The SACRAF Universe: Undercroft

 

The Starless Planet and the Devils of the Undercroft

There exists a planet that orbits a grave—its star long gone, extinguished into cosmic silence. Without warmth or light, the surface fell into ruin, and life perished in the open. But beneath the frost and ash, something else endured.

Beneath the shattered remains of an ancient church lies the Undercroft, a vast and forgotten underground layer. There, life did not merely survive—it transformed. Inside this realm dwell beings of eternal existence, known by the color of their skin: red like freshly spilled blood. These are not ordinary creatures. They were once humans, but through a forbidden ritual, they merged their bodies with something else entirely—flesh intertwined with spirit in unnatural ways.

The outcome of the ritual was not evolution, but divergence. These new beings gained heightened senses, sharpened intellects, and formidable regenerative abilities. Age and disease became meaningless to them. Yet, with such gain came devastating cost. They emerged without memory, without moral compass, and without harmony. Their spirits, now dissonant, began their existence in pure selfishness—a hollow pursuit of self amidst an infinite void.

Deprived of light, of peace, and of purpose, these beings succumbed to despair, then to rage. What began as pain spiraled into feral madness. The dissonant spirits inside them boiled with fury, driving them into berserk frenzies. Their singular instinct: to destroy what they perceive as darkness—and to them, everything is darkness.

These creatures are Devils.

They do not roam. They lurk, hidden in giant metallic bells scattered throughout the Undercroft. When movement, warmth, or presence is sensed, they awaken—not with curiosity, but with one terrible intent: to kill.

The bells toll not in warning, but in silence. For in this starless world, where no sun rises, and no hope burns, the Devils dwell, waiting.