The Acuti Clan was a name that once inspired awe and fear across the world. For generations, they stood at the pinnacle, dominating the world, their exploits became legends and myths.
Their rise began with a single man Lucius Acuti, the founder of the Acuti Clan.
Lucius appeared seemingly out of thin air, carrying power that far surpassed the greatest geniuses of his generation. At his side was a sword like no other called Rend, a sword said to be able to sever the strings of fate itself. No one knew where such an unparalleled sword came from as no records existed about it being forged or discovered. Some say it is a relic of ancients while some believe it came from a different world. No matter its origin it was with this sword coupled with his unparalleled strength, Lucius cast an unforgettable mark on the world.
No one could challenge him. No one dared to from the strongest men to the most talented they all feared him. And when there were no enemies left to fight and none dared to challenge him, Lucius settled down, founding the Acuti Clan to create a frightening legacy.
Lucius was clan leader for a relatively short time 20,000 years compared to the other clan leaders who ruled for 60-70,000 years.
One day just as suddenly as he arrived Lucius left, this time though he left the sword behind to become the legacy artifact of the clan.
For tens of thousands of years, the Acutis dominated the world. They ruled not with politics or wealth but through strength. Each generation of Acuti leaders inherited Rend, along with with the Founder's unique binding path, Cutting. The sword was the clan's most prized treasure, the source of their power, and the symbol of their strength .
But not even the Acutis were invincible.
Despite their power, the Acutis weren't the only powers in the world. Several other families and sects grew strong enough to barely rival them, each carving their own mark on the world. Among them were five that stood at the pinnacle of power only below the Acutis.
At the heart of the central continent was the Von Astoria Dynasty, a royal family known for their unshakable will and powerful lineage. Their bindings, tied to light, allowed them to create a long lasting dynasty with countless citizens. They also had many high thread warriors earning them a place as the second strongest force after the Acutis.
In the east continent was the Vermillion Sect, a sect with rich history famous for their binding to the legendary Vermillion Bird. The disciples of the sect wielded the bird's fire to have a devastating effect, their flames had a macabre beauty to causing many that had the misfortune of facing it head on to be unable to stop themselves from admiring it. They were regarded as the third strongest power in the world.
The Wrathspire Order, located in the southern continent, was a newer force. Rising in the past 15,000 years, they owed their incredibly fast ascent to their mysterious leader, Shadow Sky, whose power alone allowed them to climb the ranks and gain so much power that they became them the fourth most powerful faction. Little was known about him, but his binding was said to grant unparalleled speed.
Finally, there was the Salvatore Clan, a smaller family from the west just like the Acutis. Once a modest force, their fates changed when the fourth Acuti clan leader married a Salvatore daughter, strengthening their alliance and forging an unbearable bond between them. With the Acuti's help, the Salvatores rose to prominence, becoming a significant power and the fifth strongest force in the world.
Together, these five faction with the Acuti suppressing them at the peak, ruled the world with relative peace.
Envy trails behind power, and hatred is never too far behind.
It began on a quiet autumn night.
The Acuti's manor, was situated in the middle of the western continent, everything was going like it always did, they continued with their lives unaware of the vultures circling above. In secret, the Von Astoria Dynasty, the Vermillion Sect, and the Wrathspire Order had formed an alliance, united by their greed and fear made them share a goal, the destruction of the Acuti Clan. But unbeknownst to their allies they each shared another goal to claim Rend as theirs. Each faction sent their strongest eight-thread warriors, supported by legions of seven thread and six-thread binders to launch an assault on their manor.
The attack came suddenly, under the cover of darkness as they still feared giving the Acutis any chance. Though caught off guard, the Acutis were quick to react. Rallied by Marcus Acuti, the ninth clan leader, wielding the legendary sword Rend, his booming voice mobilized the defenders, and the Acutis pushed back against their attackers with such a ferocious force that reminded the world why they were its rulers. Causing the attackers to shiver with the thought of what would've happened if they went up against them by themselves.
But Marcus knew the odds were against them. Their enemies had come prepared with an incredible force and the Acutis could only hold on for so long. Desperate, Marcus sent a messenger to their trusted allies, the Salvatore Clan, calling for reinforcements.
The Salvatores quickly arrived, hope and rage surged through the Acuti ranks. With their allies at their back, they pushed their enemies back, reclaiming ground inch by inch. The combined strength of the Acutis and the Salvatores seemed unstoppable.
Until it wasn't.
In a single, horrifying and calculated moment, the Salvatores turned their blades on the Acutis. With a coordinated signal, the Salvatore warriors stabbed their weapons into the nearest Acuti, killing many instantly. Most of those who survived the initial attack were gravely injured, all of them confused and then rage flooded through their bones and blood.
Realizing they could only rely on each other and that most of them wouldn't be able to survive this fight stopped trying to defend and instead focused on attacking their enemies and carving out a path for a few to escape, inflicting upon all of their enemies great damage. For every Acuti that fell 5 enemies fell with them.
Marcus was locked in battle against the leaders of the Von Astoria Dynasty, the Vermillion Sect, and the Wrathspire Order, realizing the truth too late. The Salvatores had betrayed them from the start. For a single reason.
Rend.
Madness consumed him, but he didn't let it cloud his judgment. Knowing the battle was lost, Marcus made a suicidal choice. He unleashed the full power of Rend, carving a path through the battlefield to allow the youngest members of the Acuti Clan to escape. Only a handful of children and elders managed to flee into the wilderness carrying with them a flicker of hope and bitter hatred for their enemies.
Marcus did not retreat. Instead, he turned his rage on the traitors and enemies, cutting down dozens of Salvatore warriors and a couple dozen more of the alliance, nearly killing their clan leader. But the Salvatore leader was too slippery, evading every lethal strike.
In his final moments, Marcus redirected his fury toward the leaders of the alliance, striking down the Vermillion Sect's leader in a devastating blow before succumbing to his wounds. Causing immense damage to the Vermillion Sect making sure that they and the rest of the alliance would only suffer losses today.
Even as death was upon him, Marcus refused to let his enemies claim victory over the Acutis. With his last breath, he plunged Rend into the void, sealing it away with his life and engraving a restriction that only a member of the Acuti bloodline could retrieve it. The blade disappeared into the void taking with it the any last chance their enemies had to recoup their losses.
The alliance realized too late the consequences of Marcus's actions. Without an Acuti to retrieve Rend, the sword was unreachable. But they soon found out, if the Acuti bloodline were ever to vanish completely, the seal would break, and Rend would return to the world, free for anyone to claim.
Ecstatic of this possibility, the factions set out to hunt down the remaining Acutis. To justify their actions, they villainized the clan, painting them as power-hungry monsters who had nearly destroyed the world and themselves as the heroes. The world, eager to believe them began to to hate the Acutis as if they weren't even human and instead monsters incarnate.
The once insurmountable Acuti Clan filled with 10,000 strong warriors was reduced to a few survivors. Generations passed, and the Acutis faded into myth, their name discussed as if they were fairy tales told by mothers to get their children to sleep.
But though the world moved on, the memory of the Acutis lingered deep within the hearts of their enemies along side it was fear knowing that if they ever managed to unseal Rend it would most likely result in one of them being destroyed.
The possibility and fear of such a thing happening only intensified with each passing generation. But the young couldn't understand why their elders were so afraid when they were the strongest, and the old pitied them for their ignorance but also envied them for it.
And the world continued on as 10,000 years passed since that fateful day.
Unbeknownst to them that in a small corner of the world hid the rest of the Acutis led by the 11th clan leader Damien waiting for a hero to be born.