The Wyvern Woods was still.
Winds billowed through the tapestry of towering trees, caressing both their leaves and the grass around them. The swirling mist didn't flow with the wind though, instead it remained still moving occasionally as a beast or two wondered through it.
In other words, the Wyvern Woods was tranquil.
Until...
It suddenly quaked.
RUMBLE!!!
The entire Wyvern Woo-no, the entire Wyvern Mountain was suddenly overtaken by a powerful earthquake.
One that made the beasts alarmed, the mist to disperse and the trees frightened.
The earth continued to quake, until finally, it gave in.
BOOM!!
A section of the Woods collapsed, the displaced trees letting out odious screams as a rising black pillar consumed them.
WHOOSH!!
The black pillar tore free from the reins of the Wyvern Woods, ascending higher and higher till it broke the soft mist and reached the heavens.
Nearby beasts were immediately consumed by the rising black pillar while some more fortunate ones managed to flee.
As the pillar reached the heavens, it coated the entire Wyvern Woods in its shadow and from it a powerful gust of wind, followed by a subtle ripple, emanated from it.
The powerful gale swept away vast swathes of flora as well as other beasts and even a few trees. It did not travel too far though but its residue managed to strike a dainty cottage which sat in a nearby valley.
But as for the ripple, it travelled much farther.
It went past the sprawling expanse of the Wyvern Woods, reaching enclaves of powerful beasts and stirring indescribable horrors.
A long-forgotten temple which housed the statue of a six armed and three headed beast rumbled. The eerie darkness nestling within its ancient maw came alive.
A clear pristine lake connected to a cascading waterfall, resided at the center of a meadow. The lake never revealed what it held beneath, at least not until the ripple disturbed its surface.
For but a moment, the lake's surface was exposed, revealing several monsters and leviathans which rested in it. Surrounded by these horrors were a group of youths, underdressed, sleeping peacefully as if they were in the depths of a blissful dream.
Elsewhere on the Wyvern Mountain, shrouded with a swirling grey mist was a magnificent castle cut from silver. In its throne room, a king resided, sitting on a throne of ivory. Once he felt the ripple, he raised his head and on his face was an expression of subtle unease.
The ripple went beyond the Wyvern Mountain.
The Eon Ocean.
A vast undisturbed body of water that covered the entire world undulated for the first time in eons.
And deep within it, at its bottom was the House of Atlantis, the Kingdom of Mermaids. They froze, worry and dread etched on their beautiful features.
The ripple travelled even further, reaching the hovering landmasses of the Floating Palisades.
In the First Palisade where the stone-cut Kingdom of the Dwarves resided, an Elden dwarf, whose body was nearly indistinguishable from the ancient stone throne he sat on, twitched as he felt the subtle ripple – his aged eyes cracking open.
The Queen of the Elven State which occupied the Second Palisade, was writing in the study of her resplendent emerald jade palace. Her calligraphy which spoke of her wizened age and elegance, gleamed with soft green radiance as her quail pen slid over the ancient script. When the ripple washed over her, her long ears twitched, she stopped writing, put down her pen and gazed out the window – a worried expression etched on her lovely face.
The Third Palisade which housed the Human Federation, reeked of steam and machinery. Large edifices littered its large swath of land but none of them could compare to the towering spire at its center; the Duke's manor. Sitting on a polished black throne in the manor's audience hall was a young boy with an elaborate crown and around him were dozens of women all serving the dutiful task of pleasing him.
The boy grinned as he felt the wave, "Hmm...so that quest has been completed, huh?"
In the bright and radiant Fourth Palisade, the House of Seraphim, the clique headed by the Venerable Gray Witch, was silent. Having just felt the subtle chill, every angel in the manor and even beyond it had come to a halt. The Venerable Gray Witch who was seated atop her cushioned throne stared into the distance with a cold expression on her exquisite face. Her eyes shone with a gold light before she scowled, "Impossible."
Meanwhile in the Fifth Palisade, a domain perpetually etched in night and inhabited by the blood sucking members of the Crescent Moon Sect, a figure stood atop a large cliff bordering on an abyssal drop. The chasm which had once cradled an eerie darkness was now clear, at least as clear as a normal one would be.
The figure was a man draped in an elegant purple velvet, holding a glass of bright red in his left hand; his face was a mask of amusement as he bore his sharp fangs.
A woman who bore the same set of sharp fangs stepped from behind him, leaving the soothing embrace of shadows. The male vampire tilted his head in her direction and asked, his voice cold,
"What is it, Elise?"
"Young Progenitor, there seems to be a disturbance."
"Hmm? How so?"
"The forbidden caves...", she paused, "The strange darkness in them have all vanished."
The male vampire's eyes widened slightly before he let out a loud laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
SHATTER!
He threw the glass on the ground and then said, "Gather the Council, Elise. We're leaving for Ice Flower."
Elise bowed deeply, "As you wish, Young Progenitor.", she whispered before turning around and leaving.
Far beyond the Floating Palisades, the ripple was also felt.
Atop the vast body of the Eon Ocean, a great and mighty tree stood. A tree so large it reached the heavens and had its roots embedded in the depths of the Eon Ocean. As the ripple struck it, it's mighty leaves shuddered calling the attention of the entire civilization of humans, dryads and fairies – the Ice Flower Sect.
At the very top of the tree, a lovely lady with flawless white skin and a glassy left eye smiled. Her delicate fingers reached for her right eye where a picturesque flower blossomed from. Then she spoke, her voice, soft and melodius,
"So, the Abyss has finally been claimed..."
She blinked slowly, her lashes moving with unfettered grace.
"Fufu~ I wonder who..."
Meanwhile, in a faraway land, in the desert continent of Aesea, a large civilization existed under the sweltering radiance of a brilliant star.
It was the Kingdom of Fire or rather...
Solheim, the Sun Country.
The millennium nation which had once fallen to the hands of the ruthless Fomorian King, Balor. Now it had been restored, brought back to its former glory by its new monarch.
The subtle ripple passed through the Kingdom, streaking through the glowing mass above it.
"So, you have finally shown yourself, Devil Spawn."
A figure of flame remarked as they sat in a lotus position, at the very center of the star, overwatching the inhabitants of its vast domain.
The flames burned white-hot and the heat was at an all-time high and yet, the figure was unbothered. In fact, he seemed comfortable; leaning back and propping his right arm under his chin.
"Let us meet."
And with that the ripple encompassed the entire World, drawing the attention of those far and near to witness the birth of the World's error.
Back at the Wyvern Mountains, the black pillar slowly began to disperse and as it did, the one at the center of it came to light.
It was a human with flowing white hair wearing a thorny obsidian crown.
He floated, hovering above the wrecked chasm his ascension had created.
In the distance, the jagged mountain ridges that could be seen at the edges of the Wyvern Mountain...moved.
They shifted.
Alex's eyelids fluttered slowly, his depthless gaze coming to light and within it was a strange emotion...
The sun which gave light to the entire Wyvern Mountain suddenly tilted, light casting in his direction.
And as if it were a giant colossal eye...
It blinked.