Chapter 1: The Night Everything Burned
A long time ago, before the world was buried in ice, there was only a single civilization left. It wasn’t some vast empire or sprawling kingdom, just a modest country surrounded by endless wild nds where survival was a daily struggle. The skies were heavy, the earth rough, and monsters roamed freely. These creatures weren’t born of nature. They came from a pce called the Abyss, the ir of an evil god that sought to devour the world, sending wave after wave of horrors to wipe out humanity.
The only reason people survived was because of a single king. He wasn’t born a hero, but when everything was falling apart, he was the one who stood up. Charismatic, capable, and fearless, people followed him because they believed he could actually save them. One day, the god granted this king a power that allowed him to destroy matter or reshape it, changing its form and properties. Even with limits, this made him unstoppable. But he knew he couldn’t stand alone. He passed fragments of his power to his soldiers. These powers didn’t stay the same. In their hands, they changed into something else. Some gained control over fire, water, wind, metal, wood, blood, and other elements. Together, they fought back against the monsters, managing to push them back little by little.
After many years, the king eventually died. His original power was divided between his two sons. One inherited the power to destroy, the other the ability to reshape matter. In the beginning, the brothers were close, fighting side by side, holding what little was left of the world together. But as generations passed, things started to change. Their descendants grew hostile, and old grudges turned into bitter wars. The powers that had once made them strong slowly weakened over time, and the monsters, too, grew fewer and less dangerous. The real enemy became human nature itself. Greed and pride took over, and the two royal factions fought to the point where humanity was nearly wiped out.
The final battle came when only a handful of people were left. Desperate to win, the heir of destruction drew on the power of a frost rune, trying to freeze his enemies and end everything at once. But the other heir, the one who could reshape matter, turned the power back on him, amplifying it far beyond what anyone expected. The world froze, and the Ice Age began. The old civilization was buried beneath snow and ice, its stories forgotten, and only a scattered few managed to survive.
After the Ice Age, years turned into centuries. The frozen nds thawed, people rebuilt, and the world entered a new era. The ancient bloodlines faded, and the truth of what happened became nothing more than old legends. But those powers never disappeared. Instead, they became normal. In the modern world, almost everyone is born with some trace of those abilities. Maniputing fire, controlling metal, bending water, shaping earth — these are just ordinary skills now. Entire cities, schools, guilds, and jobs are built around using them. Of course, the demons never completely vanished. They still exist, hidden in the dark corners of the world. Most of them are weaker than the horrors of the past, but a few of the ancient ones survived the Ice Age and are still out there, waiting.
“And that,” the old man said, leaning back in his chair, “is the story of the ancient king.” The little boy sitting by the fire blinked up at him. “Grandpa… was the king really that strong?” The old man smiled, a little sadly. “Stronger than anyone. But even the strongest can’t stop time.” The boy hesitated, then asked, “What happened to the monsters? Are they still hiding?” “Some are,” the old man said, poking at the fire with a stick. “Not as many as before, but enough. Enough to keep things interesting.”
The room fell quiet, the crackling of the fire filling the silence. But in the middle of the night, a sound broke through. The old man’s eyes snapped open as the floorboards creaked. He quickly grabbed the boy’s shoulders. “Evan, hide here. No matter what happens, do not open this,” he whispered, pulling aside a panel behind the firepce and pushing the boy inside a narrow hidden space. Evan crouched there, holding his breath as he heard footsteps approaching.
It felt like two people had entered the house. One of them spoke in a cold, menacing voice. “So you were here, old man. You don’t know how long we’ve searched for you.” The old man’s voice shook. “D-Demons…!” A heavy thud followed, the unmistakable sound of something hard smashing into a skull. A sickening crack filled the air, followed by the wet sound of blood hitting the floor. Evan had no idea what was happening, his tiny hands covering his ears as muffled voices continued.
“That’s enough,” another voice said calmly. “Our job is complete.” There was a pause, then, “Clear the evidence.”
A huge explosion shook the house, fmes and debris swallowing everything.
