Demons have long plagued the lands of Aodia. Horrific, vile creatures that slaughtered indiscriminately and feasted on Humankind.

Weak Humankind was but mere food for these impossibly powerful Demons, who used their unearthly Demonic Force to crush even the strongest of Human fighters.

From the great war between Humanity and Demons, humans discovered that residing in the depths of their soul was a unique power that could be harnessed - The Anima Spirit.

Each Anima Spirit was a reflection of their possessor. A mirror into their own truths and ideals.

Influenced by one's past and future, an Anima Spirit represented the innate strength the person was born with and the potential they were destined to possess.

Each Anima Spirit was unique, taking in a different form in each Human, although similarities existed between those of similar lineages.

From each Anima Spirit, one could draw Anima Force, a mighty power that was used in conjunction with their Anima Spirit to produce devastating strength on the battlefield.

Humans born into great warrior clans could have powerful Sword Anima that could cut easily through mountains, or those born into noble scholar clans possessed Mind Anima that could produce strange Mental Force that stops rivers with just a thought.

Those blessed with powerful Anima Spirit's found themselves capable of hunting and defeating even the strongest of Demons.

With the discovery of Anima Spirit and Anima Force, Humankind fought back. The once fragmented clans united across the land as they seized control of this new power.

From this union, the Crusader Order was born, sworn in with the oath to purge all Demons from existence.

Yet a thousand years after their founding, humanity's defenders have now grown complacent. Once honourable and righteous, they now squabble meaninglessly amongst themselves over kingdoms and titles.

Unwilling to improve themselves, they have turned their order into a stagnant puddle of self-satisfied nobles.

Even with the advent of technology and the advancement of Humankind, the Demonic threat is not gone.

I can already sense the storm clouds of the great demonic calamity brewing in the horizon. A disaster set to crush Humankind, yet none pay attention.

But I cannot fight this evil off myself. I am not qualified to take on this task, and I can never become the hero that we desperately need.

I must raise my own Paragon to defeat the Demons and save Humankind.

-

Walking on the crowded streets of Bardor city, bitter thoughts plague my mind.

My gloomy and dark mood contrasts with the radiance of this city,

The roads are crowded with merchants and shoppers, laughing and shouting, and their liveliness heard all over the entire district.

As I walk down the long marketplace in the heart of the city, I could only see happiness and sunshine. There was no terror or fear on anyone's expressions.

These pure faces mock me. Burdened with the knowledge of what is going to come, I cannot help but feel anger at their naive thoughts.

It seems that, even when they are so close, Demons are as far away from their minds as could be.

I seem insane, don't I?

I want to scream out loud the horrific things I have witnessed. The terrible plans and bloody future the Demons are going to plunge us into.

Yet no one will believe me. With the advancement of Humankind, we have attained immense power even without the usage of our Anima Spirit.

Technology has reached such levels of height that we have declared this age to be Humans and humans alone.

Modern weapons of steel and bullets shred through even the toughest of Demon's hide, rendering them to nothing but a sludge of flesh.

Around all of Humankind surrounds a wall that dwarfs mountains. No Demon could even scratch it, they think. Scaling or breaking it was an impossibility in their minds.

No large-scale demon attacks have happened in millennia. Only tiny outbreaks in the extremities occasionally occur, and they are easily suppressed with the rain of death produced by the auto-cannons mounted across the wall.

Perhaps the Crusader Order's arrogance is justified.

They think the Demons are defeated, that they have won the war and Humankind is safe until the end of time.

They are wrong. Very, very wrong.

The Demons are merely biding their time. Planning, scheming, thinking of how to best overrun and slaughter humanity for good. They have adapted to Humankind, just as Humankind has adapted to them.

I know of their tactics, and of how unfathomably powerful the Demons will be.

Their legions will be millions, billions strong. They will crawl out from the fringes of the land, from the shadows of their last bastion and back into the light of day.

Behemoths a hundred meters tall will stalk the land, their impossible figures towering over even the tall walls Humankind is so proud of.

They will destroy our unpenetrable barrier in mere moments, and let in the storm of hungry Demons ready to once again feast on us.

Their skins will be so thick that no bullets will faze them, and their scales so tough no artillery shell could blast through them.

Their fangs and claws will shred through all our armour like a hot knife through butter, and cities will be devoured to feed their insatiable thirst for blood.

They will possess such powerful Demonic Force that no Crusader could fight them without being crushed.

Demons have that have been tested and culled and tested and culled until the point where only those with monstrous power could survive.

Then, there is the Demon Kings. Demons so strong, with such immense Demonic Force they have gained complete consciousness of themselves, It is these Demon Kings we must fear.

They can flatten mountains in moments, drain lakes with their thoughts, and annihilate entire regions by themselves.

I shake from the very thought of these vile creatures. Disgust wells in me as I stave off the urge to vomit.

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The only thing that can allow us to fight the Demons is Anima Force.

Only with Anima Force, can we even stand a chance against them.

Only with Anima Force, can we piece their hides and gut them like the evil beasts they are.

Only with Anima Force, can we prevent Humankind from falling into extinction.

I am so consumed by my thoughts that I do not pay attention to where I am walking. My face is obscured with a hood, and my head is bowed to avoid any conversation.

"Ow!"

Suddenly, my head smacks into the body of someone. I look up to the figure who I just ran into.

A man in a white military uniform stands in front of me, donning a black cap and followed by two similarly dressed others. His uniform is lined neatly with various badges and awards, and a single gold emblem is embroidered on the right breast.

C.O.

Crusader Order.

A Crusader. And clearly, someone who has never seen any action before. His spotless uniform screams of innocence and inexperience and his face are devoid of any scarring. The sword and sheath at his hip are unused and shine brilliantly in the sunlight.

A man who personified everything wrong with the Order. Naive, stupid, and useless in a war.

'Who do you think you're bumping into? Do you not have eyes?!"

And arrogant too. Another trait of one of these modern Crusaders. There is a nasty scowl on his face as he stares demandingly at me.

"I- I'm sorry!"

I grit my teeth as I force the words through my mouth. I have to endure this. I can't risk being interrupted now.

"You better be!"

He smacks me in the face with a vicious slap. My right cheek grows red and stings with pain,

His followers are not as enthusiastic as he was. His actions and shouting drew the attention of the other market-goers, and they are already starting to stare.

"Let's get a move on, yeah?"

"We can't risk getting another demerit.."

The other two Crusaders convinces the other man to leave. As they do, I could still see him with that arrogant smirk on his face.

I ball my hands into a fist as I move on, my body shaking in anger.

I had to accept this, for now, it was the current state of the Crusaders after all. They had all the power and had none of the strength to defend us.

As I moved from the marketplace, the loud shouting and noise of the stall died down as I entered into the urban section of the city.

It was very quiet here, with hardly anyone in the street at all.

All around me was housing and the complexes of apartments that soared across the landscape.

The tall buildings covered the sun, causing me to shiver from the sudden lack of heat and sunlight.

I walked down the alleys of this area until I heard noise coming from a building at the end of the street. It was a strange sight, as it was the only single-floored building in the area.

All the other apartments dwarfed it and covered around it like a concrete blanket, obscuring the sign that was displayed above the building.

It was here that contained what I was looking for.

I hurriedly walked towards it, eager to finally witness my destiny.

Above the building, lay an old, broken sign that read:

Bardor Orphanage

I smiled. I was at the right place after all.

This building was the only place in the street to have any noise coming from it. From the cobblestone path that leads into the orphanage, I could see men in suits inside the rooms, their figures moving on the windows.

"Our House can offer you the best training..."

"No, no, only we can best harness your potential miss.."

"Our academy has the most highly rated education system in the world..."

Their deep voices argued against each other, and It was hard to hear, in particular, saying anything.

This struggle for attention continued as I walked into the building and stepped inside the reception. An old lady sat there with a tired expression on her face.

"Are you here with an offer too?" She asked me, clearly doing this for a ridiculous amount of times already.

I nodded at her.

"Go inside, she'll be in the first room to the right. You can't miss it, it's where the other representatives are as well."

"Thank you."

As I drew closer and closer to the room, the voices grew louder and louder.

"Your academy is not as well-known as ours, clearly only we can..."

"Look how amazing our dormitories are, Miss, we can even give you an extra-large room.."

Then, their monotonous drone was interrupted with a different voice.

"Stop, that's enough this."

Although her voice was not as loud, it rang clearly like a bell and carried a powerful authority with it. Everyone else immediately stopped their talking.

"I will have a think over your offers overnight. You can leave now."

I could feel the disappointment in the room, yet what could they do but listen to what she said? With a groan, each stepped out of the room after each other and I moved to let them through.

After they left, I stepped inside the room.

"Another representative? Who are you?"

A girl of the age of 9 sat on the chair next to a table. Rich, golden hair flowed from her head and rested on her shoulders.

Her eyes were dark like cocoa, and they seemed to bury inside you when she looked at you.

She was not dressed finely like a girl her age desired but donned a simple, pearl dress that draped over her entire body.

She exuded an aura of power as she sat there, and despite her tiny stature, I could feel the threat of Anima Power radiate from her body.

It was this girl that I sought. It must be her. Only the Hero could have such a presence that shook Humans and Demons alike.

I stepped forward, uncovering my face and raising my hand.

"I am Roland, former Crusader General of the Crusader Order."

Her eyes narrowed at my words.

"And I come offering only one thing, Ellenia, last scion of House Leonar."

I drew close, my madness-filled eyes reflecting off her's.

"Power."