Centuries ago, the world experienced a rare era of peace and abundance.
After many wars and bloodshed, the kingdoms—exhausted from so many battles—signed peace treaties, setting aside ancient differences and bringing stability and the promise of a prosperous future. And for a time, things seemed to head in a good direction.
However, the calm concealed a tortuous storm in its shadow.
The powerful nation of Katharterio saw in this quietude an opportunity. In secret, King Kastro I, "The Austere", drained his kingdom's coffers to expand his arsenal, hire mercenaries, and assemble an unprecedented and relentless army.
Even so, his greed could not be sated. He wanted more than military might.
Kastro then turned his eyes to the mystical arts forbidden by the elders of the temple of the nameless deity. That's when he uncovered ancient secrets of the forbidden magics. Within them lay unimaginable power—granted at a terrible price: his own soul.
Ignoring the elders' warnings and prophecies, and the very corrupt nature emanating from these forbidden arts, Kastro gave in to his endless thirst and committed the greatest of all sins: he became a monster—a devourer of souls.
Insensitive to pain, devoid of compassion or mercy, he abandoned his humanity so he could indulge in absolute power, using the souls he absorbed in place of his own. The man who had once been King Kastro no longer existed. Now consumed by the darkness he himself invoked, sunk in an abyss without return, he was reborn as the infamous "Demon King"—an immortal and cruel entity, whose followers, also seduced by their own dark hearts, became demons—souls as twisted as their bodies.
The Demon King's attacks were merciless. No prisoners. Death and destruction followed them wherever they went. The long-sought peace was crushed before the eyes of those who could not believe the horror they witnessed.
Faced with impending devastation, the world could not simply wait for the end. Gathering strength beyond comprehension, brave heroes performed their final act: sacrificing their lives, they used a magic that sealed the Demon King and his followers within a magical barrier, isolating his fortress.
The cursed lands became known as the Infernal Valley. The surrounding regions were evacuated, becoming ghost towns, haunted lands, and havens for outlaws. Even so, peace never truly returned.
The seal slowly began to crumble. The echoes of the Demon King's curse and wrath still linger. Lesser demons lurk in the shadows, spreading chaos, corrupting everything they touch, and seeking to free their master. The weakening of the barrier is a clock proclaiming the world's end. It doesn't slow, as if announcing that destruction is near—and inevitable.
Yet, when darkness rises, the light of hope shines even brighter on the horizon.
The spiritual weapon Bloodstain, a legendary artifact with a single purpose—to purge evil—chose a hero who carries in their veins an ancient lineage, destined and empowered to fulfill a noble and nearly impossible mission: to enter the barrier, confront the Demon King, and destroy him in the heart of his fortress. In their hands rests the fate of all humanity.
The decisive moment has come.
The last light of hope for humanity now walks into the depths of the abyss...