"They sealed unity with ink, but wrote betrayal between the lines." — The Forgotten Chronicle of Evalia
Long before the rise of Ken and Kabe Hiroki, after the First Scarring and the rebuilding of Tilbara's five stations, the island entered what was known as the Era of Quiet Balance. The stations glowed faintly at night, their ley-lines stable, their walls unbroken. The myths — Rudhana, Nagalira, and the sleeping titans beneath the soil — dreamed in peace.
But peace is never silent for long.
The kings and scholars of Evalia feared that the myths' power would one day turn again against man. To prevent another age of destruction, they called for a secret assembly — one that would never be recorded in the public annals. There, within the sealed chambers of the capital, a second pact was written upon the same vellum that once bore the Compact of Ash and Dawn.
Only this time, it was not an oath of unity.
The Second Compact redirected the ley-lines that fed each station — drawing the balance of life and spirit away from the borders toward Evalia's throne. The capital would flourish, its crops would never fail, and its rulers would hold dominion over every whisper of power on the island.
Durama's guardians protested. Harama's scholars warned that such a shift would tear the island's harmony apart. Even Queen Orynne, the sovereign of the Five Pillars, hesitated — but her council overruled her. The Second Compact was signed.
Uhayyad, the semi-divine guardian who had forged the myths to maintain balance, did not intervene. He only watched.
And when the ink of the Second Compact dried, the first tremor split the heart of Tilbara. The ley-lines beneath Durama bled light. The Rift — a wound between mortal greed and divine design — was born.
From that day onward, every myth that awakened carried a shadow of bitterness. Rudhana's growl echoed deeper. Nagalira's waters turned silver and cold. The people of Tilbara thought they had secured power — but in truth, they had stolen from themselves.
And somewhere, beneath the ink and earth, Uhayyad began to write again. Not a Compact this time… but a Reckoning.