Chapter 1: Prologue(Part 1)
Continent X, an isolated body of land in the shape of an X, as the name would suggest, located in a world of Magic and Monsters. It is made up of four nations, including the human nation of Persona, the Elven nation of Sylph, the Animoid nation of Anima, and the Demon nation of Vilia.
The human nation, The Kingdom of Persona, is ruled by Royalty and the nation's Nobility, who lord over the Commoners. Those with Royal and Noble blood are blessed with immense Magic Power, while Commoners are born with significantly lower amounts of Magic Power.
The King sits at the top of the hierarchy in The Kingdom of Persona, followed by the Church of Persona, headed by the Pope. Corruption and prejudice run rampant in the nation, with the majority of the Nobility, as well as a number of the people in positions of power in the church, acting in their own self-interest without any regard for the Commoners that are supposed to be under their protection and guidance.
Instead, the Commoners are at the mercy of the whims of the church and Nobility, helpless and defenseless against them, living their lives in a constant state of fear and submission.
Such has been the state of the Persona Kingdom for centuries...and now, in the present, the year 1910, a chain of events that would go on to change the nation forever has been set in motion.
It began in a small village near the southeast border of the nation, Ruby Village, in the basement of a church located in the village...
"N-no, please...! I-I...I'm begging you, please stop this! I-it...it hurts! It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS!!!" A tortured cry echoed out through the dark, grimy basement dimly lit with flickering candlelight, his pleas met with no sympathy, only cold, calculating stares, indifferent to the man's pain and suffering.
His screams continued to ring out as he writhed around in excruciating agony, his body restrained and laying in a pit filled to the brim with the corpses of Monsters, a glowing purple orb jammed into the middle of his chest, which had been cut open. He also had a deep, fatal stab wound in his stomach with blood pouring out of it, and a Magic Item, known as an Enslavement Collar, strapped around his neck.
An ominous purple glow of a similar hue to the orb in his chest shone out of the pit, forbidden Magical text inscribed across the edges, fueling the ritual.
Several figures in hooded cloaks surrounded the pit, watching the man intently as he desperately thrashed around in pain, frantically trying to break free of his bondage but to no avail.
"It seems this one is lasting much longer than our previous test subjects," Remarked one of the hooded figures thoughtfully, jotting down notes as they observed the pit.