Nano
procrastination symphony
FUZI × Mili - Victim
▶
Beyond the Witch's
Corridor
01
In Character
A warrior needs not concern themselves with matters within the purview of men
Prelude
N/A
Are dragons real? Do vampires walk among us?
The catalogue of literature is crowded with fantastic tales of such magical creatures, some eerily realistic while others evidently spun on a drunken night for the sake of petty amusement. A handful of tales even make it into history books, whether it be in the form of a witch hunt or worshiping a dragon as a god. However, as widespread though varied as these tales might be, no conclusive evidence has ever been brought forth to validate their existence.
As the world evolved into one of logic and science, the idea of cryptids gradually shifted from legends to mere fiction. The modern world had long proved that magic was a hoax and that so-called “mysterious sightings” were either a delusion or the machinations of a con artist hungry for attention. In a world where seeing is believing, each debunked myth brought humanity closer to the answer that a fantasy would, in the end, remain settled in the realm of dreams.
However, a man once said that truth is stranger than fiction, an adage many would think of when the world itself began to reject its own laws.
The catalogue of literature is crowded with fantastic tales of such magical creatures, some eerily realistic while others evidently spun on a drunken night for the sake of petty amusement. A handful of tales even make it into history books, whether it be in the form of a witch hunt or worshiping a dragon as a god. However, as widespread though varied as these tales might be, no conclusive evidence has ever been brought forth to validate their existence.
As the world evolved into one of logic and science, the idea of cryptids gradually shifted from legends to mere fiction. The modern world had long proved that magic was a hoax and that so-called “mysterious sightings” were either a delusion or the machinations of a con artist hungry for attention. In a world where seeing is believing, each debunked myth brought humanity closer to the answer that a fantasy would, in the end, remain settled in the realm of dreams.
However, a man once said that truth is stranger than fiction, an adage many would think of when the world itself began to reject its own laws.
The First Cataclysm
1999
In the year 1999, as the clock approached the 24th hour of December 31st, skies all over the world grew dark, as if an omen of the events to come. The moment the minute hand announced the turn of the millennia, the earth unleashed a great tremor as the space within the small town of Albarn, California seemed to fracture. A dark haze seeped out from the widespread cracks, gradually shrouding the entire town within its ominous veil. However, none of the town’s inhabitants evacuated, or perhaps they were incapable of doing so. Not a single human or creature was seen leaving the dark shroud encasing Albarn, and those brave enough to venture into the unknown never returned. Any attempts to contact those trapped within the veil were met with no response.
Two weeks had passed by the time the haze began to clear up, finally freeing Albarn from its mysterious prison. However, what the people saw—or didn’t see—shocked them to the core: in Albarn’s place was a completely barren expanse of dirt fields. It was as if the dark fog had swallowed the town whole, leaving not a single person or building behind.
This event, later named The First Cataclysm, became the heated topic of countless debates and hypotheses. However, an answer as to where Albarn had gone and how it had happened wouldn’t surface for another 12 years.
Two weeks had passed by the time the haze began to clear up, finally freeing Albarn from its mysterious prison. However, what the people saw—or didn’t see—shocked them to the core: in Albarn’s place was a completely barren expanse of dirt fields. It was as if the dark fog had swallowed the town whole, leaving not a single person or building behind.
This event, later named The First Cataclysm, became the heated topic of countless debates and hypotheses. However, an answer as to where Albarn had gone and how it had happened wouldn’t surface for another 12 years.
The Second Cataclysm
2011
Try as they may, research teams could neither make heads or tails of the situation nor detect any abnormalities present in the land where Albarn once stood. However, due to the enigmatic manner in which Albarn was devoured, the area was nonetheless deemed unsafe. Rather than open the area for rebuilding, the affected area was fenced off, allowing only observatories and research facilities to be built within.
This period of stasis would last for 12 years, until a familiar quake shook the land once again. As the earth trembled, a great void appeared, this time producing not a black haze but a hoard of beasts resembling those only found in the worst of nightmares. The strongest of their kind possessed hide so thick that bullets bounced harmlessly off their bodies, overwhelming the emergency force that had been hurriedly mobilized in Albarn.
Just as suddenly as the monsters had appeared, humanoid figures stumbled out of the void, seemingly surprised but nonetheless quick to assess the dangerous environment. With whatever superior “technology” they possessed, the foreign men made quick work of reorganizing themselves and dispatching the hoard. However, as soon as the last monster was slain, their hostility turned towards the military force situated on the other side.
Fortunately, a human emerged from the side of the foreigners, offering to act as an interpreter and go-between for both sides. Upon accepting his proposal, the government found that the man was the mayor of the old Albarn, Günter Reinbach, who had disappeared alongside the entire town over a decade ago.
This period of stasis would last for 12 years, until a familiar quake shook the land once again. As the earth trembled, a great void appeared, this time producing not a black haze but a hoard of beasts resembling those only found in the worst of nightmares. The strongest of their kind possessed hide so thick that bullets bounced harmlessly off their bodies, overwhelming the emergency force that had been hurriedly mobilized in Albarn.
Just as suddenly as the monsters had appeared, humanoid figures stumbled out of the void, seemingly surprised but nonetheless quick to assess the dangerous environment. With whatever superior “technology” they possessed, the foreign men made quick work of reorganizing themselves and dispatching the hoard. However, as soon as the last monster was slain, their hostility turned towards the military force situated on the other side.
Fortunately, a human emerged from the side of the foreigners, offering to act as an interpreter and go-between for both sides. Upon accepting his proposal, the government found that the man was the mayor of the old Albarn, Günter Reinbach, who had disappeared alongside the entire town over a decade ago.
Aftermath
1999
12 years prior, a great explosion caused a rift between the boundary that had once kept two worlds separate. While the strip of land caught in the explosion had been wiped off the face of the other world, Sinoa, the town of Albarn had been dragged through the rift to fill the void that had been left behind after the catastrophe. Suddenly cut off from the comfort that technology had once provided for them, many of the people in Albarn who found themselves thrust into a lawless land where magic reigned supreme succumbed to the terrible beasts that would wander into their settlement in search of easy prey.
Fortunately, a dispatch from the Kingdom of Rocheste had been sent far north to The Void Lands in search of Sinoa’s most powerful witch Selene. Though the elusive witch was nowhere to be found, the knights had come across what remained of Albarn, an unexpected discovery due to the uninhabitable nature of The Void Lands causing all races to avoid settling in the region. Upon confirming that neither side bore hostile intentions, a series of questioning and the invitation of Rocheste’s curious head librarian led to the knights escorting the remaining citizens of Albarn back to Rocheste.
Once settled, the people of Albarn exchanged their knowledge of the other world and their circumstances in exchange for refuge. Their information combined with the residual magic present in the knights’ area of investigation led them to a peculiar conclusion. In her foolish pursuit of godhood, the old witch had caused a rapid collapse of the mana in the vicinity, violently tearing a hole into the boundary between Earth and Sinoa. As for Selene’s whereabouts, she was likely either dead or her body was forever lost in the void. Whatever the case, her actions would later prove to have caused a great instability in the boundary, partially restoring itself before collapsing once again in 12 year cycles.
As for the individuals stranded on Sinoa or Earth resultant of these rifts, they could only hope that fortune landed them in a hospitable environment. Fortunately, the barren land that had once been Albarn, the epicenter of the majority of these incidents, would be rebuilt into Arcvine City, a hub welcoming Earthlings and Sinoans alike.
Fortunately, a dispatch from the Kingdom of Rocheste had been sent far north to The Void Lands in search of Sinoa’s most powerful witch Selene. Though the elusive witch was nowhere to be found, the knights had come across what remained of Albarn, an unexpected discovery due to the uninhabitable nature of The Void Lands causing all races to avoid settling in the region. Upon confirming that neither side bore hostile intentions, a series of questioning and the invitation of Rocheste’s curious head librarian led to the knights escorting the remaining citizens of Albarn back to Rocheste.
Once settled, the people of Albarn exchanged their knowledge of the other world and their circumstances in exchange for refuge. Their information combined with the residual magic present in the knights’ area of investigation led them to a peculiar conclusion. In her foolish pursuit of godhood, the old witch had caused a rapid collapse of the mana in the vicinity, violently tearing a hole into the boundary between Earth and Sinoa. As for Selene’s whereabouts, she was likely either dead or her body was forever lost in the void. Whatever the case, her actions would later prove to have caused a great instability in the boundary, partially restoring itself before collapsing once again in 12 year cycles.
As for the individuals stranded on Sinoa or Earth resultant of these rifts, they could only hope that fortune landed them in a hospitable environment. Fortunately, the barren land that had once been Albarn, the epicenter of the majority of these incidents, would be rebuilt into Arcvine City, a hub welcoming Earthlings and Sinoans alike.
Present
2047
In the year 2014, the military academy of Pallas Institute, among many others of its kind, was established to specially train promising agents for the purpose of combating any monsters who happened to cross over to Earth. In turn, Kaye Osier, a top graduate who had enjoyed a particularly meteoric rise, petitioned the government for a more specialized force to be assembled, establishing the organization now known as Arcarum.
Unlike the police force, Arcarum is specialized in dealings with the supernatural, protecting civilians against both monsters and people who use magic for malicious reasons. However, seeing Arcarum as an organization for humans by humans, many came to see the organization as anti-Sinoan, resulting in riots and the formation of various cults and underground organizations.
Decades of work since Arcarum’s establishment in 2020 has greatly eased tensions between the Sinoans and natives of Earth. However, prejudice, in the end, is difficult to quash completely, and Arcarum continues to find enemies all around. The abrupt disappearance of Kaye Osier soon after he appointed Schneerose Reinbach as his successor further tipped the fragile equilibrium. And with the Fourth Cataclysm on the horizon, the influx of monsters and crime continue to raise the incident count.
As a means to prepare for the wave of monsters from the incoming Fifth Cataclysm, graduation requirements of the Military Academy of Arcvine City have become even more vigorous, with Arcarum’s standards of acceptance subsequently being driven even higher. The monsters trickling in prior to the first wave suggest that the Fifth Cataclysm may result in the largest rift yet, and only time can tell if Earth is prepared for the assault from The Void Lands.
Unlike the police force, Arcarum is specialized in dealings with the supernatural, protecting civilians against both monsters and people who use magic for malicious reasons. However, seeing Arcarum as an organization for humans by humans, many came to see the organization as anti-Sinoan, resulting in riots and the formation of various cults and underground organizations.
Decades of work since Arcarum’s establishment in 2020 has greatly eased tensions between the Sinoans and natives of Earth. However, prejudice, in the end, is difficult to quash completely, and Arcarum continues to find enemies all around. The abrupt disappearance of Kaye Osier soon after he appointed Schneerose Reinbach as his successor further tipped the fragile equilibrium. And with the Fourth Cataclysm on the horizon, the influx of monsters and crime continue to raise the incident count.
As a means to prepare for the wave of monsters from the incoming Fifth Cataclysm, graduation requirements of the Military Academy of Arcvine City have become even more vigorous, with Arcarum’s standards of acceptance subsequently being driven even higher. The monsters trickling in prior to the first wave suggest that the Fifth Cataclysm may result in the largest rift yet, and only time can tell if Earth is prepared for the assault from The Void Lands.
Code by Nano
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