As Zeus died out and Persephone was lost, Hades and Hera had their own mishaps within Pretoria, which brings us to the current day.
Hades Tower, also known as the Flame Core, has been home to awakenings of equal level of the old Goddess Amaterasu, which is thought to have died of old age after her reign in Pretoria.
The awakenings themselves game birth to a man named Kire, who isn't really known outside of Pretoria. His standing in Prism left him with an Anonymous Identity, and he goes by 'The Unheard Of'.
The Unheard Of man eventually made it into the political office of Pretoria, around forty years ago, and is the youngest member. His physical age remains low thanks to his magical ability, but he's around fifty-five this year.
His magical ability to summon mana out of monsters and command them at will keeps an eternal wall around Pretoria. He's able to track anything and everything that goes in or out of the city and has been the reason he's so good at stealth. He's had several missions conducted against him in hopes of bringing him down, but Kire is slowly returning Pretoria to the nation it used to be under Amaterasu.
Pretoria is in a strange place: Between the brink of a devastating collapse, and the brink of prosperity for ages. What stands between that is Kire's Rule.
Turning back to the Ether Families of Pretoria, one family that used to serve under Amaterasu has been training for the moment it takes to turn over the city and push Kire out of power. The single man who holds the most promise is Ken Pretoria, grandson of Clio Pretoria.
Ken holds the purest, unmixed form of Pretorian Genes. Ken is believed to be a man who could've rivaled Amaterasu in all-out combat but has never had the chance. Ken can use abilities that were only exclusive to Amaterasu, but the reason he could compete is because of the Ether element infused into his Genes. Ken was a weapon of war that Kire wanted to seize, and because of that, Kire stole the mana out of his body, leaving him with only the Ether element.
Ken fled the city in hopes of finding somebody with a high enough mana supply to compete against Kire, but without excellent control over their abilities, they too would lose to Kire.
While roaming halfway around the world, Ken got word about two new people summoned to Erinautis, just as Lolofaruba and Henry were summoned a long time ago. Ken wanted to meet one, in hopes of getting them to help out with his long-lasting battle with Kire.
Ken soon met with one of the Heroes by accident, and once he witnessed the kind of person he was, he realized it was a perfect match. A man who wasn't bloated by his job as Hero, a man with feelings, yet the capability to do what's necessary no matter what's on the line, I had become the Hero that would be able to save Pretoria.
Ken knew that I wouldn't be able to ditch my duties as a Hero in the part of the world I was summoned, so he took a risk. It was a stupid one, but it respected the wishes I had. Kire would run free in Pretoria until I got ahold of him. It worked out, as Kire was never aggressive with his power, but he certainly held quite the tight grip over the people in Pretoria.
And that's up to date.
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"I had no idea so much happened... and those names, Amaterasu, and Amaterasu II, I wonder if Ama is related to them at all. I'm sorry I can't help free Pretoria just yet, Ken." I told Ken. He leaned against the wooden deck by Teru's small cabin and sighed as Fuki, Ipa, and Ruby were talking about something.
"I do want you to know, that no matter what happens, I'll be by your side to protect you. And, wherever our journey brings us, I trust that you'll keep me safe as well." Ken told me. I was honored by his thought, but it put a heavy pressure on my shoulders. I guess this was part of being a Hero, or, should I say, The Demon Patriarch.
"Papiya never fit into that history, where does she come from?" I asked Ken.
"No clue, but her and Zeus were step-siblings. It happened somewhere, but all of the Pretorian history I know doesn't involve her." Ken explained. He sat up from the railing and looked at Fuki again.
"If I helped Fuki and was in his party, I don't think we would've won against Zeus. What are you thinking?" Ken asked me with a smile. It was a bad joke, but I couldn't help but smile.
"I think I would've lost too. I'll admit Ken, you've proved to me that you're essential to whatever operation I have going here. But, may I ask something? It's a theory I had ever since you brought up Kire." I asked Ken. He nodded, and I began.
"You want me to go through with Papiya's Game, to get that Pretorian DNA in my body. Is that because Kire can't control Pretorians? Otherwise, wouldn't he have just controlled the entire city?" I asked Ken. He put a finger up and nodded.
"I knew you would catch on. That Memory Lock Game, whatever Papiya has for us, could be a huge step forward. It'll make you more powerful, and it'll make you immune to Kire's control. It's a landmark we can't miss, at least, not in my eyes. If we were to leave to go get you more elements, or whatever it is that you want to do, we would miss the Pretorian DNA and you would be put under control, just like the monsters around Pretoria." Ken explained to me.
"Dammit... then, we can't miss it. I understand, we'll go through with the game. Is the city all set to be rebuilt without our influence?" I asked Ken, turning to Teru's front door.
"Probably not. Most of these lazy shitheads won't do anything, but, we've done all we can. We must move forward now. We can't linger around Fukinima. Nice name by the way. If we linger around here, we'll become involved." Ken mentioned to me.
"Then, it's time to go play Papiya's Game." I said.