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Chapter 18.5: Reading Part two

‘But after a few thousand years, the continents came ever closer thanks to the bastard demigods of Askavan and Slovia. These powerful individuals, known as the thirteen heroes, slayed monsters, threw feasts, ushered a new era of magic and supernatural abilities, and forced the massive continents to merge once more.

And there was peace… for a few hundred years. But westerners, or humans had begun to search for new land, and since the south was bountiful and fertile, they marched into the southern forests and just started taking things. Which prompted the Duran War and thus began the thousand-year-long war, which as the name suggested didn’t last a thousand years but rather, 1457 years instead.

A peace treaty was signed and everyone lived happily ever after, except they didn’t. Tensions were rising as a massive Sea Serpent ravaged the seas and seafood became unbelievably scarce. Forcing tension in the borderlands to escalate more and more. Another war was coming and everyone knew it. However, one particular Neogod descended from the heavens and claimed to have slain Askavan and the other gods. He proposed a new religion and equal treatment for Westerners and Southerners and even the demons who could now be reached via the sea route thanks to the continued efforts of the demigods who had apparently slain the sea serpent.

This Neogod and his ideals were rejected but the Askavan Church took the pre-concept of equality in the religion as a tenant to promote their religion but of course they and everyone else still rejected the demons. And with as a proper route to Demonica flourished, more and more demons were captured as slaves and playthings. Not only that, but Westerners and Southerners alike now discriminated against the demons and started setting up colonies far from home. Revolutionaries rose up in all three kingdoms and people rioted. Which prompted another thousand-year long war, this time encapsulating the whole world. This one lasted about two centuries only. But yes, that was just the prologue and the real war was yet to come.

Humans didn’t learn from their mistakes and continued to take over land and enslave others throughout their conquest for more and more power; Southerners joined them to torment the demons who’d done the same to them millennia prior. Which inevitably led to another war and this particular one was the most brutal one yet. Apparently, some guy named Aldruin the hero led the conquest against the vicious Sea Demon Zalbanzathor and eventually sealed him in the depths of the Zalbian Sea. But that was of course near the very end of the war, and by that point, most people were just… dead. This war, heralded as the worst war in the history of the world and as ‘The world killer’ ran for about two thousand years and killed over 90% Westerners, 100% beastfolk, and 70% Southerners before Xorax Supreme Deity of thunder personally came down and laid waste to some mountains and stopped everything. Merfolk and Demons were not listed as casualties.

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After the war, the Askavan church swooped in, seized control from the monarchs and basically ruled the world through their 6 core commandments.

1. Askavan the dragon god is the supreme god and is all powerful

2. One must obey the church and pay regular alms to the church.

3. Murder, adultery and interspecies procreation is henceforth forbidden. Demons are not part of the holy continent and thus are exempt from all continental rights and its regulations.

4. No noble, nor citizen may attempt to seize the land or rightful property of another be they demon or men.

5. All men are equal. Demons who convert to Askavan may also be considered equal.

6. Under no circumstance, can one question the holy church and its commandments.

At first glance, they seemed like typical religious commandments but they were not. They were specifically designed by the church to exploit people who were naïve enough to think this religion was anything more than just a sham.

Regardless, the religion spread like wildfire and within a thousand years, the whole world, even demons had embraced the religion and thus began the unified year calendar. Demons in particular were somewhat coerced into accepting the religion, otherwise they could be branded as ‘heathens’ and their lives ‘could be’ accidentally forfeit thanks to slavery and other practices.

Right now, it was year 3034 of the unified calendar and the world was at peace.’

Yeah, or so the book emphasized. And I didn’t really think the book was being very honest. Humans were greedy, but not everyone was the same yet the book was constantly just mocking humans. Then again Southerners also joined in on the fun so…. And it said the world was at peace but, what about the minor skirmishes? What about the discrimination? What about the church choosing who got to live and got did not; where was the equality in that? What about the demons?

‘Who’s the writer?’ I checked and it was JRR S. Sarton.

Was this guy a Southerner or a Westerner? I asked Mom and she had no clue. But she did think the book was mostly factual, and not just a bunch of fairytales.

But… gods and demigods huh? And not just one or two… many.

‘Did they really exist though or was it just a bunch of high-end magic no one understood?’

Then again, this world had two-headed tigers and supposedly magic so, gods and demi-gods didn’t seem that farfetched.