Prologue: Gods, Lords and Warriors:
  Chapter V: The Renaissance
  
In addition to laying down their arms, the WCA also began to encourage the use of archaic weaponry rather than energy weapons for when combat was inevitable. Behemoths and nuclear weapons were disarmed and stored away in unknown locations. Ballistic weaponry was still popular, but no more technological advancements were being made for warfare and many nations invested in the Elves' reusable sources of energy. Also restrictions were placed on the use of Magic. Only those with proper authorization were permitted to manipulate spiritual energy. This revisited way of life was seen as a rebirth of the world and has been dubbed "The Renaissance”. The Technocrats were not pleased however and chose to focus on new ways of achieving their goals without damaging the planet.

Due to the restriction on the use of M-Energy set by the WCA, the world was at a standstill for technological advancement. For around 500 years, very few scientific improvements were made not related to Mana. In the year 572, Celtic elves made an astonishing discovery. The Elves always believed there was only one stream of life for the planet, but, in fact, there were two. The first was dubbed Arda, which was the stream all people knew about and had studied for ages. The second was referred to as the S.O.U.L., which stands for Stream of Ulterior Life. Celtic Elves believed that, while Arda flowed through every living being and the planet itself, connecting everything together, the SOUL was each person's individual form of Arda, influencing their thoughts and feelings and acted as their life energy. They also believed that, although Arda and the SOUL were connected to one another, only the SOUL was used for magic. This was thought to be the reason for Magi suffering so much strain after the use of Magic.

In addition to these discoveries, several powerful magi also began to repair the damage caused to the atmosphere. Although the process is extremely long and is believed to potentially require several centuries before it is restored, some areas of the planet can now see a familiar blue sky.

With the discovery of the SOUL, conflicts between the Technocrats and the WCA began to reappear. The Technocrats believed the discovery of the SOUL was proof that Magic was the cause of the massive earthquake that ended the Great War. On the other hand, the WCA felt the separation between Arda and the SOUL would somehow be the solution to their growing problems with M-Energy. These clashing ideals inevitably lead to another war.

However, this new war was not on as grand a scale as the Great War. So few people were interested in it, most of the armies were comprised of mercenaries. Because battles had degenerated into simple skirmishes between platoons, and most cities took weeks to capture, the war was mainly fought in darkness. Assassination, deception, and manipulation of the populous through propaganda replaced the once great sieges found in history books. Many people even began opposing the WCA in their own states and several underground organizations were formed.

Though most of these associations remained hidden from fear of being eradicated, some didn't. Numerous bombings and shootouts occurred. These groups began to adopt military and espionage tactics and became somewhat superior to the army. As a result, the WCA established the Metropolitan Protection Task Force. As the name implies, it was originally meant as a means of civil protection. However, over the years, as the terrorists (the name used by the WCA to identify these rebels) gained more ground and respect, the MPTF evolved into a military organization, eventually replacing the regular army. Many of their battles were never known to the public. The WCA used the media to cover their obvious decline in power. As a result, these "freedom-fighters", as they called themselves, received little to no support from the public and many disbanded. Despite this, a few of these groups survived and continued opposing both the Technocrats and WCA, hoping the corruption will someday end. To this day, this secret war is still being fought on all fronts.

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