The three heroes sat evenly, feeling their backs ache against the uncomfortable chairs. The room filled each of them with a sense of familiarity; it was akin to the classrooms the Trinity had frequented. A place of learning where teachers shaped young minds to prepare for the future.
Jasmine sat on the right, her hands folded neatly in front of her. Peter sat in the middle, his fingers drumming nervously on his desk. Lucy looked around warily, concern etched on her face. The room was bland. The designers went for functionality over gaudiness. In front of them was a black chalkboard with several notes of writing here and there.
Standing before them was scholar Davos, the self-proclaimed imperial Master Scholar. His presence was commanding and stern, despite his dull delivery. He wrote a few lines on the board, meticulously outlining a brief introduction to imperial history. Droning on, the scratching of chalk accompanied his voice, adding to the monotony.
"Master Scholar, may I ask a question?" Jasmine interrupted.
Davos turned to her, and a spark of intrigue glinted in his eyes. "Of course, my dear, you may," He stammered, tripping over his words until he found his verbal footing.
Nodding a few times, Jasmine collected herself. "I would like to ask why the vassal kingdoms could keep their crowns after the unification wars?" Gesturing with her right hand bobbing up and down, her passion for the topic was clear.
Davos nodded a few times, surprised at the astuteness of someone so young. He was thrilled, passion welling up inside. To find a young student with a passion for history was something he craved. Straightening his imperial robe, he collected himself.
"A good question my dear, the answer is simple, the first emperor, may he prosper in the realm of spirits, had no blood claim to the throne of humanity." Volunteering this information without hesitation, his voice was steady and learned.
"He was a minor knight of Sylvan origin, a history he never concealed from the scholars of ages. His right to rule was primarily a decree by the noble spirits." Turning back to his board, he started writing again. He arranged the words Sylvan, Helgos, and Tarkon around the word Judica.
All three heroes tilted their heads at the mention of Sylvan breaking Peter and Lucy out of their daydreaming. Davos turned around to face his students and pointed at the word Sylvan with a sense of pride. "The Kingdom of Sylvan is the birthplace of our glorious founding emperor; he was a knight of the Judica house, minor nobility, and gained his title through the strength of arms and his steadfast devotion to the spirits." He paused for a moment and scanned the room, gauging their interest.
Peter raised his hand. "So, he was some badass knight that conquered the kingdoms." The young man nodded enthusiastically, embracing the image of a powerful hero carving out his kingdom.
The two girls looked at the immature boy with disappointment. Jasmine quickly returned her attention to the lesson. However, a flickering candle drew Lucy's attention. Out of everyone's sight, she tried to control the fire with her mind.
As the young girl continued her attempt to harness her magic, Davos cleared his throat and continued his lesson. "Though I do not know what the term badass represents, you are correct, though conquering all the kingdoms is a tad inaccurate."
Turning back to the board, he pointed to Sylvan with renewed enthusiasm. "The Kingdom of Sylvan lies to the west. It is a kingdom, distributed across several island colonies." Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, he continued.
"Sylvan is rich in sea-born trade and is the first kingdom to be graced patronage by the spirit goddess herself, Lady Aquara. Granting her blessing and sending her children to aid sailors who follow her faith." Pausing for a moment, he turns to his students, allowing the weight of his words to fall upon them. "The induction of the spirit faith into Sylvanian society eventually led to a civil war between the faith and the crown." Leaving his words on that last note, he paused for questions.
Peter was the first to speak, his excitement bubbling over. "Sweet, you mean Aquara, the spirit that blesses me with her awesome powers, is the head of some sort of seafaring religion?" His smile widened, unable to contain himself. He grinned like a child. Davos nodded a little apprehensive. "That is so cool!" The idea thrilled him. His mind shifted to images of raising giant tidal waves and fighting sea monsters.
"So, they fought over religion?" Lucy asked.
Davos nodded, turning to the young student with a sad smile. History was his passion, but sadly he had to accept much of it was brutal. Yet despite these tragedies, the thought of the spirits guiding him renewed his faith.
"In a sense, yes, the spread of the spirit faith threatened the monarchy's control over the kingdom. Several island colonies rebelled in small ways against the anti-religious sentiment of the reigning king." Turning back to the board, he continues his explanation.
"In the end, a civil war broke out between the faithful and the monarch loyalists. The monarchy fell after a decisive battle in the capital city and the king was executed for his many crimes." Drawing his chalk to the board, he wrote a name with a deft hand.
"Sir Willhelm Judica, lead the faith militant to seize the throne and the remaining royal family. Granted the title of Lord Regent, he ruled the Kingdom of Sylvan in place of the last royal heir, Princess Elisa five years old."
Davos continued. "Lord Regent Wilhelm's son set off on a holy pilgrimage to the mainland of Hestia and founded the holy city of Judica." He ended his explanation, letting the weight of his words settle upon them.
Peter and Lucy sat frowning, and Jasmine's face twisted into contemplation. After a few moments of thought, she raised her hand.
"So, from there, Lord Regent Wilhelm expanded the faith to Helgos and Tarkon, unifying them into the current empire?" She inquired.
"Indeed, Wilhelm united the human kingdoms into one empire. The northern Helgosians resisted for a time. Their wizardry was antitheses to the spirit faith, and the newly discovered spiritus art."
He shifted over to the words Helgos and Tarkon. "The Kingdom of Tarkon was embroiled in a bitter conflict with the Lankosian clans. Leaving their western border open for Helgosian attack, this war was resolved when the faith militant aided Tarkon with substantial reinforcements." Leaving that statement hanging, he eyed each, gauging their reactions to the intricate web of alliances and conflicts.
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The two showed mild interest, except for Jasmine, her eyes narrowed in keen interest. "I see, so that means by assisting the Kingdom of Tarkon with the Lankosians. You could secure them as an ally in the conquest of Helgos." Placing her slender fingers on her chin, she contemplated.
A wide grin stretched across the teacher's face. The teacher had a wide grin on his face and delightedly engaged in the back and forth. "Indeed, my dear, that is correct. By assisting the Tarkonian dynasty with foreign threats, the regent secured them as allies."
"The kingdom endured bitterly from the attack on both sides. In the end, they capitulated, becoming a vassal state under the newly established empire." Circling the word Judica, he turned back to his students to gauge their reactions.
They remained quiet; each contemplating various topics. "Then why did the new Empire allow the vassal kingdoms to keep their dynasties?" Jasmine asked.
"A good question, my dear. It was the emperor's intention to preserve the culture of humanity. By allowing the vassal kingdoms to keep their rule in part, humanity could remain diverse." Davos explained with a slight twitch of his eye.
"Do you not agree with the first emperor's decision?" She wondered aloud.
Shrugging his shoulders in a manner unusual for his advanced age, he replied half-heartedly. "The emperor's will, be the will of the spirits. Yet allowing the vassals to keep their crowns has led to discontent over the years. The Helgosian Wizard revolt and subsequent migration across the northern pass. Don't get me started on the Tarkonian king." As he spoke, his tone grew more passionate.
"We are getting off-topic, I am sorry students. We shall turn to the Federation of Demonus." Davos stated firmly, wiping away the letters with a rag and replacing them. "Now the Lankosians are a major faction in the federation and the first race humanity met." Gesturing to the board, he assessed his student's attention.
Clenching his jaw and inhaling a calming breath, he approached the ignorant student and slammed his fist onto Peter's table. Out of reflex, the boy sat up straight. Years of high school had conditioned him to react this way. Davos glared down at him, peering over to Lucy who equally sat up straight. Satisfied, he returned to his board and continued.
"The Realm of Lankos is composed of various Lankosian city-states. From our historical records, the Lankosians were a savage race of bipedal beasts, segregated into many tribes." Speaking as he wrote, he shuffled to the side. "Over the cause of seven hundred years, the tribes of old ceased fighting one another and united, forming the city-state union there is today."
Emboldened by his student's attention, he continued. "The first and oldest of the city-states is Teskamir. It is reported in the historical archives that the entire city began as a trading camp. All merchants were welcome to set up shop and sell their wares." Placing his finger on the board, he shifted to the next one.
"The City of Kormath is another and was founded by Lankosian warlords fleeing the failed invasion of Nemora. They ruled for a time before their own soldiers quickly overthrew them. Kormath has then established a sovereign state, completely pulling out of the war with Tarkon." Shifting to the next word.
"And finally, the Chiefdom of Baru, considered being the centre of political and military power. Baru is a collection of Lankosian tribes united under the High Chief. The tribes of Baru were the main military force in the century-long conflict with Tarkon. They maintain peace and order within the realms and have limited imperial expansion of decades." Ending his explanation, he hurried over to his desk. Opening a draw, he pulled forth a large rolled-up piece of parchment.
Returning to face his students, he laid the parchment across their seats. His action prompted Peter to grab the cup of water, saving it from its potential descent to the floor. Someone wrote the word Hestia in cursive below the detailed map of the entire continent. The landmasses denoted a large continent with three smaller islands to the west.
Placing his finger on the western region, he pointed out the locations of Sylvan, Helgos, Judica, and Tarkon. Sylvan encompassed the western islands and western shore of Hestia. Helgos was in the northwest, at the foot of a vast mountain range. The holy city of Judica was in the centre and the vast plains of Tarkon were to the east.
"Here is the domain of humanity, the Holy Empire of Judica." Tracing his finger further east, he outlined the Federation of Demonus and its member states. "The United Realms of Lankos." His finger maneuvered to the southern region of the map, identifying three cities encompassing the Lankosian realm.
All three nodded, with Peter muttering something to himself. "Sweet getting some lore. This is so epic." His excitement was barely above a whisper, yet Lucy caught it and the two shared a silent bit of camaraderie.
"Continuing to the south-west, we have the Republic of Solaris. Not much is known about them, except for minor rumours from traders that reach that far south. From what we can gather, they are strange creatures, deeply religious and worship the sun." This caused Peter to chuckle loudly, breaking the serious atmosphere.
Finding their gazes a tad oppressive, Peter spoke up meekly. "They must be gamers, probably hardcore Shadow Vitalis players, big sun-worshippers they were." His comment elicited stunned silence, the room momentarily frozen, confusion etched on their faces.
Jasmine glared at him, annoyance clear on her face while Lucy turned back to her candle, unwavering in her attempt to command the fire.
"So, there are similar religions in your world?" He asked, curiosity beaming on his face.
Deciding to cut this short, Jasmine cut in. "Don't listen to him, he is talking about a game. Please continue."
Thoroughly confused, Davos shrugged before continuing. "Well then, if we go north, we have the domains of the wizards and mages. The Wizard State of Ikarus and the Magara Council of Mages. Both are populated by citizens that practise magic and are loosely aligned with the Federation." Glossing over them, he hurried to the central region and pointed at a map marker.
"This is the capital of the federation, the city of Demonus. Once the seat of power for the demons of old, it is now the political base of the federation." Gesturing to the map marker, he outlined the entire territory of the federation in a wide circle encompassing the eastern region.
"It is known that veritable demons still rule there in a limited capacity as both peacekeepers and diplomats of the federation. This information was, of course, not well received by the empire's populace, with many believing it to be rumours or blatant lies." Adding on that comment, he stepped back to assess his students' reactions.
All three remained as they were, displaying remarkably different reactions. Jasmine sat deep in thought, processing the significance of this information. Peter wore an excited expression, his mind racing with the possibilities, while Lucy stared intensely at the flame.
The room was thick with silence. The only sounds were light breathing and flickering candles. Suddenly, flames leapt from the wick, dancing in the air and casting wild shadows on the wall. Lucy shot up from her chair. The visceral reaction to uncontrolled fire overrode the mesmerising nature of the flame.
Peter snapped to the flames, his thoughts a jumble. Instinct took over and before he could even understand what was going on, the container of water he was so enamoured with spilt. With a rush of adrenaline, he willed the water into a shimmering sphere. Without a second thought, he hurled it at the flames. The fire hissed and sputtered, doused by the frigid embrace of ice-cold water.
With the fire extinguished, Jasmine hastily rose, her heart pounded and her fists clenched. Before she could lift a finger, the loud echo of splintering wood resounded. Glancing down, her eyes grew wide at the sight of wood splintering beneath her palms. Deep cracks radiated across the desk like a spider's web.
Strangely, she barely registered any pain or pressure. The wood had splintered and was sharp. It was likely they were stabbing into her palms. Despite that, they were mere whispers against her skin, nothing but a dull pressure.
"That's sufficient for today's students. You may leave," his voice lingered in the air, creating a thick and palpable silence. The only sound was the steady drip of water, droplets falling to the floor.