As always Giliath demands your power stones!
*
The continent of Zemuria.
A land filled with fantasy, and yet at the same time, the unknown.
This was a land created over twelve hundred years ago, by a singular entity known as the Goddess Aidios.
The Goddess blessed the land, allowing civilizations to rise and flourish. Joining hands, they created what will eventually become known as the Ancient Zemurian Civilization.
The Ancient Zemurian Civilization was split into seven factors, each blessed by The Goddess herself. They were granted a dominion to rule over different pieces of land. And with it, a treasure bestowed upon them.
These were called the Sept-Terrions. Seven powerful treasures.
Lost Zem. the Earth Sept-Terrion, governance over the element Earth.
Ark Rouge, the Fire Sept-Terrion, governance over the element Fire.
The Sept-Terrion of Water, governance over the element Water.
The Sept-Terrion of Wind, governance over the element Wind.
These are the typical four elements one would encounter in a standard rpg setting. Additionally, one would think of the Dark and Light elements.
That wasn't the case for Zemuria. These two elements didn't round off the list. Zemuria was special, and the Goddess saw to it.
Zemuria had two tiers of elements that tied the laws of the world together.
These four elements fall into what are called the Basic Elements. Most common people would come across these in their daily lives. Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind.
And yet, there was a special tier above that.
They are called the Three Higher Elements.
Time. Space. Mirage.
The Goddess even blessed Zemuria with governance over these three elements. Mirage in particular was special. It allowed entities to bend reality itself, gaining control over the material world.
And with the four Basic Elements, the Goddess Aidios bestowed three treasures to the Three Higher Elements.
The Sept-Terrion of Time, governance over the element Time.
Aureole, the Sept-Terrion of Space, governance over the element Space.
Demiourgos, the Sept-Terrion of Mirage, governance over reality and causality.
Seven Sept-Terrions. Seven Treasures. They all had the sole purpose of governing the known elements of Zemuria.
To ensure none of these treasures went haywire, or tried to overcome one another, the Goddess Aidios took it upon herself to bless each one with a Holy Beast.
These Holy Beasts became the treasure's guardian, watching over them until time immemorial. Unless a Holy Beast encountered danger where the risk was high enough to threaten their own life, they would not act. Only then, they would.
With seven treasures keeping themselves in check, the Ancient Zemurian Civilization flourished. And at the helm was The Goddess herself.
All of this took place over twelve hundred years ago. This civilization was split into seven factions, allowing humans to worship an element of their choosing.
The Auslese Family, charged to look after the Aureole, and allowed humans to live lives of luxury and leisure, and fulfill mankind's desires.
The Crois Family, charged to look after Demiourgos, which guided mankind along the correct path and making sure their choices didn't lead them astray. They were also known to be alchemists.
The Hexen Clan, charged to look after Ark Rouge, which governed the souls of mankind. They were the last ditch effort to make sure humans weren't completely destroyed and gone without a trace. Eventually, they became a clan of witches, seeking to preserve the practices of Magic.
The Gnomes Clan, charged to look after Lost Zem, which held dominion over mankind's physical capabilities. It could empower and strengthen them at will, making sure they didn't fall behind over other races and monsters. It provided stability to the Ancient Zemurian Civilization.
There were three other factions that held similar responsibilities to the four that were already mentioned. They were never stated in the games, but they existed over twelve hundred years ago. And yet, this flourishing civilization did not last forever, as one would think it would.
The Goddess saw these factions grow stronger by the day. Even without strife, their advances in technology preceded that of normal boundaries.
To the point where one of the seven factions developed an autonomous floating island. The Liber Ark.
The Goddess Aidios soon realized these factions were growing too powerful. She took it upon herself to enact the Trial of the Goddess.
The Goddess had but one goal for humanity during these trials.
And that was to develop new perspectives on life. Chaos. War. Hatred. Strife. Grief. Just experiencing everlasting peace was but one of them.
Therefore, The Goddess plunged the continent into strife and ruin, letting humanity experience natural disasters for the first time...
Eventually, this sequence of events gained a name. It would become known as The Great Collapse by post-modern Zemurians.
Many, many lives were lost during that dark time. Societies crumbled from war. Resources became scarce. Mankind's desires grew too much, making the treasures almost obsolete. They couldn't respond in time.
And yet, there was hope.
A glimmer of light in that encroaching darkness.
It was the creation of the Septian Church. A Church with a sole purpose of worshipping The Goddess Aidios.
Once the Great Collapse ended, many of the Sept-Terrions became lost, or destroyed. So the humans turned toward the newly formed Septian Church, which acted as a new beacon of hope. It still allowed those to praise The Goddess who still believed in her. And well, for those who didn't, they suffered, and became lost.
They wandered the land of ruin, trying to worship a false god that didn't exist.
To the point where a great climax took place, causing two of the seven factions to fight each other. Both of their treasures stood strong while the fighting took place.
"Because of this clash between the two clans, it gave birth to a new treasure. The Sept-Terrion of Steel. And this newly formed treasure could not be sealed like the other Sept-Terrions could."
"From there, this treasure split into seven parts, perhaps as an opportunity to mirror the seven known elements themselves. Each part stored into entities known as Divine Knights...", A firm yet resolute voice spoke out.
"And with the creation of these Divine Knights, the Great Collapse ended its long period of chaos. It allowed the Septian Church to solidify their footing during such a time. So strong that it gave birth to the calendar we use in our daily lives today. The Septian Calendar.", The firm voice continued to say. After saying this, a smile appeared on their face.
This voice appeared to belong to a middle aged figure. They presently sat in a rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth beside a cozy and lit fireplace. The crackling embers hidden behind the hard glass released enough heat to make it pleasing to the man. The sounds were constant, causing an echo around the room the figure was currently in.
"Da!", A cheery voice spoke out beside him. This voice belonged to a much, much smaller figure. In fact, it belonged to a small child, resting gently inside the taller figure's hands. It seemed to be a father and a son. The son wore a big smile on his face. He seemed to be no older than a year at most. Despite only being a year old, they were beginning to speak their first words already.
Beside the man and the child, the man held a large book with several detailed pictures inside it. This language didn't appear to be Japanese either, it appeared to be English. Still rocking the chair to ensure the child remained happy, the man glanced at him. His smile remained on his lips.
"Oh? So the prehistory of Zemuria has caught your attention, has it? That will be it for today, unfortunately. Little one, you seem to have a keen interest in learning. You aren't even a year old yet. You really do take after your old man, don't you?", The man questioned.
"Da!", The little child happily responded, acting as if he had actually answered the man.
"Hehe, hopefully not in more ways than one. He bears a striking resemblance to you, you know. Even if the hair color is different. ", A third voice suddenly said, calling out to the two. As this voice spoke out, the child began to yawn, enjoying the continuous rocking of the rocking chair.
A gentle-looking black haired woman with an indigo hue in her hair approached the two. A hint of worry appeared in her eyes.
"Still, isn't it a little too early for a one year old to start learning? He had just spoken his first words just the other day, dear.", The woman said, obviously worried. She took her sweet time. And for a good reason.
A big and round belly could be seen as the woman carried herself. She gently caressed it. It would seem this woman was currently pregnant. Despite her worry, the man became worried himself, seeing his wife walking around like that.
"Oh? Are you fine to be up and about, walking around like that? You're due any day now, aren't you, Kasia?", The man questioned, still worried.
"I'm fine for the time being. Thank you for asking. I see you're in your doting mode right now, ufufu.", The woman said, cracking a smile as she laughed. This woman appeared to be named Kasia. She saw her child beginning to fall asleep as she looked at him nestled in her husband's arm.
As stated, Kasia had black hair with indigo hues in it, currently tied into a singular braid. It flew down her right shoulder, and she had matching eyes. Presently, she wore a white shirt with a jade brooch over her neck. To keep herself warm, She had a green sweater and magenta shawl over her shoulders. To top this look all off was a navy blue corset and a long tan skirt.
"A father can love his son, can't he?", The man responded, remaining playful.
"Of course he can.", Kasia responded. Taking a moment, she approached him, and leaned toward the man, only to plant a kiss on his cheek. She then picked up the small child into her arms, beginning to cradle him back and forth.
"But little children need plenty of rest to grow strong and healthy. I think it's still a little too early to have him start learning, regardless of whether he has your wits or not. You even started with the history of our land!", Kasia said, berating the man. But she kept her voice soft to not disturb the child. He was now fast asleep.
"You should see the look in the boy's eyes, Kasia my dear!", The man happily said. He stood up from the rocking chair, and closed the book under his arm. After that, he walked over to have another look at him. "His eyes show an eagerness to learn, I tell you. We should start his studies. In fact, it is his duty.", The man continued to say.
"After all, the boy in your arms is none other than the son of the brigadier general to this proud nation.", The man replied, sporting a wide grin over his face.
"There you go again, spouting that nonsense, fufu.", Kasia replied with a gentle laugh. Yet she liked this side of him. He had every reason to be proud of his country. She knew well who this man was. After all, she was the one to decide to marry him.
Kasia let her husband approach her. He reached his hands out, and grabbed the boy, placing him into his own embrace. The man then smiled, before speaking out in a confident tone.
"And I, Giliath Osborne, will see to it that this child sets his own two feet firmly on our proud nation, the Erebonian Empire!"