“In the heat of any battle, victory does not come from simply defeating your opponent or following a set of orders and regulations. Victory comes from upholding what you believe in, facing any odds to make your stand known to all sides. Balance between the heart and thought makes the difference between unchallengeable freedom and complete defeat.”

~The Dancing Queen, 20xx

“War. Anarchy. Rebellion. Destruction. And as of now, no salvation.”

“That… is the state of things, of the world that we know. Ever since the Vulfax Valley Incident, attentions have again been set outward, seeking a conflict, seeking something to blame. The chaos in the air started by that minor rebellion has paved the way for much more to render out. The VVI, an incident that would see the return of old evils from a struggle that spans back eons.

A hundred and sixty thousand years ago, in their time, their war began. Two races of people upon the world of Sillith- the Lightonians and the Dharkanians, each with the power to control the energies of Light and Dark respectively, each with the ability to command and control their world. Light was good for enhancing the minerals of the land, yielding better crops and abundant food. Darkness would be able to expedite and purify materials in the grounds for rich mining of resources. From these two abilities came different cultures, different values, different views on… enlightenment; and from that came the conflict as two sides clashed.

A war fought for eons of their time, one to never be forgotten by those who learned to halt their aging by this use of energy. Grudges were never forgotten with the reaper not taking them from time. And as time went on, things only grew more dire. With the development of new magics, new curses, it was inevitable that at some point space-time would be breached, and controlled. With the breach the war spread to other realms and quickly influenced others.

Those that aligned with the ideologies of the Lightonians joined their side, while others joined with the Dharkanians. Earth in particular saw the enslaved humans of early Earth join with the Light, seeking freedom from the Vampiric forces that had taken root. While the war did come to an end at some point with a Dharkanian defeat trapping them on Sillith, things did not end there. More civilizations began to learn the ways of the Celestial River and draw energy from it, and from that energy new magics and weapons were developed.

Disaster struck easily, with kingdoms essentially nuking each other. The despair that could be felt from that impact, the loss of tens of hundreds of thousands… perhaps even millions. From the desire to prevent further loss, the Aether Confederacy was founded by the Lightonians as a means to bring new kingdoms and realms together as allies, backing each other, protecting, assisting.

The Aether Confederacy spread like wildfire for some time, despite its flaws becoming quickly visible. Corruption, pride, greed, something to be expected from all long-lasting politics. And now following the attacks of the Dharkanians after all these years, and the rise of other threats such as the Vampire Rebellion under the Vampire Lord Arkaza, the long-standing Confederacy has fallen into trouble. Nations breaking away, attacks on allies and neutrals alike, and yet the Parliament of the Confederacy only debates and argues about the actions to take.

The last ten months have been nothing but unrest. The Lightonians on the hunt for the returned Dharkanians, the Vampire attacks, the politicians freaking out about their hired mercenaries letting these enemies slip through the cracks and make the order as a whole appear weak. Chaos is now the order of the day for most… though there are certainly those with voices who refuse to let this continue. One voice in particular is determined to do what they can to stop this anarchy from spreading, refusing to let the suffering they endured from the Vulfax Incident to spread.

That one voice may be destined for greatness, or perhaps they are destined to fail. All that can be said though is that they have peaked my interest. Months ago they broke from the norm, leaving the Lightonians and the Confederacy behind to find a brand new calling- determined to make a difference, determined to be so much more than what they were in the life they lived before that incident… where she will go, no one knows.

This… is the story of-”

Written by:

Alexander Stormsong

Art By

Sonmie

Aureolinflax

Clyxryn

Benny B

Sponsored by:

Frost Storm Productions