Prelude

Within a remote realm, a majestic and divine hall that looked like a giant's residence stood surrounded by ever-shifting currents of fog. The fog divided into two colors black and white, encountering one another but never mixing nor integrating, creating both a jarring and yet soothing visual spectacle.

Within several towering pillars made of some unknown material glowed ever gently. A vast dome encapsulated the hall. No entrance nor exit existed within the hall creating a feeling of isolation. The strange fog clung to the floor of the hall barely able to reach one's ankles.

Located at one of the far ends of the hall, a figure sat a throne up a raised dais, his features shrouded and obscured by a thick fog that alternated between white and black. At the foot of the dais, four children knelt, their heads pressed down close enough to touch the fog.

Amphyr leaned back on his throne, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, for a brief moment he was beginning to regret ever taking the four of them in as his disciples. His eyes could not help wonder to Tauzin his eldest disciple located furthest to the left. Undoubtedly, it had been his instigation of the other three, Moraine, Lillian and Sonora, that had led to this scene.

Tauzin possessed an overly curious mind, always seeking to unlock the hidden mysteries of the Omniverse. His thirst for more knowledge and his quest for greater understanding made him an almost perfect disciple. His only blemish being his refusal to acknowledge that some not should remain hidden, lost or forgotten and; however, Amphyr remained satisfied with his disciple and was curious as to what heights he would reach in the future.

The four had been orphans abandoned by their families due to their unique physical nature. Tauzin and Lillian were both Tieflings one of their parents being a devil. Tauzin looked like a normal twelve-year-old human boy save for the fact that he possessed black skin tinted red, purple hair, red eyes, two horns, and a tail. Lillian similarly looked like a normal ten years old human girl, except for her skin ash grey, with blood-red eyes, two horns, and a twin tail. Waves of heat were continually released from their bodies causing the air around them to shimmer in a haze.

Sonora an Asasamari the child of an elf and a deva. Sonora looked like any eight-year-old girl elven child, perfect features and pointy ears, the difference being her golden skin and pupil-less pale white eyes. A pure holy aura constantly emitted from her body. Moraine unique, a half-orc who had somehow infused with the power of the element of water. The deep blue of skin and hair color, her eyes pure silver. Her body released a pure elemental aura.

Amphyr had found them, one after another as mere babies, years apart during his travels. He had opted to adopt them and have them serve as his disciples seeing, as they had nowhere else to go nor would they be welcomed elsewhere. They were as much his children as well as his disciples, having raised them.

"The four of you can stop kneeling now," Amphyr told them letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Does that mean you will finally tell us about the Great War of Desolation and the mysteries surrounding it?" Lillian asked, while all four still knelt their heads bowed.

"Yes, I will even the secrets that the gods don't know," Amphyr stated completely resigned to the idea. "Now will you stop kneel." He added in a much firmer tone that broached no compromise.

"Yay!" Sonora exclaimed aloud as she practically jumped to her feet. His other disciples could not help but chuckle at her antics. Amphyr barely managed to hold back his laughter. Sonora the youngest of the children, as well as his fourth disciple, possessed a warm and open personality that made it hard for him to find fault with her.

The four shared eager looks, exchanging glances with one another, their faces aglow with anticipation. Amphyr let out a slight smile witnessing their actions. The four of them had been pestering him about the Great War of Desolation ever since they had come across mention of it in one of his books.

With a thought, Amphyr willed a circular carpet upon which four comfortable cushions rested. A low table with various refreshments similarly appeared. The four quickly took their seats before gazing up at him with rampant attention.

"First and for mostly the words you hear can never be repeated outside of my presence or this hall. You all know what happens when lower order beings possess knowledge relating to higher-order life forms or powerful objects. This is something you must always hold sacred."

They all nodded their heads. Knowledge about certain powerful items, places, and events can lead to rampant mutations occurring, madness or even death; and some secrets could lead to their direct destruction and even he might not be able to shield them. Tauzin had once made a mistake of reading a book about a powerful demon lord; fortunately, Amphyr had acted quickly to stop the rampant mutations and madness from permanently affecting him.

The event had been an abject lesson for all his disciples on the danger certain knowledge brings. The more you know about certain powerful existences the more they know about you. Thus, knowledge was both a source of great strength and constant danger.

This is why he initially refused to tell them about the war, however since he had relented it was necessary to remind them once again of the danger. As long as they remained at his side until such a time they had significant strength, they did not need to fear, not to mention who would dare act against his children.

"Now then to properly tell the story I need to first ensure you understand a few fundamental concepts regarding the omniverse. Least you continuously interrupt me during my narration."

Amphyr stated, gazing at his disciples. The two children nodded their heads in understanding. They were finally, after months of begging, getting a chance to hear about this incredibly momentous phase of his and were willing to do anything to ensure nothing jeopardize this opportunity. Hence their attention expressions and obedient attitude.

"The realm that we live is but a small portion of a much greater realm known as the omniverse. The omniverse exists within surrounded by primordial chaos separated by a layer known as the void. A countless number of realms form the greater whole that is the omniverse."

"The Temple of Creation stands outside and above the omniverse; it is from there that the creator brought shaped the omniverse into existence. Below the omniverse lies the Origin Sea transforming the primordial chaos into various energies released into the omniverse that allow its continuous expansion and growth."

His disciples all nodded. This was information they had learned about previously, however they did not interject allowing Amphyr to continue his narration, nor were they foolish enough to enquire into matters relating to the Creator or the Origin Sea.

"The largest and most important are the prime realms were the majority of life is located. Celestial Realm, Immortal Realm, Astral Realm, Spirit Realm, Elemental Realm, Material Realm, Underheim is also known as the Subterranean Realm, the Underworld, Hell, the Abyss, the Dream Realm, and the Void."

"Teacher what about the Shadow Realm? Is it not one of the prime realms?" Sonora could not help but interject. The rest of the disciples wore thought-full expressions gazing at their teacher likewise confused as to why their teacher had left out the shadow realm from the list of prime realms.

"Haha! The shadow realm is indeed one of the prime realms however, that was not always that case. In fact, before the Great War, it used to be an insignificant pocket dimension within the omniverse. Now how it came to be one of the prime planes is an integral part of the story." Amphyr stated his voice laced with mirth.

Amphyr frowned slightly; he was not sure how much they understood about the individual realms and their characteristics. While he was certain they had come across some information from his library, the extent of their knowledge was still undetermined. He decided to forgo explaining the nature of the different realms; he would go over such matters as they cropped up in his narration.

"After the prime realms are the supreme worlds. Now then what do you remember about the supreme worlds from your lessons?"

"It is said the supreme worlds were the first worlds created by the Creator. They exist within the Material Realm and partial within the void. They are the worlds closest to the Temple of Creation." Tauzin replied with a smile happy to demonstrate his knowledge about the universe.

"They are gargantuan in size almost realms unto themselves thus they are known as Demi-Realms! They are the only Material Realm worlds were supreme beings can enter and reside without receiving suppression of the rules of the universe."

Tauzin paused in contemplation before stating in a puzzled manner. "I read that there were nine such worlds originally but at the moment there twelve supreme worlds."

"Teacher I also read that there were originally only nine supreme worlds. Teacher, do you know the reason? Did the Creator add three more worlds?" Lillian asked.

All four of Amphyr's disciples looked up in expectation for their teacher to reveal the mystery. They were quite curious regarding matters concerning the Creator however; they understood that they could only inquire in such an oblique manner.

Amphyr smiled. "What you read is the truth the formally were only nine supreme worlds before the war of Desolation, however at present, there are indeed twelve worlds."

"To answer your question no the creator did not create them directly and the reason why the three worlds appeared will be answered during the story," Amphyr stated forestalling any subsequent follow-up questions.

"In continuation, the final critical piece of information you need to know before the true telling of the story begins is how the progress of time is measured regarding the omniverse. Each phase in the life cycle of the universe is an epoch. An epoch is usually a period lasting several tens of aeons. Thus far there have been three epochs as well as the ancient era that preceded the first epoch, currently, we are living in the third epoch."

"The Ancient era is known as the chaotic era or desolate era marks the period of unrecorded history when the laws that govern the universe had yet to be firmly established. In that time the boundaries separating the various realms were still far from stable. It was a time of great upheaval and many tragedies occurred during that time that is now lost to the tides of history. Only a few remain now who remember the horrors of that era."

Amphyr paused his narration. His mind wandering back to those ancient scenes. The four disciples remained silent only sharing slight looks not daring to interrupt their teacher's rumination. With a barely noticeable shake of his head, Amphyr continued his narration.

"That era ended with the first ascension of a mortal into godhood, thus the start of the first epoch the era of Desolation. During this time, many individuals stepped on to the divine path eventually becoming gods."

Lillian glanced at Tauzin, the two communicating through simple expression. Wondering if he should ask the question they were all curious about. Lillian nodded his head in understanding before asking, "Teacher what was it like, the first epoch that is?"

Amphyr had noticed their shared look but pretended not to have seen. Undoubtedly, they were worried he would ignore the question or would not answer however; he assuaged their anxiety by giving a reply. Although he was curious, as to why they did not ask about the ancient era instead. Not that he would have answered, but perhaps they were fearful of touching on secrets that could directly destroy them. At least they were intelligent enough to understand their limitations.

"It was a turbulent time. There was much in the way of bloodshed and war however; it was contained amongst beings possessing extraordinary abilities. Gods rose and fell, there was much uncertainty during that time however, and it was a more peaceful period in comparison to the previous era. The rules governing the omniverse were further strengthened. Nowadays it commonly referred to as the epoch of gods."

Amphyr noticed Tauzin fidgeting slightly on her seat. He could tell she wished to interject with a question but apprehensive to ask. He was tempted to ignore him, after the constant niggling: he had endured over the past months but thought better to let her ask so he might continue the story.

"Tauzin I can see you have a question you wish to ask. Feel free"

"Teacher what about beings liked the Eternal Dragon or the Spirit Emperor? They also arose in that era. Why did they not choose to walk the path of divinity? They aren't gods but their power rivals and surpasses that of gods." Tauzin asked

"Indeed you are right they are great existences that sort another path other than that of the divine. They called it the path of immortality, seeking to become eternal and undying. The Immortal realm once had another name before being replaced; it was once the Monster realm the home of the great beasts and it was the great beasts who first embarked on this path to immortality hence the change."

"What of yourself teacher you are neither a god nor an immortal what path do you follow?" Moraine who had thus far remained silent during the start of the narration could not help but ask. Her fellow disciples perk up after hearing the question eager to know the answer.

"Hahahaha," Amphyr laughed, "I knew this question would be asked when I agreed to tell this story, but you will have to wait until the end and your question will be answered."

The disciples frowned in disappointment. They were ever eager to learn more about their enigmatic teacher and father. After spending most of their lives with him, they still barely understood his true nature. They only understood that he was a powerful figure who cared deeply for them however realizing the answer lay at the end of the story they once more sat attentively eager for the narration to continue. Amphyr let out a light chuckle before continuing.

"The first epoch came to an end however with the descent, from the Temple of Creation, of the Tablets of Fate and the Hall of Desolation that coalesced around them in the astral plane. On their surface, the requirements, duties, and responsibilities of the various Desolation recorded as well as the limitations of the Desolation. No longer could Desolation freely and directly interact with mortals, as well as the prime realms."

He did tell them that two sets of tablets had descended one governing divinity, the Tablets of Fate, and another governing Immortality, the Tablets of Truth. After all some secrets, they would need to explore on their own in the future.

"Thus the first epoch ended and second epoch begun. Now then, here is where the story truly begins. The precursor to the great war of the Desolation began with the death of an outer god and the battle between demons, devils, and gods over various domains and authorities. Only after the Celestial Realm and the Immortal realms involvement did the war truly begin! The central battleground being the Material Realm."

Looking over at his disciples Amphyr was slightly shocked. Rarely before had they been this focused and attentive even during their lessons nor when they had listened to his previous stories. It seemed he had underestimated their desire to learn about the war of the Desolation. Although it was, a shocking and momentous event that had altered the very heavens it was by far in his opinion the least interesting event to occur in the long life of the omniverse. Wearing a rueful smile, he finally began to narrate the true history of the war of the Desolation.

"The lead up to the great war began through convergences of events all taking place around the same time within different worlds and realms. This story is one of tragedy. It begins with a massive number of deaths taking place across multiple worlds."