Long, long, looooong ago, far beyond the Age of Ascendants and the mythical era of the gods' extinction, there existed a time when all things lived as one. A time of peace, a time when all creatures bowed to the Old Gods.
It didn't matter who they were: humans, vampires, elves, even the prideful draconic race. All of them showed reverence to the ancient laws, to the old religion that governed the very essence of their existence. Even the demonic race, fierce and defiant, could not go against it. But…
That all changed when HE appeared.
On that fateful day, when the ruler of the Old Gods was slain, the sacred pact was shattered, and chaos consumed the world.
The gods were invincible, not merely because no one had the courage to challenge them...
No.
They were simply too powerful. No one could dare to contend with them. No one could even grow powerful enough to ascend to the immortal realm. And so, they grew complacent. After all, they were gods—immortal, untouchable...
...Or so they thought.
A time came when a god—or rather, a madman—dared to defy the divine order. Legend has it that this entity, who bore the moniker of the MAD GOD, was one of them. He was like the others—a god, a being created to be worshiped. No one knows why he did it. Not even the myths or the stories whispered to children held the truth behind his reasons for bringing about the end of the old religion.
But...
In the ancient tomes, hidden deep within forgotten catacombs, there lies a single line, a whisper of the past, that reveals a dark secret. It is said that the Mad God embarked on his killing spree because of a single sentence—words uttered by Zeus, the ruler of gods, in a drunken stupor.
Those words… they enraged the Mad God so much that he killed Zeus on the very spot where those cursed words left his lips.
And thus, chaos erupted in the immortal realms, sparking the downfall of the gods. It was an opportunity that even the demons seized without hesitation. But just like the old gods, they, too, found themselves unaccounted for in the end.
What really happened to the demons and the Old Gods in those ancient times? What did the ruler of all gods say that was so grave it drove the MAD GOD to slaughter thousands of his kind? Was it connected to the sudden rise of the Ascendants?
Or...
Was this all a fabricated tale, a carefully constructed lie to conceal the darkest secrets of time long past?
Perhaps... perhaps not.
No one truly knows—not even the Oracle, said to be the last piece of Eden in the immortal realm, could unveil the truth. Or... perhaps... there was something more at play... Something to do with a certain...
Villain...
---
"I answered your question, so it's only fair you answer mine," said the voice, its tone smooth yet insistent.
To this, Samael—or rather, Eren—narrowed his gaze slightly before conceding. "Fine. But I will also ask a question in return. Agreed?" He spoke, his mind racing to make sense of what he had just heard. Something felt off. If his memory served him right, Eren shouldn't have such consciousness within him, not in the game. There had been no mention of this.
He had some idea of how Arael ended up here, but THIS? This was beyond him.
"...Fair enough. My question is, what are you, exactly?" the voice asked, genuine puzzlement evident in its tone.
"Come again...?" Eren blurted out, struggling to grasp the meaning behind the question.
"I asked, what. Exactly. Are. You?" the voice reiterated, emphasizing each word as if it were a nail driven into the truth.
"...Human, I think," Eren responded, forcing himself to his feet. Though it was still noon, staying any longer would be to his detriment. As the sun set, things would likely take a turn for the worse—a situation he hoped to avoid. His pendant could only protect him for so long.
"...It can't be. It's just not possible," the voice whispered in disbelief, clearly struggling to comprehend the bizarre situation.
"Why? Do I not look the part?" Eren asked, teeth gritted as he staggered towards the nearest tree for support.
"It's not your physical body... It's your soul," the voice murmured, fading slightly. Eren, who had just managed to stand, froze in place, focusing intently on the words. "I sense it so clearly... two souls, yet one at the same time... It makes no sense... It's as though both souls are... REPLICAS."