Prologue

*Important* Please read before moving on any further to grasp the full knowledge of any fictional things (characters and objects alike), they might not be explained in the book immediately and may leave you some questions unanswered from the start and might only be answered later on in the book or never at all. Please do read to prevent any unnecessary problems regarding the context of the book.

Ijiri Hachiro - The male protagonist of the book, has the dream of leading humanity back to the top of the World Rankings by becoming the Paladin, a rumoured hero  

Asura Hachiro - The female protagonist and sister of Ijiri, her only desire is to support her brother all the way to the best of her abilities.

Oppaeshia - The fictional world the book is set in, it is ruled by 10 very different and competitive legions with the only ruling goal, to obtain the best specs you for your HearthGear to overpower and conquer the rest, even if it means killing them.

World Rankings - The official ranking of the 10 races of Oppaeshia and is based on a legions overall control in magic, strength and craftsmanship. The rankings are as ordered:

1. The Seals
2. The Elves
3. Basilisks
4. The Bulks
5. The Giants
6. Centaurs
7. Gargoyles
8. Dwarves
9. Humans
10. The Old Ones (extinct)
11. ???

HearthGear - A wrist worn item, only usable by the user determined by the first touch, it will render useless to anyone else. It can be obtained either by being bought, found or made. When worn gives the user a large boost on his or her selected trait (magic, strength or craftsmanship) which gives them an advantage in battle. It can be separated into 3 modules:

• The crystal - Determines how much energy the HearthGear can take from the Flux system to run the other 2 modules
• The processor - Determines how much Flux energy the HearthGear can process to be used to boost a selected trait
• The cooler -  Determines how stable the HearthGear can run preventing it from overheating which can be deadly to the user

The stats of the HearthGear can also be influenced by the user and can be overclocked but at the risk of the user's health.

The Flux System - The source of all life on Oppaeshia, emitted from Oppaeshia's core, it can be harnessed to do many things including battle, agriculture and breeding, there's another use for it rumoured to be forgotten...

The 10 Races - The 10 races could be split into 4 groups, the magic users, known for their impressive control over the Flux system which included the Elves, Centaurs and Basilisks, the more physically capable ones whom posses a great extent of strength and may or may not plan ahead before rushing into battle such as the Gargoyles, Giants and the Bulks, and thirdly there were the craftsmen, notorious for their excellent craftsmanship which covered the Dwarves, the seal-people or the Seals, and the humans (or imanity). Lastly there were the old ones, known for possessing skills of all 3 groups, but went extinct in the Great War trying to save Oppaeshia from obliteration. The more in depth explanation of each individual race:

• Elves - Human-like creatures with pointier ears, are ranked first for their overwhelming control over the Flux thus specializing in magic. They are agile creatures whom uses traditional ranged weapons such as long bows or crossbows loaded with magic to take down their opponents. They prefer to live in cities build surrounded by forests.
• Centaurs - Half human half horse, these creatures are proffessional at brewing potions and magical traps to take down their enemies. Otherwise known for their impressive speed and hind leg kicking strength. They prefer open plains ranging from deserts to green fields.
• Basilisks - Giant snake like creatures who usually specialize in using elemental magic (fire, water, earth etc) in combat alongside the deadly venoms varying from mild to incurable found in their fangs located in their crushing jaws. They prefer to live in thicker parts of the forests as individuals and rarely small groups.
• Gargoyles - Human-animalish creatures with wings on it's back, known for moving in large groups, known for using their razor-sharp claws and teeth in combat can be especially deadly in large groups for anyone unprepared for a 100 to 1 face-off. They prefer to live in abandoned cities or buildings and can be hard to spot in the dark.
• Giants - What more can I say? Humongous humanoid with the strength and size of dozens of men combined. They prefer to live in large caverns or underground areas,
• Bulks - Smaller than Giants but bulkier than humans, these humanoid creatures are known for possessing the strength of a dozen men, what sets it apart from giants except for it's size would be the ability to wield weapons mainly clubs. They prefer to live near lakes or streams to fulfill their unquenchable thirst
• Dwarves - Smaller in size when compared to humans, dwarves have an amazing sense of valuing items not to mention their unbeatable craftsmanship, being able to produce weapons such as guns or swords so good it is rumoured to be able to last forever but tend to stay out of fights knowing their limiting capabilities. They prefer to live in cities built and sustained at high temperatures.
• The Seal People - Otherwise known as seals, they are ancient sentients leftover from the Great War, they are beings very similar to humans with the exception of white angelic wings protruding from their shoulder blades. They are able to dominate the battlefield using salvaged materials from debris of weapons left by the Old Ones which are rumoured to be powerful enough to blow an entire city in a single shot, sadly as the weapons were destroyed or hidden, the Seals can only now rebuild them partially receiving only a fraction of a fraction of it's original power. They prefer to live in modernized ancient ruins.
• Humans - Once in the top tier because of a rumoured Paladin, now the last in the World Rankings, the only reason they are yet to be extinct would be their strategically placed defenses, known for being able to build buildings capable of holding back giants, they aren't exactly offensive capable and thus the reason they have not taken back any land taken from them. But there are still teams assigned and trained for offensive reasons who are released from the safety of cities built to scout for enemies and slowly trying to grow strong enough to take back any land. They prefer to live in cites built strategically for high defensive capabilities.
• The Old Ones - Creatures appraised and respected throughout Oppaeshia, they are now extinct but known to have been godly creatures whom possess all 3 traits rumoured to even be better than the ones dedicated to it. They went extinct after the Great War sacrificing themselves to protect Oppaeshia from an opposing being rumoured to be a god...

The Paladin - The hero who managed to bring humanity onto the top tiers of the World Rankings due to his overwhelming control of being able to circulate the Flux thus resulting in the ability to have full control over his magic and strength capabilities, he is unfortunately now gone after joining sides with the Older Ones to stop the Great War, rumour has it that the Paladin will rise once again and bring faith back into humanity...

The Great War - A war which happened centuries ago from present day Oppaeshia, it was a war between life on Oppaeshia and a rumoured god...