TERMINOLOGY

Here are the terms that you might see in the course of the story.

* Warlock - Usually a wizard, they usually have a great deal of (taught) magic and training. They would have to form a pact with a demon, usually a lower level one, in order to “elevate” their magic. It is believed that a warlock’s soul is “tainted” by the demon’s magic and the pact they have with them. They are susceptible to the “demon’s madness” and it’s pretty uncommon - but it does happen.

* Wizard - Most magic wielders are wizards if they are able to afford the fees and boarding. They learn more towards proper technique and require rules to follow rather than use their magic “out of bounds”. They have to follow certain rules, and there are a lot of them, but for many of them, they study more than put their magic to practical use. Although, they use magic for more every day uses to prevent magical buildup. Usually, wizards become professors in schools, politicians, and more; but very rarely, protectors of the city/town/villages. Because of the huge number of trained wizards, there are often schools popping up in different areas - mostly to continue their own studies.

* Witches - Usually women but it is not terribly uncommon for men to be witches. There are a lot more witches in poorer cities/towns/villages due to the simple fact they cannot afford the wizard boarding schools. They are more focused on the earth and focus more on healing spells and tricks along with defensive spells. They have extensive knowledge about herbs and they are passed down from generation to the next via grimoires. If a witch manages to inherit elemental magic, they are taught very few offensive spells to prevent both magical build-ups and to prevent a night witch creation.

* Monsters - The general term for animals that became corrupted by a certain warlock’s demon madness. Through the years, they have improvised, adapted, and overcame the troubles as their new forms and created their own lineage and generations. They feast on other animals and humans. They are very susceptible to demons’ manipulation and are not afraid of them. They get irritated easily with lower-level demons but are completely obedient towards elite demons. It is unsure how monsters showed up and exactly when, but they are forever part of the world as demons continue to use their control over certain warlocks to feed their existence.

* Demons - Creatures from the underworld who are said to be thousands of years old. Young demons are said to be hundreds of years old. The more elite demons tend to be characterized by their horns, red eyes, large wings, and their unnaturally pale skin. The only real trait that lower-level demons share is their red eyes and wings that appear at will. Beauty, they can choose to have it or not. They can try to blend into society, and it’s easier for lower-level demons, fairly easily if they want to but they mostly revel in the terror and pain they cause.

* Magical Buildup - Magical buildup can occur when magic has not been used for longer than a week. Because different classes have different consequences, for magical buildup, they vary on the consequences but the initial effects remain pretty consistent with one another. When magical buildup occurs, it tends to affect the extremities and appears as a large wart or pimple. Before things get too bad, the affected goes to a local healing witch - who would make a cut to the wart to start leaking the additional magic. The witch will help leak as much as possible before it would be “safe” for the patient to use magic. Once enough has leaked, the witch will bandage it up and give them instructions to heal it. Eventually, while they are in recovery, the patient will learn additional spells to help better control it.

PROLOGUE

Once upon a time, there were two sisters. Euna and Dala were twins who would study under the Goddess of Stars, Dratella. They were told they had the potential to be great Goddesses but that potential became boredom. In order to help guide the young deities around the Pantheon, they were assigned with angels to protect them from slipping to the mortal realm. However, Euna and Dala were very mischievous.

One was named Troggia, an angel who took care of Euna, was a masculine-presenting angel who took care of their charge without question. The other was the feminine-presenting angel named Morzania who took care of Dala without question. The two angels obeyed the Elder Deity’s whims and wish to take care of the twins without hesitance as angels were created to do. They followed every whim and wish the twins had, even when it twisted to pranks and games.

When the twins realized how unwavering their angels were, they almost immediately started to pull pranks on them and played games instead of listening to their sterner lecturer. Anytime the angels get caught in a prank of theirs, at first, they would wave it off. Every time they would lose a game, they smiled and sighed. They would laugh along with the two daughters of the Creator and admit defeat in a prank.

But that quickly grew over time in both frequency and level of maliciousness.

When any of the Gods are born, they had to have lived a human’s life to its fullest. They would’ve experienced everything a human would have to endure and suffer through. If the spirit remained true to itself in life, they were in line to become a Deity among the mortals. They would have to study the ways of the Elder Gods and study how humans operate, how they operated, and how they will operate. They would have to learn the rules of being a Deity - but the twins spent their time playing around and pranking their angels.

Eventually, as angels were created to worship their Deity, one of them broke their creed. In a moment of despair, Troggia had caught Morzania weeping after a particularly cruel prank. He had comforted her to the best of his abilities and Morzania confessed her disagreeable feelings towards the twins. While these feelings sprouted as the first signs of Falling, Troggia decided to ignore that. Instead, he tended to her emotional wounds and tried his best to heal her with his own power - another forbidden act - after he also confessed his own feelings.

And so, a strange and secret alliance was formed between the two angels. Whenever the twins would prank the other, one would immediately tend to them. Whenever one would lose to a rigged game, the other would comfort them right away. These meetings were always done in secret and away from the Deities' eyes. They did their best to avoid the gazes of other angels who started to suspect an illicit affair between the two - angels were created to serve their Deities. Why would these two angels become so secretive? Were they allowed to do that? They were surprised angels were capable of even having secrets… And then the murmurs began.

Troggia and Morzania continued to hide from the other angels. They started to hide other secrets from each other - signs of Falling started to appear on their bodies. At first, they claimed they were results of the twins’ games and pranks - but over time, it became harder and harder to explain them away. In this secrecy, other feelings started to emerge - feelings of longing for each other as they only had each other’s comfort from the pranks and games.

Forbidden, they knew these feelings were. They only had each other in the Pantheon and soon all they had were feelings for each other. They didn’t know what to do with these overwhelming feelings. Were angels capable of feeling these things? Why could they feel these things if it was supposed to be forbidden? Why did it feel so good when Morzania was around? Why were there tears of happiness when Troggia was around? Why was it comforting to be alone with each other? Oh, but they’re not supposed to be this way! They were supposed to only focus on the twins!

And then, the twins caught them.

They had started to grow suspicious of their angels - they weren’t reacting how they usually did. They started to disagree with them. At first, the twins thought that maybe it was still part of the prank. Maybe it was an act and part of the game. Maybe… Maybe their pranks and games had gone too far.

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But that couldn’t be it. They were just trying to satiate their boredom. They were young, after all, and all the young wanted to do was to explore different things and their pranks were harmless, weren’t they? Well, angels were supposed to just deal with whatever their Deities handed to them. They didn’t have feelings, did they? That’s what the twins were told.

So why did their angels ignore their orders? Why did they meet in secret? Why do they smile when they see each other? Why do they give the twins such a disdainful look any time they issue an order? Not everything they did and said were pranks, wasn’t it? They had fun together, didn’t they?

At first, the twins tried to deny it - there was just no rhyme or reason that Troggia and Morzania would have a special alliance when angels were not supposed to have that concept in their heads. Maybe they were just overreacting. Maybe they were just stupid… but eventually, when they tried to prank another angel, they realized how frequent their pranks and games were.

Oh, no. Their first thought was to try to get rid of the alliance. They didn’t mean to let it get that far. They didn’t mean to let it get cruel! Oh, no, but they were in an alliance and they were doomed to be punished, or worse if the word had got out about it!

However, even while knowing this… they decided one last prank. One last prank to remind the angels of their place in the Pantheon. They should never have been allowed to meet. They should never have been allowed to be alone together. This was their mess and they had to clean it up. But even knowing this… they couldn’t resist the urge for one more prank.

It was supposed to be simple - they had recently learned how to shape-shift into other beings. Euna would be Troggia while Dala would be Morzania - oh, it would be fun! They’re so enamored with each other, they would be able to tell right away! But this would be the last prank… After that, no more games. No more pranks. They would tell Dratella - maybe She could help set the angels back to how they’re supposed to be. No more alliances. No more games. No more pranks. The two would become serious about their studies and become two of the best Goddesses the Pantheon has ever seen.

But just let them have this last fun…

And the plan failed so spectacularly. They saw right through them! Troggia wouldn’t say that! Morzania wouldn’t do that! But they were found out…! Oh, they screamed! Oh, they hurt! Oh, they had anger! And they were also caught by Her, Dratella, on top of it! The two daughters of humans once cried to Dratella and claimed the angels clamored and had that strange emotional outburst for no other reason! Oh, but they were so innocent!

However, they were close to getting away with it had it not for their arrogance. They started to giggle and laugh at the high they got for getting away with it. With the screams and anguish of both angels echoing, they didn’t feel any remorse until maybe the fifth scream echoed in the halls. The other angels feared for their lives - the couple’s secrets were out.

They were in love. They were in fear of the twins.

The truth was how much the twins pranked and played with them to a point where they were unable to take it anymore! It could’ve been decades or even hundreds of years this torment went on! The angels had no way to tell! They only had one job - take care of their Deity but they’ve failed because the twins were so merciless! They kept pranking! They kept hurting! I’m sorry! But I love him! I love her!!

No one would listen to the cries of two angels who once were pure but had spots and hints of Falling soon.

The twins would finally realize what they had done. But it was too late.

One strike too many landed on Morzania’s back, after they dewinged her, and she finally had been swallowed by her darkness.  She Fell hard and Troggia soon followed after her. He didn’t get dewinged as she Fell to the world below them. The angels had always been aware of the mortals below but they were unconcerned. Their wings protected them. Their wings were meant to give Deities flight. They weren’t supposed to be near the mortals.

The mortals could never understand the full power of an angel, never mind a Deity. But still, Trogia wouldn’t let them take his wings as he tried, and failed, to save her.

All this did was accelerate his Falling. They were separated. They would never see each other again.

Morzania’s despair and Troggia’s anger led them to become demons - something very unheard of! Could angels really become demons? Is this how they became demons? Dewinging them was a cruel punishment on its own but… they had markings of the Fallen. Were they always destined to Fall? These questions and more echoed in the halls of the Pantheon.

Some whispered hope and prayed for Troggia and Morzania’s names that they would enter the heavens again one day. Others cursed them and wished they wouldn’t try - there was no way they could enter once they leave the Heavens. The mortals were sinful enough - something as pure as angels couldn’t fathom of their temptations. They weren’t designed for that.

And yet when Etmos, the God of Law, enacted a law to allow angels to feel emotions freely, that didn’t stop Him from investigating what actually happened. Why did these two angels react this way? Did they say the twins, Euna and Dala, hurt them while they wailed? Were those just cries of pleading angels?

To His surprise, the twins confessed their crimes. They were distraught. They were scared. They were only playing games! It was just a prank! How could something so horrible come of something that was meant to be in good fun?

Immediately, Etmos shared His findings with Dratella. Dratella was, unfortunately, not surprised. Very rarely, Deities were hardly punished for their crimes by being assigned to something so early. In fact, they would be stripped of their status and doomed to never reincarnate but Dala and Euna interested her. She didn’t want to lay waste… instead, she decided to give the two away to watch both the Heavens and the mortals. A punishment fit for the twins who tried their best to separate a couple that was never meant to be harmed.

For eons, no one at the Pantheon wanted to be near the sun and moon - they would have no access to the Heavens and no access to the mortals. They would forever see them from a distance and never touch them. She didn’t know what to do with the sun and moon. To Her, they were just two floating orbs around that precious world. And yet, She realized that it would be the perfect punishment for the twins. After all, they tried so desperately to separate their angels. They tried desperately to separate themselves from their studies.

Yes, this was a suitable punishment.

Euna would go to the sun and Dala would go to the moon. Forevermore.

Hundreds of years went by until they decided to pull one more game. One more game to fix this massive mistake they have made. An effort to help mend Troggia and Morzania’s despair and to bring them together. Even if they are Fallen, they could probably still heal the world with their love, even if it’s a little bit. Maybe their love could change the world… that’s what they thought. That’s what they believed in.

At first, they wanted to accept their punishment but as time went by, they saw the fruits of their games. From what little the twins knew about demons, they knew they roamed the earth and there’s nothing they could do about it. They knew their energy and aura corrupted the ecology of the world below them and monsters became a constant danger to the mortals. The Deities granted the humans and humanoids magic to protect themselves from these creatures but it’s up to them how they used the magic - but Euna and Dala felt guilty for what they have done.

While no one paid attention to the sun and moon after they were sentenced there, they managed to fix the course of their respective realms and meet two to four times a year - the mortals would call these events an eclipse - but it was a meeting of the twins trying to right a wrong they’ve committed eons ago.

And then, they realized the power of oracles and prophecies. Mortals could barely handle the image of an angel before them, much less a Deity; but the twins could shape-shift. They could give them a prophecy that could save Troggia and Morzania. And so they did.

When they had an eclipse one year, they snuck off to the world to deliver false prophecies. If caught, they would most likely be stripped of their ranks and be sent to the Under Pantheon or worse… They couldn’t think of anything worse and they didn’t want to. But they did it. One delivered to a “lion king” with a surprise and the other to a family who became wealthy recently through smart investments.

There was nothing special about this family but they must have their first-born daughter become a warlock in order to defeat this king - for he’s rumored to be the cause of the degradation of this country. The prophet given to this family was simply this: “It shall be then when the lion is king no longer, the graceful woman shall usher forth an era of harmony and age of renaissance.”

And dear Euna made a startling discovery about her message - but it only made their resolve stronger. When the lion king discovered who she was, she only left behind the body of her mortal disguise and these warning words: “It shall be, on the day that ice rains from the sky, a woman clad in blue shall user forth the end of peace.”

Our story begins when such a woman is born and ready to take on a task that was never meant to be hers.