In the beginning, when Avalon was still a young world, three races lived. The first, were the Demons. They were a savage and brutal race, born of darkness and hatred. They ruled over the world, harvesting and destroying it with machines of metal and steam. The second, were the angels. They did not live amongst the world like the other two races, instead they lived on the moon, Lunas. Occasionally, when the moon is full, the pathways between Avalon and Lunas would open, allowing the Angels to descend down, but they rarely did, for the Demons who ruled Avalon were fierce and brutal, and loved to rip off their wings, decorating their walls with their splendor.

The third race, were an insignificant little race known as hollows. They were half the size of humans, twice as ugly, and three times as dumb. They served as food and slave labor for the demons.

For thousands upon thousands of years, the demons industrialized the world, while the angel watched from above, oblivious to the workings of it, till one day, something happened.

Amongst the angels, there were two siblings. The first, the older brother, was a stern and just figure. He was powerful, and towered over the others. From his lips, he carried authority. With one sweep of his sword, he could tear a forest asunder. The Angel King Michael bestowed upon him this powerful name, Judgement.

The younger of the two was the sister. She was sweet and soft hearted. Now you see, the Lunas was a cold and sterile world, white and perfect, but utterly boring. Remember that during a full moon, the pathways to Avalon would open. The sister loved sneaking off to Avalon. It was a planet full of life. She loved all the trees, and the flowers of the field, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea. To her, they were the most beautiful of all things. The Angel King Michael knew of her kind hearted nature, and bestowed upon her the powerful name, Mercy.

Now Judgement knew that Mercy would sneak off to the world of Avalon every full moon, and forbade her from every going.

“But brother.” Mercy protested. “The flowers are so beautiful and vibrant. The wind makes me feel alive, and the swimming in the sea amongst the fish is something I cannot describe.”

“No sister.” Judgement scolded. “That is the world of Demons. To go there is to risk having your wings ripped off, your flesh eaten in their brazen eclipse feasts. No such fate will befall you. I forbid you from ever returning to that world.”

But Mercy did not listen. She waited till the next full moon, and snuck away to Avalon. She ran through the fields, soaking in the sunlight. She swam in the sea, naming each and every fish. She glided through the air, free as a bird.

Just as it was time to return to Lunas, she saw smoke on the horizon. She crossed through the forest, curious as to its origin. What she discovered, horrified her. The Demons cut and burnt the wood. They tore up the meadows, scorching the soil black. They caught all the fish in the sea, cooking them in stews along with the birds in the sky.

Mercy saw this, and she sobbed and sobbed.

“Oh, how could they do such a thing? How could they destroy such beautiful things?” She cried.

She was so busy sobbing, that she did not notice the demon behind her, till it was too late. It bashed her head in till she stopped moving. Then, it dragged her corpse into their camp. They took butcher’s knives, cutting her to pieces to throw into the stew. Her wings, however, were off exceptional quality. So exceptional, in fact, that they gifted them to the first Demon King himself, Demon King Amon.

He was so proud of these wings, he hung them up in his courtroom, to the envy of all others in the land.

“Look at these beautiful wings I have procured? Do any among the Demon world have wings of such quality? I think not!” He boasted.

Now, Judgement had heard of what had happened to his beloved sister. From Lunas, he could see her beautiful wings, torn from her body, brazenly displayed in the courts of Demons. Judgement flew into a rage. The moment the moon had turned full, he flew down to Avalon in full armor, sword drawn. With several swoops of his blade, he tore the world asunder. Black ash fell from the sky, and the moon turned blood red. This is why the red moon is called Judgement’s moon.

After he had fell ten thousand demons in a single night, including the Demon’s king’s own son, he returned to Lunas, his bloodlust sated.

“My son! My son! How could this have happened!” The Demon King wailed. “I swear, I swear on my name, I shall destroy every single angel. I shall invade their world, rape their lands, and leave not but a wasteland of destruction and death!”

So, a whole month passed, the Demon King welling up his forces. When the time of the full moon came, they marched into Lunas, a army of a million Demons. The battle lasted hundreds of years, claiming causalities on both sides, but in the end, the Demon King did what he set out to do, he rendered the moon a barren and lifeless wasteland.

The Angels launched their counter attack from the sky, scorching Avalon much worse than Judgement had done in a single night, leaving it a barren wasteland of ash and acid rain. Only a few thousand Demons and Angels remained, including the Demon King Amon, Angel King Michael, and Judgement. Less than a hundred hollows remained, cowering underground.

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Even with this devastation, either side did not seek peace, intent on annihilating the other, but they were forever locked in a stalemate, neither side gaining victory over the other.

It was one day, that Judgement engaged in battle with the Demon King. Despite victory after victory, the Demon King managed to mortally wound the angel. The angel fled, bleeding and missing a wing.

Judgement rested on a hilltop of a scorched field, blood seeping from his wound. His thoughts dwelt on his sister. She had once loved this world, calling it beautiful. She loved it with all her heart, body, and soul. And now it was nothing more than a burning rock of dust.

In his final moments, Judgement regretted his actions. He regretted all the death, all the destruction. To avenge his sister, he had destroyed the world she loved. As he died, he caught glimpse of something, off in the distance. Dancing in the wind, a single feather fell on him.

He died there.

A few years later, a tree had begun to sprout from amongst his bones. Embedded atop it, was a sword. The tree grew and grew, till it reached the sky above, its roots spreading across the world.

Michael and Amon recognized that the tree had power, for it was born of the conviction and love, of Mercy and Judgement. Both the Demon and Angel Kings realized, that if they poured their power into the tree, it would bear a fruit of overwhelming power that could change the tide of the endless war.

Without the other knowing, they each began to pour their power into the roots of the tree, awaiting the day it would bear a fruit of power.

Then, that day came.

The last army of Demons, and the last army of angels marched towards the tree. It was pillar of life and light amongst a world of graves, ash, and darkness. The two kings realized that they both seeked the fruit of power, so they fought bitterly over it.

The battle was a stalemate, but Amon determined at all costs he would not let the angels received the fruit. As he and the Angel King struck each other down, he used every inch of his power to fell the tree. His attack cleaved straight through the wood, and the great world tree fell, crushing many angels and demons. The fruit, too, fell.

Both the Kings died, and the angels and demons fell into chaos, yet they kept fighting, like beasts. Slowly, the lights of the world began to go out. Angel and Demon sparks dwindled and dwindled, till there were only a few a hundred left. At this point, this barren world was doomed. It would become devoid of all life.

But something unexpected happened. You could say it was a miracle.

Now you see, there was not much food in this barren world. Only a few dozen hollows remained, and they were very hungry. And can you guess what had just fallen near the mouth of their cave? A single, large fruit.

A female hollow, standing no more than the height of the child, approached. She was very hungry, you see, and thought nothing better of the fruit that had fallen in front of her. She bit into it greedily, savoring every bite and finishing it selfishly, without sharing with her fellow hollows.

The fruit coursed with the energy of both the Demon and Angel King, spreading throughout the little hollow’s body. She was consumed in a wave of divine light and glory, and was transformed. She was gifted with six beautiful wings, more brilliant that even Mercy’s. Her beautiful was unparalleled, even the many flowers that once grew in the field could not match her splendor. However, her power and cunning were that of demons. She understood the war, and realized it was the reason that the world had died.

With her new found power, she spread her wings, sending out a surge of energy that circled the globe. The gust of her wings blew away all the ash and dust. What was left was a desert. She saw this, and she cried. Her tears fell to the world, filling up the seas once more. With the wave of her right hand, she took strands from the world tree, and sowed them into the soil. From this, great forests sprouted, and the grass in the field grew once more. With her left, she raised vermin hidden in the caves, transforming them into the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the creatures in the field.

Finally, she saw the few angels and demons left, still fighting after the renewed world. She landed amongst them, and rebuked them. They saw her powers, that of both Angel and Demon, and bowed to this goddess. A goddess of Angels and Demons.

Many who had held high positions in both armies begged her to be her servants and honor guard.

“Let us serve you!” they cried.

“No.” the goddess said. “Was it not you who destroyed this world? Was it not you who nearly drove my people to extinction? Surely I tell you, you shall never hold power over this world again, neither angel nor demon.”

The Demons resented this, and exiled themselves to the far forests of the world.

“Oh, sweet goddess.” The angels implored her. “We do not ask to serve you. We simply ask you restore our world so we may return there.”

“Was it not an Angel who started this war? Was not his bloodlust the reason for your destruction? I will do no such thing. You will walk amongst this foreign world forever.”

The Angels resented this, and exiled themselves to the far reaches of the sky.

Now then, a goddess needed servants, so who better than her own people?

She raised up the remaining hollows, granting them each a tiny shard of her power. With this, they were transformed, and became human. To six in particular, she gave even greater power.

“You are my Honor Guard.” She told these six. “You will guard my people from the Demons of the forest, and the Angels of the air. Their resentment against me grows with each day. They will seek their revenge against me, destroy my people, and render this world to ash once again. You six, and you’re descendants, will not allow such a thing to occur ever again.”

“What shall we call you, oh goddess of ours? Surely you have a name.” They said.

“I have no name. However, if you must, then hence forth, call me the name Anastrid.”

And the Honor Guard, and their descendants, who became known as the Demon Hunting Corps, continue to safeguard humanity from the vengeance of both the angels and demons.