Turbulence and chaos were the hallmark of change. Before change could be effected, there must be rebellion. People were naturally resistant to change, whether good or bad. Everyone was entitled to a difference of opinion. However, it was usually the opinion of the masses that counted. For they made up the bulk of the world. But this wasn't always so. For the powerful could ignore the words of the masses. They could disregard the thoughts and feelings of the entire world even if it meant they were in the wrong. That was the benefit of power. That was the truth of strength. Strength was disregarding. It cared for nothing and no one but the one who possessed it. And it had every right to. For weakness was meant to be trampled upon; to be molded into strength.
The year was 101A; 101 years after the apocalypse. The apocalypse started like any other apocalypse – by human hands. And the prime culprit was the Emperor of Darkness. A man who was also known by the titles Beast Emperor and Death Killer. For he emerged from the abyss men had dug for him with an army so vast that the world above couldn't contain it. He was a man who wasn't a man. He was a being who wasn't a being. He was wrath itself. He plunged the world into chaos, taking back all it had stolen from him in a vengeful pursuit that devastated over half of the world. Half of the world was desolated by his hand. The other half – by humans.
The place was a vast desert; one with no end or beginning. No it wasn't a desert. It was a devastated land. A land smoked by war and strife. So much so that the land couldn't bear life any longer. And only few dared to live upon this land. The few that did however, had grown accustomed to the harsh environment of this place. Their skin had become rough and hardened, and their eyes capable of weathering the harsh dust storms that could consume any other man. The sun had ruthlessly baked their skins, leading to a few cracks here and there. Yet they were alive, and their bodies were now capable of using the rays of the sun for nutrition. Because of this outsiders labeled them differently from humans, giving them the scientific name, Homo novus. But they were popularly known as Photo Humans. Photo Humans were easy to discern because of the above mentioned features. And if one wanted to cross this desert, they needed the help of the Photo Humans. However it was difficult to gain the help of a Photo Human. They didn't trust easily, for humans were cunning and deceitful, and there were many of the human race who had kidnapped and sold Photo Humans after they had been aided in crossing the desert.
"We must be cautious. The Photo Humans dominate this place." A middle aged man wearing a full set of protective clothing coupled with a large transparent helmet that was attached to the main suit via a few shoulder straps was the one who spoke.
"Yes Father," came a slightly muffled yet immature voice. Standing next to him was a young man dressed just as cautiously.
Both traversed the desert with difficulty, using the sharp rods in their hands to propel themselves forward amidst the strong desert wind. Looking at his son struggling to cross the desert, the older man sighed in pity, as his mind travelled back to the times before the world was plunged into chaos. He may look middle aged, but he was over a hundred and fifty years old! He had a long life because he wasn't a human, but an Elemental, and one of the few left.
"Are you thinking about that again?" the young boy asked his father upon noticing the man's distant expression.
"If you had been there before, you would have been thinking about it as well," the older man sighed helplessly.
"Then tell me about it Father," the young boy urged. His father didn't like to talk about those days because of some past trauma. And when they lost his mother, his father became even more withdrawn. The boy was just speaking in hope, but surprisingly, his father obliged.
"In those days the Emperor of Darkness wasn't our problem. Our problem was Pazuzu. And before Pazuzu our problem was ourselves." The man started slowly.
"What do you mean Father?" the young boy impatiently asked.
"Patience young one. I am getting there." The man chuckled in amusement before going on to explain what he meant.
"Before there were humans, we the Three Great Races existed. We fought amongst ourselves and split the earth as we saw fit. And then we came to know that we weren't the first. Before us there were gods, and the vilest of them still remained – Pazuzu."
"Pazuzu was the King of Demons, commanding an army so vast that it took the few kind gods who were left to seal him away. Yet he did break free. And he came after us. But we prevailed. For Son of Light was with us."
"The Son of Light? Was that the Great Light Emperor, Dan the Ancient?" the boy asked.
"No. At the time the Great Light Emperor was the subordinate of the Son of Light. Together with the Twin Elementals of Glorious Victory, the Son of Light and the Great Light Emperor slew Pazuzu. And peace reigned."
"But we made a mistake," the man's voice grew cold when he reached this juncture, and he began to tremble.
"Instead of relishing our victory, we feared the power of the Son of Light. For he belonged to no one."
"How?" the boy asked, intrigued by the story he had known not until this moment. Even the heavy propelling rods in his hands didn't feel heavy anymore. For his intrigue overwhelmed his flesh.
"He wasn't an Elemental that we could claim him. He was no Barbarian that he could be confined to Intersection. Neither was he Ancient, that he should dine with the ones of old. Even though he had affiliations with them all, he could not be trusted. So we schemed and plotted against him until he fell into an abyss so deep that we were sure he wouldn't return."
"Bu he did. And when he did he wasn't known the Son of Light anymore. For the abyss had purged the light in him and had broken down his Spirit to that of Darkness. With an army of beasts by his side he waged war, and he wiped out our strongholds. He chased after us and destroyed the entire world to get what he wanted. All who stood in his way perished. Even the Twin Elementals of Glorious Victory tasted defeat at his hands. If not for those three – the Great Emperor of Light and the Twin Elementals – we would have long been wiped out."
"And we are still hunted to this day. All because we were too stupid to make the right choice."
The man seemed to have aged a few more years once his story was finished. The boy who had never heard this story couldn't help but feel a bit of disdain and disgust towards his race. He hated the Emperor of Darkness. And if not for the Great Emperor of Light and the Twin Elementals, the three Great Races would have longed being wiped out. And though he still hated the man, he felt the respect he had for his race quickly extinguish. For they had brought this upon themselves.
"And that is why I didn't want to tell you. I don't want you to lose the respect you have for your race because of this. For if you think a bit more deeply, you can understand just why they thought it best to rid themselves of the Son of Light."
Suddenly the world fractured like a glass panel, and everything returned to darkness. The eyes of the one who beheld these things fluttered open, and she hastily escaped the confines of her bed. Her entire bed was soaked with sweat, her clothes weren't spared either. Her eyes were filled with panic, and her frame shook greatly like one plunged into a pool of iced water.
"What was that?" she mumbled shakily. "I have never had a vision so clear before"
"What is it Matriarch?" a tall dark skinned man hastily entered the tent with his sword drawn. His eyes were full of alertness. He had rushed in here carelessly because for the first time in his life, the one he served was disoriented. Her aura was so disorderly that the elements of the world were in turmoil, and the strong storm that churned above was the result of this.
"I had a vision," the Matriarch of Ancients stated as she tried to take hold of her emotions. Her aide frowned when he heard her. The Matriarch was one who never lost her cool. She was an Oracle, so naturally visions and prophecies were her daily bread. Even when she saw the vision of her son's path, she wasn't shaken so. Whatever she saw must have been devastating.
"What did you see Matriarch?" the aide asked.
"The End," she replied.
"The end?" her aide asked in confusion, not comprehending her words as she wished he had.
"The End of everything," she replied as her aide helped her to sit down. Her words shook him, and he finally understood just a tiny bit of what she had experienced. Even he was slightly quivering hearing her words. How she was able to remain this contained after witnessing it herself was beyond him.
"By whose hand?" he asked stutteringly.
"One called the Emperor of Darkness."