In the beginning, there was Erasmus. It was just Him in the great nothingness. Needless to say, He grew bored and lonely, so He created angels, His children. He built them a glorious place to live called Adonia. He loved them all. They filled a void in his celestial heart, and he knew what is was to love. They inspired Him to create the universe. Great galaxies, solar systems and planets soon filled the void where Adonia didn’t exist. He called it the material plane. He and the angels lived on the celestial plane and visited the material plane as He instructed.

One planet on the material plane was His favorite; Earth. He took special care when He crafted it. He let the rest of the planets develop life at their own rate. He didn’t care what happened to them. But Earth was special. He carefully planned what species would develop on that little rock leading up to his crowning achievement: Humans.

Humans were made in His image and were promised eternal bliss in Adonia after they died if they followed His rules. If they did not, they would be sent to Nuria to burn for all eternity. The angels thought this was fair. Why, they had to follow their Father’s rules as well so they wouldn’t be sent to Pyralis for penance, or worse, Nuria if they still didn’t listen to their father. They watched over the humans as instructed. They guarded the innocent, performing miracles when asked and watched them from Adonia through the Perception Pool.

However, the angels soon realized that no humans were coming to Adonia when they died. Even the purest of heart were sent to Nuria because, “They did not deserve it. They were not pure enough to live in Adonia. Deep down, they were still sinners, only masquerading as kind humans.” This was the reasoning Erasmus always used, and to some of the angels, it was starting to become an old excuse.

One angel, Laximus, was furious at his father. How could He promise His precious humans sanctuary and peace when He would never truly give it to them? Lying for centuries, giving humans false hope. Laximus decided enough was enough. Xaria, the oldest and most loyal of the angels urged Laximus to calm down and trust in their father. He refused, and gathered every angel that agreed with him and started a rebellion against Erasmus. He led the charge with the only weapon that could possibly hurt Erasmus, the Blade of Darchella. Formed in the pits of Nuria, it could erase any celestial being from existence. Even Erasmus.

Brawls broke out between the angels; those who agreed with Erasmus and with those who demanded change. Ultimately, Laximus lost. Erasmus was livid. He proclaimed that all of those who aided Laximus in his rebellion will be cast into Nuria. Laximus, however would pay the ultimate price. As He was about to strike Laximus down with the Blade of Darchella, Xaria, Erasmus’s favorite angel stopped Him. She begged him to spare Laximus, and, because it was His precious Xaria, He listened. He snapped the Blade of Darchella in half and chucked it down to Earth, and banished Laximus and his rebels to Nuria for all eternity.

From that day forward, Erasmus kept a close eye on all his children, never allowing them to do anything without His permission. Adonia morphed from a beautiful haven to an oppressive prison. Xaria, who was still the most obedient and loyal to Erasmus, lost hope. Her beacon of positivity dulled into flickering candlelight. She still performed miracles when asked, and did as she was told. But she who once filled her days joyously staring at the Perception Pool, pairing humans together, no longer cared.

Everything changed when she met Cadence.