To say the human realm is a hotpot of different things is an understatement itself. Before the Human Realm was called as such, it had a relatively simple history.
Historians, Archaeologists and everyone who dabble in the field of history have agreed that the earliest form of history dates back to the Age of Gods. But despite this, the very foundation of the Human Realm is all thanks to the hegemony of the Moon Empire. Their long-standing and prosperous history paved the way for future civilizations to thrive and grow.
It is also thanks to the Moon Empire that the people of this era could get a glimpse of historical evidence of the Age of Gods. The Moon Empire passed a lot of its customs and culture to the future generation. One most notable is the tale of the Hero.
Some experts hypothesized that an era that is older than the Age of Gods existed. But the proof of this cannot be found.
The period that the Empire reigned supreme is called the Golden Age. But suddenly, any forms of records after this period were wiped like a torn page in a notebook. Nobody knew what happened. There was a blank period in history and after that, the Dark Era emerged.
The Dark Era is a terrifying time of history, in today's standards. The world was sucked of all Energy. Any forms of Energy Manipulation ceased to exist. Creatures who relied on these energies to survive slowly died out and what remained is a peculiar world without mana or qi.
Things of normalcy were treated as a fantasy rather than reality. The people forgot of their origin and heritage as they settled into a life of "reality."
But what they lack in fantasy was compensated by science and technology. Humans remained at the top of the hierarchy all because of these. Devices that did not require the aid of mana or qi dominated the era. But surprisingly, the legacy of the empire lived through the era.
It was a relatively peaceful time. But this sense of safety shattered when the fantasies they thought to be unreal came back. The world is suddenly flooded with copious amounts of energy. This sudden spike decimated half of the population who could not adapt to the energies introduced to their bodies.
The other half struggled against the natural disasters caused by the influx of energies. Earthquakes split the earth, Storms covered whole continents, fires engulfed countries and waves swallowed the land. In over a week, the face of the world drastically changed.
But the ones who returned did the most damage. Creatures thought to be legendary and of myths took back their rightful places. The goal of these creatures of fantasy is to exterminate the entirety of the human race, leaving them the only dominant beings on the planet. This looked like another scenario of the Age of Gods.
All of the people mourned for their inevitable doom. The population is powerless against all the damnation that is headed their way.
But when the people thought that their end is nigh, 10 individuals wielding extraordinary powers emerged. Those people singlehandedly drove away hordes of dangers that threaten humanity. They became the guardians and protectors of humankind. Those 10 were the first ones to be able to use the gift of nature once again.
As though the heavens were smiling upon them, not only those t10 were granted abilities. Soon, people of different kinds stepped out to protect humanity alongside them.
And when humanity sufficiently recovered from all the tragedies, it is now their time to declare war. With the 10 individuals acting as vanguards, they swept away every obstacle that came their way. With their burning desire for revenge, they carved a bloody path to ensure the survival of the human race.
It was hell. Of the measly amount of humans left after the initial disaster, it dwindled to frighteningly low amounts. But for every human life lost are multiple enemies slain under the fierce assault of humanity. The war is reminiscent of the ancient battlefields told of the Age of Gods. Literal rivers of blood would be formed, or perhaps clouds made of blood would litter the skies. Some battles changed landscapes while others rendered the land uninhabitable.
A bitter struggle for humanity but in the end, they won. Through the countless efforts of valiant individuals, humans have managed to reign supreme once again. Humanity has once again proven their resilience no matter the adversaries.
This period marked the beginning of the Age of Humanity. And after the war, heroes were given due respect and the survivors celebrated. But the most notable change is the shift in society. People now lived in an era they thought to be just fantasy. As powers unimaginable for them are now within their grasps. What this entailed can only be observed throughout this era.
Of course, the 10 heroes of humanity were given of utmost honor. The 10 were granted the title of Pillars. Their prestige soared through the roof as the rest of humanity worshipped them as guardians. As the first ones who stood up to protect the human race, such honor is to be guaranteed.
The following years are a series of various ups and downs. As their quality of life improves, so is the threat looming over them. But 'til this day, humanity stood firmly as the ruler of the realm, and hopefully in the future.
***
Closing her book, the girl heaved a sigh of content. No matter how much she read of the stories, it still left her in awe towards all of the tales of the brave heroes of humanity. Checking the time on her phone, she noticed that she's alone in the library, save for the librarian.
"Breaktime's almost over," she muttered. "Time to head back." As she's heading towards her classroom, she noticed a particular white-haired guy. The guy's engrossed playing mobile games that he forgot about the time. Having been raised by upstanding parents, she decided to notify her classmate of the upcoming subject.
She picked the obvious method of tapping his shoulder to get his attention but when her fingers made contact with him, she froze. It came out of nowhere but she felt something, it was dreadful. Her heart started racing uncontrollably as her knees trembled beneath her. A heavy dose of nausea hit her as she held herself from throwing up her meal. Thankfully, she still has full control of her bladder.
From what she's experiencing she could deduce the cause of her reaction. She felt fear. Unprecedented and the most primal of fear. Her mind screamed at her to run far away from the teen but she cannot. Her body made her unable to do so. She could feel the grasps of death choking her in place.
'I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.' Thoughts of her eventual death flooded the deepest part of her mind.
The teen finally noticed the somewhat cold hands touching him as he exclaimed, "Look at the time, thanks for reminding me." He then took off with his face still plastered on his phone.
As soon as the teen departed, the dreadful feeling vanished like it did not exist. Her racing heartbeat gradually found peace. She leaned on the side of the wall and took a moment to reflect on what happened earlier.
"Who?!"