DARK HISTORY: AN ACADEMIC DISCOURSE
Prologue by Yakk Wakk Onimott, Lecturer in Dark History

Autumn Equinox, CC 2001

As the autumn winds whispered through the air, I found myself on the cusp of my sixtieth year, a time when one can neither conform to current trends nor ignite new ones. I had resigned myself to the melancholy thought that I might pass from this world without substantiating the existence of the so-called “Dark History.” However, reinvigorated by my faith in the methods of empirical archaeology, I embarked on what I believed would be my final excavation.

It was in the immediate aftermath of this decision that I infiltrated a particular corner of the Mountain Cycles in the Amelia continent (details of which I must keep confidential). My target lay beyond the caverns A through F, collectively known as the “Library” among researchers. I set my sights on the unexplored depths below Cavern A, technically referred to as “A-dash.”

To the rational mind, this endeavor might have seemed foolhardy. But for a man who had already secured all he needed for this lifetime, what better use for my remaining assets than to pour them into this excavation? And so, I did just that.

Two years later, I obtained a document of impeccable form. However, having weathered over two millennia, it demanded more than five years of painstaking restoration and decryption. An additional two years were required to render it into modern language and compile it into book form.

Even in our current era, publishing anything related to the Dark History remains a surefire way to tarnish one’s social standing, as my esteemed readers are undoubtedly aware. Securing collaborators for publication necessitated yet another herculean effort from my aging body.

At long last, this tome is ready to see the light of day, to be unveiled to the world at large.

The unearthed text takes the form of an encyclopedic volume, authored by none other than Minaka Junkers, an assistant professor at the Riah branch of the Earth Federation Comprehensive University—an ivory tower frequented by the elite of that era. This fact alone is nothing short of astounding. It would be more accurate to say that three millennia ago, a young researcher holding the position of assistant professor at a comprehensive university had compiled an encyclopedia detailing the military systems of two opposing factions: the Earth Federation government Forces and the Principality of Zeon Forces. What a stark contrast to our present day, where public servants cannot pen even general books without the express permission of their liege!

Moreover, this work doesn’t confine itself to military matters but extends its reach to encompass entire organizational structures, a breadth of vision that left me awestruck. It was through this that we gained the conviction that the fragments spoken of in the Dark History were, without a doubt, real ancient history. This book, therefore, can be understood as an exegesis of the “primal history” narrated in the Dark History.

The credibility of individual entries can be verified by cross-referencing related items; the absence of contradictions serves as proof of their authenticity. Even by the standards of that time, one can only imagine the meticulous verification process undertaken by the editor, Minaka Junkers.

To compile such a comprehensive document of contemporary facts must have required over two years of direct labor, preceded by at least a decade spent gathering the vast array of necessary materials. It’s a testament to the fruits of diligent academic labor, even in an era of scientific and technological advancement surpassing our own.

This volume provides ample evidence to overturn the common notion that the Dark History were mere occult fabrications, definitively proving them to be historical fact. If there’s any shortcoming, it’s perhaps an overemphasis on general military matters.

In the field of history, it’s often said that only what’s recorded in documentary sources constitutes fact, and history is merely the aggregation of these facts. However, true history encompasses folklore and ethnology as well. To consider only written or electrically recorded (akin to phonograph records) materials as historical proof is a grave error.

History is the accumulation of human experiences and the sum of our collective body heat. We must collect the unrecorded common knowledge and use it as a foundation for constructing history. This is the perspective lacking among academics, who, in their pursuit of pure scholarship, often allow their work to be politically exploited—a reality that researchers should candidly acknowledge.

I reiterate: the everyday objects and customs so commonplace to people of a given era rarely find their way into historical records. Consider our current knowledge: in homes with radios, families gathering to listen to evening programs is a natural part of daily life. Yet, such facts are unlikely to be documented in historical sources.
Historical studies based solely on records of events tend to list surface-level facts in order of politics, economics, and major incidents, leaving the lives of ordinary people obscure.

Folklore studies attempt to reconstruct a vivid social history by examining how ordinary people of an era lived, positing that historical events emerged from this backdrop. Empirical archaeology complements this research.

We believe that artifacts buried underground can provide insights into the texture of daily life, offering elements to construct a living history. Yet, this field remains marginalized by mainstream historical studies.

It was this philosophy that fueled my passion for excavating the Mountain Cycle. The fruit of that labor is the discovery of this book.

From my perspective, the main issue with Minaka Junkers’ viewpoint is the absence of folkloric, indigenous descriptions. Given the young scholar’s capabilities, conducting ethnological surveys should not have been impossible. The question of why this wasn’t done might very well point to the root cause of humanity’s self-destruction in the ancient space age.

I speculate that an obsession with science led to the escalation of cosmic warfare, or perhaps the loss of vitality in everyday life, subsumed by scientific technology, transformed Earth into an environment inhospitable to human habitation.

History speaks of a time when a global-scale war occurred, expanding the battlefield not just across Earth but into space itself. It’s said that even the moon housed massive military bases, with gigantic mechanical humanoids fighting on opposing sides.

The “main history” section of the Dark History describes it thus, and I, Onimott, managed to decipher parts of it in my younger years. My ability to decode ancient English then allowed me to easily navigate through Minaka Junkers’ document this time, leading me to the firm belief that this encyclopedia corresponds to the “prehistory” within the “main history” of the Dark History.

Of course, when we speak of the “prehistory” within the “main history,” there are various archaeological findings, and it’s not yet determined which are correct. However, we can confidently state that this encyclopedia, centered around the term “One Year War,” and employing what we might call the Minaka Method, represents a comprehensive compilation of what could be termed the “prologue to the prehistory of the main history in the Dark History.”

Naturally, future generations will need to decipher the “middle” and “later” histories, cross-referencing and revising as necessary. This task falls to those who come after me.
So why, despite the occurrence of such a monumental event as a war that extended into space, did we consign it to the “Dark History” instead of addressing it in mainstream historical studies?

History, as recorded, often reflects the political expediency of the ruling regime. But beyond that, humans, as animals, instinctively avoid recording things that are disadvantageous to themselves and tend to forget traumatic experiences. People rarely document things that could be detrimental to them, even in personal diaries. And even when they do, there’s a psychological tendency to self-justify; barring confession, one seldom speaks of their own sins.

At the level of “official history” as we know it, people wanted to believe that the painful events described in the Dark History never actually happened. The ancient human history must have been marked by events so catastrophic that people were reluctant to record them.

As a result, the ancients suffered wounds far more grievous than we can imagine. The generation that carried these memories exerted great effort to forget this ancient history, and our ancestors subsequently relegated it to the status of “Dark History.”

This is my hypothesis.

Viewed in this light, the existence of the Dark History becomes clear, as does the function of “official history.”

Our ancestors, who began recording official history, made a conscious decision to write a history that wouldn’t plunge future generations into despair. Thus, our history became one of progress, painting a bright future for humanity.

This is why we came to use the term “Correct Century” in our chronology.

With this understanding, even the ancient history of the Amelia continent and the chaotic history of Gallia become comprehensible.

Our current official history is, in fact, a fabrication.

However, this falsehood stems from a benevolent impulse, intended to ensure that we build an unblemished future. That’s why our history is written to depict the construction of perpetual peace and a history of electricity as an infinite energy source. It presents a historical view of human history as peaceful and prosperous, with electricity in use for two thousand years.

Yet, if the Dark History are factual, we can imagine a highly advanced humanity, possessing extremely sophisticated organizations, complex thought processes, and overwhelming scientific technology (imagine, electrical power animating mechanical humanoids!), active across Earth and into space as far as the Moon.

However, these advanced technologies and organizations eventually rendered Earth uninhabitable. Imagining this scenario, it’s only natural that humanity would want to forget such a harrowing past.

That’s why they decided to stop writing about ancient space wars in official history and instead chose to depict a world of myths.
This encyclopedia has proven that the Dark History, once dismissed as occult, were indeed factual. Simultaneously, for me, it has validated the effectiveness of excavation archaeology.

Moving forward, I hope readers will emerge who can interpret the “facts of the Dark History” from the perspectives of empirical folklore studies and excavation archaeology. We believe we’ve nurtured an understanding that we’ve overcome the trauma from our ancient history. Thus, I can assert with confidence that even when confronted with the truth, we will no longer despair.