Rising to Fall

Chapter 5-9

At this time, the beginning of history, there was one who came upon this world. Although he did not create it nor the living things within it, he took humankind under his care and raised them as a species, educating them in many things. They prospered under his care and he taught them to look after and protect the world they were in. With the help of his elite army, he also taught them how to protect themselves from the wild bears and lions who often invaded their villages. But with this knowledge, humankind discovered that they relished war.

As humankind rose up against each other, he feared that they would try to gain his favour to use his elite army against their enemies. He tried to put a stop to the conflict but it grew and flourished. After much debate with himself, he cast a deep sleep over his warriors and locked them away, hiding them from the world. He shut the door and secured it, determined that no one will exploit his army and use it to destroy all of humankind.

The appointed time was nearing for him to leave and return to his home. He gave the Key to the vault of his hidden warriors - which glowed with an inner light - to a group of twelve friends, Guardians, entrusting them with the task of protecting it and his warriors from the chaotic world. He taught them many things in the remaining time he had and then he left, never to return. The friends banded together, making an oath to protect the Key with their lives and souls.

For many years, the friends succeeded in hiding the Key and the very existence of the elite army from the world. But this was not meant to always be the case. One grew angry with the divided nature of humankind and wanted to use the army to reunite the world. The others disagreed, promising that the forceful take-over he was suggesting would only further the war. Arguments broke out among the friends, growing more and more heated as time passed. Finally, they saw that he would not change his course, instead being fixated on the idea of 'reuniting' but they feared he meant to rule. They became desperate and so broke the Key.

By fate or chance, the Key broke into twelve pieces. A great groaning filled the air and the Pieces flickered, their inner glow fading. Eleven of the friends grabbed a piece each and said their final goodbyes, scattering far away from each other. They each found an empty land and raised an army around them, tasked to protect the Piece and keep it a secret from the world and, most importantly, to not let it fall into the hands of the twelfth, the betrayer.

The twelfth took his own piece and made his own army. With his army, he scoured the land, searching for the Pieces to reunite them and gain access to the vault of elite warriors. For years he searched and was unsuccessful. As the generation died out, the Pieces were passed on to the next and as each leader of the armies rose, they all took the same oath as the first, to protect the Key and the Pieces with their lives and souls, keeping them safe from the world and from the betrayer. And the leader of the betrayer's army vowed to retrieve the Pieces at any cost and to reunite the world as one.

One of the original twelve tasked his army with another pledge: to make sure that the betrayer never gained enough power to take over by their own might. This army risked their lives time and time again and their Piece to remain close to the betrayer's army. War ignited almost instantly and for years, perhaps centuries, battles raged between the two armies. Both became strong and while they were both caught in the war, the other armies scattered, fading into history and society until they were almost completely hidden from the betrayer's army.

Yet some were still found and were crushed under the betrayer's army, some being destroyed until not a soul remained, others staying together but losing the knowledge of their oaths and so the Piece over the years. But now the vast space between the Guardians worked against them as the others had no knowledge that the betrayer's army was slowly gaining more and more Pieces.