The Last Cycle

Prologue

The Beginning

There was once a world where two gods fought for power.  They waged a never ending war on who was to be its supreme ruler.

One was named Harmonia, the goddess of order and beauty, the creator of everything that inhabits the world.  From the plants to the animals, to the people - she was the sole creator of them all.  Her sole purpose of existence was to create life and make the world a place full of life.  “Good can only exist if there are people,” those were her words.

According to legend, she planted the seed of life in a distant continent.  The earth was once as barren as the most arid desert; the temperature was as cold as the most frozen ice; the air was as black as coal, and the water was bitter. 

As the tree slowly grew, the world around it changed.  The soil wherein the roots of the Tree were embedded became fertile.  The temperature that was once as freezing as the arctic, became warm and pleasant and suitable for life.  The air that was once as black as a starless sky became so clear and fresh that breathing it was enough to invigorate even the most tired soul.    The water, which was so bitter that it killed anyone who drank it, became sparkling and pure.

From the leaves of the Tree sprang forth every sort of plant, tree, shrub, and grass which filled the entire continent with greenery and life.  From the seeds of the tree came different species of animals that populated the land, the sea and the air. 

Everything was almost complete.  But Harmonia thought that something was missing.  She took her mythical spear, the Longinus, and raised it as high as she could.  The world was filled with brilliant light, and that light became what was known to be the sun.  She plunged the tip of her spear into the Tree.

White sap began to trickle from the tree and fell to the earth.  Harmonia took the sap and molded it into the form of a man and a woman.  “From this day forth, let it be known that man and woman were borne from the Tree of Life, and that this man and woman, hand in hand, be the leader of all that I have created.”

But Harmonia, the mother of the world, was not the only god.  There was also another god named Bjomolf.  He was known as the destroyer.  “Men only breed hatred, contempt, and evil,” that was his saying.  His sole purpose is to wipe out everything that lives.  According to him, a dead world is a world free from evil.

Using the blackest soot, the searing fires from the hottest lava from under the continent, and the coldest and most poisonous water from the depths of the deepest seas, he created his awful legions to march against Harmonia and her people.  He created four generals to lead his legions with a mission of slaying every single living being in the world.  His greatest champions were twin sisters, Kotkel, the deity of black magic, and Kolli, the deity of darkness.

And so, the cycle of creation and destruction was formed.  Every one thousand years, the world was subjected to destruction by Bjomolf and his legions, only to be recreated by Harmonia and the Tree of Life.

However, this would not be the case forever.  With every cycle that passes, Harmonia and the Tree of Life grew weaker and weaker.  After ten cycles or ten thousand years, Harmonia will die and the Tree of Life will wither.  The world will be plunged into darkness once more and Bjomolf and his minions will rule for all eternity.

The Regnum of Man

For thousands of years, man has endured the cycle of birth and rebirth.  The fires of Bjomolf and his minions purged the earth repeatedly, destroying everything that man has made.  However, through the help of the goddess, Harmonia, man has always found the strength to rebuild everything that has been destroyed.