A king and queen went to a bar, along with their princess. The bartender allowed it. There, they saw a savage commoner. The king was disgusted and so challenged him to a duel. The commoner defeated the king and asked his family to become common leaders like him and his comrades. As time went by, they defeated monsters, walked rocky paths, ran on oceans, climbed mountains, flew to the sky, touched the cosmos, and eventually defeated one last monster. In the end, the savage commoner swayed their hearts.

-introduction from an otherworldly tale

Now, here is the tale retold, worthy of being recorded and archived in the shelves of this otherworld’s grandest libraries, for it is also its history.

Those who still believe this story to be about “heroes” won’t be disappointed either way. This is not a story about heroes. They were not the diligent paragon of old tales, individuals of golden hearts and unwavering spirits. Nor were they heroes of newer tales, individuals that overcame soul-crushing despair with their indomitable wills.

Instead, they were individuals, simple as that. Flawed in so many ways, and they had consequences thrust upon them so damningly they would throw away their humanity if it meant sanctuary. In the end, it remained intact.

This is a story about leaders. Leaders of their own story. Leaders who were once reluctant to pave their own paths. Leaders who either sided with or spurned each other. Even as the world caved in, they remained autonomous, yet a helping hand or more never hurt them. Their greatest gift is that they tried and cared to do better.

This story is set in the fantastical world of Parallaxis. Fittingly named, as the world is heavily connected to Earth, not just culturally. Many phenomena exist in Parallaxis. One known was “E.S.R.” (Earthly Soul Reassignment). Otherworldly rebirth. Man and animal alike, they all bear a permanent tattoo of the nation’s flag they were born in located on their napes.

Parallaxis is a world molded by magic and technology for over one thousand millennia. Old and new together as one. There are some outliers, preferring one or the other. Within the nation of Pantaiyanilam (பண்டையநிலம்), Parallaxis’ oldest nation, exist three main cities known together as the Prosperity Triangle. These are Novus, Vetus and Lacus. Each of them is also known as the “keystone cities.” The capital city, Coelestis, existed within the center.

Here we begin our first taste of this story in one of the keystone cities. “Vetus: The City of Origins.” One of the outliers. It is a city as old as the nation itself, holding on to magical tradition more than any other. The least developed of the Prosperity Triangle in terms of technological advancements. Its architecture is comparable to Renaissance-era Germany but far more encompassing. Its tallest structures rival modern-day skyscrapers.

One night at Vetus’ city square, a monster terrorized the land.