Apocryphal - Volume §f§k§a§b§f


§5§lThe Gilded Cosmos§r


Chronicler: Roderic


Hello, seeker of truth.

By the time you behold these tattered pages, the world of light and darkness has likely already crumbled.

This world is divided into several aeons: the Ancient Epoch, the First Invasion of the End, the Golden Age. The Second Invasion of the End, the Age of Stars.

According to the annals of the old calendar, during the zenith of the Ancient Kingdom, a phenomenon of world fusion occurred. In that catastrophe, §f§k§a§b§f attempted to conquer the world through war.

The sages of the Ancient Kingdom, at the cost of tearing the fabric of reality and erasing the current history, divided the main world into three dimensions, using the End as a buffer to prevent further encroachment from the fusion of other worlds.

The Three Kings, the last vestiges of power supporting the Ancient Kingdom, served as pillars of strength that partitioned the three realms.

After the First Invasion of the End, in the Golden Age, I became the mastermind of the plan, observing our once-world through the gloom within this fabricated dimension.

The world became fragmented, until a great leader unified it and established the New Kingdom. Azure, parallel to the main world, protected the only organization that recorded the history before the End: The Gatekeepers.



However, §f§k§a§b§f never intended to spare this already gasping world.



Thus, the Second Erosion of the End began.

The nascent kingdom vanished in an instant.

§f§k§a§b§f used those monsters as bait, luring people into portals with the promise of precious treasures to participate in the "Duel of the End," offering "Keys to the Duel."

The three dueling grounds across the three dimensions represent three stages of selection and refinement.

§f§k§a§b§f possesses the ability to observe the current world, aware of organizations studying the nature of the disaster, and gradually erodes every individual who enters the dueling grounds based on the progress of existing targets.

The "Stargazers" organization, established after the destruction of the New Kingdom, is essentially the eyes and ears of §f§k§a§b§f, spreading propaganda to defame the Three Kings and provide excuses for the "justified slaughter" of the Age of Stars.

Scholars who attempted to explore history were bewitched, their minds eroded, and they penned that nearly frantic text:

§n§o§6"Time is running out. His incessant calling shortens my waking moments. Perhaps one night I too will become one of them. I need a natural warrior, one who can tread where I cannot, to complete the final step of all theories and conjectures. It matters not if they fail; all truths will be conveyed to everyone. The learned will carry on the civilization, and the valiant will clear the obstacles. "Him" is not invincible! The future of humanity will shine like the stars in the night sky!"§r

The so-called "Praise of the Nameless" is but a lie and bait. They distort the definitions of "hope" and "human brilliance," attempting to fundamentally assimilate this world.

This is a silent war concealed by blood and iron.

Those praised as the "Stars," after the Second Invasion of the End, were led to join the battlefield, to topple the Three Kings, deceive the Gatekeepers organization, and slay the last bastion of Azure against the End, the Starlight Shatterer.

Upon completing all the puzzles, the strongest among the "Stars," wielding power that scorns the three realms, achieved the ultimate fusion and was absorbed by §f§k§a§b§f, who held all the current worldly information.

And the great thousand worlds, losing all their pillars, collapsed in an instant, becoming a part of the End.





I am unfortunate because there is nothing I can do.

As a remnant of the Ancient Kingdom, my fate was sealed the moment the world line was torn, never to return to my homeland. I can only peer through the cracks, watching the world step closer to the abyss, powerless to act.



Yet, I am fortunate, for I have finally awaited the sole "variable" among myriad outcomes.

The world of light and darkness paid a "price" for the Ancient Kingdom to erase its current history: parts of the sages' obsessions were divided into two extremely opposed aspects, enduring the pain of a torn soul in perpetuity.

These are: the Seed of Holy Radiance, the Core of Purgatory.

The End Shadow is a sealed vital memory source. Whoever gains its favor, holding the two opposing aspects, can control this dimension utterly.

Alas, the miraculous power inscribed on the great gate requires two keys of memory to open.

And to construct the bridge to the End's island, one must gather the will of all the unyielding warriors' souls.

Thus, they each spawned followers loyal to themselves, beginning an endless war.

But this is destined to be fruitless.

The self-preservation mechanism of the sages' obsessions will reset the world lines of light and darkness whenever one side becomes dominant.

At that time, both opposing aspects will return to the beginning, over and over again.

Without a game-breaker, this balance will never be broken. The "End" sealed at the center of the world and the truth of §f§k§a§b§f will never see the day again.



§6But you are the exception.§r




§l§2PLAYERNAME?§r




You do not belong to... this world... nor to any dimension I know.

Your soul has escaped the flesh of the "Stars," breaking the "wall" that separates the past from the present, free from the control of §f§k§a§b§f, and finally entered here.

Here, you converse with the two aspects of the Ancient Kingdom's sages, severed by reality. But the information you need to gather is too scattered; you cannot merge them back into one at once.

The world will reset, but your soul will not. With each cycle in this dimension, you unlock fragmented information and reclaim more truths and memories.

I do not know how many cycles it will take...



Fortunately, you have succeeded.

The old world line has been destroyed. The day the two opposing aspects of the sages merge is the day their existence will be utterly extinguished.

But your soul is the vessel of inheritance.

You will carry on their legacy, take over our unyielding exploration against §f§k§a§b§f, and bear the souls of all this world's past resistance and struggle.

The names I record here will be erased by the power of §f§k§a§b§f once they enter the former world, but the supreme secret feared by §f§k§a§b§f has been forever branded in the depths of your soul.

From now on, you are no longer the "Stars" used as pawns.

From now on, you will break free from the control of §f§k§a§b§f and discern the "Stargazers'" beguilements and deceptions.

From now on, you bear the hopes of all noble beings from the old kingdom.

From now on, you will become the vortex that devours the End's bloated ambitions.

The road ahead is more arduous.

The world grows more treacherous and unpredictable.

Those around you will gradually distance themselves from you.

A thousand-foot cliff chases your every step.



But,



You will ultimately shatter the gilded deception of the cosmos wielded by §f§k§a§b§f.



Welcome,






§l§6STAR - BREAKER.