A man in his fifties sat under a tree, naked, while a group of kids raised their hands to question him. The older man gazed at the children, their faces full of life and questions. He pulled out three books in his bag and set them down on the ground.
"What topic do you want to learn today? Magic, history, or forging?"
He smiled after he spoke.
A little girl raised her hand and replied to his question.
"Lorthew, we already learned about magic and forging; I want to know the history of our world."
Many of the other kids concurred with the little girl.
Lorthew took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Sooner or later, you will need to know the history of your ancestors."
The man began to tell the story of this world.
"Once upon a time, the seven princes of hell gathered in competition to create the land of the dead, and each controlled one aspect of the world."
Lorthew activated a magic circle under where the kids were sitting. A flash of light took their sight, and their minds traveled back to the beginning of this world.
They saw seven shadows sitting around a table. Each wore a crown above their head. One of the shadows spoke.
"Lucifer, why did you call to us? Did your sense of pride give up on you and you need our help?"
"Asmodeus, you should hold back your semen—we're all men here."
"Enough with the antics, and get to the point," said another.
"Calm down, Mammon, and listen. I think you'll be interested, and maybe win the prize of a lifetime."
The other shadows began to listen to Lucifer. A moment later, he spoke again, but this time, the faces of the other shadows started to freeze in shock as they heard his words.
Mammon responded in a confused tone.
"Lucifer, you wish to create a world?"
"Yes."
"You know we don't have the powers to create a world, and those filthy Gods will not help us, so how are we supposed to create a world?" replied Asmodeus.
"The demon emperor started the competition of heirs and gave me a certificate to create a world for it. Each of us will have to fight for ownership of this world, so those in agreement with the competition's rulers, raise your hands."
In unison, the shadows raised their hands. Then, a moment later, a question came to Lucifer.
"Do you have a name for the world?"
"Yes, Belphegor. The name will be Erebus."
The magic circle surrounding the kids broke, and the kids began returning to reality; the little girl from earlier asked a question.
"How did they split Erebus between the seven of them?"
"Only the Apostles know the answer to that question."
She then asked another question.
"Lorthew, can you describe the world of Erebus to us?"
"Yes, but listen, for I won't repeat myself.
"The world of Erebus is a chaotic world, where demons consume fire and drink the blood of animals or humans. A moon shaped like a monster's eye that cries rivers of blood records the sins of Erebus. The city's buildings of human skin show the nature of this world; the strong survive while the weak get devoured, but all hope isn't lost. The people of Erebus are blessed with the tree of life, Oleifera. A tree grew in the middle of hell that gave abundant life, and the people of Erebus fought over the tree's ownership. The Seven Apostles of Erebus waged wars for thousands of years until one day, the gloomy weather changed into winds of fire and brought disaster.
"Everything the fire came into contact with perished, and every corner of Erebus burned without end. After the storm, the world got more dangerous. Powerful creatures began to appear, and the people and land began to change. The world separated into four continents—demons inhabited the north, humans the west, magical beasts the east, and undead the south, and Oleifera stood in the middle of the four contents, growing all the while. The Seven Apostles of Erebus once again waged wars, but unfortunately, none of them gained ownership of Oleifera. The world of Erebus began to slaughter itself for food, and Erebus became a world without rules or government; the only rule was to kill and take.
"The demon king began to wage wars on the rest of the world, and the age of battles between the normal creatures began. The humans were the ones to suffer the most—they were too weak, and demons quickly overpowered them. The demons went on a rampage, devouring everything they came into contact with; the world of Erebus became a utopia for their kind as their kingdom grew. The demons conquered the human continent, and the undead and the people of those countries became enslaved. The only continent that survive the onslaught of the demons was the kingdom of magical beasts, as they were more advanced in magic than the rest of the world. One dragon could slaughter thousands of demons in the blink of an eye, and war between them continues until this day.
"This is the land of evildoers and the world of Erebus."
The old man stopped telling the history of this world and looked toward the little girl, her hand raised once more.
"Lorthew, why did the humans lose to the demons? Why were they so weak?"
"Good question."
He began another story.
"Humans were at one time the most powerful creatures in this world, but their greed got the best of them. There once existed a powerful human prince. He united the humans, created a utopia for humankind, and his power was comparable to the Seven Apostles. Still, he was betrayed by his people and locked up in the River Of Forgetfulness." He paused and blinked.
"That's enough history for today. You can head home now."
The little girl asked one last question.
"Lorthew, what was the name of the human prince?"
"Reth Kennedy."