Warning: This part isn't the beginning of the actual story; rather, it provides background information about the world, primarily through a myth that explains its creation and the gods involved.

"In the beginning of time, two beings embodying opposing forces coexisted in peace: Light and Darkness, a goddess and her malevolent counterpart.

Within the void, they wandered aimlessly, savoring the timelessness as best they could.

This existence continued for hundreds of thousands of years, until one day, a third entity emerged. This being, without form or purpose, appeared from the emptiness, carrying with it an artifact that would later be known as "The Forge of Infinity."

Despite the arrival of these two new forces, nothing changed — for there was no cause for conflict in a realm without desire. Yet, weary of the isolation, the goddess of light, Selene, began to seek connection with her companions, who simply ignored her.

This period stretched on for centuries, until, for no apparent reason, the third entity abandoned its existence, igniting itself and merging with the Forge. In doing so, it kindled a flame that would serve as the fuel for the beginning of time and the cosmos.

When the universe finally emerged from the Forge, Selene, though devastated by the loss of one of her companions, found herself captivated by the cosmos. She dedicated herself to the creation of worlds and stars from the matter that surrounded her, using the sacrifice of her fallen friend as her inspiration, even if her feelings were solitary.

As Selene shaped the universe, the deity of darkness, Caligos, who had previously remained indifferent, began to feel an unsettling envy. The brilliance of Selene's creations and the light radiating from them overshadowed his own existence, stirring emotions he had long kept hidden.

Unaware of Caligos' true feelings, Selene believing that her former companion was finally warming to the idea of friendship, extended an invitation to Caligos, asking him to join her in completing her grand creation.

Seeing this as an opportunity, though he harbored a strong, unexplained resentment towards Selene, Caligos accepted the invitation. However, instead of helping her, he cautiously stole part of the flame that originated the universe and refused to help her, planning to create his own world, thus overshadowing Selene and the cosmos.

However, even after eons, his goals did not come to fruition. The universe created from his darkness could not compare to that crafted by Selene's light.

Day after day, Caligos' dissatisfaction grew steadily. Meanwhile, Selene became increasingly fascinated by the universe and its creations. Soon, within the vast ocean of light and prosperity created by Selene, a world was born, along with beings that, in some way, reflected the image of both gods: humans.

In stark contrast to the universe birthed by the Forge and Selene, the cosmos born from Caligos' greed also gave rise to a new world. However, to his disappointment, this world appeared utterly barren at first glance—merely a lifeless rock enveloped by darkness and an immeasurable void.

Unable to cope with his failure, Caligos' envy towards Selene's creation grew ever more. If only he could steal what she had made...

That was the thought of the god, before realizing that if he could not possess that world, what was the purpose of its existence?

After finally acknowledging his mistakes, Caligos made a decisive choice: if he could not possess what Selene had created, he would ensure that no one else could either. From that moment on, he grasped the true purpose of his existence: if Selene embodied goodness, then he would embrace his role as the ultimate embodiment of evil, the complete antithesis of her light.

Caligos abandoned his ambition to create a world as radiant as Selene's and instead turned his attention to crafting something capable of annihilating all that she had built. Although he could not directly interfere with her realm or his own due to the nature of the Creation Flame, Caligos skillfully manipulated his creation to spawn a new species: demons. Beings so corrupt and savage that their mere presence could taint even the most pristine lands.

As millennia unfolded, under Selene's guidance humans flourished, creating societies founded on principles of equality and respect. In her realm, the absence of malevolence fostered a peaceful coexistence among all beings. Conversely, Caligos' domain was steeped in corruption and despair, where the evil that humans lacked thrived unchecked.

With time, Caligos grew increasingly emboldened, plotting his first move against Selene. He understood that to undermine her creation, he must introduce corruption into the hearts of humanity. His initial act was to forge a connection between his dark world and Selene's radiant realm, setting the stage for his insidious influence to take root among her people.

Knowing that sudden actions could alert Selene to his true intentions, Caligos chose to bide his time. With the bridge established, he merely had to wait for the demonic beings of his world to notice it and begin crossing over. Thus, greed would finally seep into the human world. What would later be known as the "human essence" would merely be a corruption imposed upon them by Caligos.

The human communities, which could once be counted on one hand, became vast centers housing thousands of people: cities. Though they still lived peacefully, the humans residing near the bridge between the worlds began to show signs of corruption. The once innocent and pure-hearted began to reveal the first symptoms of greed and a corrupt nature. Small-scale internal conflicts started to arise; those affected by the corruption now spread Caligos' word: discord.

Slowly, the great cities began to show increasing signs of corruption. Caligos' plans were succeeding; the corruption generated by the demons began to manifest in the humans, and meanwhile, the demons themselves spread across the pure world created by Selene.

On the other hand, Selene, still unaware of the situation, began to observe a new movement in her world: the Temple of the Sun. Alongside the great cities, the first religion emerged, with Selene as its object of worship. Though much of humanity was still unaware of the goddess's existence, a growing group, influenced by her light, began to gather to worship her.

At the same time, for unknown reasons, the remnants of the powers Selene used in creating the world began to affect the humans, forming an almost direct connection between them and the goddess. Thus, the first contact was established, and the first saint of the Temple of the Sun emerged from the combination of Selene's powers and humanity.

However, Caligos, who now discovered this new development, hastened the process of corrupting Selene's creation, fearing that if the goddess created a widespread connection with the humans, his plans would once again be thwarted. Thus, the bridge between the worlds, once barely visible to the naked eye, grew in magnitude.

Day by day, both forces expanded more and more: the temple recruited humans to follow Selene, spreading her faith, while on the other hand, demons multiplied in areas yet unexplored by humanity.

As a result, both sides eventually found themselves on equal footing. Caligos' plans were finally coming to fruition; if this continued, the god could destroy what Selene had built by giving her all

However, against the expectations of both gods, humans reached the previously unexplored areas, and were confronted by a terrifying sight: lands long corrupted by darkness. Where there was once believed to be a vast forest, there now stood a completely darkened place, surrounded by aberrations that could hardly be defined as animals.

Although Caligos was unaware of the contact, the humans soon returned to the great cities, seeking the temple and reporting what they had seen. While the priests who heard the story were initially skeptical, it soon proved true after a new expedition was conducted. Along with the expedition, the growth of the area affected by darkness was also confirmed.

With no other choice, the priests sought counsel from the goddess, who until then was unaware of the matter.

When Selene witnessed the unfolding situation firsthand, she identified the source of the corruption: Caligos' influence. The once-peaceful goddess finally realized that Caligos did not harbor the feelings she had believed. Faced with this grim truth, she was compelled to prepare countermeasures against him.

The temple, which had previously been unaware of the existence of any god other than Selene, changed its course: instead of remaining a peaceful organization, it slowly transformed into what would later be known as the First Shield of Humanity.

Caligos, unaware of the true intentions behind this change, continued with his plans, though he suspected something was happening in the human world.

Thus, in less than a decade, both sides were ready for a large-scale conflict. The temple, once entirely peaceful, now had an army of hundreds of thousands of sacred knights wielding the goddess's powers of light. In contrast, Caligos' army of demons was about twice as large, though whether those creatures could even be called an 'army' was debatable.

Before long, Caligos made his first move, creating a formidable general to lead the irrational army he had forged: the Demon King. An entity with enough power to rival even the saint of the temple.

The demons quickly united into a single group, an army led by the Demon King. With both sides ready for war, any movement from either could trigger the conflict. And so it did. On a night of a red moon, the demons made their first move toward conquering humanity. A massive army of one hundred thousand beasts marched for the first time out of Caligos' domain. However, the wicked god soon saw his plans thwarted. His domain was surrounded by a human army. Though the legion of demons was vast, it could not break through the nearly impregnable defenses the humans had created.

Caligos, who had long stopped watching the human world, believing that focusing his efforts on his army would be enough, had his expectations shattered.

Shortly after the fall of the one hundred thousand-strong beast army, humans wielding their swords marched toward the corrupted lands, almost annihilating the demonic army in less than a month.

However, Caligos, once again outmatched by Selene, could not let this offense go unpunished this time. In a fit of rage, the god used all his being to interfere directly in the created world, turning the tide of battle in favor of the demons. However, this did not last long. By interfering directly in the battle, he also allowed enough room for Selene to do the same. Both gods engaged in direct conflict, a battle that would forever be remembered as the First Holy War.

At the end of the battle, to prevent this from happening again, Selene and the first saint sacrificed themselves to seal both the Demon King and Caligos, banishing them to a reality composed only of the void. However, as a consequence of this, Selene fragmented into dozens of pieces, which would later be called the Tears of the Sun.

From the remnants of the battle, the light of Selene and the shadows of Caligos merged, giving rise to four legendary spirits, each representing a distinct element of the battlefield: the Spirit of Fire, symbolizing the flames of battle and the willpower of those who had fallen; the Spirit of Water, representing the blood spilled and the rain that fell upon the battlefield; the Spirit of Earth, embodying the strength and perseverance of the warriors who fought in the war; and lastly, the Spirit of Wind, representing the winds that changed the course of the battle and the purity lost by humanity.

The few demons remaining after the great war returned to their native world before the bridge was finally severed. However, even after the extinction of the demons, two new prophecies emerged: "When the new blood moon rises in the sky and the stars fade, the demons will return, freed by the one who helds the destiny of the world." However, the second prophecy was never revealed.

And so the days passed. Humanity, having lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the Great War, eventually found peace once more. However, remnants of Caligos' corruption had subtly infiltrated the minds of the new generations.

In the aftermath, the Temple of the Sun—deprived of its goddess following the great conflict—began to decline. From its ruins emerged four new religions, each venerating one of the four great spirits born from the ashes of the holy war.

Although the four spirits had been born from the same battlefield, three of them, seduced by riches and power, abandoned their principles.

Meanwhile, the fourth spirit, indifferent to the fate of the world, retreated to the icy mountains of the north, refusing even to pass on its teachings to those he deemed unworthy. Over time, its existence was reduced to nothing more than a myth, passed down from generation to generation.

Even though the four religions were distinct, they were soon united under the rule of a single man, the first emperor of the Sacred Empire. Although they maintained a hostile relationship with each other, conflicts never occurred due to the iron fist of the first emperor and the royal family.

Thus, generations after the end of the Great War, the one foretold in the prophecy was born: a child with black hair and red eyes, the product of the emperor's infidelity with a maid. Though the child's conception was shrouded in secrecy, the empress uncovered the affair three years later. Consumed by rage, she ordered the deaths of both the maid and her son. However, in a shocking turn of events, the emperor intervened to save the child, but allowed his lover to meet her fate at the hands of the assassins.

Defying the empress's wishes, the emperor accepted the child as his son and granted him the title of prince to protect him. However, he soon began to doubt whether the child was truly his, as the royal family had golden hair and blue eyes, while the child had black hair and blood-red eyes.

Despite his suspicions, the emperor could not reverse his decision, having already accepted the child as his own. Soon, the empress's legitimate children, spurred on by her resentment, began to seek vengeance for the humiliation she had endured. The prince quickly came to understand that he would never earn the love of his father or the royal family, who subjected him to both physical and emotional abuse. As time went on, the cruelty became a grim routine, and the prince learned to endure the relentless mistreatment and despair that surrounded him.

After fifteen years, the prince, whose personality had been deeply distorted by his experiences, turned eighteen, reaching adulthood and receiving the title of The Bastard Of The Crown.

Although the second prophecy had never been disclosed to the public, the four religions that emerged from the Temple of the Sun had preserved its contents in secret. With the prince's appearance, they quickly recognized him as the one foretold in the prophecy. However, they found themselves in a precarious position, for the prophecy also warned that the prince's death could serve as a catalyst for the rise of the Blood Moon, which would bring the demons back into the world.

Nevertheless, the same prophecy also revealed the only known way to prevent such a catastrophe: the sacrifice of the Saint of the North, accompanied by the Tear of the Sun."

And so began the prologue of one of my favorite novels: "The Miserable Life of the Cursed Prince."