The world you are about to enter is not a simple one, nor is it purely a product of my imagination; it is, in many ways, a reflection of our own capacity for fear, adaption, and eventual, uneasy coexistence.
The catalyst for this reality was the emergence of the Aetherials, a species born from some unknown cosmic shift, possessing mysterious powers that defied our understanding and initially, our very survival.
We, with the limited scope of our nascent development, saw only the destructive potential, the raw, untamed power, and in our fear, we branded them as demons, a physical manifestation of our deepest, more primal anxieties, sent to destroy us.
History records a time of great conflict and prejudice, a time when humanity, in its ignorance, sought only to eradicate what it could not comprehend.
Yet, as the generations turned and human intellect and understanding broadened, so too did our perspective.
The monolithic fear fractured, giving away to a grudging acceptance, and then, surprisingly, integration.
We learned that the Aetherials, with their unique abilities, could be a boon rather than a curse, and today, they are found in the most critical sectors of our society: the quiet healers in hospitals, the steadfast protectors in police forces, the vital assistants on farms and many more.
This intricate dance of evolution and integration has birthed entirely new societal structures, including a new, thrilling career: the battling arena, where highly trained Masters capture Aetherials using advanced, scietifically-evolved containment units known as Soul Stones, and pit them against one another in a display of controlled power and strategy for the world to see.
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Note: A preface typically serves for the author to speak directly to the reader about their intent, while the world-building details are generally revealed within the narrative itself or as an appendix. The above text can function as either a narrative prologue/introduction or a stylized author's preface.
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Doodles💞