Illumination X

By M.K. Alexander

From first time author M.K. Alexander comes an epic that transcends everything you thought you knew about history itself!
When a mythical relic with dangerous potential known as Soulbreaker is found after a near 2500 year absence, it sparks a frantic hunt between two prolific organizations, the illustrious Illuminati and the nihilistic Ut Puri, re-igniting an ancient feud that has existed since the beginning of civilization. Heading this search is none other than Raven Edge a.k.a Ryu Senko, the Illuminati's own Draco Exemplar, a powerful warrior with equally mystical powers as a member of the little known Sovrumano race. He, more than anyone else, knows the implications of Soulbreaker falling into the hands of Ut Puri- for the last time Ut Puri had access to the mythical weapon, it was used to slay none other than Achilles himself in the legendary Trojan War.
It's a race against time as the search for Soulbreaker takes Raven and his Illuminati allies straight into the heart of the ancient world: from the solitary Isle of Rhodes to the port of Alexandria and beyond, it's the Illuminati's finest versus Ut Puri's strongest of warriors in the mighty Swiss Guardians. With breathtaking displays of power wielded by the most skilled of warriors from both sides, can the Ryu Senko succeed in his search for Soulbreaker with the fate of the world at stake?
Open your mind: the Illumination X Phenomenon has begun!

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.K. Alexander
• Release date: Aug 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781622172924

M.K. Alexander

M.K. Alexander is a 24 year old first time author residing in Penns Grove, NJ. Some of his earlier accomplishments include graduating with honors from Vineland Senior High School in 2008, attending the University of Hartford for Political Science, and joining the United States Navy under the Nuclear Power Program, where he served aboard the U.S.S. LHD-1 Wasp. M.K. is a driven individual with a love for history and a critical view of the world at large, particularly the social viewpoints of this day's generation. In his free time, M.K. is highly social with a throng of supportive friends and family. Some of his interests include Mixed Martial Arts, video gaming, professional wrestling, and watching popular crime dramas.

Book preview

Introduction

It started with a spark.

A spark that became the Big Bang, a spark that helped to create all we know in this universe. The stars and suns in the skies above—they are signs of galaxies and worlds light years away that we can only dream about. A small spark at the beginning of time—hey, sometimes that’s all that’s necessary to create things beyond even our wildest imaginations.

Earth is but one of those things, a product of the Big Bang located in the Milky Way galaxy. It is a small planet in comparison to some of the larger, neighboring gas giants, such as Jupiter and Saturn, but it holds a distinction that separates it from these massive planets, that being the ability to sustain life. And sustain life it does; before any humans ever walked the surface of this planet, millions of years passed when this earth was home to creatures of near legend, none more iconic than the massive dinosaurs. By the time the first humans started appearing on Earth’s surface, there must have been hundreds of billions of organisms, animals and plants alike, which had already lived out full lives on this world.

At first, humans had amounted to nothing more than a new species, with animalistic minds and instincts themselves. We lived off the land as we started our development, slowly but surely forging distinct mannerisms that would, one day, separate us as more than just another species of animals, but as people. Even with that kind of ambition, the development was slow at best, living on this planet a long 190,000 years before Earth experienced another spark, one that would change the face of this planet as we knew it.

That spark was the arrival of the Scions, an advanced race of human beings from another world altogether , deep within the reaches of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. They were masters of all sorts of technologies, as well as the sole wielders of a force of energy called ki, a spiritual energy that resided in all things. The humans on this planet were mystified by these Scions because of their knowledge and power, whereas the Scions were enamored by the resemblance humans had to themselves. Because of the similar wonder each race had for each other, the Scions made the decision to help the human race, in the hopes that one day we would rise to the level that the Scions had become familiar with.

To this end, the Scions gifted us with wisdoms that would be the progenitors of modern concepts, such as learning and civilization. This brought rise to the earliest of civilizations and empires—the ancient Nubians, Phoenicians, Egyptians, and Sumerians, deep in the heart of what we call the birthplace of civilization in northern Africa and Mesopotamia. Concepts such as mathematics and language, which were nothing more than a dream at the time, saw their first dose of prominence, with many more to come.

Another gift the Scions bequeathed the human race with was the ability to control ki itself, as a way to defend ourselves, as well as to further signify the bond we humans now shared with the Scions. After learning how to harness ki, the human race changed, with this energy resonating in humans in differing ways, ways that would become our first glimpse into what we now call the supernatural. The effect ki had on the human race was profound. In its own way, it was the predecessor to the ideas of the supernatural, and by extension, religion. It was seen in the choice powers and abilities of early deities and extended as far as to the later religious figures in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures, as well as the far eastern Indian and Chinese cultures.

Because of their new abilities, these new Sovrumano were categorized into differing sub-races, the Supremo and Divino. The Supremo had four different races: the Angeli, Daeva, Draco, and Lamia, whereas the Divino had seven: the Anguis, Avis, Canis, Felis, Equus, Simia, and Ursa. For a time, this new human race thrived hand in hand with the Scions as we took the first steps into civilized life. Sad as it is to say, however, this peaceful existence soon came to an end.

No one knows what happened or when or why, but a small yet highly influential group of people rose up to challenge the philosophies that the Scions had graciously given to the human race. More so, they challenged the position that the Scions had over the human/Sovrumano race, sowing the seeds to rebellion against the Scions, who they perceived to be conquerors. They preached about purification of the human race, as well as the expulsion of the Scions from our planet. As is usually the case, people chose sides in this imminent conflict: those that followed the philosophies of these purificationists became known as Ut Puri, the Order of the Pure, whereas the ones that continued to side with the philosophies of the Scions came to be known as the Illuminati, the Order of Enlightenment.

War soon began between the two groups. The Scions were hopelessly stuck in the middle, refusing to take part in the bloody conflicts. Even with their stance, they were soon forced to take action against the spreading evil of Ut Puri, annihilating two of their most famous bases, Sodom and Gomorrah, in a pillar of cleansing fire. In response, Ut Puri orchestrated the event which would spilt the human race in two—the utter destruction of the near-mythical Atlantis, the home of nearly all the Equus, who were the most stalwart supporters of the Illuminati. To further prove their dominance, Ut Puri took it one step further by sinking the entire Atlantian continent beneath the waves of the ocean, thinking that the event would prove their superiority once and for all.

The aftermath wasn’t anything that they had anticipated.

Angered by the lack of respect for life itself, the Scions decided to abandon Earth, but not before casting one final judgment on mankind. As consequence for their actions, the Scions took away the ability to manipulate ki from Ut Puri and any of their supporters, deeming them unfit and unworthy of their most prized gift. With that being done, there were now two main races on the planet—that of regular humans, who had lost the ability to use ki, and the Sovrumano, the super-humans who had retained the ability.

Ever since that point in time, Ut Puri and the Illuminati had been locked in conflict, each group still set on proving which philosophies were right and wrong. Their conflict had spanned the ages, influencing the river of time and the history of civilization in ways few would have ever imagined. About the one thing the two groups did agree on, however, was the necessity to hide the conflict from the general populace, thus sparing those who didn’t want anything to do with either side. Even with that, the epic war between Ut Puri and the Illuminati continued, even to this very day…

Chapter 1

Knowledge. Power. Life. Experience.

If there is nothing else in this world, these four traits are what define us as humans , as a people. From the first spark of life in this universe, to the birth of civilization and beyond, these qualities are what have helped us to grow and thrive, to expand into what we are today. Life, so we can live; knowledge, so we can learn; power, so we can influence; and experience, so we can survive. This planet and every person and thing on its surface exemplifies these gifts to the highest of values, which brings us to our modern day and age, in which we are thriving.

But how, you may ask, did all of this begin?

Some look to science, with their laws and theories of physics and the elements, for an answer. Others look to religion, with firm beliefs of a higher, divine power manipulating the events of our existence. There are those who immerse themselves in the tomes of history, seeking to find an answer to this riddle we call existence, while there are others who look to the heavens above, with ideas of a more extraterrestrial influence on this world. But who is right, and who is wrong?

I mean seriously, how can that question be answered? It might sound simple, but remember, the only way to really find truth and enlightenment is to learn from all facets and discern the nonsense from the real, using your own good judgment to form your own opinion to live by. With the amount of facts and truth this world has, it has just as many lies and falsehoods. History as a whole…well, it’s filled with so many different versions of the same story that the average person would just give up. This isn't even factoring in that, with the vast amount of grains in the sands of time, for every bit of knowledge this world does have, there is no doubt ten times as much that has been lost to the world, by both natural and unnatural means. You could very well say that the true answer is the biggest secret of them all, with time itself against anyone searching for it.

But what if this secret wasn’t such a secret?

There may be some who know the answer to how this all came to be. Maybe there are people who remember the knowledge of the past that was lost, hidden in history. Maybe there are those who seek to reach true enlightenment, like the philosophers of old. Maybe, but I do know this: History does tell of people like that, but for some reason, every single one of them has met their end. Why? I don’t know. Some think that this secret is something to be feared, a knowledge to be wiped out.

That’s the view of the ignorant; I believe that this secret shouldn’t be such a secret anymore. But who am I to tell it? The answer is yours to find; you just have to know where to look and how to look. Who knows? It might be staring you right in the face.

Ryu Senko

***

How long is this guy going to take? a significantly pale, blond-haired teen yelled out.  It’s two o’clock! I should already be pre-gaming with the seniors right about now! There was an expression of clear annoyance on his face as he sat on the edge of a desk inside a classroom full of freshmen. This kid, Riley O' Connor, was one of many freshmen who had arrived at the world-renowned Princeton University for the 2008 fall semester. Noted for its stellar academic and athletic programs, the university had a knack of attracting a variety of individuals, each different in his or her own way. One of a kind, but each having something unique to bring to the table.  

Just from his looks, the average person could tell that Riley easily fit into the unique category. From a purely physical standpoint, Riley was impressive, even for an eighteen- year-old. He stood at an almost even six feet and had a broad yet streamlined build. He wore an orange and black football varsity jacket, a nod to the traditional university colors, unzipped to show a white V-neck tee shirt underneath, as well as black jeans. He did look like a decent kid, but the attitude that he had been displaying since the time he had walked into the room a half hour prior showed an arrogance that had other freshmen in the classroom preemptively labeling him as a muscle-headed jock.

You know, Riley, another one of the freshmen, a female with dark honey-brown eyes and long black hair said as she looked up from the pamphlet she was busily reading to pass the time, it doesn’t sound like you care much anyway. Why don’t you just leave?

Because, baby, Riley said, standing up from his seat to lean on the adjacent wall, if I leave it will be counted against me, and I don’t want the lateness of a professor to be the reason I miss playing in the first game of the season. How else am I supposed to show the ladies how awesome I am? Riley flashed Ashley a haughty smirk as some of the other freshmen laughed with him, but they quickly shut up as she flashed him the middle finger. She had no patience for guys with attitudes like Riley’s, and the jock had not helped his case any by shamelessly attempting to flirt with every girl in the room in the first five minutes just to pass the time.

Such a shame, too, Ashley thought as she turned her attention back to her pamphlet. He should be one of the ones in here who appreciates the Princeton’s academics. She took another glance at her pamphlet and let out a slightly depressed sigh as she glanced, once again, at Riley, more specifically at the one feature on him that truly set him apart from the other freshmen in the classroom—his vibrant purple eyes. She wasn’t going to kid herself; if she could ever get past his attitude, Riley was an all-right-looking guy, but it was his eyes and what they meant that she couldn’t get past. They might have worked on most of the other females in the room, especially the short Spanish girl who was now making conversation with him, but his eyes told her something deeper about him that made her even more disgusted by his attitude. She sighed as she cast a glance at the pamphlet she was reading. "Talk about staring you right in the face, eh, Ryu Senko?"

So football and frat life are more important than you getting a degree? another one of the teens, this one a gangly-looking, dark-haired kid with silver rimmed glasses and dressed in a professional-looking suit and tie, asked, genuinely surprising the class, as the freshmen had obviously directed his question at Riley. Shouldn’t you be more worried about advancing and bettering yourself, especially in a university such as this?

Riley just raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity before bursting out into amused laughter. No one asked you, Dr. Spock, Riley said with a demeaning snort. Learn to dress this century, by the way. That was followed swiftly by most of the class laughing at Riley’s crack at the spectacled teen.

Well, a new voice said, ringing with a subtle yet powerful timbre that came from behind the slightly cracked door at the front of the room. I didn’t think I would have to deal with a student disrespecting his fellow classmates this early. This voice was deep, yet melodic-sounding to the teens assembled in the classroom, and somehow they knew that this was their tardy professor.

Riley took the words from the professor like a shot to the heart; he felt like the teacher was speaking to him like a child, something that easily riled him up.

Deal with me? Riley said with a mocking grin, pushing himself off the wall to walk up to the cracked door. In his rage, he did not realize that the door was swiftly opening. I don’t know who you think you are but no one ‘deals’ with Riley O’Connor, you got th—

Continue, the teacher said, a bit more menacingly as he pushed the door the rest of the way open to step inside the classroom. Please. Give me a reason to tell your coach that you don’t need to play, Riley O’Connor. When Riley, who had all but frozen in his speech and movement, didn’t respond, the man smirked at the lost nerve of the teen. What? For someone who has a lot to say, you sure are quiet.

Riley, however, stood dumbstruck at the sheer presence of their professor, silenced by the oppressive feeling that suddenly seemed to weigh down on his body and soul. The professor was a tall, tan-skinned man, 6’3 to be exact. His height easily surpassed Riley’s own height of 5’11, and judging by the way he filled out the short-sleeved black polo and black jeans that he wore, he was a heck of a lot more athletic. It wasn’t just his impressive build that froze Riley in his tracks; no, it was the ice-cold stare the man was giving him with his royal blue eyes, framed by a stern expression and long black locks of hair that made the man look like a cross between a professional athlete and a movie star.

Riley wasn’t the only one who was surprised by the appearance of their professor; Ashley found herself taking quite a few double takes from her pamphlet to the professor with a barely concealed look of disbelief. You have got to be kidding me, she thought as she took one more glance at the professor before looking back at the article she was reading, or more specifically, the photo of the author of said article. He’s gonna be my professor!? As she looked at the similarities between the person in the photo and the real-life professor, it couldn’t be clearer if it smacked her in the face. First Riley and now you? Must be my lucky day. Two in fifteen minutes.

U-u-uh, Riley said, stuttering as he backed away cautiously from the professor, running into one of the desks behind him in his fear.

Save it and sit down, the professor said, pointing to an empty seat in the classroom. Riley surprised everyone by doing what the professor said without any type of argument. Some of the students in the classroom just took it as a bully being put in his place by a teacher who took his job seriously. Now, the professor said, seeing that the class was more or less ready for him to begin, following his quick disciplining of Riley. For those who don’t know who I am or for those students who forgot to read the student handbook, I am the head of the history and politics department here at Princeton University, and also your professor for this semester. My name is Raven Edge, but you can just call me Raven. I’m not one for many formalities.

Raven was interrupted by the Spanish girl, who had been talking with Riley earlier, raising her hand in earnest. Um, with all due respect, won’t the other professors have a problem with that?

Raven smirked at the question. He had already thrown his class for a loop, and he hadn’t even gotten to the orientation. Well, Miss—

Del Rio, she said with a shy grin. Selena DelRio.

Selena, Raven said with an acknowledging nod. If they have a problem with it, they can come to me, he said before turning around to write on the massive blackboard that was mounted on the wall. But I doubt they will, as many of the teachers here know my preferences. That, though, is neither here nor there. Right now, it’s time for me to give you an overview of what’s going to happen this semester, as well as a preview for the years ahead. Raven paused for a moment as he wrote his name, along with the list of courses he was responsible for, on the board. I realize my lateness might have interfered with some of your plans, so I apologize in advance if we go over the allotted time. I’m not like most of the professors here; in due time, you’ll see why.

That’s the understatement of the year, Ashley thought as she continued to eye Raven, still in disbelief that her professor was the same freelance philanthropist/ philosopher she had become a fan of. Raven Edge was a man of many worlds, both figuratively and literally. Ashley, as a fan of his written works, which were titled under the pen name of Ryu Senko, knew a lot of facts about Raven Edge the man, from his first rise to the world’s stage as a talented freestyle martial artist in his teens, to his volumes of short essays and opinion works that dotted the blog scene and had established a cult following. She knew he was an enigma; in a way that would have shocked most, if not all, of the freshmen had they realized what was staring them right in the eyes. It’s not like he’s really hiding it. Those thoughts drew her attention to one of the other unique things about the professor: the tribal-looking tattoo sleeve that adorned his right arm.

As long as I can still have a cold one later, Riley mumbled to himself as he lowered his head. However, he wasn’t as quiet as he had thought in his mumblings, as he found himself hit in the head with a balled-up piece of paper, which surprisingly not only hurt, but accomplished the task of righting his head and body to the proper sitting posture.

A word of advice, Raven said pointedly as he stared Riley in the eye and, in the process, made Riley’s earlier state of fear creep back. The consumption of alcohol on campus is against school policy, especially when the accused is underage. If caught, the consequences can lead up to and include expulsion, and that’s not counting the legal ramifications. A pregnant pause followed that statement; everyone knew the rules on campus, but it was that much more intimidating when you knew you had a professor who would keep an eye out for that sort of thing. Do we have an accord?

Yes, sir, Riley said quickly, fully intimidated, yet again, by Raven’s speech.

Good, Raven said, turning back to the blackboard as he continued to write down a bunch of useful information for the students. Now, I would like to start this orientation off with a simple question: what position was every professor, dean, principal or teacher in before they became as such?

Is that a trick question? one of the other students called out.

No, Raven said, before throwing another balled-up piece of paper at the kid, this time without turning around. Still, said kid had to move his head to keep the ball of paper from hitting him in the forehead. Raven’s accuracy mildly surprised the class. And I like it when you raise your hand to speak. Raven stopped writing before turning around to discern the looks on the students’ faces. Ashley suddenly had a victorious look on her face as she raised her hand eagerly. You have an answer?

Yes, Ashley said with a confident smirk. It’s actually simple if you don’t overthink it. They were all the same as us—students in a class.

Correct, Raven said, a little hesitation evident in his speech as he gave Ashley a curious look. It seems like you have a head for these types of questions, so I’m going to give you first dibs on the next one. As in the words of the great philosopher Socrates, ‘Why?’

Well, she said with an even bigger smirk. You can’t teach if you don’t have the qualifications to do so. Teachers need at least a bachelor’s degree, if not a master’s, and that’s not counting specialty classes and skills.

Right, but a little too in depth, Raven said. As he saw the looks of confusion on several faces in the class, he walked around his desk at the front of the room and sat on it, facing the students before he addressed them again. The point I’m trying to make is this: we all were in your shoes at one time. Despite our different baccalaureate goals, we went to different schools and universities in order to learn. Now, fast-forward a good twenty years…well, for most of these old crones anyway. Raven sparked the class into a small bit of laughter at his little joke as he slyly pointed out that he was younger than most of the professors at Princeton. He was only thirty-four years of age. And now we are teachers, teaching all of you, the next generation. We do our jobs with varying amounts of success, but many of us older people forget one critical detail in the realms of teaching.

And that is? one of the students in the back of the class, an Indian kid with shoulder-length black hair and golden-brown eyes, asked.

That the job of teaching isn’t complete without remembering that we, too, can learn, Raven said. He pointedly stared at the students in an attempt to get his point across. Too many of us in the older generation, from teachers and professors to anyone in any occupation beyond the age of thirty, think that for some reason, our age makes us better than the youth. True, we have experience that we can and should pass down to the next generation, but too often, we fail to realize or just choose to disregard that we can learn just as much from the youth as you all can learn from us. Each of us has differences that make us unique, and because of those differences, it stands to reason that any two people can have different experiences. Now do the math and put an exponent on that; this world is too large and has too many people, each with their own walks of life and experiences that we can’t learn from and teach one another, regardless of certifications and degrees.

The freshmen students, for the most part, were surprised at Raven’s down-to-earth viewpoints. Not many people had that kind of view, especially when it came to schoolteachers and professors. Too often they could remember being shot down by an older person simply because that elder was indeed older than they were, regardless of if they made any kind of sense.

So what does this have to do with your orientation today, Mr. Edge? the same kid asked after a minute of contemplating Raven’s words.

Raven smiled at the kid before speaking again. It’s simple. I’m going to take everything I just said and put it into action. I want to learn from you, just as you learn from me. Teach me as I teach you. The start of that is with this orientation. Each of you are going to introduce yourselves to me and the rest of this group, along with something that makes you unique. Me, I happen to be not just a department head for a university, but I’m also an avid fan of the martial arts and a self-described seeker of knowledge. Raven took that moment to gauge the reaction of his students and found exactly what he was looking for in the knowing look from Ashley. He had figured that the girl knew some of the more important things about him; he saw the familiar issue of Real Times in her clutches the moment he stepped foot in the classroom. What he was not expecting was that same look of familiarity in the faces of a select few of the other freshmen, least of all in Riley.

All right, the teen in the suit thought as he gave Raven a look similar to the one Ashley and Riley were giving him. At least this year I can be myself without worrying about this class, especially with this guy as the professor. After taking a steady breath, the teen started with his introduction, speaking to the entire class with a voice that lacked quite a bit of confidence. I’m Jordan Reid, a history major from Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Raven gave Jordan a look of encouragement as he beckoned him to continue. I was a member of my school’s honor society, academics team, and chess club, as well as the—

Nerd, Riley coughed, before being hit with yet another balled-up piece of paper by Raven. He also gave the jock a stern glare, shutting him up.

Jordan, though, suddenly stood up with an air of confidence that he had not shown before inside the classroom, which was easily noticed by the other teens and Raven, who had an idea of what was coming next because he had read his students’ files a short time earlier. Nerd? Jordan asked, this time in a much louder voice than before. So you think I’m a nerd, just because of my interests?

Riley burst out in obnoxious laughter, finding the nerd funny. Well, Riley laughed as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then what is it?

Jordan’s response was to open the briefcase that he had next to him and withdraw an old newspaper. Without flipping through it, he stood up, walked over to Riley’s desk, and slammed the newspaper down with a victorious smirk. Read it and weep, asshole. Riley smirked at Jordan before picking up the newspaper, if only to further humor himself, but his face dropped into a look of disbelief as he read the paper. On the front of the newspaper was a picture of Jordan in a football uniform during his senior year in high school, if the date on the newspaper was accurate. The headline read: Reid Wins it All! While reading the article, Riley’s arms shook in steadily increasing anger as he read some of Jordan’s stats. It turned out that the gangly kid was a heck of a halfback with more rushing yards than he had passing as a quarterback.

This is bullshit! Riley yelled before ripping the newspaper in half out of fury. You’re telling me a nerd is a better football player than I am?

Well, Jordan said with a quick, almost imperceptible flick of the eyes at Raven. When you have the ability to dodge any free safety and run a 4.1… Jordan shrugged with a small, hidden smile as the rest of the freshmen’s attention was now on the new star of the classroom.

Raven held back a snicker as he saw the range of emotions wash over Riley’s face. He knew that Jordan had successfully shut the hotheaded jock up. Now that that’s settled, Raven said with a pointed look in Riley’s direction. Riley, I hope you learned a valuable lesson today.

Which was? Riley asked, crossing his arms over his chest, now in a sour mood.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, Raven said with a grin. Which is another one of the points of my orientation. Now who wants to be next?

This time several of the teens raised their hands, forcing Raven to have to choose. He didn’t mind. This was what he lived for—the ability to teach and influence in a unique way. Although, he thought, remembering what he had seen in a few of the freshmen, I will have to have a conversation with a few of them after this is all over. Learning is nice, but sometimes it’s best to control what is learned, depending on what the subject matter is. With that thought in mind, he called on Ashley, who was all too eager to make her introduction to the class.

Chapter 2

At the same time

New York, New York. The city that never sleeps, the gateway to America, the Big Apple, the literal melting pot of the world. Home to more than eight million people, and a mass of businesses, organizations, and the like. Home to the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Giants, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and a host of other internationally-known and unknown monuments and fixtures.

Known: The world’s most famous arena in MadisonSquare Garden.

Unknown: The structure the Garden was built to originally protect.

The thing about this world is that, at times, the truth can be hiding in plain sight, and no one would ever know it unless they knew where to look or, better yet, how. Think about it—an arena that massive, that prolific, smack-dab in the middle of Manhattan, built right over perhaps the busiest train station in the world. Manhattan has long been known as an access point in the Americas, just like Jamestown or Plymouth Rock or even old-school New Orleans, but Manhattan saw its advent in the beginning of the mass immigration from the old world to the new.

You see, the old world (Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, to an extent), for a long time has been the center of the world, which meant it was the center of all that was right and wrong with the system over there. When the mass immigration started, in the early 1800s after the War of 1812, it was due to many different events. The Irish had their famine, Great Britain was recovering from a second straight wartime loss to the young United States, and France and Central Europe had to recover from the wrath of Napoleon. There were detrimental things going on that kick-started this immigration, but the catalyst of all of this finds its roots a bit earlier than this, about the same time as the Great Explorers started their expeditions in the New World.

For a long time, Europe was held under the thumb of a singular ruling body; you would know it as the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has had vast power since its rise at the beginning of the Dark Ages, but during the Renaissance, citizens started to question the rule of the Church. No, it was not due to differing religious beliefs, but due to the belief of the separation of church and state. For a long time, the Church had ruled with an iron thumb, using religion to justify their dominance, but in the beginnings of the Renaissance, it met a test to its iron grip in the form of the Illuminati.

Yes, the Illuminati—not the pop-culture version, or the rapper’s Illuminati that is known throughout the world, but the Illuminati. The Illuminati that has warred against Ut Puri since the beginning of civilization, a time when humankind was first starting to grasp its dominion over this world. This was an Illuminati that believed in the values of knowledge and power, life and experience, freedom and tolerance and acceptance. Their values clashed with the Church of the Renaissance era, for this church was unknowingly controlled by this Illuminati’s enemies, the malevolent order known as Ut Puri, the dark order that had risen to power at the beginning of civilization to contend against the Scions, and ever since had stood as an order devoted to erasing the Sovrumano race from the face of the earth. Their goal was to instill their version of New World Order, one which would see Ut Puri as the world’s sole leader.

Despite their lack of supernatural power, Ut Puri had a weapon to use against the Illuminati—religion itself. For all of the Illuminati’s teachings, they themselves clashed with religion but not because they didn’t believe in it. No, it was because the Illuminati believed in tolerance and acceptance for all, in spite of religion, human and Sovrumano alike. However, the’s ability to manipulate ki played against them, with an Ut Puri-controlled church likening the Sovrumano race to demons and heretics, many of whom faced their wrath in the forms of excommunication, public persecution, and ultimately death.

This went on for a thousand years, giving the slogan of this time, the Dark Ages, a sobering meaning for all Sovrumano and their supporters. Ut Puri used their power in the Church to gather the knowledge of the world from all over, stockpiling it for their own use. They thought that by annihilating the Sovrumano, they would reach their self-described paradise. It was the resurgence of the Illuminati in the Renaissance that put a stop to their ambitions, as the people had a thirst for knowledge and learning that had not been quenched, and the common sense to know that killing could never be justified. Ut Puri dealt a blow to the Illuminati by massacring more Sovrumano in this short two-hundred year period than they had in all of history, but by the time of Napoleon, the old world, including the Church’s own pope, had seen enough. With America as a young democratic country that could do nothing but grow and expand, it was seen as a Mecca to the east, and thus started the great immigration.

With that being said, Sovrumano and regular humans alike immigrated to America, and not all were supporters of the Illuminati. Due to the Dark Ages, the Illuminati had adapted a way of overseeing the Sovrumano and the world from the shadows, through the use of their headquarters known as the Church of Illumination. The first Church of Illumination was in Vatican City, surprisingly right under the nose of Ut Puri, but this was due to Rome itself being a central hub in Europe. With the rise of immigration, the Illuminati’s eclectic rulers, the Exemplars, saw fit to build new churches, seven in total, with each being built in a city central to the world stage. To hide these churches, the Illuminati built them using ancient, mystical techniques that had been handed down since the time of the Scions’ stay on Earth. The churches were built

in places that not even Ut Puri would dare to openly attack, lest they wanted the eyes of all the world on them. As for the Church that the Illuminati had built in New York, well, that one was followed up by the one thing America needed on a cosmetic standpoint to