Prologue

Prologue 

In this world, Skills and Magic are what unite the creatures of Chubrion. Since the day humans and all other creatures evolved into form, Skills were granted to them by the world to help them survive. With each Skill differing from the next, never repeating, neither in the past nor the future. Naturally, those with the strongest and most useful Skills took over civilizations, dividing the land into nations to support their influence and power.

Soon after their creation, nations and tribes plunged into war, ravaging the land, burning forests to cinders, draining lakes dry, and cleaving through mountains that had stood for millennia. Agony and bloodshed swept the land until the world itself could no longer bear the destruction at hand. Only then did the Four Great Gods emerge, as if chosen by the world itself. Wielding Skills unknown to the past, present, or future, they shattered the lands and raised the seas, dividing the world into four continents.

With the centuries-old war ended and the lands divided, new nations and creatures, both humanoid and not, emerged during the peace. The Southern continent was left in a state of eternal summer, dominated by vicious beasts driven mad by the blood that stained the land to its core. The Northern continent was claimed by humanity as they sought the treasures that lay deep within the Ironspike Mountains. 

In the Western continent, where monsters and beings of unorthodox nature remained, a single united society emerged. A paradise of resources and opportunity, where all were welcome regardless of species or intellect; where the notion of equality was truly equal, where belief in higher powers was not out of the norm, and disbelief was equally present.   

Yet the Eastern continent, claimed originally by Elves and Dwarfs, sprouted from the war into a lush continent of forests and mountains. Nurtured by the Sacred Spring at its center, with its calls being heard and followed by Elves of all races. 

The Four Great Gods then vanished from the world, leaving behind a sole prophecy, etched into the minds of all who would come to exist.

“Four Champions, each born to a cardinal continent, will one day arise to save all from the Great Catastrophe and inherit our titles. Through trust in each other despite their pasts will their strength will be beheld—the Cold Noble of the North, Unruly Orc of the South, Great Sage of the East, and the Paladin of the West—four Heroes to bring a new era to Chubrion.”

On the surface, peace reigned throughout the four continents for over a thousand years, with the prophecy left by the Four Great Gods acting as a common interest for the civilizations to be peaceful with one another. Yet that was anything but the case. Without the supervision of the Four Great Gods, the prophecy quickly became a manhunt for the aforementioned Champions. The Elves became divided amongst themselves, all seeking answers and enlightenment from the Sacred Spring and their own ideals. The Humans turned to war against themselves, dividing what was once a united civilization into dozens of countries, with each leader claiming to be ‘The Cold Noble’. 

As unfortunate as they had been in the war, the Orcs became stranded on the Southern continent, surrounded by rabid monsters without intelligence and driven only by their bloodlust. As such, the Orcs remained unaware of the prophecy, and struggled for millennia simply to survive. Yet the Paladin of the West was not sought after so keenly by the citizens of the Western continent, leaving the Paladin to be born freely, unburdened by pursuit. 

But a false peace could only last for so long without punishments and authority. The High Elf Society, known as Ankalen, became fed up with humanity. Their long lifespans let them observe dozens of human countries rise and fall, making the same mistakes again and again. In a single decisive strike, the armies of Ankalen broke the peace and pillaged the Northern continent, laying waste to country after country until only half of the Northern continent remained in humanity’s control.

For a century, humanity fought back, with hundreds of thousands being captured over the years and millions more giving their lives for the sake of freedom. In the end, their sacrifice was not in vain. Under the leadership of the noble House of Bertaut, and with the help of an upcoming Swordmaster, humanity expelled the armies of Ankalen from the Northern continent, finally recapturing the land that had been rightfully theirs and demonstrating to the world that humanity was not to be trifled with.

Alas, not every victory was perfect. Although humanity had won the war and freed many of the captives Ankalen had taken, many more remained in the Elves' clutches. As they fled, the armies of Ankalen brought with them more than fifty thousand captives, including many children, healthy men, and women.

Twenty years would pass after humanity’s victory over the Elves, and the many families who lost loved ones eventually moved on. A new era of peace and development had begun for humanity, but only one man had yet to move on from the war and the loss of his only son.

Ingran Bertaut.