The atmosphere around Zandor quickly grew somber. They had warded off a great threat only to be given a deadline for a planet destroying threat. The eyes of many grew dim, and the arms of parents – fathers and mothers alike – that held on to their babies pulled the children tighter into their bosoms. What era had their children been born into?
"There is no need to fear," Butler Fin's voice comforted. "You have the Brute King with you. And I will not be leaving anytime soon. And there is another God with me – a lightning god. It was he who liberated the South some months ago."
Butler Fin was quick to let the people know that there were three gods still living and breathing on Zandor. Indra was a god few people knew about. But the Southern Empire was familiar with this man. For more than half a year ago, they were subject to the power of the Dark Lord. And no one knew of their pain or their misery. Because the South was detached from the rest of the world, due to the fact that the path that led to it was arduous and difficult to cross, no one knew that the Dark God had been there first. Their Monarch was captured under his dark hand and their entire Empire was his. But someone came in and saved them – a man clad in white. They couldn't see his face because he was hidden from them. The power of lightning that clouded him made it impossible to gaze upon his countenance. But they would never forget that powerful spear which had passed through the heart of their oppressors. Those Divine Servants they had no power against were like crumbs of bread before this man who swept them away.
"So he was a god," The Southern Monarch had a complicated expression on his face when he said this. He was a middle aged man with several creases that dominated his forehead. He was handsome, and his elegance was infectious. He had several strands of grey in his hair and a faint demonic aura was exuded from his frame. His aura was strong yet unstable, dancing around the fringes of a Mid Stage Profound Realmer. Next to him was his son and crown prince of the Southern Empire. He was a spitting image of the Emperor. His long black hair complemented his dark complexion greatly, and his thick eyebrows were like masterstrokes. His aura was not as strong as his father's, but it was more demonic. He was at the peak of the Above Mortal Realm.
"That explains why he knew so much," the young prince sighed and said. And his father nodded his head in agreement. Unlike the other three empires, little was known about the South. Zandor only had one great sea. And this sea directly separated the East, West and North – the Mainland – from the South. It was a turbulent water body, and very difficult to cross. As if that wasn't enough, there were many creatures beyond the strength cap in Zandor that inhabited the sea. Because of this, the South – which was an Island – was isolated from the other Empires. The only path to the South from the Mainland was through the East. For some reason the East had a connection to the South. It was a discovery that was only made known to the East when the Dark God arrived. And that was why the Eastern Empire was able to surround the Southern Empire after the Dark God had taken control over the two.
There were several rumors about the South. Some said it was a land of barbarians. Others said it was full of demon worshippers. And others believed that that it was a land of opportunity. But in actuality it was a land filled with battle maniacs. Those of the South were very talented, and their battle prowess always exceeded their actual wielding level. Unfortunately they hadn't been to the other empires to prove this true.
The Dark God picked the South to conquer first because of their heritage. For the Southern Empire was home to the descendants of the past Demon King of Zandor. Because of that there was a bit of darkness within their hearts. All he had to do was connect to it and bam, they were under his control. Then he left a few Divine Servants in charge by giving them control over the Southern Royal Family and then moved back to the mainland. Unfortunately for him, Alexis sensed that there was something off about the South. Call it intuition, but she was right. She sent Indra over and the Lightning God was infuriated by what he saw. He killed every one of the Divine Servants and broke the Dark God's connection to the South. Then he had Butler Fin come over and fortify the defenses of the Southern Empire.
"So we are descendants of demons?" the young prince furrowed his brows with a concerned expression on his face. Every empire in the Mainland had several kingdoms within it. And these kingdoms were allowed to battle each other as long as the empire was not the focus of any attacks. But the same couldn't be said for the South. The Southern Empire was smaller than the others and was just one large kingdom. However, there was so much turmoil within its borders. The Royal family had been battling the Resistance for more than ten years now. And this was a Resistance led by his own Uncle!
"It doesn't have anything to do with your Uncle's decision to rebel," The Emperor saw right through the worries of his son's heart. He clapped him lightly on back and sighed silently. The boy had been close to his Uncle before the rebellion. And even now, he still couldn't understand his Uncle's decision. All what he knew was that it hurt him badly to see his own family so eager to overthrow one who belonged to the same bloodline as him.
"Humans are fickle, and our emotions untrustworthy. It doesn't matter that we are descendants of demons. Besides the mysterious god in our heads said that demons were also a god clan. If in the past the demons coexisted with the other three god clans, then it means that they were not what we know to be demons." The Emperor stated, but his son only sighed in response.
They lived on an island. Now that they were learning about gods and their past, it didn't make sense to him that only the South was isolated. Why not the North or the West? Or why wasn't the East isolated instead? Did they really live in peace with the others? Of course he kept all this to himself. There was no point in telling his father. But the Southern Prince wasn't the only one hiding his thoughts.
'I am sorry brother. I cannot tell Legend the truth.' The Emperor was stricken with guilt at the thought of the past – and why his brother rebelled.
Legend was too young to remember, but when he was but a year old, his cousin was still around. This was the son of his Uncle, and the boy was four years old at the time. He was greatly loved by the Emperor and his brother who was the Grand Duke in those days long gone. And even after Legend was born, he was pampered greatly. But disaster struck when the boy got lost one day. They searched for him for months, yet they couldn't find him. The Grand Duke wallowed in anguish and pain. And his pain only grew when his wife died from the heartache of losing her son.
The years went by and Legend grew and the older he grew, the more he looked like the Grand Duke's son. The Grand Duke could see his son in the prince, and he loved Legend like he was his own. It was when Legend was ten that the Grand Duke found something out. After cracking down on a smuggling ring he came to find out that their buyers were always from the Mainland. They sold wares and humans alike. And they did this by accessing a secret route to the Mainland. It was then that the Grand Duke discovered that there was a thin stretch of land that connected the South to the East.
This was secret information known only to the Emperor. As for how those smugglers found it, neither of the brothers were able to get the truth out of them. But that mattered little to the Grand Duke for this revelation rekindled his hope. What if his son had somehow been smuggled onto the Mainland he wondered? He brought his suspicions to his brother. But the Emperor thought it unwise to invade the Mainland because of an assumption. The South wasn't as big as the others. He knew this based on the texts the ancestors had left them. As Royalty they couldn't just invade another land. It could lead to war. He had to think for the people also. So inasmuch as he was desperate to seek out his nephew, no matter how silly the lead was, he couldn't do this. But the Grand Duke was a father first before he was a Duke. And the decision displeased him greatly. He who didn't know the location of this secret route knew that there was only one way to get the information. With the smugglers deciding to take their own lives, there was only one who knew the way – his brother. So the Grand Duke rebelled.
"Legion, I hope your father is right and you are in the Mainland."