Arcane Drifters – Volume 1
Prologue: Legacy of the Forgotten War
Narration by Shen Karguro
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Shen (narrating):
> "Before I became who I am... before I fought the monsters that tore the skies apart... this world already had its scars."
There were once three universes—each ruled by a different kind of existence.
> Universe One was home to the Gods.
Universe Two belonged to the Arcanes.
And Universe Three... that's where we Mages were born.
The Arcanes weren't always what they are now.
Back then, they were worse.
Wild, chaotic beasts—giants of magic with no emotion.
They only knew how to kill.
How to destroy.
How to haunt their own kind.
But even chaos has a moment of silence.
And that silence had a name.
> Diablo. The First Arcane Lord.
He gave them peace.
He gave them purpose.
For ten years, the Arcanes lived like something close to people.
I never saw it myself. I was born way later.
But the stories say they laughed for the first time… and cried, too.
And then...
he came.
> The one they call the White Guy—
The God of Existence.
Not a king. Not a beast.
Not even a devil.
Something beyond all that.
He appeared from outside the three universes…
…and with a single breath—he inhaled Universe Two.
Millions of Arcanes gone.
Just like that.
Only Diablo and a few hundred survived.
They wandered across the stars, until they found one place left untouched:
> Earth.
But Earth already had life.
Mages, like my ancestors.
And Demons, who kept to the shadows.
Still... they allowed the Arcanes in.
An agreement was made—three races living in balance.
But that balance died… the day Diablo did.
His brother Regred became Arcane Lord.
And peace vanished with him.
Regred hated Mages.
And he made it clear.
> He started the First Arcane War.
Not even Demons joined that one.
It was just us Mages, fighting monsters that once shook galaxies.
We would've lost.
We really would've.
But fate sent us a savior:
> The Golden Mage.
He sealed Regred and his 1,000 generals away with the last of his light.
We thought it was over.
But I've learned something in my time…
> Peace is just the eye of the storm.
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Shen (narrating):
> "One hundred years later... the Arcane Minister rose."
The last of Diablo's era.
Still alive. Still angry.
He started the Second Arcane War, this time with something new—hybrid races.
He created ten new kinds of beings—each one powerful.
One of those… was us.
Humans.
But when we saw what the Minister truly wanted… we turned our backs on him.
> We joined the Mages.
And together, we won.
> Or… at least we thought we did.
The Minister had one final plan.
He secretly unsealed Regred's commanders—some of the most terrifying Arcane beings ever made.
This time, the Mages were outmatched.
Too few. Too weak.
So they made the greatest sacrifice:
> They gave all their magic… to us.
To Humans.
The entire Mage Unity vanished.
But from that sacrifice... came victory.
Humans destroyed the Minister.
Regred vanished again.
And the war ended.
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Shen (narrating):
> "Six centuries have passed since then."
Earth grew.
Civilizations rose.
But the Arcanes never truly left.
They hide in mountains, in oceans, in storms.
Somewhere out there… they're waiting.
That's why we exist now.
> The Arcane Drifters.
A force born in the Sixth Century.
Built from the bones of war.
Forged by the courage of those who refused to let the Arcanes win.
I didn't ask for this power.
But now…
I will never run from it.
Because I'm Shen Karguro.
And this is where my story begins.
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