The return of the Shadows
The war against the Twelve was not swift. It was a battle fought in the shadows of a dying world, a conflict that raged through cities swallowed by nature and wastelands stained with the echoes of fallen empires.
As the Last Shadows turned to the service of the dark god, their power grew beyond mortal comprehension. They bent the elements, tore apart the very fabric of reality, and reshaped the lands with their will. Under their rule, the world twisted, the strongholds they once built becoming temples of their newfound master. Humanity, once protected by them, became enslaved to their desires. Worshippers of the dark faith flocked to them, forming the Cult of the Abyss, an organization that worked to spread their influence across the lands.
Yet even as they stood as godlike rulers, whispers spread of a man who would challenge them. Alexandra the Great, a warrior of flesh and blood, defied the titans of the old world with nothing but steel and will.
His forces were small at first—scattered survivors, mercenaries, and zealots from the churches of the Five Gods who believed he was the chosen one to purge the darkness. As word of his victories spread, more rallied to his banner. The Faithbound Orders, the warrior monks of the Gods of Strength and Dominion, anointed him as their champion, granting him weapons forged in the flames of divine power.
The first battle between Alexandra and the Last Shadows took place in the ruins of Avalon, where the Twelfth Shadow ruled. It was there that Alexandra revealed the first of the Cold Weapons, blades that could sever the connection between an Ascendant and their power. The battle was long and brutal, but when Alexandra drove his sword into the Twelfth Shadow’s chest, something unprecedented happened—the once-immortal titan fell, his essence shattered, his influence extinguished.
This victory marked the beginning of the true war. One by one, the Last Shadows fell, their reign unraveling under the might of Alexandra’s forces. The strongholds of the dark faith crumbled, the Cult of the Abyss fractured, and the chains binding humanity were broken.
But victory did not come without cost. Alexandra's war was not only against the Twelve, but against the corruption that they left behind. Each battle took a piece of him—his humanity, his soul. By the time he reached the First Shadow, the one who had risen from the burning ruins, Alexandra was no longer the man he once was. The weight of countless deaths, the burden of power, and the whispers of the same dark forces that had tempted the Twelve bore down upon him.
When the First Shadow finally fell, Alexandra stood alone on the battlefield. The churches that had once supported him now feared him, for he had become something more than human, yet not entirely divine. He had slain the Last Shadows, but at what cost?
In the aftermath, he vanished from history. Some say he walked into the abyss to face the god who had corrupted the Twelve. Others claim he ascended, becoming something beyond mortal understanding. But the truth remains lost to time.
With the fall of the Last Shadows, the world changed once more. The Re-Civilization Era had begun. The Age of Reclamation was on the horizon.
But even as peace settled upon the world, the name of the missing warrior remained spoken in whispers. For many feared that one day, Alexandra the Great would return—and if he did, would he be a savior once more, or something far worse?
