Origin[]
When the Creator shaped the multiple universes of his Grand Design, he also left them in charge of individuals that would later be known as Gods. In the first realm – the world of Genesis – one God in particular created the Arashi, a triumvirate of uniquely powerful and divine beings, to maintain the peace and balance of all creation.
Much about the origin of the Arashi is shrouded in mystery. It is unknown whether the creation of the Arashi predates mankind, and by extension, Yahweh himself. What is known however is their functions as sentinels should anything threaten to either destroy or corrupt the essence of Genesis, and their unparalleled ability to crush any such opposition.
Prophecy[]
"A sacrifice of blood is what it demands, for the cleanse of it’s world. The Gate is prepared! The evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall He walk amongst the innocent, and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth. The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell. It is the harbinger of Its return and It shall send forth it’s terror into all the realms. Everything… Shall die. In seven days the world was made; when the time comes, there shall be seven days of peace before the world comes undone."
- -Veran, The First Aspect
The prophecy was first introduced to Amoura Ethelia in her realm of origin by the Arashi Veran, preceding the events that would nearly destroy the entirety of the Grand Design. Only later would its meaning be clear once she set foot upon Genesis and discover the Downward Spiral and the deadly function it served as a gateway to every dimension in existence. Over the course of many years, the prophecy would be repeated to a number of people, each of whom would draw their own conclusions as to its meaning. This inevitably led many to action, often against one another, in an effort to berate and hopefully halt the prophecy from coming to pass. The infighting only further stirred the imbalance, propelling the Arashi into eventually manifesting and laying siege to the inhabitants of Genesis.
Interpretation[]
Devil May Cry[]
Veran was regarded as an enigmatic demon upon appearing after the fall of Mundus. The prophecy was immediately seen as a prelude to the opening of a hellgate on and invasion by demonic forces. Due to this never coming to pass, the manifestation of Veran and his prophecy were largely considered an isolated incident and forgotten. Only years later when the Council of Legion revealed itself would the suspicion of a connection between the two events come to fruition. The theory would never concretize itself before the whole of Devil May Cry – along with a few members of the Council itself – would be thrown into the realm of Genesis.
Second Prophecy[]
"The war amongst the celestial kingdom shall not be contained; the sons of man shall be engulfed in the flood of conflict, and all hope shall be lost unto them. Fate shall make war upon the heavens, and the heavens shall gird themselves as for battle. The righteous shall fall upon the wicked... and lay siege to the very gates of the house of the Creator. It shall take peace from mankind and loose great destruction upon the world.
Lux, Umbra, Vita, Mors, Concordia, Chaos… At last the storm surges forth from the holy lands, and the hand of destruction reaches out to undo the workings of the creator. The tides of judgment surge – ready to smash down upon the shores of the mortal world – to drown the guilty and the innocent alike. The Arashi shall mete out his vengeance upon all flesh, and blood shall run as great torrents. Deus Mortis. Spiritus illius producit Mortem. Deus Exitii. Tenebrae illius devorant omnia. In palma Creatoris proelium aeternum prodit. Progenies Belli… Corpus incensum tuum fluctuat in mari inanitatis. Creare rem Ultimam. Deletrix Omnium. Scitote finem Vestrum fieri in prece sola mortuorum. A wanderer will pass through the ancient lands, trailing chaos in his wake. The realms will be reunited and the mortal world will tremble before them. The beast shall be upon the earth, and it shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, tread it down, and break it in pieces.’’
- -Aper, The Will
Powers[]
True to their purpose as guardians of balance, the actual extent of each Arashi’s power is incalculable; however each has proven capable of untold destruction. Notably each Arashi also display a different array of abilities to combat what they deem to be the fundamental nature of corruption on Genesis. It is interesting to note that despite their purpose and strength, the Arashi abide fervently to the rules of their own prophecy, which dictates that only one body of the triumvirate may exist at any given time. This is proven when Miracle uses Emmanuel’s light to siphon Aper’s energy and make the Arashi manifest itself through her – which subsequently forced Veran into hiding until prophecy could be resumed. Once the prophecy is fufilled however, this rule is lifted since the Arashi no longer have a set role upon the arrival of the End.
The Three[]
Veran[]
‘‘All of the beauty and horror of infinity bow before that which cannot be named – for I am that which is not.’’
Veran the First Aspect was the first Arashi to set foot into the world – propelling the Prophecy in motion and infecting Amoura Ethelia with the Waking Nightmare. As the primordial Arashi, Veran serves as the messenger and prophet of the triumvirate, carving a trail of blood and fire in declaration of the coming end. Through the events leading up to the manifestation of Eos, Veran is constantly viewed as an antagonistic and murderous figure – sometimes even in higher regards than the two other Arashi despite his function as a herald. This is largely due to Veran being the cause of the Waking Nightmare and the power he wielded over reality to gruesome effect in Crystal City following the failure of his brother. Taking over Aper’s function, Veran relentlessly pursues Amoura Ethelia across multiple realms to prevent her from attaining the Shroud.
Aper[]
‘‘Balance… You shift it with your presence here, your existence.’’
Aper the Will was the second Arashi to awaken and the first to set appear on Genesis when the realms began to merge. As the divine hand of the triumvirate, Aper was the first Arashi to set itself on a path of destruction. Abiding by the rules of the Prophecy, Aper sought the holy city of Aircano – which acted as a sanctuary for the refugees of other realms - to kill the off-worlders and purify Genesis of the threat of the End before eventually destroying the Downward Spiral. He is however confronted by a number of heroes who attempt to stop him in vain until the sorceress Maricul decides to use her power to shatter the dimension beyond repair. This forced the Arashi to shed the physical body containing his infinite power and cause an explosion to contain and block the entry to the portals surrounding Aircano. As a result the Arashi’s divine mission was thwarted, though at the cost of the destruction of a countless number of realms as Aper’s energy consumed them – killing trillions. The energy continues to burn in the sky of Genesis above the continent of Jherra, creating a second sun that was later christened Emmanuel.
Eos[]
Little is known about the final Arashi beyond that it is possibly the most powerful and dangerous of the three. Amoura nearly died simply from having a vision of Eos, in turn discovering that unlike Aper and Veran who look distinctively male the End appears to be female.
Eos has yet to make an appearance.