Prologue

During the first eon - the age of shadows, the continent of Fahrune was under the rule of mindless creatures called the Abyss. They were dark, deformed and fearsome monsters that are driven only by their insatiable hunger for flesh and the magical energy source known as stellar essence.

The entire people, races and beasts all cowered in terror as the creatures of the Abyss reigned supreme. Their dominance was absolute, leaving only death and destruction in every landmark. The air was thick with the stench of blood and gore of any unlucky victim that crosses their path. The entire land was overshadowed with darkness, both day and night without a single shred of sunlight.

The entirety of Fahrune were in a state of despair. Out of desperation, the people of Fahrune decided to fight back and reclaim everything that they have lost. Every single race came as one and created an alliance called the 'Umbra Union'. They had enough and decided that it is time to fight back.

The Umbra Union began their first wave of attack against the Abyss but that was a huge mistake. The aftermath of the battle was devastating as it wasn't even a battle, just a one-sided massacre,  as the battlefield only contains the remains of what is left as the bodies are either mutilated beyond recognition or consumed. The Umbra Union lost more than half of their fighters while not even a single creature of the Abyss was slain. The remaining remnant of the Umbra Union, losing all hope retreated back into hiding.

The mass genocide kept on going, bodies kept piling as the population of Fahrune kept dwindling at an increasing rate. A human named Gillard can no longer stand the ongoing slaughter, knowing that one day death will come knocking on the door of everyone he loves and cares about, accompanied by six warriors from different races, they set of to the highest point of Fahrune, 'Mount Genesis'.

Reaching Mount Genesis, Gillard and the other warriors knelt and prayed to the deities for help. Seven of the deities responded, he asked for help in exchange for his unwavering devotion. The deities accepted his offer and bestow them the Cosmic blessing.

This divine endowment enables the people to tap into the energy of the constellations and wield the power of stellar essence. The Cosmic Blessing serves as a conduit between the mortal realm and the cosmic realm, allowing the people of Fahrune to harness stellar essence and use it to their will. Those who are able to will and control stellar essence are called Astrologer practitioner and Gillard with the 6 other warriors are the first generation of Astrologer practitioner. 

When the deities bestowed the Cosmic Blessing, the sun shone for the first time in a long time across the land, this phenomenon was later called Solstice day - the day the deities spoke to the people of the mortal realm and also marks the beginning of the downfall of the Abyss.

Gillard and the others returned, no longer the helpless warrior they once were, led the second wave of attack and for the first time, they manage to slain and push back the Abyss. This small victory causes an uproar to the entire people of Fahrune, bringing back hope and the will to fight again to the people. With this, the Umbra Union was back but with much more power and strength.

The war kept on going for 6 years. Within the years, Gillard and the other warriors shared the knowledge about the seven deities and Cosmic Blessing. The people of Fahrune started to devoutly prayed to the seven deities and people who decided to dedicate their faith to the deities and defend Fahrune became Astrologer practitioner as well. 

During the seventh year after solstice day, the Umbra Union began their final assault to banish the Abyss once and for all. The deities marked Gillard and the other 6 warriors as their champions, making them the emissary of the deities and with their new found powers, they defeated and sealed the Abyss deep in the pit of 'Gehena' - The realm of hell.

The aftermath of the battle was messy, like every other victory, the cost was too great. Two out of the Seven champions are dead with most of the people of Fahrune are either dead, permanent disable or in superficial injury. But with the defeat of the Abyss, Gillard and the remaining Four champions decided to go their separate ways and rebuild the realm in their own way.

The first champion, a high elf called Celandor led all of his people to the Southern region, a place filled with vast wildlife and ravishing forest which they settle down and  created the Moon Empire.

The second champion, a Selkie named Nerida went to the Western region, the place where the sea dominate the land and founded the Dusk Empire.

The third champion, Wolfgar a beast-folk led his entire race to the Eastern region, a region where the desert and grassy plain meets and created the Dawn Empire.

The fourth champion, an Auroran named Astrion went North to the icy tundra and founded the Polaris empire.

Gillard decided to remain at the central and under his ruling, he has founded the largest empire, The Sun Empire - The land of Joy and happiness. Under his ruling, the entire people of Fahrune has lived a peaceful and stable life and Gillard became the very first Emperor of the Sun empire and he was revered as the Hero of Fahrune.

With the birth of the new empires marked a new era of peace and prosperity and the beginning of the second eon - The age of tranquility.

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The old man leaned back in his creaky wooden chair and let out a deep sigh as he closes the book he was reading. His eyes wandered around the dimly lit room, taking in the flickering flames of the fireplace and the tattered, weathered books that lined the shelves. The silence was only broken by the sound of the occasional gust of wind rattling the windowpanes.

As he opened his mouth to speak, a high-pitched voice cut him off. "Wow gramps, was Fahrune really like that!" The source of the voice was a small boy, no more than five years old, who was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Did the Abyss really get stopped by the champions!".

The old man chuckled and shook his head, but couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement at the child's enthusiasm. "Now, now Kiyan, there's no need to scream like that," he chided gently.

"But that Gillard guy seems cool," Kiyan continued, his eyes shining with life. "I bet he is the strongest in the entire continent!"

The old man gave a small smile, "Perhaps he was, but strength alone doesn't always guarantee victory."

"Grandpa, don't give him false hope," came a quiet voice from the corner of the room. The old man looked over to see a little girl, Lumiere, who was deeply engrossed in a book.

"Shut up Lumiere," Kiyan said, sticking out his tongue at his sister. "Now gramps, do you think I can be like him?"

The old man's smile grew, "You can be anything you want, son. But before that" He carried Kiyan and Lumiere, one on each hand as he laid them in bed "You need to sleep and grow, and you too Lumiere."

"But gramps," Lumiere protested as the old man tuck them in bed.

"Hush now Lumiere," the old man said, his voice soft but firm. "Can you two at least zip it and just shut off your eyes?"

"But gramps," they both protested still wanting to stay awake.

The old man chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, settle down. It's time for bed, my little ones. Be good kids and shut those eyes, will ya?"

They both grumble how and unfair this was but the tiredness overtook them and both fell into a deep slumber. He tucked them both in under an old ragged quilt and gave each of them a gentle peck on the forehead.

"I can't believe they are now 5 years," the old man said softly, a note of sadness in his voice. "If only their mother can watch them grow." He looked over at the two children, both of them sleeping soundly, and a feeling of tenderness filled his heart.