V. The Abyssal Arc
Marael's grief becomes wrath, and Alassa is transformed into the Dread Emissary.
"Father says mortals must be punished. Father says existence was a mistake. Father says ending it all is mercy. I used to argue. Now... I understand."
Alassa, before her transformation
Marael's Descent
In Eterna Citadel, Marael brooded. Days became years. Years became decades. His grief did not fade-it calcified into something harder, colder, more terrible.
He had created order from chaos. He had loved Anias completely. He had trusted mortals with magic, with knowledge, with the presence of gods themselves.
And they had murdered his wife.
The Broken God
Marael did not become evil. He became convinced. Convinced that existence itself was the problem. That free will led inevitably to suffering. That the only mercy was ending everything-returning the cosmos to the void from which it came.
The Transformation of Alassa
Alassa had always been closer to her father. She had warned him about mortals. She had been betrayed by Cassian. She had watched from exile as her mother's killers walked free.
When Marael came to her with his plan, she did not resist.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Goddess of Beauty | Domain of grace, aesthetics, and judgment |
| Process | The Dark Awakening | Marael infused her with corrupted power |
| After | The Dread Emissary | Commander of nightmare armies, instrument of destruction |
Marael transformed his daughter. He stripped away her beauty, her grace, her capacity for anything but destruction. He remade her as The Dread Emissary-a being of pure judgment, incapable of mercy, designed to end worlds.
Warning
Alassa's transformation was not mind control. She chose this path. Her betrayal by Cassian, her exile, her mother's murder-all of it had hardened her heart. When her father offered her the power to punish all mortals, she accepted willingly.
The Anguish Stone
To lead his war, Alassa needed a weapon. Marael gave her the most terrible artifact in existence: The Anguish Stone.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | The Titans' Death | Crystallized from the moment of their mutual destruction |
| Power | Primordial Wrath | Contains the raw fury of the Void and Dark Titans |
| Effect | Corruption & Creation | Can twist reality, corrupt life, and spawn nightmare creatures |
With the Anguish Stone, Alassa could:
- Corrupt living beings into nightmare creatures
- Open rifts between dimensions
- Command monsters born from the Dark Titan's lingering hatred
- Spread the despair that was her new nature
The Declaration of War
From Eterna Citadel-now fallen from its place of light-Marael made his declaration:
"I gave mortals everything. They repaid me with murder. I created order from chaos, and they brought chaos to order. I loved Anias, and they destroyed her.
No more.
Existence was my greatest mistake. I will correct it. Every world, every life, every spark of consciousness-all will return to the void. This is not vengeance. This is mercy. This is the end."
Erion's Stand
Erion alone stood against his father and sister.
He could not match Marael's power. He could not defeat Alassa. He was one god against two, carrying only his mother's dying gift-the Spark of Light.
But he remembered Anias's last words: "Protect this land. Protect my dream."
Erion's Choice
Erion established Valoryn-a stronghold of light in the center of Arcania. From there, he would defend his mother's dream. Not by matching divine power with divine power, but by sharing the Spark with those willing to fight.
The first mortals to receive fragments of the Spark became the first Paladins-holy warriors who carried divine light against the coming darkness.
The War Begins
The forces of light and shadow clashed for the first time.
Alassa led her nightmare armies against Valoryn. Creatures born from the Anguish Stone-twisted, hungry, endless-poured across the land. The sky darkened. The ground corrupted. Hope began to die.
But Erion's Paladins held the line.
And slowly, across Arcania, other forces rallied:
- Clerics who learned to channel Anias's distributed essence through the Eternal Light
- Mages who dared to harness the Anguish itself, turning the enemy's power against them
- Warriors of the Steel Covenant, mortal strength that needed no divine blessing
- Rangers who drew power from the First World, Anias's unconscious dreams
The war had begun. It would rage for two hundred years.
Tip
Continue to The Eclipse Arc to learn of the current age-when mortals fight for survival against the gods themselves.