[Ephemera, The Mortal Realm, Plains of Akrid. The third day of Padox, year 17 after the Rupture]

  The Plains of Akrid are, from an Outsider's point of view at least, a strange place that doesn't make much sense. They are an almost completely flat area with a few small hills and some trees growing here and there. Grass is growing everywhere and several herds of wild horses are seen running around, sometimes there is even a unicorn hidden in plain sight.

  What would now seem strange about it is the fact that the grass is short. Too short. As if someone went and cut each blade of grass individually. Another thing is the absence of any sign of intelligent or violent lifeforms like humans or beasts and monsters.

  And don't be wrong, of course humanity would have tried to turn this place into farmland or a city. But there aren't any traces of something like this being attempted and the closest monster or beast is found in the Siluvan River to the north of the Plains.

  Surely you are now asking yourself why the Plains of Akrid are like this, no? Bad news, my dear guest and listener, you won't get an answer. At least not the full answer.

  Like so many things in a world as old as Ephemera now is, the root of the answer to this question lies in the history of this place. After the “Age of Myth” came to an end and the world started recovering from the consequences the Creators decided to turn the entirety of the Plains of Akrid into a giant memorial to make sure the beings of the Mortal Realm would remember why it happened and at the same time honor the ones lost.

  This is also the reason why the only sign of intelligent life that does exist here, are the ruins of a city, abandoned, dilapidated and reclaimed by nature. Before you ask, yes, this city is part of the memorial. It wouldn't make sense to not incorporate this place if you knew about its historical value.

  Something no one expected was that the most wanted being on Ephemera, a man everyone only knew under his nickname ‘Villain’, would choose this exact place to turn into his hideout.

  After learning about this the armies from various kingdoms gathered and marched together with one single goal in mind: the eradication of the forces responsible for the Rupture and bringing an end to the reign of terror that was forced upon the residents of this world.

  The formerly peaceful atmosphere that became the norm in the Plains was disturbed by the flames of war raging in the ruins. Trebuchets and catapults fired a barrage of boulders over the city walls, smashing into the remains of houses once full of life. Men and women, boys and girls and everything in between and to the side of it stormed the walls, fighting against the defenders while even more soldiers flooded through the gates.

  But even with a numerical advantage the armies struggled to breach the outer city. The defenders, minions of the Villain, were almost only mind-controlled Monsters and chimeras, abominations created by the experiments conducted on his prisoners. Their strength, even though limited in their numbers, proved to be an obstacle to the plans of the United Armies.

  Regardless of how many volleys of arrows, boulders and spells were hurled at the enemy, they Always seemed able to endure and stand up again. It didn't matter how many sounds the monsters suffered, they would rise again, standing tall and fighting with a ferocity that rivaled a rampaging dragon. You could think that something was preventing those monsters from feeling the embrace of death.

  Many experienced war veterans would tell you that this situation would be a perfect example of a fight that you lost before you even fought. The thought of an army of monsters that were unable to rest would be a nightmare that would drain the morale of your army faster than an alcoholic could down a beer. And they would be right…

  …If this was a normal war.

  Everything about this war was far from ‘normal’. The fact that basically every intelligent and humanoid race offered help and or soldiers? Never happened… That whilst ignoring the mountain of corpses underneath their boots the soldiers still charged into the city? You would think someone brainwashed them… That this is all the result of the actions of a single individual? …You might think I'm joking here but it happened once. It just happened so long ago that no one remembers it and those that still remember for whatever reason never talk about it.

  Leaving aside my endless comments about everything, this war was meaningful for the people of Ephemera. Be it a human, elf, dwarf, demi-human, titan, spirit, merfolk, dracos and everything I forgot to name or is a mix between them. The soldiers didn't complain about the reason and politics behind this war nor did the craftsmen and merchants that helped fill their supplies and armory. Everyone helped and supported this war in some way because everyone lost something to the Rupture. Be it their home, their family, dreams, hope, their entire race, country or even just their favorite doll… The people desired revenge and they wouldn't stop even If the gods stood in their path.

  Some even did, like the Goddess of Peace, that tried to appeal to their hearts to forget about revenge. The consequences of her actions spiraled out of control and forced the God of Revenge and the God of Chaos to intervene personally to save the Goddess of Peace and her followers and prevent another mass genocide.

  Anyway, where were we?... Really? Alright, enough talking from my side, we are here to witness how this goes so let us follow… This one! The Hero themselves! Sounds interesting, don't you think so?

  [The Hero's POV]

  Ethan never thought of himself as a hero. In his opinion there were others more suited for this title and the weight it carries. His sister for example was one of those in his eyes. She had more talent for swordsmanship and fighting than most of the knights he knew and he was the son of the commander of the Sun Lion Knight Order of the Gaos Empire so he knew more than the average person.

  According to Tenebresia, the Goddess of Honor and patron deity of knights, that was exactly why he was chosen. Because he knew what the title meant and didn't have any absurd dreams like so many others did. He was chosen because he was average and for some reason, that he still did not understand to this day, being average and unremarkable allowed him to have so many Blessings from the gods. It always confused him but the Goddess didn't explain it more than once so he never had the chance to ask.

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  The thundering sound of a boulder smashing into the ground pulled him from his thoughts. 'Idiot, concentrate.' Shaking his head to get rid of his useless thoughts he continued to follow Raymond. The man was a dark elf chosen to accompany him and make sure Ethan arrived mostly unharmed in front of the Villain. Ethan must say he can see why Raymond was chosen. This man was so good at sneaking around and infiltrating places he could probably steal the necklace of a queen while she was still wearing them.

  Ethan followed Raymond through the maze that was this ruin, staying in the shadows to remain unseen and avoiding the monsters and abominations they came across. Sometimes they stopped at a corner so Raymond could commune with the spirits and ask them for the way.

  Ethan couldn't help but feel nervous as they came closer to the temple on top of the city. His hands became sweaty and his armor pressed down on him. Resting a hand on his sword and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and he felt ready again.

  The temple towering over the city was built on the only mountain in the entire Plains. It already looked imposing from afar and stood like a silent guardian watching over the ruins. Standing in front of its entrance Ethan couldn't help but stare in awe. The building itself was from a distance unremarkable except for the fact that it was built with black marmor instead of the white and gold the temples for the gods used. The pillars supporting the ceiling reached a height that made even giants look small, the ceiling adorned with what looked like jewels in mostly red and violet colours mimicked the night sky. The windows weren't made from coloured glass but thin plates crafted out of obsidian and high hanging braziers, which would have flooded the inner area of the temple in light, were cold and wisps of smoke rose out of them as if someone put out their flames recently.

  “What do you think, Ray, who was this built for?” Ethan was too curious to not ask. Afterall, a temple from the “Age of Myth” stood directly in front of him. It was a treasure trove for historians and Ethan loved learning about history.

  Raymond looked at Ethan with a cold glare. “I do not care, Hero, and it wouldn't interest me even if we didn't come here for a reason. Wonder about this shit after you killed that bastard.”

  “My, my. You hurt my feelings, little duskborn. Let the Hero have his moment, it might be his last chance, after all.”

  They were interrupted by a voice coming from the other end of the temple. The braziers suddenly ignited and their fire illuminated the area. Standing in front of an obelisk was a man in a robe, smiling at them while a sudden wind ruffled his dark-brown hair.

  “You!” Ethan and Raymond both were surprised to see the Villain Just standing there. No ambush, no Trap. As If he waited for them.

  “Hero, you are on your own now. I hate it but this is where I have to leave.” Raymond gripped his daggers tight before he turned around and left Ethan alone.

  Ethan meanwhile drew his sword before slowly walking into what would be the main area of the temple, locking eyes with the Villain. “No surprises? The few survivors who met you always talked about your flair for the theatre, as If you were thinking of all of this like a play." Ethan asked, holding his sword to his side.

  The Villain smiled. “Oh, I most certainly love a good theatre play and even some drama but this time not. A dramatic entrance is all that you get, maybe a monologue or even some answers to a few questions of yours. After all, this will be our first and last battle, Hero. I thought I should give you at least some respect, no?”

  Ethan's eyes narrowed as he listened. Was he trying to buy time? “You are talking like I would want to listen to you any longer, as if I had any questions and only you have the answers. What game are you playing, Villain?”

  The Villain laughed at that. “Of course you have questions, Hero. But first things first, you may call me Jonas.“ The Villain, who introduced himself as Jonas, bowed like an actor after a theatre play. "And why wouldn't you want to listen to me talk? I might sound arrogant but I have quite the nice voice and know more about our history than most… Unless of course you are of a species that witnessed the events in person.”

  Ethan wavered a little. It was true he had questions, especially about the history of Ephemera. Each Kingdom concentrated more on recording and preserving their own history so it was difficult to find any records about the world itself but the closer you came to the creation of the world the less you would find. Strangely enough, there were no records about what caused the “Age of Myth” to end or why the gods decided to no longer remain in the Mortal Realm. If the Villain truly knew something, was it worth the risk?

  “Let me ask you, Hero, what do you know about this place?” Hearing the Villain's voice caused Ethan to stop thinking and following him with his eyes. Jonas, seeing this, started walking in front of the obelisk. “Let me guess: ‘it's a memorial created by the gods’, right? Isn't that what they taught you, written down in the history books?” The Villain shakes his head. “It is much more than that. This place, everything you see here, is a witness to what transpired at the time before its purpose was changed… And a gravestone. Buried underneath the city are the secrets the gods, no, the Creators themselves are hiding! And I will show the world the Truth they conveniently forgot!”

  The Villain stops directly in front of the obelisk that now started to glow, runes etched onto its surface lit Up, causing the monument to shake. Ethan, seeing this, got ready to intervene in the Villain's plans and started drawing upon the Blessings he was granted.

  “No, you won't!”

  With a snap of a finger a wooden barrel appeared before the Hero. It glowed red and exploded, engulfing the Hero in a ball of fire and smoke.

  [Ephemera, The Divine Realm, The Hall of Creation. The third day of Padox, year 17 after the Rupture]

  The gods watched as the Hero and the Villain finally met. Their gaze scrutinizes every tiny detail and makes sure that everything is being paid attention. They desired the death of this man just as much as some of the soldiers fighting against his minions. No one said anything but they felt that many shared one singular thought: “If the Hero loses, WE will take care of it ourselves.”

  Their concentration was disturbed as the gate to the main hall was opened and a new presence made itself known. They didn't see it yet but they could feel it. The feeling of Dread and Despair crawling up their backs and invading their hearts, the voices that whispered into their ears and the bone-chilling cold. Even some of the Creators weren't entirely immune to this.

  He walked slowly, every step spreading frost on the ground. Following him was a faint black mist, flooding the path behind him, causing hallucinations of screaming souls. He made his way to the center and sat down on the one empty throne waiting for him. Just like his silhouette, the throne itself was at first glance black but you felt it rather than saw. They weren't coloured a shade of black like the deepest void but they were entirely devoid of colours.

  Many of the gods, mainly the newer ones who never saw him before, questioned how he not only caused frost in a place that is always too warm but how a state of colourlessness could even exist. The questions though were never asked as not a single one dared to speak after his entrance, still feeling the aftereffects.

  With the mirror on the ground showing the fight between the Hero and the Villain a voice finally broke the silence.

  “So, what did I miss?”