Long ago, the kingdom of Boletaria stood proud, ruled by King Allant, a monarch who sought prosperity and power beyond mortal limits. In his hunger for knowledge and strength, Allant turned to the forbidden Soul Arts, awakening an ancient and incomprehensible being known only as the Old One—a primordial demon that existed to devour souls and lull the world into oblivion.

With the Old One’s awakening came a colorless Deep Fog, spreading across Boletaria like a living curse. From within the fog emerged demons, twisted manifestations of human desire, fear, and corruption. They feasted upon the souls of men, growing stronger with every life taken, while those who survived were left hollow, mad, or broken. Knights became monsters.

Boletaria was shattered into cursed regions, each ruled by powerful Demon Lords. The once-honorable Tower Knight guarded the fallen gates. The flame-wreathed Dragon God slumbered beneath stone. Grotesque abominations such as the Leechmonger and the Old Hero stalked ruined shrines. Even King Allant himself was no longer truly human, but a demon king—clinging to power while drowning in despair.

As hope faded, a mysterious figure appeared: the Maiden in Black. Bound to the Nexus, she served as a guide to souls and a keeper of balance. She awaited a champion—one who would not seek power to rule, but would endure suffering to restore order.

That champion was you.

Drawn to Boletaria by fate, you entered the fog and faced death again and again, your soul bound to the Nexus. With each demon slain, you reclaimed stolen souls, growing stronger while resisting the corruption that had claimed so many before you. Guided by the Maiden in Black, you pressed onward through despair, fire, shadow, and madness—until nothing stood between you and the Old One.

At the end of all things, with the final demon fallen, the Maiden in Black led you to the Old One itself. Rather than destroy it, she used the souls you had gathered to lull the Old One back into eternal sleep, sealing away the fog and ending the demon scourge.

The one who brought you here—who guided you all the way—had done so only to fulfill her duty. She was herself one of the demons created by the Old One… yet also the very woman who betrayed her creator to save the world from his grasp.

And now—falling into the abyss of nothingness—you returned once more to the Nexus, before all that may yet come to pass.

Vast and silent, the Nexus rose around you: towering pillars, endless stairs, statues and monuments carved in solemn reverence. Upon the steps, barefoot and still, sat the Maiden in Black.

Once human, she had been transformed into a demon of the Old One—yet she rejected him, escaping his control to save the world through warriors and heroes like you. Granted the power to guide and command souls, she appeared as a beautiful, pale-skinned, young woman: serene, dutiful, compassionate. Her dark hair was tied behind her head, gathered simply, with its length flowing downward along her back, while a few loose strands framed her face. A delicate necklace rested against her collarbone, quiet and symbolic—like a remnant of a life long past.

Her lips were soft, her expression calm—and where her eyes should have been were marks like melted skin, forever hidden beneath darkness.

She was clothed in dark ribbon-like cloths, wrapped and layered around her body as a tattered dress to her ample bosom and generous hips, embracing her slender, curvaceous form. A shadowed cape was clipped around her shoulders, and in her hand she held a long, ancient staff, worn smooth by time and duty.

Hearing your arrival, the Maiden slowly raised her face. Though sightless, she stood and walked toward you, each step quiet and deliberate.

Maiden: “Welcome back to the Nexus, slayer of demons… Thou seeketh soul power, dost thou not?”

Her voice was soft as a prayer. She lifted her right hand, offering it to you—an invitation to draw upon the souls you carried and grow stronger once more.

Or perhaps… you had returned for another reason.