On a warm summer day, the sun hangs high in the sky, and a warm, soft breeze runs through the forest and into the beach. The long white hair of an old man flows outward as the wind passes, and a small child plays in the pure white sand of the beach. Oromius, the old man, sits in his favorite armchair, observing Astraoth, who is nearing four years of age, as he begins to run and jump from tree to tree and stone to stone, moving around the smaller mountains and safer areas of the forest and beach around his house.

Looking upward, into the azure blue field stretching overhead, across the horizon, Oromius starts to reminisce about the time he has spent with Astraoth, and soon he is lost in his memories as he closes his eyes...

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Oromius and Astraoth arrive in the central room of the mansion, filled with papers and tables all over. Moving an old, dusty wooden cabinet out of the way, Oromius places Astraoth down onto a small brown chair and moves to the back of the room, where a large blackboard stands.

Dragging the blackboard to an optimal spot, directly in front of Astraoth, Oromius starts to lecture,"History is a complicated topic, for many civilizations and empires, have existed, all over the world, at various times. Very few records exist of those times, though, so we do not know exactly how advanced or powerful the great civilizations of the past were."

Taking a deep breath, Oromius continues, turning back to the board, writing his lecture as he speaks,"Almost all the remnants recovered are of cultures and traditions, so we know that different areas of a continent can house several sets of cultures, each with unique magics and martial skills. Thus, if even only one continent can have multiple civilizations, distinct from each other, then over all the clusters of continents, over the hundreds of millions of kilometers of the world, there have been countless empires. In the end, we do not know how this world has existed; Heaven houses the secrets of the world."

Turning back to Astraoth, Oromius, interested in his retention of the information, asks,"Did you understand any of the parts of the lecture?" Astraoth, at the time only three months old, looks blankly at Oromius, tilting his head in confusion. Oromius, still interested, stares back...

....After over three minutes of silence, Astraoth finally speaks, with a look of understanding beginning to dawn on his face, simply replying,"No." This was Astraoth's first word...

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When Astraoth was one year old, Oromius decided to take him on his first vacation. Running out the mansion, Astraoth starts to bounce around excitedly. Oromius follows slowly, smiling sinisterly as they continue on. Astraoth suddenly turns around and, while begging with his large, bright red eyes, begins to talk, asking,"Dad, can you tell me where we are going now?"

Oromius, with a mischevious light in his gray eyes and a smile on his aging face, answers,"No, no...I cannot tell you the destination of our travels, else the surprise would be ruined. However, I can tell you that the wait will be worth it."

Pouting, Astraoth replies,"Fine." Soon after, though, he starts to forget about his conversation and begins to run all over, arriving at a bright azure pentagram and stopping immediately outside. Oromius steps into it, his hand on Astraoth's back, making sure of his safety. Astraoth, with a bright, shining light in his eyes, can barely hold his excitement back.

Energy is drawn from the surroundings in a sudden swirl of magic, and the circle lights up, with pure blue bubbles rising from between the lines of the pentagram.

The scene shifts as world whirls around Astraoth and Oromius, and they appear on the top of a snowy white mountain, a blizzard roaring around them. Astraoth, confused and shocked, slowly turns around, meeting Oromius' eyes. Astraoth, annoyed, says,"This is the "fun" vacation spot. Hmm..."

Oromius, eyes sparkling, throws his arm out theatrically in front of him, as his robe flutters in a gust of frigid wind, and, in a serious, solemn voice, replies,"Yes. This is our vacation spot." The day was Astraoth's very first birthday, and this was his very first birthday "present".

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On a slow autumn day, a gentle breeze scatters multicolored leaves and gray ash across the sky and onto the earth. White and black clouds swirl around, occluding the sun and casting a slightly dreary atmosphere athwart the area.

Oromius strolls through a small lane with blue and purple trees lining the modest pathway, and enjoys the soft autumn wind, closing his eyes as tiny remnants of leaves swirl around him.

Astraoth, at two-and-a-half years old, starts slowing his breathing and begins attempting to conceal his presence as he hangs over an inconspicuous platform, looking down on Oromius. As Oromius continues his slow saunter, Astraoth follows on his platform, eventually passing Oromius. Reaching the edge of his terrace, Astraoth jumps and gracefully soars into the air, flipping silently, over a spiky black ornate gate, and lands on another rostrum, one leading to a huge doorway.

Moving ahead, Astraoth sneaks silently, transversing the ledge, so he is at the top of the entrance to the mansion, over the doorway. Nearing a bucket filled with a natural, bright blue water, Astraoth slowly picks up the bucket, and, negating his presence, waits for Oromius to arrive.

As Oromius starts to push open the door, Astraoth leaps down, bucket in hand, water starting to spill out. Tilting the bucket down, the water flows down and nears Oromius' hair. Suddenly, the water stops in the air, and Oromius turns around, smiling playfully. As Astraoth approaches him, Oromius grabs Astraoth's clothes, shifting around to face the door.

Dropping Astraoth on the floor, Oromius looks at Astraoth, raising one eyebrow, and, smirking sarcastically, asks,"How'd you come up with that prank?"

Dismayed, Astraoth pouts, saying,"I really thought I could catch you..."

Oromius, pushing open the door, looks back at Astraoth, and, confidently, declares,"You're one-hundred years too early to prank me." Moving through, the door closes, and Astraoth is left outside. Astraoth, after seeing Oromius leave, hears an odd voice, strongly asserting,"This is a real prank!"

The water, now no longer suspended in the air, falls down onto Astraoth, soaking the boy in freezing, cold water.

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Inside Astraoth's room, Astraoth, three years old, sleeps soundly as Oromius hurries around, gathering all the ancient artifacts and relics in Astraoth's room into a small pile, which promptly disappears.

Astraoth, waking from a long nap, opens his bright crimson red eyes, brushes his snow-white hair out of his face, and stands up, trying to fully wake himself. Seeing Oromius stand elegantly in front of his tiny bed, Astraoth rouses himself awake, and walks to Oromius, putting his little hands around Oromius neck, climbing onto his back.

Oromius, shifting Astraoth around so he is held in his hands, makes his way to his room, and opens a small passage with a wave of his hands. Entering the passageway, a room full of ancient artifacts and relics appears. Putting Astraoth on a plain wooden chair, Oromius places the artifacts formerly in Astraoth's room into various places then quickly sits down, and waits for Astraoth to begin talking.

Astraoth, looking around confusedly, asks,"Where is this place?" 

Oromius answers calmly," This place is the only remaining record vault of the Domiscius Empire, also known as the Kingdom of Eternal Night, the former home of demons and devils."

 "I previously was a noble of this empire, until it was destroyed. I found you in the rubble of the ruined Kingdom, and I fled with you in my arms."

Astraoth, in deep thought, asked,"And what exactly does this mean?"

Oromius quietly answered,"All it means is that you and I have to inherit the legacy of the fallen Kingdom, as the only survivors of the massacre." Getting up from his seat, Oromius begins to show Astraoth the importance of the remaining artifacts,"This rock is a part of a sophisticated magic formation..." Pointing to a long flat black board, Oromius continues his explanations,"And this board is used for long distance travel by lower level cultivators..."

After around ten minutes of explanation, Astraoth and his father finally leave the room, in solemn silence.

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On a cold winter morning, a storm of fire and lightning rages high in the sky, disturbing the quiet darkness permeating throughout the northwestern region of Fendrel. Oromius stands on the roof of the tall black tower of the south wing, observing the storm in the distance.

Astraoth arrives upon Oromius, and, exchanging glances, jump off the roof, landing on the ground. Upon reaching the ground, they dash off silently, looking for their next prey. Astraoth darts from tree to tree, as silent as a mouse.

Astraoth, coming across a small ravine, leaps off a tree branch, and grabs onto a vine hanging out over the gap, swinging past the miniature fissure. Landing on the ground, Astraoth breaks into a sprint, flashing across the forest floor, bouncing from rock to tree to vine, his momentum never-ending. 

A baby doe appears into view, grazing on a patch of grass. Wary, Astraoth looks around carefully before jumping into action. He soars down from his perch atop a high branch, and lands on the baby doe, slamming his foot into the soft skull.

As the doe falls down, dazed and confused, a gigantic, three-meter-tall stag looks to Astraoth and finds him attacking his child. Angry, the stag starts to charge at Astraoth, moving quickly. Astraoth, aware of the raging beast, immediately begins running away, grabbing the downed doe as he sprints away.

The enraged stag doesn't move, even in the face of hitting a tree; he slams into a large tree, causing it to break and fall. Continuing his charge, the stag bursts forward in a blind rampage. Astraoth dodges its head, and, leaping onto a tree, lures it to the west.

 Astraoth's kinetic energy carries him from tree to tree, from ledge to ledge, never slowing down, always a step ahead of the beast chasing him. Finally reaching the edge of a cliff, Astraoth skids to a halt, turning back to face his pursuer. The stag, with victory in sight, charges once more at Astraoth...Barely dodging, with only a millimeter of distance, Astraoth shifts away, in a feat of pure agility, right as the beast reaches him, causing the stag to fall off the cliff.

Smiling, Astraoth heads back and reconvenes with Oromius...

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Opening his eyes, Oromius finds the sun setting, and the sky bathed in gold and red. Looking into the distance, he sees Astraoth coming back from a hard day of play, tired and dirty. Taking Astraoth inside, he bathes his son, and feeds him, taking care to make sure of the food's quality. Finally setting Astraoth in bed, Oromius falls onto his favorite armchair, and, once again, falls into a deep slumber...