《Dark by Default》 -2 Foreword: Icarus Deceptions Hi! Icarus here, but the Icarus who fell even before receiving artificial wings and even before he could take flight...Hehehe. A little extra word of caution. If by far, philosophic standpoints do not intrigue you, then you are free to move on toward''s the first arc. No problem. But first, let me welcome you, to the Ethereal Paradigm! Have a nice stay! Oh and uh, MAKE SURE that you''re reading this in WEBNOVEL... Not on those disgusting piracy sites. Here goes the pessimistic foreword... While it is not an intent to make this book seem one of those religious doctrines, which clearly isn''t, I am laying hold of this chance to canvass a subject of importance. Please take heed. \"Satan, in the garden of Eden told Adam and Eve to transgress a commandment of divinity and eat of the Tree of Knowledge to be equal with God themselves, able to discern good and evil. \" For several eons, this sacred mantra has always articulated this way, the commencement of humanity''s fall from the grace of the omnipotent. The starting point of mankind''s plummet to various abominations and probably Lucifer- the light-bearers, debut to becoming mankind''s villain, his transformation to becoming \"Satan- the adversary and the prince of darkness\". Yet, one viewpoint that humanity failed to consider, is that the adversary did not say anything about perpetrating mass murders, diabolical lust, disparaging adulteries, covetousness and many other forms of whatnot immoralities, that drowned the whole world today to the deepest pit of oblivion whilst experiencing ignorant euphoria. He said no such things, as his main intent at that moment was only to make humanity sever their link with God. In other words, it was man''s fate led astray from the dependence of God that made them the paragons of sin, and not of a peculiar fruit that was eaten in the center of a vast garden as per instruction of a talking basilisk. It was man''s foolish decision to favor the knowledge of evil that made them the cancers they are today. You see, eating of the fruit means humanity now has a live embodiment of extinguishers between what should have been good and what should have been evil. Should our ancestors have had eaten that forbidden fruit, and then considered favoring the knowledge of good, the rampancy of evil should have still ceased to exist. Yet sad to say, that they had planned the otherwise. What''s more fiendish, is how they often hold liable the name of the fallen angel when they sin, knowing first hand that it was their very own heart that told them to do so. Still, to be clear, I am, at any means, also not laying my favor to Satan, as he was the first to cause strife in the midst of the heavenly castle and to rebel against the unalienable authority of the highest. It was his pride that caused the primal mayhem, the first sin to ever emerge in the timeline of creation- the very first weakness to arise. And as for Adam and Eve, I stand firm in my belief, that even if Satan did not tell them to transgress the commandment of God, I think that they would have still sinned either way, because the moment the concept of \"Free Will\" came to subsistence, it was then presaged that our fate as striving entities was and is to be congealed not with a rainbow of colors, but either with crimson blood, azure agony, or monochromatic emptiness. Hypothetically at that time of the fall, Satan was predestined to be there, to brisk the leisure turn of events and to merely spell the progress of this tragic story. After the fall, the pedestals of transgression were forced to be called outcasts from the eyes of God. The beautiful garden which mas mainly prepared to be their habitation, submerged at the basal part of the sea, was sealed with impeccable divine jurisdiction from the presence of men and was then guarded with four heavenly seraphs, one in each corner, all armed with greatswords engulfed in unquenchable flames, that would obliterate anything that dares to enter the closed ephemeral halcyon without a single spark of failure. Adam and Eve then continued to live in the outskirts of the garden now with turmoil and hardships. Although they have fallen short in the expectation of the highest, he continued to look at them with compassion and still blessed the land that they were in, so that it will yield its produce in due season. The word \"Starvation\" was still nowhere to be found in the human lexicon, not until the first murder was executed. It was then, that the blood of the wronged was absorbed by the land and it retrograded its produce, so that man might know for the first time, what it means to hunger. Later, new sins were committed as generations came and go adding more vile words to the human language, of which seven of the most cardinal were pride with Satan as its perpetrator, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and lastly, the sin of sloth. All seven, the almighty one hates, and not one is acceptable in his sight. To save humanity from their continuous plunge to this seven sin cardinals, God himself, spearheaded fathomless plans of salvation and sent different pioneers to intervene, by which out of weakness, became strong, subdued kingdoms, became valiant in battle, destroyed enemy fortresses and stopped the mouth of lions. But with each successful deliverance, there followed a successful myriad of sinful ricochets. It was becoming an amaranth loop of battle and the progress of the story stands too corrected to be moved. What''s the point of re-telling this ancient anecdote? It reminds me of how vague the future of this world had become and how I, hated to be a part... of humanity. Welcome to this life that neither we deserved nor wanted! You!... Yes you, reading this rather cynical part of modern literature! I did not say these lengthy drivels to sway your opinions and philosophies. I only wished for your perspectives to be not as colorless and bleak as mine. -1 Codex: System Overview If by far, you want your reading experience smooth and flawless, then you should read the FIRST TWO VOLUMES, before you can read this, clean of doubt. On the other hand, if you''re a masochistic Nimrod who likes to bend the rules for no reason at all, I''m gonna have to disqualify you...And remember, disqualification means? Right...DEATH! [IT IS RECOMMENDED FOR YOU TO READ THE PRECEEDING CHAPTERS AND VOLUMES, AND JUST COME HERE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SYSTEM.[ -Hermes (The Magistrate''s Messenger) ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©· ? ©³©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥ Excursus. The Warfare of Fates I. Persona Interface (PI) II. Sentient Contender Count (SCC) III. Herrschers in Contract IV. Ethereal Paradigm V. Monster Classification VI. Relic Classification VII. Divine Hierarchy VIII. The Four Realms IX. Synthesized Angels A Divine Decree for War from the ''Highest Majesty'' where deities are mandated to choose a human vessel for their own, which they will call as their ''Herrscher'' (A human who will bear their will as a divinity and will be subjected to their overwhelming powers) It would take place in the Third Realm, ''N?thervale'', where unlike earth, has a surreal system that the deities emblazoned as the \"Ethereal Paradigm.\" The deity who triumphs in this war will decide the ultimate fate of humanity and the human gets to have a wish of his own accord. An interface/platform prebuilt in the Ethereal Paradigm that shows the participants'', Herrschers'' and N?thervalians''; 1] Profile, 2] Re: Characterization Database 3] General Information. It contains the most basic information that can be kept hidden, depending on the user. 1] PROFILE Name Classification Affiliate Crusade Pass Two Kill Counts ( the ''Killed Participants and ''Killed Herrschers'') 2] Re: Characterization Database Paradigm Name: Type: Definition: Paradigm Shift: Limit: Consequence: Usage Violation: 3] GENERAL INFORMATION Shows stable updates on Sentient Contender Count, Herrscher Count and showcases announcements from the Goddess Athena. II ? SENTIENT CONTENDER COUNT (Spoiler)..... Current SCC= 345, 457 - (has been decreased GREATLY) III ? HERRSCHERS IN CONTRACT (HEAVY SPOILERS)... These listed below are the assured Herrschers currently on the warfare, confirmed to be alive and well. This list is dynamic and can CHANGE ANYTIME, as the warfare continues and as we meet new characters which have agreed to form an alliance with a Deity, thereby having an ''Insignia'' somewhere on their body, a symbol of the contract. If the Herrscher will have an ''(x)'' mark after their name, it signifies the Herrscher has been ELIMINATED. 1]Name: Jaiden Axcel Cendrillon Deity: Dea Lacrimosa 2]Name: Celes Reignsworth Deity: Deus Ex Machina 3]Name: Zen Wolfenschtein Deity: Midas 4]Name: Alexandra Ludenburgh Deity: Athena (To be Confirmed) 5]Name: ??? Deity: Cheshire Cat IV ? ETHEREAL PARADIGM... Unlike Earth which incorporates the ''Reality System'' where supernatural occurrences are almost all banned, and the connection between a deity and a man is limited, this system is the complete opposite. It is a surreal system currently installed in N?thervale, a massive realm thrice the size of Earth which hosts the eon''s Warfare of Fates. It incorporates a virtual-like environment for the contenders'' grandeur, where monsters are killed for grinding and experience, Relics of discrepant origin are equipped, where you can create your own faction alongside others with shared-goals... except, their life is at CONSTANT STAKE. (WAS EXPLAINED ON THE FIRST 30 CHAPTERS) 1] CONTENDER''S INTERFACE Health Points [HP]: Hidden Magical Points [MP]: Hidden Stamina [STA]: Hidden Experience Points [EXP]: Hidden Level: Hidden Physical Attributes [PA]: Hidden Magical Attributes [MA]: Hidden 2] BESTIAL INTERFACE ¨q?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨r Name: LVL: HP: MP: Type: ¨t?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨s All are shown, before engagement. After the first damage has been inflicted on the monster, no matter the type, it will again be HIDDEN. 3] ROLES This solely lies on the liking or the finesse of a contender. If by far he/she wants to have more than 1 role, THEY DEFINITELY CAN. What Is listed below are Ethereal Paradigm''s major roles and each contender is NOT limited to just one... A] Mage B] Fighter C] Assassin D] Warlock E] Paladin F] Fortress G] Fulcrum H] Berserker I] Dual Blade (Will be Explained thoroughly as the Warfare of Fates continues) V ? MONSTER CLASSIFICATION (By Elemental Attribute) 1] Salamander - Fire 2] Sylaphe - Nature 3] Oried - Wind 4] Undine - Water 5] Siren - Ice 6] Dyrad - Earth 7] Gnome - Ghost 8] Dakini - None-elemental VI ? Relic Classification 1] Damage Weapons... A. Dagger B, Blade C. Sword D. Mace E. Hammer F. Greatsword G. Spear H. Chain I. Scythe J. Archer K. Scepter (Each can be customized at will) 2] Defensive weapon/equipment... A. Armor B. Greaves (Boot) C. Shield D. Headgear E. Gauntlet (Each can be customized at will) 3] Relic and Item Tier A. Prevalent B. Rare C. Prototype D. Mythical E. Sacred F. Arcana (Extrapolated in the next updates) VII ? DIVINE HIERARCHY (In Ascending Order, SPOILER)... 1] Lesser Deities A. Spirit Deities B. Quasi-Deities C. Relic Wardens D. Mythic Deities E. Archangels 2] Higher Deities F. Magistrates 3] Creation Deities G. Primordial H. Highest VIII ? The Four Realms 1] Heavenly Realm / Nirvana 2] Earth 3] N?thervale 4] Tartarus / Gehenna (There is also the 2nd type of realm. \"MINOR REALMS\", although it''s a bit intricate. It''s a realm designed by a deity to fit their own liking. A realm for themselves alone.) IX ? The 12 Synthesized Angels (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 72) 1] Calypso (Harvest) 2] Hitchcock (Glamour) 3] Vale (Valor) 4] Beowulf (Order) 5] D'' Artagnan (Fortitude) 6] Daedalus (Amends) 7] Longinus (Temperament) 8] Sartre (Wisdom 9] D'' Nostradamus (Insight) 10] Tsukuyomi (Remark) 11] Kurenai (Heal) 12] Bismark (Benediction)