Fuko P.O.V.
SWISH!
The head was sent flying in a beautifully executed bloody arc.
‘My new weapon is magnificent. Full control is elusive.’
This was our 40th kill, 40 influential nobles, merchants, artisans and politicians of the Kotar kingdom.
“We need to leave within the hour; security was far more competent than expected. Corin!”
She went ahead and placed the mark on the target’s body. A glowing phoenix on the severed neck, we were announcing to the world that Malgrun was on a hunt.
“Brute force the vault. Take whatever valuables you can.” I indicated.
“This noble has a sealed ring. Definitively a powerhouse’s work, we cannot unseal it.” Corin alerted me.
“Valuable enough to seal not enough to self-destruct. Sell the temporal ring in the black market, use your connections. Make sure it gets far away from here.”
“Will do, there will be plenty of clients overseas.” She put the ring away in her special pouch.
A shadow came in through the window of the abode.
“Ethola, shouldn’t you be scouting our next target?” I asked.
“Communication from the Duke, sir.” I received the sealed parchment.
I read its contents, the magical paper dissolved. The group was waiting for my orders.
“We will continue as we have planned. Once we are done with our current targets, we will head to Zunar. Corin, use your arts, time to contact our brethren. Let’s find the adepts and worshippers first.”
I threw one of my rings to my subordinate.
“Blitz, go to my father, use my ring, ask for our liaison to the hierarchy if we have any. Tell them I need specific information crystalinks with their chosen targets. Make sure they are encrypted.”
“Yes, sir.” He answered.
“From here on out, everybody prepares properly, you hear? We are going to pay a visit to the Andurin.”
The wicked laughs erupted around me.
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Shakam P.O.V.
“Everything ready, Vites?”
My Seneschal nodded and pointed me towards the small podium ahead, outside the grand balcony of our main state building. I was surrounded by many artifacts and behind me, the entourage of the forces I represented today.
‘Sages, kotari, politicians, financiers, knights, mages and two of my sons. Not too insalubrious for the occasion if I say so myself.’
The main plaza of our capital seemed small with the packed audience for today. I could oversee, more than two hundred thousand souls gathered in the street spaces below. The grand buildings representing our government, the opulent private businesses of wealthy nobles, the master stonework of our commemorative statues all shining impeccably in concert with the sunlight.
‘People in this world imitate the shadow factions too closely. Most walk with some form of hooded cloak, and too many with imitations of the real thing. Only the easterners avoid imitating the cultivators. Curious thing, the cultures of the world.’
Three loud thuds from the royal scepter later, I made my appearance.
Wearing my most regal garments I waved to the crowd. The cheers weren’t far behind.
“The King will speak! Subjects of Kotar, salute!” The Steward was very loud with his magnifying artifact.
Most of the crowd gave me the hand cross over the shoulder military salute. The cheers turned into whispers.
“Eyes and ears of all, far and wide harken unto me. I, Shakam Ryel come baring extremely delicate matters.” The crowd quieted to the point that a baby crying in the distance could be heard.
“We have been formally accused of inciting conflict with the Kingdom of the Eternal Moon. Elite kotarian knights lay dead in Malgrunian lands without burial, rooting.”
The images of the bodies in a state of putrefaction were displayed in the several tens of large floating mirrors around the plaza. In the crowd, many shrieked, others gasped, but none were left unaffected.
“So, it’s true?!” “Oh, great Will!” “King, king, what’s the meaning of this?”
Many shouts, exasperation, worry, fear…many feelings clearly upon the sleeves of the present.
“Furthermore, many noblemen, government officials, artifact traders, merchants of our beloved kingdom have recently died in different foreign lands under the knife of the hunters of the phoenix.”
Images, pictures and crystal recordings played with full vibrancy through the floating mirrors the grotesque state of the decapitated bodies bearing the mark of the glowing phoenix in some part of their physiques.
“I know even here, there are accidents. A boy, a news delivery boy died caught in the scuffle caused by these cowardly attacks. What does that tell you? They are on the warpath. The intent is evident. Foreign dignitaries, kingdoms, nations, factions and forces listen to me now!”
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The creaking of a small carriage wheel was heard. People were even afraid of breathing too loudly.
“Choose carefully what you will do, how you will do it and with whom you choose to entangle under the cover of night. We will remember, Kotar always remembers. Ilgyar, King of the Eternal Moon, there is still time, it is not too late to settle matters with reason. If I didn’t know you better, Ilgyar I would say that you want this blood, you need this blood. The cup of trembling that lies in your hand is about to spill over. Have you no power? Is it all inevitable? If it is then the moon that you cherish so much might crash upon your head.”
‘That’s it, let my words simmer. Let it think in, you cowardly twig.’
I looked straight into the transmission device that was sending the magic signal to all places in the continent.
“Is this enough for dramatic emphasis, a penchant for flair?” I gave a mocking gesticulation towards myself.
“Let me be clear, come to the negotiating table, livelihoods, futures, memories, resources are all at stake here and more… far more than I can say. But if you must have your war then your blood will not flow like a river or like an ocean but as the ancient flood. Your beasts will feed with your cores upon your altars. We killed Zoer, your High Priest under your very noses! Do not think that we don’t know what you are up to!”
The plaza turned still like a graveyard for a couple of minutes. Then it exploded with activity among the gathered crowd, heavy murmurs everywhere.
“We are kotarian and we will not be manipulated by the likes of you. We are free and we will fight to the death before that ever changes! Our people, our kingdom, our ways are unnegotiable! And as their King, I call for peace by agreement with the heirs of the phoenix or we will feast with those fire imbued feathers and have peace with the pieces of your corpses.”
The energy within me synergized with all the mages, sages, kotari and awakened that surrounded the plaza via the hidden Sagecraft. The energy enveloped everyone present. I shouted with all my soul in remembrance of all the kings that came before me. It reached way past the outskirts of Lemuria.
“FOR KOOOTAAAR!”
The earth rumbled, the plaza shook. The crowd erupted in a furious chant, there was no need to influence them. Choice, the first precept.
“Kotar! Kotar! Kotar! Kotar! Kotar! Kotar! Kotar!”
The crowd began singing ‘Road to Lemuria’, the song that birthed the kingdom.
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Ikrei P.O.V.
“And thus, war begins with a song and it will end with the wailing of the phoenix.” Lord Sarkan declared it with great certainty.
The mirror artifact that allowed us to view the king’s proclamation deactivated. The pearls transmitting the image stopped emitting their energy. The class was in an uproar. Many were singing as well.
‘This is one song; I’ll have to learn in the proper tongue. I wish I had my memories back already!’
Lord Sarkan motioned for the class to quiet down.
“Starting tomorrow, most of you are to head out into Zunar to further your training. All preparations have been accounted for, what it is in your slate of activities is also part of your testing. Don’t share your mission objectives with anyone outside of the assigned parties, follow your personalized instructions.” Lord Sarkan was definitively glaring at us, the troublemaker group.
“Now begins your final cycle before most of you take your Kotari trials, the period will last for approximatively four months. Be back for every day of Ioƛl. Let’s talk—”
“SECRETS OF THE WORLD!” Most of the clash finished the sentence for the sage.
The fire of expectancy was in the eyes of all present. We now understood, the seals, the wards, the protections and the war. This was serious business.
Lord Sarkan chuckled consecutively. He pointed his index finger to where the Dogran guy was sitting.
“And not even you know of what you are about to hear. All factions have their deep secrets; this is one of ours. Never underestimate the Andurin again, empyrean blood.” Lord Sarkan’s sly smile reflected the light in the class.
Krigsain was the only one impassive this time.
‘Muscle mass knows! I knew it, my bet might pay off eventually!’
“We discussed deviators last time. In short, things happen due to the meddling of the gods that one cannot prevent. Even with all our precautions, we know there are rats around. There are very few ways someone can get one over us when we are all on the case. The method used this time has to do with one of the gods most unique and powerful ability.” Sarkan paused letting people digest his words.
Everybody was on edge besides Krigsain.
‘Tell us old man, come on!’
“Who are the known gods? Anyone?” Our golden haired teacher asked.
“Malgrun for the Eternal Moon, Zur for Orlum, the Will for Kotar, Falam for the Empire. There are many minor spirits or lesser gods after that. Is this good?” Iru answered.
‘I guess he is trying to score points since he got hammered last class.’
“There is another, the god of the cultivators. They of course mostly don’t recognize its existence; he or she or it has only appeared to few. Few in comparative terms, there are more than a million cultivators that we know of. We call him the Hidden God or the Hidden Hand.”
The class began talking amongst themselves. Puri and I just looked at each other. Another god to us wasn’t something astonishing. After a few minutes, Sarkan resumed talking.
“What a god can do or not do in the different planes varies depending on factors that you will only learn if you become sages and even then it will not be whole of the matter. What would you say if you could change anything you want about your life?
“Like learning that ancient mystic art from your ancestors that was taken from you because you lacked talent?” Lord Sarkan was looking at a guy I didn’t know, the guy gulped hard.
“Or prevent the deaths of your parents?” Our expressive teacher was looking at me.
‘What?! What did you just say?!’
“Putting it simply, not just alter time within an area for a set period but reverse the flow of time entirely on a single lifeform. Turn back the clock of an entire world. And the chosen lifeform gets to remember everything that transpired before he or she or it died. Wouldn’t you change many outcomes in your lives if you could?”
The class went nuts. Even the Dogran guy was shocked, mouth agape.
“One of the reasons the eastern kingdoms stand to this very day is because… well, how can you defeat an enemy that knows your every move before the battle starts? That’s why the empire has failed miserably several times.” Lord Sarkan was fixated on the Dogran guy.
“Consider this our true repayment for your allegiance Isoray, you can take this knowledge with you back to the empire when you fulfill the conditions you are aware of. Do you still think we are not up to par, Child of Mana?” Sarkan’s smirk was intentional.
Dogran guy was frozen, like those cheap popsicles I used to buy near Andara forest.
“As I said before, I tell you all these things because you need them to survive. Today we will talk about these enemies and how to counter them. As you know by now, your artifacts don’t work fully in this room. Memorize everything, it will save your life. You will be facing them in this war. It is forbidden to speak about this outside this very room and to any other being other than Lord Tanin, Lord Akathos, the Claimere or me during the war. Not even other elders, be wary of impersonation. The penalty for disobeying this order is soul manipulation and death. You won’t be able to return for many lives if you do.”
“URAN LIEN FARLON DES GLAOH!” Lord Sarkan chanted making several hand sigils.
The magic pearls that were giving to us as communication devices bursted forth, many of them from our temporal rings.
‘I should say, THEIR temporal rings, since Sarkan is in control.’
I turned to look towards the source of all these problems. Krigsain evaded me. Puri was scared. The pressure in the room made everyone unable to breathe.
Floating in front of us, they dissolved an entered our chests in the form of a blood droplet. Yes, even inside the beloved ones.
“Urgh!” “Ah!” “Ouch!” “What!” Many voices were heard.
“We will get you new communication beads, do not worry. DO NOT DISOBEY OUR ORDERS. Until you are Kotari, the elders of this castle are your ONLY law. One last time, do not talk to anyone about today outside of us, SURVIVE THE WAR.”
‘Fuck me, secrets of the world. The Andurin are monsters, monsters I say!’
“Then my Sachears, let’s talk extensively about the phenomenon known as Regressors.”