Rise of the White Devil

"Just what the hell does that mean... those who dwell within awaiting the binding seal to break?"

Aurora's voice trembled as she turned to Lucas, trying to decipher the cryptic message.

"I don't know," Lucas responded, his voice equally uncertain. He had theories, but nothing concrete, nothing that made sense.

As the weight of the enigma settled upon them, Nyx sighed and rose from the couch, drawing Lucas's attention.

He was in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by the unknown. Lucas knew he was at their mercy.

Nyx walked to the window, his gaze lost in the sea of trees outside.

'Where are we even?' Lucas wondered, his mind racing.

"You've managed to translate it perfectly... it's uncanny. You remind me of Master," Nyx murmured, sorrow lacing his tone as he continued to stare into the distance.

'Master?' Aurora and Lucas exchanged puzzled glances. Nyx's words hung heavily in the air.

"I have lived for over a thousand years... I think," Nyx said, his voice barely above a whisper. Find more to read at empire

Aurora and Lucas's eyes widened in shock.

'Can one even live that long? And why is he unsure?' Lucas thought, bewildered.

Saints were rumored to live up to 500 years, but Nyx's age seemed to surpass any known records.

'Is he even a saint?' The question gnawed at Lucas, as Nyx's presence eclipsed even the most powerful figures he knew.

Glancing at Aurora, he noticed she was equally confused at what she was hearing and was about to hear...

Nyx continued, his voice tinged with pain.

"I remember little of my life before the last 900 years. My earlier memories feel... altered, fragmented. Nothing makes sense before that."

Lucas and Aurora listened, their bodies tense, absorbing every word.

"I have memories that feel foreign, yet they are mine. And the memories that should be mine... they're lost," Nyx said, his confusion palpable.

Then, a shift. His eyes closed, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"But those memories... they are so beautiful."

His arms extended as if embracing an invisible world.

Lucas saw his reflection in the mirror, a man lost in reverie.

"This world is but a shadow of its former glory. Once, it was filled with life. A simple mage could summon thousands of fireballs in seconds, the air thick with mana. Aura users could cleave mountains with a single swing, even in the master stage. What is now a rarity was once commonplace."

Nyx's voice grew wistful as he painted a picture of a forgotten era.

"Ancient buildings, colossal trees, mountains that pierced the skies. The air was rich with mana, an endless supply. Beasts of unparalleled strength roamed the land. Races we can scarcely imagine walked among us, guardians of Myrniel, their beauty and power beyond comprehension."

He spoke as if in a trance, reliving memories of a lost world. Lucas was spellbound, every word resonating deep within him.

"Dragons," Nyx continued, his voice filled with awe.

"Creatures with vast wings, standing atop Myrniel. They were magnificent, commanding respect, fear, and awe. Guardians of Myrniel. And not just them—colossal, bird-like beings surrounded by flames, with mesmerizing red feathers, capable of rebirth."

"Phoenixes."

'Ah...' Lucas's mind struggled to keep up, overwhelmed by Nyx's recollections.

Every word Nyx uttered seemed to vibrate through Lucas's soul, shaking his very core.

Nyx's memories were a mix of beauty and sorrow.

"A massive beast with countless tentacles emerging from the great ocean, its mere swipe altering the entire current of the sea. Creatures dwelling in the depths, places no one would dare to explore," Nyx's voice was a mix of awe and sorrow, as if recounting a forgotten legend.

"A mere saint back then could easily take down dozens of our greatest saints now. Space affinity, now so rare, was common back then."

"Being a grandmaster was considered weak."

He paused, his eyes reflecting the weight of what he recalled.

"The great Yggdrasil, towering above all, piercing space itself. Dragons, the guardians of Yggdrasil, circled it, ensuring no one came near. They flew with a beauty and grace that was beyond words."

Nyx's voice softened, tinged with melancholy. "Phoenixes, with their fire and healing aspects, ensured that almost no deaths occurred. Humans coexisted easily with other races. It felt like a dream... yet it was real, all of it."

His voice broke slightly, laden with pain.

Lucas couldn't tell if Nyx was speaking from his own memories or those of another, but the emotions were raw, palpable.

"It was all real... but everything must come to an end."

"The end, though, was the worst possible way."

Suddenly, the room trembled. Lucas found himself on his knees, gasping for air, as did Aurora.

They were helpless under the immense pressure emanating from Nyx.

As he spoke, his voice was laced with fury and a desire to destroy.

"A war began, marking the beginning of the end," Nyx's voice grew heavier, each word a burden of sorrow.

"Everything green turned red with blood. Buildings, trees, mountains—everything was destroyed."

His eyes glazed over as if witnessing the devastation anew.

"Races united, working together to ensure their survival," he continued, his tone somber.

Lucas felt a shiver run down his spine as Nyx's words painted a picture of unimaginable horror.

"On one side, the creatures of the demon world attacked with relentless fury... children were forced to fight the vile races of the demon world. For some reason, the ancient races like the dragons decided to stay neutral, avoiding the war against the demons..."

The pressure in the room intensified, and it was as if they could hear the echoes of that ancient war, feel the ground tremble beneath their feet.

"But like a ray of hope, the seven heroes appeared, making the people of Myrniel regain their hope."

The way Nyx spoke felt like a bedtime story, as if he were recounting a tale from his head rather than recalling his memories.

It was as if he were telling forgotten legends of old.

Lucas and Aurora listened intently, trying to ignore the pressure Nyx unconsciously was releasing.

"Finally, when it looked like Myrniel was winning against the demons, turning the tides after so many deaths, victories, and losses... something changed."

"The demon king was descending on Myrniel, forcing the seven heroes to prevent it from happening. The descent of the demon king might have created a battle so fierce that it would force the dragons or other powerful races to intervene, resulting in the loss of almost everyone..."

He paused, the room growing colder with his silence.

"I don't know what happened in their fight... who won or who lost... I only know one thing—that a new threat appeared out of nowhere..."

His voice grew colder with each word, confusion etched on his face.

Lucas and Aurora, still on their knees, absorbed every word.

"A threat forcing the involvement of all the other powerful races who were meant to be neutral..."

"Nothing is known of where the threat came from, how it came, or why it came..."

"The void," Nyx said, his voice a mere whisper but carrying the weight of the world.

"It consumed everything. Light, life, hope—all swallowed by the creatures of the void."

"At the arrival of the creatures of the void, Yggdrasil suddenly disappeared..."

"The creatures were so harrowing, as the dragons and the other powerful races fought them head-on at the frontlines, protecting Myrniel from destruction and fighting for their own lives."

"Such dreadful creatures that one had to rank each one of them," Nyx said, his voice heavy with the weight of their names.

"Voidspawns, Netherbeasts, Dreadnaughts, Abyssals, Nihiliths, and Devourers..."

The ranks he spoke of sounded ominous,.

Just how terrifying were these beings to warrant such names?

It wasn't just their names that instilled fear; it was the knowledge that they each had different stages of ranks.

Lucas's mind spun as he tried to absorb everything Nyx was saying.

"Primordial, Great, Defiled, Apocalyptic..."

Nyx didn't know exactly how strong each rank was; he merely spoke of what he somehow knew.

How these creatures looked, Nyx couldn't say.

But it was easy to understand that they must have been extremely formidable to force the most powerful beings to unite against them.

"Yet..."

"They all failed... and in the end..."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Everything was forgotten."

"Which races lost, who died, what happened to the heroes, the demon king..."

"It's as if reality itself changed... nothing makes sense anymore..."

"What happened to everyone?"

"To Myrniel?"

"To the void?"

"To me?"

"An history which has been consumed by the void..."

His eyes, distant and haunted, met Lucas's for a moment, and in them, Lucas saw a reflection of age-old sorrow, a grief that time had not dulled.

"Forgotten by everyone and everywhere only for me to vaguely remember... and..."

"That they have returned marking the continuation of what I call..."

"The Void war."

"A war that was never finished, just paused."

"None of us are ready for this war."

"All we can do is wait for our demise."

"As it will be our turn to be consumed by...

"The void."