Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The Second Grand War.

Ambition ran rampant, stimulated by the darkness of the times.

Shallow ambition.

Deep ambition.

There was a clear definition between the two in those days. Those who had been waiting for a shift in their lives rode the wave of chaos to either better themselves or to burn down everything they loathed in the world, thus creating a split.

Fear had been dominant for a long time but then, news of vessels that carried portions of the consciousnesses of Deities spread throughout Feinheath and reached even Opungale, giving people hope.

Suddenly, the image of the greatest symbol of calamity in history didn't seem so scary anymore, especially after a specific rumour, one that was true, was told.

A man, a Royal Knight close to the King's side had been ordained to be a perfect vessel for a portion of the most revered Deity, Quintess.

A man by the name Rayn.

His BODY, SOUL and MIND were washed with incredible power and even with the might of a Deity within him, he retained his consciousness, immediately setting out to turn the tides of the war.

The people cheered as waves upon waves of Fulgardt's armies were pushed back and eradicated with the intervention of vessels mainly crafted from the bodies of Paladin Champions.

It was glorious to fight by their side.

The war cry of an otherworldly being, their might unreasonable...

Yet, sorrow could still be seen as none of the Deities took pleasure in carving away at their creations. It was sickening.

But what they loathed even more was the dark ambition trapped within each and every one of the men and women under Fulgardt. It was not natural.

It was unyielding.

The direct armies under the Chosen of Fulgardt, the Unions, were particularly powerful and resilient, so much so that the vessels couldn't last much longer after battling them for several days without end.

A vessel quickly depleted with constant battle.

Some of the vessels survived even after reaching their limit and releasing the consciousness of the Deity within them while others turned to ash afterwards.

Sadly, for those that survived, a terrible fate awaited them.

The first Paladin Champion to become a vessel, Logma, had a strong enough body and will to show the trade off for what he had been able to accomplish.

His blood became cursed.

His body and those of the other vessels were not strong enough to come off without any backlash. Such was the effect of trying to circumvent a Rule of the world inefficiently.

Anyone with blood ties to him felt it. Their blood rippled with an unseen chill yet it was obvious that they were no longer the same.

The common folk within Logma family died after a year. Children, Foundation Stage adults, the sick....

The curse exploited every bit of weakness it could find, unless one had sufficient protection or a sufficiently powerful body cultivated by a greater mana core or a higher Stage.

This phenomenon discouraged more Paladin Champions from offering themselves as vessels. If it were only them at the risk of facing death, they would gladly accept their duty but...

What of little children in their line? Did they deserve to die for Feinheath?

What of parental figures who had their blood, satisfied by living as common folk away from complexity? Why should they have to suffer?

No.

This method proposed by the Unnamed Keepers wasn't right. It couldn't be allowed to exist!

The hesitation and conflict on this caused the armies of Fulgardt to gain another foothold, their power regaining another chance to grow within the continents.

Yet, Rayn was still there.

He rose at this time to single-handedly obliterate four Unions numbering 10,000-40,000 each, completely freeing Pelian from the grip of chaos!

When he accomplished this feat which rejuvenated those fighting for their homes and loved ones, two of Fulgardt's Chosen appeared to challenge his might!

Such a man couldn't be allowed to roam free.

He had to be stopped.

The incredible battle that ensued was so great and devastating that it was given a name, becoming the first marker of the long stretch of horrible times to come.

The Battle of Countless Blizzard Shatters.

For seven whole days, this battle endured, the sky turned dark and gloomy from it.

For seven whole days, it rained heavily and the clap of thunder as well as the flash of lightning continued nonstop, yet its call could never overwhelm the vivid blows that echoed where three tremendously powerful beings clashed.

Children could only cradle in the arms of their parents who were also terrified beyond reason.

Even well established combatants could do nothing but sit within their bases and try to shut off their senses.

It was terrible time to be nothing more than a mortal man.

After the seventh day, the battle ended.

All three calamities lived.

The two Chosen made an escape with grievous wounds, having suffered a loss, while Rayn emerged as the victor but with a severed weakened body.

This news was not as inspiring as many had thought.

The evils were still among them.

The Chosen were yet to fall and so was Fulgardt himself.

Was even the might of the strongest Deity not enough?!

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Morale fell and the number of combatants willing to continue to oppose what they called 'the inevitable' dwindled.

Was it worth it?

Wouldn't their deaths just leave their families unprotected?

This was absurd!

Thankfully, there was a lull for a full two years after the Battle of Countless Blizzard Shatters.

The Unions of Fulgardt did not attack as relentlessly and Fulgardt himself was not seen or heard from throughout that time.

However...

Strange rumours ran amok through the nations of Pelian, Emeradis and Maqi.

Unique individuals vanished little by little over these two years.

These individuals were all key figures in their respective nations.

Hundreds of them seemed to disappear and not be heard from again even to this day.

This caused a subdued panic.

Nation leaders could only attribute this to being one of Fulgardt's works.

But why would he have these people taken all of a sudden?

What was the purpose?

Or perhaps... were these people kidnapped at all?

At the end of this period of relative peace, Rayn emerged once again, his BODY and SOUL fully recovered, his strength having grown exponentially from what it was two years ago.

Even with this though, the fragment of Quintess within him still whispered to him a dark truth.

<It is not enough.>

A lot more than this was needed.

Fighting Fulgardt, especially with his Chosen around was a fool's errand, even with this newfound strength cultivated by taking advantage of his highly adaptive body.

What to do?

What could be done?

Brute strength was not the way.

There had to be another path.

When all hope seemed to be dwindling further into the gutter, a solution appeared.

An unexpected one crafted by the will of direction itself!