Feathers to Filth (Reboot) Prologue - From Ash

Shortly after the dawn of creation, when Heaven and the Gods were all that existed, a society was forged. A stable bond between all of the Dawn Creator’s children, which lead the simple yet pure realm of Heaven into a limitless, bright future. Together, the Gods pushed on and used the knowledge which their father had gifted them with, and finally, they succeeded. They had created a Kingdom from a world of mere meadow, the Eternal Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.

However, simply naming something ‘eternal’, does not make it so. After eons of entrapment within their realm, the Gods grew ever more agitated. The simplest of mistakes exploded out of proportion, sparking great brawls between the holy beings. However, Gods too, are not eternal.

Overtime, the conflicts spread like wildfire, ranks were forged, armies built from enraged warriors, each blaming the other for the condition in which the holy world had fallen into.

Alas, fight turned to riot, riot turned to battle and, inevitably, battle turned to War. It was an all-out slaughter. The White City was burned along with the carcases of fallen brothers and sisters.

The aftermath of the Dawn War left many dead, thousands. However, from the numbers that perished, Eight remained. Eight elite soldiers, who banded together in order to end the war, and though the cost was heavy, they succeeded.

Surrounded by nothing but dust and rubble, the Eight divided the ashes of Heaven, and went their separate ways. They each went on to create burning new worlds, each on its own plain of reality. Though their father and creator had given them great knowledge, he did not grant them the secret to life.

Try as they might, they failed at creating anything from their worlds, forever confronted with blazing landscapes, fierce, toxic air, and most of all, the ever present memory of what they had destroyed for the price of victory.

As loneliness and madness began to infect the God’s minds, hope was found, a faint chance of success. The Gods retreated from their worlds, excited by the possibility of creating something new. They sought council in the world of Deitus, the boldest and grandest of the Eight.

Surely enough, little by little, life flourished. They had solved the mystery of life itself, by pouring slivers of their souls into a vessel, they had ended their torment.

However, not all of the Eight sought such things. Lilith and Saederol, two ruthless survivors, their judgement and hearts warped by the acts they committed in the name of the Dawn War, they relished in the agony of fire. Their worlds did not bloom and grow as the others did, instead, they were left to rot, nightmarish views, lined by molten fire, as far as the eye could see.

Despite their love of agony, they too found that they grew lonely, and restless. To lessen their unusual suffering, they collided their worlds, creating layer upon layer of evil ruin. It was then that the pair broke the first absolute rule of their nature. They bred. Before long, their realm was alive with the howls and screams of their unholy offspring.

The council looked on, they could see the threat that was growing in the black realm of their twisted siblings. They named it Hell. Together, the Gods decided that precautions must be set in place, a shield in case the sword was to strike, and so, they locked Hell away. Cutting off all of its bonds, they sealed it behind a red gate, a gate which must never be opened.

As life had already spawned on the worlds of light, the existence of Hell could not be concealed from them. However, the Gods led a great lie, a twist in the tale, a hidden chapter which would never be told to their children. The Dawn War was kept secret, and in this act, the Gods were awarded the title ‘The Original Eight’, and loved unconditionally by those they had deceived.

This title pleased the Gods, nevertheless, they preferred the title which was given to them by their enemies. To their people, they were the Originals, to themselves, they were the Paladin.