The Qilin are one of the Nine Great Races. Yet unlike many of the other great races, who dominate, suppress, and plunder weaker races, the Qilin are different. They are among the few great races that actively support the minor races — such as High Humans, High Elves, and others — often acting as their protectors rather than their overlords.
In appearance, a Qilin resembles a majestic fusion of deer and dragon. Their bodies are covered in scales whose colours vary according to their elemental affinity. They possess dragon-like heads, crowned with two massive stag-like horns. Every Qilin is born with innate affinities for Fate and Luck, alongside their elemental attribute.
Long ago, the universe itself entrusted them with a sacred duty — to guard the River of Fate.
At that moment, several Qilin guardians stationed near the river suddenly sensed something unusual. Their gazes instinctively turned toward the River of Fate. A faint ripple had appeared upon its surface. Slowly, the disturbance spread, evolving into subtle tremors that began affecting not only the river but the entire dimension surrounding it.
It had started the moment Aether began his awakening.
The dimension containing the River of Fate was considered one of the most stable in the universe. Even if thousands of divine beings from other Great Races attacked together, they would not be able to leave the slightest dent in its spatial fabric.
Yet now, an unknown anomaly had emerged.
The entire dimension trembled. Massive waves rose within the River of Fate, crashing violently against one another as if colossal creatures were struggling to ascend toward the heavens.
The Qilin commander, present since the beginning, initially suspected that intruders from other Great Races had somehow infiltrated the Dimension of Fate. However, he quickly dismissed the idea — such a feat was impossible. Only the Qilin, and those personally permitted by them, could enter this sacred dimension.
Turning to one of his guards, he ordered,
"Inform the Elder immediately."
But before the guard could take even a single step, an ancient voice — heavy with the vicissitudes of time — echoed from behind them.
"No need. I am already here."
An old man appeared before them.
His weathered face carried the wisdom of someone who had survived countless battles and hardships, each etched line a silent testament to the burdens he had borne and the resilience he had forged. Such experiences had given him a perspective that set him apart from others of his kind. His name was Ravin, known across the great races as the Omniscient One, a title not only reflecting his unparalleled mastery over the Laws of Fate but also the insight and tempered judgment that years of struggle had imparted.
Without another word, Ravin approached the river and sat down to meditate, extending his consciousness toward the Laws of Fate. As his connection deepened, his awareness was abruptly pulled toward an unknown point in the future.
Ravin suddenly found himself standing upon a vast battlefield.
Countless races were locked in brutal war. Legions of dragons and demons clashed fiercely, while opposing them were beings that resembled angels — though Ravin could clearly sense they were something else entirely.
Before he could study them further, a thunderous explosion shook the battlefield. In the distant sky, a colossal pillar of multicoloured light erupted upward.
As Ravin turned toward it, his breath caught.
A lone figure hovered high in the heavens, bathed in radiant colours — yet his body remained shrouded in impenetrable darkness, as though even light feared to touch him.
Behind the being spread twenty-four majestic wings, half black and half white, radiating an overwhelming aura. From his head rose stag-like horns, and resting above them was a crown that seemed forged from both heaven and hell themselves.
Ravin could not look away.
Then the being slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met for a single instant.
Boom.
An unimaginable pressure descended upon Ravin, crushing him to the ground as though the weight of the world itself had fallen upon him.
Ravin's consciousness snapped back to reality.
He opened his eyes abruptly, fear lingering within them as uneven breaths escaped his lips. Turning toward the commander, his voice grew grave:
"Inform the Patriarch… and our allies among the other races to prepare for war. The one we have awaited for centuries has finally appeared. With his arrival, the great era of rebellion and conflict is about to begin."
Having spoken those words, Ravin turned away.
And in the next instant —
He vanished from their sight.