The Mistletoe Saga: The Tree of Reincarnation

Prologue

Nearly one thousand years ago, there existed a world governed by the bird gods; the Kamidori. Residing in a paradise called Mistletoe in the heavens above the surrounding land, the Kamidori kept and birthed the wishes of humankind. 

In the beginning these wishes were those purely of happiness, bringing forth the birth of the Bluebird. Because of this, humankind faithfully offered up their prayers to the generous Kamidori, who in turn blessed them with wishes in a physical form. These gifts came to be known as "Elements." 

The Mistletoe tree was then raised up and spread wide across the earth below, bridging the gap between Gods and Humans. It thrived upon "Man's piety toward the Gods," and this piety became nutrition for the Gods as well, allowing them to continue granting wishes through the Mistletoe's many leaves, sustaining and preserving the harmonious Paradise. 

But as time went on, the human population grew under this prosperous era and they began to hunger for more wishes. They forgot their respect for the Kamidori, who had tirelessly poured out their blessings to the humans, and instead became greedy and envious of the Gods' power. They took up their weapons, casting aside their faith, and stretched out their hands toward the heavens. This "God-Hunting," while it widened the scope of the human race, unfurled into a long and terrifying war between Mankind and the Gods. And thus, the once perfect Paradise began to crumble. 

During this time of turmoil, a conflict emerged amongst the Kamidori; a misunderstanding between the two most powerful Gods in the Paradise. The Bluebird, the guardian of happiness, still believed Gods and Humans could coexist, and pleaded to grant them a chance of repentance. While the Phoenix, guardian of destruction and rebirth, claimed it would be better to wipe clean the Earth of the existing human race that had come to despise the Gods, and rebuild their existence from their former purity. As the dispute between the two grew stronger, so did their doubt and hatred for one another. Meanwhile the humans, who had begun to steadily grow their strength, began picking off the lesser gods one by one. Because the humans' faith in the Kamidori had dried up, the Mistletoe withered away into oblivion, weakening the birds who had once used its fruit as a source of sustenance. 

After a battle that stained many long years with bloodshed, the remaining Kamidori who had lost the Great Tree finally conceded defeat to the humans. 

The reduction of Elements sent down to the ground world had been a key factor in this loss, and thus, both Gods and Paradise fell to the corrupted earth. The souls of the Kamidori became trapped within their human vessels, forced to choose a new path. All the influential human leaders agreed to turn these fallen Gods into their own companions, and eagerly set about doing so. Tying the deities to human royalty through mating, kingdoms rose with the reincarnated Gods residing within their leaders, passing their power from one ruler to the next for generation upon generation. 

Through this cycle, the hatred and discord that had separated the Bluebird and Phoenix remained, resulting in the creation of two kingdoms. The kingdom of Blue Oak, ruled by the Bluebird, and the kingdom of Guivermillion, ruled by the Phoenix, would become consumed by warfare that would only become more violent and gruesome as the centuries passed. One thousand years later, this conflict still continues on, leaving more death and destruction in its wake than any other war recorded in all of history.