Year 2031, Ferrum Mensis.
Terreus
A heavy kick destroyed the door of a small run-down cottage, a dark figure then slowly entered the house, the sound awakened the mother who was sleeping in the bedroom, she quickly grabbed her sleeping child and hid under the small bed.
Through the eyes of the child, it was dusty and dark, yet he could sense the trembling hands of his mother. They could hear the sounds of their belongings being demolished as if the person was having fun. After a while, the house was filled with silence; the mother felt a breeze of relief.
“ Nin my child, I need you to stay here, I will just check something outside, okay?”
The boy was unable to respond because he was terrified of what would happen to his beloved mother.
As the mother steadily got out, she noticed that someone was behind her; as she looked back, and noticed that a figure veiled with darkness was sitting on top of their bed. Even though she could barely see the figure, she felt it was grinning; the figure then grabbed the woman on her neck. As the mother was struggling and gasping for air, she screamed, “Nin ……. Run”.
Nin then hastily got out of bed and ran. The figure took too long to notice that the child already has departed the room. Out of anger, the figure screamed while ripping the arms of the mother.
"Run kid......after this....you're next...I'll take my time skinning you later."
Nin couldn't help but cry as he ran. He felt the despair of his mother's pain; Nin prayed that as he approached the damaged door, he would be able to ask for assistance. But when he stepped outside, what he saw terrified him. It was a slaughter; people were screaming, assaulted, and violated in their own homes. A massive fire devoured the town's church and the residences surrounding it. As soon as Nin saw his friends' bodies torn apart, eyeless, and impaled from their anus into their mouth, he vomited. Nin's stomach twisted, he couldn't breathe, and while he struggled to move his fatigued body, a man yelled;
“bludgeon the men, rip the women, and impale the children…………. for they will be the sacrifice for our creator Phaos. The blood of the sacrificed will herald the dawn of dead crows.”
After hearing the man’s words, nin ran as fast as possible. Two men took notice of the child and hurriedly chased after Nin. After just a few leaps, the man had already caught up with Nin; he then stabbed the child on his left shoulder, bleeding heavily. Both pursuers started mocking the child as he was running. Nin’s vision started to blur, his feet began to weaken, he wanted to catch his breath, but he knew that he would definitely be killed if he stopped running. As the pursuers draw their sword to commit the finishing blow.
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Nin woke up, breathing heavily. It was another episode of his childhood, a nightmare that had consumed him for years. As he walked through the thick Forest of Tulus. He reminded himself to destroy those bastards that killed his people and his mother. But for his master, “revenge was not the path that can ease the longing of the soul.”
These were his master words, the words that he engraved on his journey. Nin knows that revenge will not bring the dead back to life, but to ease the pain that lingers, he needs to punish those people who destroyed his home.
Nin trained under the mentorship of his master, Caelum Mundus: an old man with a skinny physique, long white hair, and calm yet serious expression; he discovered Nin lying in the river, bleeding and pale throughout. Caelum ultimately helped the kid recuperate after a week of treatment. Caelum decided to adopt the child after hearing the child's heartbreaking story. Caelum fed, sheltered, and educated Nin.
"Remember, child, that the world is full of wonders, and splendor; good and evil." If you want to explore this world, you must first understand how our world looks; our world is divided into realms."
"Our realm Terreus is filled with us, humans, we are just one of 8 realms, and every realm is connected through the abyssal tree. The abyssal tree is an amalgamation of the 8 realms; we do not know its true nature. But we are aware that it works like a labyrinth, with rooms that are managed by either a Primal Beast or an Earthen god."
"In addition, each realm has its own source of power; Terreus has shuk: so us, humans utilize shuk; shuk is an essence that fills the soul of every being in our realm. It gives people the strength, the ability to control elements and create techniques called ARTS."
Ever since Caelum found Nin, he always pondered the obscure physiology of the boy. Throughout the treatment, Caelum found out that Nin's constitution is different. Every being on Terreus are more or less capable of using shuk. To utilize shuk, they need to have a soul and core. These two are essential pieces; the soul gives someone the ability to circulate and manipulate shuk, while the core serves as a container and limiter of shuk. The combination of the soul and core allows a person to control different attributes or elements.
But the situation is that Nin doesn't have one; his body contains a soul, yet he does not have a core. Every shuk passes and assimilates directly through his body. It's like Nin's body is a vast core that does not directly interact with the soul. This means that Nin's body cannot have an attribute, and it can contain any amount of power; he just needs to train his body and soul.
Because of Nin's body, Caelum needed to teach him an ARTS that does not require the presence of attributes, an ability that can be used even without a limiter, so he taught Nin his ARTS: The ENDLESS.