Undesirables Prologue

**This piece is the prologue to a short series I hope to hypothetically finish sometime in this lifetime. Hopefully. I apologize for the wait, but hope you enjoy this sneak peek in the meantime! So far this one is just a struggle to get the required amount of words down. Stupid word limit*

Once upon a time, the world was filled with fantastical creatures - mythical and magical all alike. Any creature that could be imagined existed.

In this wonderful time, Centaurs roamed the fields, bow hunting and raising their children, and werewolves stalked the forests by the light of the moons. Sirens lurked in the oceans and enchanted lagoons, and Fae flitted among the trees and toadstools like ghostly whispers of light.

Too many species to be counted lived in the land, and it was a good balance. Dark beings like the vampires and dragons dwelled in the mountains and shadowed forests - while creatures of the light, such as satyrs and elves made their homes in the quiet meadows and near the rolling streams.

Life was content, with only the occasional dispute or distrust.

Among the many creatures that walked the earth was the human.

Mankind had settled in many different locations, with small settlements in canyons and wide open plains and large cities covering mountains like a living, scurrying blanket.

They were an industrial-type being, with a mind of metal and progress and perfection.

It came to pass that mankind grew to outnumber all other creatures - multiplying and spreading and infesting the land until they were required to take land from the other races to feed their livestock and build their homes. Some species, like the nymphs and hulders (gentle spirits, who often appeared as beautiful women with the tail of a cow) gave their land willingly in exchange for peace and shelter - while others wouldn’t go down without a fight. Any creatures who resisted (among the many listed were werewolves, griffins, and elves) were forced to make alliances and fight for their once peaceful home… but ultimately, the humans proved too many and the defending creatures were forced to yield.

By this time, the humans had one singular leader. How he came to power exactly is lost to time, but whispers and grudges of many betrayals were uttered in the dark places, until snuffed out.

He was an angry man, large and intimidating in stature. In his heart he carried a deep hate for all other races - a need to exterminate any differences and crush all imperfections. In his mind, uniqueness was a disease to be eradicated.

So he rallied an army; a great force of men with instructions to go throughout the land and drive out all they encountered. Anyone who resisted was to be slaughtered. Even those who had made an alliance were forced to abandon their homes and face near-certain death in the wilderness, or else die at the sword.

There were a few humans who disagreed with their leader - resistance groups who knew that what their leader was doing was wrong.

But alas, any movements they made against this powerful dictator failed and were erased from history, and the resistance groups were forced into silence.

Many fantastical creatures were forced away or slaughtered.

But not all.

Yes, the creatures were forced from their homes - and many were exterminated. Many a race lost and forgotten... it is truly a sad thing.

But some went into hiding - small groups escaping deep into the earth, wandering to the far corners of the world. Some were even helped by previously mentioned resistance groups.

Mentions and myths spread and dispersed and changed over time, the various groups of beings becoming native legend to whichever place they hid in.

The creatures who went into hiding had to be extremely careful - some, like the elves, could disguise themselves as humans when necessary - but most had to avoid being seen, otherwise endangering other survivors.

This was how man came to fill the earth, through trickery and the slaughter of innocent creatures.

Thousands of years passed, and the human race’s need for perfection and symmetry only grew. They continued to persecute those they deemed lesser than themselves, slavery going in and out of legality. A blind herd mentality was formed; the style of following blindly with what everyone else is doing, not stopping to question what is and isn't right (not the right things, anyways), and any thoughts against this are to be quenched - though some people still recognized that this was wrong. A blessed number who could see through the shields of others and love them no matter what they saw. It is people like these that make this world worthwhile.

For thousands of years the creatures hid, going almost entirely undetected… though, occasionally, a human’s eyes were opened to them - either by their own doing or by a magical creature revealing themselves to them.

Over the many decades, it happened that many a human and creature fell in love - a forbidden, secret, risky relationship that would either end in great love or a tragic separation. Many people who were shown the world of magic became famous for recounting this they'd seen (of fictionalized versions of it), J.R.R Tolkien and Rick Riordan among others.

Now, from these forbidden relationships there often came a child; a twice cursed offspring known commonly as an “Undesirable” - unwanted by humans for being… different, and a constant reminder to the creatures of what the humans had done to them. These poor children are often raised in the modern human world, and if they are lucky enough to never learn of their heritage they may go on to lead normal lives.

Some, however, were targeted too strongly and were forced (or left by choice) to live in the wilderness, forming small groups - or, Divisions - of tight knit Undesirables struggling to come to terms with life.

The age of magic is long over, with literature and remembrance going out of style, and the few remaining creatures struggle to survive in secrecy... now the only question that remains is: will fantasy and light be rediscovered, or will it be choked out? And if it is... how long will it be until our world crumbles, too?