The world was a dark empty void of nothing as several Gods pondered what they should create. Then, life was created. Humanity formed while millions of magical creatures roamed the newly formed world. However, when humanity started fighting over territory and religion, the Gods had to step in. One of these Gods was named Aeonian; they were the Ruler of Everlasting Creations and Blessings.
Many of his followers begged and prayed to be chosen by their God, but Aeonian chose a young man. This young man had no wealth, no family, and no high status - he had nothing. Yet, he was chosen by God Aeonian to create an Empire that overflowed with pure magic and riches. He was the very first descendant of Aeonian - the First Rising Sun of the Aeonian Empire. As he descended to the throne after being blessed by their God, Aeonian gifted his descendant five of his loyal subjects.
God Aeonian's loyal subjects were five mythological creatures that obeyed his words without batting an eye. "My loyal subjects would become yours now," He told his descendant with a smile, gesturing to the creatures that transformed into their human forms, "Bestow them new names and make them your disciples - you should never abandon them." His descendant looked at the humanified creatures, taking in their features. They were absolutely breathtaking.
The disciple that stood out from them was a man - he was the Shadow Dragon, one of the most powerful and dangerous creatures that appeared in countless folklore. A Shadow Dragon was a creature that had the highest magic efficiency which was the closest to a Demi-god's magic, making them the predator amongst other races. Shadow dragons were known to have imperious and destructive personalities, giving them a dark reputation. They possessed magic known as Dark-Divine Magic; it was one of the rarest yet darkest magic to ever exist.
"I bestow you the name Asael Malefic," Aeonian's descendant told the dragon with a confident yet friendly smile, holding his hand out to the handsome man for a handshake, "May I pray that you'll accept your bestowed name." The dragon stared at his hovering hand for a moment before accepting it, firmly shaking it with his head bowed. "Asael means 'God has created' and Malefic means 'supernatural harm and destruction'," He explained to the dragon before beaming, "It fits you well!"
Then, he turned to the woman standing next to the dragon. The second disciple was a beautiful man who had an alluring yet dangerous aura emitting from her. It was a Vampire; a creature who possesses the ability to control flowing blood inside any living organism. It was known for its mischievous and predator-like behaviours when blending in with its prey. The vampire looked him up and down with a playful smile, snickering when he got flustered.
"Ahem," He cleared his throat with embarrassment before repeating his gesture to the woman, "I bestow you the name Nyxia Astrid. May I pray that you'll accept it." The woman hummed happily, taking a liking to her new name. She shook his hand with a smile. "Nyxia means 'night sky' and Astrid means 'divinely beautiful and strong'," He told her with a sheepish grin.
As he released her hand, he turned to the third disciple. It was a tall man who stared down at him with icy eyes, his face devoid of emotion. It was a Winter-Luask; a creature known for its exquisite ice abilities and hunting behaviours in cold harsh conditions. This creature tends to stray away from warm climates and makes the frozen mountains their territory. It was an extremely hostile and blood-thirsty creature to its prey and enemies. "I bestow you the name Ivalo Brumous," He told the man with a strained smile, feeling a bit intimidated by him, "I pray that you accept it."
Silently, the icy man glanced at his trembling hand and huffed slightly before accepting it. "Ivalo means 'the powerful one' and Brumous means 'wintery, foggy, and sunless," He explained to him as the icy man bowed his head to him in gratitude. Then, he faced the fourth disciple. It was a gorgeous woman. It was a Siren, a creature who lured unexpected people and creatures into the ocean with their voices before devouring them alive as they drowned.
Sirens were cunning creatures that made other races stray away from the oceans, causing the Sirens to feel proud of their cruel behaviours. They always snatch their prey when no one pays attention, making them one of the most dangerous creatures among the disciples. "I bestow you the name Meridia Venetus," He told her with a small smile, "I pray that you accept it."
Excitedly, the siren accepted his hand and shook it with a bright smile, catching him off guard. "Meridia means 'sea nymph' and Venetus means 'a deep blue colour'," He revealed with a small chuckle, finding her excitement refreshing. He glanced at the fifth and last disciple, who was a tall muscular man. The said man clicked his tongue in annoyance and glared to the side.
He was a Fire Demon and a high-ranking one as well. Fire demons are infamous for their temper and sadistic yet stubborn personalities. They were merciless when it came to slaughtering humans and smaller creatures. They were ignorant of themselves and taunted other species for their own sick entertainment. Bitterly, he frowned at the fire demon, recalling the horrid things he heard about them. However, he had to admit that this demon was quite attractive.
"I bestow you the name Seth Lychnis," He stoically told the fire demon without offering his hand to him, in case he got harmed by him, "I pray that you accept it." Irked that the human didn't give him the same hand gesture, he grabbed his hand and shook it with a heated glare. It was like he was scolding the human for his unfairness. "Seth means 'appointed' and Lychnis means 'fiery red roses and gemstones'," He revealed to the fire demon, who frowned but accepted his new name.
As they officially became his five disciples, God Aeonian retreated to his realm. His descendant wasn't surprised when he noticed that the five disciples were slightly wary of each other due to the bloody history that their species shared. However, they weren't childish enough to start a fight amongst themselves because of that and tried their best to cooperate. Ever since then, it's been several decades and the Aeonian Empire grew steadily and more powerful as time passed.
By the time the First Emperor was in his seventies, he only had five children. As he lay on his deathbed with his five disciples - who didn't even age - surrounding him, he smiled and made an oath to his God, forcing it to be written as his last words,
'No sane fool shall touch or think of forsaking my five disciples in any manner. If such a fool exists and dares to sin against them, the Aeonian Empire will fall in the Demon King's hands.'
None of his disciples wept when he took his last breath after making that oath with a smile. The entire empire fell into sorrow, mourning the loss of their beloved yet blessed Emperor. His eldest son, who just turned twelve years old, became the Second Rising Sun Emperor of the Aeonian Empire in history. As the young prince prepared to get crowned as emperor, an internal political war formed under nobility that wanted to control the young boy for their own greed.
Alas, blood and agony decorated the roads when the Five Disciples slaughtered the threat from behind the curtains, erasing thousands of people's existence from history. The prince was utterly unaware of the bloodbath that the internal political war created and only knew of how the five disciples kept the Empire in order while creating their own lineages with their spouses.
When the prince's coronation arrived, he declared the five disciples as 'The Five Aeonian Grand Duchies', giving them noble statuses and land to continue their own lives. Hundreds of nobles protested against this news, fearing that meant that the newly formed Grand Duchies were candidates for the throne. However, fearing for their lives, they bit their tongues and lived in silence.
When the first descendants of each Grand Duchy were born, the Second Emperor celebrated the wonderful news with a week-long banquet, inviting several neighbouring kingdoms. The kingdoms from across the continent came to congratulate the Grand Duchies for getting their first descendants. Some ambassadors were fools when they thought that they could ally with the Grand Duchies. The Grand Duchies made it very clear those fools through bloodshed to show that they had no interest in betraying the Aeonian Empire. From that point on, the Grand Duchies grew in power and no one sane dared to lay their fingertips on them, until...