[Present]
"You've had all of this planned out from the very beginning, didn't you, my lord?" Cielero stood before the Lord of Darkness, grinning as they told him stories of the past.
"Mm." Dracula nodded, leaning his cheek into his fist. "I persuaded Ban of Benoic to join me in spreading chaos among Yggdrasil, but there was a miscalculation in my plan."
Cielero widened his eyes.
"A miscalculation?"
Dracula frowned.
"Yes. A man by the name of Uther Pendragon worked with the fairies to access Silvahein, and managed to contact the Le Fay."
Cielero, confused, looked up in thought.
"I'm afraid I'm unaware of these terms my lord."
Dracula grinned.
"This is ancient history, Cielero, there is more to our world than just Yggdrasil."
The jester blinked a few times, trying to process this information.
"Allow me to show you." Dracula gestured for Cielero to approach.
"Yes, sire..." The jester ambled toward the Lord of Darkness, kneeling before their grace.
"Look into the past, and see creation unfold."
Dracula placed his palm upon his servant's head and bestowed them with endless knowledge.
Cielero could see everything.
[Day of Genesis]
There is a vast, endless multiverse, existing within a realm known as the Halvrendor. Yggdrasil was the Prime Sphere of this multiverse as its roots connected to infinite worlds, maintaining their existence from the accumulated mana gathered within its source.
Spheres, or for a better term, worlds; appear as bubbles within a Great Ocean, which is the Halvrendor. These bubbles are supported by the roots of Yggdrasil, sustaining their lifespan, however, if these roots were to perish, then so would the world as a result since they would be unable to stabilize.
The Halvrendor is known to be a vast, boundless realm, surrounded by Silvahein. While the Halvrendor may be called the "soil" of creation, it actually is a formless, cosmic sea, resembling the appearance of a nebula. Spheres coexist within this boundless realm as Yggdrasil appears the largest of them all; resembling that of a tree, rather than a cosmic bubble like the rest of the infinite worlds residing in the Halvrendor.
Yggdrasil, as the most important sphere in the Multiverse, is an infinite-dimensional structure born to be the largest world throughout Halvrendor. Comparing its size to other worlds is like comparing an anthill next to a mountain, and yet despite its size, it would be nothing more than an atom within Halvrendor.
"I can see it all... everything is so clear."
It felt like Cielero was there, watching creation being born right before his very eyes. All around him, he could see entire realities being birthed into existence by the hands of the Creator.
"You're absorbing knowledge of the world, Cielero. All of reality's information is being fed to you, one portion at a time."
Cielero's consciousness traversed the Halvrendor and ascended anew. He would find himself within a new realm, beyond the Halvrendor in its entirety, and also surrounding its structure.
This domain was called Silvahein; the Realm of Magic. It was in the same domain as Chaos, except it was separated from its essence.
It contained an infinite churning sea of magical energy, or "Aether" for better terms. It was dangerous to enter this realm, as you'll be ripped apart and absorbed into the vast sea of energy to fuel its purpose. Only those born in Silvahein can live within this domain, and Cielero could see them. They were known as the Le Fay.
"I see them... the Le Fay."
Dracula grinned.
"Indeed, Cielero. Why don't you look even further?" Dracula bestowed the jester more information, sending his consciousness even deeper.
"The Source of Mana is... Aether?"
Cielero was given information about this substance, known as Aether.
It was sometimes called the Fifth Element. This substance comes from the Sea of Energy, known as Silvahein, and it's known to be the very concept of "Potential" in abstract form. It's rich and potent, harnessing the potential of the entire Multiverse. A small portion of Aether contains endless information that can form spells that are capable of annihilating entire worlds throughout the Halvrendor.
There's enough information inside a small portion of Aether that it can even drive even the strongest of mages to the brink of insanity.
It is a fundamental substance that fuels and provides the basic framework for Halvrendor, acting as the archetype of all things within the Multiverse. It's the perfect model for both Mortals and Gods, but by nature, Aether isn't usable until it's diluted into a weaker version of itself known as Mana, and as a result, spells and Magic are weaker in this stage.
He could see that this energy was essentially Halvrendor's life force. It's one of those things people can feel but not quite measure unless their measurement methods reach outside the metaphysical arcane of their world.
That's why it's a dangerous energy that only those of Silvahein can harness.
"These are the creatures I told you about."
"Yes... they're also the ones who created Excalibur."
Dracula's gaze became stern as he removed his palm, watching the jester fall to his hands and knees.
"What you witnessed was only a small portion of reality."
Cielero squinted his eyes in pain, holding his head.
"O-Only a small portion?"
Dracula nodded.
"There is more to reality than what I've shown you, but my knowledge is only limited to Halvrendor and Silvahein, however, the Le Fay are an exception. They're creatures that even I cannot understand."
Cielero rose to his feet, stumbling in his movements.
"They're the ones behind the creation of mana." Cielero appeared frightened. "They're powerful beings, my lord."
Dracula grinned.
"Indeed, however, you are a bit mistaken, Cielero. The Le Fay weren't the ones who created mana; it was the Roots of Yggdrasil."
The Roots of Yggdrasil connected not only to the Spheres in Halvrendor but to Silvahein as well.
They filtered Aether from Silvahein into a lesser, concentrated version, known as Mana, to sustain a sphere's life within the Halvrendor. The Roots of Yggdrasil is the gateway to Aether and must exist to keep the Halvrendor functioning. Without it, the Multiverse will lose its source of fuel and the entire multiverse could collapse in on itself, causing a Big Crunch.
"I see." The jester lowered his head in thought. "If the Le Fay has the power to create a powerful sword like Excalibur, then how did Uther Pendragon and the Fairies manage to reach them? What magic did they use?"
Dracula frowned, leaning back into his throne.
"That is the part I'm unsure of, Cielero. After I was blessed with vast knowledge of reality, their existence still remained a mystery to me, thus, I was unable to plan accordingly and be two steps ahead." Remembering the past, Dracula clenched his fist. "Uther Pendragon won over me; he had the Le Fay create the Holy Sword, Excalibur, and put an end to my schemes."
Cielero felt angered, just like his king, but there were still signs of determination in his eyes.
"Even if that was the case, everything is still going according to plan, my lord."
Dracula lifted his brows at Cielero's optimism, unable to help but smirk.
"Of course, there is still more work to be done. You've also done me a great service and trapped King Arthur within the cocoon of darkness, temporarily keeping him out of the way."
The jester placed his hand on his chest, grinning.
"It was my pleasure, Lord Dracula."
The King of Darkness chuckled.
"Consider the vast knowledge I gave you, as a reward, Cielero, you deserve it."
"I humbly accept your gift, my lord."
The jester bowed.
"Now then, allow me to finish the story of Ban the Benoic. You'll be quite surprised by its ending."
Giddy as ever, the Jester spun around in joy before kneeling in front of his king.
"By all means, please continue my lord!"
+
[30 Years Ago]
And so Ban of Benoic and his men made a safe return back to the Country of Mesnil, away from the horrors of the outside; where they could rest their heads and mourn the deaths of their fallen brothers and sisters.
The Almighty King spoke to his wife about what had happened and held nothing back. Hearing the news, Elaine could only cry and question the actions of her husband, claiming that it wasn't in character for him to agree with such an evil man; one who would destroy the entire world just for his amusement.
Amidst their arguing, young Lancelot heard it all behind the closed door and was shocked to hear his father side with the enemy. It was as if his whole world turned upside down - he no longer knew his father as the brave hero told in legend.
"What has gotten into you, Ban? You'll sacrifice the entire world just for the people of Mesnil to survive?"
The King lowered his head, shutting his eyes.
"Yes, for you and my son, I'll do anything."
"But what about the countless other families out there? They will forever weigh on your conscience because you weren't man enough to stand up against Dracula!"
Ban widened his eyes, heartstruck by his wife's comment.
"You are no longer the man I married; you're but a coward!"
"Elaine... I'm... sorry."