The ancient scrolls in the Archives of Etherna tell of a time two hundred years ago when the continent trembled beneath the clash of armies. In those days, Land Etherna was not the unified realm it is today, but a collection of territories ruled by the mysterious figure known only as Alpha—a being whose origins predated written history and whose technological mastery had allowed them to maintain control for centuries.
It was in the Year 2028 that Damian Burns first raised his banner against Alpha's rule. A brilliant military strategist and once-respected scientist in Alpha's inner circle, Damian had glimpsed the truth behind Alpha's benevolent facade. The rulers of Land Etherna hoarded technological advancements while the common people struggled with outdated tools and limited resources. In private laboratories accessible only to Alpha's chosen few, discoveries that could have transformed life for all citizens were kept secret.
"We live in an age of wonders," Damian had proclaimed to his followers in the shadowy depths of the Forest, "yet most people experience none of them. Alpha claims to protect us by controlling these technologies, but what they truly protect is their own power."
His rebellion grew rapidly, attracting discontented citizens from all corners of Land Etherna—scholars denied access to knowledge, engineers whose innovations had been confiscated, and ordinary people who had suffered under Alpha's increasingly restrictive edicts.
After some time, Damian's forces outnumbered Alpha's defenders three to one. They advanced on the capital, confident that their superior numbers would carry the day. What they did not know was that Alpha had been anticipating this moment, deliberately allowing the rebellion to grow until all dissenters were gathered in one place.
The battle began at dawn on the Silvered Plains. Damian's forces, arrayed in their crimson uniforms, charged forward with conviction born of righteous fury. For the first hour, it seemed victory would be theirs—Alpha's defenders retreated steadily toward the heart of the capital.
Then, as the sun reached its zenith, Alpha revealed their true defense. Seven warriors stepped onto the battlefield—the Heptads, each bearing power far beyond anything Damian had ever witnessed. Their bodies moved with impossible speed, they channeled energy that seemed to defy the natural laws, and their bodies repelled conventional attacks as though they were nothing more than gentle rain.
"Hold the line!" Damian shouted as panic spread through his ranks. "They are only seven against our thousands!"
But the Heptads tore through the rebel forces like a scythe through wheat. Each movement created devastating ripples of destructive force. Where they walked, the very ground seemed to shudder and warp.
Damian himself fought with reckless courage, leading a direct assault against the nearest Heptad. Their clash was brief but disastrous. The Heptad's energy blade severed both of Damian's legs at the thigh and carved a deep path across his face, destroying his left eye.
As he collapsed to the blood-soaked earth, Damian watched his army disintegrate. Of the thirty thousand who had marched under his banner that morning, barely three thousand survived to retreat into the wilderness. Those who could, carried their commander from the field, protecting his broken body at the cost of hundreds more lives.
***
Three days later, in a hidden chamber beneath the ruins of an ancient structure in the Obsidian Mountains, Damian regained consciousness. The pain was immediate and overwhelming—a burning agony where his legs had been and a persistent throbbing from the wound that had claimed his eye.
"Report," he managed through gritted teeth, his voice barely recognizable even to himself.
The chamber fell silent as his lieutenants exchanged uncomfortable glances. Finally, Commander Sora Stella—once Alpha's most promising military engineer before defecting to Damian's cause—stepped forward.
"Twenty-seven thousand dead," she said quietly. "Another two thousand captured. We have approximately eight hundred combat-capable soldiers remaining, plus a few hundred support personnel."
Damian's fist slammed against the stone table beside his makeshift bed. "Impossible! Our intelligence was flawless. Their defenses were mapped to the smallest detail. How could we not have known about these... these monsters?"
He struggled to sit up, sweat beading on his forehead from the effort. "Where are the prosthetics I requested?"
Sora gestured, and two engineers approached bearing crude metallic limbs—the best they could construct with their limited resources and time.
"These will allow basic mobility," one explained apologetically. "But they're mechanical only—no neural interface. You'll need to manually control them."
Damian examined the rudimentary devices with undisguised contempt. "So I'm to command what remains of our forces while hobbling about like a clockwork toy? This is unacceptable."
Despite his protests, the prosthetics were attached to the stumps of his legs, and a simple metal patch covered his ruined eye. Within days, against medical advice, Damian insisted on participating in a reconnaissance mission to assess Alpha's movements following their victory.
It was during this mission, as Damian observed enemy patrols from the shelter of a blasted hillside, that his life changed forever.
***
One moment, he was scanning the valley below through a field scope; the next, the world around him vanished. Darkness enveloped him—not the darkness of night, but a complete absence of light, sound, and sensation. He felt suspended in nothingness, aware only of his own consciousness.
Then, before him, a presence materialized. It began as a pinpoint of brilliant blue light that expanded and took form—a vaguely humanoid shape composed of pulsating energy, its edges constantly shifting like liquid light. Where a face might be, patterns of brighter energy formed and reformed in hypnotic sequences.
"Damian Burns," came a voice that seemed to resonate directly within his mind. "I have watched your struggle with great interest."
Damian tried to speak and found that he had no physical voice here, yet his thoughts projected clearly. "Who are you? What is this place?"
"I am Neo, a Vasthera—a being from a plane of existence parallel to your own. This space exists between our worlds, a neutral ground where we can communicate directly."
The entity's form rippled with what might have been amusement. "As for what I want... I seek symbiosis. My kind cannot maintain physical form in your reality without a host. In exchange for sharing your body, I offer power beyond anything your world has yet witnessed."
Damian's thoughts raced. "Why me?"
"Your determination. Your vision. Your willingness to sacrifice for your cause. And, most importantly, your current physical state—your body is already primed for transformation, having lost significant portions of its original form."
The entity moved closer, its light casting no shadow in the endless void. "I sense your doubt. Allow me to demonstrate a fraction of what we could accomplish together."
Without warning, sensation flooded back into Damian's consciousness—not the pain and limitation he had grown accustomed to, but a surge of vitality unlike anything he had ever experienced. For a brief moment, he felt whole again, stronger than before his injuries, his mind processing information with crystalline clarity.
Then the sensation faded, leaving him once more suspended in the void with the entity.
"That is but a taste," Neo said. "Together, we could reshape your world. Your vision of technological liberation could become reality. But I must warn you: this union cannot be undone. Your body will never again be fully human."
Damian didn't hesitate. After experiencing that momentary restoration, how could he return to his broken form? More importantly, how could he abandon his cause when offered the means to achieve it?
"I care nothing for this broken vessel," he replied, his determination unwavering. "If your power will help me overthrow Alpha and bring true progress to Land Etherna, then I accept your terms."
"Then it is done," the entity declared, its form beginning to dissipate into streams of energy that flowed toward Damian. "From this moment, we are one."