Gods, demons, or even dragons, on the continent of Roscitan all higher entities, were equally respected for one simple reason: There had been several proofs of their existence throughout history, miracles or curses stronger than any magic would sometimes occur. They are believed to hold the ultimate authority and proved it, the most known story happened thousands of years ago.

There once was a human slave named Kaleb who dreamt of the sun, that poor boy prayed day and night to every entity that he ever knew. He did not plead for wealth, not even for freedom but he wanted one thing: to save his closest relatives– his friends, from the hell hole they had been imprisoned in. The myth said that Kaleb sent exactly one hundred thousand prayers until the day everything went to ashes, the day everyone he cared for died. The boy belonged to a greedy pig named Alec’Santh who owned the biggest mine known on Manvalchan which was nicknamed “The Gate to the Seven Hells” because of how deep the mines were. Needless to say that the people working there died– it was rarer to have survivors as a matter of fact, but Kaleb had survived going into the mine’s deepest trenches; it was what he was known for, a blessed survivor.

But Kaleb did not feel blessed at all, going down meant that when he would see the light again, he might have to deal with the news of the death of whom he cared for. It was a constant anxiety that tagged along his journeys into the deep black soil awaiting to be mined– it also meant that Kaleb had been grateful to find everyone safe at the end of his shifts. Until that day, that wretched day– Historians named this event as The First Divine Retribution, it was described as Hell coming from below. In a matter of days, millions died, and it all happened before Kaleb’s eyes, was it how the higher beings thanked him for his belief and prayers? Was there any justice in this world? Well if no one was going to save this world, he would. He would bring order, he would kill everyone who opposed him– after all, this man now had nothing to lose.

To fight greater entities Kaleb had to become something else, something powerful, something more… 

Kaleb searched all Manvalchan and gathered the greatest minds and most powerful beings he could manipulate to join his cause. He trained from dawn till dusk until his appearance was no longer looking like a man, his hair turned white and his eyes turned into a pure shade of black as if they were absorbing all the light. Various experiments on his body produced something else, but not quite something more entirely, he was only a work in progress; as days passed he became stronger and scarier. It was said that he grew powerful enough to merge continents or split them apart, but not without bloodshed. Wherever Kaleb went, ironically, turned to barren lands with scarlet rivers. To punish the higher beings a greater sacrifice was needed, and nothing could stop that bloodthirsty monster on Manvalchan. Of course, those he sought to destroy did not make a move. How entertaining was it to witness a human, a mere bug, in his delusional quest for vengeance.

Kaleb's vendetta became a game or even a show to watch. He felt it in his bones, he knew it– so when news of the great demon Darun's appearance came to his ears, Kaleb felt ready. Those decades of training, those transformations he endured… it was time to put them to use.

The battle was fierce, it is said that their fight was the reason Roscitan had broken loose from the other three continents. Most of the higher entities rejoiced in such a spectacleuntil things went wrong– Darun, the former great demon of Pride, had lost.

He surely won because the evil spirit's ego got the better of him right? It still amused the higher beings watching, until Kaleb mutilated the devil's body.

First chopping its head then its heart, which he ate. The show turned into a gruesome horror for those watching as Kaleb grew scarier and bigger after devouring the flesh of Darun.

Now the spectators got the message, it was no longer the time to watch, a war was declared.

Valramy the Golden was a major factor in this war, creator of the now-known Valramy Empire– the dragon fought until his last breath to protect humanity alongside three gods and two demons revered in the continent as their main deities.

The Dark Age, it was called. No one is truly sure how long it lasted, the only certainty is that it ended with Kaleb sealed in the Gate of the Seven Hells which was buried later on, some of his remains were believed to be lost somewhere on Manvalchan. His main tomb, his prison, lies below Eswere– Elene's birth country.

After the horrible war was over a young man named Albert De Lys was chosen as a mediator between the deities and Humanity. The ancestor of Elric De Lys who hundred of years later created the Soul Vow.

As of today, the De Lys family is no more, some say they are in hiding while some say they are the warden lingering for Kaleb's return to seal him again and avoid Manvalchan's end of the world.

Or even, the end of everything.

Kaleb was believed to be asleep, but he would sometimes appear in the dreams of a young princess lost in the middle of nowhere.

The blackness of his eyes devoured her whole, his monstrous hands choking her tightly. There was no escape. Even now– even after turning back time, he would still visit Elene's mind, haunt her. 

When she was a child, those nightmares were described as "Kaleb trying to infiltrate the Princess's mind, to take over". Over time Elene tamed the beast, or at least, she was not scared of it anymore.

       Today was her last day at Eric's place, they had been brainstorming how to make the magic gemstone system available for everyone to use. Well, they, it was more a case of Elene guiding the blacksmith's ideas towards his end goal. It was also the day the mage would guide him to the nearest mine site, the Princess had found it in her recurrent nightmare in her previous life. Yes, it was most likely a gem cave that grew out of Kaleb's abandoned flesh, that was her theory at least. And once this is all done, she will take her train tomorrow to Halvahir's school.

"So, this site you say, how d'ya found it? Looks pretty unmined to me." asked a confused Eric.

"It was not buried in the first place."

In both her lives this place was underground with no entrance. The first time around she had searched for this place alone when Kaleb showed it to her. The mage had asked the Emperor Ludwig for a  team to explore a site that could bring a fortune for him, of course, he agreed without a word, nothing to lose in such a deal. But now that it was still buried, and that  “apparently” Ludwig had meddled with this area, she had to find an excuse.

"I ran into a cave here when I was being chased by my father's knights. When I entered I saw a ton of glowing gems that reacted to my powers. When I finally felt safe enough to leave, I buried this place so I could find it later on."

"Just say you don't want to reveal your secrets, Princess. I'm from the area, I know that there was never a cave here." replied the old man with a dry chuckle.

Lying to this know-it-all grandad would not work of course, what was Elene expecting?  She could not hold back the sigh that escaped her lips  but finally decided to reveal a part of the truth to him.

"I saw it in a dream, long ago, that's all I can say. And that is the truth I swear."

"Oye, oye! No need to swear, I trust you." 

The blacksmith was smiling again, good news. It would have been very troublesome to tarnish their partnership especially if Ludwig were to approach him someday.

"I see that your miners have arrived, I'll leave you all to it. Goodbye," mumbled Elene under her breath.

The archmage did not give Eric time to express his heartwarming adieu and left silently. Elene did not want to be overwhelmed by the loud crowd coming in, she hated that. 

On her way back a pair of women were running in her direction, probably to go to the mines. One of them, a red-haired– bumped into Elene and expressed her apologies while visibly crying. The white witch let them go, not interested in unnecessary conflicts. Back at the inn, she started to gather her belongings. Tomorrow Elene will leave at dawn to board the Magic Express train.

"Wait, where did I put my ID card?"