In the ancient days of the Gods' Realm, humanity was born into bondage. The celestial courts, ruled by towering deities, decreed that humans would serve as slaves, while monsters—beasts of raw, primal power—reigned supreme. Those creatures possessed a seventh sense, an instinctual awareness that let them read the flow of energy, anticipate danger, and bend reality to their will. Humans, however, were trapped at the sixth sense, able only to perceive and react, never to command.
Every attempt at escape was met with swift, merciless punishment. The wrath of the gods fell like thunder, and any human who dared to flee was struck down, their bodies turned to ash before they could even whisper a prayer. To keep humanity in check, the deities allowed only one outlet: sorcery. Yet even this was a shackle, for sorcery required knowledge, discipline, and a spark of defiance that most humans lacked.
A single, forbidden tome circulated among the oppressed: the _Book of Magic_. Its pages contained every spell, every incantation, every secret of sorcery ever recorded. Legend whispered that anyone who mastered its contents could stand against any creature, even those with the seventh sense. But the book was hidden deep within the Temple of Echoes, guarded by stone sentinels and cursed wards that turned intruders to stone.
The gods, ever watchful, selected certain children at birth—those whose will burned brighter than the rest. These chosen youths were marked with a silver sigil on their foreheads, a sign that they could study the _Book of Magic_ and wield its power. Ordinary children, deemed too weak, were forbidden from even touching the tome; they were instead assigned to serve the monsters, tending to their lairs, cleaning their weapons, and offering their lives as tribute.
At the age of ten, every human child faced a ceremony of subjugation. They were brought before a towering beast, its eyes glowing with the seventh sense, and forced to kneel, swearing eternal service. From that day forward, they lived under the creature's shadow, their days measured by labor and their nights by fear. Yet among the chosen, a spark of rebellion flickered, waiting for the moment when the _Book of Magic_ would be opened and the balance of power might finally shift.