“All the blood in this town belongs solely to me. Any that shed that blood, or causes it to be shed, shall be cursed.”

Excerpt from the inscription on the entrance to the Cemetery City, Dre'Gul.

“Blackened ramparts, murders of crows pecking at corpses swinging on the gallows, and skeletons hanging upside down on stakes all around. The people of this town are hostile to all, and do not fear dirtying their hands. To them, strangers are akin to a plague, bringing with it the fear of the unknown, the fear of death.”

Such a ghastly scene is not one found at the entrance to hell, nor is it a descriptive narrative from a horror novel. This is a phrase from an actual historical record, “The Golden Age”, describing the Citadel of Thorns, Dre'Gul, during the reign of Blavatsky. One can easily envision the madhouse such a place was with this single passage.

Erzebeth Blavatsky was a brutal woman who came to be called “Zmeya” during her reign. There are many examples of her terrifying personality. However, I won't waste time recounting the infamous tale of the vigilante who was captured, tied to a stake, and left to die of thirst for attacking her people. Interestingly, she was cruelest towards those who put her people in danger, unlike other Striga. This was probably something like the mindset of a beast that wanted to keep other predators from stealing its prey. Doesn't the quote at the very beginning show very clearly how she felt about her subjects?

According to the official biography, Blavatsky was the daughter of a noble family that carried out executions of death-row convicts. Following in her parents' footsteps, Blavatsky studied swordsmanship and anatomy. She also took part in the Crimson Harvest War as a pursuit and torture specialist, while leading a group of men herself. She galloped across battlefields, using sharp maneuvers and her fearsome presence to rout the enemy. The men she led carried out acts of such brutality that the word “Dragoons” was created just for them.

However, she never saw the end of the war. After a fated meeting on the battlefield, Duke Ivan the Ice-Hearted proposed to her. Accepting his courtship, Blavatsky and he both stepped away from the Crimson Harvest War* and were married at her castle in half a year. (*If one is aware of how this war ended, this was a very fortunate thing. For details, refer to the “Heide” document.)

Blavatsky and Duke Ivan - though it might be hard to believe - led a happy newlywed life. According to rumors, the two passed the days as peacefully and joyfully as those who had never spilled blood. If everything had continued to go on like this, the two could have been the first ever main characters in a vampire story with a happily ever after. But what is life? Isn't it but a fickle mistress that brings despair to the happy and hell to the unlucky? Not even Blavatsky was left unscathed by the whims of fate. One day, Duke Ivan was suddenly struck by a wasting sickness and collapsed after vomiting dark blood. That day, Blavatsky had been on her way to her husband to tell him the news of her pregnancy.

Blavatsky used every method she knew to try and cure him. Despite her best efforts, the Duke's illness worsened and he breathed his last in the Duchess's arms. However, her misfortunes didn't end there. Shortly afterwards, she fell ill with a mysterious fever, a fever that cost her the life of her unborn child.

The Duchess's personality changed after this tragedy. She started to bleed herself frequently, muttering things such as, “We're all sick,” and “We must stop the spread of the illness.”

Since then, Blavatsky started drawing and taking blood from her citizens as taxes. She hired a female doctor who was banned from her hometown for using forbidden practices, giving her a prosthetic arm, a research lab, and a strange order to look into methods of refining blood. Rumors said that she would often inject herself with purified blood, but nobody knew why she did so. Did she want to become wholly human by discarding any trace of her Striga heritage? Or did she just want to give herself enough extra vitality to support another life?

The Duchess's madness eventually wore on everyone around her. The longer her strange research continued, the more doubts the populace started to have. Doubts that whispered that she was the true murderer of Duke Ivan, that even the death of her child was because of a selfish whim. That she begrudged the infant its share of the blood she drank. As these treacherous rumors spread, her servants stole the Duchess's treasures and fled the castle while her people abandoned their homes and fled in the night. Still, there were those who pitied the Duchess and stubbornly stayed behind in the castle, only to suffer from her madness. They eventually perished after being drained of all their blood. Ultimately, Dre'Gul became a ghost town within 3 years of the Duke's and his child's passing.

As for the fate of the Duchess? Well... nobody knows. She drew too much of her own blood and died, she injected too much contaminated blood and became a horrible monster, she went completely insane and became a witch that kidnapped people in the dead of night, etc... Outlandish rumors such as these spread. But as you can surmise from previous sentences, we now know what became of her. It wasn't long after she last made her mark on history that she re-emerged. That fateful day she made herself known again, was the day the “Dark Blood” fell from the sky.

Astonishingly, Blavatsky was spotted with the judge of destruction and incarnation of Death, Ankou, and his 11 faithful followers the day they marched on the empire of humans. She held a golden cup full of Dark Blood, writhing like a living thing, and looked as beautiful as she ever had.

Ankou declared all humans greedy and corrupt, and sentenced us all to death. As soon as his judgement fell, all the knights tipped over the golden cups and poured out the Dark Blood, a terrible pollutant that would take all the lives in the land.

At that moment, the people witnessed something strange. While the other knights stoically poured out the Dark Blood, Blavatsky was the only one with tears streaming down her face. As she poured the Dark Blood, she whispered,

“I'm sorry, so sorry. But this is the only way.”

We have no idea what she meant by that, but you don't need to pay any heed to those words, dear readers. It's obvious it was the mutterings of a madwoman. Isn't it the same as a killer apologizing right after committing a murder?

Just what was she thinking,joining the 12 Knights*? (Refer to Heylel's and Ankou's documents.) Just what would have been to her benefit if all living things in the world perished, as was their goal? Doesn't the blood she drinks come from living, breathing beings? Did she do such a foolish thing only to suffer hunger and thirst all her life until the day of judgement?

No, let's stop thinking about this. There is no point in trying to understand her, nor is there any worth in pitying her. She is just a crazy vampire who wanted to imitate humans. So bury her in the darkness with the rest of the undead like her and leave her to rot forever.


According to historical records, she searched for her clan all over the world right up until she went mad. As everyone in her clan, whether old or young, male or female, was born with silvery hair, all children born with silvery hair in the village had to dye their, hiding their natural locks for the rest of their lives. If any children were to be caught with silvery hair before becoming elderly, they were rumored to disappear without a trace. Almost everyone that was taken to Dre'Gul were never heard from again, but it is said a single boy managed to escape with the help of the Undead.

Of course, this happened so far in the past that this hypothetical child would be long dead...

...Unless, he managed to become an Undead with the help of the other Undead. If that is the case, he could be among us even now.

Perhaps, even closer than you'd think.

“Calling to me so sweetly, with your face hidden in the mask - who are you?” “Are you the Ghost? Are you here to take my soul?”

Then the masked man replied. “No, I’m the Angel, and I’m here to save you.”

- Ozzy M. Andias. Excerpt from 

Dear Church of the Morning Star. This letter is a reply to your request, from the city of the Undead, Eleonora. We, the Undead, have heard the news that females disguised as a traveling troupe has infiltrated your headquarters and assassinated your key personnel. We have also heard rumors that your people suspect that they might be assassins sent by us, the kingdom of the Undead, upon learning about their unusual appearances and weapons. That is why we have made the agreement to share all the information that we and the scholars of the Church discover from studying the remains of the killed assassins.

Dear Church of the Morning Star. We have discovered a most unexpected truth from studying the unidentified bodies of the assassins. Needless to say, this does not bode good news for you.

They may look like humans, but they are anything but the sort. They have been created artificially. There is nothing even the slightest bit natural about them. Their hearts run on electricity, pumping out fabricated blood that has been boiled with human hands. Their bodies possess the vampiric ability to regenerate, and their artificial bones are made of mysterious substances... Components that should not be mixed together are working in perfect harmony, on a probability that’s unimaginably slim.

We have not seen anything like this before. But we have seen creatures that are very similar to them. Such as the homunculus from Dre’gul and the Mist Elves of Undra. However, they were merely “improved” copies based on living organisms that have already existed. The bodies of these assassins were artificially “assembled” out of very unlikely components. The creator of these “living dolls” must either be a genius with infinite patience and concentration, or an obsessed lunatic who’s full of resentment towards the world.

As for the weapon they used... This weapon uses gunpowder and is something far too advanced for the times. We tested the weapon against the Sekundus, our pistol that’s used to control the Undead, and it turns out these assassins’ weapons have faster loading and shooting speed, as well as more robust firepower. Just a single pull of the trigger releases dozens of lead bullets. How much hatred must one have against humans to want to kill them over and over, when a single bullet can end their lives? If the blueprint of this weapon spreads across Usher, it will bring forth terrible chaos.

Please understand that we are sincerely worried for your future, Church of the Morning Star. You are already fighting against the 12 Knights and the Kindred of Dark Blood. Yet we have noticed that there has been a quiet and disturbing increase of dark beings, who have crawled out of their darkness to strangle you.

We only pray that you do not forget who the true enemy is. You are the Morning Star

“I don’t know who I am... But I know what to do.

She had a dream for an indefinite period of time.
She did not know where she was, or who she was.
All in the space where memories of someone that seemed to be herself but actually wasn’t, unfolded.

After eons of time had passed that would make any mortals evanescent, she finally heard a voice.
‘This world needs your power,’ Said the voice in a desperate but soft manner.
She didn’t realize who she was, but at least she learned what she had to do from the voice.
Soon she opened her eyes feeling the warmth of white rays of light that engulfed her.

Heylel was the first person she met, who had combed through Elpis and its surrounding area to find the girl by the request of Ludmilla the Goddess of Time. When the girl was first discovered, she was roaming the hills of Elpis, undraped ever since she had been born. Seeing that, Heylel thought it was the same beauty depicted in a masterpiece painting. Ludmilla told Heylel that the girl is the shard of memories from Nuu. She also stated that fate would grant the power to Heylel and her company to lead their journey as balance was the driving force of time. However, Heylel did not understand what it meant, so Flynn regarded her as pathetic when he asked her about it.

Practically, the girl was held in custody after she had been accepted by the Church. She would use her power if something displeased her. She was ignorant of common sense and acted like an infant, which made it difficult for people to get close to her. Her gaze alone could destroy structures and almost killed several members of the Church. Everyone tried to stay away from her, save for Heylel. She was responsible for bringing the girl, and she couldn’t abandon such an innocent girl like her, so she stayed by her side and taught her many aspects of life one by one. She even gave her a name, ‘Nua’.
Thanks to Heylel’s continuous effort, Nua was able to speak a little bit. She also learned emotions and how to express them to some extent.

Nua is close to a Homunculus that was naturally created, but since she partially inherited Nuu’s power, it gives her the immense power beyond the imagination of mortals. She may become a part of the expedition when she is ready, but she does not know how dangerous her power is or how to control it. For now, she’s attached to the Church and learning how to control herself while they keep her under their protection. However, they’re constantly keeping an eye on her to prevent her from going astray—for the strongest weapon is always coveted by enemies.

“Under the roofless sanctuary of light, we were all free.”

Excerpt from , by Ankhesenamun of Menkaure

So many scholars have taken on the challenge, but no one has ever solved this mystery. Who gave birth to the angels? Who is the one that created these humanoid monsters?

Was it a dragon? A bird? Or a divine being or a fairy?

How do they extract the thunder from storms to mold spears with? How do they pluck the feathers of the wind to weave wings? Who composed their songs, when their language is soundless? How did they come to resemble humans so much, to the point such terrifying accuracy?

In the ancient days when humans were not yet aware of angels, there was a strange rumor in foreign lands. Someone allegedly saw a woman fall from lightning-covered skies. The woman was covered in thunderbolts, but she also shone with a light of her own and had wings on her back. According to rumors, this woman was a creature known as an “angel” in the Church of the Pentagon and her lifeless body was said to be stored in a hermit’s house in a desert.

Soon, rumors of the unearthly woman and the hermit reached the castle of the human king. The king had a curiosity like no other and he set out to find the mysterious hermit. After a long while, he finally located the hermit, who was living with his mute daughter in a small hut on a forgotten land. The king asked the hermit:

“I wish to see your treasure. Do you truly have the angel’s corpse?

“I do not.” The hermit answered. “And even if I did, I would not allow you to see it. Go back to where you came from.”

“Such insolence! I am the ruler of the castle where all roads on earth lead to! Bring me the corpse of the angel! Or your head will be lost!”

“Oh, and do you plan to ask my daughter the same question and expect her to answer, after killing me? Making two fresh new corpses because you failed at getting a glimpse of a rotten corpse, what a great king you are! I do not fear death, but let me give you a word of advice as someone who has been in the world longer than you have.”

The hermit took off his hat as to aid the soldiers with the beheading.

“Some things are better left unknown. If you stumble upon a mystery, and someone stops you from bringing it to light at the risk of their life, stop and consider the possibility that there might be more to it than just pure stubbornness.”

The strange behavior of the hermit dissuaded the king from finishing his quest and he turned away. But his temper flared at the thought that he had wasted all this time and effort, and gained nothing in the end. The king angrily ordered one of his huntsman to shoot and kill the hermit, for mocking his king. The huntsman obeyed his order. He shot an arrow high up into the sky. And a piercing scream followed from afar when the arrow fell.

The king’s anger abated at the death of the hermit. But at that moment, the skies darkened. A light flashed from where the hermit resided, and another piercing scream was heard. When the soldiers whipped their heads back, they saw the hermit’s daughter flying towards them with a shining spear in hand. Her wings were soaked in blood.

A few months later, the king returned to his castle. There were scars all over his body. His huge army had been reduced to just four frightened soldiers. All that remained of the huntsman who shot the arrow was a finger.

As soon as the king set foot in his castle, he barked out a royal decree to erase the location of the land the hermit lived on from all maps. Any and all documents that mentioned angels were to be destroyed as well. Like a crazed man, the king would whisper to the princes to be afraid of “the angel”. On one particularly stormy day, his poor heart exploded and the king fell dead. He sincerely believed that his warning would be enough to save mankind from the terrible being called “the angel”.

...But he did not know that his sons were as curious as he had once been.

The Fairies were known for their eccentric minds among all races and factions. Even within “ the Fairy community, there existed a distinct group who are considered truly off the wall. Skadi was certainly categorized as one of those few. While most of the Fairies felt right at home in a forest, where life sprouted around the damp and earthy greens, Skadi took a shine to water, especially the ocean. One could argue that oceans bear a resemblance to forests, as water
also sustained life. However, what truly set her apart was her complete lack of interest in any pranks or mischief. It was equivalent to humans completely missing appetite for anything. Thus no mischief meant no need for magic for her. The fact that the only spell she created allowed one to breathe underwater was a testament to her unwavering love for the ocean.
Rather than seeking refuge under the shade of a dense forest, she opted to slumber amidst the rocks on the seafloor and soared beneath the scorching sun that turned the shoreline sand into boiling grains. Her body emanated a captivating glow, adorned by the ocean’s salty embrace. The damp tendrils of her hair cascaded gracefully, reflecting the gentle radiance of churning waters. One enchanting night, a painter who beheld this captivating scene illuminated by the radiance of a brilliant moon captured its beauty upon a mural. This artwork graced the region for generations. As the seven hundred seventy-seventh storm traversed the vast ocean, Skadi's once prominent horns and majestic wings, distinguishing traits of the Fairies, had withered away. This transformation ignited passionate debates about her true nature. The elders held the steadfast belief that she was a Fairy, while the young speculated whether she might be an Elf or a mermaid. The children, in their imaginative innocence, adamantly proclaimed her resemblance to ethereal jellyfish. While their fervent discussions were filled with laughter, Skadi floated serenely upon the ocean.
Captivated by her mysterious and unique energy, countless travelers visited the ocean and attempted to strike up a conversation, only to be met with silence. There was one Ocean Elf, however, who broke her silence and opened her mind. Even to this day, the name or gender of this enigmatic figure remains forgotten. That was because this mysterious Elf was an outcast, shunned from their own kind, due to his or her poignant inability to speak. One might pose a foolish question such as questioning the means of their communication when the Elf was unable to say a word. Back then, the Elves were considered the most knowledgeable; almost none of them were unable to read and write. If that Elf were to be hailed for a remarkable accomplishment, it would undoubtedly be the unprecedented role as the first to impart knowledge and teaching to a Fairy.
Unfortunately, their bond was abruptly severed before she could hear her friend's entire story, even when Skadi had mastered the language of the Elves. A devastating plague, fatal to the Elves, swept across the continent, leaving Skadi's dear companion unable to escape its ravages. It was Skadi who emerged as a savior, stepping forward amidst the abandoned Elven cities, where plague-stricken Elves were helplessly awaiting their impending demise. As she strode through the scene of devastation, her countenance unwavering, she approached her dying friend and spoke of her ability to extend their life with her magic. Yet, to her dismay, the friend steadfastly declined her offer. It seemed that Skadi couldn’t cure the life of her friend burdened by discrimination. In the final moments, the Elf friend, aware that Skadi was their first Fairy to educate, beseeched her to safeguard their kind before exhaling their last breath. As the weight of her first friend's last request settled upon her, Skadi gazed at the dead friend for an extended moment, contemplating the solemn commitment. Eventually, she nodded. Ocean Elves who resided at the West Ocean received Skadi’s undeserved protection thanks to the Elf they banished.
Not long thereafter, however, the undeserved luck swiftly spiraled out of their grasp when war erupted in the wake of the waning plague. The conflict, entangling various races and factions, inflicted immense damage upon the realm of the Fairies. A rumor swept across the West Ocean, claiming that enraged Fairies from the Northern Forest had arrived.
“Don’t partake in this boring skirmish,” her sisters from the Northern Forest, whom she hadn’t met for a long time, warned. She nodded, for she had never intended to engage in the battle. Instead, she continued to clean the waters, tirelessly eliminating the pollution and debris that marred its purity. It was like any other day, except her frustration and anger grew as more and more bodies from battlefields were mindlessly dumped into the ocean. After completing her daily duties, she made her way to her friend's grave, adorning it with shells and dead corals as a tribute. As she returned to the ocean, a group of Ocean Elves intercepted her path. They flattered Skadi, thanking her for protecting them and offered a tiara decorated with aquamarines. She was tempted to decline their offers, as she usually did, but she couldn't resist this time, for the young Elf who presented the tiara bore a striking resemblance to her dead friend. Amidst their eager requests, Skadi hesitated for a moment before placing the tiara on her head. In that fleeting instant, she imagined that if her friend had had a voice, it would have resonated with the same joyful tone as theirs. However, the moment the tiara sat on her head, a strange sensation coursed through Skadi.
Soon, an icy chill spread through her body, rendering her feet immobile. She attempted to flutter her wings, relying on her innate Fairy instincts, only to discover that her wings had vanished without a trace. As the icy grip swiftly took hold of her, she realized that her mana was being drained by the encroaching ice. It was only when she found herself completely frozen, unable to move or resist, that she understood the gravity of her situation. She was immobilized, unable to even blink, yet her mind remained intact, capturing every word exchanged among her captors.
Skadi’s mind became a whirlwind of questions and contemplations when she heard that they could harness her mana to safeguard themselves. An Elf scholar from Prudencia had made this possible, for they feared that she could turn hostile towards them at any moment just like those powerful Fairies of the Northern Forest, capable of decimating entire species.
Whom should she direct her anger towards? Where did things go awry? Was there any hope of breaking free from the icy prison? Perhaps it was a blessing that her consciousness slipped away before she could arrive at a conclusion.
Time drifted by. With a sudden and forceful impact, Skadi jolted awake, her senses springing to life in an instant. Still covered with ice, Skadi realized that her mana was no longer being drained. Clueless about what had awakened her and why she found herself on a snowy mountain instead of the ocean, Skadi's mind raced with questions.
Above all, she didn’t recognize the individuals who were currently breaking the ice encasing her. Nevertheless, two things were certain in Skadi's mind—she would find her way back to the ocean, and she would never trust the Elves again.

"Only those who do not know love will have this child.”
Excerpt from 
They say there's an orphan here who can't speak or read. The child, who has been alone all this time, is said to be as pure and innocent as a newborn baby. Perhaps you pity her. You may want to protect her. But would you take care of a child who remembered nothing? Would you sacrifice everything for this child?
No, you wouldn't. Don't lie to me, you hypocrite. You would never raise that child.

Her innocence may draw you in and pull at your heart. But that will gradually fade over time. The child will steal your time. The child will always need your attention. The child will take all of you.
You will start to dislike the child. You will come to hate the child. You will start to distance yourself from the child.
Of course, not everyone is so cold-hearted. Perhaps, some of you who are reading this would truly take care of her. But compassion and love fade quickly. Especially, if it is from a human.
The moment in which you realize your hatred for the child will surely come. It's just like how kids fight and lovers quarrel. Brothers and sisters end up wanting to kill each other. Lovers despise the sight of each other. It's unavoidable.
What you do when the love fades, is up to you. The power to decide is in your hands. It is you who are caring for the child. However... you should think about something else before that. Think carefully.
If you don't like the child, is your hatred justified? Does the child deserve to be mistreated? Should you despise the child due to annoyance or disgust? Do you really think that?
Children are not born into this world to receive hatred. However, no child is born only to be loved unconditionally. Every human that is born is here to learn. You, that child, everyone.
The child will teach you many lessons. The child will fill what you lack. The child will test you with their endless questions.
You will also teach her. She will help you realize what you know and what you have learned. Through this, you will fill this child’s world. It will fill her with love.
Hate is not all we are. But love is not as well. We are meant to be balanced and equal with one another.
This small child will teach us a valuable lesson someday. This child will share with us the secrets she has seen and the knowledge she has acquired.
A man full of love does not require love. Those who do not know love are the ones who truly need it. However, love cannot be imposed. Love is given and received. Through that, we learn.