Chapter 2: Another World
"So, this world was overrun by magical beasts around 500 years ago."
As Leonel was going through the memories, he came to know that the original owner's name here was Leo. Just Leo. No surname, as he was a commoner and commoners were not allowed to have surnames. One could attain a nobility status just by awakening a talent for beast taming, even the weakest Beast Master gets a title of Knight. He then can be allowed to have a surname from the Beast Hall when he does a notable and praiseworthy deed.
This world was called Skadrial by Humans. And the strongest human right now was the Emperor Louis Von Arvonnon. But during the apocalypse, new races, especially the Elves and Demons appeared and called themselves superior to humans, as they were the first race to awaken the Beast-taming talents and start fighting back against the magical beasts. However, Humans were not so back behind; due to their adaptability, they too caught up to them and started fighting as soon as people awakened their talents.
Thus began the Dark Age of Apocalypse in which population of all race dwindled drastically.
Billions of people died; cities, kingdoms and empires fell.
This continued for hundreds of years until finally only 3 Empires stood—the Demon Empire Duskir, the Elven Empire Aeloria and finally the Human Empire Velerath.
But even with all this only 30% of the total landmass was conquered and the rest is roamed by deadly and monstrous beasts, making the ruling authorities hungry after habitable territories, this however created conflicts with other races when two parties claim a same territory as theirs, creating enmity towards eachother.
The human emperor even created a law in which people of other races cannot roam freely in Velerath and the only way they can be allowed is by being a slave, putting them at even lower position then commoners.
But it didn't mean that common people were in any good shape. Here strenght defined status and authority. Since Beast Masters were rare and valuable resource that could help in expansion of empires boundaries, and due to the fact that only 1-2% of total applicants that applied for each year awakened their talents, the empire showered them with privileges, they could literarily kill any commoner because of 'bad temper' and authorities will not take any actions, only framing the innocent in bad light.
But it didn't mean that hierarchy didn't exist. There were 9 ranks, 1 star to 9 star beast masters, with each star divided into 4 minor levels, namely low, intermediate, advanced and peak. Starting from 5 stars, beast tamers were called—
5 star - commander
6 star - general
7 star - King
8 star - Emperor
9 star - Monarch
Emperor Louis was a Advanced 8 star Beast Master. Till date no have achieved 9 star, with some people even saying such a level doesn't exist and its a myth.
Same goes for Beasts too, they are also divided in star ranks and a Beast Master is able to tame a beast which is equivalent to his own rank. But there is one difference—
10 star Beasts
More commonly known as God Beasts. There is a legend that goes around which says that the reason the apocalypse started was because 2 God Beasts fought each other to death, and their fight was on universal scale. Destroying multiple worlds, disintegrating their homeland and finally these disintegrated land, originally said to be huge...absolutely huge! Larger than the planet Jupiter, atleast thats what Leo interpreted, was filled will various types of beasts in every corner of that world. When it disintegrated, the parts of lands started to merge with different planets like that of Skadrial causing beast apocalypse in them, and the integration is still going on!
Thats the reason, Emperors of the 3 empires give their all to keep Beast Masters on their side. Because the danger of beasts have not subsided and the apocalypse like situation may occur again if aggressive approach is not taken as right now, the place at top of the food chain is hogged by beasts.
They may be called empires but the truth was that the territory was very unrefined. Walled cities were built in places where the beasts have been slained and people start to live there. How do they come in those cities? Through teleportation powers that spatial beasts posses. So, there might be a case where a elven empire city is built in a place where majority belongs to human or demon empire. When found out, the elves would be attacked from all sides and their people turned into slaves.
And even though the living conditions were as bad as they could be, like bad hygiene, no maintenance and absolutely no human rights. People still lived in there, even when ordinary citizens and slaves were treated as livestock, no one dared to leave.
Yes, 'dared'.
Because outside the towns and cities, magical beasts roamed freely. Only capable beast tamers travelled freely as the spatial beasts and their tamers where strictly commanded by the Empires ruling authority. Once they would drop you off to a city, then it depends on your luck if you find a decent person overseeing that place. Qhich rarely happened as 'good' people nearly became non existance since the time Beast Masters started to rule.
Now its even considered 'good' if you see a person being killed by another person in front of you just because he face wasn't up to standard, and you say "Damn... such a sorry soul", you are a good person.
Leo was going through all of this memory while sitting on lotus position, with one hand over his knees, the other supporting his head and looking at the cracked stone wall in front of him.
He only muttered.
"Damn"
"Looks like people here are made by taking the general in my previous life as a base.... then evolving them into worse variants"
Even though he said it lightly, his demeaner was completely serious.
"This... is a problem"
"A huge problem..."