Anora Continent was once a land dominated by divine beings.
Over hundreds of thousands of years, as recorded by humanity, it successively witnessed three distinct eras: the Divine Birth Era, the Divine Rule Era, and the Divine War Era.
During the Divine Birth and Divine Rule Eras, various gods, born from the fervent faith of mortals, gradually emerged on Anora, grew immensely powerful, and subsequently divided the land into their own domains.
The Divine War Era saw the rise of two formidable yet irreconcilable paramount deities—the Light Lord God and the Dark Lord God—whose insatiable desire for supremacy and followers ignited the cataclysmic Hundred-Year Divine War, a conflict so terrifying that later generations blanched at its mere mention.
Ultimately, both the Light and Dark Lord Gods suffered grievous wounds; it was rumored that even after the Light Lord God employed a final, desperate measure to shatter the Dark Lord God’s divine body and divinity, consigning himself to an almost eternal slumber in the process, the Dark Lord God had still not truly perished.
Instead, the Dark Lord God’s divine body transmuted into divine power, scattering across every corner of the continent and saturating every inch of its soil.
From that moment onward, the continent bore forth entities known as Dark Divine Seeds, or simply ‘Dark Seeds,’ and any human harboring such a seed would inevitably become an undisputed devotee of the Dark Lord God.
While these Dark Seeds bestowed unparalleled power upon their hosts, they simultaneously devoured their sanity, ultimately reducing them to mere instruments of slaughter.
With the conclusion of the Hundred-Year Divine War, the majesty of most deities gradually waned, ushering in the Fourth Era, a time no longer dictated by the gods—the Era of Myriad Laws.
Even within the Era of Myriad Laws, the struggle between light and darkness persisted; the followers of the Light Lord God established the Church of Light, while those of the Dark Lord God founded the Church of Darkness, each carving out territories in the northeast and southwest of the continent, locked in ceaseless, irreconcilable conflict.
Nevertheless, in this new age, light and darkness no longer held absolute dominion.
Instead, a myriad of philosophies and practices flourished, with the symphony of sword and magic becoming the era’s true dominant theme.
Those who wielded longswords and demonstrated dazzling sword skills were known as Sword Wielders.
Those who grasped magical artifacts and chanted incantations to unleash spells were called Magic Wielders.
The ranks of Sword Wielders progressed sequentially from Sword Apprentice, Swordsman, Great Swordsman, Sword Master, Great Sword Master, Sword Sect, Sword Emperor, Sword Venerable, Sword Saint, to Sword God.
The sword skills cultivated and deployed by Sword Wielders advanced through Junior Sword Skill, Intermediate Sword Skill, Advanced Sword Skill, True Martial Sword Skill, Soul Martial Sword Skill, Heavenly Sword Skill, and Sacred Heavenly Sword Skill.
Legend had it that a Sword Saint once unleashed a Heavenly Sword Skill, effortlessly leveling an entire mountain range from the face of the earth.
The ranks of Magic Wielders were similarly structured: Magic Apprentice, Magician, Great Magician, Mage, Great Mage, Archmage, Grand Archmage, Heavenly Archmage, Law Saint, and finally, Law God.
Magic Wielders mastered spells categorized as Junior Magic, Intermediate Magic, Advanced Magic, Spirit Magic, Dark Magic, Heavenly Magic, and Sacred Heavenly Magic.
Once, the lord of a great city, through some unknown transgression, incurred the wrath of a Law Saint.
The Law Saint, without hesitation, invoked Heavenly Magic, summoning unquenchable, destructive flames to rain down from the sky, incinerating the city for three days and three nights until it was reduced to a heap of ashes.
Not a single survivor emerged from that fiery inferno, including, of course, the city lord himself.
Even in this era of flourishing sword and magic, the surviving deities continued to propagate their faiths, most notably through the two great Churches of Light and Darkness.
Moreover, numerous prodigies blessed with divine bloodlines frequently distinguished themselves, stirring waves of change across the continent.
Meanwhile, the fallen gods sought worthy successors, hoping to entrust their fading glory to them.
Yet, even without receiving a divine inheritance or even a mere boon, countless ordinary individuals rose to prominence, their stories echoing across the land.
This was the Era of Myriad Laws, an age of both sword and magic, a realm of dreams for the young and an epic for heroes.
This epoch was destined to give birth to a multitude of dazzling stars.
****
In the northeastern reaches of Anora Continent lay a region revered by all as the Sacred Domain of Light.
Within it was a small city, far from prosperous, with ancient, ungoverned streets, a dilapidated, crumbling clock tower, and beneath that tower, a serpentine queue of ragged beggars.
Each sight, one after another, unequivocally declared the city’s desolation and decay.
This was an abandoned city, aptly named ‘Abandoned City.’
Also known as the City of Beggars, it lived up to its name, housing vagrants and mendicants from numerous surrounding nations.
Beggars populated every corner of the city, and most of its inhabitants subsisted entirely on alms.
One might naturally wonder, if so many lived by begging, who then were the benefactors providing the alms?
This region fell under the dominion of the Church of Light, and under the glorious benevolence of the Light Lord God, individuals would arrive periodically to dispense charity.
These benefactors included bishops and clerics from the Church of Light, nobles and royals from neighboring kingdoms, and wealthy merchants traversing various nations.
Today, a woman of renowned reputation, Princess Yuina Rose Sesika of the Azure Rose Kingdom, was scheduled to perform an act of charity here.
Consequently, the beggars had formed a long queue beneath the clock tower since early morning, eagerly anticipating Princess Yuina’s arrival.
Curiously, these several hundred-meter-long serpentine lines, stretching from one end of the street to the other, abruptly broke off at a certain point, as if some deeply taboo presence resided there.
It was a desolate street corner, occupied by a single figure—a being who barely resembled a human—slumped semi-reclined against the grey wall.
The reason for this unsettling observation was the utter lack of any discernible human features: they possessed no eyes, no face, and their entire body was covered in putrid, necrotic flesh and skin.
Beneath their tattered, unrecognizable garments, clusters of carrion maggots were even visible.
Such a being could no longer be called a person; they were, to all appearances, merely a corpse.
Yet, strangely, this corpse steadfastly refused to fully die.
This peculiar state had persisted for an entire month since their abrupt arrival.
Naturally, some found it intolerable that such a half-dead being occupied such a prime spot.
Thus, early on, troublemakers had approached them, only to end up as cold, headless corpses.
From then on, no beggar dared to provoke that person, that being who was not quite human.
That individual became a legend of Abandoned City, with the beggars referring to him as the Abandoned One.
Dong!
At precisely noon, the deep toll of the clock tower resonated, signaling the arrival of a platinum carriage, drawn by six white horses and adorned with a rounded roof and flowing curtains.
Escorted by a sizable contingent of guards, it entered Abandoned City and finally came to a halt beneath the clock tower.
The numerous guards and maids bowed in respectful welcome as a woman with pale golden hair descended from the carriage.
Though a fine veil obscured her face, preventing others from discerning her features, her exposed golden-pink eyes radiated a breathtaking beauty at every turn.
Her very presence was akin to a beacon of light, making all those near her feel as warm and comfortable as if basking in the gentle first rays of spring.
This was Princess Yuina, a woman held in the highest esteem throughout the region.
A perimeter was swiftly established by the guards within ten meters of the clock tower, while the maids, carrying steaming hot buns, began distributing them unhurriedly to the waiting beggars.
Surprisingly, the esteemed Princess Yuina herself joined the distribution line, showing no aversion to interacting with the grimy beggars.
As she observed the satisfied expressions of those receiving food, a refreshing and warm smile seemed to blossom on her veiled face.
The distribution of food continued well into the afternoon until only a scattering of beggars remained.
Witnessing the dwindling tail of the once-long queue, both guards and maids alike exhaled in collective relief.
At that moment, Princess Yuina, the focus of all eyes, suddenly stepped down from the makeshift stone platform.
Her gaze, and her subsequent path, led directly towards that particular individual.
“Princess Yuina! You mustn’t!”
“Princess Yuina, please don’t go near him! That person is a savage, abandoned by the world!”
“Princess Yuina…”
Princess Yuina’s actions startled everyone—the guards, the maids, and the nearby beggars—who all rushed forward, attempting to dissuade her.
However, Princess Yuina merely shook her head, disregarding their pleas.
She proceeded to that forgotten street corner, a place utterly devoid of attention.
“Your Royal Highness… that person in there is truly too dangerous…”
Her personal maid stepped forward, no longer daring to let the Princess advance, for she had heard the chilling rumors about the individual within.
“Give them to me.”
Princess Yuina’s reply was a simple yet potent two-word command.
Her voice, like chimes in the wind, possessed an ethereal beauty while simultaneously carrying an undeniable authority that compelled obedience.
“Sigh…”
Knowing her princess’s nature well, the personal maid sighed, finally ceasing her objections.
She presented two still-warm buns to Yuina.
Taking the buns from her maid, Yuina stepped forward without a moment’s hesitation, venturing deeper into the street corner, towards the shadowy figure.
From the very moment she arrived in Abandoned City, Yuina’s attention had been drawn to this specific spot, and to this particular individual.
The confusion of a lost soul, the sorrow of one isolated from the world, the despair of losing everything…
These were the profound emotions Yuina sensed emanating from the person before her, feelings she found utterly impossible to ignore.
“Why did you not take any food?”
Gently kneeling beside the Abandoned One, Yuina posed her question with tender concern.
The Abandoned One slowly lifted his head, prying open heavy eyelids to reveal hollow eye sockets.
His expression, entirely devoid of recognition, fixed upon Yuina in a long, silent stare.
The instant the Abandoned One opened his eyes, the two guards who had followed Yuina felt a sudden, immense pressure.
Their hands instinctively grasped the hilts of their swords, their minds racing with tense resolve: should this individual make any sudden movement, they would draw their blades and cut him down without hesitation, ensuring the Princess remained unharmed.
Ultimately, the Abandoned One made no sudden moves.
He simply observed Yuina for a moment with his pupil-less eyes before lowering his head once more, resuming his prolonged, unspoken silence.
“Why do you keep your heart so tightly sealed?”
Her voice laced with sorrow, Yuina gently took the Abandoned One’s hand, despite the visible sores covering his palm and the back of his hand, and offered him the two buns she had kept warm in her embrace.
The two guards watched, almost dumbfounded.
“Though I do not know what you have endured, or what has caused you such pain… please, do not forsake the light.
It shines upon your heart, always.”
Princess Yuina departed shortly thereafter, leaving the street corner, leaving Abandoned City, but not before uttering those words.
Staring blankly at the warm buns in his hand, the Abandoned One, after a long period of bewilderment and silence, ravenously devoured them.
He slowly pushed himself upright, then slowly shuffled his feet, gradually emerging from the refuge he had occupied for a full month.
Perhaps, after all, a faint glimmer of light still persisted in this world—a light truly worth pursuing.