Disclaimer
This book contains graphic scenes of violence, sexuality, and rape. Be sure to read with caution, and know that if you skip any of these violent scenes, you will not miss any major plot points. Read on and have fun! Akkolon welcomes you.
Introduction and Background
Vast emptiness. The One opened her eyes after her millennia slumber and saw nothing. Great loneliness filled her being, and in that moment, her longing for company created life.
A flat disc of earth was made, with great expanses of land, rivers that flowed like veins across the world, mountains and valleys that held precious metals and jewels, and an ocean that surrounded the slab of earth. The One then encompassed the top of the world with a clear dome that held the sun, moon, and stars. She made it so that during the day, the creatures would see a blue sky rather than the emptiness that surrounded them, but at night, the great expanse of the universe was visible behind the stars.
After this earth was made, two more beings were formed from the infinite darkness; beings of great strength, power, and beauty; the Archangels, Remliel and Tatresiel. The first, a woman like the One, had immense golden wings protruding from her back; long, wavy brown hair; eyes that were as white as a blizzard with no pupil or iris; and a naked, voluptuous form that other being would ever match. The second, a man, had black wings to match that of his sister; short, jet black hair; eyes that were the same as the other Archangel; and a naked, muscular form that would never be seen in any other creature.
The One then turned back to her world, which she named Akkolon, and created life in her image. In the sea she made Mermaids. They were the most beautiful creatures on Akkolon, and lived an immortal life; they could only be killed by the sword or poison. Into the rivers she also placed Mermaids, but these were nowhere near as beautiful as their sisters in the sea. However, they shared their immortality, and the same things killed them as did their sisters.
Next, she created Elves. These were reverent beings who lived in the forests of the world and worshiped the Sun. They had the tiniest bit of magic. Elves lived an immortal life just like Mermaids, and they were second in beauty only to the Sea Maidens.
After Elves came Nymphs. These tiny creatures were the most magical beings, and were confined to a single forest of Akkolon. They were tricksters, and would grant wishes for a price. Nymphs were relatively peaceful creatures, although they ate those who went back on their promises or tried to fight them. They were mortal, living for around 200 years, and throughout their lives they never left their forest homeland.
Dwarves followed the Nymphs into creation. These creatures were hairy, which kept them warm in their mountain homes. They were natural miners and blacksmiths, and became very rich, equal to that only of Elves. They were a stubborn race, and they very rarely got along with other races. Dwarves lived for an average of 100 years, and rather than stay confined to their mountain dwellings, they left and roamed the plains by their homes.
Finally, the One created Men. These creatures were proud, arrogant, and the most mortal, living for around 80 years. They were war hungry, and therefore had very strong armies second only to Elves. Their lust for conquest made it so that Men were the only allies of Men, and they made this so through their fear of their kingdoms being overtaken by another race.
Thus, life on Akkolon was created. The One turned to her children, the Archangels, and gave them a Creed. “You shall look over the world while I rest, and protect those that I have created.” The One closed her eyes and lied down, falling asleep next to her creations.
No sooner than she'd closed her eyes, Tatresiel went down to Akkolon, marking the beginning of the First Age. Remliel watched her brother from the universe, and saw a great madness. The angel had taken the One's creatures and mutated them into darkness. From Sea Maidens, the most beautiful of all, he created Sea Snakes, the ugliest creatures least like the One, with the power of electricity in their tails. Elves he left alone, in fear of their great armies, and he moved next to Nymphs. The tiny creatures were made into Goblins, which were larger than Nymphs but still agile and fast. They feared sunlight, and crawled their way into the mountains.
Remliel remained above the world for one reason only: she knew that she was not omnipotent, and if she went down to try and stop her brother, she would not be able to see him like she could from the heavens. She wept for the creatures he violated, and looked down upon the wreckage he continued to create. He stole Dwarves from their mountains and made them into Werewolves, which then fled to the woods to live in burrows and eat Nymphs. He stole Men and twisted them into Vampires, giving them the gift of immortality unless killed by the sword.
Tatresiel laughed at his discord, then began to form his own creature. Using his own power, he violated the One's superiority and created Dragons. These giant, fire-breathing snakes with large, rubbery, veiny wings flew themselves to the highest peaks of the mountains, and there they rested. Into his creatures, Tatresiel channeled his own greed and lust for power; therefore, the Dragons cared only about the precious metals, gems, and jewels that lay in the mountains below their bellies.
Remliel watched the One's divine creations form allies and kingdoms. The Sea Maidens remained wild. The River Maidens formed three clans; one in the North River Delta, one in the East River Delta, and one in the Central Channel.
Elves formed kingdoms in three out of four woods: one in the Western Woods, one in the Southern Woods, and one in the Eastern Woods. Nymphs, on the other hand, only had one group in the Central Woods, where no one dared to roam unless they sought their magic.
Dwarves made three tribes: one in the Distant Highlands in the North, one in The Dead Peaks, under the dragons in the East, and one in the Forsaken Hills in the South. The tribe in The Dead Peaks was the most rich out of them all, with the greatest area and the assistance of goblin slaves.
Men, lastly, formed four kingdoms: the Kingdom of Phiturya in the North, the Kingdom of Mowyth in an area of land named the Fork of Tetrasiel, the Kingdom of Xeasia in the South, and the Kingdom of Iqocan in the East.
All of this occurred during the First Age, at the same time as Tetrasiel's destruction. After a long time, the Archangel laid down to rest in the mountaintops next to his Dragons, and the world came into the Era of Peace. This time lasted for centuries, and ended the First Age. There were petty squabbles among different kingdoms and races, but none ended in war, for Tetrasiel's chaos did not rule over the land as it did in the beginning of the Age. However, the Dragons awakened and began to slowly crawl their fat, leathery bodies down the sides of the mountains, and Tetrasiel stirred in his sleep. The creatures of Akkolon desperately cried out to the Emptiness that surrounded them, begging for divine help… and their prayers were answered.
Chapter One
Remliel cast herself down to Akkolon, careening like a firebolt from the heavens. She crashed into the Sea, making a crater at the bottom of the ocean. She then swam her way back up to the earth and crawled out onto a piece of land later named the Fork of Remliel; where the Northern and Eastern rivers met.
She stood, naked and soaking wet, on the open stretch of land. She wrapped her drenched wings around her body for warmth and protection, and sat down in the fluffy green grass. She snapped her fingers and created a small fire for her to dry off by, and laid down next to it, still huddled up underneath her wings.
Nightfall came quicker than Remliel expected, and she kept the fire going throughout the darkness. She watched the moon rise from the West, looked up into the stars, and for a moment, she could almost see her sleeping mother in the Emptiness. She did not tire, since she had not spent much of her energy, so she lied awake for the night. When the sun began to rise from the North, she stood, extinguished her fire, stretched out her wings, and began to walk toward the Southern Woods.
The journey took her a surprisingly long time; she'd thought the world was a lot bigger than it actually was. From the Universe, she'd looked down upon the world and thought of it as tiny in comparison to what lied around her, but now that she was on the world, she knew that it was large, especially for the creatures that lived there.
Nightfall