The First Fallacy: Chapter 0

1. Where it all begins.

The gates of the city loomed behind them as the two hooded figures stepped onto the stone path, their boots worn from travel, their cloaks heavy with dust.

The city buzzed with life. Market stalls lined the narrow roads, their canopies flapping gently in the evening breeze. Merchants barked offers over one another—silks from the south and iron tools from the north. Children wove through the crowd playfully.

The taller of the two figures kept her head low beneath her hood, her walk steady. Beside her, the younger woman kept pace, a staff strapped across her back and a satchel slung over one shoulder.

“Finally, we are here,” the younger murmured. “The city where it all begins.”

The older woman gave a gentle nod.

They passed a baker handing out flatbread, a tinkerer showing off wind-up toys, and a pair of guards arguing about politics with wine in their fists. Lanterns had begun to flicker to life along the posts, casting golden halos across the gathering dusk.

As they rounded a bend in the cobbled road, the noise of the market softened into a rhythmic beat—a soft and beautiful melody.

They emerged into a wide plaza. A marble fountain stood at its heart, carved into the shape of a knight clad in armor standing atop a dragon, his hand clutching a blue jewel close to his heart.

The young hooded figure stood in silence, admiring the grand and beautiful sight before her. Accompanied by the melody of the harp, the atmosphere felt comfortable and sacred.

People began to gather around the plaza in crowds, young and old alike, drawn by the fine tune of the harp.

At the center of the plaza, a man with a small harp in his hands had climbed atop an upturned crate.

He wore a feathered cap and a cloak embroidered with silver thread, which shimmered faintly as he raised his arms to the gathering crowd.

Street lamps flickered along. The air seemed to lean inward.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you all know the story of our Godking, the founder of this nation,” the bard began, his voice rich and practiced. “You know the fire and the blood—the sacred war that secured humanity’s future from invaders from another world.”

“But have you heard of the tale of the Great Veyloria Tragedy? The fall of humanity’s first bastion against the demons?”

The hooded figures froze.

All ears turned to the bard.

*****

2.The Tale Begins

Nine years ago, on that blue-moon night in the capital of the Magic Kingdom Veyloria, the people celebrated under the open stars. It was the Night of Victory—a festival held to commemorate their triumph over the decennial assault of the demons.

They had secured humanity’s fate for a little more time.

Lanterns floated into the sky like ascending stars. Music filled every courtyard. The silver walls that ringed the kingdom shimmered with enchantments. The city pulsed with joy.

They had won. For now, yes—but they had won.

Veyloria had always been more than a kingdom. It was a seal—a fortress city built atop the gate to the underworld. And for two thousand years, it had held the horrors of the abyss at bay. Behind its silver walls, humanity flourished. Civilization endured.

And then she came.

From the heart of the full moon, the sky split—darkness poured through like spilled ink. And from that void descended a demon.

But not just any demon—it was the demon who had been sealed since the founding of the kingdom, the one who had once wiped out a third of humanity back in the Age of Gods.

They said she looked like a goddess—skin pale as moonlight, violet eyes glowing like twilight stars, and wings painted in the colors of the cosmos.

But don’t be fooled. That beauty was no gift from the heavens—it was a lie. A veil draped over death itself.

And that tail of hers—longer than any serpent’s, coiling endlessly like a cursed ribbon—was no illusion. It marked her for what she truly was: not a queen, not merely a demon, but the end of all things wrapped in silk and shadow.

The Demon Queen appeared in the night sky, her aura flooding the city like a divine curse.

“Ahh... after two thousand years, the night sky is still as beautiful as it was.”

She gazed up at the heavens, a nightmare broken free from her shackles.

As her closed eyes slowly opened, she turned her attention to the vibrant city beneath her.

“These... lights. They really ruin the mood.”

As Lilith spoke, her aura began to spill out across the kingdom.

Everyone in the city felt it—even the King, who rushed up to the highest balcony to witness the disaster in shock.

Lilith descended from the sky, untouched by the kingdom’s strongest wards—barriers meant to stop magic and monsters alike. Her wings spread wide over the Royal Plaza.

“How is this possible? The barriers meant to protect us—strong enough to withstand the greatest magic—she easily bypassed them! My lord, you must find safety,” one of the court mages begged the king.

“Stay calm,” the king declared. “If our barrier was bypassed so easily, do you think there is anywhere in the kingdom we would be safe? Besides, as long as we stay in the castle, no demonkind can ever enter.”

Having already bypassed the barrier, Lilith raised her hand, and a magic circle appeared overhead. A beam of energy shot skyward. The transparent barrier suddenly turned into a gloomy red dome.

“What is this?” the court mage stammered, terrified by the magic he was witnessing. The mana that filled the air instantly felt suffocating. In his nearly fifty years of life, he had never seen or felt something so horrifying.

“That’s an ancient spell that can overwrite other enchantments,” said a voice behind the king.

A beautiful woman approached, sapphire silk robes trailing behind her. A delicate point of an elven ear glimmered beneath her flowing silver hair.

“Luna, I’m glad you are here. Now tell me—is she what we feared?” the king asked.

“Indeed, my lord,” Luna replied as she stepped closer. “My king, you must go. Take cover inside the castle and contact Rina to return now.”

At that moment, Lilith felt the presence of Luna and turned her attention to the castle.

“Oh, Luna—my nemesis and my best friend! It’s been too long!” she called, drifting closer.

“Stay where you are, Lilith!” Luna commanded, raising her staff. “If you come any closer, I will tear your wings off.”

Lilith hesitated, lips curling into a frustrated snarl.

“Your Highness, we must go!” the court mage urged again. The king turned to descend the stairs. Over his shoulder, he whispered, “Luna—you must return to me in one piece.”

As he fled, Luna offered a warm smile.

“Lilith, I don’t know how you broke free of my seal, but you had better stay still so you don’t get hurt when I bind you again.”

As Luna began casting, no spell was formed.

“How could this be?” Luna whispered, confused.

Lilith’s gaze flickered, wary. But then her expression shifted. She smiled—a slow, knowing grin.

“Oh, Luna... What happened? The goddess of magic can’t use spells?” Lilith laughed.

Luna’s breath caught. At that moment, she understood—it wasn’t that she couldn’t cast spells. Her flow of mana had been cut off.

“My dear Luna, haven’t you realized?” Lilith’s voice was soft, mocking. “This kingdom, beneath my dome, is now my domain. I dictate the flow of mana here.”

Lilith gestured upward. “The barrier that once spanned this kingdom is now my prison—just as it once was yours. And you all will finally learn what it feels like to be trapped.”

Her laughter echoed over the rooftops.

Realizing this, Luna quickly backed away to draw some distance. She raised her staff and again recast a binding incantation meant to restrain Lilith. This time, it successfully landed, and Lilith was bound.

However, Luna soon fell to her knees, her body trembling as she gasped for air—for mana.

Bound by the spell, Lilith began to speak. “Haha, to be able to use magic even when the mana flow is restricted… I have severely underestimated you.”

“Restricted or not,” Luna replied, “you forget—mana can also be drawn from one’s soul!”

Luna stood again with the help of her staff. She raised her voice. “As long as I, Luna Roselight, guardian of the Gate of the Underworld, exist—you and your kind will never escape your sins.”

As she began recasting the seal, suddenly the castle trembled.

Losing her footing, Luna fell to the floor, and her magic binding vanished.

Seizing the opportunity, Lilith broke free of Luna’s spell and flew high into the sky.

“It seems like everything is going according to plan!” Lilith grinned.

Luna looked up into the sky.

SⱣⱯwn ؃ HeⱠⱠ

The worst had come.

The gate to the underworld, sealed for two millennia, had been broken.

A gaping void bled across the sky, and from it came nightmares—crawling things with too many eyes, maw-beasts without shape, specters that whispered madness.

The kingdom screamed.

The beasts poured in, desecrating homes, temples, and memory itself. The Silver Walls that were meant to protect them, the magic dome that was supposed to shield them, became a barricade trapping everyone inside.

Hell broke loose.

“At last, we are finally free! My brethren—unleash your desires upon this land!” Lilith’s voice thundered across the kingdom.

—---

3. The King’s Resolve

“Captain Philop, our contact with the outside world has been severed! Not only that—our secret channel connecting to Lady Rina has also been shut off!” one of the guards reported.

“Keep trying until it connects. The Sword Saint must return if we want a chance to save Veyloria!” a knight in shining platinum armor commanded.

Then Philop turned to the king. “Your Highness, Lady Luna is no longer as powerful as she once was. She won’t be able to hold out much longer. We must retreat from the capital.”

“Captain Philop, it’s been almost twenty years since you have served me as my personal guard, and before that we went through wars together as young men. To me, you are more than a personal guard. You are like a brother,” the king said.

Philop did not answer.

The king sighed. “You know I can never abandon the people of this city. We must stay and fulfill our duty as guardians of the gate—to protect humanity from the fiends.”

“I know. It has always been your conviction. My loyalty will always be with you,” Philop said. “The coincidences that happened today strike me as odd. The timing of Rina’s absence, our weakened barrier, Lilith’s freedom—it is almost as if the stars aligned for this tragedy, or someone planned everything beforehand.”

“Your Highness!” a soldier called out, breathless. “As you feared—he has left the city. Witnesses said earlier this evening he was seen rushing out of the Silver Wall with a carriage.”

In that instant, the king slammed his fist onto the table.

Then, silence. The king made no further sound. Philop and the guards exchanged nervous glances. They had never seen their always-calm sovereign lose control.

After a long moment, the king straightened. His eyes, red-rimmed but resolute, turned to his right hand man.

“Philop. All is not lost. Gather the remaining Royal Guards. Take in as many citizens as you can and bring them to the castle. We must protect the people of Veyloria at all costs. We will not let them fall victim to this catastrophe.”

The king’s determination ignited a spark in every heart within the chamber.

Philop smiled faintly and placed a fist to his chest. “Your wish is my command, my king.”

“Philop, you stay behind. I have a very important job for you,” the king said, taking something from his pocket and handing it to him.

“This… this is…” Philop was shocked.

—--------

4.Back Beneath the Night Sky

The Grand Sage of Veyloria stepped forward.

Luna Roselight.

Her robes shimmered with constellations, and her staff crackled with power that lit the sky. As powerful as she had once been—the hero who defeated Lilith—no one alive now was old enough to remember those distant victories.

Now, she faced Lilith alone, with only a fraction of the strength she once commanded, and with the horde of demons gushing out from the void gate.

The events that followed would become legend.

Luna called upon the winds and stars as her allies. Her voice rang out across the sky, weaving incantations mighty and true. She summoned shields of mirrored crystal etched with sigils that shimmered with protective light. From her staff burst chains of lightning that writhed like serpents, striking with thunderous force.

Her spells ravaged the horde of demons—and Lilith herself.

But Lilith met each spell with a cruel, effortless grace. Her wings beat once, and the wind nullified every projectile. Darkness coiled around her fingers like sentient smoke, lashing out to devour Luna’s incantations. The clash of their powers lit the heavens—white and violet, gold and crimson. Buildings cracked under the pressure. Statues shattered. Magic saturated the air like a choking fog.

“To use so much of your soul’s energy, Luna… you won’t exist much longer!” Lilith said as she dodged and countered Luna’s magic.

“And that’s why I’ll have to finish you with this!”

Luna soared into the sky, summoning a solar lance that pierced the storm clouds. She hurled it downward with a cry.

But Lilith caught it in her bare hand and crushed it into sparks.

For every spell Luna cast, Lilith answered with raw, absolute power.

The battle raged for minutes that felt like hours, shaking the heart of the kingdom itself.

Then, Lilith whispered something no mortal could understand.

A vast magic circle bloomed in her palm.

She launched a beam of pure magic at Luna.

The Grand Sage raised her staff to shield herself. The impact cracked the sky itself.

Light swallowed them both.

And then—stillness.

Luna fell.

Her body, wrapped in fading light, plummeted to the heart of the capital—where once there had been song, there was now a crater of silence.

“That was disappointing to see, Luna. It looks like your magic power has been reduced significantly over the years. Seems like you have been using your soul to prolong your life,” Lilith said as she descended from the sky.

The Demon Queen yawned, as if this final resistance had merely bored her.

“I’m disappointed. So disappointed.” Lilith shook her head. “Sigh… it is always sad to say goodbye to a friend.” She pretended to cry. “Now it’s time for me to enact my revenge!”

Suddenly, a bright blue light radiated within Luna’s heart.

“You… You have schemed well, Lilith. It was probably an insider who weakened our defenses and freed you from the seal. And the timing of when Rina was on her secret mission—only a handful of people knew. How did you get him on your side?” Luna asked.

“I know you are stalling for something, but I’m actually curious what else you have left. Very well—I shall entertain you. The person who betrayed you was that half-blood you kept so close.”

“Anyhow, he is also not a demon. I hadn’t much hope for him, but I guess as the mongrel he is, he did quite a good job following the plan.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “I see… it seems the enemy has always been closest to me.” She smiled.

“Very well.” Luna’s heart glowed brighter. “Lilith, I cannot stop you, and for that I will admit my defeat… However…”

A spell activated. A magic clock appeared over Luna.

“With the whole of my soul, I shall cast my final spell. I may not be able to defeat you—but she will.”

A huge surge of energy struck Lilith, rendering her unable to move.

“This—time magic?!” Lilith screamed.

“I shall have you—and the gate of the underworld—frozen in time until Rina returns!” Luna cried, using the last drop of her life force.

“Barrier—restrict life force usage!” Lilith shrieked, shrinking the kingdom’s dome, condensing it around the royal palace.

“It… it is too late… The spell has already been cast…” Luna whispered, smiling as she collapsed onto the floor. Her body began to fade into mana.

“Rina… I leave the rest to you…”

5.The Fall of Veyloria

The bard bowed his head low.

The next day after the disaster, as soon as the news reached Rina, she rushed back without delay.

Yet on her arrival, all she saw was a barren city—survivors left battling monsters still roaming the streets.

With the efforts of the remaining soldiers, mages, and citizens, Rina was able to evacuate all who remained.

Standing atop the Silver Wall, Rina looked down. The monsters were unable to escape the walls—they were trapped within the city. And in the middle stood a giant red dome, enveloping the palace.

She did not yet know what had happened inside—or what was to come.

6.The Tale Begins…

“And so ends the tale of Veyloria—a tragic story of an ancient hero who, in her dying breath, still chose to protect us from hell. Sacrificing herself, she awaited Rina to save us all from the almighty Lilith and her brethren.”

He lifted his gaze slowly, eyes gleaming in the firelight.

“However… what is happening inside the red dome? When will this red dome open again? And what will happen afterward? That… would be another story for another time.”

He gave a deep bow to the audience.

A hush fell over the plaza. No breath, no whisper, no movement.

Then someone clapped.

Then another.

And another.

Until the plaza roared with cheers and praise for the tale.

In the far corner of the plaza, two hooded figures remained still.

The shorter one lifted her head, revealing her face. Her fingers tightened around the wooden shaft of her staff.

“They always end the story there, huh?” she said.

Beside her, the older woman gave no reply. The hood of her cloak shadowed her face, but the flicker of torchlight revealed a glint of something—a green eye, half-lidded and unreadable.

“Elene, it is more comforting to tell a story of hope than a story of despair.” the older woman said quietly.

Elene turned her head, her voice lower now.

“I guess you’re right. If these people knew you—the Sword Saint—were unable to slay Lilith… worse yet, that she escaped… I suppose it would create havoc across the world.”

“Even now, I still feel guilty for that,” Rina replied softly. “But the wound I inflicted on her should still linger for quite some time.”

“We’ll have to slay her before she can cause any more harm.,” Elene said, clutching her staff even tighter.

Rina’s cloak shifted slightly as she leaned forward.

“But before that… we have a more important matter on our hands: resealing the gate to the underworld. We must tend to that first.”

The crowd had begun to quiet again. The bard took a final bow, soaking in the applause. Somewhere, a toast was raised in Luna Roselight’s honor.

Rina turned away, moving slowly. Her steps were practiced but cautious.

Elene followed, her boots tapping lightly over the brickwork.

They slipped from the plaza without a word, blending into the edge of the dispersing crowd and into the quiet streets beyond.

The echoes of applause still rang behind them, but muffled now—like a song fading into memory. Rina kept her gaze forward, her breathing steady. Elene kept pace as always.

The cold night air greeted them. Stars hung overhead, distant and blind.

They walked in silence until the plaza was far behind them. In the dark, only the soft glow of Elene’s staff lit the road.

They stopped in front of a wooden house, a winding path of flowers leading up to its door.

Elene took out her map and smiled faintly—exhausted, but hopeful.

“We’re finally here, Master.”

Rina looked at the quiet house ahead, flowers blooming by its windows. She stepped into the flower field, shrugged off her coat, and lay down in the middle of the blossoms.

“This is where our journey begins.”

She let her eyes close, just for a moment.

“Maybe this time… I won’t fail my duties.”

To be continued……

Author’s comment

Heya, my name is Remedy, the author of the story you’ve just read.

For those of you who read the entire story, thank you so much for taking the time! And to those who are reading from the physical book itself, congratulations on winning this copy!

I hope it was an exciting and interesting enough story that you’ll continue to care and support.

Not gonna lie—I’ve actually changed up this chapter so many times I’ve lost count of how many versions I’ve created. The entire story and setting have been revamped and improved over and over again for the past two years, and this… this is the version I feel is a good start to begin the great adventure.

The First Fallacy is something I envision as a series—a world where multiple characters will have their stories told, forming a grand and great adventure you will never expect, so please look forward to it.

Finally, I must thank Isekai Gacha for giving me the opportunity to write this series. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to share it with all of you.

Follow our social media accounts @isekaigacha and @thefirstfallacy on Instagram for more story releases!

Again, thank you so much for reading the story. See you next time!