The Demon, after an endless journey across the barren wasteland from the south, came upon the Golden City Sirius. As he approached it, he was blinded by its magnificence, its splendor, its purity. Not a single ounce of sin existed in this city, and that drew the ire of the Demon.

  For in the wasteland, there was nothing but sin. A darkness that had swept the continent and drove them into madness. Men lying with other men, women lying with women, and both lying with animals; their depravity knew no bounds. So, when The Gods looked upon their creation, they abandoned it. For what they saw before them was failure.

  Man was corrupt.

  Man was sinful.

  Man was not perfect.

  Though man was made in the image of the gods, they were flawed to their cores. For when provoked with temptation, they could not deny it; they would revert to the animalistic state and give in to their carnal urges. Although the gods had granted man intelligence, they chose their own desires over the potential of knowledge. The gods looked upon their creation, and wept.

  For eons, man lay in filth. Hunting, fornicating, birthing, and repeating the process over and over again. Every step they took towards enlightenment, they took three steps backwards into the abyss. Finally, though, a beacon shone through the night and finally brought man in to the light.

  The city of Sirius was born. Just like humans came into existence by the wills of the gods, so did this golden city. Birthed from the minds of the greatest mankind had to offer, there was finally hope that the gods would one day return to this land, and once again bless their children.

  Sirius was the epitome of art, culture, commerce, and political power. Every feat that man could achieve was made possible in this perfect city. With this golden age, came the age of purity and capitalism. In the likeness of the gods, man blessed the world with their teachings and innovation. From the pits of despair, humankind jumped out and reached the precipice of greatness. But, with every golden light, comes a shadow.

  "Magnificent city", he wept in despair and cried out.

  “This blinding city will be no more. Man shall once again give in to their innermost desires!”

  The Demon exited Sirius to never look back, but that single day would impact the rest of history to come.

  On the day he left Sirius, the Demon birthed the Black City, Tabathia.

  Whereas Sirius stood for all that was holy and just, Tabathia stood for all that was wretched and depraved. Public Fornication and nudity. Black arts that attempted to tread where the gods once walked. Sin as far as the eye can see. There was no freedom of commerce, but rather complete and utter control by the Demon. He stole from the lands surrounding the Black City and fed and housed the masses with his stolen plunder. All the citizens of the Black City struggled to earn a wage, for they all lived in Hedonism.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  It didn’t take long for word to spread that this great city now existed. A place where ones innermost desires could come true. Where one need not work and learn and strive for a future, for it is merely handed to you. One where sexual obscenities were as commonplace as prayer and thus the collapse of Sirius began.

  For a golden beacon it once was, was now nothing more than a broken city that proved yet again man could not rise above their innermost desires. That their animalistic needs would always rear its ugly head, no matter how hard one must fight it.

  In order to ensure that the legacy of Tabathia continued adinfinitum, the Demon gifted his harem enormous power. Twenty one individuals were raised above the rest, and he declared them the Major Arcana. With the Demon and The Major Arcana, Tabathia’s future was secured. For now.

  One dark day, a child was abandoned on the streets of Sirius. With no home and no shelter, he sought solace in the old gods. He sought out their grace, their guidance, and their blessings. There was no answer. No matter how much he threw himself at their mercy, there was no response. But, this child did not lose faith.

  He was a child of enlightenment. Raised on the teachings of the old gods, and blessed with the enriched culture of Sirius, he truly was a pure child. Schooled in the ways of commerce, and taught the language of sin, he knew how to perfectly walk through the world. Just as sin came to shadow Sirius, so did it shadow his family. They quickly abandoned their child to live in depravity in the city of Tabathia. Although he had nothing left, he refused to betray his belief in the old gods.

  Striking out on his own journey, this child traveled the world sharing the wisdom of the gods. Many listened, only a few heard. The shadow of the Demon was vast, but he refused to give up. He would shine light in the darkest corners and expose them for what they truly were, corrupt.

  After becoming a man, he slowly began to lose faith in humanity. Perhaps, he wondered, humans were not better than their fellow animals. Perhaps they truly only could live in sin. Perhaps they could not be saved. Alas, he had to know for sure.

  Slowly, he approached the titanic gates of Tabathia. He raised his fist, and knocked.

  Silence.

  He took a step back and raised his gaze to the man who sat upon the gate, it was The Tower.

  “No man of god shall step foot upon the soil of Tabathia. Only chaos shall reign.”

  “If the Demon is so proud, he would come out and confront me. If he holds so much faith in his belief, he will defend them. If he truly believes he is righteous, he will speak to me. Only then can I know for sure.” The man responded, raising his hand again to knock for a second time.

  Silence.

  The Tower looked down from his pedestal and laughed. The laughter echoed from one corner of the world to the other. With this single gesture, the entire world was now watching. And waiting.

  “If The Demon dare defy the gods, why won’t he have the courage to defend his beliefs? Why won’t he have the virtue to stand fast and speak his truth? Why won’t he have the humanity to confront me?”

  “Who are you to demand such from a leader of a free city? Who are you to question the leader of a free people? Who are you to demand that one who sacrifices so much throw his life on the pyre for the gods? Who are you?” The Tower boomed.

  The man would not sway though, for he knew he was right. He knew his convictions were true. He knew what he believed. With the world watching, he raised his hand one more time and knocked.

  Silence.

  Silence.

  Silence.

  The Demon never answered, but the gods heard. As the ground began to rumble, a ray of light broke through the stormy clouds and lit up the man. The gods were watching.

  The ground opened up, and just like a monster, swallowed the black city. Though it was too large for even the Earth to swallow, leaving behind only ruins and rubble.

  “We see you. We hear you. Go forth our Saint and spread the word. Spread the word, and we shall return.” The gods voice swept across the wind and landed on the Saint’s ears. He would go forward and spread their word so that one day humans could once again be blessed with the presence of the gods.