To begin the story, I think it is important to know a short history on the Aethers, their Empire, and the Central Kingdom of Humanity, as it is taught to the commonfolk of the Lilith Isles.
Approximately 2,000 Years ago, Aethers emerged. It is unknown how they came to be, but what is known is that thousands of men, women, and children across the Lilith Isles were one day cursed with great power. Magic and Immortality were given to them without warning or prejudice. Old and young, poor and rich, virtuous and sinful, they were infected this accursed affliction. Scholars believe this was the work of a devil, who sent down their evils to be embodied by these souls.
The ensuing 200 years were a dark era, as the world was plunged into a great struggle. Not much historical knowledge survived this struggle, but what arose from it is very much known. The Ethereal Empire, and the Kingdom of Humanity.
The Empire held dominion over the Kingdom, using it as a puppet state to further segregate and oppress humanity. Aethers were a higher class of citizen. And humans were their pets. The Kingdom itself was set up as a source of humour for the Emperor, as he likened them to dancing monkeys. The Royal Family of Humanity was just a tool for greater control over the humans. The Emperor would whisper into the ear of the King, and he would repeat those words to his people. Despite the fact that there were only a few thousand Aethers, they still held a firm grasp on the millions of humans, due to their sheer power. Resistance was rare and easily crushed. The Aethers were praised as Gods by the religion founded by the Emperor, and many humans believed in the idea that their oppressors were not evil, but instead taking their rightful place as their just rulers.
800 Years. That is how long this tyranny lasted. The Aethers never changed and they never allowed the humans to change either. Any and all attempts at a push for equality were crushed, explained away as "keeping the peace." To the Aethers, equality was oppression. To the humans, oppression was just.
But this all came to a head during the rule of King William II. When the Prince of the Empire had demanded the hand of William's daughter, after he had seen a painting of her and believed that she was "too fair to waste for the seed of mere men." But out of love for his only daughter, the King refused. In retaliation, the Emperor killed the King's firstborn son and heir, and the Prince stole his "bride."
This was it, the final act of evil that the King could stomach, after centuries of his forefathers being victim to the cruelties of the Empire, William was going to fight for his people and for his family, or die trying. He declared the Kingdom's independence, along with a declaration of war against the Empire. The Human Reclamation had begun.
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The conflict was closer than expected. The ingenuity of the humans surprised the Aethers, and after centuries of easy life, the Aethers had softened and become weaker. There were few left that truly knew how warfare was fought. But ultimately, the Empire still had the advantage. Aethers were still much more powerful than humans, and their riches were many times greater than that of the Kingdom's. There was also still many humans still loyal to the Empire that fought against the Kingdom. The Empire was winning.
Until the appearance of The Aether Hunter. Not much is known about the Aether Hunter, not even his name. To this day, he remains a mystery, a man believed to be an act of divine intervention. The Hunter had the powers of the Aethers, but pledged his loyalty to the King and to Humanity. With his power, the Kingdom gained many victories, turning the tides in their favour. The Hunter even managed to save the Princess from the deepest parts of the Empire's territory, and when the Prince sought revenge through his invasion of the Human's capital, Varkon's Keep, it was the Aether Hunter who killed him, dealing a major blow to the Empire's war effort.
In the end, the Hunter led a campaign into the Western Isle with an army of 100,000 men, to take the Empire's capital and to slay the Emperor. The battles were hard fought, and it is said that the clash between the Hunter and the Emperor shook the world to its core. But, when the smoke cleared, the Hunter raised the head of the late Emperor and said to the remaining Aethers, "Your fight is over! I declare it! Your dominion is over! I declare it! Your Empire is over! I declare it! Any and all who wish to argue against these declarations, step forward! Stand against me! Do this, and the fates that will befall you shall be sang about for centuries to come, alongside the fates of your Emperor! Your Prince! Your fellow Aethers who have found themselves to have fallen at my hands!"
With this final speech, the Aethers retreated. They scuttled into the shadows.
In the coming year, the Kingdom put down local resistances, settled their new capital in the western isle, and soon found that the Hunter had disappeared without a trace, alongside the Princess. It has never been known what happened to them or where they went.
But the Kingdom still required a force capable of dealing with the remaining Aethers. Without the Hunter, whom they had become dependent on, they felt vulnerable. That is when King William the Free, introduced the 15 Royal Agents. Similar to the Hunter, they had the powers of the Aethers. They had pledged their loyalties to the King and to humanity. They would be led by The Reaper, an ally of the Hunter's who fought alongside him at the final battle. To this day, The Reaper still commands the Agents, despite no other member from the original 15 still being alive.
And now, 1,000 Years after the Human Reclamation, the world enjoys a great peace under the rule of the Kingdom, and the remaining Devilspawn are soon to be wiped from the land completely. All thanks to the valiant efforts of The Aether Hunter, The Reaper, The Generations of Monarchs throughout the years and the Royal Agent who keep the peace enjoyed in the present day.
