Prologue: War On The Horizon.

Prologue: War On The Horizon.

In the year 3240 of the unified calendar, the following words were prophesied by the Seers of Seraven:

From centuries of slumber, the elements four,

Shall rise from the depths, and claim their lore,

Their power unrivaled, their fury unbound,

Consuming the radiance, without a sound.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

The legions of plenty shall fall to their might,

Their screams of anguish drowned out in the fight,

They all shall perish, their blood on the ground,

A sacrifice in vain, as chaos, abounds.

Albert was nervous, a feeling he had not experienced in decades of diplomatic service. He stood before the grand hall, hands clenched at his sides, his thoughts were plagued with apprehensions. It was not often that he found himself in such a state, but today was different. He could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, the future of his country hanging in the balance.

He began to pace, his footsteps echoing across the deserted plaza. Oh, he was aware that this was not a good look, that he was supposed to present a steady and confident front to the world in this time of crisis. But he could not help himself. He felt like a storm was brewing within him, a tempest of fear and uncertainty. He had to do something, anything, to calm his nerves.

With a deep breath and an effort of will, he stopped his legs and closed his eyes. His mind at once went to thoughts of his home, his family, and the people he had sworn to serve and protect. But before he could immerse himself in the comfortable feeling of home and duty, he was interrupted by the melodious ringing of the grand bell, signaling the arrival of another foreign dignitary for tonight's event.

His thoughts involuntarily returned to reality, forcing him to confront his current situation. He was stuck in Tradespire, the great merchant city, the jewel of the union. He had once felt nothing but pride at being able to represent his people in such an important place. But today, he could feel none of that pride, only the suffocating pressure of an uncertain future. He tried to focus on his breathing, one forcibly calm breath at a time. Slowly but surely, he felt the storm within him abate.

Lara looked at him, her eyes meeting his with a steady gaze. "It's not that I know something you don't, Albert," she said, her voice turning quiet and serious. "The difference between us is that I have been biding my time for decades, centuries even. I do not fear what is to come, I long for it. Life or death, victory or defeat, none of it matters as long as Ill have my vengeance."

Albert was taken aback by the raw hatred that radiated from Lara's every word and the fire that burned in her eyes. It was no secret why she held such a deep-seated loathing for the empire, not after what had happened to her sister. Still, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease upon hearing her disregard for her own country's safety. In the end, her personality flaws mattered little, as Albert knew that she was still his strongest ally. So, he held his tongue and nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, Lara turned to him with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. "Did you hear anything from the beastkin? I heard they crowned a leader" she asked.

Albert could only shake his head in disappointment. "I don't think they'll be joining us. As per usual, their new king was killed not two weeks into his reign. They're too busy fighting amongst themselves to care about anything else."

The spark in Laras eyes dimmed, and she turned her gaze back to the crowd. "It's a shame," she said, her voice tinged with regret. "I would have loved to see the empire's reaction when the nomadic hordes of the half-beasts came crashing down on their cities. I fought against them once in my youth, you know? It was terrifying. I still get goosebumps thinking about the ground shaking beneath the hooves of their Warbeasts."

Albert nodded. His own battle experience was limited. Lara's words, however, carried the weight of experience, honed by years on the front lines. The silence that fell between them only served to amplify Albert's growing unease. In an effort to distract himself, he spoke up. "Do you think the other nations will take the prophecy seriously this time? I mean, they have to, right? The Seer's words leave little to the imagination, this offensive will be the largest since the Great Western Expansion. I can't imagine anyone ignoring something like that."

Lara turned to him again, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and resignation. "I fear that the people are capable of far greater ignorance than you give them credit for. Even though every nation in the alliance knows that if our two countries fall, they will be next. I believe that despite knowing that, they will send us the bare minimum if anything at all. You see, Albert, over my centuries of life, there was one pattern I was able to observe over and over again: We humans made a habit out of ignoring problems until they become too big to solve."

Albert knew that Lara's words held a ring of truth to them. The other nations would likely wait and observe the empire's next move, gauging the level of danger before committing their own resources. However, the empire's war machine had been running nonstop for decades, gathering strength and Albert couldn't shake the fear that it would be too late by the time they acted.

He had to marvel at the empire's ability to produce new Mages at an alarming rate. It was as if they had hidden breeding pits where the four great families produced their mages. It was a well-known fact that the empire used its mages almost exclusively for war, rather than to improve the lives of its citizens. Though it was a potent strategy in terms of military effectiveness, it was one that would inadvertently push the entire continent toward destruction.

Albert was just about to reply to Lara's statement when the ancient bells above the city hall rang out, signaling that all the expected parties for tonight's meeting had arrived in the city. He exchanged a glance with Lara as they made their way toward the entrance of the meeting room.

"You shouldnt be too worried about the meeting," Lara said, her voice steady and confident. "Equinox is strong, and so is Invocatia. Our two nations have stood against the empire for centuries now, back to back, unflinching. And as it was in the past, so it will be in the future."

Albert couldn't help but be heartened by the conviction in Lara's tone, but the voice in the back of his mind that told him they would fail this time was not so easily silenced. "And what if we don't?" he asked, as he reached the door just one step behind Lara.

She looked back over her shoulder and smirked at him before answering, "Then I will see you in the afterlife, old man."

Without waiting for a response, Lara entered the very chambers that might decide the future of both their countries, her spine straight and her head held high.