I've been wanting to draw and post this boi for a long time now.
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Here's the ugly version without all of the nice lighting:
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Please note that the Hero doesn't really have a specified gender. They are never referred to by name either. They're simply "The First Hero." Because basically, yes, they were the first hero. Their story is the oldest existing tale in the world of Alter.
Storyyyy tiiiiime.
This is that tale I just mentioned.
Keep in mind that is is still basically a rough draft.
I keep rereading this. I don't like it, but it gets the story across so what the heck, let's go with it.
The Tale of the First Hero
Long ago, before the kingdom of Ni'Evera ever existed, there existed beings of great power. In one world, they would have been called gods, but in this world they were known as the Farr Demons. The land was split in seven parts, a kingdom for each of the Farr.
Each of the Farr ruled over their own kingdom in peace. They created creatures to fill the kingdoms. They were there to maintain the balance of the world, and they kept it in order. But the creatures of the kingdoms grew restless, and competition for wealth and land and power began. The Farr changed under the influence of their subjects, and one day, one of them vanished.
With no trace of their missing kin, the Farr became suspicious of each other. After all, who other than one of the Farr had the power to make one of them vanish? The balance was ruined. The Farr were there to protect the world, and in the absence of their guidance, the world grew corrupted. War broke out.
And while the kingdoms turned on themselves, so did the Farr Demons. The corruption of power reached the minds of the great beings, and they fell. The war came to a halt as the kingdoms broke apart. The citizens fled to avoid the Farr who were trying to destroy each other.
In one corner of the world, a Ribau named Sika formed a new alliance. Eventually, it grew into a strong kingdom of refugees from the war. The new city spread, and its king named the new kingdom Ni'Evera.
It was in Ni'Evera that a child was born. They would grow to become a hero.
Born into a poor family, they helped their family run a small forge. When the hero was old enough to leave home, they joined the knights of the kingdom so they could fight to protect their home. Years passed. Tired of waiting for the Farr to attack the kingdom, they forged their own sword and left Ni'Evera with several companions.
They did not want to watch the kingdom live in fear. They devised a plan to bring the Farr back to the peaceful state they had once been in.
The plan quickly went awry. The hero lost their companions one by one. Soon, they were the only one left. And yet, facing the end, the hero managed to defeat the Farr.
But the Farr were created to last eternally, even through death, and they returned to the hero once more. Again, they were struck down. When again they returned, they allowed themselves to be defeated.
The hero did not understand why. And then it happened. The voices. The headache. The Farr had returned, but not in their original forms. They had taken on a vessel.
(Yayyy, some spoopy possession stuff)
The hero could feel the power of the Farr demons. In a sense, it belonged to them as well. But the Farr were not the kind beings they had once been. Twisted beyond recognition, they only craved more power. Nothing was enough.
The hero decided to bear the torment for the rest of the kingdom's safety. However, when the Farr promised the power for the hero to bring back their fallen companions, they broke.
Remembering their original desire, an urge to save the kingdom of its tyrants, the hero devised a plan. With the help of Ni'Evera's king, volunteers were found to take on the responsibility of containing the Farr.
Each of the six volunteers would act as a host to one of the Farr. Possession was risky, but if the hosts maintained their sense of self, the Farr could be controlled.
The hero released their control of the Farr, and the plan went accordingly. The volunteers each joined with one the beings, and their power was contained. The vessels for the Farr were called the Alters. They inherited the names of the Farr Demon they held, and headed to the old lands and reestablished the old kingdoms. Counting Ni'Evera, the world had been restored to its seven kingdoms.
But the hero had gone missing. The Farr Demons has left a curse upon them. The hero had turned the Farr down because they feared the pull of power they had felt. As vengeance for their defeat, the Farr had each forced a piece of their power onto the hero.
The hero had been blinded, but granted the power to see the past and future.
Unable to escape their own power, the hero retreated to an unknown location, where they locked themselves away and watched over the ongoings of the world.
With the balance of the world restored, the kingdoms grew peaceful once more.
Right?
(C'mon guys, if it's me writing the story, ya know it isn't gonna end all happy and everything. Not even the main story does.)
Oops I didn't explain the whole "Fate: the final villain" thing, did I? My bad. Well, I'm sure you can make some educated guesses.
Also: Since Alter isn't an official series or anything, I claim none of this to be cannon. It's cannon for now, but stuff can still change. Or maybe this entire chapter was an elaborate ploy to mislead you. Only I will ever know.
Whenever Alter officially starts, I'll avoid lore dumps in the exposition. It's boring and really ruins pacing. I'm just spewing some partially developed ideas at this point to see how they work.
