In the beginning, the world was composed of two races.
Humans and demons.
Good and evil.
The righteous and the villainous.
The light and the dark.
Yet, it is pointless for either light or darkness to exist on their own.
They are counterparts to one another.
They mix and blend to create contrast.
Without light, the world would be filled with nothing but a pitch black darkness. There would be nothing but emptiness and void.
Without darkness, the world would be blinded as if a flash bang had gone off, permanently burning into the eyes of all who witnessed it.
But when light and darkness combine, an image is formed.
An image with color.
Light is shined onto such an image and the vibrant colors will brightly present themselves as appealing to the eye.
People are drawn to the light. They wish to see things clearly and without obstruction, and so they love that which the light produces.
However, the people have forgotten one thing.
With every light in this world that is shined, a shadow is produced.
And so, the humans and demons begun as the light and the darkness.
They were two opposing forces who were destined to face each other.
Yet somewhere in the process, a glimmer of light shined over from the humans to the side of the demons, and in turn the darkness of the demons cast a shadow upon the humans.
The world was no longer black and white.
There was no longer a side of good or a side of evil.
It became such that there were only different shades of grey.
----
Even before experiments were performed on the beasts of the land, there existed seven demons who led the demonic realm.
These demons were known as the seven hosts of sin.
These seven hosts were sought out by the seven origins of sin, each of which honed in on a demon which exhibited a particularly large amount of a certain sin.
When a demon exhibited an excessive amount of a sin, they would be selected by the origin as the host of that sin. The seven hosts each formed their own household among the demonic realm to rule over the people.
Among these seven households, they were distributed between the four branches of demons.
Spirits. A type of demon which was ethereal in nature and possessed powers to disturb the state of the soul.
Demonic Dragons. A type of demon which took the features of the scaled beasts of legends. These beings held the ability to transform from their natural humanoid forms into actual dragons, however this transformation was not their natural form, and as such took a toll on the magical reserves of these beings in exchange for destructive power.
Elementals. These demons had bodies which were primarily composed of magical energy, similar to spirits, however this energy has a root in the natural elements of the world. The elementals had split further into those of the earth and those of the sky, such that there were two completely separate elemental cities- the city of ice, and the city of magma.
And finally, Devils. These demons are the traditional demons which take the forms of fallen angels.
These four groups were split after a great war thousands of years ago among the demons where the leaders of all four factions each had a claim to be the true 'Demon Lord'.
The fighting continued for hundreds of years, yet the spirits dropped out of the race at some point. This left the remaining 3 factions to continuously battle for dominance.
Yet they were unable to make any progress.
It was a complete stalemate, and these wars were pointlessly distracting the demons from making any progress.
After hundreds of years, these wars came to a conclusion with an agreement.
"There will be no demon lord. Among the seven hosts, three will be chosen as the monster kings."
With heavy reluctance, the three factions agreed to this, and as such the position of monster king was created.
There would never be a single Demon Lord.
There would only ever be three monster kings who held equal power, and four other hosts who held slightly less political power.
At some point, three monster kings lead invasions onto the human realm, which led to the construction of the walls in the Empire during the period of demon and human battle.
Yet they were unable to ever come to any true agreement.
Even with the position of the three monster kings being established, each of these monster kings held the ambition to become the one and only Demon Lord.
And so, they sabotaged one another.
They prevented each other from being able to take over the human realm, until eventually coming to a peace and ceasing all attacks.
From that point on, the demons retracted back to their fortresses and ruled over their respective areas, free of worry and without conflict.
The lineages of the 7 demon households were continued throughout the generations, and they determined those who held power within each of the nations during intermediate periods where there was no Host.
Among the Devils, the houses of pride and wrath.
Among the Elementals, the houses of envy and greed.
Among the Demonic Dragons, the houses of gluttony and sloth.
And among the Spirits, the house of lust.
Since the establishment of the peace, these households rarely convened in meeting with one another. They stuck to their respective domains and did not meddle with those who were outside.
An attempt to take over the smaller humanoid villages would be viewed as a breach of the treaty, and so any attempt at annexation would be met with retribution by all other parties.
Yet right now, at a round table that was made from the blackest of marble, sat seven beings.
Above them a demonic chandelier was lit, and the flickering flames cast light upon the faces of each and every person sitting at this table.
Surrounding them was a mansion.
The Gothic walls rose high above the group, and the stain glass windows did not allow any light through.
For even though it was the middle of the day, on the very edge of the world there was a permanent night.
The planet which this world was set on had a peculiar orbit around it's star.
It would orbit the star at a lightning fast speed- once per day.
The day and night cycle created in the world was not created because of the spinning of the planet around it's axis, but rather due to it's revolution around it's own star.
Furthermore, the rotation around it's sun made it such that the sun would rise in the North, and set in the South.
Therefore, in the Westmost corner of the world, there was no sunlight.
Just as the sunlight never reaches the North pole during the winter, so too this place was an endless land of darkness.
Sitting at the head of the table was a demon wearing a suit of pure white, with a red tie.
This demon's skin was a dark shade of indigo, and his elongated horns swirled around like a rotten tree branch.
His hands were tipped with pointed claws, and veins seemed to bulge out of him creating a matrix across his body in every spot which his skin showed.
His shoes too were as white as his suit, and he sat with his own hands folded, a look of clear disgust in his eyes which flickered back and forth between the others present at the table.
"Never in my life would I consider running to a single person here for any form of assistance.", he stated in a proud and haughty tone. "Yet here I am. For the sole reason being that the contract which our forefathers agreed upon has been breached. This is a matter which I could solve on my own, however it would break the contract which we have formed to take action without holding a proper discussion."
Without so much as flinching or lowering his posture the demon spoke.
His hair was a lighter shade of purple and it spiraled around his head like a hurricane, one which was perfectly styled in such a manner that one phrase would come to mind when they gazed upon it.
Controlled chaos.
The pitch black fangs which peeked out from the mouth of this demon were 2 inches long, and as he spoke and closed his mouth one of his fangs pierced into his own lower lip, causing a drop of purple blood to slide down his own chin, dripping onto the pure white suit of the man.
Looking down in horror, the man took out a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed the stain with clear irritation before wiping off his own mouth.
His eye seemed to twitch with annoyance as he looked up to see the reactions of the others.
Sitting to his left was a demon with bright red hair which was spiked up in such a manner that it almost appeared to take the shape of a fire, though with sharper and more spiked flames.
This demon, who's skin was a darkened orange, wore a black suit which didn't seem to fit someone of his personality.
On his face was a childish yet destructive excitement, and his legs were plopped onto the table such that the entire group was witness to his bright green sneakers.
His hands were behind his head as he relaxed with a smile.
The demon shifted his own position, glancing at an expensive golden wristwatch on his left hand.
"Do we gotto have this long discussion for this, Huberos? I got a date in an hour and I'd prefer not to be late. She's a feisty one and I don't really feel like being the subject of HER wrath."
The demon with indigo skin responded to the frivolous behavior with a hateful glare.
"Silence, Vex. Know your place at this table. You are second to myself, and you will not refer to me by my name so casually. And remove your filthy feet from this table before I remove them from your legs."
Closing his eyes with a chuckle, the orange demon, Vex, smiled and complied with a chuckle.
"Alright alright. Got it, Hube. But what do you all think? I just got these new kicks. Pretty nifty, aren't they? What do you think, Lustia? Think she'll be impressed?"
"It is interesting that you have directed such a question to myself. You are a daring fellow. What do you think would occur if I were to charm you and have you follow me back to my own fortress? It would certainly be interesting to see the face of this date after she witnesses you head over heels for another woman."
Responding to the orange demon was a woman who's skin seemed to be white as the snow. She wore a plaid baker boy cap which accented her sharp eyes and long eyelashes.
Her sharpened fingernails had been painted a blood red, and they ticked as she ran her fingers across the table with a seductive smile.
Her lipstick was bright red, painted perfectly along her mouth with just the right strokes.
This woman wore a shortened dress which had a similar plaid pattern and loose sleeves. On her feet were black shoes that looked to be a mix between boots and sandals, the wires wrapping around her legs like the criss crossed pattern of a fence over the white stockings which she wore .
She was gorgeous beyond words, and her smile contained enough charm to make any man fall to his knees.
"Haha... don't joke like that, Lustia. If you do I might just take up that offer and have hell to pay for it.", Vex responded while glancing down at his wristwatch. "So? Whaddaya think of the shoes?"
Placing her elbow on the table and using her feminine hand to hold up her flawless head, the woman closed her eyes in satisfaction.
"They are interesting. I do not dislike them."
"See? I told you, Hube!! They'll stun the ladies."
The indigo demon rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"How troublesome it is to gather like this. I am here to discuss a serious topic and yet here you are speaking of your stupid looking shoes."
At this statement a vein seemed to burst in the head of the orange demon.
"Stupid?"
"Yes. Stupid."
"Hey Hube, I've never really tried to challenge you over the position of king, but if you're gonna make comments like that I might just have to challenge you."
"As if you could defeat myself. Know your place. Pride is above wrath in all affairs, with class being the first and the last thing which will always render myself above you. A barbarian like you would not understand."
As the indigo demon talked he dragged his demonic hand across his head in a swirling fashion while looking into a pocket mirror, ensuring that each individual hair had stayed in it's place. While he said this, his other fang pierced his lip causing blood to drip once more.
With another look of disgust he quickly retrieved the handkerchief and wiped the blood from his mouth before it could drip onto his white suit.
"I suppose I need to file these. They've grown too long and are causing me issues now...."
"Hey.... Don't just throw me aside like that, Hube. If you're looking to fight then look me in the eyes."
"And you quit calling me by my name, or by that horrendous nickname which you've mustered up in that idiotic mind of yours."
At this statement the orange demon kicked back his own chair, standing and ready to fight, yet the words of another sitting at the table resounded throughout the room.
"Could you all shut the hell up? I've been trying to sleep this entire time and you won't quit it. If you're not gonna get to the point then I'm leaving. I'm too busy to attend this meeting if you aren't gonna get anything done."
The low pitched yet somewhat enchanting female voice caught the ears of all as she spoke, for it was a truly rare thing for this person to even leave her home, must less take part in conversation for a meeting.
The very fact that this woman spoke up was surprising in of itself, however it showed the people in this room her clear displeasure with the stagnant situation.
This person was a demonic dragon. Her bright magenta armor was made from her own scales, which covered her body. Red spikes tainted the shoulders and waist of her armor, and white fangs seemed to circle around the neck attached to the armor in decorative fashion.
Her face was that of a human, though covered in scales, and her lime green hair seemed to take no pattern as it draped across her entire face, covering most of it.
This woman was currently resting her head on the table and looking up such that her eyes barely peeked through the hair which covered them, however everyone present could sense the clear irritation in her tone when she spoke.
Nodding, the indigo demon reached into his own pocket.
"It is as Apathia says. I have called you here out of respect for this treaty, and it is not the time to concern ourselves with petty matters. Sit down, Vex."
The orange demon seemed irritated for only a moment, but that irritation soon blew away like a candle having been put out with a quick breeze.
His own calm smile returning he fell back into his chair, kicking it back up with his own foot before landing in it.
"Sorry Apathia! Didn't mean to disturb you, after all. Let's get this meeting started."
"If it will let me get back to relaxing I don't have a problem."
The girl seemed to tilt her head so that she was now laying with most of her own body on the table, resting on her hair like a pillow and keeping one eye opened.
"So? Why have you called us here? I would like to hope that I will gain something from this."
The man who spoke this time was a middle aged man who seemed to be formed from molten rock.
Wearing an outfit that was made from quartz, he seemed to be wearing what looked like a kingly robe and a tophat made from the black gemstone. He even held a cane that seemed to have been crafted from a black metal and tipped with an enormous pearl.
His body which was made from molten rock seemed to ooze with lava, and his youthful face was contrast to his wealthy demeanor.
"More important than gaining something for ourselves would be preventing anyone else from gaining more than us.", said the woman next to this man.
A being of flames.
This woman's hair, unlike Vex who's hair only resembled a fire, was made from literal flames that formed a zigzagged ponytail. Her dress too seemed to be made from fire and her skin appeared as if it was made from a permanently burning molten rock.
"My oh my. Indeed, we will never agree on that fundamental principle, Envidia.", the man of molten rock stated with a chuckle.
"We will not, Avarco."
The two seemed to agree to disagree, looking towards the man who had called the meeting for him to continue.
"Wait."
The rough voice of a man seemed to pause the ever stagnant progress on the meeting.
"Where is the food? I only came because you said that you would be serving dinner. Is that on the way?"
The man who spoke was yet another demonic dragon, this one with scales which were a deep navy blue. He wore armor similar to the other dragon though this one in a different color scheme, and his own face was clearly represented as his bright blue hair was short cut.
Two purple horns could be seen protruding from his head through his own well cut hair, and he sat with his arms folded, staring down the indigo demon who was leading the meeting.
This man had a large build, but he was not overweight. On the contrary, he was very muscular.
"The food is well on it's way, Gormand."
"Then we can wait for it before we start."
The indigo demon reached into his own pocket, which he had tried to do before he was interrupted, and shook his head, speaking firmly.
"No, we will start now. You may eat to your hearts content when the meeting has concluded."
The dragon seemed to grit his teeth but nodded in agreement.
"Fine. Start already."
And with that, the hand of the indigo demon exited the pocket of his white jacket, and out of it came a purple cloth.
Laying this cloth out on the table like a professional waiter who could perfectly lay out the cloth on the first try, the symbol which the cloth bore was presented before the seven.
In the center of this cloth was a demonic hand which held a heart in it.
This heart, which had it's very lifeblood being squeezed out of it as it splattered around the design, had the map of the world shaped into it.
Huberos placed a demonic finger on this flag with the utmost seriousness in his expression.
"A group calling themselves the antiheroes have appeared, and are taking over city after city. They are a threat to the treaty which we have upheld for so long, and as such we must destroy them."