Once there were two worlds that existed side by side each other. One of them was filled with magic, its people could summon powers of nature to aid their needs. The other world was built on physical strength, for they had no means to use magic and instead relied on their own logic and hard work. Though people didn't always understand the ways of the other world, they coexisted peacefully.

An incident caused the magic world to rot and it turned into a wasteland. People were corrupted, their souls taken from them and left as nothing but empty husks. As time passed, they started to mutate into the monsters. Those who were yet to be transformed into monsters by the foul magic combined their forces with people from the other world. Together they managed to create a barrier strong enough to separate their worlds for good. Only small portals were left behind, which couldn't be opened from magic world's side. People who had the magic running in their veins decided to stay in their world, accepting their fate in hopes of stopping the curse from spreading any further.

Mirror World, as it was called later, became a forbidden realm. Magic was a subject of fear, as people were afraid the curse would spread to them if they attempted to use it. The portals were not to be opened, not for a long, long time.

The stories about what happened Mirror World grew old and adapted to many different forms. Soon no one was sure if such place as a Mirror World even existed, not before a young ruler, ambitious by nature and desired to find the source of magic described in the old stories, as such magic could make him the most powerful king that ever lived. He decided to take his chances and opened one of the portals. He was He lead a small expedition into the forbidden realm, only to find a godforsaken land filled with horrifying monsters. No sign of human life. No sign of magic. This was the story he shared when he returned.

However, the king wouldn't want Mirror World go to waste. Instead he started using it as his own prison, as he had witnessed the cruelty of the monsters himself. People about the idea, but in the end only king's word had a real meaning. Murderers were sent to Mirror World to suffer the ultimate sentence. Monsters tore them apart, as king had suspected, but what he didn't know was that the monsters weren't the most deadly aspect of Mirror World. The very magic of it was capable of turning people into shadows of their former selves.

But there was one prisoner who refused to die. His black heart, worn by grief and hardened by cruel fate, couldn't be broken by Mirror World's magic. He struggled to stay alive, yet unlike everyone else he survived. He became a monster, Stillborn.

The magic filled his veins and while it allowed Mirror World to consume him further, he could feel the power that came with it. He managed to become one with Mirror World and claimed its throne for himself. However, his thirst for blood was everything but subsided. He wanted to take revenge on the world that had sentenced him to death - a task he knew he couldn't complete alone.

More were to come. Murderers, maniacs, schemers, madmen... The weak fell easily, their souls were stolen and they were left to wander the realm mindlessly in the bodies of mutated monsters. But there were strong people too, people who, like him, could survive in Mirror World. Stillborn offered them a chance to get their revenge on a world that had turned their backs on them. Most of them agreed. Those who hesitated perished.

One of them was a poor man, driven mad by the loss of his family. He had cursed the whole world for taking what had been so dear to him and sworn that he'd take the joy from others too. His killing spree had barely even started by the time he was captured he was found insane and was sentenced to death. Sorrow and pain had drained his sanity, but his will to live remained. He became Vermin, a mutation of human and fly, and his touch was as poisoned as his mind.

There was a kid, different from the others. He had been beaten by kingsmen twice his size in their drunken state, and in his panic he killed both. People described it as a messy kill. They thought him as a murderer. He tried to hide, but he was sold out eventually. He was dragged into Mirror World, kicking and screaming, betrayed and scared. He wasn't ready to die. His offending hand could steal the very souls of people, forcing them to protect him. Toymaker would never be harmed by others again.

There was an old doctor, man of few words who had had a long and succesful career. He was rich, but cursed by his appearance and an everlasting stench of death stuck to his skin. No women could ever fall desire with the herald of death. But the man was lustful, and his cravings made him do things that could stay in shadows only for so long. He had spent more time with dead than he had with living. He knew the cold touch and the sweet relief like an old friend. Scavenger had never been afraid to die.

The last one to arrive was strong and sturdy, he didn't seem phased by the magic that surrounded him. His heart was cloaked with betrayal. Others seemed to despise him, as he was the only one who had not commited a crime. The will to right the wrong had turned into a complusion. He didn't wish to prove his innocence anymore. Turncoat wanted to see the world suffer.

Stillborn was pleased as his army grew in number and strength. But soon the mirrors fell quiet, and people stopped arriving once more. No more were left to die in Mirror World and Stillborn had a suspicion something was happening. The days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but no more prisoners appeared in their lands. His crew grew anxious. The promises he had made had to be filled or there'd be an uprising. He could see the desperation in all of them, same that had his filled heart; the need for revenge. But for that he'd need to get to the other side.

On the other side of the mirrors, in world that claimed to be the real one, the king had died. His oldest son was crowned as the new king, but he ruled the lands with his beloved wife and, now to be, the queen. She had voiced her concern of the old ways of leaving people in Mirror World. The king had discussed the matter with his inner circle and together they had agreed to let the tradition go.

Many kings and queens passed before humans set foot in the forgotten lands. This time the expedition was lead by __________ Carnell. He was aware of the stories that described humans who were capable of using magic. He wanted to wield the same power, so that history would remember him as the mightiest ruler that ever lived. But the king didn't know what to look for. He sent his men to venture far and wide, but they never saw or found anything that could be described as magic. The king refused to stop. The expeditions would go on, until they'd find and bring magic to their world. What had started out as a curiousity, grew to be an obsession.

Stillborn had had his eyes on the humans. Though eager to kill, the monsters knew better than attacking the humans. They had to keep an eye on the visitors, without exposing themselves. Merely killing the kingsmen wouldn't satisfy their thirst for vengeance. They'd kill the king, leave the land without a leader and watch it fall into chaos.

Stillborn knew he needed eyes on the other side, but he wasn't foolish. Even the smallest monster would be spotted easily among men, but he had a way to disguise his servants. But such magic required souls to work. He ordered their first attack on the humans.

~Story starts from here timeline wise~

Late "medieval", crossbows and all that.

Same as in real life.