Reaper's Crown

Ch. 50 - Their Song

Despite a welcoming presence and influential history, Paladians aren't always welcomed with open arms. There exist a few races and certain people who'd, if they could, treat Paladians much like how the world frowns upon the general idea of demons.

This stems from the fact that Paladians weren't really the first people who stepped on the soils of Errarion, creating families and eventually reaching the point they're at today. That title would be going to none other than Erans, and I think it's proper time they were formally introduced.

The name Eran comes from Errarion, obviously, as they were the first primitive people wandering the unnamed countries and building the soon-to-be standards of the Mainland. They were the figurative beginning, which also meant that every human (perhaps even a few demons) came from the most basic of races. They don't have any features that make them particularly stand out; their hair is always dark, their skin a bit on the greyish side and their ears, lips or eyes unchanged to fit whatever they were created to become.

Such characteristics came from those who decided to leave the safe space that is now known as the Empty Fields and venture elsewhere. People bore children and tried their best to adjust to the various climates, such as the Yules of Shimori or the rushes of the warmth of Lignoria, some even speculate that Paladians came from Erans as well, because they don't know if the story about Orania is trustworthy (you'll learn later as well!).

Then, as the First War peaked its head out from beyond the horizon, Erans were forced to make a change, abandoning the rummaged Empty Fields (Erania became a no man's land), and eventually running around Errarion before finding homes in various places. Some tried blending among the crowds, but stood out too much, which eventually led to most living outside of the towns.

...and standing out, as in, Erans were boring. The monotone people didn't have any tradition which stemmed from nature or belief, be it, even if they tried adapting to the needs and wants of others, they themselves felt like it didn't fit the calm and uneventfulness of what they once had.

Furthermore, they deemed other races as strange. After all, you're coming from the first human that was of our blood, so you should be thankful! No, no they shouldn't. It was really up to that group of families to do something back then, and yet, they chose to remain in a safe cocoon which didn't last for that long. Demons, which some of the Erans that went further in various directions 'kind of' helped in creating attacked the country of Erania in the First War, which spiralled into the things I don't necessarily feel like repeating.

However, they have one thing that makes them stand out which, surprisingly, isn't the hate for most races, but rather a strange and primitive way of writing. It isn't old or modern Manjuno, they don't write letters, but scribble on little drawings which would suggest something to the people who could read it. That influence flew to Asno, where it was stolen and changed into a way of depicting history that was already written.

Lisbeth always strolled past such symbols on the walls, tracing them with her sharp fingertips and stopping at a few to ponder over their meaning. Not everything was clear, despite Shi Hon's explanations.

She could understand the X inside a circle, which obviously meant the four-quarters of Mount Aria (Lot, Harm, Orange and Ora, north, east, south and west if you were wondering), but carrying a topias torch didn't seem to enlighten the other cryptic depictions.

What on earth could the numbers, crossed through with a line possible mean? They weren't of the mineral chalk of Cirim but ripped into the wall with a dried-out black liquid standing out ever-so-slightly atop the dark grey rocks. She flinched, turning around, as if hearing a sound, but nothing was there.

Heading further upwards, with a wind's howl, she turned her gaze towards drawings she could never comprehend. It resembled some sort of gloomish tower, with eight different, faceless demons flying up towards the one who stood atop. Their face, instead of being featureless, was replaced with a sun, shining above the land and towards believers lying down on rocky hills or grasses which spread towards something in the distance.