The Dream Code: Yume no Kodo [Light Novel] Vol. 3 – Page 13

Page 13

The Kuro Civilization

Thirty-seven hundred years ago, in the cave of a distant mountain, there lived a human civilization that had become corrupt beyond measure. Their tyranny was a constant, oppressive force, a doom they inflicted upon their neighboring lands. When a great king, Harmeigan, and his army passed through, a desperate plea for aid reached him from a land suffering under the Kuros’ oppression. These were the Kuros, a people who emerged from their deep caves only during the summer months. They would descend, wreaking havoc, hunting, consuming, and gathering before retreating back into the mountain’s embrace to fall into a four-month slumber during the winter.

It was during one such winter, after the Kuros had retreated into their subterranean domain in that distant mountain, that King Harmeigan, a ruler of immense resolve, acted. He commanded the construction of a colossal, heavy metal wall, sealing the entrance to their cave completely, trapping the slumbering Kuros within. It was then that Harmeigan cast a profound curse upon them, a condemnation born of their utter corruption, transforming the human civilization into the monstrous, gorilla-like beasts the world now knew.

Since that day, the Kuros had been forced to dig deeper, establishing their own civilization beneath the earth. Denied weapons and trapped by the unyielding mountain, their escape was impossible. Yet, their hatred for humanity, for being imprisoned and forced to live in such numbers underground, festered. They carved images of their tormentors onto cave walls, passing down generations of pure, unadulterated hate, fueled by a singular, unwavering promise: they would escape, no matter the cost, and destroy all humans.

The curse King Harmeigan had cast was intended as the ultimate punishment for their depravity. It could only be wielded against a people deemed the most corrupt on Earth. For millennia, they remained sealed away. The breaking point came with the followers of Aanza. When the last of Master Genryu’s valiant, pure-hearted soldiers fell, slain by Aanza’s black magic-wielding devotees, the final act of supreme wickedness occurred. This act of ultimate corruption served as the trigger for the ancient curse. It gathered strength, resonating with the Kuros’ long-dormant rage, and violently shattered the great metal wall that had held them captive.

The Kuros erupted, their primal fury unleashed. Aanza himself was struck down by the beam of light that came down, and Genryu, with the last of his pure followers, found refuge in their newly established base. But the task of purification was far from complete. The world was still rife with Aanza’s wicked human followers. The Kuros, now free, easily exploited the technological advancements of Genryu’s civilization. They commandeered the swift ships designed for war, reaching every corner of the globe. With most of Genryu’s military might already expended against Aanza, humanity was left with few weapons. The wicked followers of Aanza, stripped of their dark master’s power, began to fall like sheep. Only the most wicked and cunning of them, those who had foresight and ruthlessness, managed to survive by hiding in their bunkers, awaiting an opportunity to be free again.