Tales from Ertha As Told by Elijah S. Ramirez

"Out of Despair"

The forest was once a place of harmony until the fall. Midnight crept in and the frost covered life in an unwavering memory of the
timeless. Diminished to prevail, the forms of the king reverted to a formless crawl. The ground beneath gave way to the burden and a
pit at the heart of the forest was blackened with pain. Within the ground the emperor lay dying. Darkness was all that remained of the
once great beast. Though even from the darkness there came a formless twelve to manifest for the emperor to rise again. Sacrificial
union with the formless into form offered the reverie of a new era strength while the forest beat to a new heart. Memories of the lost
legend prevailed in distorted apparition. Shifting tides of the wind above carried sounds cloaked in a child’s dream as Midnight seethed
in the culling.

"Child of Night"

The child of night sulked aimlessly awaiting the prey of another. Remembering the casting out from the sky he found himself forever
blinded by the light of the sun. While the trees sheltered him, he cursed the moon from shining even through darkness. Though his
impatience granted an unlikely reckoning. For near the pit from whence he came, the trees creaked with a cry of warning to a lost
traveler. But even the forthcoming transformation could not be prevented. And when the traveler fell, Midnight consumed upon the
flesh and tore any remainder of spirit from the body, left to do his bidding as nothing but a slave.

"Crimson Knights"

Mankind could not fathom their own destruction. The winds wailed and oceans crashed. The forests burned and the earth trembled
for survival. Extinction was upon them, but they resisted with relentless vice. Time was not kind to those who feared the forest clothed
by the seasons. Bathed in crimson, the knights marched on to control their minds from the burden of pain the Midnight caused in them.
Afraid of the darkness within them, even the stars were washed out by their undying passion for blood.

"War Between Realms"

The world was their mother and they were daunted by her illusions. They first fought each other, but eventually the rise of their
power made them drunk with malice. Other worlds were separating themselves for the survival of their kind. The natural world was
in surrender until the time of their freedom would come only by the children of mankind.

"Land of Tais"

The land was made of dreams. Its sky was the heavens and the waters reflected the purity in their hearts. A realm left untouched
by mankind was a sight for sore eyes, having seen nothing but pain and suffering. Those few who survived felt a sense of peace again.
All seemed relieved, for they trusted in the guidance of the stars. Yet even in their isolation, they were not safe. The darkness could
hear them in their sleep as they recalled memories from the war.

"The Heart"

From the stars, a light fell. Separated from him through time, he searched only to discover it was within a child of mankind. It was
foretold that on the eve of midnight a child born of light would restore balance to two realms. But the child was one of two. Two suns
from different times would come together to illuminate upon all that was dark. Within him rested mankind’s salvation. But it was when
he was ready to face thedarkness within that he would shine again. For still lurking in the shadows, was a vengeance that overshadowed
the dream and the terror of a nightmarish reality seeped back into the world.

"Aethrus"

Haunted by the past, Midnight came nearer. Like the turning of a wheel, the cycle was approaching completion. For those ensnared
by the darkness of the forest, all seemed lost. But for those few who could still see the light, hope remained in their hearts, illuminating
a path ever deeper. The music of ages passed called to them as the dragon whose ancient tongue whispered deception of his rise again.
But the children persisted, enduring the struggle ahead.