Post by ohgodhelpme on Feb 24, 2016 0:49:40 GMT -5
This shall be my personal compendium for all the 6 Cataclysm info relating to characters, events, and places.
Subject to change.
Events
Subject to change.
6 Cataclysms Synopsis: 6 Cataclysms revolves around Hita Menlayev, the next in line to take the throne of Vevoskovia in his family. Although he may not have known, ever since his birth, he has been wrapped up in a great war-to-come between a group called the Order of the Phoenix Demons, and the gods they claim are covering up the omnicide of a past generation of mankind. As Hita becomes embroiled in this feud between the two groups, he must also deal with the challenges of being a king in a world that has previously only known war and hatred. This story is his life and legacy.
(Although Hita is considered the center of this story, 6 Cataclysms has a rich history and involves a lot of people. That history ultimately shapes the world Hita is born into, and the minds of the heroes and villains who wish to change it)
(Although Hita is considered the center of this story, 6 Cataclysms has a rich history and involves a lot of people. That history ultimately shapes the world Hita is born into, and the minds of the heroes and villains who wish to change it)
Events
The very beginning:
The world was a very desolate place. Nations were small and splintered, food was scarce due to constant wars and raids that halted agriculture, and people were subjugated to the rule of their harsh kings. It was in this era that a man named Marluxia, an old, wandering sage, discovered a set of planets, and with them, magic. Marluxia worshiped the planet Neptune and inadvertently discovered Neptune's power over water. Taking this as proof that the gods he worshiped were real and true, Marluxia set out to spread forth everything he had learned from his time spent observing and worshiping the planets. With his power, he provided fresh water to starved nations and people, who all saw him as a prophet when they witnessed his miracles. However, Marluxia, being as old and ill as he was, eventually died. In his death, he learned that the powers the planets provide are associated with specific organs. Over-usage of these "miracles" can greatly damage the human body, and should not be used callously.
Marluxia's teachings were posthumously named the Marluxian Arts, and they spread far and wide into different countries. When these countries pointed their telescopes to the sky and discovered even more planets, they applied Marluxia's teachings and gained more powers. It was in this time that Marluxia's teachings of peaceful usage of the Marluxian Arts was bastardized. People began to declare certain planets as one, true gods, and it led to a horrible series of violent schisms among the followers of Marluxian philosophy. Out of these schisms, a kingdom was dedicated to each planet. And so, the Kingdoms of The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were all created.
The 200 Year War(Also known as Heavenly or Divine Wars):
Following the founding of these kingdoms, a large war broke out between them all to establish which of their gods were dominant, and which people and bloodlines had divine rights to the earth and to life. It was violent and destructive, scarring the earth with every battle, forming the mountains, seas, rivers, and valleys that would be awed at by future generations. As the war dragged on and resources became limited, children were thrown into the battlefield. The upbringing of every child was strict, as they were expected to fight bravely and die for their kingdom, people, and their god.
In this period, by far, the mightiest kingdom was that of the Kingdom of Jupiter, which was founded and ruled by a long line of history's greatest warriors, who were all known as being part of the Zenbu Clan. The Zenbu clan was the only bloodline permitted to rule over the Kingdom of Jupiter in any way, be it adviser or king. It was from this prestigious bloodline that a young man named Dharja Zenbu hailed. Dharja was handsome and ambitious, and would be the catalyst for major social and cultural change the world over.
The Great Amendment:
Every great clan has its drama, and such was the case of the Zenbu clan. Dharja's father and king at the time, Ganymede, pulled a cruel trick on his son in order to stop him from ever attaining the throne. Why would a father go to such lengths? It's because of the specific way that a king passes on his title in the Kingdom of Jupiter. When the kingdom was founded and the first king ruled, he feared a day where other bloodlines may drive the kingdom into the ground or try to fight for control of the throne. For this, he enacted a certain philosophy into law and named it The Path of the Father; The Path of the Son. This philosophy declares that the only ones allowed to rule the throne are might males of the Zenbu clan, and that he who rules shall embody power. He shall have many sons, who shall be raised to be better than their father. He who is the son shall crave power. When the son feels he is mightier and wiser than his father, he shall challenge him, and the two shall fight until one dies. Whoever remains shall be recognized as the chosen king of Great Lord Jupiter. It was this philosophy that influenced Ganymede's cruelty. He did not want to be killed by the hands of his own sons.
Dharja was ordered to massacre the Io clan, a side branch of the Zenbu clan that were treated as just that. He was told they were planning to usurp the position of the Zenbu clan, bringing disunity to the kingdom and endangering it. However, after the massacre, Dharja realized that none of what his father said was true. When news broke out about the slaughter of the Io clan, Dharja's name was shamed, and he was exiled from the kingdom.
A few years later, Dharja returned to the kingdom of Jupiter was a formerly exiled Zenbu woman named Samadaya. Confident in his training and newly acquired powers, Dharja challenged his father, in accordance with the Path of the Son philosophy. Ganymede accepted the challenge and was overwhelmed by Dharja's strength. He could use more than just the powers of Jupiter, which held dominion of lightning and barriers. Indeed, Dharja was able to use the powers of every planet with ease, and without suffering harm to his organs. There was another great power he could use, one that nobody had discovered before. It was the power of Nibiru. Ganymede lost and died at the hands of his son. And so, Dharja became the king.
With Samadaya by his side, Dharja sought to do great things as a king. Now that The 200 Year War was coming to a visible end, Dharja proposed to his Zenbu clansmen that The Path of the Father and Path of the Son philosophies be abandoned, as there was no longer any need for children to have to kill their own fathers, and no reason for them to be sent to a war that was almost over. The rest of the Zenbu clan took this as Dharja trying to solidify his power without ever having to give it up. They disassociated themselves with him and declared they would no longer support his rule. In fact, they would go out of their way to oppose it. With animosity between the kingdoms at an all-time low, the higher-ups of the Zenbu clan conspired with several of the other kingdoms to remove and kill Dharja. When they went public with their intent to remove Zenbu, even the armies of the Kingdom of Jupiter sided with them, forcing Dharja and Samadaya to flee the country and take refuge up north with the small force that they had.
With a united army of multiple nations closing in on them, Dharja and Samadaya decided to take their stand. The two, alone, met the massive army out in the northern fields. The amount of carnage they wrought upon the armies was at a level never seen before in human history. They were both like gods, largely thanks to the power of Nibiru. They won this battle, and was remembered as the bloodiest battle in all of history. They returned to the Kingdom of Jupiter together, and throughout the years, asserted their dominance. Not as Children of Jupiter, but as Children of Nibiru. All people, big or small, rich or poor, bowed before them. Over time, Dharja formed the One World Order, where all of the world was one massive country. Though it may have been induced by fear, this was a peaceful end to all of the violence the preceded it.
This wave of cultural and societal changes leading up to the formation of the One World Order is known as The Great Amendment.
Resurgence of an Old Legacy:
Blessed by immortality granted to them by Nibiru, Dharja and Samadaya lived on for hundreds of years as rulers of the One World Order. When things really settled down, Dharja and Samadaya wished to bear children and have a family together. They truly believed they could do anything now. However, much to Dharja's despair and confusion, Samadaya, after a long and difficult pregnancy, died during childbirth. The children almost didn't make it either. Dharja removed Samadaya's eyes after her death, which was where she stored Nibiru's energy after it left the solar system, so that she may still use it to her leisure. As his children grew up, and as the world moved on, Dharja's loneliness consumed him more and more. He spent increasingly more time at the Towers of Silence, which was a resting place for the dead that he and Samadaya built together after their fight with the united army. It was located on the surface of Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons.
It was during this time that Nibiru's energy began to force prophetic visions of his own demise in his head. He didn't know when it would happen, all he knew was that he would be murdered. He began working on an advanced Pluto clone, which was a recreation of himself using Pluto's power of the construction and deconstruction of organic matter. This particular clone would be able to think autonomously and act in service of Dharja even after he was to die. He gave the clone most of his memories and built a sarcophagus to conceal him. He buried some of his famous weapons and books along with the clone and set the sarcophagus next to his mother's. The clone was set to remain "dead" and dormant until he was awakened by the power of Nibiru.
Dharja's fears were multiplied in one particular instance where his daughter Agzabah somehow teleported to Callisto and entered the Towers of Silence. As she stumbled in, he rushed to her side to help her, realizing an awful truth. Though it had been thought the Marluxian Arts could not be passed down genetically, Agzabah had the eyes of Nibiru, just like her mother. That's how she was able to teleport to Callisto, something that no one else would've been able to do.
Eventually, his daughter grew up into a fine, young woman. And his son Zorc was certainly handsome and intelligent. Though the two suffered from episodes of depression and expressed symptoms of psychopathy, he chalked it down to any other mental birth defect that comes with a child being born underdeveloped and nearly dying at birth. Unfortunately, this naivety is what killed Dharja. His daughter Agzabah, after living on her own for months, came back and killed Dharja. Forcing her brother Zorc on her side, she decided to stand against the armies of the One World Order as they declared her and Zorc traitors. Just like how their parents had destroyed an entire united army many years ago, they destroyed the army that tried to oppose them. As Nibiru made its return back to the solar system, the inexperienced lords and commanders tried to attain its energy in order to stop Agzabah and Zorc. They failed, and instead, were mutated badly beyond their human form. Most died, but 5 of these lords survived, looking less and less human by the day. Knowing that one day, she could probably make use of them, Agzabah sealed the 5 lords in colossal, sun blocking statues.
Once the blood of the army stained the earth, she refused to stop there. Believing that Great Lord Nibiru had chosen her to purge the wicked humans from the earth, Agzabah slaughtered every single human on the planet. Save for her and Zorc, the human race was extinct. The next generation of mankind would develop several versions of how Agzabah created humans. The most popular legend being that Agzabah dipped her naked body into the ocean, and from there, life forms evolved into different kinds of animals, including humans.
The New Earth, the New Mankind, and the Start of a New Era:
When humans evolved back into the intelligent beings they once were, a decision was made between Zorc and Agzabah. Agzabah would rule a over the earth and the heavens. Zorc would be the ruler of the dead and lord of the Underworld. Along with that, it was Zorc's responsibility to keep the Forbidden Statues sealed in the Underworld and guard over the demons that lurked inside them. Meanwhile, the new mankind was in the same exact position the previous mankind was before the Great Schisms. The world consisted of tribes, clans, and small, fractured nations. However, that was about to change.
Before the Imperial Era, most "countries" took the form of military tribes or colonies. The concept of government back then was limited to the military institution and the protection it promised its inhabitants. Wars for food, space to settle, and mineral resources were frequent in this era. But then came the rise of the Golden Empire, originating in the heart of the Ushanka Clan of the Mountains. They were forward thinking people for their age. They were blessed by their lands large deposit of valuable resources, but also knew this would make the lands susceptible to constant warfare. So what did they do? They created one of the first international economy structures. They gave away portions of their resources and land in exchange for a special kind of relationship. One in which the owner of the land would join together with the Ushanka Clan, morphing their military colonies into one large military institution. Many other tribes, clans, and small countries benefit from this relationship. The people were granted protection, and resources were shared and distributed in good proportion by the people that owned them. This is what gave rise to what would become the Golden Empire, the most expansive and destructive empire to ever exist. As population density increased, the allied colonies began invading other colonies, expanding to solve the problem of overcrowding and sickness. This includes the small country of Eucanora, populated by peoples and bloodlines that would later be recognized as the Syvians. They were assimilated into the Golden Empire by force, but they wouldn't go down without a fight. They formed armies, using the lay of their own land to their advantage against the foreign enemy.
As the war became costly, the Eucanorians were given a chance to negotiate by the Golden Empire. They wouldn't be forced to relocate, but they'd still be part of the Golden Empire. In exchange for this, the Eucanorians would send their best military strategists and soldiers to be part of the central military governing body. This would be the world's largest Stratocracy, and Empire in which warlords and chieftans held authority in the government. The Eucanorians were not stupid. They knew this was an opportunity for the Golden Empire to surveil them. But it also proved as opportunity for the Eucanorians to learn the tactics, technologies, and medicines of the Golden Empire. This knowledge was made common through the various Eucanorian bloodlines and were passed down to children diligently. Then, a particular event would lead to a massive change in how the government was organized. Petty strife between warlords would often result in lost lives, so there came a party that advocated for the power to be given to a specified individual chosen by the Ushanka Clan. This man would become the 1st king of the Golden Empire, Umbala Ushanka. After a relatively short civil war, Umbala was declared king of the Golden Empire, and the military served under the king's direct orders. Power was shifted from the military to the king, nulling any kind of influence or benefit the Eucanorians and many other people had. So, Umbala forcefully assimilated them under his rule, having known all of their weapons, tactics, and capabilities. The Eucanorians, like many others, became an oppressed people. Forced to pay discriminatory taxes, forced to abandon their religion, forced to submit their political power, and forced to live under Umbala's Laws.
The Imperial Era and the Birth of a Prophet:
The Golden Empire became the first and largest empire in existence. It was the closest thing to a recreation of Dharja's One World Order. Its might and size stemmed mostly from its cruel treatment of anyone within the empire who did not belong to an Ushanka-related bloodline. This went on for centuries until another catalyst for change would be born. It was perfect timing. Agzabah had been watching how mankind was progressing and was disgusted by the Golden Empire. Having used all of Nibiru's energy within her, she didn't have any grounds of just destroying it by herself. She preferred something more subtle, something that would leave a lasting mark on mankind. And so, a blind boy named Luxaura was born to a single mother within the Empire.
Luxaura was a kind and gentle kid who gave and gave even when he didn't have much to give. Even though he was blind, he was smart, just like his mother. He knew how much injustice there was within the empire. Agzabah chose Luxaura, at the age of 16, to be her prophet. He would be taught Agzabah's message and philosophies, and he would work to spread them. As proof of her mighty powers, Agzabah clasped her hands and used the Art of Pluto to give the young man sight. For the first time in his life, he could see. He left home and lived a quiet life in the wilderness, where he wrote every word that Agzabah told him. The writings were compiled into a collection called The Book of Wisdom. Finally, Agzabah gave some of her power to Luxaura, allowing him to perform the Marluxian Arts, or "miracles" as he called it. With the writing complete, Luxaura returned to civilization after a year. He began spreading the word by performing miracles for the sick and hungry, who in turn spread word of his powers. When he had an audience, he spoke of Agzabah and everything she had told him. In time, Luxaura gained a large circle of followers, and a smaller circle of disciples.
However, the Golden Empire began to see Luxaura as a threat to the Empire's homogenous culture and unity. The king ordered that Luxaura come the capital to face trial. Naturally, he refused. So, the king sent his forces to go after everyone close to Luxaura. The first one to be killed was his mother, and his childhood home was razed as well. Realizing there was now a manhunt in progress, Luxaura retreated back to the wilderness with some of his disciples. Others decided to stay behind, leaving Luxaura with a smaller group and making his movements less noticeable. When they too were put to the sword, Luxaura's mind and heart grew weary. He dedicated an entire day to meditation in order to find the answers to his questions. The next time he spoke to his disciples, it was to wish them goodbye, for he was going to turn himself in so that the manhunt would stop.
Luxaura imparted the Book of Wisdom to his remaining disciples, telling them to go forth into every corner of the world and spread the word as he did. He gave himself up to imperial forces and was put to the sword soon after.
Luxaura's Reincarnation:
The imperial king had made a grave mistake. Instead of taking Luxaura as an example, the people were enraged by his death. The tragedy united the oppressed population of the empire and kindled the flames of civil war. The empire began to fall apart from the inside as the war grew larger and more costly for both sides. Meanwhile, Luxaura's soul was taken to Heaven, where he was able to meet with Agzabah and those that had died for him. Still, as they watched the world drown itself in blood and chaos, Luxaura couldn't help but wonder why such violence needed to occur for the sake of a peaceful religion. After Luxaura and his disciples had already paid their price in blood, why did such a destructive war have to start? And more importantly, why did Agzabah do nothing about it?
Keeping his concerns to himself as they boiled inside of him for years, Luxaura was offered another chance at life by Agzabah. If he wanted to, he could return to earth an live the life of normalcy that he wasn't able to when he was alive. Luxaura took up the offer was once again born into the world under much better circumstances. When he grew old enough to leave home, Luxaura had set himself on a mission. Agzabah was hiding something from him, and he wanted to find out what it was. As if determined by fate, Luxaura soon met a middle-aged man named Von Krum Soleais, a polymath who had been exiled from the Golden Empire for conducting human experiments. Von was a talented, gifted, and yet sometimes cruel mind. When he spoke about "A stream of energy interweaved between heavenly bodies and keeping our solar system in balance", Luxaura knew that Von was on to something. Everything he described shared similarities to what it felt like to perform the miracles he was able to when he was a prophet.
The two formed a Master/Apprentice relationship, with Luxaura taking up the latter role. The world may have thought Von had simply lost his mind, but to Luxaura, he was a mistaken genius of the century. The two conducted their studies of the heavenly bodies together. Luxaura focused on the spiritual aspect, and Von focused on the scientific aspect. After a long, hard year of observation and continuous meditation on Luxaura's part, Luxaura was able to perform the miracles once more. He discovered the Art of Mars, and had dominion over fire. Von's theories were being proven true. Luxaura began to learn the powers of multiple planets, becoming the first to do so since Agzabah and Zorc. This revelation sprung another question into Luxaura's mind. Why was such divine power accessible through something as material as the planets themselves? Does it not strictly belong to the gods that use them?
From Prophet to Traitor:
A few more years passed. In the last year of their research together, Von noticed another planet had seeped into the solar system. Luxaura, listening to the hum of the planet, learned that its name was Nibiru. Though they knew not what power Nibiru held, it piqued both of their interests greatly. The fact that there was no previously existing record of this planet hinted at a possibly elliptical orbit, resulting in long waits for the planet to return to the solar system once it was gone. Though they were able to discover Nibiru's apparent power over life and portals, their research came to a halt when Von grew too ill to continue his research. When it was clear wouldn't be able to continue, he entrusted his research to Luxaura so that he could continue in his place.
Months passed, and as Von was closer and closer to dying, Luxaura was on the cusp of a great discovery. Utilizing his innovation in drawing plantery seals that give the Marluxian Arts certain functions and conditions, he drew up multiple Seals of Nibiru in hopes of landing the right one for immortality. If Nibiru held dominion over life, then surely it was possible. Through much trial and error, Luxaura finally came across a seal that worked. First, it was tested on animals so that he could further understand how the seal worked and how Nibiru responded to it. He learned that a sacrifice was needed in order to "open the door of life".
Using his status as a prophet and his powers as proof, Luxaura went to the hospital to look for a sacrifice that met a certain criteria. It was there that he came across what he was looking for; A woman stricken with terminal illness. She happily agreed to Luxaura's half-honest plan, hoping that she would be free of her dying, mortal body soon. With the woman used as the sacrifice, Nibiru's power was awakened after millions of years of dormancy. When the seal was activated, Luxaura and the woman were taken to a place beyond earth, heaven, or hell. It was a place took different shapes and forms for every soul that entered there. Luxaura called this place the 4th Dimension. Knowing she could not return to her earthly body, the woman humbly thanked Luxaura and drifted off into the infinite wonders of the new dimension while Luxaura took the time to explore it on his own. He was confronted by a massive obelisk decorated with calligraphic characters of a language he couldn't understand. When he touched the obelisk, a surge of power rushed into his body, as did the voices of all the people that were slaughtered by Agzabah millions of years ago. Their souls appeared in front of him, simply staring longingly at him. "Kill her", they said. "Our lives were stolen from us."
Luxaura awoke back on earth in his own body, the woman dead. However, his body felt different. When he used the Marluxian Arts, they did not make his organs hurt. When he checked his body for any physical differences, he only saw the symbol of Nibiru branded on his chest. He had done it. He had discovered immortality, a way to escape natural death and degradation of the body.
Still, Luxaura did not want to think about what would happen if Von were to attain this power and keep living throughout the years. He went over to his master's residence as he laid sick in bed and attempted to kill him. Leaving him with a knife in his chest, Luxaura went off on another mission. He was going to find a way to undo Agzabah's influence on the world. He was going to make it known that she was a fraud who stole her power and the lives of others.
Luxaura's activation of the seal and entry into the 4th Dimension had more of an effect than he knew. Agzabah was the first to realize this, as after it happened, souls stopped flowing to heaven or hell, and began flowing to the 4th Dimension once more. This put a cap on their power, and slowly but surely, these dimensions would begin to fall apart. While they still tried to figure out what was going on, Von laid dying on his bed and succumbed to a near death experience. He was brought to the 4th Dimension where he was able to meet two particular souls. The people he met were Dharja and Samadaya.
He Who Went Forth, Bearing the Family Name:
Dharja laid in a bed with Samadaya at his side, and Von sat next to him as they spoke. They began to speak of their own worlds, and Dharja realized that Agzabah had wiped out humanity and created it anew, resulting in the person who now sat at his bedside. Though the thought of a weaker and softer version of humanity born from his daughter disgusted him, Von intrigued him. He was a curious mind and a genius, even Dharja could see that. After their long, long talk about their worlds, Agzabah, and Luxaura, Dharja immediately sprung a plan into action. He revealed his Eyes of Nibiru to Von and forcefully imparted the power of one of his eyes to Von, as well as much of his knowledge and memories. The process was painful, but when the agony subsided, Von had possession of the deadly power of Nibiru. And so, Dharja commanded "You shall go forth into the world, and you shall act under the earth's darkness. A cloaked and bandaged man named Zenbu will aid you, and in time, we shall meet again. Go, use him as your guide, and bring about the restoration of the world as it once was."
Von came back from his near-death experience, still bleeding and on the verge of going back to the 4th Dimension. But now, with Dharja's power and knowledge in him, Von drew up the specific Seal of Nibiru needed to awaken Zenbu, who had been resting in his sarcophagus until that moment. Even this his slumber was long, Zenbu immediately knew his purpose and took some of the tools left to him by Dharja millions of years ago. He traveled to the source of the energy that awakened him and healed Von's wounds, saving his life. When Von was well enough to speak, the two formally introduced themselves. Zenbu even went as far as to undo the bandages around his body, revealing that he was created after Dharja's image. Zenbu reinforced Dharja's method of working through subterfuge to remove Agzabah and Zorc from power, and soon, the two would begin the first step of that plan.
Meanwhile, Luxaura decided that he too would work in the shadows. He began forming a small group of disciples, being extremely careful with his selections. The first he recruited was a war orphan named Inadora, who immediately took a liking to him, even before learning he was the prophet. When she grew old enough, Luxaura made her immortal as well, exposing her to the 4th Dimension and allowing her to see the truth of Agzabah for herself. This same process occurred with more members over the years. The very first iteration of the group was complete with Luxaura, Inadora, and Yato as members. They resided on earth, training in the Marluxian Arts in secret.
Unraveling the Threads:
The first plan of action for Von and Zenbu was to go to the Underworld. It was down there that they discovered the existence of extremely powerful demons called the Heralds of the End. These were the mutating lords of the old world who were sealed in statues as they continued to morph and change from misusage of Nibiru's power. They no longer resembled anything close to human. Though 5 statues originally sealed these demons, 4 of the statues broke when they grew too powerful for them. And so, Astaroth, Ryujin, The White Phoenix, and Izutu roamed the Underworld. Zenbu deducted that using them would be the key to beginning the plan. However, taking them wouldn't be easy, neither would keeping them. In response to 4 of the demons breaking out from their statues, Zorc created a group called the Oblisks. They were a group of souls who were spare the torment of the Underworld in exchange for their services to Zorc. They were in chagre of keeping the Heralds of the End tame.
Von decided that he would pose as a soul who had just made his way through the Underworld so that he could join the Oblisks and get close to the Heralds of the End. Through years of careful planning, Von had begun sow the seeds of animosity towards Zorc among the Oblisks. He revealed to them that he could perform the same powers Zorc could, but that someone else had allowed him to do it; His father. His attempt to divide and conquer the Oblisks especially worked on one of the members named Fate. Fate, tired of being Zorc's lap dog, decided to side with Von, aiding him in his task to divide the Oblisks. Infighting eventually broke out within the group, leading them to kill each other and leaving an opening for Von and Fate to smuggle out one of the Heralds of the End.
They took Agzabah back to earth with them, curious to see what his power was like. At the time, the Golden Empire still existed, but was on the verge of collapse. Only the capital remained intact as the civil war still raged on. Deciding on this capital to be the target as revenge for being exiled by the Empire, Von let Astaroth destroy the city with its Sword of Saturn, completely disintegrating the capital and everyone in it. It was as if it never even existed.
This event, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, would become known to Von, his affiliates, and Luxaura as the 1st Cataclysm.
Lacking proper knowledge on how to contain the Herald of the End, Von decided to send it back to the Underworld, lest he be killed trying to control it. Zorc and Agzabah, shocked by the sudden and massive loss of life, worked and failed to try and seal the Heralds of the End once more. They could no longer be contained, only guarded by the Oblisks.
Post Imperial-Era:
The 1st Cataclysms influenced the world in a historic way. Since it destroyed the Golden Empire, the people that were oppressed under its rule reverted back to their small nations, albeit weaker now than ever before. The lack of manpower and resources meant that nations had to fight over land again. But because there weren't many able-bodied, young soldiers available, children were introduced to the battlefield. It was a desperate and miserable time. The Eucanorians, still thriving even after the civil war, did their best to change their circumstances. With their history of being a proud clan of warriors, along with their acquired knowledge from working within the Golden Empire, they began to sell their military services to the highest bidder. They killed and conquered in the name of other people and nations, acquiring money, land, resources, and protection in return. This kept up for years, and the Eucanorians quickly became rich and powerful. A collection of small states name the Loazi States invited them to join the union, giving the Eucanorian people a home and allies in the process. Still, the world was constantly on edge as wars broke out constantly.
Von, Zenbu, and Fate kept their eyes on a growing nation by the name of Providence, thinking of using it for the next step of their plan. It was a nation of nationalism that considered their race to be superior than anyone else. In a way, they were right. The people of Providence lived longer, contracted less diseases thanks to innovations in sanitation, valued education and strength, and lived better quality lives because of it. And so, Von smuggled another Herald of the End out of the Underworld. This time, it was Ryujin, the dragon spirit with power over water, lightning, and barriers. Ryujin soared over the country and slammed into the ocean, causing a great tsunami that wiped out the entire country. The only survivors were some of the women and children, who were placed as priorities for evacuation.
This event, another sudden and great loss of life that killed millions, was known as the 2nd Cataclysm.
Around this time, Agzabah began to suspect Luxaura of being behind these disasters. Even as she searched for the missing prophet, he eluded her, confirming in her mind that he was guilty of mass murder.
The 2nd Cataclysm dispersed the women of Providence around the world as they were left wandering without a home to return to. Countries picked them up and began using them as sex slaves, raising the birth rates in their countries. Soon, they were sold as sex slaves between nations and were used to form alliances or end conflicts. This trade kept growing and became the largest sex trade in history. Birth rates throughout the world spiked, and countries became much more productive and powerful.
During this time, another nation was able to rise. This nation was the Omni Nation, consisting of the 12 clans of the Omni Desert, the most significant clans being the Diadara, Asane, Miyasane, and Shaina. Led by the 1st Rosidanna (Omni equivalent of a king) Lazarus Asane, the Omni Nation would become the blueprint for nations down the line when they created one of the first horizontal power structures. Besides the Rosidanna, there was also an Omni Council consisting of one elder from every clan. Whenever the Rosidanna made any decision that could influence the other clans or the nation as a whole, he had to talk it over with them first. If they did not approve, it just wouldn't happen. This early system of a republic set the Omni Nation apart from any other country that had come before.
After the 1st Rosidanna died from illness, his son, Omoi Asane became 2nd Rosidanna. Then, before he too succumbed to illness, a 3rd Rosidanna was crowned. The 3rd was a 20 year old woman named Phaedra Asane. Phaedra was a beautiful, bright, and intelligent child. These qualities only sharpened as she got older, and so she was referred to as "The sparkling jewel of the Asane clan". However, after the passing of her father, Omoi, Phaedra ran away from the nation, hoping to escape the stress and pressure of having to lead the nation with no time to mourn for her father. Not only that, but it begun to occur to her that whatever illness killed off her predecessors, it was heretical. She soon began to feel the symptoms of this disease in her travels. If this kept up, she would die before she was 24.
During this time, Von abducted Izutu from the Underworld, allowing her to use her light-stealing eyes to black out the sun. This event was the 3rd Cataclysm. It plunged the world into a cold darkness for nearly a week. Not even the moon was visible. This Cataclysm in particular mostly killed off the populations of the many weaker and poorer countries that did not take advantage of the Providence Sex Trade. The more developed countries and states were able to survive this with minimal casualties and resumed their lives when the light of the sun returned. Still, the death tool was high, killing over a million people.
As this happened, the Luxaura, Yato, and Inadora had become masters of the Marluxian Arts, but required more members. He got his wish when he was approached by Fate, who had been commanded by Zenbu to spy on them after being alerted to their existence from their usage of Nibiru's power to make themselves immortal. For this task, Zenbu gave Fate the power in one of his Eyes of Nibiru. Fate tempted Luxaura with promise that he would be able to quickly get them in and out of any place without having to rely on the Art of the Moon. In fact, he could get them to the Underworld, where they could train in secrecy and use the Heralds of the End for their cause. Though Fate did not strike Luxaura as a completely trustworthy person, he accepted his help and power to the group. They immediately traveled to the Underworld to hone in their powers even more.
With time, Fate's power and inside knowledge of the Heralds of the End and the Oblisks, and with Luxaura's ingenuity in creating planetary seals, the group learned how to kill Heralds of the End and seal their souls inside a vessel. First, Luxaura killed and absorbed Astaroth's soul with Fate's help. Then, Inadora was able to do something similar with Izutu. She didn't absorb her soul, but she did steal her eyes after killing her, which were the most valuable part of the demon. With 4 members, Luxaura decided it was time to give a proper name to the group. Inadora, who came up with their name, considered multiple factors. They were in the Underworld, so she thought it would be humorous to include the term "demon". They were made immortal, born again, in a sense. So, she wanted to include the term "Phoenix". The Order of the Phoenix Demons ended up becoming the name of this group. Black cloaks were designed for them by Inadora, and she chose the lotus flower as their symbol, adorning the back of the cloaks with a lotus flower crest. They found the specific flower to be symbolic of their cause, hoping that a bright and beautiful future can be born out of the muddy waters of the past.
Phaedra and Luxaua: When the Lotus Flowers Bloom
During Phaedra's travels, she was saved by a passing-by Luxaura after she collapsed. Luxaura brought her back to his hideout in the Underworld, hoping to make this woman the next member of the Order of the Phoenix Demons. Luxaura learned she was the next in line to rule the Omni Nation, and Phaedra realized that she really was talking with the prophet of Agzabah. The two hit it off, and Phaedra agreed to join them, leaving the Omni Nation leaderless for 5 years. In that time, Luxaura made Phaedra immortal, leaving her worry-free about her dying of illness in a few yeas. Phaedra and Luxaura exchanged countless amounts of knowledge. Phaedra informed Luxaura of all the changes that were taking place in the world, and Luxaura informed her of everything he had learned since his time as a prophet, including Agzabah's cover up of her omnicide. In those 5 years, the two formed a very intimate and romantic relationship.
However, the day came when Phaedra decided that it would be best if she returned to her country and made sure that the Omni Nation led the way for cultural change in the world. She had dreams of permanently quelling disputes between clans, between states, nations, and peoples at large. It was an established protocol that any member who sought to quit the Order of the Phoenix Demons would have their memories wiped to avoid any information leaks. However, Luxaura couldn't bear to do this to Phaedra. He reluctantly let her go back to Earth, and back to her country to "Be the one who works in the light, while we toil in the darkness". Despite her departure, Phaedra still loved the Phoenix Demons and supported their cause.
When she returned, the clans celebrated and welcomed her to the throne. Through years of hard work, Phaedra did nearly everything she dreamed of doing. The Omni Nation expanded into the strongest country around under her rule. However, along the way, Phaedra resorted to teaching her special op soldiers some of the Marluxian Arts to win potentially bloody conflicts. Though it helped her cause, it also put her and the Phoenix Demons at great risk. If someone were to leak info about the Marluxian Arts for money, wars would only grow more destructive, mirroring the the time of the 200 Year War. Though it pained Luxaura, he officially broke off ties with Phaedra, leaving her on her own.
Birth of the Black Lotus:
While the Phoenix Demons turned their eyes away from Phaedra, Zenbu, Von, and Fate turned their eyes to her. As Zenbu watched her, he could see striking similarities between her and Dharja's wife, Samadaya. In fact, he believed she could be this world's Samadaya, every bit as powerful as her. She would be the perfect asset. Zenbu began to develop a plan of action to destroy her emotional connection with the Order of the Phoenix Demons and turn her to the cause of purging humanity, Agzabah and Zorc, and bringing back Dharja and Samadaya. He took advantage of the growth and lust of power of a particular and familiar group of people: The Eucanorians.
Because of the great boom of the Providence Sex Trade, the Eucanorians grew extremely powerful. The revival of rejuvenation of their bloodline sparked a strong wave of nationalism, and they decided they were too good to continue being partially controlled by the Loazi States. The Eucanorians founded their own country and called themselves Syvia. A few of the other Loazi states also defected and joined with them. With their combined military power, Syvia overtook everything that was once the Loazi States and more. They waged war with every neighboring country and won with such might and force that they nearly tripled their size in less than a year's time. There was just one nation they couldn't defeat, and that was the Omni Nation.
Hoping to fuel the flames of war, Zenbu approached the 1st king of Syvia and presented him and his generals with an offer. He would help them by teleporting their troops right into the heart of the Omni Nation. They would be able to take the nation by storm that way. He also set up a proverbial cloak and dagger, promising them that they'd find the secrets of the Omni's military powers in the Asane Palace, in the capital. However, he fully intended to wipe out the Syvian forces if they discovered the secrets of the Marluxian Arts. The only thing he asked for in return was Omni's total destruction, claiming to have been a defecting member of the Diadara clan, which had a history of internal conflicts and disagreement in the nation.
The king took the offer and set up a large army for the battle. As promised, Zenbu used his Eye of Nibiru to teleport the army into the Omni capital, completely taking their forces by surprise. As the forces advanced, the Omni people were on their last stand, huddling survivors around the heart of the capital. In desperation to save at least some people, Phaedra ordered that the rich and the young of every clan would be evacuated out of the country. Among the ones to be evacuated were two young adults named Roy Diadara and Nadena Miyasane, whom Phaedra had known and frequently visited during her time as Rosidanna. Their parents were killed in the fighting, and Phaedra let them know that they may never see each other again, but it was their duty to live happily and to make sure their clans survive.
They got out of the country as the final defenses of the nation were crushed. The Omni Council elders preferred to take their own lives than to live in slavery, burning down the palace along with themselves. Phaedra was captured, humiliated, and beaten by her Syvian captors. She had both of her eyes ripped out and was forced to wander the harsh Omni Desert alone until death. After a few days, Luxaura heard from Inadora about the invasion, and fearing that they would find information regarding the Marluxian Arts, used Astaroth's Sword of Saturn to destroy the capital along with its survivors and Syvian occupiers. Now was the time. Von collected Phaedra and brought her back with him, saving her from certain death. She was treated for her wounds with the Art of Pluto and was given a special, black blindfold to put over her eyes. Though creating an entirely new pair of eyes proved difficult, the blindfold would allow her to see with the Art of Venus.
Under Zenbu's direction, Von spoke with Phaedra when she recovered and calmed down, obfuscating the truth in order to win her over. Von told her that the Phoenix Demons were behind Syvia's sudden intrusion into the country, wishing to destroy her and the nation to bury the secrets of the Marluxian Arts. In order to confirm to her that she had been abandoned and nearly killed because of them, Von showed her the ruins of her once proud and mighty nation. Not a single trace of the capital remained. The bodies and buildings were all gone, a power only possible through the Art of Saturn, which Phaedra knew was one of the powers Astaroth had.
Phaedra remained bedridden with despair for over a week before Von sat down and had a final talk with her. He and Zenbu revealed their true identities to her, as well as their plan. Using the fact that Phaedra was born during a period infamous for its many wars and conflicts, they promised her a world of peace and order, one that could only be achieved by bringing down Agzabah and Zorc, and bringing back Dharja, Samadaya, and the people that lived among them. They promised a world not ruled by god or ideology, but united by the idea of common humanity. Phaedra gave in and surrendered herself to hatred, turning her heart away from the Phoenix Demons, Agzabah, Zorc, and mankind. Though her heart could never be separated from the clans that made up the Omni nation, most of them were now extinct. There was very little room for love in her heart. She began training under Zenbu and Von, and soon proved Zenbu's comparison of her to Samadaya correct. Indeed, Phaedra grew powerful, even with minimal usage of the Marlxian Arts. She was taught in the art of swordsmanship, throwable weapons, and became a master at her favorite weapon, the Kusarigama. Using Fate's information on the Soul Bounding process he learned from Luxaura, Zenbu smuggled the White Phoenix out of the Underworld, killed it, and had its soul bound to Phaedra's body. Without a doubt, she was now the most powerful user of the Marluxian Arts on earth.
Wanting to conceal her identity, Phaedra went by two named: Lily, and Black Lotus. The world went on for many years thinking that Phaedra died in the invasion.
A New Era, a 4th Cataclysm:
Syvia had almost completely dominated the western hemisphere, and the east was fearfully awaiting their arrival. One man would change this, and his name was Ishta Menlayev. Ishta actually hailed from the Asane clan, and was once close friends with Phaedra Asane during her rule, along with Roy and Nadena. His father, however, sought better economic opportunities outside of the country and traveled to the Eastern States, abandoning the clan name and sticking with Menlayev. Despite this name difference, let it be clear that the Asane and the Menlayevs are one and the same.
Ishta's father had been heavily involved in the Eastern States Hall of Lords during his life. When he passed away from natural causes, Ishta took the helm, and at a very crucial time too. In response to Syvia's growing power and dominance, Ishta suggested that the Eastern States unite to form one, unified, and mighty nation, arguing they wouldn't stand a chance if they remained divided. After a unanimous vote, the Eastern States were merged into once country and renamed Vevoskovia. Other countries in the eastern hemisphere also opted to join in and became part of Vevoskovia. Immediately after this founding, the military was rounded up in order to meet Syvia's forces halfway to the homeland, resulting in the First Vevoskovian-Syvian War, resulting in a decisive Vevoskovian victory.
After the victory, Syvia intended to strike Vevoskovia again, but Zenbu gave permission to Phaedra to intervene. With the power of the white flames, sourced from the White Phoenix's soul bounded to her, Phaedra went on to scorch a massive plot of land, killing the gathering soldiers, as well as millions of Syvian civilians. Even outside of the initial blast of white flames, the attack greatly damaged Syvia's agricultural production and would kill off hundreds of thousands of more people from starvation, infection, and radiation. This event was the 4th Cataclysm, which officially made Phaedra a mass murderer, along with Von. Though the same couldn't quite be said for Zenbu, since he didn't directly commit any of the Cataclysms. Despite this, Phaedra never underestimated him, knowing he was the mastermind behind all of them, even if he wasn't the one who got his hands dirty.
The 4th Cataclysm prevented Syvia from starting another conflict, and was instrumental in cementing Vevoskovia as a world superpower, allowing it to grow unchallenged. With the war over, Ishta began structuring a permanent form of government, taking influence from the set up the Omni Nation had. He created the Supreme Senate, which would act as the Omni Council once did. The first generation of the Supreme Senate were comprised of the lords of the kingdoms that opted to join Vevoskovia, resulting in a body of 12 members. A constitution was drafted, mainly for the purpose of establishing what the king could do, who could be the king, and what the Supreme Senate could do to maintain a horizontal power structure.
Tensions with Syvia stayed high through numerous different military/spy related events that ultimately drove the two against each other again. Ishta, wanting to avoid a bloody conflict with Syvia, traveled to the country for peace talks. He realized too late that it was all just a trick, and Ishta was assassinated by Syvian forces. His body was never returned to Vevoskovia.
For the sake of quick succession and maintained order within Vevoskovian leadership, Ishta's wife, Leigh Menlayev took the throne and led the country during the start of the 2nd Vevoskovian-Syvian War, which quickly escalated into the first World War, as other countries who were made Syvian territories (as opposed to actually being part of Syvia), took the opportunity to fight for their independence. This war resulted in the founding of two more sovereign countries: Sankadesh and Asaji.
As the war dragged on with no end in sight, Agzabah herself decided to intervene. She took the final, unbroken statue containing a Herald of the End out of the Underworld and brought it to Earth with her. She unsealed the Forbidden Statue, allowing The Great Destroyer to come out and wreak havoc upon the participating forces. Agzabah overestimated the strength of the monster, as it ended up killing millions of people and creating a great chasm right in the heart of Koga, where the main battles were fought. After all of the forces were virtually destroyed, Agzabah sealed The Great Destroyer back inside the Forbidden Statue, but couldn't dare put such a dangerous and powerful beast back in the Underworld, where it could only grow more powerful. With no other option, she placed the statue on Callisto, Jupiter's Moon, along with the Towers of Silence and her mother's mausoleum. She had no knowledge that this hiding place had already been long compromised.
This event was the 5th Cataclysm.
Over the years leading up to the 5th Cataclysm, Roy Diadara and Nadena Miyasane left the Vevoskovian government after the passing of their friend Ishta. They were approached by Luxaura and convinced to join the Order of the Phoenix Demons. They both witnessed the 5th Cataclysm happen, confirming a prophecy that Luxaura told them to hold him to in order to prove he was indeed the prophet he said he was. Like Phaedra, Roy and Nadena adopted well to the Marluxian Arts as they trained. They became powerful in their own right.
Knowing that Agzabah played right into his hands and initiated the 5th Cataclysm, Zenbu teleported to Callisto and brought the statue back down to Earth, plummeting it into the Kogan Lake, deep enough to contain and conceal the colossal statue. However, Zenbu was unsuccessful in his initial attempts to open the statue, and put it off to acquire more knowledge of it, as not to risk making a fatal error. At the same time, the Order of the Phoenix Demons spent a short time back in the Underworld for the purpose of acquiring Ryujin, the last free Herald of the End. Roy managed to kill it and its soul was sealed inside him, giving him power and ownership of the demon that caused the 2nd Cataclysm.
This era involving Vevoskovia, Syvia, and the birth of two more superpowers, Sankadesh and Asaji, became known as the start of the Era of Warring Powers, historically marked as a transition away from the Post-Imperial Era. It's biggest difference was that the size and scope of singular countries was unlike anything seen before, and the wars fought with their mighty militaries were larger, more drawn out, and more destructive than other other kind of conflict in history.
The 5th Cataclysm was also the start of Agzabah once again suffering from her past mental health issues, blaming herself for the 5th Cataclysm and killing more people than necessary. This lack of faith in her own abilities and self-proclaimed status as a god would contribute greatly to Zenbu's plan down the line.
The Cycle of Hatred:
Before Leigh Menlayev ultimately passed away from bone cancer, she and the Supreme Senate agreed to add a condition to the Vevoskovian Constitution, one that declared that only a Menlayev can take the throne, and in the case of the current ruler dying, his oldest child was to be crowned king or queen. After her death, this rule continued for 200 years, which brings us close to the birth of the main character in this story, Hita Menlayev.
Vevoskovian and Syvian tension did not get any better during this time period. In fact, it may have only gotten worse. Over the years, Vevoskovian Queen Kalina worked to create peace between Syvia and Vevoskovia, but her efforts were underhanded. With the usage of the Deshavi Black Ops and the SOE, Kalina engineered the Syvian revolution that led to the downfall of their king at the time, and replacing him with a king that Vevoskovia supported. His name was Hammurabi. Through him, Vevoskovia made Syvia enact laws that called for the disarmament of their large military, the scaling back of the Syvian KGR, and a slow, ideological effort to tear down traditional Syvian culture, which Vevoskovians believed was the source of Syvia's pride and arrogance. The flag was altered, removing the Eucanorian clan crest, and the history textbooks in Syvia either removed or only partially told the story of the Eucanorians. The Syvian public grew extremely resentful of Hammurabi and his destruction of their culture and heritage, especially at the request of Vevoskovians, who had been a historical enemy even in the days of the Asane clan in the Post-Imperial Era.
A young oligarch named Yandel Eucanora would become the head of the armed revolution that would change this. His anti-Hammurabi speeches and sentiment riled up the public and encouraged them to unite, arm themselves, and tear down the current regime. After a few years of bloody fighting, Hammurabi was cornered and killed in battle, and the people cheered for Yandel to become the king. With Yandel at the throne, the Kalina-Hammurabi Compromise was dissolved, and the homogenous culture of Syvia was reestablished. The heavy volumes of migrants were expelled from the country, and immigration laws were tightened to what they used to be. The military expanded once more, and tensions between Syvia and Vevoskovia were on the rise again.
The remainder of Kalina's reign was marked by proxy wars and arms races between Vevoskovia and Syvia, as well as the nations of Asaji and Sankadesh. It was during her reign that the militaries of all nations adopted the weapons and tactics that became standards in the present day, when Hita was born. Kalina fell ill and died before she turned 40, and so the crown was handed down to her only son, Tokahev.
The Birth of the Lamb:
At a young age, Tokahev was forced to pick up the heavy mantle his mother Kalina had carried all her life. Though the proxy war between Vevoskovia and Syvia in Sankadesh ended, there was still much conflict to come. Syvia's actions and provocations against the other nations under Yandel's rule began to work in favor of Vevoskovia. After Syvian spies stole vital information from Asaji, the nation found themselves sympathizing with Vevoskovia, giving Tokahev the opportunity to start building a solid relationship with the super power. And with King Salem ruling Sankadesh after the proxy war, Vevoskovia found itself yet another ally. Because of this, all out conflict was usually avoided, but skirmishes between the nations continued to spread hatred between their peoples.
A few years later into Tokahev's reign, he and his wife, Amiya, birthed their first son named Marluxia. They intended to raise him to be the next in line for the throne, continuing the Menlayev dynasty. It was during this time that the Order of the Phoenix Demons had finally devised a solid plan for removing Agzabah and Zorc from power. After the 5th Cataclysm, Luxaura realized the futility of trying to stop these foretold disasters from happening. Knowing that the 6th and final Cataclysm would be the end of humanity, the only solution in sight was a separation between humanity and earth. He sought to send mankind to the 4th Dimension and abandon the earth before it could be destroyed in the 6th Cataclysm. With that, he also intended to make sure that the Marluxian Arts could never be used again, to prevent abuse of its powers as seen with Agzabah and Zorc. The name for this plan was Phoenix Rebirth. It involved reincarnating in concurrence with the pregnancy of a woman, and using the siblings they're born with as vessels. These vessels are born with Greater or Lesser Seals of Sacrifice, which can be manually activated at any time. Once this happens, they essentially act as a power sink, and are able to absorb and expel profound amounts of planetary energy. When all of the chambers of this seal are opened and the seal bearer is sacrificed, it produces a wealth of energy that can be used to kill of all life on Earth and destroy the solar system itself. Essentially, it is a method of collapsing the solar system in on itself prematurely.
They spent the next few years keeping their eyes on several families they wanted to use for this process, and in a few years, they found their next window of opportunity. The target of this plan would be the Menlayev family. Amiya had recently conceived another child, and so Luxaura chose her as the conduit for his reincarnation. Two other families were picked, leaving Yato and Roy to be reincarnated into them. In their absence, Fate was chosen to take care of the remaining members, Nadena and Inadora. After 9 months, Luxaura was born alongside Hita Menlayev, and both were marked with Greater Seals of Sacrifice. Roy was born alongside his sibling Alex, and Yato was born alongside his sibling Aussa, both pairs containing Lesser Seals of Sacrifice. With this, the first phase of Phoenix Rebirth was done.
The Disintegration of a Once Happy Family:
As a consequence of the reincarnation, the Phoenix Demons and their siblings were born with the natural ability to perform the Marluxian Arts. Because of this, Commander Katya of the Deshavi Black Ops demanded that the children be home schooled and not expose themselves to the public too much. All throughout their early lives, Marluxia and Luxaura (named Mori when he was reincarnated), always seemed to eclipse him in everything he did. Always coming in last place, Hita couldn't quite develop the same sense of confidence that his siblings had.
The situation between Syvia and Vevoskovia was only getting much worse during this time. There was a new conflict arising over the distribution of Kogan land between the two countries, land that was divided between them after the World War. Wanting to take back the land that Hammurabi gave up to Vevoskovia, Syvia launched a military operation to remove Vevoskovian civilians from the area and vacate them back to the Vevoskovian mainland. Many refused to leave, resulting in violence that killed people on both sides. An 18 year old woman named Seraphina was in one of the SOE squads sent to observe the progress and actions of the Syvians in the Koga region so that they could warn the main branch of the Vevoskovian military ahead of time. After the operation went awry, Seraphina and her squad mates were captured by Syvian KGR forces. Eventually, and with great sacrifice along the way, Seraphina was able to escape her captors, but her squadmates perished.
When the SOE investigated the area, they found only the corpses of KGR and Seraphina's squad mates. This information was transferred back to the Supreme Senate and SOE headquarters in Vevoskovia. Knowing that Seraphina is a Vevoskovian citizen who was born in Syvia before her parents moved to the country, the Supreme Senate suspected that Seraphina had aided the KGR and defected in favor of Syvia and marked her as a traitor. As she wandered the Kogan wilderness looking for help, she came across a fellow SOE team, delighted to see them. But to her horror, the team tried to kill her, forcing her to fight against them and kill them. With bodies in her name, there is nothing Seraphina could possibly say to clear her charges of treason. It was only by the grace of the Deshavi Black Ops that she was rescued, taken back to Vevoskovia, and hidden from the public.
While Yato lived a quiet country life with his family, Roy's circumstances led to him being abandoned and found by Commander Katya, who made him part of the Deshavi Black Ops. During this time, Vevoskovia, much to the ire of the Supreme Senate, were accepting Syvians who wished to flee from Yandel's rule. Though Tokahev was only trying to do what he felt was right, the conflict between the two peoples and cultures would prove harmful. After a physical conflict at his academy, Marluxia accidentally killed one of the Syvian students there. Because Marluxia got up and continued the fight after being knocked down, resulting in the death of the student, he was found guilty of 3rd degree murder. Because of the damage his actions inflicted upon the already strained relationship between Syvians and Vevoskovians, Marluxian was given capital punishment to appease the rioting Syvians. Tokahev would later use the Deshavi Black Ops to break Marluxia out of prison. However, because he was so well-known, he could not possibly return to living a normal life in public. As such, he too was made part of the Deshavi.
The Man Who Beared the World's Hatred:
These events put a strain on the world, and on Tokahev's family. He and Amiya began to fight more, and Hita and Luxaura missed their older brother dearly. Zenbu, Phaedra, and Von, who agreed to use the Phoenix Demons' plans to their advantage, began underhandedly working to exacerbate this situation. When Phaedra and Zenbu massacred a Syvian refugee camp, war nearly broke out between the two nations. With Sankadesh and Asaji at Vevoskovia's side, Yandel wasn't keen on entering a 3 against 1 battle. The Syvians swallowed tears of blood, just as the Vevoskovians had done a few years ago in Koga. Many more conflicts and situations would keep wearing away at the patience of both sides over the years, including an attack on the capital by the KGR that resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and Sambo, an SOE official and friend of Tokahev. It was during this time that Tokahev had appointed Roy (named Samba at reincarnation), to be his personal guardian. Seraphina was also sent on a mission to infiltrate the KGR and remove Yandel from power, easily gaining their trust with her reputation as a Vevoskovian traitor.
Deciding that now was the time to restore the memories of the reincarnated Phoenix Demons, Fate set out and made contact with each of them, bringing them with him one at a time to activate the seals that their memories and Heralds of the End were sealed in. First came Yato. Then, Luxaura, fed up with the atmosphere at home and the clear path to war the world was on, set out with Fate to the flooded remains of Providence to restore his memories. Then, Roy would finally regain his.
Roy protected Tokahev where ever he went and followed his every command. He spied, surveyed, and killed whoever he needed to. He was also responsible for apprehending the perpetrators of the attack on the capital and identified them as KGR operatives. He quickly built a strong relationship with Tokahev and Amiya, who saw him as their 4th child. As the situation grew worse and Tokahev began running out of options, Roy had to keep his borderline-treacherous actions secret even from the Deshavi Black Ops. Because Tokahev still sought peace when war was clearly the only outcome of the situation, the Supreme Senate concluded this his naive desire for peace was a threat to the security of the nation as a whole. As such, they voted to impeach him from the throne. With very little time and options to work with, Tokahev made one last, ditch effort to broker peace between Syvia and Vevoskovia. He made arrangements to travel to Syvia and meet with Yandel there to discuss the details, taking Amiya and Roy with him on the journey. Roy decided to be honest with Tokahev and Amiya, sympathizing for them in their tough situation, since he himself had once served Ishta Menlayev, who was in a similar predicament. He revealed his true identity, as well as the existence of the Phoenix Demons, their history, and their purpose. Before they left, Roy was tasked with spying on the Supreme Senate, confirming that they knew Tokahev was stalling for time, and if the negotiations failed, they would eliminate Tokahev and pin it on Syvia, giving them leverage to immediately arm go to war with them.
The days they spent in the snowy mountains of Huntsman Inn in Syvia were filled with anxiety as Yandel failed to meet his deadline of arrival. Prince Solomon, a friend and sympathizer of Tokahev, met with him first. He warned that he had a bad feeling about his father's intentions, urging that Tokahev return to Vevoskovia at once and get himself out of harm's way. Knowing that the SOE will kill him, and the KGR are probably after him, Tokahev refused. Instead, he devised an alternate plan. Firstly, he told Solomon of Seraphina and left her in his care. Together, they would be the ones to dethrone Yandel. Secondly, after much consideration, he talked it over with Roy. Tokahev explained the reality of his situation, that there was simply no escape. Both sides wanted him gone. Tokahev and Amiya would accept their fate, but Roy would be the one to take their lives after he abandons the Deshavi Black Ops and rejoins the Order of the Phoenix Demons. After visiting Luxaura before his official return, Roy confirmed the plan with him, and agreed that the Phoenix Demons would take public responsibility for their deaths, presenting the world with an enemy too powerful to ignore, and too powerful to remain divided under.
Roy deliberately changed his behavior when he was among the Deshavi, acting more distant and aggressive towards his friends and peers and tricking Katya and the Venus Division into thinking that Roy had developed psychological trauma from previous missions. This caused them all to reach out and help, only for him to distance himself further from them. After a fight broke out between him and Marluxia, Roy was ordered to stand down, leaving Katya to deal with him. That night, he left Deshavi HQ, stabbing his team mate Jaya, who tried to stop him from departing. Marluxia chased him down, and a fight erupted once more. Marluxia fought hard, but Roy was the victor. He took off his Deshavi gear and wore his Phoenix Demon cloak at long last. He proceeded to Syvia, prepared to undertake his last, daunting task for Tokahev with the symbol of the Phoenix Demons on his back, like a great burden.
Roy did everything he was asked to. He killed Tokahev, the KGR team spying on him, and the SOE team that was assigned to guard him (and kill him if he failed), leaving only one survivor from the SOE so that he could report everything he saw to his superiors. Saving Amiya for last, he crashed her carriage and proceeded to kill her as she crawled out, wishing him a heartfelt apology, good luck, and abundant amounts of love. Knowing more needed to be done, Roy went back to Vevoskovia with the Phoenix Demons and launched an assault on Tenzo Palace, killing the military personnel and civilian personnel that worked there, as well as most of the Supreme Senate, who decided to impeach and kill Tokahev. This served to make the existence of the Phoenix Demons and their powers public, as well as reduce the risk of a similar situation happening to Hita in the future.
To Hita, it looked like the one man that his mother and father trusted had betrayed them, and to the world, it looked like the Phoenix Demons were killing out of sheer malice. The secrets behind the true nature of what happened to Amiya and Tokahev were kept under wraps by the Phoenix Demons and wouldn't be revealed until much, much later.
Culled From the Herd:
Disillusioned by the news of his parents' demise, Hita suffered from a severe SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) that rendered him stuck in bed for a while. He was soon visited by Luxaura, who admitted full responsibility regarding the deaths of Tokahev and Amiya, as well as the massacre at Tenzo Palace immediately after. Luxaura left Hita only with a location; Skalda. There, he would find the answers to the questions that were clouding his heart and mind. Hita immediately set out late at night and began his journey to Skalda, "The Ghost Country" (called that because all that remains of the country are big, uninhabited cities). In doing so, he abandoned Vevoskovia and put his responsibility to take the throne as the next Menlayev in line on hold. The country would be left without a king for months.
It is here in Skalda that Hita would meet his lifelong friends and his first mentor, Alex, Aussa, Eria, and Neo, respectively. Hita learned that Alex and Aussa were in similar predicaments as him, and that their siblings were also reincarnated members of the Phoenix Demons. Like him, their parents were killed, and they were tempted with answers for these sudden and violent actions in Skalda. Neo and Eria had been rounding them up, providing training and shelter for the group. Under Neo's tutelage, Hita begins to understand the depth of the power of the Marluxian Arts. He's trained in combative use of the Marluxian Arts and learns of the basic powers and associated organs. It is revealed that Neo is a formerly condemned soul from the Underworld, tasked by Agzabah to protect and nurture the three seal bearers, Hita, Aussa, and Alex. Neo also discloses to Hita that he himself used to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix Demons, albeit as a spy under Zorc's command until his intentions were discovered and he was banished from the group. Despite this questionable past, Hita places his trust in Neo. Still, when Hita asked what the seal over his heart meant, Neo omitted the truth from him. Hita would learn of this lie much later down the road.
The group would confront the Phoenix Demons again, Roy, Yato, and Luxaura finally showing themselves before their siblings again. Luxaura revealed a bit of information regarding the Phoenix Rebirth process, telling them all that their "siblings" were mere reincarnations of already-existing people forced into their bloodlines. As such, there was no meaningful relationship between them. The two groups fought, outclassing even Neo in the battle. Hita, Aussa, Eria, and Alex especially almost died in the conflict, rescued only by Aussa's quick thinking and the sudden arrival of Zorc.
Even as Hita asked Zorc for information regarding the seal over his heart, he was frustratingly denied an answer. Over the course of more time, they would confront the Phoenix Demons again as Luxaura proactively sought to move forward with his Phoenix Rebirth plan. Both Neo and Eria were killed in the fighting, the latter's death being the trigger for the opening of the First Chamber of Hita's seal. This event surprised Hita, as it actually made him much more powerful than he was before. Luxaura assured him such a boost in power was all part of the plan, and the second fight between them started. Even with the First Chamber opened, Hita was unable to harm Luxaura, and the fight was ultimately halted by Roy's interference. With the entire of purpose of luring everyone to Skalda realized, there was no point in continuing the fight. Hita was left alone in the city carrying Eria's body on his back before encountering a severely wounded Neo. Knowing he was going to die, Neo only wished to have Eria by his side as he left this world. Hita graciously allowed Neo to die with Eria's body next to him before taking Eria back and burning Neo along with the hotel they were staying at, as per Neo's request.
Hita, Alex, and Aussa mourned over Eria, and decided that there was nothing left for them in Skalda. Remembering his responsibilities and seeking protection from the Phoenix Demons, Hita proposed they go back to Vevoskovia, so Hita can take the throne and become the king. Eria was taken with them during their journey, and news would spread across the country of the return of the Young Lord. Hita assured the Supreme Senate that he would accept his position as king, taking his first day back to cremate Eria and scatter her ashes across a field of fire lilies. As the day drew to a close, Hita led Aussa and Alex back to the Menlayev Manor, resulting a tearful reunion between Hita and Erica. Aussa and Alex began living with him in the manor.
Kings:
Over the course of the next few years, Hita would become friends with the new king of Syvia; Solomon. Much of Hita's knowledge of the world, history, and politics would come from his relationship with Solomon as the two worked together to build bonds between their long-rivaled nations. Luxaura and the Phoenix Demons would continue to threaten the safety and security of all of the Great Powers, officially leading to the group being branded as international criminals. Hita would also come to meet Jin'Salah, king of Asaji, and form a stronger alliance with the nation that resulted in joint operations between their military forces to pressure the Phoenix Demons out of hiding. The Phoenix Demons would continue to elude the militaries of the nations, adding to the amount of fear across the world.
Early on in Hita's reign, his longtime family friend Salem, king of Sankadesh, would come across old books and documents once belonging to the Phoenix Demons. He alerted Katya, who realized the books contained information regarding Hita's seal. It became an urgent matter as Katya realized it may or may not have a profound effect on Hita's safety and health, and she took it back to the Deshavi Black Ops for inspection. The text was written in a late form of Omni-Gaisha, a writing script originating from the Omni Clans, which was unfortunately a dead language by the time the books were discovered. The Phoenix Demons would discover Salem's intrusion into their old hideout, and in turn, Fate alerted Phaedra and Zenbu to the situation. The two attacked Deshavi HQ, destroying the books, their copies, and killing off dozens of Deshavi agents. Because the two were wearing Phoenix Demon cloaks, Katya and the rest of the Deshavi Black Ops were misled into believing that the Phoenix Demons were responsible for the attack, and so conflicts between them were on the rise.
Deeming Salem to dangerous and nosy to be left alive, Luxaura tasked Fate with killing him and cleaning up his own mess. Salem was kidnapped and his team of bodyguards killed before he could return to Sankadesh from Asaji, leading to an international search for the missing king. After gathering information of Salem's activities along the Asaji border, Hita traveled on his own to rescue his friend, entering a cave network constructed by Fate. Hita was able to distract Fate long enough to set Salem free, and the two made a mad dash out of the cave network, albeit being seriously wounded by Fate in the process. The openings of the cave were sealed, and Fate was closing in on them. With Salem's help, Hita mustered up all of his strength a blew a hole through the cave wall, allowing them to escape from Fate as the Deshavi Black Ops, Alex, and Aussa closed in on the location. Hita was rendered unconscious, and Salem was barely alive by the time Katya and the Deshavi arrived, rushing them back to HQ for medical treatment.
Hita would not learn of Salem's death until he awoke 3 days later. Katya, Hita, Solomon, Jin'Salah, and everyone who knew or were inspired by him were left mournful over his untimely passing. Hita especially was left depressed and shaken by his death. He was confronted by Seraphina, who also knew him during the time they spent together during the Sankadesh Civil War. She was sent by Katya, because of all people, Seraphina would know how Hita felt and would be able to help him get back in good spirits. The two spent much time together, and would soon fall in love with each other.
The world was a very desolate place. Nations were small and splintered, food was scarce due to constant wars and raids that halted agriculture, and people were subjugated to the rule of their harsh kings. It was in this era that a man named Marluxia, an old, wandering sage, discovered a set of planets, and with them, magic. Marluxia worshiped the planet Neptune and inadvertently discovered Neptune's power over water. Taking this as proof that the gods he worshiped were real and true, Marluxia set out to spread forth everything he had learned from his time spent observing and worshiping the planets. With his power, he provided fresh water to starved nations and people, who all saw him as a prophet when they witnessed his miracles. However, Marluxia, being as old and ill as he was, eventually died. In his death, he learned that the powers the planets provide are associated with specific organs. Over-usage of these "miracles" can greatly damage the human body, and should not be used callously.
Marluxia's teachings were posthumously named the Marluxian Arts, and they spread far and wide into different countries. When these countries pointed their telescopes to the sky and discovered even more planets, they applied Marluxia's teachings and gained more powers. It was in this time that Marluxia's teachings of peaceful usage of the Marluxian Arts was bastardized. People began to declare certain planets as one, true gods, and it led to a horrible series of violent schisms among the followers of Marluxian philosophy. Out of these schisms, a kingdom was dedicated to each planet. And so, the Kingdoms of The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were all created.
The 200 Year War(Also known as Heavenly or Divine Wars):
Following the founding of these kingdoms, a large war broke out between them all to establish which of their gods were dominant, and which people and bloodlines had divine rights to the earth and to life. It was violent and destructive, scarring the earth with every battle, forming the mountains, seas, rivers, and valleys that would be awed at by future generations. As the war dragged on and resources became limited, children were thrown into the battlefield. The upbringing of every child was strict, as they were expected to fight bravely and die for their kingdom, people, and their god.
In this period, by far, the mightiest kingdom was that of the Kingdom of Jupiter, which was founded and ruled by a long line of history's greatest warriors, who were all known as being part of the Zenbu Clan. The Zenbu clan was the only bloodline permitted to rule over the Kingdom of Jupiter in any way, be it adviser or king. It was from this prestigious bloodline that a young man named Dharja Zenbu hailed. Dharja was handsome and ambitious, and would be the catalyst for major social and cultural change the world over.
The Great Amendment:
Every great clan has its drama, and such was the case of the Zenbu clan. Dharja's father and king at the time, Ganymede, pulled a cruel trick on his son in order to stop him from ever attaining the throne. Why would a father go to such lengths? It's because of the specific way that a king passes on his title in the Kingdom of Jupiter. When the kingdom was founded and the first king ruled, he feared a day where other bloodlines may drive the kingdom into the ground or try to fight for control of the throne. For this, he enacted a certain philosophy into law and named it The Path of the Father; The Path of the Son. This philosophy declares that the only ones allowed to rule the throne are might males of the Zenbu clan, and that he who rules shall embody power. He shall have many sons, who shall be raised to be better than their father. He who is the son shall crave power. When the son feels he is mightier and wiser than his father, he shall challenge him, and the two shall fight until one dies. Whoever remains shall be recognized as the chosen king of Great Lord Jupiter. It was this philosophy that influenced Ganymede's cruelty. He did not want to be killed by the hands of his own sons.
Dharja was ordered to massacre the Io clan, a side branch of the Zenbu clan that were treated as just that. He was told they were planning to usurp the position of the Zenbu clan, bringing disunity to the kingdom and endangering it. However, after the massacre, Dharja realized that none of what his father said was true. When news broke out about the slaughter of the Io clan, Dharja's name was shamed, and he was exiled from the kingdom.
A few years later, Dharja returned to the kingdom of Jupiter was a formerly exiled Zenbu woman named Samadaya. Confident in his training and newly acquired powers, Dharja challenged his father, in accordance with the Path of the Son philosophy. Ganymede accepted the challenge and was overwhelmed by Dharja's strength. He could use more than just the powers of Jupiter, which held dominion of lightning and barriers. Indeed, Dharja was able to use the powers of every planet with ease, and without suffering harm to his organs. There was another great power he could use, one that nobody had discovered before. It was the power of Nibiru. Ganymede lost and died at the hands of his son. And so, Dharja became the king.
With Samadaya by his side, Dharja sought to do great things as a king. Now that The 200 Year War was coming to a visible end, Dharja proposed to his Zenbu clansmen that The Path of the Father and Path of the Son philosophies be abandoned, as there was no longer any need for children to have to kill their own fathers, and no reason for them to be sent to a war that was almost over. The rest of the Zenbu clan took this as Dharja trying to solidify his power without ever having to give it up. They disassociated themselves with him and declared they would no longer support his rule. In fact, they would go out of their way to oppose it. With animosity between the kingdoms at an all-time low, the higher-ups of the Zenbu clan conspired with several of the other kingdoms to remove and kill Dharja. When they went public with their intent to remove Zenbu, even the armies of the Kingdom of Jupiter sided with them, forcing Dharja and Samadaya to flee the country and take refuge up north with the small force that they had.
With a united army of multiple nations closing in on them, Dharja and Samadaya decided to take their stand. The two, alone, met the massive army out in the northern fields. The amount of carnage they wrought upon the armies was at a level never seen before in human history. They were both like gods, largely thanks to the power of Nibiru. They won this battle, and was remembered as the bloodiest battle in all of history. They returned to the Kingdom of Jupiter together, and throughout the years, asserted their dominance. Not as Children of Jupiter, but as Children of Nibiru. All people, big or small, rich or poor, bowed before them. Over time, Dharja formed the One World Order, where all of the world was one massive country. Though it may have been induced by fear, this was a peaceful end to all of the violence the preceded it.
This wave of cultural and societal changes leading up to the formation of the One World Order is known as The Great Amendment.
Resurgence of an Old Legacy:
Blessed by immortality granted to them by Nibiru, Dharja and Samadaya lived on for hundreds of years as rulers of the One World Order. When things really settled down, Dharja and Samadaya wished to bear children and have a family together. They truly believed they could do anything now. However, much to Dharja's despair and confusion, Samadaya, after a long and difficult pregnancy, died during childbirth. The children almost didn't make it either. Dharja removed Samadaya's eyes after her death, which was where she stored Nibiru's energy after it left the solar system, so that she may still use it to her leisure. As his children grew up, and as the world moved on, Dharja's loneliness consumed him more and more. He spent increasingly more time at the Towers of Silence, which was a resting place for the dead that he and Samadaya built together after their fight with the united army. It was located on the surface of Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons.
It was during this time that Nibiru's energy began to force prophetic visions of his own demise in his head. He didn't know when it would happen, all he knew was that he would be murdered. He began working on an advanced Pluto clone, which was a recreation of himself using Pluto's power of the construction and deconstruction of organic matter. This particular clone would be able to think autonomously and act in service of Dharja even after he was to die. He gave the clone most of his memories and built a sarcophagus to conceal him. He buried some of his famous weapons and books along with the clone and set the sarcophagus next to his mother's. The clone was set to remain "dead" and dormant until he was awakened by the power of Nibiru.
Dharja's fears were multiplied in one particular instance where his daughter Agzabah somehow teleported to Callisto and entered the Towers of Silence. As she stumbled in, he rushed to her side to help her, realizing an awful truth. Though it had been thought the Marluxian Arts could not be passed down genetically, Agzabah had the eyes of Nibiru, just like her mother. That's how she was able to teleport to Callisto, something that no one else would've been able to do.
Eventually, his daughter grew up into a fine, young woman. And his son Zorc was certainly handsome and intelligent. Though the two suffered from episodes of depression and expressed symptoms of psychopathy, he chalked it down to any other mental birth defect that comes with a child being born underdeveloped and nearly dying at birth. Unfortunately, this naivety is what killed Dharja. His daughter Agzabah, after living on her own for months, came back and killed Dharja. Forcing her brother Zorc on her side, she decided to stand against the armies of the One World Order as they declared her and Zorc traitors. Just like how their parents had destroyed an entire united army many years ago, they destroyed the army that tried to oppose them. As Nibiru made its return back to the solar system, the inexperienced lords and commanders tried to attain its energy in order to stop Agzabah and Zorc. They failed, and instead, were mutated badly beyond their human form. Most died, but 5 of these lords survived, looking less and less human by the day. Knowing that one day, she could probably make use of them, Agzabah sealed the 5 lords in colossal, sun blocking statues.
Once the blood of the army stained the earth, she refused to stop there. Believing that Great Lord Nibiru had chosen her to purge the wicked humans from the earth, Agzabah slaughtered every single human on the planet. Save for her and Zorc, the human race was extinct. The next generation of mankind would develop several versions of how Agzabah created humans. The most popular legend being that Agzabah dipped her naked body into the ocean, and from there, life forms evolved into different kinds of animals, including humans.
The New Earth, the New Mankind, and the Start of a New Era:
When humans evolved back into the intelligent beings they once were, a decision was made between Zorc and Agzabah. Agzabah would rule a over the earth and the heavens. Zorc would be the ruler of the dead and lord of the Underworld. Along with that, it was Zorc's responsibility to keep the Forbidden Statues sealed in the Underworld and guard over the demons that lurked inside them. Meanwhile, the new mankind was in the same exact position the previous mankind was before the Great Schisms. The world consisted of tribes, clans, and small, fractured nations. However, that was about to change.
Before the Imperial Era, most "countries" took the form of military tribes or colonies. The concept of government back then was limited to the military institution and the protection it promised its inhabitants. Wars for food, space to settle, and mineral resources were frequent in this era. But then came the rise of the Golden Empire, originating in the heart of the Ushanka Clan of the Mountains. They were forward thinking people for their age. They were blessed by their lands large deposit of valuable resources, but also knew this would make the lands susceptible to constant warfare. So what did they do? They created one of the first international economy structures. They gave away portions of their resources and land in exchange for a special kind of relationship. One in which the owner of the land would join together with the Ushanka Clan, morphing their military colonies into one large military institution. Many other tribes, clans, and small countries benefit from this relationship. The people were granted protection, and resources were shared and distributed in good proportion by the people that owned them. This is what gave rise to what would become the Golden Empire, the most expansive and destructive empire to ever exist. As population density increased, the allied colonies began invading other colonies, expanding to solve the problem of overcrowding and sickness. This includes the small country of Eucanora, populated by peoples and bloodlines that would later be recognized as the Syvians. They were assimilated into the Golden Empire by force, but they wouldn't go down without a fight. They formed armies, using the lay of their own land to their advantage against the foreign enemy.
As the war became costly, the Eucanorians were given a chance to negotiate by the Golden Empire. They wouldn't be forced to relocate, but they'd still be part of the Golden Empire. In exchange for this, the Eucanorians would send their best military strategists and soldiers to be part of the central military governing body. This would be the world's largest Stratocracy, and Empire in which warlords and chieftans held authority in the government. The Eucanorians were not stupid. They knew this was an opportunity for the Golden Empire to surveil them. But it also proved as opportunity for the Eucanorians to learn the tactics, technologies, and medicines of the Golden Empire. This knowledge was made common through the various Eucanorian bloodlines and were passed down to children diligently. Then, a particular event would lead to a massive change in how the government was organized. Petty strife between warlords would often result in lost lives, so there came a party that advocated for the power to be given to a specified individual chosen by the Ushanka Clan. This man would become the 1st king of the Golden Empire, Umbala Ushanka. After a relatively short civil war, Umbala was declared king of the Golden Empire, and the military served under the king's direct orders. Power was shifted from the military to the king, nulling any kind of influence or benefit the Eucanorians and many other people had. So, Umbala forcefully assimilated them under his rule, having known all of their weapons, tactics, and capabilities. The Eucanorians, like many others, became an oppressed people. Forced to pay discriminatory taxes, forced to abandon their religion, forced to submit their political power, and forced to live under Umbala's Laws.
The Imperial Era and the Birth of a Prophet:
The Golden Empire became the first and largest empire in existence. It was the closest thing to a recreation of Dharja's One World Order. Its might and size stemmed mostly from its cruel treatment of anyone within the empire who did not belong to an Ushanka-related bloodline. This went on for centuries until another catalyst for change would be born. It was perfect timing. Agzabah had been watching how mankind was progressing and was disgusted by the Golden Empire. Having used all of Nibiru's energy within her, she didn't have any grounds of just destroying it by herself. She preferred something more subtle, something that would leave a lasting mark on mankind. And so, a blind boy named Luxaura was born to a single mother within the Empire.
Luxaura was a kind and gentle kid who gave and gave even when he didn't have much to give. Even though he was blind, he was smart, just like his mother. He knew how much injustice there was within the empire. Agzabah chose Luxaura, at the age of 16, to be her prophet. He would be taught Agzabah's message and philosophies, and he would work to spread them. As proof of her mighty powers, Agzabah clasped her hands and used the Art of Pluto to give the young man sight. For the first time in his life, he could see. He left home and lived a quiet life in the wilderness, where he wrote every word that Agzabah told him. The writings were compiled into a collection called The Book of Wisdom. Finally, Agzabah gave some of her power to Luxaura, allowing him to perform the Marluxian Arts, or "miracles" as he called it. With the writing complete, Luxaura returned to civilization after a year. He began spreading the word by performing miracles for the sick and hungry, who in turn spread word of his powers. When he had an audience, he spoke of Agzabah and everything she had told him. In time, Luxaura gained a large circle of followers, and a smaller circle of disciples.
However, the Golden Empire began to see Luxaura as a threat to the Empire's homogenous culture and unity. The king ordered that Luxaura come the capital to face trial. Naturally, he refused. So, the king sent his forces to go after everyone close to Luxaura. The first one to be killed was his mother, and his childhood home was razed as well. Realizing there was now a manhunt in progress, Luxaura retreated back to the wilderness with some of his disciples. Others decided to stay behind, leaving Luxaura with a smaller group and making his movements less noticeable. When they too were put to the sword, Luxaura's mind and heart grew weary. He dedicated an entire day to meditation in order to find the answers to his questions. The next time he spoke to his disciples, it was to wish them goodbye, for he was going to turn himself in so that the manhunt would stop.
Luxaura imparted the Book of Wisdom to his remaining disciples, telling them to go forth into every corner of the world and spread the word as he did. He gave himself up to imperial forces and was put to the sword soon after.
Luxaura's Reincarnation:
The imperial king had made a grave mistake. Instead of taking Luxaura as an example, the people were enraged by his death. The tragedy united the oppressed population of the empire and kindled the flames of civil war. The empire began to fall apart from the inside as the war grew larger and more costly for both sides. Meanwhile, Luxaura's soul was taken to Heaven, where he was able to meet with Agzabah and those that had died for him. Still, as they watched the world drown itself in blood and chaos, Luxaura couldn't help but wonder why such violence needed to occur for the sake of a peaceful religion. After Luxaura and his disciples had already paid their price in blood, why did such a destructive war have to start? And more importantly, why did Agzabah do nothing about it?
Keeping his concerns to himself as they boiled inside of him for years, Luxaura was offered another chance at life by Agzabah. If he wanted to, he could return to earth an live the life of normalcy that he wasn't able to when he was alive. Luxaura took up the offer was once again born into the world under much better circumstances. When he grew old enough to leave home, Luxaura had set himself on a mission. Agzabah was hiding something from him, and he wanted to find out what it was. As if determined by fate, Luxaura soon met a middle-aged man named Von Krum Soleais, a polymath who had been exiled from the Golden Empire for conducting human experiments. Von was a talented, gifted, and yet sometimes cruel mind. When he spoke about "A stream of energy interweaved between heavenly bodies and keeping our solar system in balance", Luxaura knew that Von was on to something. Everything he described shared similarities to what it felt like to perform the miracles he was able to when he was a prophet.
The two formed a Master/Apprentice relationship, with Luxaura taking up the latter role. The world may have thought Von had simply lost his mind, but to Luxaura, he was a mistaken genius of the century. The two conducted their studies of the heavenly bodies together. Luxaura focused on the spiritual aspect, and Von focused on the scientific aspect. After a long, hard year of observation and continuous meditation on Luxaura's part, Luxaura was able to perform the miracles once more. He discovered the Art of Mars, and had dominion over fire. Von's theories were being proven true. Luxaura began to learn the powers of multiple planets, becoming the first to do so since Agzabah and Zorc. This revelation sprung another question into Luxaura's mind. Why was such divine power accessible through something as material as the planets themselves? Does it not strictly belong to the gods that use them?
From Prophet to Traitor:
A few more years passed. In the last year of their research together, Von noticed another planet had seeped into the solar system. Luxaura, listening to the hum of the planet, learned that its name was Nibiru. Though they knew not what power Nibiru held, it piqued both of their interests greatly. The fact that there was no previously existing record of this planet hinted at a possibly elliptical orbit, resulting in long waits for the planet to return to the solar system once it was gone. Though they were able to discover Nibiru's apparent power over life and portals, their research came to a halt when Von grew too ill to continue his research. When it was clear wouldn't be able to continue, he entrusted his research to Luxaura so that he could continue in his place.
Months passed, and as Von was closer and closer to dying, Luxaura was on the cusp of a great discovery. Utilizing his innovation in drawing plantery seals that give the Marluxian Arts certain functions and conditions, he drew up multiple Seals of Nibiru in hopes of landing the right one for immortality. If Nibiru held dominion over life, then surely it was possible. Through much trial and error, Luxaura finally came across a seal that worked. First, it was tested on animals so that he could further understand how the seal worked and how Nibiru responded to it. He learned that a sacrifice was needed in order to "open the door of life".
Using his status as a prophet and his powers as proof, Luxaura went to the hospital to look for a sacrifice that met a certain criteria. It was there that he came across what he was looking for; A woman stricken with terminal illness. She happily agreed to Luxaura's half-honest plan, hoping that she would be free of her dying, mortal body soon. With the woman used as the sacrifice, Nibiru's power was awakened after millions of years of dormancy. When the seal was activated, Luxaura and the woman were taken to a place beyond earth, heaven, or hell. It was a place took different shapes and forms for every soul that entered there. Luxaura called this place the 4th Dimension. Knowing she could not return to her earthly body, the woman humbly thanked Luxaura and drifted off into the infinite wonders of the new dimension while Luxaura took the time to explore it on his own. He was confronted by a massive obelisk decorated with calligraphic characters of a language he couldn't understand. When he touched the obelisk, a surge of power rushed into his body, as did the voices of all the people that were slaughtered by Agzabah millions of years ago. Their souls appeared in front of him, simply staring longingly at him. "Kill her", they said. "Our lives were stolen from us."
Luxaura awoke back on earth in his own body, the woman dead. However, his body felt different. When he used the Marluxian Arts, they did not make his organs hurt. When he checked his body for any physical differences, he only saw the symbol of Nibiru branded on his chest. He had done it. He had discovered immortality, a way to escape natural death and degradation of the body.
Still, Luxaura did not want to think about what would happen if Von were to attain this power and keep living throughout the years. He went over to his master's residence as he laid sick in bed and attempted to kill him. Leaving him with a knife in his chest, Luxaura went off on another mission. He was going to find a way to undo Agzabah's influence on the world. He was going to make it known that she was a fraud who stole her power and the lives of others.
Luxaura's activation of the seal and entry into the 4th Dimension had more of an effect than he knew. Agzabah was the first to realize this, as after it happened, souls stopped flowing to heaven or hell, and began flowing to the 4th Dimension once more. This put a cap on their power, and slowly but surely, these dimensions would begin to fall apart. While they still tried to figure out what was going on, Von laid dying on his bed and succumbed to a near death experience. He was brought to the 4th Dimension where he was able to meet two particular souls. The people he met were Dharja and Samadaya.
He Who Went Forth, Bearing the Family Name:
Dharja laid in a bed with Samadaya at his side, and Von sat next to him as they spoke. They began to speak of their own worlds, and Dharja realized that Agzabah had wiped out humanity and created it anew, resulting in the person who now sat at his bedside. Though the thought of a weaker and softer version of humanity born from his daughter disgusted him, Von intrigued him. He was a curious mind and a genius, even Dharja could see that. After their long, long talk about their worlds, Agzabah, and Luxaura, Dharja immediately sprung a plan into action. He revealed his Eyes of Nibiru to Von and forcefully imparted the power of one of his eyes to Von, as well as much of his knowledge and memories. The process was painful, but when the agony subsided, Von had possession of the deadly power of Nibiru. And so, Dharja commanded "You shall go forth into the world, and you shall act under the earth's darkness. A cloaked and bandaged man named Zenbu will aid you, and in time, we shall meet again. Go, use him as your guide, and bring about the restoration of the world as it once was."
Von came back from his near-death experience, still bleeding and on the verge of going back to the 4th Dimension. But now, with Dharja's power and knowledge in him, Von drew up the specific Seal of Nibiru needed to awaken Zenbu, who had been resting in his sarcophagus until that moment. Even this his slumber was long, Zenbu immediately knew his purpose and took some of the tools left to him by Dharja millions of years ago. He traveled to the source of the energy that awakened him and healed Von's wounds, saving his life. When Von was well enough to speak, the two formally introduced themselves. Zenbu even went as far as to undo the bandages around his body, revealing that he was created after Dharja's image. Zenbu reinforced Dharja's method of working through subterfuge to remove Agzabah and Zorc from power, and soon, the two would begin the first step of that plan.
Meanwhile, Luxaura decided that he too would work in the shadows. He began forming a small group of disciples, being extremely careful with his selections. The first he recruited was a war orphan named Inadora, who immediately took a liking to him, even before learning he was the prophet. When she grew old enough, Luxaura made her immortal as well, exposing her to the 4th Dimension and allowing her to see the truth of Agzabah for herself. This same process occurred with more members over the years. The very first iteration of the group was complete with Luxaura, Inadora, and Yato as members. They resided on earth, training in the Marluxian Arts in secret.
Unraveling the Threads:
The first plan of action for Von and Zenbu was to go to the Underworld. It was down there that they discovered the existence of extremely powerful demons called the Heralds of the End. These were the mutating lords of the old world who were sealed in statues as they continued to morph and change from misusage of Nibiru's power. They no longer resembled anything close to human. Though 5 statues originally sealed these demons, 4 of the statues broke when they grew too powerful for them. And so, Astaroth, Ryujin, The White Phoenix, and Izutu roamed the Underworld. Zenbu deducted that using them would be the key to beginning the plan. However, taking them wouldn't be easy, neither would keeping them. In response to 4 of the demons breaking out from their statues, Zorc created a group called the Oblisks. They were a group of souls who were spare the torment of the Underworld in exchange for their services to Zorc. They were in chagre of keeping the Heralds of the End tame.
Von decided that he would pose as a soul who had just made his way through the Underworld so that he could join the Oblisks and get close to the Heralds of the End. Through years of careful planning, Von had begun sow the seeds of animosity towards Zorc among the Oblisks. He revealed to them that he could perform the same powers Zorc could, but that someone else had allowed him to do it; His father. His attempt to divide and conquer the Oblisks especially worked on one of the members named Fate. Fate, tired of being Zorc's lap dog, decided to side with Von, aiding him in his task to divide the Oblisks. Infighting eventually broke out within the group, leading them to kill each other and leaving an opening for Von and Fate to smuggle out one of the Heralds of the End.
They took Agzabah back to earth with them, curious to see what his power was like. At the time, the Golden Empire still existed, but was on the verge of collapse. Only the capital remained intact as the civil war still raged on. Deciding on this capital to be the target as revenge for being exiled by the Empire, Von let Astaroth destroy the city with its Sword of Saturn, completely disintegrating the capital and everyone in it. It was as if it never even existed.
This event, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, would become known to Von, his affiliates, and Luxaura as the 1st Cataclysm.
Lacking proper knowledge on how to contain the Herald of the End, Von decided to send it back to the Underworld, lest he be killed trying to control it. Zorc and Agzabah, shocked by the sudden and massive loss of life, worked and failed to try and seal the Heralds of the End once more. They could no longer be contained, only guarded by the Oblisks.
Post Imperial-Era:
The 1st Cataclysms influenced the world in a historic way. Since it destroyed the Golden Empire, the people that were oppressed under its rule reverted back to their small nations, albeit weaker now than ever before. The lack of manpower and resources meant that nations had to fight over land again. But because there weren't many able-bodied, young soldiers available, children were introduced to the battlefield. It was a desperate and miserable time. The Eucanorians, still thriving even after the civil war, did their best to change their circumstances. With their history of being a proud clan of warriors, along with their acquired knowledge from working within the Golden Empire, they began to sell their military services to the highest bidder. They killed and conquered in the name of other people and nations, acquiring money, land, resources, and protection in return. This kept up for years, and the Eucanorians quickly became rich and powerful. A collection of small states name the Loazi States invited them to join the union, giving the Eucanorian people a home and allies in the process. Still, the world was constantly on edge as wars broke out constantly.
Von, Zenbu, and Fate kept their eyes on a growing nation by the name of Providence, thinking of using it for the next step of their plan. It was a nation of nationalism that considered their race to be superior than anyone else. In a way, they were right. The people of Providence lived longer, contracted less diseases thanks to innovations in sanitation, valued education and strength, and lived better quality lives because of it. And so, Von smuggled another Herald of the End out of the Underworld. This time, it was Ryujin, the dragon spirit with power over water, lightning, and barriers. Ryujin soared over the country and slammed into the ocean, causing a great tsunami that wiped out the entire country. The only survivors were some of the women and children, who were placed as priorities for evacuation.
This event, another sudden and great loss of life that killed millions, was known as the 2nd Cataclysm.
Around this time, Agzabah began to suspect Luxaura of being behind these disasters. Even as she searched for the missing prophet, he eluded her, confirming in her mind that he was guilty of mass murder.
The 2nd Cataclysm dispersed the women of Providence around the world as they were left wandering without a home to return to. Countries picked them up and began using them as sex slaves, raising the birth rates in their countries. Soon, they were sold as sex slaves between nations and were used to form alliances or end conflicts. This trade kept growing and became the largest sex trade in history. Birth rates throughout the world spiked, and countries became much more productive and powerful.
During this time, another nation was able to rise. This nation was the Omni Nation, consisting of the 12 clans of the Omni Desert, the most significant clans being the Diadara, Asane, Miyasane, and Shaina. Led by the 1st Rosidanna (Omni equivalent of a king) Lazarus Asane, the Omni Nation would become the blueprint for nations down the line when they created one of the first horizontal power structures. Besides the Rosidanna, there was also an Omni Council consisting of one elder from every clan. Whenever the Rosidanna made any decision that could influence the other clans or the nation as a whole, he had to talk it over with them first. If they did not approve, it just wouldn't happen. This early system of a republic set the Omni Nation apart from any other country that had come before.
After the 1st Rosidanna died from illness, his son, Omoi Asane became 2nd Rosidanna. Then, before he too succumbed to illness, a 3rd Rosidanna was crowned. The 3rd was a 20 year old woman named Phaedra Asane. Phaedra was a beautiful, bright, and intelligent child. These qualities only sharpened as she got older, and so she was referred to as "The sparkling jewel of the Asane clan". However, after the passing of her father, Omoi, Phaedra ran away from the nation, hoping to escape the stress and pressure of having to lead the nation with no time to mourn for her father. Not only that, but it begun to occur to her that whatever illness killed off her predecessors, it was heretical. She soon began to feel the symptoms of this disease in her travels. If this kept up, she would die before she was 24.
During this time, Von abducted Izutu from the Underworld, allowing her to use her light-stealing eyes to black out the sun. This event was the 3rd Cataclysm. It plunged the world into a cold darkness for nearly a week. Not even the moon was visible. This Cataclysm in particular mostly killed off the populations of the many weaker and poorer countries that did not take advantage of the Providence Sex Trade. The more developed countries and states were able to survive this with minimal casualties and resumed their lives when the light of the sun returned. Still, the death tool was high, killing over a million people.
As this happened, the Luxaura, Yato, and Inadora had become masters of the Marluxian Arts, but required more members. He got his wish when he was approached by Fate, who had been commanded by Zenbu to spy on them after being alerted to their existence from their usage of Nibiru's power to make themselves immortal. For this task, Zenbu gave Fate the power in one of his Eyes of Nibiru. Fate tempted Luxaura with promise that he would be able to quickly get them in and out of any place without having to rely on the Art of the Moon. In fact, he could get them to the Underworld, where they could train in secrecy and use the Heralds of the End for their cause. Though Fate did not strike Luxaura as a completely trustworthy person, he accepted his help and power to the group. They immediately traveled to the Underworld to hone in their powers even more.
With time, Fate's power and inside knowledge of the Heralds of the End and the Oblisks, and with Luxaura's ingenuity in creating planetary seals, the group learned how to kill Heralds of the End and seal their souls inside a vessel. First, Luxaura killed and absorbed Astaroth's soul with Fate's help. Then, Inadora was able to do something similar with Izutu. She didn't absorb her soul, but she did steal her eyes after killing her, which were the most valuable part of the demon. With 4 members, Luxaura decided it was time to give a proper name to the group. Inadora, who came up with their name, considered multiple factors. They were in the Underworld, so she thought it would be humorous to include the term "demon". They were made immortal, born again, in a sense. So, she wanted to include the term "Phoenix". The Order of the Phoenix Demons ended up becoming the name of this group. Black cloaks were designed for them by Inadora, and she chose the lotus flower as their symbol, adorning the back of the cloaks with a lotus flower crest. They found the specific flower to be symbolic of their cause, hoping that a bright and beautiful future can be born out of the muddy waters of the past.
Phaedra and Luxaua: When the Lotus Flowers Bloom
During Phaedra's travels, she was saved by a passing-by Luxaura after she collapsed. Luxaura brought her back to his hideout in the Underworld, hoping to make this woman the next member of the Order of the Phoenix Demons. Luxaura learned she was the next in line to rule the Omni Nation, and Phaedra realized that she really was talking with the prophet of Agzabah. The two hit it off, and Phaedra agreed to join them, leaving the Omni Nation leaderless for 5 years. In that time, Luxaura made Phaedra immortal, leaving her worry-free about her dying of illness in a few yeas. Phaedra and Luxaura exchanged countless amounts of knowledge. Phaedra informed Luxaura of all the changes that were taking place in the world, and Luxaura informed her of everything he had learned since his time as a prophet, including Agzabah's cover up of her omnicide. In those 5 years, the two formed a very intimate and romantic relationship.
However, the day came when Phaedra decided that it would be best if she returned to her country and made sure that the Omni Nation led the way for cultural change in the world. She had dreams of permanently quelling disputes between clans, between states, nations, and peoples at large. It was an established protocol that any member who sought to quit the Order of the Phoenix Demons would have their memories wiped to avoid any information leaks. However, Luxaura couldn't bear to do this to Phaedra. He reluctantly let her go back to Earth, and back to her country to "Be the one who works in the light, while we toil in the darkness". Despite her departure, Phaedra still loved the Phoenix Demons and supported their cause.
When she returned, the clans celebrated and welcomed her to the throne. Through years of hard work, Phaedra did nearly everything she dreamed of doing. The Omni Nation expanded into the strongest country around under her rule. However, along the way, Phaedra resorted to teaching her special op soldiers some of the Marluxian Arts to win potentially bloody conflicts. Though it helped her cause, it also put her and the Phoenix Demons at great risk. If someone were to leak info about the Marluxian Arts for money, wars would only grow more destructive, mirroring the the time of the 200 Year War. Though it pained Luxaura, he officially broke off ties with Phaedra, leaving her on her own.
Birth of the Black Lotus:
While the Phoenix Demons turned their eyes away from Phaedra, Zenbu, Von, and Fate turned their eyes to her. As Zenbu watched her, he could see striking similarities between her and Dharja's wife, Samadaya. In fact, he believed she could be this world's Samadaya, every bit as powerful as her. She would be the perfect asset. Zenbu began to develop a plan of action to destroy her emotional connection with the Order of the Phoenix Demons and turn her to the cause of purging humanity, Agzabah and Zorc, and bringing back Dharja and Samadaya. He took advantage of the growth and lust of power of a particular and familiar group of people: The Eucanorians.
Because of the great boom of the Providence Sex Trade, the Eucanorians grew extremely powerful. The revival of rejuvenation of their bloodline sparked a strong wave of nationalism, and they decided they were too good to continue being partially controlled by the Loazi States. The Eucanorians founded their own country and called themselves Syvia. A few of the other Loazi states also defected and joined with them. With their combined military power, Syvia overtook everything that was once the Loazi States and more. They waged war with every neighboring country and won with such might and force that they nearly tripled their size in less than a year's time. There was just one nation they couldn't defeat, and that was the Omni Nation.
Hoping to fuel the flames of war, Zenbu approached the 1st king of Syvia and presented him and his generals with an offer. He would help them by teleporting their troops right into the heart of the Omni Nation. They would be able to take the nation by storm that way. He also set up a proverbial cloak and dagger, promising them that they'd find the secrets of the Omni's military powers in the Asane Palace, in the capital. However, he fully intended to wipe out the Syvian forces if they discovered the secrets of the Marluxian Arts. The only thing he asked for in return was Omni's total destruction, claiming to have been a defecting member of the Diadara clan, which had a history of internal conflicts and disagreement in the nation.
The king took the offer and set up a large army for the battle. As promised, Zenbu used his Eye of Nibiru to teleport the army into the Omni capital, completely taking their forces by surprise. As the forces advanced, the Omni people were on their last stand, huddling survivors around the heart of the capital. In desperation to save at least some people, Phaedra ordered that the rich and the young of every clan would be evacuated out of the country. Among the ones to be evacuated were two young adults named Roy Diadara and Nadena Miyasane, whom Phaedra had known and frequently visited during her time as Rosidanna. Their parents were killed in the fighting, and Phaedra let them know that they may never see each other again, but it was their duty to live happily and to make sure their clans survive.
They got out of the country as the final defenses of the nation were crushed. The Omni Council elders preferred to take their own lives than to live in slavery, burning down the palace along with themselves. Phaedra was captured, humiliated, and beaten by her Syvian captors. She had both of her eyes ripped out and was forced to wander the harsh Omni Desert alone until death. After a few days, Luxaura heard from Inadora about the invasion, and fearing that they would find information regarding the Marluxian Arts, used Astaroth's Sword of Saturn to destroy the capital along with its survivors and Syvian occupiers. Now was the time. Von collected Phaedra and brought her back with him, saving her from certain death. She was treated for her wounds with the Art of Pluto and was given a special, black blindfold to put over her eyes. Though creating an entirely new pair of eyes proved difficult, the blindfold would allow her to see with the Art of Venus.
Under Zenbu's direction, Von spoke with Phaedra when she recovered and calmed down, obfuscating the truth in order to win her over. Von told her that the Phoenix Demons were behind Syvia's sudden intrusion into the country, wishing to destroy her and the nation to bury the secrets of the Marluxian Arts. In order to confirm to her that she had been abandoned and nearly killed because of them, Von showed her the ruins of her once proud and mighty nation. Not a single trace of the capital remained. The bodies and buildings were all gone, a power only possible through the Art of Saturn, which Phaedra knew was one of the powers Astaroth had.
Phaedra remained bedridden with despair for over a week before Von sat down and had a final talk with her. He and Zenbu revealed their true identities to her, as well as their plan. Using the fact that Phaedra was born during a period infamous for its many wars and conflicts, they promised her a world of peace and order, one that could only be achieved by bringing down Agzabah and Zorc, and bringing back Dharja, Samadaya, and the people that lived among them. They promised a world not ruled by god or ideology, but united by the idea of common humanity. Phaedra gave in and surrendered herself to hatred, turning her heart away from the Phoenix Demons, Agzabah, Zorc, and mankind. Though her heart could never be separated from the clans that made up the Omni nation, most of them were now extinct. There was very little room for love in her heart. She began training under Zenbu and Von, and soon proved Zenbu's comparison of her to Samadaya correct. Indeed, Phaedra grew powerful, even with minimal usage of the Marlxian Arts. She was taught in the art of swordsmanship, throwable weapons, and became a master at her favorite weapon, the Kusarigama. Using Fate's information on the Soul Bounding process he learned from Luxaura, Zenbu smuggled the White Phoenix out of the Underworld, killed it, and had its soul bound to Phaedra's body. Without a doubt, she was now the most powerful user of the Marluxian Arts on earth.
Wanting to conceal her identity, Phaedra went by two named: Lily, and Black Lotus. The world went on for many years thinking that Phaedra died in the invasion.
A New Era, a 4th Cataclysm:
Syvia had almost completely dominated the western hemisphere, and the east was fearfully awaiting their arrival. One man would change this, and his name was Ishta Menlayev. Ishta actually hailed from the Asane clan, and was once close friends with Phaedra Asane during her rule, along with Roy and Nadena. His father, however, sought better economic opportunities outside of the country and traveled to the Eastern States, abandoning the clan name and sticking with Menlayev. Despite this name difference, let it be clear that the Asane and the Menlayevs are one and the same.
Ishta's father had been heavily involved in the Eastern States Hall of Lords during his life. When he passed away from natural causes, Ishta took the helm, and at a very crucial time too. In response to Syvia's growing power and dominance, Ishta suggested that the Eastern States unite to form one, unified, and mighty nation, arguing they wouldn't stand a chance if they remained divided. After a unanimous vote, the Eastern States were merged into once country and renamed Vevoskovia. Other countries in the eastern hemisphere also opted to join in and became part of Vevoskovia. Immediately after this founding, the military was rounded up in order to meet Syvia's forces halfway to the homeland, resulting in the First Vevoskovian-Syvian War, resulting in a decisive Vevoskovian victory.
After the victory, Syvia intended to strike Vevoskovia again, but Zenbu gave permission to Phaedra to intervene. With the power of the white flames, sourced from the White Phoenix's soul bounded to her, Phaedra went on to scorch a massive plot of land, killing the gathering soldiers, as well as millions of Syvian civilians. Even outside of the initial blast of white flames, the attack greatly damaged Syvia's agricultural production and would kill off hundreds of thousands of more people from starvation, infection, and radiation. This event was the 4th Cataclysm, which officially made Phaedra a mass murderer, along with Von. Though the same couldn't quite be said for Zenbu, since he didn't directly commit any of the Cataclysms. Despite this, Phaedra never underestimated him, knowing he was the mastermind behind all of them, even if he wasn't the one who got his hands dirty.
The 4th Cataclysm prevented Syvia from starting another conflict, and was instrumental in cementing Vevoskovia as a world superpower, allowing it to grow unchallenged. With the war over, Ishta began structuring a permanent form of government, taking influence from the set up the Omni Nation had. He created the Supreme Senate, which would act as the Omni Council once did. The first generation of the Supreme Senate were comprised of the lords of the kingdoms that opted to join Vevoskovia, resulting in a body of 12 members. A constitution was drafted, mainly for the purpose of establishing what the king could do, who could be the king, and what the Supreme Senate could do to maintain a horizontal power structure.
Tensions with Syvia stayed high through numerous different military/spy related events that ultimately drove the two against each other again. Ishta, wanting to avoid a bloody conflict with Syvia, traveled to the country for peace talks. He realized too late that it was all just a trick, and Ishta was assassinated by Syvian forces. His body was never returned to Vevoskovia.
For the sake of quick succession and maintained order within Vevoskovian leadership, Ishta's wife, Leigh Menlayev took the throne and led the country during the start of the 2nd Vevoskovian-Syvian War, which quickly escalated into the first World War, as other countries who were made Syvian territories (as opposed to actually being part of Syvia), took the opportunity to fight for their independence. This war resulted in the founding of two more sovereign countries: Sankadesh and Asaji.
As the war dragged on with no end in sight, Agzabah herself decided to intervene. She took the final, unbroken statue containing a Herald of the End out of the Underworld and brought it to Earth with her. She unsealed the Forbidden Statue, allowing The Great Destroyer to come out and wreak havoc upon the participating forces. Agzabah overestimated the strength of the monster, as it ended up killing millions of people and creating a great chasm right in the heart of Koga, where the main battles were fought. After all of the forces were virtually destroyed, Agzabah sealed The Great Destroyer back inside the Forbidden Statue, but couldn't dare put such a dangerous and powerful beast back in the Underworld, where it could only grow more powerful. With no other option, she placed the statue on Callisto, Jupiter's Moon, along with the Towers of Silence and her mother's mausoleum. She had no knowledge that this hiding place had already been long compromised.
This event was the 5th Cataclysm.
Over the years leading up to the 5th Cataclysm, Roy Diadara and Nadena Miyasane left the Vevoskovian government after the passing of their friend Ishta. They were approached by Luxaura and convinced to join the Order of the Phoenix Demons. They both witnessed the 5th Cataclysm happen, confirming a prophecy that Luxaura told them to hold him to in order to prove he was indeed the prophet he said he was. Like Phaedra, Roy and Nadena adopted well to the Marluxian Arts as they trained. They became powerful in their own right.
Knowing that Agzabah played right into his hands and initiated the 5th Cataclysm, Zenbu teleported to Callisto and brought the statue back down to Earth, plummeting it into the Kogan Lake, deep enough to contain and conceal the colossal statue. However, Zenbu was unsuccessful in his initial attempts to open the statue, and put it off to acquire more knowledge of it, as not to risk making a fatal error. At the same time, the Order of the Phoenix Demons spent a short time back in the Underworld for the purpose of acquiring Ryujin, the last free Herald of the End. Roy managed to kill it and its soul was sealed inside him, giving him power and ownership of the demon that caused the 2nd Cataclysm.
This era involving Vevoskovia, Syvia, and the birth of two more superpowers, Sankadesh and Asaji, became known as the start of the Era of Warring Powers, historically marked as a transition away from the Post-Imperial Era. It's biggest difference was that the size and scope of singular countries was unlike anything seen before, and the wars fought with their mighty militaries were larger, more drawn out, and more destructive than other other kind of conflict in history.
The 5th Cataclysm was also the start of Agzabah once again suffering from her past mental health issues, blaming herself for the 5th Cataclysm and killing more people than necessary. This lack of faith in her own abilities and self-proclaimed status as a god would contribute greatly to Zenbu's plan down the line.
The Cycle of Hatred:
Before Leigh Menlayev ultimately passed away from bone cancer, she and the Supreme Senate agreed to add a condition to the Vevoskovian Constitution, one that declared that only a Menlayev can take the throne, and in the case of the current ruler dying, his oldest child was to be crowned king or queen. After her death, this rule continued for 200 years, which brings us close to the birth of the main character in this story, Hita Menlayev.
Vevoskovian and Syvian tension did not get any better during this time period. In fact, it may have only gotten worse. Over the years, Vevoskovian Queen Kalina worked to create peace between Syvia and Vevoskovia, but her efforts were underhanded. With the usage of the Deshavi Black Ops and the SOE, Kalina engineered the Syvian revolution that led to the downfall of their king at the time, and replacing him with a king that Vevoskovia supported. His name was Hammurabi. Through him, Vevoskovia made Syvia enact laws that called for the disarmament of their large military, the scaling back of the Syvian KGR, and a slow, ideological effort to tear down traditional Syvian culture, which Vevoskovians believed was the source of Syvia's pride and arrogance. The flag was altered, removing the Eucanorian clan crest, and the history textbooks in Syvia either removed or only partially told the story of the Eucanorians. The Syvian public grew extremely resentful of Hammurabi and his destruction of their culture and heritage, especially at the request of Vevoskovians, who had been a historical enemy even in the days of the Asane clan in the Post-Imperial Era.
A young oligarch named Yandel Eucanora would become the head of the armed revolution that would change this. His anti-Hammurabi speeches and sentiment riled up the public and encouraged them to unite, arm themselves, and tear down the current regime. After a few years of bloody fighting, Hammurabi was cornered and killed in battle, and the people cheered for Yandel to become the king. With Yandel at the throne, the Kalina-Hammurabi Compromise was dissolved, and the homogenous culture of Syvia was reestablished. The heavy volumes of migrants were expelled from the country, and immigration laws were tightened to what they used to be. The military expanded once more, and tensions between Syvia and Vevoskovia were on the rise again.
The remainder of Kalina's reign was marked by proxy wars and arms races between Vevoskovia and Syvia, as well as the nations of Asaji and Sankadesh. It was during her reign that the militaries of all nations adopted the weapons and tactics that became standards in the present day, when Hita was born. Kalina fell ill and died before she turned 40, and so the crown was handed down to her only son, Tokahev.
The Birth of the Lamb:
At a young age, Tokahev was forced to pick up the heavy mantle his mother Kalina had carried all her life. Though the proxy war between Vevoskovia and Syvia in Sankadesh ended, there was still much conflict to come. Syvia's actions and provocations against the other nations under Yandel's rule began to work in favor of Vevoskovia. After Syvian spies stole vital information from Asaji, the nation found themselves sympathizing with Vevoskovia, giving Tokahev the opportunity to start building a solid relationship with the super power. And with King Salem ruling Sankadesh after the proxy war, Vevoskovia found itself yet another ally. Because of this, all out conflict was usually avoided, but skirmishes between the nations continued to spread hatred between their peoples.
A few years later into Tokahev's reign, he and his wife, Amiya, birthed their first son named Marluxia. They intended to raise him to be the next in line for the throne, continuing the Menlayev dynasty. It was during this time that the Order of the Phoenix Demons had finally devised a solid plan for removing Agzabah and Zorc from power. After the 5th Cataclysm, Luxaura realized the futility of trying to stop these foretold disasters from happening. Knowing that the 6th and final Cataclysm would be the end of humanity, the only solution in sight was a separation between humanity and earth. He sought to send mankind to the 4th Dimension and abandon the earth before it could be destroyed in the 6th Cataclysm. With that, he also intended to make sure that the Marluxian Arts could never be used again, to prevent abuse of its powers as seen with Agzabah and Zorc. The name for this plan was Phoenix Rebirth. It involved reincarnating in concurrence with the pregnancy of a woman, and using the siblings they're born with as vessels. These vessels are born with Greater or Lesser Seals of Sacrifice, which can be manually activated at any time. Once this happens, they essentially act as a power sink, and are able to absorb and expel profound amounts of planetary energy. When all of the chambers of this seal are opened and the seal bearer is sacrificed, it produces a wealth of energy that can be used to kill of all life on Earth and destroy the solar system itself. Essentially, it is a method of collapsing the solar system in on itself prematurely.
They spent the next few years keeping their eyes on several families they wanted to use for this process, and in a few years, they found their next window of opportunity. The target of this plan would be the Menlayev family. Amiya had recently conceived another child, and so Luxaura chose her as the conduit for his reincarnation. Two other families were picked, leaving Yato and Roy to be reincarnated into them. In their absence, Fate was chosen to take care of the remaining members, Nadena and Inadora. After 9 months, Luxaura was born alongside Hita Menlayev, and both were marked with Greater Seals of Sacrifice. Roy was born alongside his sibling Alex, and Yato was born alongside his sibling Aussa, both pairs containing Lesser Seals of Sacrifice. With this, the first phase of Phoenix Rebirth was done.
The Disintegration of a Once Happy Family:
As a consequence of the reincarnation, the Phoenix Demons and their siblings were born with the natural ability to perform the Marluxian Arts. Because of this, Commander Katya of the Deshavi Black Ops demanded that the children be home schooled and not expose themselves to the public too much. All throughout their early lives, Marluxia and Luxaura (named Mori when he was reincarnated), always seemed to eclipse him in everything he did. Always coming in last place, Hita couldn't quite develop the same sense of confidence that his siblings had.
The situation between Syvia and Vevoskovia was only getting much worse during this time. There was a new conflict arising over the distribution of Kogan land between the two countries, land that was divided between them after the World War. Wanting to take back the land that Hammurabi gave up to Vevoskovia, Syvia launched a military operation to remove Vevoskovian civilians from the area and vacate them back to the Vevoskovian mainland. Many refused to leave, resulting in violence that killed people on both sides. An 18 year old woman named Seraphina was in one of the SOE squads sent to observe the progress and actions of the Syvians in the Koga region so that they could warn the main branch of the Vevoskovian military ahead of time. After the operation went awry, Seraphina and her squad mates were captured by Syvian KGR forces. Eventually, and with great sacrifice along the way, Seraphina was able to escape her captors, but her squadmates perished.
When the SOE investigated the area, they found only the corpses of KGR and Seraphina's squad mates. This information was transferred back to the Supreme Senate and SOE headquarters in Vevoskovia. Knowing that Seraphina is a Vevoskovian citizen who was born in Syvia before her parents moved to the country, the Supreme Senate suspected that Seraphina had aided the KGR and defected in favor of Syvia and marked her as a traitor. As she wandered the Kogan wilderness looking for help, she came across a fellow SOE team, delighted to see them. But to her horror, the team tried to kill her, forcing her to fight against them and kill them. With bodies in her name, there is nothing Seraphina could possibly say to clear her charges of treason. It was only by the grace of the Deshavi Black Ops that she was rescued, taken back to Vevoskovia, and hidden from the public.
While Yato lived a quiet country life with his family, Roy's circumstances led to him being abandoned and found by Commander Katya, who made him part of the Deshavi Black Ops. During this time, Vevoskovia, much to the ire of the Supreme Senate, were accepting Syvians who wished to flee from Yandel's rule. Though Tokahev was only trying to do what he felt was right, the conflict between the two peoples and cultures would prove harmful. After a physical conflict at his academy, Marluxia accidentally killed one of the Syvian students there. Because Marluxia got up and continued the fight after being knocked down, resulting in the death of the student, he was found guilty of 3rd degree murder. Because of the damage his actions inflicted upon the already strained relationship between Syvians and Vevoskovians, Marluxian was given capital punishment to appease the rioting Syvians. Tokahev would later use the Deshavi Black Ops to break Marluxia out of prison. However, because he was so well-known, he could not possibly return to living a normal life in public. As such, he too was made part of the Deshavi.
The Man Who Beared the World's Hatred:
These events put a strain on the world, and on Tokahev's family. He and Amiya began to fight more, and Hita and Luxaura missed their older brother dearly. Zenbu, Phaedra, and Von, who agreed to use the Phoenix Demons' plans to their advantage, began underhandedly working to exacerbate this situation. When Phaedra and Zenbu massacred a Syvian refugee camp, war nearly broke out between the two nations. With Sankadesh and Asaji at Vevoskovia's side, Yandel wasn't keen on entering a 3 against 1 battle. The Syvians swallowed tears of blood, just as the Vevoskovians had done a few years ago in Koga. Many more conflicts and situations would keep wearing away at the patience of both sides over the years, including an attack on the capital by the KGR that resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and Sambo, an SOE official and friend of Tokahev. It was during this time that Tokahev had appointed Roy (named Samba at reincarnation), to be his personal guardian. Seraphina was also sent on a mission to infiltrate the KGR and remove Yandel from power, easily gaining their trust with her reputation as a Vevoskovian traitor.
Deciding that now was the time to restore the memories of the reincarnated Phoenix Demons, Fate set out and made contact with each of them, bringing them with him one at a time to activate the seals that their memories and Heralds of the End were sealed in. First came Yato. Then, Luxaura, fed up with the atmosphere at home and the clear path to war the world was on, set out with Fate to the flooded remains of Providence to restore his memories. Then, Roy would finally regain his.
Roy protected Tokahev where ever he went and followed his every command. He spied, surveyed, and killed whoever he needed to. He was also responsible for apprehending the perpetrators of the attack on the capital and identified them as KGR operatives. He quickly built a strong relationship with Tokahev and Amiya, who saw him as their 4th child. As the situation grew worse and Tokahev began running out of options, Roy had to keep his borderline-treacherous actions secret even from the Deshavi Black Ops. Because Tokahev still sought peace when war was clearly the only outcome of the situation, the Supreme Senate concluded this his naive desire for peace was a threat to the security of the nation as a whole. As such, they voted to impeach him from the throne. With very little time and options to work with, Tokahev made one last, ditch effort to broker peace between Syvia and Vevoskovia. He made arrangements to travel to Syvia and meet with Yandel there to discuss the details, taking Amiya and Roy with him on the journey. Roy decided to be honest with Tokahev and Amiya, sympathizing for them in their tough situation, since he himself had once served Ishta Menlayev, who was in a similar predicament. He revealed his true identity, as well as the existence of the Phoenix Demons, their history, and their purpose. Before they left, Roy was tasked with spying on the Supreme Senate, confirming that they knew Tokahev was stalling for time, and if the negotiations failed, they would eliminate Tokahev and pin it on Syvia, giving them leverage to immediately arm go to war with them.
The days they spent in the snowy mountains of Huntsman Inn in Syvia were filled with anxiety as Yandel failed to meet his deadline of arrival. Prince Solomon, a friend and sympathizer of Tokahev, met with him first. He warned that he had a bad feeling about his father's intentions, urging that Tokahev return to Vevoskovia at once and get himself out of harm's way. Knowing that the SOE will kill him, and the KGR are probably after him, Tokahev refused. Instead, he devised an alternate plan. Firstly, he told Solomon of Seraphina and left her in his care. Together, they would be the ones to dethrone Yandel. Secondly, after much consideration, he talked it over with Roy. Tokahev explained the reality of his situation, that there was simply no escape. Both sides wanted him gone. Tokahev and Amiya would accept their fate, but Roy would be the one to take their lives after he abandons the Deshavi Black Ops and rejoins the Order of the Phoenix Demons. After visiting Luxaura before his official return, Roy confirmed the plan with him, and agreed that the Phoenix Demons would take public responsibility for their deaths, presenting the world with an enemy too powerful to ignore, and too powerful to remain divided under.
Roy deliberately changed his behavior when he was among the Deshavi, acting more distant and aggressive towards his friends and peers and tricking Katya and the Venus Division into thinking that Roy had developed psychological trauma from previous missions. This caused them all to reach out and help, only for him to distance himself further from them. After a fight broke out between him and Marluxia, Roy was ordered to stand down, leaving Katya to deal with him. That night, he left Deshavi HQ, stabbing his team mate Jaya, who tried to stop him from departing. Marluxia chased him down, and a fight erupted once more. Marluxia fought hard, but Roy was the victor. He took off his Deshavi gear and wore his Phoenix Demon cloak at long last. He proceeded to Syvia, prepared to undertake his last, daunting task for Tokahev with the symbol of the Phoenix Demons on his back, like a great burden.
Roy did everything he was asked to. He killed Tokahev, the KGR team spying on him, and the SOE team that was assigned to guard him (and kill him if he failed), leaving only one survivor from the SOE so that he could report everything he saw to his superiors. Saving Amiya for last, he crashed her carriage and proceeded to kill her as she crawled out, wishing him a heartfelt apology, good luck, and abundant amounts of love. Knowing more needed to be done, Roy went back to Vevoskovia with the Phoenix Demons and launched an assault on Tenzo Palace, killing the military personnel and civilian personnel that worked there, as well as most of the Supreme Senate, who decided to impeach and kill Tokahev. This served to make the existence of the Phoenix Demons and their powers public, as well as reduce the risk of a similar situation happening to Hita in the future.
To Hita, it looked like the one man that his mother and father trusted had betrayed them, and to the world, it looked like the Phoenix Demons were killing out of sheer malice. The secrets behind the true nature of what happened to Amiya and Tokahev were kept under wraps by the Phoenix Demons and wouldn't be revealed until much, much later.
Culled From the Herd:
Disillusioned by the news of his parents' demise, Hita suffered from a severe SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) that rendered him stuck in bed for a while. He was soon visited by Luxaura, who admitted full responsibility regarding the deaths of Tokahev and Amiya, as well as the massacre at Tenzo Palace immediately after. Luxaura left Hita only with a location; Skalda. There, he would find the answers to the questions that were clouding his heart and mind. Hita immediately set out late at night and began his journey to Skalda, "The Ghost Country" (called that because all that remains of the country are big, uninhabited cities). In doing so, he abandoned Vevoskovia and put his responsibility to take the throne as the next Menlayev in line on hold. The country would be left without a king for months.
It is here in Skalda that Hita would meet his lifelong friends and his first mentor, Alex, Aussa, Eria, and Neo, respectively. Hita learned that Alex and Aussa were in similar predicaments as him, and that their siblings were also reincarnated members of the Phoenix Demons. Like him, their parents were killed, and they were tempted with answers for these sudden and violent actions in Skalda. Neo and Eria had been rounding them up, providing training and shelter for the group. Under Neo's tutelage, Hita begins to understand the depth of the power of the Marluxian Arts. He's trained in combative use of the Marluxian Arts and learns of the basic powers and associated organs. It is revealed that Neo is a formerly condemned soul from the Underworld, tasked by Agzabah to protect and nurture the three seal bearers, Hita, Aussa, and Alex. Neo also discloses to Hita that he himself used to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix Demons, albeit as a spy under Zorc's command until his intentions were discovered and he was banished from the group. Despite this questionable past, Hita places his trust in Neo. Still, when Hita asked what the seal over his heart meant, Neo omitted the truth from him. Hita would learn of this lie much later down the road.
The group would confront the Phoenix Demons again, Roy, Yato, and Luxaura finally showing themselves before their siblings again. Luxaura revealed a bit of information regarding the Phoenix Rebirth process, telling them all that their "siblings" were mere reincarnations of already-existing people forced into their bloodlines. As such, there was no meaningful relationship between them. The two groups fought, outclassing even Neo in the battle. Hita, Aussa, Eria, and Alex especially almost died in the conflict, rescued only by Aussa's quick thinking and the sudden arrival of Zorc.
Even as Hita asked Zorc for information regarding the seal over his heart, he was frustratingly denied an answer. Over the course of more time, they would confront the Phoenix Demons again as Luxaura proactively sought to move forward with his Phoenix Rebirth plan. Both Neo and Eria were killed in the fighting, the latter's death being the trigger for the opening of the First Chamber of Hita's seal. This event surprised Hita, as it actually made him much more powerful than he was before. Luxaura assured him such a boost in power was all part of the plan, and the second fight between them started. Even with the First Chamber opened, Hita was unable to harm Luxaura, and the fight was ultimately halted by Roy's interference. With the entire of purpose of luring everyone to Skalda realized, there was no point in continuing the fight. Hita was left alone in the city carrying Eria's body on his back before encountering a severely wounded Neo. Knowing he was going to die, Neo only wished to have Eria by his side as he left this world. Hita graciously allowed Neo to die with Eria's body next to him before taking Eria back and burning Neo along with the hotel they were staying at, as per Neo's request.
Hita, Alex, and Aussa mourned over Eria, and decided that there was nothing left for them in Skalda. Remembering his responsibilities and seeking protection from the Phoenix Demons, Hita proposed they go back to Vevoskovia, so Hita can take the throne and become the king. Eria was taken with them during their journey, and news would spread across the country of the return of the Young Lord. Hita assured the Supreme Senate that he would accept his position as king, taking his first day back to cremate Eria and scatter her ashes across a field of fire lilies. As the day drew to a close, Hita led Aussa and Alex back to the Menlayev Manor, resulting a tearful reunion between Hita and Erica. Aussa and Alex began living with him in the manor.
Kings:
Over the course of the next few years, Hita would become friends with the new king of Syvia; Solomon. Much of Hita's knowledge of the world, history, and politics would come from his relationship with Solomon as the two worked together to build bonds between their long-rivaled nations. Luxaura and the Phoenix Demons would continue to threaten the safety and security of all of the Great Powers, officially leading to the group being branded as international criminals. Hita would also come to meet Jin'Salah, king of Asaji, and form a stronger alliance with the nation that resulted in joint operations between their military forces to pressure the Phoenix Demons out of hiding. The Phoenix Demons would continue to elude the militaries of the nations, adding to the amount of fear across the world.
Early on in Hita's reign, his longtime family friend Salem, king of Sankadesh, would come across old books and documents once belonging to the Phoenix Demons. He alerted Katya, who realized the books contained information regarding Hita's seal. It became an urgent matter as Katya realized it may or may not have a profound effect on Hita's safety and health, and she took it back to the Deshavi Black Ops for inspection. The text was written in a late form of Omni-Gaisha, a writing script originating from the Omni Clans, which was unfortunately a dead language by the time the books were discovered. The Phoenix Demons would discover Salem's intrusion into their old hideout, and in turn, Fate alerted Phaedra and Zenbu to the situation. The two attacked Deshavi HQ, destroying the books, their copies, and killing off dozens of Deshavi agents. Because the two were wearing Phoenix Demon cloaks, Katya and the rest of the Deshavi Black Ops were misled into believing that the Phoenix Demons were responsible for the attack, and so conflicts between them were on the rise.
Deeming Salem to dangerous and nosy to be left alive, Luxaura tasked Fate with killing him and cleaning up his own mess. Salem was kidnapped and his team of bodyguards killed before he could return to Sankadesh from Asaji, leading to an international search for the missing king. After gathering information of Salem's activities along the Asaji border, Hita traveled on his own to rescue his friend, entering a cave network constructed by Fate. Hita was able to distract Fate long enough to set Salem free, and the two made a mad dash out of the cave network, albeit being seriously wounded by Fate in the process. The openings of the cave were sealed, and Fate was closing in on them. With Salem's help, Hita mustered up all of his strength a blew a hole through the cave wall, allowing them to escape from Fate as the Deshavi Black Ops, Alex, and Aussa closed in on the location. Hita was rendered unconscious, and Salem was barely alive by the time Katya and the Deshavi arrived, rushing them back to HQ for medical treatment.
Hita would not learn of Salem's death until he awoke 3 days later. Katya, Hita, Solomon, Jin'Salah, and everyone who knew or were inspired by him were left mournful over his untimely passing. Hita especially was left depressed and shaken by his death. He was confronted by Seraphina, who also knew him during the time they spent together during the Sankadesh Civil War. She was sent by Katya, because of all people, Seraphina would know how Hita felt and would be able to help him get back in good spirits. The two spent much time together, and would soon fall in love with each other.
I want to (not now, but soon) write about the Hammurabi Compromise period of 6 Cataclysms. This event, or rather, series of events took place during Queen Kalina's rule of Vevoskovia, and was largely an underhanded process of de-fanging Syvia. However, I never thought in depth about the subversion of Syvia's government. Given how the Menlayev family operates, the Deshavi Black Ops would most certainly be involved, but for this kind of delicate task, they'd have to employ more Psyops and propaganda more than straight up combat. You usually form a movement within the people, usually violent for quick change, and then move your own pawns into play to quickly seal up the power vacuum, but I think this kind of infighting should happen within the Syvian central government. 
