“Today, in front of the Alnus Command Headquarters, the formal Empress of the Empire and Queen of the Eastern Swestual Kingdom has officially surrendered to the now Empress of the Saderan Republic, transferring powers and titles. Empress Piña Co Lada accepted the surrender and the two signed the Treaty of Alnus. As the sole survivor that was not sent for trial on Earth, this has become the final step for peace between NATO, Elbe, the Republican Rebels, and the formal Empire.

As part of the peace treaty, Famulis agreed to a long-term peace between their people. The border will become a demilitarized; zone, civilian traders will be allowed. The Eastern Swestual Kingdom will pay an unknown amount of money to help rebuild the economy. It has also established goals of finding alternative ways to expand economic and political ties between the two nations to prevent further conflict.

Following up on the ceremony, questions were asked regarding the new and young Empress and what her plans were. Her response was to have the Senators begin drafting a new Constitution to lay out the future of the new Republic. Current model examples that are being explored are the constitutional monarchy systems of the United Kingdom and Japanese governments.

With the state of the world and how weak the current central government is, the new Republic needs a stronger central leader to help guide and implement the reforms needed for reconstruction. However, the young Empress wants to turn the throne into a figurehead like in the previous two examples, being more of a ceremony or limited leadership role of the nation than an absolute power.” - Free Alnus News

***

--- Library of Elaish ---

Date: August 19th, 2026

Within the lightly lit training chamber, Lelei took a deep breath. She struggled to raise her hand at the target as they felt like string. The air tasted stale as the body tried to consume as much as it could.

“Focus, Lelei,” Frayen ordered as he ignored the sweat that was dripping down his face. “You will not have time to regenerate in the battle to come.”

“I am trying,” Lelei replied.

“Do not try. Just do.”

In front of the blue hair mage was the little green fairy - the god of knowledge. As she will be facing a god in the coming battle it made sense to train against one according to Frayen.

Lelei aimed at her staff and quickly channeled her mana. Between her left hand and the staff an electric energy emerged. To stabilize it, she formed a sphere around it to help manage the intensity of the spell. She then hurled the lightning ball against Elange. The ball exploded upon impact with Elange’s body.

Seeing the impact, Lelei smiled as she was finally happy that the spell finally impacted Elange. To her frustration though, she saw the fairy hover as nothing had happened.

"I see there is improvement in mana output," Elange said. "However, the spell is still not strong enough. Are you sure this will have enough effect though, Frayen?"

"It worked once before," Frayen answered. "Valker and Zufmuut are powerful; Zufmuut though still needs a host to operate in this realm. We must explode that."

"Frayen…, why do I feel so exhausted?" Lelei asked.

"This chamber was designed to add pressure on the mage," Frayen said.

"Why would you do that?"

"To make you stronger. As I said before, it would be best if you learned to be more efficient and quicker with casting. You still spend too much time preparing your spells and relying on others to protect you. You will not be allowed that luxury in an intense battle ahead of you."

"Okay," Lelei said. “Ok I will try again.”

Lelei stared at Elange again. She repeated herself, focusing as much energy into the palm of her hands, using her staff to control the flow of the electric power. She then formed a sphere around the raw point, and once stabilized, she launched the electric energy ball toward Elange.

"Definitely an improvement; however, it is still not strong enough," Elange said. "The sphere did a better job containing all that energy; however, Valker will be able to counter it easily. He will not make the same mistake he did the first time."

Breathing heavily as sweat dripped to the floor, Lelei only stared at the god, feeling defeated.

"Let us try again," Frayen said.

"No," Jaleoa yelled. "Enough for now. She will be of no use to us if she is dead or to hurt to fight."

"I can do it…." Lelei said slowly as she caught her breath.

"She is not an Apostle," Jaleoa said. "She needs a rest. She will not improve if she is half dead."

Frayen stared at the blue-haired girl and then nodded in agreement. "Take some time to rest. Get something to eat. We will try again this evening."

Lelei saw her new boyfriend come to take her away, guiding her out of the training chamber. Looking back, she saw Frayen spoke with Elange regarding something. "I need to train."

"You need to rest,” Jaleoa said. “Lay down for a while and then come get something to eat."

As Jaleoa brought her to a bed, she quickly passed out once she laid on it.

---

After taking a nap for a few hours, Lelei slowly woke up. Sitting up from her bed, she put on her robe and saw the light down the hall. Letting out a long yawning while stretching, she walked down the aisle and saw Jaleoa eating while he read some books.

"Good morning, Jaleoa," Lelei said. "Have you been up long?"

"I think it is the late afternoon, but I honestly have no idea inside this mountain," Jaleoa said.

"That is true." Lelei once inquired about the location of this library when they were teleported. Frayen's only response was that it was inside a mountain far away from Falmart. The exact location he refused to give. Besides pushing on the matter, she accepted that it was an honor to be here.

Smelling food, Lelei looked at the table as she felt her stomach growl.

"Do you want some food?" Jaleoa asked with a smirk.

"Yes, please," Lelei responded, staring at the meal with wide eyes.

"You can have some."

Lelei walked over and tried to take the plate. However, Jaleoa took the plate away. Her eyes grew big as she was upset the meal was taken away. "But… why?"

"Well, I want you to say please first," Jaleoa said.

"But…," Lelei sat down, staring at the plate. "Jaleoa, can I please have the plate?"

Jaleoa sat in his chair, staring at Lelei with a smirk. He pretended to think about what to do before he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, you can." He handed her the plate of food, and she quickly consumed it.

"Why were you being mean?" Lelei asked after filling her belly.

"Because I wanted to see if you would say please," Jaleoa jokingly replied.

"Why did you want me to say please?"

"Because if you did not, then that would mean you would be a spoiled girl," Jaleoa said.

Lelei froze in place, staring at Jaleoa. "You thought I was one of those spoil girls?"

"No, but you kidnapped and brought me here without my permission."

"But…, you did not say no," Lelei quickly replied.

"Regardless," Jaleoa confidently responded. "If you did not say please, I could not give you this. He reached into his bag and pulled out a giant chocolate cupcake with white frosting.

Lelei's eyes were glued to the cupcake, unable to look away. "For me?"

"Ye-." Before Jaleoa could finish saying the simple word, Lelei took the cupcake from his hand and started eating it. "Damn. I guess those guys were right."

"What, guys?"

"The Airborne guys. They said all women love chocolate."

"...maybe…."

"You are welcome," Jaleoa responded with a laugh. "I thought you needed the distraction."

Taking a deep breath, Lelei leaned against the table. "Yeah…, I do not think I can do this."

Jaleoa nodded and leaned back in his chair. "I hate to say this, but I agree."

Shooting a glare, Lelei took another deep breath. "If you think so then it is pointless."

"I did not say it was pointless," Jaleoa said. "

Feeling annoyed, Lelei placed her hand on her forehead. “I am not in the mood for games.”

“I know,” Jaleoa said. “Did I tell you I left the Magic Academy?"

"Yes, I know you are a dropout," Lelei said. "Are you saying I should drop out?"

"Not at all. I dropped out because I was not getting the knowledge I was hoping for. I honestly felt limited, so I left to see the world."

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Lelei looked toward Jaleoa, not understanding the point of what was being said. "You told me this before."

"Then you know I spent a little time with the 101st Airborne. One thing I noticed with them was that no one did anything alone. Everyone chipped in and brought their full strength together."

"Yeah, I know," Lelei said. "It was like that with Vanguard-7. My role was being the mage. That is why I am here, to cover my end."

Jaleoa frowned as he was not pleased with the response. He then asked, "how did you defeat Valker the first time? From what I understood, Frayen helped you."

"Yes, he did,” Lelei said. "At the time I had his head…." She stopped for a moment after realizing how strange that sounded. "Anyway, he guided me on utilizing my skills and gave me a massive power boost. That is what we are trying to do now."

"So, it took two of you to defeat the Phantom Lord, but now that he is a demon god, you want to do it yourself?"

"That… that is not what we are….," Lelei froze as the logic made too much sense for her. "What is your point?"

"I do not understand why you are trying to fight power with power. After everything that has unfolded, I highly doubt Valker will allow you to use the same spells a third time. Even last time you needed a god to buy time and the Americans energy weapons and that only phased him."

Listening to him, Lelei couldn't disagree with his logic. She must assume that Valker will be prepared for her most powerful spell. For the plan to work, she has to overwhelm the Phantom Lord to allow Sharpe to use the Holy Spear.

"It is the only option I know that works," Lelei explained.

"I think there's another way," Jaleoa laid out a scroll. On it is a drawn person with glyphs and movements. "When you were training, I knew there had to be an alternative to stopping him."

As Lelei read the scroll, she realized it was a spell. It showed one mage forming a spell and using it against the other mage. However, the opponent mage is trapped, unable to move or even use magic. "Is that a containment spell?”

"I was thinking, besides going on the offense and trying to overpower a god with brute force, why not just trap him long enough to take him out?"

“I already considered such a spell and assumed Valker would be able to break any containment. He nearly broke through Emroy's barrier, and I do not see a simple containment spell even slowing him down.”

“I know, but remember what Frayen said on why Zufmuut chose Valker?”

“I assume because of his superior physical form? It seems that phantoms can channel the power of a god more efficiently than if Zufmuut hosted someone like us.”

“And?”

“And I assume because he is a phantom. That phasing ability they have. It is the source of Valker strength. That is why Frayen wants us to focus on that, it is his one weakness that we know of.”

“What are you getting at?” Lelei asked. “That is why I am here. As you said, each time we faced him we damaged him with this type of magic and their energy beam weapons.”

“That is my point,” Jaleoa said. “You are fighting punches with punches. You might have damaged him, but you never actually stopped him. He is too strong. And he even senses that he will lose, and he will just disappear.”

Wanting to respond, Lelei stopped herself and reflected on past engagements, realizing that he had a point. “I… I see where you are going with this,” Lelei said.

“I agree with you that this is his weakness,” Jaleoa said. “I think you guys should stop trying to match against him with raw strength, but you contain him to let your friends finish him off. That is the point correct?”

"That… is a good idea," Lelei responded. She looked up at the beautiful young boy with a big smile. "As they say, flip the script. But I do not think I can contain him long enough. As you pointed out, he is a god now."

"How long will it take for your friends to kill the bastard?"

Re-analyzing the scroll she noticed details she missed the first time. From the drawings the contained figure is also a Phantom. She wondered if this was how people in the past captured them, specifically designed around this one ability they have. While reflecting on past engagements, she realized with some modifications with modern knowledge that it could work against him.

If Valker is trapped, only for a moment that should allow Sharpe and Rory to finish him off, assuming the Holy Spear pans out as advertised.

"All Jackson needs is one shot," Lelei said. "Keeping him trapped for a few seconds should be long enough. It also should prevent Valker and Zufmuut from splitting apart."

"It will require a lot of mana and strength," Jaleoa said. "You will only have one shot at this."

"Can you come to help me with training?"

"I have nothing else to do, so, sure. Just tell your father not to kill me. I heard about Rory tricking Selina on that boyfriend prank."

Laughing from the memory, Lelei stood up in high spirits. "You came with me to a magical place thousands of leagues from Alnus. Alone. Trust me, you are already dead when we go home." She watched as his eyes grew large from fear, finding the sight cute. “Do not worry, he is a bear.”

After a quick giggle, she looked back at the scroll and noticed that the image did not use a staff. "Interesting. It seems this spell requires me not to use a staff."

"Why?" Jaleoa asked. "A staff enhances a mage's abilities. Especially more powerful ones"

"It is a rare sign in Uros, however; I have seen mages choosing gloves with orbs on them besides a staff," Lelei answered. "General Pepreos learned how not to use his staff. On Earth, they completely ditch the use of staff or wands and rely on their entire body movements to swiftly cast spells due to how fast and lethal modern weapons are. If used correctly.”

"I should be able to help you with that."

Not expecting another voice, Lelei jumped from fear. Turning around, she saw the green fairy god Elange. "Please do not scare me like that, your Holiness."

"I see," Elange said. "Either way, I was listening to your conversation. Jaleoa, I must say, has an interesting plan and I agree with it. We can practice on me to see if the spell will work. Now please follow me as I think I know what you need."

As the fairy flew down the hall, the two looked at each other and shrugged, and quickly ran down the hall. As they passed bookshelves, torches ignited, showing them the path.

“Why do you think that spell requires two hands?” Lelei asked.

“To help contain the spell,” Elange answered. “Jaleoa is correct, staffs are superior with most spells. However, as you already know nothing is universal and there are always expectations. The amount of concentration needed might require two hands.”

“That is all fine, but pointless?” Jaleoa said. “Rondel does not manufacture many of these hand-staffs. The General probably had his custom ordered and I donut they are high enough quality for what we need.”

"Over the eons, my Apostles have collected key resources and stored them here," Elange said as he flew.

"You must have some powerful relics then," Jaleoa commented. "Maybe we could use some to fight our enemies."

"This place is not a charity for young ones," Elange said. "Everything here has been locked away for a reason. Do not allow the greed of power consume you as the Other Worlders have done."

"Again… with the anti-technology argument," Lelei commented with frustration. "Life in their world has improved so much compared to our world. I saw it with my own eyes. And for the record, they are called Terrans."

Elange started, clearly not impressed. "Until the Other Worlders implode on themselves." he said, ignoring the main difference. "Power brings destruction. Will all their 'technology' be worth it when facing nuclear fire?" He stopped and stared at the young blue girl mage. "They showed you a taste of their power."

Lelei stopped and remembered the utterly dreadful videos she had watched during lunch at the White House of the devastation from the atomic bombs on two Japanese cities at the end of World War 2. Her fear worsened as she dug deeper into the topic, which she learned about the Hydrogen bombs. As well as all the close calls from nuclear apocalypse through war or accidents like the Cuban Missile Crisis.

"And yet, they still have not," Lelei countered. "Eighty years and they are still thriving."

"The youth," Elange commented. "Please compare eighty years against multiple millennia. The gods have been the caretakers longer than you can fathom. With their new power, will they thrive even one millennia? I can say the people of this world will, even if they do not have the means to reach Idos, they will survive the next millennia."

Lelei struggled to respond. The concept of time stretching millions, she could not see. While she has always been impressed by Earth's advancements, she saw Elange point. During her time in Rondel, the age of Elves and Dwarfs was a consent topic as they were seen as ancient, and that was over two thousand years ago. Compared to the God of Knowledge point of view, two millennia is only a blink of an eye.

"I am sorry for disrespecting you," Lelei said.

Elange smiled. “Do not feel bad, young one. I enjoyed the debate. These are interesting times, and these are questions that no one has faced; only the Big Man knows the true path and if that is the path, he wishes all his subjects to follow, we shall. Until then, the only thing we can do is follow the path that has been laid upon us.”

The Big Man, a term Lelei has heard a lot as of late not just from Christianity or Islam but especially from the Earth Gods. Elange explained who he was, the one who saw over all others. He explained how the gods of Earth and Uros were just caretakers who took radically different approaches in life. However, all are still following the Big Man's will. This explanation eventually cemented Lelei’s suspicion for a long time that the Big Man is none other than the Almighty God from the Bible.

Lelei found that news amazing, never realizing how more expansive the cosmos was. To the point even the Terrans have only cracked the door of the secrets of the universe.

Elange flew in front of a bookshelf in the corner and the bookshelf turned bright blue as a barrier was formed. Once secured, the bookshelf lifted, unraveling a small hidden storage chamber behind it. Inside, a pair of gauntlets sitting on a stone, each having a blue crystal embedded in them.

“Are you sure those will do the trick?” Jaleoa asked.

Lelei grabbed the gauntlets and put them on. To her surprise, they fit very comfortably, like they were meant for her.

“Are you sure they will do the trick?” Jaleoa asked.

“That all depends on the user,” Elange explained. “These are the gloves that helped kill Uros, the god of creation.”

“You are kidding?” Lelei asked.

“No,” Elange said. “The stronger the user, the easier it is for that user to control his or her magic and mana. They are meant for an Apostle however; I think you will be able to handle them… thanks to much unique knowledge you have possessed.”

“Like from Earth,” Lelei smirked. Seeing the forced agreement from the god, she said, “then I must train.”

***

--- Tel Megiddo, Armageddon, Jezreel Valley, Israel ---

Date: August 19th, 2026

Taking a step forward, Sharpe gazed out at the valley. He could only think about the history that happened here, which no one knew about.

The valley was green with farmland all around as far as the eyes could see. At the center of the valley was a green hill called Tel Megiddo. On top of Tel are ruined remains, which the professor called Megiddo, the only standout form of the natural beauty surrounding it. The age of the ancient city goes back to the Bronze Age and is nearly three thousand years old. While the ruins had

"We finally made it," Fredo Donini said.

"I cannot believe that this place is supposed to be the end times," Sharpe said. "I was not expecting green."

"What did you expect?" Fredo Donini asked. "An ancient asteroid?"

Sharpe turned to the professor and laughed. "Actually, yes. I thought that was why we brought drills.

Honestly, I expected a wasteland for a place that is supposed to be the beginning of the end. Not the fifty-third state."

"What?"

"You know, Greenland? The giant place of ice up north?"

"I see. They did warn me you were a smartass."

"Better than a dumbass."

"Then why did you join the Army?"

Sharpe stared directly at the professor with a stone-cold reaction. A moment later, he laughed.

The responses from the professor need clarification, Sharpe. On Falmart, Fredo Donini seemed afraid and less secure in that Roman chamber. That was expected as the professor was only 'in-country' for a day and was sent straight to ground zero. While he didn't expect the same fear on this mission as they are on Earth, it seems Fredo was different.

"If I recall, everything is always peaceful before the storm," Fredo Donini said. "Now, what do you think we should do first?"

Confused by the question, Sharpe stared at the professor. "Why are you asking me? You are the expert. Isn't that why you came along?"

"Yes, however, you are the one that had that dream," Fredo Donini said. "You might have an insight that I don't."

Taking a relaxing deep breath, Sharpe looked back at the valley, surveying everything he could. "Well, it is ancient, right? Most likely, there is a hidden chamber down there?"

"That is very generic," Fredo Donini said.

"Well then," Sharpe said. "The place in Sadera was underground, inside a protected temple. Why wouldn't it be the same here? It is a holy weapon, after all."

"It is a good conclusion," Fredo Donini said. "So, where do we start?"

"I was hoping you would know. Isn't that why you are here?"

"I was worried you would have said that. Should we be looking for something unconventional? Maybe related to the dodecahedron?"

"After what we learned from the Roman Chamber under Sadera, I would say that is a good hypothesis," Fredo Donin said. "These ruins have been searched and excavated a thousand times, so it has to be something no one thought of. Looking for a magical marker of some kind or some kind of keyhole is a good start. Something everyone else would overlook."

"Easier said than done," Sharpe said. Looking at the open ruins, he realized it had to be underground. Going on a hair thread, he wished the professor would take more of a lead as this was supposed to be his area of expertise. "Where do we start?"

"I think we should split up," Fredo Donin replied. "Once we go underground, I will take the west side, and you take the south. We will see if we can find any clues and go on from there."

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