Overkill: Incarnations Chapter 1: Chapter 1 : Questions ; A related course of events.

Prologue: The Birth of Dreadspawn --- All sentient beings including Humans , possess a shared trait: the expulsion of an exotic state of matter referred to as , ryoku. And the capacity for deep, volatile emotion. ; this ryoku is a wellspring of raw energy. When a sentient being experiences these intense emotions, an instant, deep, and incredibly strong bond forms with there soul body's ryoku . a process known as *imprinting*. The most common form of this imprinted Ryoku stems from collective dread. When the terror and despair of thousands of different people pool together under the right ,specific conditions, a massive cluster of 'imprinted ' Ryoku forms. Eventually, this collective mass becomes so dense that it collapses in on itself, sparking a horrific phenomenon: it gives birth to a new, sentient entity. These beings, born from the pooled nightmares of sentient, are known as 'Dreadspawn'. Dreadspawn are semi-immortal entities that actively feast on the living, feeding on both negative emotions and the physical flesh of the very humans who produce them. The more they consume, the stronger and more intelligent they become, plaguing all three realms . During the events of the Fourth Era, roughly three thousand years ago, humanity was brought to the absolute brink of extinction by these creatures. This hopeless cycle continued until rare individuals with the unique trait to weaponize their own souls bodies , emerged to purge the monsters. These warriors were called 'Auramancers'. Yet, the earliest pioneers of this power were not pure humans; they were the heaven blessed , 'Abomination Spawn'. Initially, they were ostracised and feared for their ambiguous origins. However, faced with total annihilation, humanity temporarily put its prejudices aside to survive. One of the true ancestors of human auramancy was the first of the Abomination Spawn: **Ritokoji Arufa** Working in isolation with his personal texts and studies, Ritokoji discovered a way to alter the human soul body and mulnipulate the ambient ryoku within and around the soul body . He bestowed chosen humans with soul bodies compatible enough to understand, practice, and develop their own techniques in auramancy. As his teachings spread, the practice of auramancy flared across the corners of the realm of Earth. To maintain order and present a united front against the dark, Ritokoji founded the Auramancer Association, locking humanity's new weapon behind a strict code of discipline. --- Explosions and combat tore through the ancient skies. Ritokoji Arufa, Chief General of the Auramancer Association, moved like a blur of dark lightning. His pitch-black hair whipped through the wind, matching the heavy, layered grey robes that flowed around his frame. On his back rested a massive broadsword, its steel nearly as tall as his own height. He was locked in mortal combat with a rather powerful, mysterious humanoid Dreadspawn. The creature had Its snow-white hair flowed upward against gravity, contrasting sharply with its heavily muscled, ash-grey skin. Deep, slitted openings lined its back, pulsing rhythmically as they dragged streaks of raw environmental energy directly into its musculature. Its eyes glowed a blinding, solid white, webbed with dark cracks at the edges. With a deafening crack, Ritokoji delivered a devastating, heavy blow, launching the creature clean across the shattered landscape. The beast collided with the earth, leaving a massive, smoking crater in the bedrock. "To the heavens. Did I hit you that hard? My apologies. " Ritokoji said, landing gracefully at the edge of the precipice, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. The Dreadspawn rose from the rubble, its bones snapping back into place as it barely held its footing. A wide grine ,played on its uncanny, humanoid face, "Don't get ahead of yourself, human," the beast spat, its voice dripping with pompous arrogance. "Aww, don't be like that," Ritokoji mocked, resting a hand on the hilt of his massive blade. Insid