Chapter Text
Before heaven and earth were woven, there was only stillness.
And within its silence beat the Mother-Goddess' heart.
From her blood flowed rivers and seas,
from her flesh rose mountains and lands,
from her tears blossomed the stars.
Lonely, yet filled with love,
She shaped two children from her soul.
They forged mankind in turn:
The Solarians beneath the endless sky,
The Selenians within the earth's deep embrace.
Yet mortals yearned for more than life.
They sought a guiding hand, a sacred light.
The Solarians called for a gentle sun,
The Selenians for strength against the dark.
And so were born the eternal guardians:
The Phoenix of Life,
And the Dragon of Death.
But what was forged to guide mankind became the spark of an age of blood and fire.
- Archives of the Underground
…
The Crimson Demon is dead!
Through the two realms, the news spread like wildfire. In every corner of the world, voices rose in celebration. Songs echoed under the fierce blazes of lanterns, laughter poured from taverns, and the scent of spiced wine filled the streets. People feasted and danced, intoxicated by the fall of the monster they had long cursed.
The tale of the Sun Palace's final siege was performed in every village and capital—its scenes reenacted in theaters and sung by wandering bards, embellished with every retelling. In both allied lands and enemy camps, the people rejoiced as one.
The bloody queen had been torn from her throne, her heart ripped out, her body fed to dogs.
On that fateful night, the noble families—long divided by ambition and pride—united in their hatred to deliver one final blow.
"She killed thousands of her people! We will make her pay!" they cried. "She is no goddess. She is evil incarnate, and evil must be vanquished!"
Then, ten years passed.
Fifteen years.
A hundred years.
Generations turned to dust, and the memory of the Crimson Demon became myth—twisted, vilified, feared.
Her story, once sacred, was now forgotten.