Chapter One:

As many a fairytale begins, so too does this one begin with…

Once Upon a Time

Long ago in the time of kings and godly palaces that could seemingly touch the stars, with daring knights fighting for the promise of powers untold; there was a war. The greatest and bloodiest of all wars known to demon and human kind alike. It spread like a cancer, tainting and ravaging everything it touched. Destroying the both the lands and those whom lived on it. None were safe from its' clutches. Families became divided amongst themselves as brother fought brother and the children turned rebelling against their parents. The world was sinking into darkness as it cared little for the meaning of blood. Only that it was meant to be shed.

The nobility of the lands could not bring peace. And try as they might, their efforts seemed only to make things worse. The kingdoms were in panic and on the verge of utter extinction, when a young lord found his way into the final council meeting. He stood quiet in the chaos around him. Watching as the other lords started to fall prey to the fears of the war.

He knew that no single party was truly to blame for the war, rather that they all were for it continuance. So when he began to speak, softly at first, few seemed to hear him. Slowly the shouts and outrage died around him as he told of ways to rebuild, recrate the equality and peace. He spoke of creating four kingdoms to mirror the cardinal points of the compass. With four ruling families, and a joint grand council of humans and demons to oversee the families.

He talked of many things, dismantling current palaces to rebuilding and relocating them. He created ideas of having humans train with the demons, to have demon slayers to keep the lower mindless classes of demons in control. He paved the way for harmony. And he was known as the Great Inu no Tashio.

Lord Tashio's ideas and words quickly became action as he and the three new lords took up a new stand against the unrest. Peace finally fell across lands. However, it did not last long. Whispers and stories of stories rushed across the kingdoms of nightmarish creatures with extreme bloodlust. And the old fears creeped back into the hearts of man.

The Halflings, children born of both a human and demon, were ruled by their emotions and hard to control. Their bloodlust easily took over their minds creating powerful beings of carnage. And although these half human half demons were rare, the tales of their existence spread far and wide.

Inu no Tashio and the three other lords did what they could to comfort and control the kingdoms but no one can help whom the heart chooses.