Ashport was once a thriving city in Eldoria, a place of wealth and life. But in the 18th century, darkness swallowed it whole. The "Order of One" rose—a small trading company at first, then a monster. With money and power, they clawed their way into politics. The government backed them, turning a blind eye to their crimes.
John—born Thanga—was one of their victims.
His family's business owed the Order a debt. A debt that could never be repaid.
One night, men came.
They kicked in the door. They dragged his family out. Thanga tried to fight, but they struck him down. As he lay bleeding, he watched them set his home on fire. The flames swallowed his parents, his siblings—their screams choked by smoke. The thugs laughed as the house burned.
Thanga crawled toward them, rage burning in his chest.
Then—darkness.
He woke in a filthy dispensary, his body aching. His family was gone. Ash and bones. But before he passed out, he had seen something—an emblem on the thugs' clothes. The mark of the Order of One.
His blood boiled.
He marched to their office in Aijal, the capital of Lushai Hills. The city was under Indus, a land ruled by Eldoria's iron fist. He demanded justice.
They laughed in his face.
Kicked him into the street like a stray dog.
Furious, he went to the governor. But the Order owned the government. Instead of justice, they branded him a liar. A troublemaker.
They threw him into Ashport Prison.
There, they stripped his name. The Eldorians couldn't say "Thanga." So they called him John. A prisoner's name. A slave's name.
For over a year, he rotted in that cell. Meanwhile, the Order grew stronger. Their poison spread—not just in Indus, but across the empire. Across the world.
John clenched his fists.
He would burn them all.