Redo: Grimoire System in the Apocalypse

Geth became even more attentive. After hearing about the past, he became even more interested in the future.

"I'm all ears."

Albus creased his brows as if he were deciding where to start. It was also another reminder that his memory hadn't fully returned.

"In the previous timeline, there were less than a billion Humans left at this point in time. We were slaughtered in droves when the Formation first broke down.

Many of the stronger Races put us in chains and took the opportunity to study us. Humans had been one of the few Races that struggled to ingest the liquid Mana.

We had no way to resist. Guns, knives, and other man-made weaponry could barely rip the skin of these beasts.

We might have stood a chance with military equipment. Sadly, most of it had been destroyed as the world expanded.

The giant fissures consumed many of the military bases. Even the floating naval bases couldn't withstand the onslaught of the waves and whirlpools that appeared.

It wasn't just Humans. Many Races were caught unprepared, suffering the same fate.

A majority of the deaths were simply due to the sudden expansion of the planet. More than half of the survivors were enslaved.

The first few years were full of death. Demons and Dragons live for thousands of years, and they hadn't forgotten their origins."

Albus took a minute to breathe before he continued.

"A majority of the Races in those two alliances were also very long-lived. As such, they had a significant advantage in the beginning.

Their armies quickly grew while the other Races struggled to get back on their feet. The leader of the Elves cast aside his pride and began to recruit many of the 'lesser Races.'

The battles grew over the following decade, pushing the Elve's alliance to its limits. Many of the Elven elders were captured, along with Dwarves, Humans, Dryads...

They were dark times. It was actually the Humans that turned the tides of battle."

Albus looked proud. It was like he was telling some story about his childhood heroes.

"Earth had received very little Mana after it was separated from the mother planet. The little that remained was hidden deep beneath the pyramids to fuel the Formation.

Even so, Humanity began to thrive after many years. We were very innovative and created many ways to make life easier or more enjoyable.

The same could also be said for the weapons that we had developed. Such incredible technology, primarily used for killing each other.

Those same innovators found a way to infuse objects with Mana. There was one man in particular who had divined the idea. 

He had once been a slave of the Demons. No one knows how he managed to escape, but the other Races would have faced extinction without him."

Albus grinned like a small child while recounting the stories he'd heard.

"The weapons that this man created allowed even the weakest Races to manipulate Mana! It wasn't enough to push the Demons and Dragons back, but it was enough to bring the two sides to a stalemate.

As this man began to teach Formations to those around him, even more unique ways to control the Mana emerged. Engraving Formations or Runes on the skin became popular for almost a century.

The powers that one could use were limited to the amount of space on their body. Even so, the Elven alliance was finally able to fight back.

The Dragons became interested in the Formations. They offered to call a truce in return for what we'd learned so far."

Albus looked began to calm down as if he'd come to the climax of his story.

"Once the war was over, the four alliances agreed to live in separate quadrants of the world. The Beasts had never been involved in the first place, but their forces were influential enough to be recognized.

A loose peace held for the next two centuries. No one knew precisely why the Demons broke the truce. 

Some Humans had even befriended some of the Demons. The technology that the two races had created together changed the world.

They attacked the Beasts first and without any warning. It was a long and arduous battle that the Demon alliance eventually won.

The Dragons nor the Elves interfered, which turned out to be a fatal mistake. The Demons controlled half of the world's Mana supply.

They used the technology created by Humans and the increased Mana supply to drastically improve their power. The Demons didn't make a move for almost another hundred years.

The Beast race had mostly been forgotten. A few stragglers lived amongst the Elven territories."

Albus' face took on a pained look. Geth thought of the sorrow that he'd felt when he witnessed Albus speaking to Barbas.

"Humans had become friends with some of the Demons once again. It was a mistake to trust them.

The Demon alliance attacked all at once, crushing our forces. The majority of Humans had become soft after centuries of peace.

Most of the creations in that period had been for comfort or enjoyment. Even the Runes that were engraved on their skin were to keep them comfortable."

Albus shook his head.

"It didn't take long before we were down to our last stronghold. You witnessed what happened from there."

Geth nodded, "But what was that Formation that you were creating?"

"It's what brought us here. I was the only Human with a mental sphere.

It was something that was passed down from the creator of the Council. As the previous Council leader passed away, the next would gain his or her abilities.

That mental sphere contained a Formation passed down by the first leader of the Council. It was a dangerous tool, and it was only to be used in the most desperate of times."

Albus suddenly looked aged. Most of the enthusiasm that he'd held in the beginning had faded away.

"That Formation took the lives of every person you saw in that room, but it was our only hope."