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I swore I'd put up the true prologue to my story as soon as I could and here it is, folks! Without further ado, here is the prologue to Ari's story...


Long ago, since before the dawn of man, there lived powerful beings known as gods and goddesses that dwelled over various elements. They are creatures whose powers are beyond the understanding of man. Like any hierarchy, their group is divided into different planes that call each into different groups. The first of the gods to enter existence are known as the High Rulers. In this group are Tiberius, the god of judgment, Arietta, the goddess of justice, Caelus, god of souls and Kuroshi, the god of death. Below them are the Four Elementals: Tiamat, the god of air, Leviathan, the god of water, Pyralis, the god of fire and Demetra, goddess of the earth. Besides these are the nocturnal goddesses, Nyx and Lunamé, each with their respective element. Nyx rules over the night while Lunamé rules over the moon. As such, Tiberius and Arietta created the Four Laws of the Gods to ensure that there would never be strife amongst their kind. The Four Laws are as follows:
I. No god shall intervene in another’s affairs in terms of what their purpose is.
II. No god shall kill another god, even if said god gives up their godhood and becomes human.
III. No god will socialize with or form pacts with demons.
IV. No god shall abuse their powers for either their own gain or to cause strife between gods or humans.

For a time, all was good. The gods did as their duties demanded and everything was orderly. The humans were pleased with them and the bounties were plenty. But one night, when the moon was full, Leviathan was patrolling his waters to ensure no sailors were lost. Once he arrived to a small clearing, he saw a naked woman bathing in his waters. His curiosity on need of satisfaction, he changed into a man and approached the woman carefully. Before he was too close to her, she turned around and they looked into each other’s eyes. Leviathan realized that the woman he had found was none other than Lunamé, goddess of the moon. They kept staring into each other’s eyes until Lunamé smiled at Leviathan. They discussed important matters for a while and then decided to meet once every full moon at the same place.


With each meeting, they got to know more about each other, but what they did not realize was that Nyx was watching them and her jealousy of Lunamé grew with each encounter, for she was secretly in love with Leviathan and wished to have him all for herself. In time, Lunamé and Leviathan fell in love, to Nyx’s growing jealousy. They asked for Tiberius and Arietta’s blessing so that they could marry, but Nyx argued that if they were to be married, each would forget their duty and as such, their marriage could not be allowed. However, Tiberius and Arietta ignored Nyx’s argument and gave them their blessing. Thus, Leviathan and Lunamé were married, though Nyx did not look happy at the wedding. Her jealousy had begun to grow to an ever increasing amount that she began to despise Lunamé and everything she had.


Sometime after they were married, Lunamé became pregnant and gave birth to a pair of twins, Seiraku and Ari. The couple was overjoyed at the new additions to their family, as were the other gods, especially Demetra and Tiamat, who themselves had given birth to a girl named Toti. There were many celebrations at the newest members of their band, but Nyx never came, saying her duties were far more important. Secretly, Nyx had been planning something nefarious against Lunamé that would change lives forever. Lunamé, sensing some strange plans being set into motion, felt that Nyx was up to something and so, begged Leviathan to let her go and give up her godhood. Although most of them were against it, Lunamé was allowed to become human and keep the children with her, though they had their powers sealed until they were prepared to join the ranks of the gods.


Living in a small town, Lunamé raised the children and let them know who they were, so they would always remember their proper place in the world. She would tell them to never let any of the humans they spoke with know who and what they were, for humans would attempt to abuse their powers for their own gain. At night, she would sing them a lullaby that would remain in their hearts. Leviathan would occasionally visit the children at night, just like the meetings would have with their mother. But the happy times would not last, for Nyx was about to set her plan into motion...

On a day like any other, Ari and Seiraku were playing with the other children as Lunamé was in the garden, tending to the flowers. Seiraku was always the serious type, like his father while Ari was more carefree. While they played, Ari ran to her mother, begging her to sing the lullaby. Lunamé consented and began to sing until she heard a sound she recognized: the sound of demons approaching. Before anyone realized it, demons had appeared in the small town and began to slaughter the humans. Lunamé grabbed her children and started running, fearing that they would injure them or have them suffer worse fates. But Ari tripped and fell as Lunamé reached to help her up. Before Ari knew it, her mother was stabbed through the stomach by a demon with large horns and red eyes. He smirked from beneath his armor and pulled out his sword, kicking Lunamé to the ground. Her blood fell on Ari as she whispered to her daughter:

“Please Ari, you must run….with your brother…don’t let them catch you…you must…live…my daughter…”

And with those final words, Lunamé let out her final breath. Ari, in complete shock, screamed at her mother, begging her to move. Seiraku ran back to his sister and looked at his mother’s lifeless body. He couldn’t believe what had happened and charged at the demon. But before he could do anything, he heard a familiar roar and saw his father and uncle arrive. The demons disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, fearing the persecution of the gods. Leviathan charged, approaching his wife’s lifeless body. He tried to make sense of what had happened and looked at the senseless slaughter around him. He let out a scream that resounded throughout the entire town as Tiamat watched in sadness. They left that place, taking the children with them. While Seiraku swore he would train until he was strong enough to kill the demon that butchered their mother, Ari locked herself away, refusing to let anyone in. No one ever knew why the demons did such a thing.

Demetra took it upon herself to help Ari overcome the loss of her mother while Leviathan trained Seiraku. It would be many years before she spoke again. Once she regained her voice and they were old enough, Seiraku and Ari each received their duties: Seiraku was declared the god of storms and Ari was declared the Reaper while also inheriting her mother’s title of goddess of the moon. Our story begins as the celebration of the new gods began…