For thousands of years, demons and evil spirits have been roaming both the Demon Plane and the Human Plane. Humans in both planes, would erect temples and shrines dedicated to the gods. They wanted to be saved. Over time, the Human Plane grew more experienced and more knowledgeable of these evil entities. Spiritualists born of innate talent were plentiful and eventually, the presence of demons and evil spirits slowly dwindled.
In contrast, the Demon Plane was stagnant. There were plenty of talented Spiritualist that destroyed demons and even ascended into the heavens. But it simply was not enough to stow the entire might of the demons and evil spirits. It seemed as though no matter how hard the Spiritualists fought, the demons would always have the upper hand.
Out of all the demons and evil spirits that terrorized the humans of the Demon Plane, there were four demons that stood above them all. Demon gods. These four demon gods were so terrible and evil that even other evil spirits and demons feared them. They were powerful and caused great calamities across the lands. They destroyed villages, slaughtered entire families and would do so with a smile. If one was unfortunate to cross a demon god, they could only pray that they would leave with their lives. There were even some humans that worshipped them. Jealousy made them want to rid themselves of a wealthy neighbor, or maybe a local lord prayed for the demise of the neighboring land's lord. People had their own selfish reasons for praying to these demon gods. And their prayers rarely were left unanswered. Chaos was their nature.
Out of the four only two had ever shown their faces in recent times. Demon god Maru and Demon god Nostos. Maru, was quiet but vicious. He wouldn't seek out destruction, but if one person from a village crossed him, he'd destroy the village. If one soldier from a certain kingdom, showed disrespect towards him, the entire kingdom would be annihilated. He mainly kept to himself, but he did desire to conquer the Demon Plane in its entirety. He had already captured the Western lands and was now looking East.
Nostos was less ambitious and a bit more eccentric. His demeanor was laidback, and he destroyed on a whim. It amused him. He would plunder villages and uproot kingdoms if he fancied. Sometimes he would shield his demon form and disguise himself as a human. He would infiltrate castles and bewitch the lord's daughters and sons into betraying their lord fathers. He would pretend to be their friends, seduce them into bed making them become devoted to him. At the end he would crush their spirit. Satisfied with his work he would finally reveal himself to the lords, before killing them and massacring their subjects.
The last two demon-gods were more obscure. They rarely showed themselves and only caused mild corruption across the lands. They would cause plagues and would tempt the people into vile acts, but otherwise avoided total conflict with the other demon gods and the gods of heaven.
With villages and kingdoms coming to heel at the might of these demon gods, lower level spirits and demons could continue their own sordid terror against the humans. In retaliation, the number of Spiritualists would grow, and temples and shrines would also increase. These holy structures would be dedicated to the war gods, the gods of peace, gods of fortune and many other gods. If the humans devoted their lives to worship and prayer, surely their prayers would be heard!
And they were. Reigning above both planes was the exalted Heaven Realm. The Heaven Realm was tasked with overseeing the Demon and Human Planes. Under Imperial Holy Order of King Constantine, the gods looked after the planes and answered the many prayers of the people. Balancing their power in order to protect both planes was not an easy task. And while the Human Plane had finally maintained some semblance of peace and prosperity in recent centuries, the Demon Plane was not so lucky.
The Heaven Realm had just barely remained on top of the power struggle that existed between it and the Demon Plane. For thousands of years, the heavens had fought back the foul creatures of the Demon Plane and war had raged ever since. With the emergence of the four demon kings, the balance was starting to tip in favor of the demons.
Heaven Realm sat high above the clouds and overlooked both Planes. The Realm very much looked like an imperial city. The roads were paved and lined with gold. Palaces and castles stretched back as far as the eye could see. Golden carriages were pulled by horses with wings. The streets were filled with gods of all standing bustling and hurrying to their destinations.
Each god wore different garb. Some wore elegant robes with beautiful designs, while others wore chitons made of light and airy material. The war gods were very distinctive in their attire, as they wore outfits fit for battle. Heavy armor covered their entire person. They wore thick chest plates made of gold and iron. The armor extended to their arms and over their hands there were golden gauntlets. The boots were made of high quality leather and stopped at the knee. Elegant sashes wrapped around their waists while swords were situated at their sides completing their warrior look.
Out of the crowd of bustling gods, there were at least twenty who were all headed in the same direction. The Imperial Palace. The palace in which housed King Constantine was grand indeed. It was larger than all the palaces and castles that surrounded it and heavily guarded. Only gods of a high status could enter the palace of the king.
War god General and right hand to the king, Tasai, was among them. He was extremely handsome. His long brown hair was tied in a high pintail with a silver band holding it in place. He was very tall and walked with such an authority, that other gods couldn't help but take notice. His martial might was great and higher that all other war gods in the heavens. He had an extraordinary number of devotees who worshipped him and had thousands of shrines dedicated to him. No doubt, the reason for his great power. Due to his achievements on the battlefield and wild strength he was often looked up to by the other less ranking war gods. His power was so immense that he was considered one of the strongest in the Realm, second only to King Constantine. Though he was the second strongest, there was still quite a large gap in power between himself and the king. Regardless, he was well respected and feared by all.
Behind Tasai, tailed his two attendants, Enis and Lyri. Enis was a handsome young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was lean and tall and was decorated in golden sashes and armor. His brown hair, much like his master's, was also tied in a high ponytail. His waist had a sword hugging one side while the other side had two daggers hidden under his waist belt.
Walking in unison beside Enis, was his comrade Lyri. Lyri, was a female war god. Female war gods were not exactly rare in the history of the heavens, but since the number of female gods in general had dwindled down significantly, seeing a female war god was still surprising to most. She had long mousy brown hair that fell at her waist. Across her head lay a thin silver band that resembled a small crown. She wore the typical warrior garb, but instead of a golden sash tied around her waist, she wore a pale green sash that stood out in contrast to her armor. Sat at her hip was a saber. It was smaller and thinner than the swords her master and comrade wore, and its color was a brilliant white. It was a gift from her master Tasai, and she treasured it greatly.
Trailing the three war gods, was the god of fertility and prosperity. Goddess was more accurate. Her name was Sarra, and she was extremely beautiful. Sarra was very lean and petite. Her hair was the color of white stone and shone so bright it made her look ethereal as she glided across the marble floor of the palace. She wore a traditional white chiton dress. A silver belt wrapped around her waist and nestled at her side was a small silver dagger. The sleeves of her dress drooped down her arms exposing her pale shoulders. Around her neck sat a thick chain filled with deep blue stones. It accentuated her pale grey eyes. Despite not having various weapons or being known for her skill in battle, she was quite powerful. Her spiritual powers were immense even prior to her ascension. The Spiritualists applauded her spiritual powers and her dedication to her cultivation path. Her shrines were plentiful and even small ones could be found in the rooms of young maidens from remote village huts to grand castles across the lands.
She and the three war gods along with all the other attending gods walked down the wide aisle that led to the throne in which King Constantine sat. Constantine sat at the head of the great hall in his palace decked head to toe in his brilliant armor that shined brightly. The king was devastatingly handsome. He had long black hair that stopped in the middle of his back. Atop his head sat a thick gold crown. It had different rubies embedded into the band. Little ornaments of gold hung from the bottom of the crown and blended into his hair. He looked on at the other gods as they gathered and found spots to stand in.
Next to Constantine, Midus sat in a decorated high back chair inches from his father's throne. He was a handsome boy who retained a youthful face of fourteen. He had shoulder length black hair decorated with a slightly smaller crown, similar to his father's. It had been a couple thousand years since he followed his father and ascended into heaven. Both he and his father had cultivated on the same path of martial arts. Back then, Midus had shown promise at a young age in his skill and dedication toward his path.
The last of the gods had finally arrived in the great palace hall and the large golden doors shut with a bang. Constantine scanned over the small crowd, noting who was in attendance. War gods, gods of wealth, the fertility goddess, gods of education. They were all here.
"Let us begin," Constantine said to the crowd. "I've summoned you all here because we have important matters to discuss. The Demon Plane continues to descend into chaos. We've sent several warrior gods to patrol the plane, but they are met with great resistance."
Tasai spoke up, "My King, our martial unit brings great shame to my sect and the Realm, if you would allow me to help rectify the situation..." Before Tasai could finish, Midus spoke up next to his father.
"…and show the Demon Plane that we have to throw the entire weight of our military strength in order to beat them? It'd make us look weak! Like we aren't capable of beating them. What will the humans think of us?"
Tasai, shut his mouth. He wouldn't argue with the prince, but it was a fact that the demons were growing in strength. He wanted to descend to help push them back and destroy as many as he could before a demon god showed up. Then they'd really be in trouble.
"Hmmmm, my son brings up a good point, General. We need to be careful in how we approach the situation." Constantine's words soothed Tasai. Despite his tone being firm, Constantine was quite soft spoken for a king. He never raised his voice at anyone and instead talked in a very calm tone.
Tasai nodded in agreement and said nothing more.
"Well, what shall we do?" said one of the other gods. Judging by his clothes and the exhausted look in his eyes, he was a god of education. No doubt restlessly answering the prayers of those who asked for guidance on trials and assessments.
Midus rolled his eyes and leaned toward his father, propping one elbow up on the arm of the chair and resting his head in his hand. "What do you think?" The boy looked bored now.
Silence stretched across the hall before Sarra spoke. "We'll have to continue our efforts to push back the demons and spirits, for now." All eyes landed on Sarra. She rarely spoke at these meetings so naturally everyone was curious as to what she wanted to say. Even Midus straightened in his chair.
Sarra continued after a beat. "We have been fortunate that none of the demon gods have shown themselves. And with one missing, we still have the advantage." Others nodded in agreement.
"My concerns lie with the Human Plane. After listening to the prayers of some of the Spiritualists there, it would seem that some strange events have taken place."
The other gods present began to murmur amongst themselves. This was not news to them. Almost everyone there had heard similar prayers whispered from members of their former sects and it caused great concern.
Constantine rubbed his chin while deep in thought before he spoke. "You speak truthfully, Sarra. With the demon gods scattered, we don't have anything to worry about for now."
Tasai spoke up. "Yes, yes. There is still hope. There used to be five demon gods, but now there are four, thanks to our great war goddess Aegris. May her soul find eternal peace."
Aegris was one of the great war god Generals and a close friend of Tasai. She fought in a one on one battle with the fifth demon god, before being gravely wounded. Gods are immortal and can heal from most any wound, however, against a demon god, she ultimately could not recover. Regardless of her fatal wound, she still managed to land a critical hit on the demon god and after her passing, Constantine, who had also been fighting on the battlefield dealt the final blow to the demon, destroying him.
"And currently one of the four that's left, has gone missing…Nostos…." Tasai continued as he folded his arms.
Enis, who had been intensively listening the entire time, finished his master's thought. "Nostos has been missing for many years, the other two demon gods have hidden themselves away like cowards, which only leaves Maru. We are in good standing, when you think about it."
The other gods present hummed in agreement before Constantine spoke again.
"Agreed. We have nothing to fear. As Sarra said, we need to focus on the Human Plane for now. The strange events she mentioned, indeed, have concerned me for a while now. I have already begun to look into the matter."
Several gods raised their brows in surprise. For how long had the king been aware of the anomalies in the Human Plane? Sarra thought to herself and furrowed her brows. Then she said, "Your Majesty, what shall we do on the matter?"
Everyone looked at the king. He flashed a small smile and said, "Do not worry yourselves over this. I have already sent some who are very capable in investigating the Human Plane."
Sarra and some of the other gods had already noticed several gods were missing. This was not at all unusual, however. Some gods patrolled in Demon Plane or went off on missions designated by the king. But who had the king sent to investigate? And what did they find out? Sarra frowned and met Tasai's eyes.
After a few more announcements the king concluded the meeting with his usual declaration, 'May the heavens prosper!' and dismissed everyone. The gods filed out of the palace returning to their duties. Tasai, turned on his heel and walked hurriedly to catch up with Sarra. Enis and Lyri followed their master and walked a few beats behind.
"Sarra…can we speak?" Tasai said as he caught up to Sarra outside the palace doors.
Sarra nodded in agreement and the two ducked to the side of the palace a distance away from the doors and prying ears. Enis and Lyri, lingered at the great palace steps scanning to make sure no one got too close to Tasai or Sarra.
"Is this your first time hearing, His Majesty, sending spies to the Human Plane? How could he not tell me, his general?" Tasai looked incredulous.
"Yes, this is the first I've heard of such things. His Majesty, knew about the strange fluctuations of demonic energy in the Human Plane. There is likely a strong demon residing there, and the humans are all in danger. I can't fathom how he could not tell us such a thing."
The two stood in silence for a moment, before Tasai sighed and shook his head, seemingly coming to his senses. "Maybe His Majesty has a plan. We should not be worried, it'll stifle morale and make it harder to focus on the task of beating back the demons and spirits of the Demon Plane. The king's job is to lead, and ours is to follow."
Tasai bid Sarra farewell and walked toward his two attendants who were patiently waiting. Sarra wanted to believe his words, but dread began to fill her mind and heart. She started to have a bad premonition.