Skyward Blade

Prologue

In the beginning, there was harmony.

The world of Aetheros was a place where the earth, sky, and sea existed in perfect balance, nurtured by the Goddess of Creation. From her celestial throne in the radiant city of Centoria, she watched over all life, her power connecting the floating isles above with the fertile lands below. Under her gaze, the people of Aetheros knew only peace and prosperity. The earth yielded bountiful harvests, the skies were clear and calm, and the seas teemed with life.

Her most trusted servants, the Sky Knights, were charged with maintaining this balance. They were warriors chosen by the Goddess herself, wielding blades infused with her divine power. At the head of the Sky Knights stood the great hero Seraphis, a knight of unparalleled strength, entrusted with the sword Excalibur, the Goddess's greatest creation. Forged from her essence, Excalibur was the sword of creation and destruction, its light capable of maintaining peace and order across the land.

But peace, as it always does, drew the attention of forces that would see it undone. And so, deep beneath the surface of the world, where light had never reached, an ancient evil stirred-a being born from the primordial void before time itself. This creature, known as Vecta, the Demon King, had long been sealed away by the Goddess in a time forgotten by mortals. Yet, the seal was weakening, and with it, Vecta's malevolent presence grew.

Soon, the world would face a darkness it had not known for eons.

Vecta's return did not come suddenly. At first, it was merely whispers-shadows in the wind, whispers of dread among the animals, and an unsettling stillness that began to creep across the land. But as his power grew, the signs became undeniable. The earth trembled, unnatural storms blotted out the sun, and the crops withered under a veil of shadow. The once-peaceful surface of Aetheros was soon plagued by creatures born from nightmares-monstrous beings that brought corruption with every step.

The Sky Knights, under Seraphis's command, were dispatched to the surface to quell the darkness. At the head of their force, Seraphis wielded Excalibur, confident in the divine power of the sword to drive back the shadow. Yet even as they fought bravely, it became clear that something far worse than corrupted beasts lurked beneath the surface.

And then, from the depths of the earth, Vecta emerged.

His arrival was heralded by a cataclysm, a tear in the fabric of the world itself. A massive fissure split the earth, and from it, the Demon King arose, towering and terrible, cloaked in flames of blackened shadow. His very presence was a blight upon the land, and with a single swing of his dark blade, he tore through the ranks of the Sky Knights, casting them aside as though they were nothing. His goal was simple: to consume the light of the Goddess and plunge the world into eternal darkness.

Seraphis confronted Vecta, knowing that only Excalibur's divine power stood a chance against him. Their battle shook the heavens and the earth alike. Every clash of their blades sent shockwaves across the land. Yet, despite the strength of Excalibur, Seraphis felt the sword begin to falter. The sheer force of Vecta's darkness wore down the divine edge, weakening the sword with every strike. What had once been an unbreakable beacon of light was now struggling to hold back the tide of shadow.

Vecta was too powerful-stronger than any force they had ever faced. The light of Aetheros was in danger of being extinguished.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Goddess of Creation descended from her celestial throne, appearing before her children in a radiant form. Her presence alone brought a brief respite from the chaos as the shadow recoiled in the face of her divine light. The skies cleared for the first time in days, and the earth stopped trembling beneath her power. But the peace was fleeting.