02: The Beginning

   [ ❉ THREE MONTHS EARLIER - September 1st 2016]

   There was once a time when everyone lived together in fragile harmony.

   The humans were the ones in power, governing over the country, keeping delicate but peaceful relations with the demons, the vampires and the werewolves. The general population enjoyed peace with all people of different races living, eating and working together. There was once a time when you could walk to the local shop and not be afraid. There was once a time when you could let your children roam free on the streets.

   There was once a time when everything was ‘normal’.

   That all changed ten years ago, an event that people referred to now as the Great War.

   Almost ten years ago, during the coronation of King Kim Minjoon, a gang of demons in black uniforms laden with golden embroidery crashed the ceremony and slaughtered the human royal family in a frenzied blood-soaked massacre. Demonic beasts rampaged throughout the capital city, and vast dragons filled the skies, leaving only trails of destruction in their wake. As the race who had overthrown the humans, the demons crowned themselves as the new royal family and thus began their reign of power.

   Like a house of cards, society fell apart quickly. In the following years, the rampant bloodshed, disorder and carnage shattered this once fragile harmony into millions of irreversible pieces.

   Hundreds of thousands of people died during the early years; no one knew the exact number. The already dwindling werewolf population found themselves on the brink of extinction, and the vampires retreated to their secluded communities. The humans fell the hardest, turning just as brutal as the demons in their desperate effort to reclaim their former power.

   It wasn’t until winter of the fifth year that a tense peace treaty was signed. The leaders of human resistance gave into exhaustion, weary from the years of fighting and losses. The majority of the association gave up entirely, letting the demons rule as long as they could move forward with their lives, but some continued to fight in secret despite the treaty. For them, the damage was far too deep, their hatred too strong. Five more years passed, filled with minor skirmishes but no major events leading to a growing tension between the two races.

   It was September 1st 2016 now.

   Today, the once large and prosperous capital city had been broken into two distinct areas. There was Central; a small fortified demon city with high marbled walls that sat in the centre, and the Outskirts; the neglected remnants of what use to be.

   Central was a glorious place filled with indulgence and pleasure at the expense of the citizens who lived outside in the Outskirts. Wealth was abundant and no dream was too big. Those who were lucky to live within enjoyed a lavish lifestyle free from despair and pain. Deep in the middle sat the royal compound formed of two buildings connected by a steel enforced glass walkway. The royal family palace was a feat to be marvelled at with no expenses spared in its construction. It was truly magnificent, carved by some of the world’s leading architects and adorned with only the most precious materials. Beside it stood the Shard; a fifty-floor glass building that had once belonged to a wealthy technology company but had been forcibly taken during the war, requisitioned as the base of operations of the demon king and his formidable army.

   A petite figure climbed nimbly up the emergency stairwell, her bare feet slapping against the cold concrete. She leant against the push bar, heaving open the heavy metal door with her entire body weight. The crisp autumn wind rushed over her body, raising goosebumps all over her skin, but she didn’t care. Carefully, she made her way over to the east side of the Shard’s rooftop terrace and climbed onto the concrete ledge, her toes dangling precariously over the edge. The Shard was the tallest building in Central, and there was no better spot to see the sunrise.

   Peace. Tranquillity. Silence.

   She loved dawn.

   Time passed and the soft morning light crept slowly up her body, hitting her pale skin and illuminating her large, grey eyes. In the distance, the tall marbled walls of Central shimmered in an aurora of colours casting a rainbow hue across the whole city. It was a beautiful sight, but nerves wriggled in her stomach. A small voice appeared in the back of her mind, asking her whether she was ready to give it all up.

   “You have developed a bad habit of disappearing when you are needed, Jeongri.”

   Instantly, she flinched, recognising the dulcet tone as belonging to her father. Jeongri didn’t even hear his footsteps. He was like that, always watching her, appearing whenever she thought to step out of line. A mixture of fear and irritation crept up her spine, but she made sure not to let it show on her expression.

   He placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm and commanding.

   “You should be downstairs,” he said, “Getting ready.”

   “Good morning, father,” Jeongri greeted him in a qu