HISTORY OF MAN AND DEMONS
Since the beginning of time, humanity possessed the power of tenzen. This power gave birth to the art of sorcery, elevating humans to the summit of their endeavors.
But a thousand years later, everything changed.
From hidden places, unnatural beings that defied the laws of nature sprung forth. And the one thing they sought after...
Was human blood.
These creatures were called "demons".
They wreaked havoc upon humanity, without any shred of mercy.
However, humanity couldn't watch as these beings took what they loved away from them.
This led to the spark of war. A battle that rewrote the history of man:
The Human-demon war.
However, humanity's power wasn't enough to stop them. To the demons, it was a massacre. But to man? Carnage and devastation.
Demons were more, and far too powerful for them. Gradually, nations fell, kingdoms collapsed, civilization dwindled, and worst of all...
It seemed like all hope was lost for humanity.
Because after everything, things didn't get better, then only got worse after his arrival...
Sou Aidra; The demon king.
Aidra didn't need an army, he alone was a battalion.
On his first appearance, humanity lost a continent to oblivion. Lives ceased to exist in seconds. Nothing lived long enough to tell the story of devastation.
That day became known as the darkest day in the history of mankind.
HISTORY OF ZEROS
"To become the perfect being, one must embrace imperfection."
— The Paradox, Verse 400
Two hundred years after the Great war, life collapsed back to nothing. Humanity fell, cities crumbled, nations lay devastated, and kingdoms were left in ruins.
Positions of nobility became useless. Power lost its meaning. The Exarchate fell.
Lives were lost, families were torn apart, homes abandoned, children displaced.
This period became known as the Age of Ruin in human history.
Man lost hope in life, and most tragically, his belief and trust in Aethrauzon diminished.
In time, many renounced their faith in Aethralism and abandoned the Aethric Tenets.
Twenty years later, humanity entered the Age of Religions, beginning with the rise of the Nefarian Church.
People were drawn to its beliefs and practices like ants to sugar. Unlike Aethralism, where worship centered on the unseen god Aethrauzon, humans could see the Nefarian god with their own eyes: the church's founder, Naza Azkaban.
And, most importantly, righteousness was unnecessary. It was enough to simply acknowledge Azkaban's existence.
But one hundred and thirty years later, in the year 2366, thirteen centuries after the Great War, the Nefarian Church fell. Its downfall came from its inadequacies, and from Azkaban's inability to protect his worshippers from humanity's age-old enemy: the demons.
Man grew frustrated. Disappointed. Empty. Temples lay in ruin, prayers went unanswered.
He longed for a god. He longed for a religion. He wanted to believe in a being that could protect him. He knew he was fragile, and unlike Aethralism which taught the inevitability of life and death...
Man did not want to die.
...
Year 2600. Vietto-Roca, Valtor. Northern Region.
The heavens smiled upon man once again.
From the ashes of war and suffering, a new faith rose.
No one knew his origins. No one knew who he truly was. But everyone knew this: Vladimir Vexar was the messenger of god.
He did not claim to be divine himself. Instead, he preached the existence of a god he had encountered in a vision.
A god more powerful than Aethrauzon.
A god who could protect man from his predators.
A god who offered humanity the chance to stand again:
The god of Infinity, Void Amaranth - the Hollow.
At first, no one accepted his message. But slowly, humanity embraced its new god.
Voidism spread across Tenebrous. It promised hope, peace, and protection from demons. People smiled again, believing they were finally free.
Followers of the Void Church bore the mark of an eye; believed to be the Eyes of Infinity, eyes that could see in the dark. They wore white robes as a sign of respect to Void.
In time, Tenebrous came to be ruled under Voidcracy; a government led by the priests of Voidism, with Void himself ruling through his messenger, Vladimir Vexar.
Years passed. Decades turned to centuries. And then, Voidism revealed its true colors.
Vexar unveiled a strange scripture he had received in a vision: the Tenets of Voidism, containing 400 verses. He named it The Paradox.
Its teachings claimed that demons were not humanity's enemies, but miraculous beings provided by god.
Therefore, to defeat demons, humans must embrace them. And to do that…
"We must become one with demons."
-Verse 400, The Void Tenet
There was no turning back. Those who doubted were executed and made examples of. Fear spread like wildfire across Tenebrous as the day of the ritual drew near.
Experiments were performed. Rituals carried out. Atrocities committed.
And finally, the night came.
Under a blood-red moon, the ritual began. Souls of humans and demons were sacrificed. Blood was drunk. Flesh was consumed.
At the climax, when the fusion of souls was almost complete, something unprecedented occurred.
The Night of God's Wrath.
Aethrauzon descended. Not in human form, not angelic, not as a godly visage, but as fire and brimstone.
People panicked. Some tried to flee. But fear of Void's punishment held them fast.
They feared Void more than Aethrauzon.
That single night, all worshippers perished.
But the ritual did not stop.
Even after death claimed them, even after Vladimir Vexar himself was slain, the ritual continued.
Legend holds that it was completed, leading to the resurrection of a chosen few. Among them was the messenger himself.
When they rose, they were no longer human. Their souls were bound to those of demons.
These beings came to be known as...
Zeros.
HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION.
Out of the ashes, a new alliance was formed:
The World Association of Sorcerers (W.A.S).
This association unified all sorcerers all over Tenebrous. WAS created a glimmer of hope in a falling world.
Gradually, the tables began to turn. With the integration of technology into sorcery, man stood again, and this time, he was strong enough to oppose the evil forces.
But several mysteries still lingered;
Where is Aidra? Where are the zeros, and who is Void?
...
"And that..." the man finished, turning to the boy sitting next to him. "...is the history of man and demons."
"So..." The boy whispered, eyes widening. "... that's what I am..."
The man's gaze darkened.
"... A zero..."
***
To Be Continued...
Author's Note:
This prologue tells the history of Tenebrous: the birth of demons, the rise of faith, and the creation of Zeros. Chapter 1 begins Code Weber's story.