Albert stood before the grand hall, hands clenched at his sides and his thoughts 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.
When he opened his eyes, he felt like he had regained a measure of control. He was ready to face what lay ahead. Or at least, that was what Albert had thought, but he was proven wrong the very next moment. The chatter of two passing merchants drifted on the wind in a way that made it impossible for Albert not to overhear.
"...No, it clearly said that the light of Lux and the legions of Cradle are going to fall! I don't think we should do any more trade runs after the war has started, it is just not worth the risk..."
Albert glared in the direction the two merchants had left in. It was just his luck that those two had been talking about the prophecy that he had worked so hard to banish from his thoughts. Involuntarily, his mind remembered the words of the Seer, words that had been plaguing his mind for the last couple of days.
This dark reminder of the bleak future ahead unnerved the diplomat once again, and he was about to start pacing again. And just as he was about to take his first step forward, someone called out to him, interrupting his thoughts.
"You don't look well, Albert. Everything alright?" The speaker was a woman with eyes that shone like the sun. Her blonde locks cascaded down her shoulders, accentuating her generous figure. Compared to his elderly appearance and graying hair, she appeared as nothing more than a girl, but Albert knew better. He knew that the woman before him was much older than him and that her Light Magic had claimed the lives of thousands on the battlefield.
He gave her a respectful nod, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Lara Sonnenstrahl, as always, a pleasure." She dismissed his formality with a wave of her hand and Albert relaxed. They had been acquaintances for years, and the informality between them was a sign of their long-standing friendship. Their two countries had also been the strongest of allies, united in their quest to stop the ever-encroaching danger of the empire of Arkanheim.
Lara and Albert stood side by side, their eyes scanning the plaza before them. Other diplomats and interested parties were slowly gathering. The weight of the impending war hung heavy in the air, and both knew that their countries were the ones in the most danger of falling to the empire.
Albert couldn't help but marvel at Lara's stoic composure. She stood tall and unyielding, a beacon of strength in the face of adversity. He was aware of her reputation, she had more military merits than any other commander in her home country of Equinox. People even joked that the light of her Magic was so blinding, that the grim reaper always flinched when looking at her. It had always appeared to Albert as if she only worked as a diplomat to relax between the bloody bouts of war. She was a creature that solely thrived in adversity as if she relished the hopeless situations their occupation often thrust upon them.
As the two of them made their way toward the waiting area for the impending event, Lara caught Albert's gaze and raised an eyebrow in question. He sighed, knowing that he couldn't hide his concerns from her. "Did you hear anything about who came?" he asked.
Lara nodded. Her eyes never stopped scanning her surroundings as she answered, "The Seers and the Slavers will send a delegation each. Valor will be here, as always. And Cosmoa will also send people over, though I am uncertain of their intentions."
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Albert nodded, his eyes scanning the room for familiar faces. He had expected the presence of the Seers of Seraven - after all, they had been the ones to warn them of the impending war. But as powerful as their foresight may be, it did little in terms of actual aid in battle. The country of Korrven, known for its slaving practices, would always send a delegation, but their assistance came at a steep cost - both in coin and morality.
At least there was Valor. Many mocked the kingdom's knights as mere muscle heads, but Albert knew better. The Knights of Valor could always be counted on in times of war, their deep-seated hatred for the empire remained undiminished over the centuries. Their strong belief in justice and honor compelled them to send troops without hesitation every time the alliance clashed with the empire's forces.
"What about the elves? The dwarves?" Albert asked, his voice heavy with concern. Lara simply shrugged, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for something. "You know how the elves are," she said. "They want nothing more than to be left alone. The dwarves are the same. They believe their mountains to be impregnable, and who can blame them? I wouldn't want to fight in those narrow tunnels, either."
The woman fell silent after that, her thoughts turning inward. Albert couldn't help but wonder if she knew something he didn't, some secret that allowed her to remain so calm in the face of impending disaster. "If you know something I don't," he said, "then please share it with me. I need to understand how you can be so relaxed."
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 I’ll 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 Lara’s 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 shouldn’t 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.