it was regret.
The twin fireballs in his palms grew so large he had to lift his hands to keep from burning himself.
He could sense the demons shrieking in fear and scrambling backwards, and the human traitors shouting louder from the walls.
He ignored them all.
Elson was completely lost in the memory of his beloved.
Lyra Seraphine.
The love of his life. The woman who had given him everything.
The figure in his mind twirled and spun, and each time she turned to look at him, her gaze was filled with passion and love.
Ah, Lyra… how you suffered in your final years. I will be joining you soon in the afterlife. Will you be there to greet me?
Lyra, my dear Lyra… I regret! I regret! Why did I leave you alone that night? Why?!
My thirst for power blinded me to your pain, to your silent cries for help. I should have known. I should have been there!
He could still remember that night. The message had come, news of a fire spirit discovered deep within the Uluru Caves.
Without hesitation, he had dropped everything and gone to claim it. A fire spirit could increase his strength by half again, and for him, it was a lot. It could bring him to the Peak of D rank in one fell swoop.
How insignificant it seemed now!
At that very time, Lyra was in the hospital, suffering from mana poisoning.
He had a choice. He could go to her bedside or leave her alone before a critical surgery to pursue more power.
He did not hesitate.
He left for the fire spirit. And that same night, Lyra's surgery went wrong.
By the time Elson returned, it was too late…
She died in his arms.
Before her death, she smiled tenderly and whispered, "I do not regret loving you… I love you with all my heart, Elson. I am happy… happy…!"
Lyra, you had tears in your eyes when you said that. You were not happy. You regretted it… I know you did!
Lyra… if there is a next life, I promise I will put you first. I will not chase strength alone. I will become a good man for you. I will bring you with me, every step of the way. We will rise together, live together, and die together.
His heart had shattered that night, and it shattered again now as he remembered her.
Lyra… I will be with you soon. Wait for me.
With a furious shout, Elson leapt forward, spinning as he hurled the two massive fireballs toward the demon shield before him.
Behind him, his fellow fire mages did the same.