Dawn of Legends

And after many centuries had passed, when the lands had long been at peace and the heavens were silent, the seals that bound the Demon Kings were loosened, and once more did the darkness arise.

Yggdrasil, the World Mother, who had become the bearer of life, sat upon her throne of radiant white, and in her womb did she carry the future of all living things.

But in the moment of her labor, she who was bound to the earth and to life itself felt the stirrings of an ancient evil, and her heart grew heavy, yet her hands could do nothing, for her children had yet to be born.

And beside her stood her King, he who was the seed-bearer of all that she would bring forth. He beheld his Queen's unease, and his heart was troubled.

And he spake, saying, "O great Mother of the World, my Queen, what is it that burdens thy spirit?"

And Yggdrasil, with weary breath, answered, "The wicked ones have awakened. I have felt their return, but I am bound to this moment, for our children have yet to enter the world."

And her King, seeing that his Queen could not act, lifted his voice to the heavens and called upon the Architect, saying, "O great One who sees all things, I beseech Thee, shield my Queen and our children from this wickedness that now rises once more!"

And the Architect, who was above all and needed not the faith of the living, spake from the heavens, and His voice was as a great and mighty wind, saying,

"Fear not. For the land that was once green but now shines in white cannot be touched by them. They shall not tread upon this sacred ground.

This is the test of the mortals and of the gods who remain. It is their own cause, and it is for them to endure. If they have strength, let them stand. If they have wisdom, let them prevail. If they have the will to survive, then let them prove it."

And hearing this, the King of Yggdrasil bowed his head, for the will of the Architect was not to be questioned. And so he turned his eyes away from the affairs of the world beyond.

And in the fullness of time, Yggdrasil brought forth her last child, and as she gave her final breath of labor, she was filled not with pain, but only with weariness.

And she rested, and her children, newborn into the world, were taken into the arms of their servants, and they were cared for with great love.

And so it was that Yggdrasil, the World Mother, had given birth to the races of old, to all that had been from the dawn of creation.

But beyond the sacred land, the world trembled, for the Demon Kings had returned, and with them, the Fallen Gods arose once more from the shadows where they had long been hidden.

And as they beheld the world, they laughed with wickedness, saying, "Behold, the lands have changed, yet we remain! The past is buried, but we shall make it rise again!"

And with great malice did they seek their enemies, those who had sealed them away in the first war.

But they found not the many gods of old, for only four remained in the West, ruling over the four great nations.

And these four gods had grown in power, for the faith of their people was strong, and their nations had flourished.

And seeing that their enemies had returned, they gathered their warriors, and with the might of their people, they went forth to war.

And the battle was fierce, for those who had survived the Judgment Day had become mighty, and though the Demon Kings were terrible in their wrath, the strength of the gods and their people did not falter.

And the Fallen Gods, those who had once betrayed their own kin, were seized in battle, and they were named as traitors and as the fallen, and they were cast into the deepest prisons, bound in chains that could not be broken.

And the Demon Kings, seeing their defeat, fled into the darkness, though not all could escape.

And though the war had ended, the world did not forget, for the shadows of the past still lingered, and those who had fled would one day return.

And in the silence of the heavens, the Architect beheld all that had come to pass, yet He spake not, for the time of His judgment had already passed, and now the world was given to the hands of the living.