“Ah, I still remember that day clearly, it all happened on the seventh day of the seventh moon. That dreadful rainy morning in which everything begun. It was the source of all madness some would say, but in truth it was only the last spark of many that set ablaze a raging fire.”

It all started in the middle of an ancient forest called The Black Forest located in the Kingdom of the Nine, where no man has set foot for centuries. Nature was free from any restrains and the vegetation grew ever more. Trees almost touching the sky, their base covered in moss and veins just like the ground, there didn’t seem to be any other kind of plants around as the sun was mostly blocked by the tall trees. Even in the morning that place was dark as night and the rain drops that fell from the top of the trees created quite a creeping echoing sound, not even the river that ran through couldn’t be heard as loudly. Despite the place looking so lovely during the day, rarely you’d hear birds singing and those would be some owls, but the most frequent sound was not that of the river running, nor birds signing but branches creaking. It gave that beautiful place the chills it needed, the fear it created kept anyone from going inside of it, or maybe that’s how it was meant to be.

Deep inside those woods laid the ruins of an old temple, now covered by the vegetation, it made it so hard for anyone to recognize it. Despite all that some had made their way through the creeping green forest and deep in the ruins they’ve found the entry to some underground tunnel. Thirty men, all covered in black cloaks went down those tunnels, webs thick as carpets covered the walls and spider big as a palm of a human were walking on them, but the most terrifying thing was the sound drops of water made when it hit the hard stone combined with the chilling air, it was enough to make anyone think twice before moving forward.

Walking in those tunnels felt like it took forever, there were lots of turns, dead ends and more importantly there seemed to be nothing else down there, until they finally managed to reach a large open room with four huge columns that held the ceiling. That room was different somehow from the rest of the temple. There was no deterioration to it, webs or even spider around it, the only thing that pilled up was dust, but even that did not seem to have touched the silver made statue that was sitting on the opposite side of the room. It had the body of a muscular man wearing armor and the head of a jackal, in his hands he was holding two scythe like weapons.

The men quickly lit up the place by lighting the torches on the columns and walls, one of them headed to the altar table that was in front of the statue, clearing it of dust and placing on it a deer which seemed to have been captured recently. He cut its throat and let all the blood spill, collecting all of it into a chalice.

When the place was lit, all men gathered in front of the statue, praying into some old language while the one holding the chalice drenched his finger in the blood and tapped each one on their foreheads with it after which he threw all the remaining blood on the statue.

Nothing happened, a few moments have passed and still nothing, each one of the men stood still, without saying a word. An hour has passed and they were still there, almost as if they have turned into statues as well. And finally the eyes of the jackal creature sparkled red, his hands gripping the scythes tighter and all of its body had started to move “Are you tired of living or are you just fools who wish to meet their doom?” that statue started yelling and growling as it swinging its scythes around in a threatening manner.

All of the cloaked men bowed before the statue, the one that held the chalice was sitting at the front and he alone was the one to address it “Might lord Set we have come to ask you for help. These nobles do not seem to understand what we are trying to do.” the man raised his head “We wish that you might grant us some power in order to “convince this fools.” the man’s voice was serious, firm he was not scared of the god in front of him.

The god smiled then suddenly slammed the ground with one of his feet “Are you really that stupid? You are followers of mine dare to come ask for such things and not present to me anything but some animal you found on your way here!? I should have each one of your heads for this!” he walked over to the one at the front with his scythe waiting at this neck “What do you have to say for yourself?” his voice calmed down as he waited for the man’s final reply.

The shadows started to grow around the forest and not just there but all over the world a fog made of shadows grew ever more around the world making that rainy morning back into night, a pitch black night. Those shadows made their way even into the temple’s underground, they moved between those men like snakes, waiting. “I’m truly sorry My lord!” he prostate himself in front of the god “You can even have my head, but heed my call first and we shall bring you any treasure you might want.”

Set removed his scythe from the man’s neck and started to think, the darkness kept grown ever more. The whole world started to panic and pray as there was no stopping to this dark fog not even torches could help them as it blocked all light. There did not seem to be any response to the people’s prayers or maybe there was nothing anyone could do and all hope was lost.

That’s when it happened, a light came from the sky that pierced the growing darkness. It was brighter than the sun itself, it got closer and closer to the planet until it vanquished all the dark in the world and those rain drops seem like diamonds in its falls, rainbows forming everywhere. All those people raised their heads and praised that light and Apollo for sending one of his arrows down. But little did they know for that was not the gods bidding, but something else. A star that fell from the sky.

Even Set had noticed its presence, the huge quantity of mana it possessed, he turn to the man in front of him with a wicked grin on his face “I want the star that has just fallen! You men are to bring to to me and then I will grand you your wish.” his voice echoed from the whole room and wish a swing of his scythe took the head of the one leading them “Fail to do so and you shall have faiths far worse than him!”

Set was not the only one who noticed the stars mana capacity. Three ancient witches in their lair filled with herbs and mixtures of potions were not even so slightly bothered by the growing darkness, but immediately froze then they’ve sensed the star approaching, all three of them started whistling and laughing. Without a moment to waste all three of them dressed up, taking with them their weapons and brooms and took to the sky.

A human, while looking at the shining sky that the star left behind. Had noticed what that light truly was and not be fooled like the rest. As the head master of one of the biggest auction houses he knew he had to get his hands on it. He sent word to the mercenary guild, requesting The best of Grendel for the task of recovering the star. Six of the leaders of the group have responded to the call and went to the fray.

In the bottom of the seventh realm, one of the strongest demons had noticed the stars approached. Quickly he gathered seventh of his best soldiers and dispatched them in order to secure the star. There was no way he would let anyone get their hands on such a high quality star, even more so to the humans with which the demon race was at war with.

From the ancient halls of a castle, hidden deep within the woods of a dreadful forest. The blood drinkers have sensed a new prey, worthy for their time. Even if the day had just begun, this prey was worthy of waking up and hunting. So many of their kind were raised up in order to track and hunt the star down. They were to bring it back and offer it to their king and queen once they’ll wake.

In the wilderness of the mountains, deep in the woods by the border of the kingdom, the werewolves made their then. And since the darkness started growing at sunrise each one of them had an unsettling feeling. Over a few hundred of them gathered up, each one being agitated until a loud and growling voice made all of the others silent “Shut up you mutts.” a huge werewolf that was wearing armor and a double edged axe in his hand jumped in the middle of the horde of werewolves, squashing two of them under his feet “We shall follow this stars trace, find it and after that we can feast!” the werewolf’s mouth was drooling from just imagining it.

And the worse was yet to come, as from the depths of the earth raised a most unsettling being, a corpse dressed in a tattered cloak, a necromancer had come from the lowest of realms up to the surface. Not only that, but he is also the most deadly and powerful of all of them and he did not come alone. Along with him came a legion of undead and a dozen of dullahans. His target, none other than the star.

Far from the all the turmoil, on a peaceful green field with tall grass the star had made her crash, burning the field almost completely and creating a huge crater until it finally stopped just a little away from a forest. There in the middle of that hole in the earth laid a most beautiful girl, sleeping unconscious among the rocks and dirt with little knowledge of what was to come.