In the centuries since the first demonic invasions, Earth's borders had changed many times.
Countries had lost provinces, joined their neighbours, or disappeared altogether. Some of the kingdoms that now occupied entire stretches of a continent had begun as little more than fortified cities sheltering people who had nowhere else to go.
Some of the old geographical names survived more easily. Europe, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica remained familiar enough. Finding an old country on a modern map was another matter.
Aether had changed what made a territory valuable. A quiet valley could become the centre of a dispute after rich deposits were discovered beneath it. A forest that once supplied timber might become too dangerous to enter without Hunters. Towns grew around training grounds, mines, and places where the energy was unusually abundant.
Rifts complicated everything.
