The years passed peacefully. People worked the land, raised their families and lived their lives contentedly. But as the years ambled by, those in power began to argue. First, they quarreled over minor issues, but as their hunger for power grew, so did their fights.

As the magic-wielders quietly chose sides in the growing dispute, they began to work on weapons of destruction. Those weapons evolved by way of magic into a frightening group of beasts known as Espers. The coming of the Espers was the beginning of the end.

Battle lines were drawn, and the masters of magic faced off. The contentious forces pitted Esper against Esper in battles that tested magic and violently ripped the world apart.

Caught in the middle of the power struggle were the people. The fighting first crept then raced across the country, leaving burned buildings and devastated families in its wake. Soon, the entire land lay blackened and smoldering, the grim result of a power struggle gone mad.

Finally, with Espers destroyed and the people slaughtered, three of the magi looked on the devastation caused by their petty jealousies. They realized that magic was too powerful and too dangerous. The three used the last of their energy to summon all magic, then they retreated to a remote cave and turned themselves into stone, sealing the magic away with them forever. As the three magi hoped, magic disappeared from the world, and the great war, which became known as the War of the Magi, faded into history. Few people spoke of magic, and Espers were mentioned only in legends that many claimed were fictional.

As time passed, the people lived peacefully, learned much about machines and studied technology. Centuries later, living with advancements made possible by science, not magic, few believed that magic had ever existed at all.

But then there were the Espers. Although no one had actually seen the strange beings, rumors about their existence persisted. Was it possible that Espers had survived the War of the Magi?

During the peaceful time that followed the War of the Magi, a handful of kings ruled small realms with fair and even hands, and the people wanted for nothing. Most were satisfied. But some were not. A few greedy, power-thirsty and disgruntled men emerged with plans to take over the world, bit by bit. The force that was to become known as the Empire was first led by Gestahl, who ruled with an iron fist. His generals were loyal, and the soldiers they trained swore allegiance to the Empire. Dissention was not allowed.