4.54 billion years ago, our world was created by a being known as the Founder. The Founder was a being that didn’t heed the laws of physics we now know. It was said that he was powerful enough to destroy everything known to man if he chose to.

  Along with our world, the Founder created two beings: the Demon King, representing evil and sorrow, and the Angel Queen, representing good and happiness. The founder then created lesser beings of their kind. Lastly, he created humans who were weaker than the other beings. Humans weren’t there from the start, but would come in billions of years later.

  The world the founder created was then split into three domains, each separate from the others. Each holding secrets that only the founder knew the full truth behind.

  The first domain was in the skies and invisible to those on the ground. This domain was surrounded by water and ice, which would occasionally fall to the ground. This domain belongs to the angels. The domain was invisible to the ground, but they couldn’t see the third domain from theirs.

  The second domain has many names, but is commonly called the underworld. This domain was surrounded by fire and lava, which sometimes rose toward the ground. The air in the demon realm was heavily polluted by ash that represented the sorrow of everyone there. Needless to say, this domain belongs to the demons.

  The third domain was the ground; it teemed with oceans, rivers, plains, and mountains. This domain would later become home to humans and other animals.

  For a century, both the angels and the demons lived in peace, thanks to the founder, who kept everything in check. Even Angel Queen Evangelina and Demon King Akuma were good friends who met often to discuss their kingdoms.

  But one day, the Founder mysteriously disappeared into nothingness. Neither the angels nor the demons knew where he had gone, but they knew it would stir tension between them.

  After 50 years of realising that the Founder was truly gone, the Demon King and Angel Queen decided to make their first move to conquer the human world and bring it under their control. They both knew they had to uncover the secrets the founder had left behind.

  The only secret the Founder told both Evangelina and Akuma was that four beings would either bring change to the world or destroy it completely. Though they didn’t know their names or when they'd appear, they knew they needed them on their side to make sure the other side didn’t overpower them.

  ***

  In the underworld, preparations for the takeover of the human world began. The demon species knew, at that moment, that it was their chance to finally learn more of the world's secrets. They believed that since the Founder was gone, there was no one to stop them, especially with how powerful the Demon King Akuma was.

  A man with crimson hair and in a large robe, with a more formal outfit beneath it, walked into a preparation room where his generals were planning their moves to take over the third domain. The man was tall, most likely around six feet five inches. This man was Akuma, better known as the First Demon King.

  He came by to check on the plans his generals have been working on to seize the 3rd domain. He then said, “How are the preparations moving along? Is everything in place?”

  Cain, who was one of his top generals, was spooked by the question he asked. “Y-Y-Your majesty, how long have you been here?”

  “I asked you a question, so I expect an answer, not another question in response, or do I need to spill your blood?”

  “S-S-S-Sorry for my rudeness, the preparations are currently ahead of schedule. We can go ahead with the plan sooner than expected. The recon team has checked and hasn’t seen any movement from the angels.”

  “Something's off. Send more recon teams; the Angels are sure to make a move. Now that he’s gone, there is no one more powerful than us. I know Evangelina wants to learn more about the secrets that the Founder left behind.”

  ”But Sir…”

  Akuma, at this point, had finished speaking and was growing impatient with his subordinate, so he put his right hand on his sword. The sword resembled a medieval broadsword made for royalty. The moment he unscabbard his sword an inch, bolts of crimson lightning came in, encroaching on Cain before stopping an inch from where he was standing.

  Everyone feared Demon King Akuma because he had enough power to take them all out within seconds. The only person who didn’t fear Akuma was Evangelina, because she had known him for years; they had been created at the same time, and they had shared the same maximum output.

  Shocked by the king's movement, Cain backed up. Now frightened for his life, he started to agree with the king. “Sorry for my rudeness, your majesty. I’ll begin to send more recon units to scout the world now.”

  “You'd better, because we need to find out what the Founder left behind before the angels do, so stop wasting time and get this done,” Akuma said as he grabbed Cain by the neck and lifted him three feet in the air.

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  “Cough. I will, so please show me mercy,” Cain said as he had trouble breathing.

  “If that's all you have to say, I will take my leave now, so make sure that everything is in place,” Akuma said as he let go of Cain.

  As Cain hit the ground, he said, “We’ll contact you when everything is fully ready, your highness.”

  Everyone else in the room had decided to remain quiet to avoid being targeted by Akuma. They knew what he wanted to hear, but they feared him, so they avoided as much contact as they could. When they finally heard the sound of his footsteps disappearing in the distance, they all sighed in relief.

  What are the angels plotting? They are definitely going to make their move known, especially with him out of the picture. Evangelina, what are you planning? The person who created us is now gone for good. This is the perfect time to take over that domain and learn the secrets he kept from us. Akuma thought on his way back to his office to prepare for what would come next.

  ***

  At the same moment, the Angels were now preparing for war against the demons, knowing that they were after the 3rd domain. The angels were fully training their military to fight against an enemy that would show no mercy. They knew that with the Founder gone, the demons would move to conquer the third domain and learn more about what the Founder had been hiding.

  A woman with navy-blue hair and wearing a luxurious blue robe, along with a formal dress that wasn’t revealing. She was tall, around six feet three inches. This woman is Evangelina, better known as the First Angel Queen.

  She came to check on her military to be certain that all her soldiers were ready to face the demons. Her goal was to train her soldiers before war was declared, to minimise casualties and bring a swift end to the war. She then started to speak. “Is everyone ok? How is the training going? Will they all be ready in time?”

  Unlike Akuma, she never laid a hand on her generals and always made sure that they were safe. Everyone thought she was weaker than Akuma because of her nature; they believed her kindness was her greatest weakness. Though Akuma knew that she wasn’t weak, he knew that if they went against each other, it would be an even match.

  Her second-in-command, Rena, then answered the question. “Your Highness, yes, everything is going along without a problem. We are currently monitoring all our soldiers to ensure no one gets injured. The training appears to be working; they will be ready to fight the demons in the coming days.”

  “That's good to hear. Have the recon units we sent come back?” Evangelina said, looking at all her soldiers training hard.

  “Yes, they come back with information regarding where the demons are going to make landfall. We also been able to make sure that none of our teams has been spotted.”

  None of the demons had been able to see the angel recon team, since angels usually stayed near water, making them harder to spot. Whenever the demons came close, they hid deep within the water, using the environment to stay hidden.

  “Where will they make landfall?” Evangelina said, looking Rena in the eyes.

  “We learned that they will come from a newly formed volcano in the northwestern area of the third domain. We’ve learned that this is their only gate that leads to the third domain.”

  “That’s great, soon the time will come that will decide who will be the next ruler of this world and who will have access to the knowledge that we were never supposed to have. No matter what, we can’t let the demons win.”

  “Your highness. What did the Founder hide that’s so important to cause a war?” Rena asked, looking confused about why they were fighting the demons.

  “It's a long story. The Founder kept too many secrets from us. We can only assume that they are too powerful for anyone to handle.”

  “Don’t worry, your highness, we will win this and bring back peace to this world.”

  Evagelina, hearing Rena's response, smiled. It made her happy that her subordinates trusted her and believed in her.

  “Alright, Rena. I have to take my leave, so have a good day.” Evagelina said as she started walking towards her office.

  “Have a good day, your highness. I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.”

  While walking back, she decided to put her left hand on her blade, which resembled a blue katana with lightning accents. Evangelina thought, Why do we have to fight? Couldn’t we just live in peace with the domains that we were given? Why must we spill blood? We don’t even know what the Founder was hiding. He may have told us of those four beings, but we don’t even know who they are. We shouldn’t be fighting over any of this, Akuma.

  ***

  Three days later, a war began to determine who would rule and who would control the knowledge the Founder left behind. This war has lasted for billions of years.

  Since the royal families of both the demons and angels were immortal, they decided that they would both go to a cave that the founder left behind in both their worlds to let the Founder’s presence consume them. Throughout the entire war, the king or queen would only ever have one heir to make sure that their side didn’t weaken from infighting. Unlike the royal family, normal demons and angels could live up to a thousand years. This was the reason they chose a thousand years as their cutoff.

  This was a never-ending war. Both sides would always be equal to each other. Even when humans began to settle the ground, they would use these lesser beings to fight on their behalf. When countries began to form, they would be influenced by either the demons or the angels.

  But even though they had territories in the third domain, they only found a couple of pieces of what the Founder left behind. None of them held the full truth behind the secrets the Founder had hidden.

  But they both decided to share one piece of information they had found, and it concerned the four, as the Founder had told Evangelina and Akuma. The pieces of information were the names that the Founder called them. Even though they knew what the founder had nicknamed them, they still didn’t know what they looked like. But they knew one feature that one of them would have.

  The war finally ended 22 years ago. The reason for the war's end sparked outrage in the first and second domains. It was a reason that the two sides couldn’t comprehend how it happened.

  But none of them knew at the time that three of the four beings had already been born sometime during the war. And the final child would be born soon after the war. These four beings would eventually meet up and decide the fate of the world.

  But for now, the world was at peace, but just like everything else, it wouldn’t last forever.