This planet possessed multiple continents spread across its vast surface.
The largest of these landmasses was Sanus, the central continent and home to the Kingdom of Vale. It had, sprawling cities, large plains great mountain ranges that stretched across much of its territory. To the far west, the environment gradually shifted into the harsh fertile forests, jungles, and deserts of Vacuo, where survival was tough.
To the east lay Anima.
Anima was a continent renowned for its diversity. Towering mountain chains, immense forests, deep valleys and prosperous settlements dominated much of its landscape. It was also home to the Kingdom of Mistral, a nation famous for its culture, art and history.
Far to the north sat Solitas.
A frozen continent of snow and ice, Solitas housed the Kingdom of Atlas. Through centuries of technological advancement, Atlas had become the most scientifically advanced kingdom in the world. While other nations pursued a balance between technology and tradition, Atlas had relentlessly pushed innovation forward, creating machinery and infrastructure that often surpassed those of its rivals.
South of the other major continents rested Menagerie.
Although smaller than the others, Menagerie possessed its own unique ecosystems and cultures. Despite often being overlooked by the larger kingdoms, it remained an important part of the world's geopolitical landscape.
To the average citizen, these were the continents that made up the world.
Sanus, Anima, Solitas and Menagerie.
Four continents and four kingdoms. A complete world. At least, that was what humanity had been taught.
The truth was very different. There existed a fifth continent. A continent so heavily classified that even most members of LUCID were unaware of its existence.
A continent whose very mention could trigger great investigations. A continent that had been erased from public knowledge so thoroughly that generations of humanity had lived and died without ever knowing it existed.
Its name was Erebus and Erebus, was enormous.
Larger than Menagerie and comparable in size to portions of Sanus itself. And yet it did not appear on maps.
Commercial satellites never photographed it and even civilian aircrafts never flew near it.
Shipping routes actively avoided its waters.
Whenever an individual accidentally discovered evidence of Erebus, procedures were enacted immediately. Memories were altered, records were confiscated and witnesses disappeared from investigations and reappeared days later with entirely different recollections.
Entire departments within LUCID existed solely to maintain this deception. Search algorithms monitored online discussions and automated systems flagged suspicious keywords.
Satellite imagery was reviewed by specially designated personnel before being released to the public. The amount of resources required to hide an entire continent was staggering.
Yet for centuries, humanity had continued doing exactly that. Because the alternative was far worse. The reason Erebus had to remain hidden was not political nor was it economic.
It was survival.
At the center of Erebus stood four objects. The Relics of humanity, also known as the Four Supreme Runes.
Knowledge.
Creation.
Destruction.
Choice.
To most awakened, the Supreme Runes were regarded as ancient artifacts of immeasurable power. That assessment was correct. What most awakened did not know was that the relics possessed another property. A far more dangerous property.
They attracted Rank 3 Grimm.
Not metaphorically or symbolically.
Literally.
The Supreme Runes acted as immensely powerful beacons. Across both the Dream Realm and reality itself, their presence radiated outward like a lighthouse shining into an endless sea of darkness.
And Rank 3 Grimm were drawn toward them, even more relentlessly and obsessively than they were to living beings.
Previously it had been unknown as to why that was the case, but after the knowledge surfaced about them being connected to the Sleeper, it was fairly easy to understand why.
They were akin to moths flying toward a flame. This single fact explained one of the greatest mysteries in modern history.
Why were Rank 3 Grimm so rarely encountered?
Every awakened understood how dangerous a Rank 3 entity was.
The gap between Rank 2 and Rank 3 was often described as a divide between mortals and natural disasters. Some might even say the difference was akin to the difference between Heaven and Earth
The main reason was because all Rank 3 beings possessed Domains, an Authority over a small portion of reality. This authority essentially allowed them to ignore and bend the laws of existence itself.
If such creatures truly existed in large numbers, then why had humanity not already been annihilated?
The answer was Erebus and the location of where the relics were housed. Every Rank 3 Grimm was drawn toward the continent.
Every one of them.
Rather than roaming the world, they gathered there. Rather than attacking humanity directly, they converged upon the Supreme Runes.
And waiting for them were the Keepers.
The Keepers predated modern LUCID. In many ways, they were the foundation upon which LUCID had eventually been built.
They represented the greatest concentration of human power on the planet, the strongest and most talented of awakened.
The most ancient veterans and the individuals who stood at the pinnacle of humanity. Most Rank 3 awakened eventually became Keepers.
It was not a matter of prestige but necessity. Because someone had to remain on Erebus. Someone had to stand between the relics and the endless tide of Rank 3 Grimm.
Every day, week and month.
Every year.
For centuries.
The war never stopped. It simply continued.
Endlessly.
One of the reasons Rank 3 entities were so dangerous stemmed from a phenomenon known among awakened as Rule Ignoration.
Rule Ignoration was a byproduct of possessing a Domain.
Unlike lower ranked awakened and non awakened, who relied on sleep, special gateways or specific methods of transition, Rank 3 beings could simply cross the boundary whenever they wished.
A Rank 3 Grimm was not merely powerful.
It was unrestricted.
And that made it terrifying.
If even a handful of Rank 3 Grimm abandoned Erebus and entered the kingdoms, the resulting destruction would be catastrophic.
Entire cities could vanish and millions could die. The balance that humanity had painstakingly maintained for centuries would collapse.
This was why the Keepers remained. This was why more than ten Rank 3 awakened were stationed on Erebus at all times.
Not because they wanted to be, but because they had to be. The alternative was extinction. The annual Vytal Tournament only complicated matters further. Most awakened knew that the winning kingdom temporarily received access to Creation.
What they did not know was the logistical nightmare that accompanied such a transfer. The moment Creation left Erebus, the bait would weaken.
The beacon diminished and the attraction drawing the Grimm toward the continent became incomplete. To compensate, the Keepers were forced to overclock the presence of the remaining relics. They amplified their signatures and artificially pushed the attraction of Knowledge, Choice and Destruction to unnatural levels.
All so that the countless Rank 3 Grimm surrounding Erebus would remain focused on the continent rather than noticing that one of their targets had temporarily disappeared.
The process was dangerous and exhausting. And if it failed, even once, the consequences could be unimaginable. A wandering Rank 3 Grimm searching for Creation could easily stumble upon civilization and the resulting disaster would reshape history.
Fortunately, there was usually at least one Rank 3 stationed in every kingdom. Rank 3 humans also had an irresistible attraction to grimm. When Rank 3's enter the Dream Realm, they become a miniature beacon in and of themselves due to their powerful life forces. Which was why, they had to be careful not to enter the dream realm without reason as it might cause issues in the protection grid of Erebus.
In any case, despite all these dangers, despite centuries of war, despite the constant vigilance of the Keepers and the sacrifices of countless awakened, the system had endured.
The relics had remained secure and the most powerful Grimm had remained contained. Humanity had survived. For centuries, the balance had held.
And then, in a single night, everything changed. For the first time in generations, the beacon at the heart of Erebus went dark.
All due to the actions of one man.
The Leader of Sleepless.
.
.
The winds howled across the barren ground.
Black earth stretched endlessly beneath a blood red sky, broken only by distant hills of bone white-like stone that rose from the landscape like ancient monuments. There was no life here. Only an endless wasteland illuminated by the crimson glow of the shattered moon hanging overhead.
Upon a vast expanse of blackened ground sat a man.
Despite the violent winds sweeping across the area, he appeared completely undisturbed. His posture was relaxed, almost languid, as he sat upon the strange terrain with one leg crossed over the other. His elbow rested atop his knee while his chin leaned against his palm.
A long braid extended down his back barely moved despite the gale. It was as though the world itself refused to touch him.
Standing several metres away was another man.
Lionheart.
The awakened shifted uncomfortably beneath the broken moon and the vast wind, his expression carrying a complicated mixture of wariness, fear and reluctant respect. He had stood before monsters before. He had faced creatures capable of leveling cities. Yet standing before the man seated on the ground filled him with a different kind of unease.
The Sleepless Leader tilted his head slightly.
"Oh my dear Lion," he said softly.
His voice carried strangely through the air.
It was unmistakably masculine, yet beneath it echoed another voice. A woman's voice. Distant and vast. As though it originated from somewhere impossibly far away and simply happened to overlap with his own.
"Surely you aren't having second thoughts now, are you?"
Lionheart immediately waved his hand.
"No, no. Nothing like that."
The answer came too quickly. The Sleepless Leader's smile widened ever so slightly and Lionheart swallowed in nervousness.
"I'm just wondering if this is really the best solution," he admitted. "Do we... really have to do all this?"
The Sleepless Leader hummed thoughtfully. For several moments he simply watched Lionheart in silence before speaking.
"Tell me, little Lion. What do you know of sacrifice?"
Lionheart frowned slightly at the abrupt change in topic. "To sacrifice something is to give it up so another can benefit," he answered after a moment.
The Sleepless Leader smiled. "To a degree, correct. But not the answer I was looking for."
He slowly shifted his gaze toward the broken moon overhead.
"A philosopher once existed. Girard, I believe his name was. An interesting man."
The wind continued to howl across the surroundings.
"He argued that sacrifice is the foundation of human culture and religion. His belief was that human desire is mimetic. We desire things because others possess them. Wealth. Status. Power. Love."
His smile widened slightly.
"And because humans desire the same things, conflict becomes inevitable."
Lionheart remained silent. The Sleepless Leader continued.
"Eventually that conflict grows large enough to threaten society itself. Communities begin to fracture. Violence escalates and civilization approaches collapse."
He slowly rose to his feet.
"So humanity found a solution."
The feminine undertone within his voice seemed to deepen.
"They redirect that violence."
His eyes gleamed beneath the crimson moonlight.
"They choose a single victim. A scapegoat."
The word seemed to linger in the air.
"They sacrifice one so the many may survive. Do you understand?"
Lionheart grimaced and slowly, he nodded.
"I... yes."
The Sleepless Leader stared at him for several moments then he sighed.
"No."
There was genuine disappointment in his voice.
"It seems you still do not."
Lionheart stiffened. Nevertheless, the Sleepless Leader simply shook his head.
"The point will reveal itself soon enough."
The feminine voice echoing beneath his own suddenly became stronger and more pronounced. The atmosphere itself seemed to tremble.
"I will sacrifice this world for Her awakening."
Lionheart felt his stomach drop.
The Sleepless Leader slowly began walking across the black landscape.
"I will sacrifice my body, my soul and my very existence."
Each word carried absolute certainty.
"Fear not the coming change, Lion. I know you are afraid."
The woman's voice now nearly matched his own.
"But SHE is inevitable."
The broken moon seemed to cast darker shadows across the earth.
"This is our duty, my dear Lion and... in return, she has promised you eternity and life."
His eyes sharpened.
"You know the consequence of anything except My Lady."
Lionheart lowered his gaze and a long sigh escaped him.
"I'm sorry."
His voice sounded exhausted. "I know they encroach on our world and I know this is the only solution."
The Sleepless Leader regarded him quietly. Then he smiled and his finger twitched. Instantly Lionheart froze and his body became rigid.
His eyes lost focus.
For a moment he looked less like a man and more like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been pulled taut.
The Sleepless Leader sighed.
"You think too much. Sometimes knowledge is a burden. I'd hate for you to compromise your morals, my dear Lion. Perhaps it is best if you think no longer?"
The Leader's finger twitched once again and Lionheart's body jerked violently as life returned to his eyes. He stumbled backward, gasping for breath as sweat beaded across his forehead.
"N-no sir."
His voice trembled.
"I'll... I will do as you ask."
The Sleepless Leader smiled warmly before placing a hand upon his shoulder.
"Good."
Then he turned toward the horizon.
"Now."
His smile widened.
"We have arrived."
The ground beneath them shifted as though it had been an earthquake, but then the black earth, in the far distance moved, revealing a colossal wing which had unfolded across the horizon.
Then another in the opposite distance. The ground they had been standing on was not ground at all.
It was flesh.
A Rank 3 Grimm. A dragon so enormous that and entire city could have been built upon its back. The creature had been flying with them riding across its back. The winds were the air pressure that buffeted them from its flight.
Even after all these years, the sight remained terrifying. Far in the distance, other shapes emerged beneath the black bloodied sky.
A colossal worm twisted through the heavens, its body covered in countless mouths that opened and closed without sound and nearby floated a grotesque beast formed entirely from fingers, each finger tipped with a staring Grimm eye.
Further still, countless other nightmares moved through the crimson sky. All of them heading toward the same destination.
Toward the battle raging on the horizon.
A war between Rank 3s.
A war between monsters and gods.
The Sleepless Leader watched the distant battlefield calmly. Then the feminine voice finally overtook his own entirely.
Ancient, beautiful and terrifying. A voice that seemed to echo from somewhere beyond reality itself.
He smiled.
"Hello parasites."
The dragon beneath them unfurled its wings completely. The sky darkened and the voice echoed across the entirety of the Dream Realm of Erebus.
"I have arrived for my runes."