Project: Endless

Long ago, the world was divided between two realms: the Human Lands, where order, kingdoms, and laws reigned, and the Demon Territories, a vast domain of shadow and chaos, where magic itself was born. For centuries, the two sides coexisted in uneasy peace... until ambition shattered it. In the age of kingdoms, there lived a powerful ruler known only as the High King, a man whose hunger for power knew no end. He sought to become the strongest being alive, to have his empire feared, adored, and remembered as divine. He gathered the greatest minds, alchemists, and scientists from across the continents, forcing them to study the very origin of magic and how it could be controlled, replicated, or multiplied. But the deeper his obsession grew, the further he strayed into the forbidden. The High King ordered his scholars to scour every temple, church, and ruin for ancient texts anything that spoke of gods, demons, or divine strength. After years of fruitless searching, a mysterious figure appeared in the royal court, a man dressed entirely in black. He bowed and said, "I heard you seek power beyond that of gods. I know where such power lies." He presented the King with a stack of papers, filled with circles, runes, and drawings even of creatures unknown to man. The writing was in a language no one could decipher, not even the kingdom's brightest minds. When questioned, the stranger only said, "This is the key to the power you seek. Solve it, and all your wishes shall come true." The King, suspicious yet intrigued, demanded the man reveal his face. But the stranger replied, "I cannot for I have no face. Nobody. I am nothing." He then placed before the throne a vial filled with dark crimson liquid, thicker than blood, and whispered, "Drink this, my King, and you will understand everything. Refuse... and your reign shall end like all the others." The King, enraged by his arrogance, ordered the guards to seize him. But before they could take a single step, their bodies disintegrated into dust. Terrified but proud, the King drew his sword and charged forward. Yet the closer he came, the more his blade froze, then decayed in his grasp. The man's hollow voice echoed across the throne room. "Time is up, King. The choice is yours." As his body faded into shadow, his final words lingered in the air like a curse. "Choose wisely... dear King." The King drank the thick liquid. What followed... history refused to record. All that is known is that the world soon fell into chaos. Cities burned. Magic became unstable. And the final battle between the Demon King and the Hero erupted upon the land that would one day become the City of Peace—the city that now hides all traces of its cursed past beneath its shining towers. Outside the city, ancient clans still practice elemental magic, preserving the forgotten arts. But within the City of Peace, the truth has been buried. Its people live under laws that forbid the mere mention of magic. Schools teach that it vanished when the Hero defeated the Demon King, that only the Hero was ever capable of wielding such power. Few remain who still carry magic in their blood, and fewer still dare to reveal it. Unbeknownst to all, the King's experiment never ended. It merely evolved passed down through bloodlines, hidden laboratories, and secret covenants. And now... its echoes are beginning to awaken again.