The emergence of demons had Earth shaken. This information quickly spread like wildfire and soon the entire world came to the understanding that demons were real and they had taken over Antarctica.
The United Nations responded swiftly, dispatching a unit of elite Rem soldiers to reclaim Antarctica. What followed was a massacre. The body cams relayed the grim reality in real-time, haunting the high-ranking officials who watched. Sleepless nights followed.
Valemire moved. No longer hesitant. They had had battles with the demons before and lost 3000 soldiers and a fort in a single battle.
They knew Earth stood no chance without assistance.
With steeled resolve, they offered to train the Rem soldiers in using Rem accurately. This offer prompted the United Nations to seek more recruits.
Far away on the human continent Valamara, the Holy Kingdom of Vannir sat.
Hidden in a valley, surrounded by mountains. Vannir had remained isolated and secluded for generations. They never needed to have any contact with the outside world because they have and had all they needed.
They had missed the first demon invasion of the continent due to their Isolation and their holy rituals. But now, with the news reaching them and the current state of the world, even the most secluded temples would pique interest.
When the stars in Vannir's skies dimmed, the Saintess had a vision, the destruction of the world if Vannir remains in seclusion.
She gathered her highest order knights, the Sanctums, 12 knights with incredible martial prowess and holy energy granted through Rem. Had they been measured with Earth's standards, their Rem level would be at least a level 10.
She shared her dream and explained clearly the importance of Vannir leaving its seclusion.
Vannir's forces were unlike any other. Their combatants wielded holy Rem in tandem with martial combat. Priests sparred with twin blades. Healers broke bones as easily as they mended them. Even the youngest acolytes knew the stance of purifying strikes.
Their hierarchy:
Acolyte< blackrobe The Saintess gave her orders and they marched.
To Valemire, the place of convergence in the premonition she had received.
Back on Earth, the United Nations put out recruitment flyers and banners, promising heightened pay, benefits, and fast-tracked military status for any awakened Rem user. They needed every person they could get.
New Rem users, awakened by the world's shifting energy, were rising. Some were stable. Others were unstable. All were needed.
The new Rem users arrived in droves-some stable, others volatile. Among them was Allen, who passed the initial trials.. The moment he stepped onto the training camp, Leon saw him from the crowd and let out a silent groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. He walks up to them and pulls Allen out of earshot.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I applied to be part of the RSF." Allen answered. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supoosed to be on the frontlines somewhere trying not to die?"
Leon's face reddened in anger, "You are so done. Welcome to hell champ". He said, smirking as he walked away.
After the batch set had settled down in the training ground, "Welcome everyone—to your worst nightmare." He began, never breaking eye contact with Allen. "I know the banner said you'd get better treatment than regulars in the army, which is true.But that also means that your training would be different, tougher. You are all Rem users but have no idea how to use your powers. That's what I teach here.My name is Leon Hart and I am your Field instructor. Once again, Welcome to hell"
Across the globe, changes continued to unfold. Japan made first contact with the Elves of Lunari in the continent Sylvaris. Elegant beings who lived in perfect harmony with Rem, holding understanding of it that makes all of human research seem like babbles of a child.
They suddenly noticed an island that wasn't there before and decided to check it out
Initial interactions were formal, cautious, but promising.
At the same time, two other species began appearing in Earth's jungles and valleys. Beastmen from Drakara and orc tribes from Shadowfen emerged near the Amazon. The orcs immediately adapted to the forest as their home. Their goals were unknown, but one thing was clear-they had not come as conquerors.
Between Drakara and Shadowfen lay a place of rumor and legend, the Black Market. A place to get anything and everything you need to survive. Hidden protected by magical fog that slowly eats away at your mind the deeper you delve. Only those chosen by its guides— shade links could enter.
One of those guides,Tila, a bunny-person with a keen eye and quicker hands ranked as a low shade-link.
She is known as a traveling merchant with a good eye for deals.
During one of her sales, a young girl actually swindled her, who could spot a con from miles away. She later found out and went out looking for her.
She found the girl half dead and half naked on the side of the road, with a light yellow hue on her body.
"A new mage, huh?" she murmured, tossing her a coin black as void and a potion. "Don't die girlie. You'd be a waste of good chaos."
Scientists on Earth, now working alongside Valemiran alchemists, accomplished the impossible. They forged the first successful fusion of Rem and Earth technology:
AR-01: Adaptive Requiem.
A Rem-infused assault rifle that adapts to the wielder's Rem type. Its bullets, forged from orchullum-an ore that resonates with all Rem types-were stable, efficient, and deadly.
The creation of this gun started as a theoretical study but became a project as many soldier had filed complaints about their weapons exploding after being used with Rem for too long.
Leon's camp was a hellscape of discipline.
The trainees were already active, running a 1000 meter course with him yelling on the side lines while following them, "Stamina is one of the basic in battle, so you'll need to build it like your life depends on it—because it does!"
After the sprint, they started fitness training -pull-ups, pushups, sit-ups and squats
"A disciplined body begets a disciplined mind. Rem needs your mental strength to function properly. Now thirty more! "
After that, there was a five minute rest then Rem training, conducted by the Valemirian Knight Ghilaine.
"Rem grows the more you use it but overuse could cost you your life. Learn your limits. If you feel tired, stop your flow and rest."
She said watching them emitting Rem from their bodies.
Many of them lasted only five minutes, others longer. But they pale in comparison to Allen and Mia, who lasted thirty minutes.
Ghilaine's eyes narrowed.
"They were more than they appeared."
With that, the training came to an end.
At night, Somewhere in the kingdom of Valemire, Tila, sat in a quiet inn peering at the current world through the spell [God's Eye]-her unique spell she got when she became a black market shade-link.
She scanned from the Demonia to Sylvaris to Drakara to Shadowfen. From Antarctica to China to Japan then to the United Nation's RSF training camp. She saw Allen training in Rem emmision. Her eyes widened in excitement as her merchant senses tingled. Purple Rem flared around him-unrefined, unstable, but powerful.
"And there he is," she whispered, smiling. "My gamble."