Storybook - Eutere's Records
- Contents -
For the frustrated Elyos Daevas
Chapter 1: Atreia at the Beginning of Time
Chapter 2: Advent of the Balaur Lords
Chapter 3: War against the Balaur
Chapter 4: Peace Offering for the Balaur
Chapter 5: The Epic Cataclysm
Chapter 6: A New World and Sanctum
Chapter 7: The Danger of the Abyss
Chapter 8: For Elyos Daevas Whose Survival Depends on their Battle Weariness
For the frustrated Elyos Daevas
Today we were again attacked by the Asmodians. Everyday live in Ereshuranta consists of continuous, bloody battle. It's only natural that you begin to doubt the meaning of it all after a cycle of short deaths and resurrections.
"Why do we have to keep fighting the Asmodians?"
"Wouldn't life be happier as a human who can just die?"
You already learned the answers to these questions a long time ago at Tempere.
Elysea can only continue to exist if we destroy the remaining part of Aion's Tower in Asmodea. Otherwise, the field around the Broken Tower becomes too weak as it continous to consume Aether.
But of course, people start to lose their positivity once they're pulled into the maelstrom of war. It becomes more important to achieve victory and protect the fortresses within our realm.
Some people may only fight the Asmodians because of their deep seated instinctual dislike for them.
What with their gruesome hook-like nails, black wings, and the manes across their backs.
They don't look anything like the humans and Daevas Aion created in the beginning. That's why there are some who say we were chosen by Aion while they were cursed by him.
Even for Daevas who cannot physically die, war takes its toll. Each time you wake up at an Obelisk or experience great pain, a Daeva's soul takes damage and their conviction marred.
They become gradually frustrated with the endless battles and it becomes a force of habit. What Daevas don't need is a cause expressed in flowery words but instead a goal that is worth fighting for.
As one who has experienced this kind of battle weariness long before you, I, Euter, want to give you some advice.
You have to find your own reason for fighting.
If we look at what has happened in the past, it becomes clear that the Asmodians who taunted the Balaur and caused the Epic Cataclysm have received their punishment in the name of the five Empyrean Lords, while the Elyos are meant to be the only true rulers over Atreia.
Chapter 1: Atreia at the Beginning of Time
Many thousands of years ago, the omnipotent Aion created Atreia. It was a beautiful world of warm light and abundance that Aion bestowed upon us.
Compared to the two broken halves we see now, it was a flawless land - perfect and a place where all beings lived in peace.
Back then, it wasn't just the humans living in Atreia. The Balaur and the Sapiens lived there as well. Even though we don't like to admit it, the strongest fraction back then were the Balaur.
But the humans were different in one crucial thing. That was their faith in Aion. They lived under the light of Aion and their faith was absolute.
While the Balaur and Sapiens were only interested in surviving, the humans built temples and offered songs of praise, living as Aion wanted them to.
The remaining temple ruins in Verteron and in other places all over Atreia are proof of that.
Chapter 2: Advent of the Balaur Lords
The Balaur Drakans were bloodthirsty from the beginning, always hungry for more authority. With their overwhelming physique and their great weapons, they were able to overpower the humans and Sapiens, but even this didn't satisfy their hunger for more.
They started to fight each other, everyone wanting to be better and ruler over all the other Balaur.
To become rulers, the Drakans tried to push the abilities of their bodies and minds to the limit.
They believed that if they only had greater power and greater intelligence, they would be able to rule over their own. In the end, a few Drakans started to ascend. Over time, more and more Drakans turned into Dragons.
Dragons and Drakans were completely different from each other. The dragons had wings and larger bodies and the changes in their abilities were beyond imagination.
Especially the Five Dragons that took the place of the Balaur Lords dominated the other dragons with their superior abilities.
But even though they now had great abilities and authority, their ambitions didn't falter.
After a while, they began to covet Aion's power.
Their only aspiration now was to absorb Aion's unlimited power and reign over all of Atreia completely.
Chapter 3: War against the Balaur
The humans tried to stand up against the Balaur who wanted to topple Aion, but they just weren't strong enough.
They died at the sharp claws of the Drakans without being able to do so much as scream, and the Balaur Lords turned whole villages and cities into oceans of fire with their cruel magic.
But Aion didn't forsake the humans. In his stead, he sent us Twelve Empyrean Lords to stand against the Balaur Lords. He also created an Aetheric Field that the Balaur couldn't enter and where the humans would be protected.
Inside the field, the humans were safe but they were still not able to avoid the war.
The Twelve Empyrean Lords blessed the humans so that they would be able to stand against the Balaur. Blessed humans would sprout wings and be able to freely use the power of the Aether inside the field to fight the Drakans.
Humans who were blessed by the twelve Lords were called Daevas and trained to create an army.
The humans inside the field would serve Aion and the Twelve Empyrean Lords, while the Daevas fought side by side with the Lords against the Balaur.
Since Daevas didn't age or die, they would never find relief from the burden they carried on their shoulders.
The day all Balaur were finally perished would have been the day the Daevas received their lives back, but the Balaur numbers were great and the Balaur Lords strong, so it seemed this dream would never come to pass.
While a thousand years passed, the battle itself never changed.
The humans still were safe only within the field and the Balaur were still trying to overthrow Aion and steal his power.
So some of the Empyrean Lords realized that they needed to find another way.
Chapter 4: Peace Offering for the Balaur
Lord Israphel said that the war had already lasted 1000 years without any side claiming ultimate victory. He stated that it wouldn't be any different for the coming 1000 years as well.
Even though Daevas didn't age or die, they were still in danger of being exterminated and had made many sacrifices over the years. He came to the decision that what the the humans and Daevas needed was peace.
The history books contain accurate accounts of the moment Lord Israphel, who hated the Balaur Lords more than anyone, spoke those words.
The other eleven Lords stared in shock and bewilderment. Just a moment later, Lord Aspel's scream pierced the silence.
"Are you crazy? How dare you speak of peace with the Balaur! The souls of Daevas who risked their lives fighting to eliminate the Balaur for 1000 years are watching us! How can you propose to let those heretics that deny the sacredness of Aion live?"
But Lord Israphel didn't waver at the sound of Lord Aspel's words.
"Think about why this war started in the first place! We never wanted to eradicate the Balaur. It was always about protecting Aion. Do we have to continue this war for another 1000 years, see all the Daevas die until neither Daeva nor human is left to be with Aion? Will you be satisfied then?"
The last words of Lord Israphel convinced Lady Siel. As Guardians of the Tower, those two were the leaders of the Empyrean Lords and the other ten had to follow their decision.
Even though the humans were suspicious of whether peace with the Balaur was even possible, they were also hopeful that this long war might finally find its end.
Chapter 5: The Epic Cataclysm
The day of the peace treaty was bright. All preparations had already been completed several days in advance.
When the Balaur approached the place of the meeting, Lady Siel and Lord Israphel lowered the Aetheric Field for them to enter. As promised, the Balaur Lords came empty-handed and unarmed.
Every single step of the ceremony proceeded smoothly.
But the shadow of darkness slowly crept its way forward. The eyes of Lord Aspel and his followers told the story of how they believed the treaty to be an insult.
Lord Aspel moved quickly and struck down Balaur Lord Beritra.
At that precise moment, chaos began to unfold.
Pregion, head of the Balaur Lords, bellowed in anger and spread his two arms. A bright flash of light that was utterly blinding was followed by a giant roar.
The very next moment was hard to believe - Aion started to crack and slowly break in two.
Mesramtaeda, Ereshkigal, and the other Balaur Lords started to attack the Twelve Empyrean Lords and the Daevas beside them. But even that only lasted a moment.
When the Tower of Eternity shattered completely in half, the flow of Aether from out of the Tower turned into a maelstrom.
Amidst this chaos, Lady Siel and Lord Israphel gave all their might to raise the Aetheric Field again, and in so doing, safely evacuated the Daevas to the South and North of Atreia.
Chapter 6: A New World and Sanctum
We found out later that the humans and Daevas who were sent to the South of Atreia encountered a better fate than those in the North.
Even though Aion's light has weakened, the light that came from the outside was still enough for the environment to continue on without much change.
But in the aftermath of the Epic Cataclysm, many places were destroyed and cities disappeared completely.
The humans and Daevas were thrown into confusion, but Lord Azariel and the other four Empyrean Lords encouraged them to rebuild and restore Atreia to its former glory.
Over time, villages and cities were slowly constructed and crops farmed that matched the new environment better.
The pain was not completely forgotten, but the people were slowly able to leave the tragedy of the Epic Cataclysm behind.
I was born at that time, a time where everything after the Epic Cataclysm was new and had to be rebuilt.
For me, there had always only been Five Empyrean Lords and the Tower of Eternity had lost its light. I had never seen the Tower unbroken and Atreia as one, so to me those were only legends of yore.
However, there was something I witnessed that made my heart race. That was when all of Atreia was safe and Lord Azariel ordered a new shelter and capital to be constructed.
After the construction was complete, many people gathered. Then Lord Azariel and the other Lords appeared. Lord Azariel thanked the humans and the Daevas who had built 'Sanctum'.
He said that this was an historical moment for new Atreia.
Lord Azariel and the other Lords raised their arms high and slowly started to rise up above Sanctum. When they reached the highest place, the city became enveloped in a brilliant aura, shining the city in a beautiful light.
Chapter 7: The Danger of the Abyss
When we first discovered the Abyss, we praised it as Aion's providence. We thought it was a place with abundant Aether and resources.
But now the Abyss just feels like a giant curse to me.
When we started out to explore the Abyss through the tower fragments, we all were full of hope.
Many Daevas disappeared during the exploration, but we expected these kinds of sacrifices when discovering and exploring new territories.
Until the thing with Deltras and the Legion of Storm happened.
This is the incident as recounted by one of the Legion of Storm's survivors.
We had entered a strange place through the Abyss and found out it was the Northern part of old Atreia. It had turned into a dark and barren place, and the people living there had changed as well.
Deltras had tried in vain to return back home when he suddenly happened upon Lord Zikel.
Lord Zikel told him he would send him back if he would only curse Lord Nezakan, but Deltras met his death when he cursed Lord Zikel instead, trying to protect the pride of the Elyos.
Many of his men died alongside him but some were able to escape. But only a few of them managed to return to Elysea.
It came as a great shock to us that the other half of Atreia was still alive beyond the Abyss, but an even greater shock would follow soon.
Lord Baizel discovered during his exploration of the Abyss a Protector of the Artifact who told him of the Abyss' secret.
The Abyss was another dimension, created by the Aether of the remaining Aion pieces, but was quickly using up Aether in the process.
That meant that one of the halves of the Tower of Eternity had to be completely destroyed or otherwise Atreia would perish completely.
Chapter 8: War for Survival
After Lord Baizel returned, the war against the Asmodians wasn't about revenge anymore.
Now it was a battle for the survival of Elysea and the Elyos.
We started to build fortresses near the tower fragments that were connected to the Abyss as well as on the large floating islands.
But it wasn't just us who were preparing. I don't know how they acquired it but the Asmodians had the same information we had and also started constructing fortresses.
Then the actual war for the destruction of the other half of the Abyss Tower started.
But that wasn't all.
The Balaur we had already forgotten about over the years appeared in the Abyss as well! The old archenemy that we had fought for some 1000 years was back.
Just as the Asmodians had changed, they were different from what they used to be as well. They joined the fight, no matter if it was against Elyos or Asmodian.
Now the war was even more chaotic than before.
If we don't kill the enemies surrounding Atreia from all sides, we will be responsible for endangering our own existence.
Just as the twelve Empyrean Lords once taught us Daevas to fight against the Balaur, the Elyos and Asmodians are training Daevas to fight against each other.
Both Elyos and Asmodians blame each other for the Epic Cataclysm and think themselves the true rulers of Atreia.
But as of right now, neither Elyos, nor Asmodian, nor Balaur for that matter, are able to claim ultimate victory. The precarious balance is constantly shifting back and forth.
Who might win on the battlefield of survival and resentment?
