PROLOGUE (2): The Tale Continues, With the Last Four Deities Adding Their Parts.
"What the f**k?!"
"What the hell is this?!"
"Nethmus, the Shii is this?!"
"Mortals are truly foolish. |Sigh|"
-
Ah yes, my dear readers.
I neglected to mention one little detail.
Aside from me, the [TRUE GOD] had also mandated four deities to assist in the recounting of this tale.
Their names:
Hasteur
Ramor
Prometheus
Aia
You see, I wrote this story millions of years ago.
But the [TRUE GOD] resurrected me and placed me in a place I thought was secluded from civilization. He also brought the four deities back... But in incorporeal forms.
Then, He instructed me to wait.
To wait for the one He had chosen.
One who would find me after the New Earth had stabilized.
He did this because He knew the version I had written back then would be… outdated.
The person who found me was—
"At least you put our cool names," Ramor says, interrupting my writing.
"Nethmus, you're gonna bore the readers to death with the way you're narrating the story," Prometheus adds bluntly.
"Yup," yups Hasteur.
"But the [TRUE GOD] mandated me to tell the story," I protest softly.
"I know," Prometheus shrugs. "But your writing is, uh… what's the phrase?"
"A mess of ink."
For the first time… Lady Aia speaks.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
So silent, you could hear a mouse fart.
"Damn, bro," says Prometheus.
"That was harsh, Aia," murmurs Hasteur.
"I agree. Now look—he's about to cry," Ramor observes.
"I am not," I mumble, eyes stinging.
Lady Aia… was as brutal as ever.
"I understand how you feel," Hasteur says kindly, patting my shoulder.
"Each of us has gone through what you just did."
I feel the tears threatening to fall.
-
"Now, back to work!" Aia declares.
"Nethmus, from now on, you listen to me—with some input from the kids."
"We are NOT kids!" Prometheus retorts, puffing his cheeks and folding his arms.
"Yes, Lady Aia…" I reply in defeat.
"Wohoo!! The reign of Nethmus' boring writing is finally over!"
"Yippee! Now the readers can actually enjoy the tale!"
"BASKEDOODOO!!!"
The first three kid—I mean, deities—hug themselves, weeping tears of joy.
Am I truly that bad?
"BUT—"
"Eh?!" ×3
"We begin our narration with Nethmus… after he finishes the prologue."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" ×3
Again...
Am I really that terrible at storytelling?
-
The moment Anker crashed onto the surface of the Earth, Corrupted Mana spread across the land like a virulent storm.
Corrupted Mana is the energy born when a being dares to defy its creator—as in this case… the [TRUE GOD].
Because Anker had lost half his divine strength, he was now diminished to the rank of a [QUASI-GOD], like Michael and the rest of the First Seven.
He knew the [TRUE GOD] had stationed twelve [X] Creatures and four Deities across the Earth to preserve equilibrium and defend the myriad races dwelling upon it.
So, he resolved to reconstruct his twelve Inists—and the Enders.
There was only one flaw.
They had no memory.
Even though Anker used fragments of his own soul to breathe life into the Inists, they awoke blank, stripped of their former selves.
In this, he was once again reminded—painfully—of the [TRUE GOD]'s supremacy.
He recreated the Inists with new appearances, new identities… a symbolic beginning.
Their names were:
-
1. Nagrass (Werewolf)
2. Ishibenob (Behemoth)
3. GodsThorn (Human)
4. Voithrax (Void Creature)
5. Zamai (Marax)
6. Gruffum (Dwarf)
7. Gröbai (Ogre)
8. Xarea (Dragon)
9. Iaf (Elemental)
10. Miran (Human)
11. Asura (Demon)
-
Nethmus' Note:
More information will be written in the Auxiliary chapters.
-
Once Anker had resurrected the Eleven Inists, he turned his gaze to the stars and forged a realm between dimensions—crafted from his vast knowledge of the spatial element.
He named it:
Netherworld.
When it was complete, he retreated into its shadows to begin his recovery.
His method?
Creating Enders.
You might wonder: How is he restoring his strength through that?
And how does he create Enders at all?
It's quite simple, really.
Let me answer the second question first.
When a being is infused with Corrupted Mana, they lose their souls. And then this is then converted into energy and sent to Anker.
To the first—
When Corrupted Mana touches regular mana, it twists it—taints it—and a portion of that darkened energy is mysteriously returned to Anker.
This is how he feeds.
This is how he recovers.
This is how corruption breathes.
---
Anker's first command after arriving on Earth was simple:
He ordered the Eleven Inists to lay siege to a Beastkin settlement not far from where he had landed.
And so, the Inists emerged from the Netherworld.
Disguised as fellow Beastkin, they wandered into an alley where they found a young foxkin woman lying on the floor—her clothes torn, her face bloodied.
But the Inists were unmoved.
Nagrass knelt and gently touched her form, infusing her with Corrupted Mana (CP).
At once, her skin began to blacken.
Her limbs bulged grotesquely.
Her eyes turned a hollow, glowing white.
And then, from her writhing body, a new being was born—
A humanoid figure with fox ears and tails… entirely pitch-black.
An Ender.
Enders, throughout their unnatural existence, obey only two forces: Anker, and the Eleven Inists.
But when left alone, their instincts compel them to create more of their kind.
Such is their devastation.
The settlement—called Xrö—held only about 700 inhabitants.
Not a single Ranker among them.
And as you know, only Rankers—wielders of Mana-infused attacks—have the means to counter Enders.¹
Long story short…
Xrö fell.
And Anker gained a small measure of his former strength.
But it was minuscule.
Anker craved power—desperately.
And he knew what he had to do.
Consume more souls.
So began his massacre.
He ravaged empire after empire, harvesting lives like grains of sand.
Even the national guardians—the mysterious [X] Creatures—fell before his endless army.
One might ask: Where was the [TRUE GOD] during all of this?
Heh… That's a tale for another time.
After absorbing countless kingdoms, only three ancient empires remained:
The Primean Empire
The Uvorkian Union (also known as the Union of Uvork)
And lastly…
The United Tribes of Margonia
These were no ordinary realms.
They were the first.
The original three.
The Primean Empire's founder, Noris Zelvin, was the first human in recorded history to slay an [X] Creature.
The Union of Uvork—originally a loose collection of city-states—became renowned for its vast natural wealth, especially its deposits of the world's most powerful metal:
Hepzibirium.
Finally, Margonia—land of labyrinthine dungeons—was unofficially dubbed:
The Adventurer's Paradise.
Each of these empires had rich, enduring legacies.
They would not fall easily.
But even they knew the truth:
Nothing lasts forever.
Not kingdoms.
Not barriers.
Not even the stars— except the [TRUE GOD], who remains eternal. (Bro's literally GOATed. TG? The GOAT? Get it?)
Their only protection was the Mana Barrier—a [RANK 6] artifact crafted by us…
The Marex.
Yes, praise us.
We truly are the pinnacle of intelligence.
Unlike those dum-dums in Wakadå, who only know how to build cheap laser rifles.
The Mana Barrier is a sacred artifact that can only be activated by a [RANK 6] Formation Master.
Its purpose is to prevent anything—creature or spell—from entering the space it encloses.
To explain in simpler terms for the NOOBS:
Imagine the force field surrounding the land of Wakånda² in the cinematic saga of "Black Pxnther."
Now imagine that force field covering the sky as well.
That's the Mana Barrier.
Oh, and did I mention?
It's indestructible.
Yeah, that's why it's [RANK 6].
But even with all this brilliance, the Empires were not naive.
They knew…
NOTHING—absolutely NOTHING—lasts forever.
Mana Stones could keep the Barrier running.
But the Rune Inscriptions³ that powered it would, one day, erode.
So, the [TRUE GOD], overlooking the atrocities we Marex committed (again… story for another day), chose to intervene.
And He sent forth…
A Chosen One.
Not what we expected, mind you.
Crazily calm.
Stupidly smart.
Annoyingly stoic-faced.
Devilishly handsome.
Tragically born.
Lumin was not what the world had imagined.
(Ramor: The mortal simps were picturing some all-powerful golden god descending from the heavens… Though to be fair, Lumin did something sort of like that.)
So allow me to reintroduce myself:
My name is Nethmus, of the Marex.
I have been tasked by the [TRUE GOD] to deliver this tale to you, the Earthlings of today.
This is the story of beginnings.
So sit back…
Grab your snacks…
Because it's going to be a long, long tale.
*
Prometheus: Tch, I can't believe Aia made me write something so unfunny. The A.I. Shii dum dums.
---
¹ Rankers and Mana-infused Attacks
Rankers are individuals who have refined their control over mana to a level where they can infuse it into their physical strikes, spells, or weapons. Unlike ordinary fighters, Rankers can channel raw mana into destructive forms, allowing them to combat high-tier beings like Enders. If you're not a Ranker, you're basically cannon fodder in a fight like that.
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² Wakånda Reference ("Black Pxnther" Analogy)
The comparison to Wakånda and its force field from the "Black Pxnther" motion picture is used to help Earthlings visualize the Mana Barrier. Just like Wakånda's dome keeps enemies out, the Mana Barrier functions as a full-enclosure dome—including the sky. But here's the twist: the Mana Barrier is far more advanced, because it's powered by sacred runes, not CGI laser tech.
---
³ Rune Inscriptions
Rune Inscriptions are ancient symbols etched into the core of magical artifacts. They serve as conduits that channel, regulate, and stabilize the energy (in this case, mana) within the artifact. For the Mana Barrier, the runes determine its structure, durability, and area of effect. Once these runes erode or become unstable, the artifact begins to weaken, regardless of how much mana is pumped into it.
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