Illustration 3 [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3RAxujdPv/]

And this craving for more of it would reshape the world yet a second time.

The Centra technology would make the world a smaller place, as through it the

tribes not only began negotiating among themselves, thus giving birth to the one

tongue, but they would also learn to build great many things. The skills of bow and

spear were replaced with much better weaponry, villages became cities, and much of

the animal power was replaced with machinery. Small boats, in time, became ships and

later these too, would be for the most part dropped as soon as the first airship took to

flight, and the skies proved to be much safer routes.

However, amongst all this growth, the seeds of fear and paranoia, of distrust for

the other races were also growing just as much, if not more so, than the seeds of joy

and illumination. All it took was the sheer thought of what any other race could

be after and what would they do if they obtained it, for all to succumb to despair.

The newfound freedom and safety the world had been blessed with were thus not

meant to last.

Turn on each other, they did. The more advanced, the further ahead in this arms race

a civilisation was, the bigger the shadow they would cast upon the rest. The race began

in this manner, propelled by fear and thirst for power with the two biggest offenders

being the Kingdom of Man and the Nharkim.

These two, somehow, quickly distanced themselves from all and for many years they

were almost on equal footing. Then something happened. The Nharkim took the lead

and ever since then, they were ahead of any other. For many years these two empires

waged war on each other until finally the Nharkim suddenly decided to leave the

continent they all shared and settle themselves on a large archipelago to the East.

They left without any announcement and have not been seen since. Not quite...

Naturally, it was the Humans who inherited the large landmass quickly renaming

it “The Celitian Continent” after their own capital “Celitia City”. Years passed and

most of the other races that shared the continent began to scatter as the Human

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Empire kept on pushing them till there was no more land for them to run to.

Humans expanded and everything else diminished. Generation after generation,

the more humans were spreading the more and more could other races be seen in their

cities, free to live as they deemed fit. They still had their very own towns here or there,

but these were growing scarce and so, for the most part, every other race could be seen

much like today in any number of Human settlements. Earning an honest day’s work

or drinking their lives away much like Humans love to do, for they have always shared

equal rights.

Still, for all this, many dislike the race of Man for “absorbing” everyone into their

kingdom, slowly making other traditions and values disappear. So sometimes it is

dangerous for Humans to come across other, more “hateful” races.

Nowadays occasionally, one comes across a nonhuman town that is exclusive to

their own kin. Not in the main continent at least, where the Humans have long taken

over and their laws are enforced pretty much everywhere. Equal rights for the price of

equal duties. Of course, on other more uncharted and undesirable masses of land, who

knows who or what makes their kingdom there. Despite all, nothing has changed, and

no hunger has been lost as most races still fear one another. Most still compete with

one another, fiercely as each one seeks that Centra gift that might just give them the

edge.

From the greater empires to the smaller tribes living underground or in swamps, all

around the world, across any landmass where there is smart enough life, someone is

pursuing those Centra secrets. To sell to the highest bidder or for the glory of their

own race, the search is never-ending. It has been like this since this Era started and it

is this way even now.

And such unravel of this world’s decline shows no signs of slowing down, as

especially the Humans, keep on wanting. They alone hold the majority of all the greed

and all the fear that infests the world in these dark times, as they keep pushing fiercely

for the monopoly of all the Centra market. The acquisition of all Centra findings

for which the Human king is willing to do anything for, either paying for them

handsomely or by taking them by any other means if need be.