It was said that the Keltos Continent actually existed in a plane drifting on the edge of chaos. To reach Keltos, one had to pass through an annular space-time turbulence, enough to destroy any being not strong enough.
It was said that if a demon set off from Hell, even traveling without rest, it would take at least a hundred years to reach Keltos.
It was said that the distance between Keltos and Heaven was even greater than that between Keltos and Hell.
*Why was it all hearsay?*
*Because no one had seen it with their own eyes.*
The living beings on this world, apart from dragons and Liches, could not break through the void and achieve planar travel. And these two species were not friendly to other living beings, generally remaining incommunicado. All statements about planes actually came from the oral accounts of Angels and demons. Or more accurately, from the records of these oral accounts in the Divine Wood Library of the Elf Clan.
In the records of the Elves, the most ancient memory began in the First Epoch.
In that era, the Elves were still gnawing on tree bark in the woods, dwarves were still hunters on the snowy mountains, and humans were still waving stone spears and yelling on the grasslands. The entire world lacked any semblance of civilization.
The gods and demons came. Angels and demons appeared in this world simultaneously—in the Divine Wood Library, their arrival was called the "Descent Event."
No one knew what exactly happened back then because neither the Angels nor the demons spoke of it to other races. Perhaps it was a new grudge, or an old hatred, but in any case, they started the war.
However, neither Angels nor demons were truly suited for war.
They were both immortal species, meaning that as long as their bodies were not destroyed, they could exist forever. And immortal species generally had a fatal flaw—reproduction.
The reproduction rate of Angels and demons was quite slow. If humans later, given sufficient food, could double their population in twenty to thirty years, dwarves needed two to three hundred years for the same effect, Elves needed a thousand to two thousand years, and Angels and demons required tens of thousands of years.
Creating a new demon or new Angel required millennia, while killing an Angel or demon took just an instant. This directly led both Angels and demons to deeply understand what was meant by, "destruction is always easier than creation."
The long journey, the untrustworthy rate of population growth, and the war that caused heavy losses even if not incredibly intense...
After more than a thousand years of continual war, both sides' strength had been greatly diminished, with their populations reduced to less than a tenth of their original numbers. In these circumstances, more land, more wealth, and even occupying the entire plane had no meaning for them. Even their respective beliefs were in peril.
The First Epoch began in the First Epoch Year 1, marked by the declaration of war between gods and demons. It ended in the First Epoch 1031, marked by the signing of a truce between both sides, totaling 1031 years.
What followed was the Second Epoch.
In the Second Epoch Year, the first war between gods and demons ended. However, the enmity between Heaven and Hell didn't dissipate—if anything, it increased. Both Angels and demons understood that the truce was a necessity, and a new war would eventually come.
Since they themselves were not suited for war, they chose species that were.
The Keltos Continent was home to countless intelligent beings for them to choose from, and they even had the power to create new species.
Thus, Angels and demons alike began to search for suitable species on this land to act as their agents, capable of bearing the costs of war.
Angels chose Titans and Elves, who had magic affinity similar to their own.
Demons created Insect Clan, goblins, and gnomes but found them inadequate, so they chose dwarves, Beastmen, and merfolk.
As for humans, due to their short lifespans and weak strength, they weren't considered at all.
What followed was a relatively peaceful period. Angels and demons each nurtured the species they chose, endowing them with civilization and knowledge.
Time passed day by day.
In the Second Epoch 5203, 5203 years after the first war between gods and demons ended, marked by the conflict between Elves and dwarves, the second war between gods and demons began.
Both sides committed all their forces at the start, attempting to annihilate the other in a short time. However, as expected, neither could achieve this. Ultimately, it devolved into a war of attrition. However, this time, the attrition was less fatal for Angels and demons. In fact, Angels and demons hardly appeared on the front lines; it was their proxies fighting on the front.
As the war expanded, more and more species not initially planned for were drawn into the conflict. The deadlock continued until the Second Epoch 5982. This year, a new force joined the demons—humans.
What was strange was that, unlike other species who joined the war because they were chosen, created, or selected, humans joined voluntarily. This species, while Angels and demons started imparting knowledge and culture to their chosen races, had been secretly learning and developing their own civilization.