Fiore was a land that was unlike any other. A far away place where you wander among every culture and tongue. A mystical content that was home to not only humans, but creatures and beings that you thought only to exist in myths and legends. A world where magic was real and this great force could be used to unleash your wildest dreams or your worst nightmares. It all depended on who was chosen to wield the gift of magic. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Before we officially begin our story, allow me to elaborate a little on Fiore's history.

Fiore was divided into five realms. The Laẓan City, The Verdenshav Kingdom, The Tiānkōng Empire, The Kiwanja Tribe, and The Magnolia Nation. All five realms were equally glorious and prosperous, with their own element and climate. Their own traditions and way of life. Their own culture and lore.

The Lazan City was a desert peninsula in the East that was blistering hot and chaotic with wind blowing through the street and the sun shinning bright, but at times he could be scorching. A city of peddlers, bandits, explorers, people desperate to seek their fortune by any means necessary.  But it was also a city of great splendor, adorned with temples, monuments, and other large buildings as far as the eye could see. Lazan was by far the wealthiest of the five realms because magnificent treasures and precious metals such as gold, jewels, and ivory could be discovered in almost every location. And yet Lazan's beauty did not come from their wealth and treasure, it came from their passion for art. Painting, sculpting, pottery, they loved nothing more than to make their greatest dreams made real through images of paint and clay.

Humans mostly populated the city but the legendary creatures known as genies and dragons made their home here as well. Now I'm sure from what you've heard, dragons are vicious and bloodthirsty beasts while genies of deceptive and untrustworthy beings but that's completely false. Dragons are really the most honorable and noble creatures that God ever made, they served as guardians over Lazan City, keeping the humans safe from danger that existed outside the city.  The genies were originally humans with pure hearts who were given their power and immortality in order to benefit mankind. But only the pure of heart were ever to become such a creature.

The Verdenshav Kingdom was a quaint country by the sea, in the West with arable land and peaceful coasts. A place where one could feel the salt on their skin, the wind in their hair, just the waves ebbed and flowed. Naturally sailors, fishermen, shipbuilders, and merchants were a common occupation in this kingdom. In fact you could find a boat or ship almost anywhere in here and you could almost always hear someone onboard singing a song or playing a tune. Music was their passion, because it was a beauty that was heard and felt rather than seen. Singing, dancing, or playing an instrument, was how they could express what was deep within their hearts. A heart song they called it, and to the Verdenshav Kingdom, nothing was more precious than a song from the heart.

The legendary creatures of this realm existed down in the bottomless blue, where the eyes of any surface dweller could not see them. Water horses and merfolk they were called. The water horses were long-necked mammals who would glide across the ocean surface at time an other times dive into the depths. They friendly and sentimental toward all sea creatures, but in matters of surface dwellers, it all depended. They could either be fearful and irritable toward them or just amicable and even charming as they were with their ocean brethren. Merfolk were much more complex. Beings that bore a resemblance to both humans and fish who built their own little homes from shells and reefs, preferring to live down where its wetter and avoiding humans as much as possible.

The Tiānkōng Empire had been established in a vast, mountainous region located up North with widely varying landscapes and peaceful valleys. They were high above all the other realms and close to the sky, building their houses on mountain tops and in trees like the birds would. Their passion in life was literature and poetry, a book or any form of written material was considered the most valuable thing in the entire empire. More valuable than porcelain, jade stones, and silks. The entertainment and knowledge found in a good book or ancient scroll was by far the most beloved treasure to them.

Phoenixes and sylphs were the creatures native to this land. One was a celestial bird who that would soar through the Heavens, rumored to bring about good fortune, while the other was an air spirit who could either guide you to to someone or something that could help you, or play a trick on you. The people of the Tiānkōng Empire were always careful to behave respectfully toward the phoenixes and the sylphs, often choosing to leave them in peace and never try to hunt them or use them for selfish desires. Although if they ever needed help, they would leave a tribute to one of them and humbly request their aid.

The Kiwanja Tribe was located in a wild and untame land down the South, a place full of thriving grasslands and jungles. Where animals and humans lived as one and were loyal to Mother Earth. They lived by special laws of honor and respect. Laws such as "If you must kill, kill only to eat or to avoid being eaten." Or "Value the strong but teach the weak and tend to the broken." The people of the Kiwanja tribe made certain to keep all these laws or they would be banished or killed. These people were excellent hunters and gatherers, from an early age they were trained on how to track, run, and fight the same way the animals could yet they never took more food than what they needed. Not only were these people incredible at hunting meat and gathering organic meals, but they were gifted athletes. It was said that there were no other people more skilled in such as strength, fitness, and agility. Once a season they would hold festive games and races to watch their people compete and show off their physical abilities which would then win them excellent rewards. The greatest being a position as solider or guard to the chief.

The mysterious creatures native to their land were the manticores and the giants. The manticore was ruthless and predatory lion with venomous quills like a porcupine and a tail like a scorpion, legend says that this beast was the keeper of the sacred laws, and if you obeyed them then you had nothing to fear. But if you disobeyed them, a manticore will hunt you down and brutally devour you for disrespect and arrogance. The giants on the other hand were much more gentle and humble creatures. Though much greater in strength and size compared to all others, they much preferred a peaceful life in which they would farm the land and take up medicine making.

The Magnolia Nation was was the smallest of all the realms, and the least rich and extravagant. It was just a simple island that existed somewhere in the middle of all four realms, it had towns and shops and houses and churches, a castle and a temple or two, but nothing really fancy. However it was a very special region because it was where the other four could all meet. Where the cultures of The Laẓan City, The Verdenshav Kingdom, The Tiānkōng Empire, and The Kiwanja Tribe could been seen, heard, and felt all around. It was a sort of melting pot if you will, for all who lived in Fiore. It was also here where the great wizard Zeref was born and raised. A wise, just, and compassionate man who studied magic vigorously and then used his gifts to established peace between all the realms.

They say that Heaven was so pleased by his selflessness and humility, that they made him all powerful and immortal, trusting him to be the peace keeper of the Fiore. Zeref accepted this position and for centuries he was quite content with it. He enjoyed using his magic the benefit others and ensure that the four realms lived peacefully together. But then he met a young woman called Mavis and in time he feel desperately in love with her, longing to make her his bride. But how could an immortal being marry a mortal one? How could he have a life with her when she would grow old and die while he would not?

For her sake, he decided to give up his position, but he couldn't just quit right away. He had a responsibility and before he could indulge himself in a life of love, he had to find someone to take his place. Someone who like him would only want to devote their life to others and keep the world in harmony. So Zeref selected eight magically gifted individuals to be his students, he would train them in the way of magic and then choose five to replace him.

It took time and plenty of effort, for some it was too difficult to achieve. Their bodies just couldn't handle such power or their hearts were just too full of arrogance and greed. But in the end, Zeref had found five magic users strong and intelligent yet humble and compassionate enough to relinquish his power to. When he gave up his powers, he divided it up into five parts, giving each one to his chosen five and trusting each one with the responsibility of a realm. Once that was done, he finally became mortal again and married Mavis.

For a longtime, all continued to be peaceful and happy within each realm. However two of Zeref's students whom he had passed over were furious that they had not been chosen. They believed that they deserved the right to own such power, and they swore not only revenge, but to take what they foolishly felt they were entitled to.

So when Zeref passed on, the two began to plant the wicked thorns of suspicion and hatred between the realms. Using their magic to spread evil rumors, and sew distrust. Whispering and conjuring images of treachery, making it appear that each realm believed that it was superior to the others and was secretly planning to destroy its competition in order to reign supreme. While the majority of people from the Magnolia Nation chose not to believe such lies and illusions, those from the other realms were not so wise. The Laẓan City was inflamed with hate, The Verdenshav Kingdom sent waves of rage, The Tiānkōng Empire rose up with wrath, and The Kiwanja Tribe shook with fury.

As their friendship and harmony for each other
had been so strong and pure, so was their bitterness at being betrayed. Fiore was soon covered in a terrible storm, a war between the four realms, fighting over control of the continent. The ground was littered with bodies and carnage. The dead and wounded laid side by side one in heaps. The people of each realm nearly slaughtered each other into oblivion. Then, three of Zeref's chosen ended the war by combining their powers together to defeat the two traitors who had attempted to take advantage of the chaos by killing a fourth member and imprisoning a fifth member in order to steal their power. They struck down the evil students, stripping them of their magic, and banishing one beneath the waves in the lowest depths and the other to a barren wasteland far out in the desert.

The battle was over but peace could never return between the four realms. There was too much resentment and bitterness left by wicked lies. The Lazan City, The Verdenshav Kingdom, The Tiānkōng Empire, and The Kiwanja Tribe would come together in harmony no more. Forever they would be far apart, and avoid hatred by avoiding each other. Only in the Magnolia Nation could there be anything close to what once was.