Chapter 3: The Millennium War
Aion's hand was forced, and in retaliation, the god created twelve figures named the Empyrean Lords. These creatures possessed a beauty and strength far beyond anything we had ever seen before, and, like the Balaur, could take flight using the power of a strange and curious substance called Aether. Our faith in our god, and our devotion to Atreia had been recognized: these creatures were created in our image, and had come to save the world that so many of us had learned to call home.
The inevitable battle started, and soon turned into a long and bloody war. We had found protection around the tower, inside the Aetheric shield our Empyrean Lords had created for us. However, the shield was small, and the land outside of its boundaries stayed under the control of the Balaur. Outside of the Aetheric shield our Empyrean Lords were weakened just as the Balaur were weakened inside it, and once the Balaur realized this, they would line up innocent creatures just outside its boundary and butcher them in an attempt to lure our Lords out. They were cruel creatures, and their actions only solidified our hatred for them.
This was the time which we later came to call the Millennium War, a time in which we humans could prosper once again under the protective wings of our Empyrean Lords. This was also the time during which I was born, and by the time I had grown into a young man, I found the Aether that Aion granted this world had a drastic affect on me. The Aether responded to me, and I to it, and soon my talents were noticed by others who our people had only seen on occasion. These others, these Daevas, were human at birth, but possessed an innate ability to manipulate the Aether that was used by the Empyrean Lords. Slowly but surely I learned to master these abilities, and while at first I could only chill the air around me, within months I could freeze opponents into place, and summon balls of fire to engulf the Balaur. I found myself revered, much like a god, as those who had once held me close to their breast now placed me on a mighty pedestal. The feeling that I, the son of a simple farmer, could cause suffering to these Balaur was intoxicating - this was a blessing from Aion that I could never even hope to repay.
Soon the number of Daevas swelled enough for our Empyrean Lords to mobilize us into a fighting force. I joined the Legion, and progressed quickly through the ranks, leaving my child, an infant boy named Phalaris, behind.
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Reposted from GameZoneChapter 3: The Millennium War
Our ancestors were brave, and stood united in defence of the tower and the god that they had come to love. However, the Balaur, with their sheer brute force, tore through their ranks, slaughtering thousands where they stood. In a desperate move, Aion created the Empyrean lords, 12 powerful guardians tasked with reigning in the marauding Balaur and restoring order to Atreia. Aion also created Aether, a substance which the Empyrean Lords could manipulate to protect themselves and their followers from the Balaur. This substance was also used to create a protective shield around the Aion tower, so large that it allowed our remaining ancestors to rest within its boundaries and slowly, day by day, restore some semblance of civilization.
So began the Millennium War, a conflict that saw the lands and creatures outside our Aetheric Field burn and scream in agony as the Balaur took out their frustrations on anything that dared show even the slightest resistance. The inscriptions that we still have show our people prospering during this time as the Empyrean Lords bravely fought against the Balaur, eventually taking with them the humans that were capable of utilizing the Aether in similar ways to these Empyrean Lords. These individuals became known as Daevas, and in the full passage of time would unlock power far greater than our own. They were virtually demi-gods, and would soon become instrumental in shaping our future. Indeed, their ability to fly led many of us to believe they were angels, sent by Aion to bring order and stability to our world.
The war raged for years, and while one side would occasionally gain the upper hand, it seemed that this contest was finely balanced indeed. If one side were to eventually claim victory, the cost to their own people would be almost unbearable.
Afraid of continuing this crippling and demoralizing war, some of our Empyrean Lords started looking at other ways of ending this struggle...
Source
~Jamo
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