The land of Ara was built on a vast desert, stretching around 1 billion miles. Throughout the millennia, the sand was drenched with the blood, sweat, and tears of humans and monsters to create the now vast country. Ara shares its border with the nation of Pavo to its north and the nation of Atlan to its south. Lastly, Ara shares a border with the nation of Indus to the east. Indus is an inner circle nation with vast wealth and primarily controls Nether Highway B, which is abundant in natural resources. The gap between the two nations is where Captain Hiro goes to hunt and dismantle the monsters that spawn. Unlike the other inner and outer circle nations, Ara and Indus have started projects to overtake the border connecting the two nations, creating new real estate for the growing population and greater opportunities for refugees.
The global map is essentially a series of circles, with the inner nations being formed first, then the outer circles formed by outcasts or rebellious tribes from the inner nations. After the inner nations were deprived of all their natural resources, they created relationships with the outer nations to expand outward and explore more of the earth, harvesting its resources.
And so, the royal guard of the Ara nation often defended their side of the border by killing monsters and protecting established roads for future builders. The border between Ara and Indus stretches about 100 million miles, with each side soon converging in the middle with its builders and developers—a project that would shape the future of billions of people and establish a mini city among the titans of the inner and outer nations. Each nation inches closer every month, building new settlements on the border. Many still wonder how the first humans crossed the borders to build the outer nations, through the hunters of monsters and inhumane death traps that awaited them.
That being said, the border is incomparable in terms of death traps to the Nether Highway. The outer nations all stop at the edges of a mountain valley. Past this valley are monsters that disobey all laws of nature, and ecosystems that thrive on the blood of living things. For many centuries it was unexplored—a living hell. But many strong contract holders, usually Avatars, ventured out simply for their desire for power. After establishing a few settlements, three highways were built, funded by different nations. Nether Highway B was built on the outer edges of Ara and is funded by the nations of Ara, Indus, Alta, and previously Orion.
Due to the incomprehensible size of the terrain on which the world is built, humanity has continuously progressed in developing transportation. The inner nations are much smaller than the outer nations, stretching around 100 million miles. Due to the expansive nature of the outer nations, they have hypersonic trains that travel thousands of miles per hour. The train system is heavily funded by the government and connects all the major cities in Ara. The train system also goes straight from the edge of the border to the Nether Highway, as requested by the inner nations who funded the projects. Captain Hiro is one of the few hundred captains who travel to the border on a constant basis to help build the railway system across the border connecting Ara and Indus.
So there they were, a few miles away from the camp that had burned down: Yuno, Asmir, Captain Hiro, and a few other fledglings. This time they carried camera gear, notepads, and test tubes to collect samples. However, when they arrived at the burnt camp, they saw nothing—it was as if the calamity had never occurred. The grass was pristine, no longer charred by flames, and the collapsed tents no longer existed. Hiro, just like Yuno and Asmir, was confused. He could have sworn he was in the right place; he was exactly where it happened that night. The other fledglings looked at Hiro with quizzical expressions, pondering if the dominion could possibly have made such a mistake. Hiro was a captain for a reason—he didn't make mistakes. He had a bad premonition about the field he stood in.
"Let's set up camp. This is definitely the right place. A monster or something might have swept through here. Jace, send a message to Indus command to see if any of their scouts saw anything," said Captain Hiro.
They set up camp in the same area where their brothers had once fallen one by one, their heads separated from their bodies; the memory made Asmir shiver. The sun faded behind the clouds and the moon took its place. The campfire fluttered, smoke merging with the pitch-black sky above. Hiro made rounds a few miles around the campsite to check for any anomalies. Yuno volunteered once again to keep watch while the others slept. Just like before, he circled the campsite, this time making sure the fire was well kept and had no chance to spread. The necklace was restraining his senses, but he still felt everything around him.
"Hey, Yuno, right?" questioned a voice while grabbing Yuno's shoulder.
Yuno was facing away from the person who had reached for his shoulder. He was about to answer, but then he froze. His eyes widened and a flood of fear engulfed his lungs. This voice belonged to Trey, the dead comrade. Yuno's breathing increased; he tried to use his peripheral vision to get a glimpse of Trey but failed. He swallowed his spit and jumped back, turning around to face the young girl. She gave him a puzzled expression.
"You okay?" she asked.
He was still frozen, this time not because of Trey, but because there were more tents in front of him, laid out exactly as they had been that night. Inside, illuminated by the flames, he could see the figures of the knights that had been slaughtered in front of him.
"Ha, how are y– you ah alive?" stumbled Yuno.
"Hey, just because I'm not royalty doesn't mean I don't pack a punch," laughed Trey.
"I just wanted to say good work keeping up—I've never seen an ordinary person run that fast," she said while turning around and walking back.
In front of her, a few feet away, stood Asmir and Hiro. Their faces carried the same shock as Yuno's. Their fear grew heavier as Trey got closer and closer to them.
"Ahh—you're back," said a wet, groggy, distorted voice into Yuno's ear.
"Fuck, run!" Yuno screamed to Trey.
She turned around in shock, but before she could look at him, her head fell off her neck, flying up a few feet in the air and then landing on the pristine grass. Simultaneously, the campsite went ablaze—it was as if the same night was repeating itself. Yuno, Asmir, and Hiro watched as the neck cavity of Trey burst out in a fountain of blood, her frozen body collapsing a few seconds later. Even the stolid captain showed trepidation.
"Draw your swords, and get as many people out as you can," Hiro ordered.
They summoned their Anki and rushed into the tents; the same faces they saw beheaded stood next to them, back to back, creating a circle once again. Yuno didn't know what to feel—happy that he might have the option to save his comrades, or fear that they would die again.
"They're all dead. I saw them die, I know they died, I can't feel their presence," said Hiro.
"But maybe, just maybe, there is hope."
There wasn't. Just as before, their humanity was stripped, and the soldiers' heads fell once more. For some reason, it hurt more this time; it felt like punishment for their failures. The chain of guilt tightened and pulled them down, but they stood, knowing no matter what they did, all of their soldiers would once more die. The bodies fell one by one in the same sequence as before. Then they saw it—the figure they had been waiting for. The ant appeared from the flames, its body seemingly unscathed from Yuno's attack. Above its head was a felting string, so thin and transparent that only Asmir noticed. But before he could let the others know, the ant laughed.
"Welcome back."
Yuno and Asmir both lunged at the ant from different sides, but they failed to reach him. It was too fast, much faster than last time. The ant flashed through the camp, spreading the flames with its wings as it hovered above the campsite, its arm stretched out in a T-pose.
"The child of god welcomes you back," said the ant, its voice still incomprehensible.
The flames below were extinguished by a burst of wind created by the ant that spread outward like a circle. The molten metal of the tents on the dirt glowed like stars in the night sky. The ant descended and, in a flash step, struck Yuno, who met the ant's blade with his own. Their blades created sparks, pushing each other back. Asmir struck the ant from behind, but once again the ant dodged. The three clashed swords, the ant easily dodging the attacks. The blades clashed, getting farther and farther away. Like a dance, they traded blows and ignited the dust with the sparks they created from their swords.
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One more time, one more time—die, die, die. Yuno screamed in his head, his attacks growing more aggravated and his anger swelling in his eyes. But he continued to fail. The ant was better; its moves were harder to read, and its reactions were sharper. It was as if it had learned from before, fixing its previous mistakes. The three continued, then Asmir stopped, his glowing red blade the only light source in the vast field.
He activated his contract's power, manifesting a pentagram on the ground that grew to include the ant and Yuno. The ant tilted its head, confused and intrigued. The pentagram glowed red, and particles floated above it. The symbol emanated a subtle melody; it sounded like a chorus of voices all humming, hundreds of them breathing—at first slowly, then faster and faster. It very soon turned into voices of agony; the once melody now sounded like screams. Then, from the pentagram, a pair of arms rose, then more and more. One of them grabbed the ant's legs, then another more. Soon, the ant was pinned down by a pile of arms, all defiled and rotten, holding him down. The ant screamed, swinging at the arms, cutting many, but others would simply take their place.
"Yuno, now—finish him," said Asmir, losing his voice and falling to one knee. His sword pierced the ground, and he used it for support. His blade was losing its glow.
Yuno did as ordered, just as before. His sword expanded into the sky, looming over the ant like before. The wind parted ways to let the colossus fall on its prey. The thunderous sound left the world frozen; the once field only illuminated by model stars now had a galaxy.
Yuno caught his breath and then rushed to Asmir, assisting him by the shoulder. Captain Hiro was on both of their minds, but they were both drained. They managed to find their way to the captain, who lay on the ground. His massive sword was pierced into the ground. Once more, surrounding him were piles—thousands of monsters. This time, however, Hiro did not leave unscathed; he was bleeding from every muscle and his body struggled to breathe. The two of them crouched next to Hiro, helping him sit up.
"What the fuck happened?" laughed the captain, coughing out blood in the process. He later collapsed into sleep.
Humans can obtain contracts in a few ways. The most common is to be gifted a contract by another contract holder— a Mythbound or higher. Second, contracts could be inherited, like those of royal descent. Lastly, contracts could be obtained by killing someone with a contract or a monster of high magnitude. Individuals can't have more than one contract at a time, and if one wishes to terminate their contract, they must forfeit all benefits of said contract and start anew with their new contract, all the way at the bottom levels as a Knight or Fledgling. Knight and Fledgling are simply names given by humans: Knights are from royal families or descendants of powerful families, and Fledglings are humans who have obtained a contract through their own volition.
Asmir owns the contract of the altar, a sacrificial contract that offers the royal family of Ara immense power. How these contracts originated remains a mystery—many believe they derive from a sentient monster from the start of time, the contracts being passed down through generations or war. But much of the past is a mystery; in the nether highways there are runes of civilizations and areas that seem to be war zones, but they lack all life. Only monsters exist beyond the protective mountains of the outer nations. In the pursuit of power, many nations have discovered fragments of the past eons; nevertheless, no one has been able to piece together what the past contained.
Contract holders are broken down into ranks—the lowest being Knights or Fledglings. Anyone who obtains a contract must start here. Only after fulfilling all the requirements of the contract will the Divine Court offer a new contract—an upgrade contract that gives you new benefits and additional clauses that need to be fulfilled. The clauses become more difficult to complete as the rank of the contract gets higher. Each clause for completion is different for each person, regardless of whether they are holding the same contract or not. Very few people have the exact same contract, unless they were handed a contract by a general of an army—who are usually Mythbounds. That being said, the more contracts an individual gives, the weaker their own powers become. So most generals only give out two or three contracts.