It is the year 188 of the Devil’s Calendar.

  The great “War of the Six Races” is nearing its climax.

  The final battle is about to begin, not just for the Arcadia Empire but for all fronts.

  The war was supposed to end on that day.

  In the southwest of the continent lies the Arcadia Empire, the last kingdom of the Elves.

  It consists of a vast city and is ruled by Emperor Jeremia Arcadia.

  Jeremia sits on his throne, his eyes reflecting only sorrow and pain.

  The entire palace of the emperor was built from pitch-black material and adorned with blood-red rubies.

  Even the throne and the armor Jeremia wears are set with these rubies.

  Jeremia is known for fighting with a longsword and a katana, both matching the palace in color and ornamentation.

  At the beginning of the war, Jeremia lost everything.

  His wives, his children, and his friends were killed in an ambush that marked the start of the war.

  The only thing left to him was his empire.

  But by now, he knew he might lose that too.

  In this helplessness, Jeremia stared into the air before him, his thoughts circling around the safety of his realm.

  But inside, he was filled with furious hatred.

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  Suddenly, a messenger stormed into the hall and cried out in excitement: “My emperor, my emperor! It has happened! The other four races have fallen: Angels, Demons, Aqualites, and Half-Humans. Only we, the nearly exterminated people of the Elves, and the Humans remain.”

  Jeremia furrowed his brow.

  He himself was half Elf, half Human.

  “So it has come to pass,” he said in a soft voice.

  “The Humans have fallen to their greed for power and have even defeated the Angels. Thank you for your report, Kyrill. Notify the five generals.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Ashes to ashes.”

  “Ashes to ashes,” Jeremia replied.

  The phrase “Ashes to ashes” arose after the massacre that wiped out 97% of the Elven people.

  The surviving Elves had to cremate their fallen relatives, and thus the farewell phrase “Ashes to ashes” was born.

  After the messenger left, Jeremia looked up at the blood-red ruby in the ceiling, on which an image of the Blood Moon and a text in the ancient language of the Elves was engraved: “We came from the ashes of our ancestors and will perish in the ashes of our descendants. Ashes to ashes.”

  Jeremia rose from his throne and placed his right hand over his chest in a salute-like gesture.

  Slowly, he descended the small staircase and walked toward the end of the hall.

  There, he touched a stone on the entrance pillar, and a red, diamond-shaped magic circle appeared beneath him.

  It teleported him to the diamond-shaped balcony of the palace.

  On the balcony, Jeremia turned his head from right to left.

  On the horizon, the Human army could already be seen, their armor adorned with feathers from Angels and the teeth of Demons.

  Just a decade ago, the six races had lived in peace and harmony.

  But then, Gaja von Katzengold, the Princess of Katzengold, united all lands and peoples of the Humans.

  After her term of office, she embarked on a journey for power because her people saw her as weak and unfit.

  After handing over the office to her brother Lionel, her search for power began.

  Gaja traveled for weeks through the desert of Karibia.

  Near the end, on the brink of death, she found “The Power.”

  She discovered a monument of marble, half sunken in sand, with engraved letters in the ancient language of the Elves.

  Gaja drew her sword — forged from the spine of the first King of the Elves — and gently touched the words on the doors.

  The inscriptions glowed red, and the doors opened.

  Gaja entered the monument.

  Jeremia stood on the balcony of his palace and watched the enraged Human army on the horizon.

  At its head, he spotted Gaja von Katzengold.

  As he scanned the charging army, the people of Arcadia prepared for the impending battle.

  At that time, the population numbered about 1.5 million people, while the army consisted of 100,000 soldiers.

  The citizens buried themselves in their homes while the army formed up in the gigantic colosseum in the west of the city.

  Jeremia wore a stern expression, for the five generals had already marched into battle against the Humans.