Tale of Eldramir

Things had been going as planned with the Guild and Alliance families in Morathi. Due to Ezekiel’s advancement, he was more capable of attacking the Kindled families’ bases, giving them almost no ground to stand on. Especially since it was revealed that Harras had been recalled to the Empire after Ezekiel’s success at the Twin Peaks Fortress.

They had actually managed to regain and hold several territories for a long enough time that the Empire’s claims were undone. It took a mixture of maneuvering several altered Artifacts, and aid from the Scholars, a few of which exiles from the Empire, but with Wolken and Ezekiel’s help, they were able to use numerous Artifacts to reshape the landscape enough that the edges of the borders were altered all together, thereby ensuring that the Empire could no longer tell where the territory they controlled was.

Such environmental alterations were an incredibly long and arduous process. They would’ve been impossible to perform if they were suffering attacks from the Empire. Worse, they could’ve just placed down new markers, though that was becoming more difficult for the Empire as well.

The fact that almost all the Empire’s regional marker Artifacts had been used up and destroyed also meant that they wouldn’t be able to re-expand the range that their Exalts could battle in.

As it was, things had been looking up for the Alliance members for a few days now. It was only the fact that Ellen still had yet to regain her awareness of the world that kept Ezekiel from properly celebrating with the others after every successful push.

That, and one other thing that had been bothering him for a while now.

“Hey handsome! What ya thinking about?” Riley skipped over to where Ezekiel was sitting on a bench a little way away from the partying group of Hunters. She had a great big smile on her face.

They had successfully managed to reclaim another area for the Alliance. It indicated that they had managed to push the Kindled forces back to the halfway point between their furthest conquered border, and their original territorial border. The one from before the war.

Seeing his girlfriend coming towards him, he couldn’t help but smirk in amusement, and let his body relax a little bit.

“Nothing much, hot stuff, how about you?” the pair paused for a moment before bursting out into laughter at their out of character greetings.

It was something that Riley had started a few days ago after gossiping with a few of the ladies from the Guilds. Ezekiel knew that she was aware of how little their advice would work on him, but he’d found it amusing to play along.

The phony flirting was also something that took his mind off the current situation with his sisters. Something that he was incredibly grateful for.

Now that their little joke was done, however, Ezekiel couldn’t help but sigh as he looked up into the sky. Riley took a seat next to him, while Celia curled up on the ground, and began emitting a small fire from her back. A comfortable warmth during a relatively cool night in the mountains.

“What’s wrong?” Riley leaned into Ezekiel’s side.

“... Something is coming,” he whispered as his eyes lost their focus.

The stars in the sky seemed to shimmer in his vision, and a vast network of strings tying everything together appeared before him. It wasn’t spread out with small openings here and there, like a spider web. Instead, it was more like stretched out cotton balls.

There were several lines that were more prominent than the rest, but all of them stretched outward from him. The rest were the random connections that were tied between all the different beings in the world. The vast majority of which he could not touch.

But of all the strings that he could see, there were two that stood out more than the rest.

Not because they were brighter and more obvious than the rest, but because they were directly connected to him, yet they were frayed to the point of almost being broken.

“... Is it your danger sense acting up again?”

Ezekiel shook his head. His danger sense hadn’t acted up in days. Which was something he felt was just as great a warning as having it blaring in his soul.

Given their current conflict, there was no reason for things to be safe and easy for him right now.

‘It could just be you pessimism kicking in,’ Shine said after checking on his thoughts. ‘You know that, ever since you got Ellen back, you haven’t been nearly as cheerful as before.’

Ezekiel tensed for a moment, before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He knew that Shine was just trying to get reactions out of him, rather than let him stew in his own bad mood.

Ellen had been a sore spot for him for weeks now. He had been putting in the effort to return to the back lines as often as possible to ensure that she was being taken care of properly.

There had been a lot of shock when he had revealed that he could erase the corruption from the Cult. But there was even more surprise at just how badly it had spread. To the point that the Life and Death Mages that worked on Ellen had to be restrained when they all started questioning Ezekiel on what he had done.

After explaining things, he asked if there was any way to encourage her soul to recover, so as to fill in the gaps that were left behind when the corruption was removed. They informed his that they didn’t know, but that it seemed that she was stable, and slowly regaining spiritual strength. However, it would be weeks, possibly months, before they figured she would even be able to awaken from her coma.

After hearing this, he knew that he needed to finish up here as soon as possible, so that he could take his sisters to the Fjorya before returning to the Archipelago.

“I’ve been paying attention to the different situations in the bases that we’ve been hitting,” Ezekiel explained so as to get his mind off the subject of his sister. “Not only has Endaria seemingly disappeared, but the actual forces that we’ve been facing are minimal. All of them retreat the moment we reveal ourselves. The only reason we haven’t regained more ground at this point is because we’re stuck alternating the landscape to force the maps to be redrawn. Which is the only way to make sure the Empire’s Exalts don’t just come in and massacre all our weaker troops. I just want to know what happened to make them change their stance on taking us... me, out of the fight for good.”

Riley winced at his mention of dying to the Empire’s Exalts, but it was a simple matter of fact that he was a target, and if the Empire decided to take the chance to get rid of him, there would be little he could do if the three Imperial Exalts ambushed him.

At best, he would be able to run away at a severe cost to himself. At worst, the three would combine their [Domains] to suppress his own, and he’d be bound up and executed before he could escape. The world itself would work against him as it bent to his opponents’ [Will], and overpowered his.

“Let’s not worry about that. With the lessened numbers in the Kindled territory, it means that the Shroud and Flurent families will be able to maintain a presence more easily in these territories.” Riley wrapped her arms around Ezekiel and held him tightly. “While it is certainly possible that the Empire will push back harder than ever, it is just as likely that they’ll be busy with other things. Especially since the ocean Spirits have stepped in. Nobody wants to deal with having those beings as their enemy. Not if they have a border on the water, at least. If we keep up like we are, I’m certain that the Empire will capitulate, and sign a treaty preventing the expansion of the Kindled family.”

Ezekiel just sighed and allowed himself to relax into Riley’s embrace. He didn’t know how much longer they would be in this territory. There was also the fact that Riley was right, and his worries regarding the Empire didn’t have any substantial evidence to support them.

He also hoped that she was right, since the Empire giving in and making a treaty was the only reasonable means of keeping them out of the Alliance territories. That, or the Alliance would have to gain an Exalt or two of their own.

Even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Worse yet, he knew what it was. He just didn’t want to admit it until now.

“... I’m also worried about my dad...”

Riley tensed up in response to Ezekiel’s words.

“I can’t ask Ellen what happened, and even if she recovers, I don’t think that I will. But there’s been no word about what might’ve happened to him.” He held out his hand, and a flickering strand of light appeared in his grasp. “The only thing I know for certain, is that he’s on his last legs, and currently in the Empire.”

This time Riley didn’t do anything. Ezekiel couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but he figured it was something along the lines of wondering what he would do.

The whole reason he had come here was to save his sister and father, after all.

Yet it seemed more and more like only one of those goals would be achieved.

“Exalt Ezekiel!” a voice called out from the side.

Ezekiel and Riley both turned to the newcomer. A Mage from the Alliance was standing with a hand over his heart in salute while addressing Ezekiel.

“Exalt Wolken has requested your presence. He said that something has arrived... from the Empire.” The man had barely finished speaking when Ezekiel and Riley stood up.

Their faces were set in stone as they made their way through the encampment.

At this point, any message from the Empire, official or otherwise, was a top priority, as it could mean a major change in the war was about to occur.

For Ezekiel, all he could think about was how he hated being right once more.

----------

All around the world, messengers from the Willowbrush Empire came bearing flags of truce, if temporary, so that a specific Artifact could be delivered. For many, it was nothing more than an intricately designed Com-Slate. Though, it was one that imbued several elements beyond that of the Void.

Every single city state in the Archipelago, and every city on the continent, regardless of the nation, received one of these Com-Slates. It was a delivery on a scale that was unheard of in history. Which made it all the more important to the various factions receiving them.

The amount of effort that must’ve gone into creating these new Slates was enough that no one was willing to ignore whatever it was the Empire had to say.

In Quintessa, the Scholars in the Grand Cathedral, built atop the last remaining Void Temple in human hands, sat anxiously as they waited for the moment that the message would be sent. Several more were spread throughout the city at different areas, after determining that there were no offensive enchantments on it, so as to show a message to the other citizens.

In Tarquessa, every city, village, and town were gathered together by the command of the Followers of Light that commanded them. A message from the Empire was being treated like a message from one of the Cult’s Lights. In part, due to the effect it would have on the Cult itself.

In the Fjorya, the messengers were not given guest rights or welcome, and were chased off after passing on the specially made Artifacts and instructions on how to use them. Invera had ordered it to happen, since they needed more news from their enemy before they could make any substantial progress with their efforts to maintain their freedom from both the north and south.

In Morathi, a similar method of treating the messengers was employed. Since it would be in bad taste to be the aggressors under the flag of truce. No matter how much the Empire would’ve deserved to have their messengers killed. Though, none of the citizens, or guest Guild members were happy.

In the Archipelago, the callers and criers from the Empire were watched with scrutiny as they were permitted access to the central gathering points. Though their mana was restricted, Legendary Hunters kept watch to ensure that the upcoming event was kept peaceful.

Although, on one island in particular, while they were nearly ready to kill any Imperial force that approached, they were willing to hear the message, within the confines of the Cathedral.

It was determined that, after the attack all those months ago, displaying a message from the Empire in public would be a bad idea.

A separate Slate was brought to an underground holding cell, where a patient watched while under guard. Mostly to protect herself, in the event she couldn’t handle what was to be shown.

However, as the timer that was displayed on the Slates counted down, all who were watching observed with bated breath. While many were simply curious, due to the strange nature of the new Artifacts, others were wary.

These were the people who instinctively understood that with the changes occurring around the world, the announcement from the Empire would create another massive change. One with consequences that no one could expect.

----------

The whole of the encampment that Ezekiel was a part of waited quietly while the numbers counted down. At this point, there were only a few seconds left, and besides the few that were watching for the sake of patrolling and keeping watch, everyone was locked in on the announcement that was about to be made.

Three...

Two...

One...

At zero, the new Com-Slates around the world lit up, and an image appeared in the air.

Gold in color, a three-dimensional depiction of the Willowbrush emperor appeared in the air, along with the stage that he was standing on.

For several kilometers, this sight could be seen, due to just how huge it was when viewed in an open area. Elsewhere, when displayed inside, it was depicted at the largest possible size that allowed the entirety of the image to be seen.

The Majority of those that saw this were shocked. This was a very advanced application of Radiant magic. Which could usually only create a still depiction of an image, not a moving and talking one like what was being seen right now.

There was also sound, which meant that they were mixing in Tempest magic. Something that the Church had been trying to do for a while now.

Not only that, but those that knew about the Com-Slates’ inner workings would realize that this was live imagery. Not a premade illusion. The things that they were seeing were occurring in real-time.

For Ezekiel, while this was an impressive application of magic, he had already figured out the specifics behind how it worked, and he knew that the Church of Ten would be able to recreate it, without any of the Cult’s hidden booby traps, sometime soon.

“Citizens of Eldramir!” The Emperor smiled widely as he addressed the world. “It is with great pleasure that I announce to you all that the glory of our righteous nation shall continue! For those of you who know your proper loyalties, rejoice! For I, after several years, have found a suitable bride to carry on the Willowbrush lineage!”

A woman that was familiar to Ezekiel stepped out from the side. She approached the emperor and took a knee. It was Meli, and Ezekiel couldn’t help but smirk, even as he clenched his hand in anger at the sight of the woman who helped take his father away.

“Couldn’t have happened to a luckier woman...” he muttered so softly that only Riley, who was right next to him, and Wolken, who was listening with the wind, could hear him.

The corners of their lips flickered upward in amusement, but they focused on the announcement.

“This is Meli Kindled, soon to be Willowbrush! She is an honored daughter of the Kindled family of Morathi! With this announcement of our union, the Empire grows greater, as the Kindled family has declared their lands to be directly a part of our Empire, from this day forward. From now on, the Kindled family, and their territories, will be considered a Royal seat, directly under the purview, and protection, of the Imperial house of Willowbrush!”

Applause could be heard from the projection, echoing from whatever audience was hearing this in person. But for the Guilds and Alliance families, this was basically a death sentence.

“Wolken-”

“I know! We leave tomorrow!”

Ezekiel was cut off before he could speak any further, and the Tempest Exalt’s order was met with a few confused glances, but for those that were politically inclined, it was clear as to why he had given such a command.

“Up until this point, the Kindled family was only allied with the Empire. As such, attacks on their territory were not officially attacks against the Empire proper.” Ezekiel explained to those that were looking his way. “They still needed the Imperial territory markers to let their Exalts take action, since it was confirmation that they were operating in land that their allies controlled...”

At that moment, Ezekiel stopped and thought. If things went the way he was now expecting them to, there was a chance that it wouldn’t even matter if the Empire used their markers or not.

Before Ezekiel could voice his thoughts, however, Wolken took over the explanation, having seen the panicked looks on his Guild member’s faces. “But that was mostly due to the restrictions placed on them, rather than the Empire being in a state of war. Now that the Kindled territories have, as of this moment, become a part of the Empire proper, any attack against those lands, and its inhabitants, will be considered an attack against the Empire as a hole, and the Exalts will be given free rein to retaliate against the aggressor in their own lands.”

Eyes widened as Wolken finished. The applause from the Com-Slate died down, and Ezekiel found himself listening to more, rather than voicing his concerns.

Riley gave him a worried look, but he waved her off.

‘Later,’ he silently mouthed towards her before gesturing to the screen.

“I thank you for the applause, but this announcement is not all I have for you, my current and future citizens! For you see, along with the expansion and growth of our nation, we have also grown in power! In might!” The Emperor threw a fist in the air as he shouted his declaration. “Not one, but two new Exalted Hunters have joined our ranks! One, a Life Hunter, whose battle prowess matches the healing abilities of our own Exalt Talia!”

Applause once more drowned out all other noise.

From a different corner of the stage, Endaria strode forward, taking a place next to the still kneeling Meli. Her smile was thin, and it looked forced as she tried to look proud at the Emperor’s words.

But Ezekiel could tell that she was putting on a show. A bad one at that.

However, the fact that Endaria was now an Exalt of the Empire made his heart clench up. It was looking like his suspicions were even more likely to be true.

“Wolken... how much do you want to bet on this... Puppet Emperor not holding the new Exalts to the same oaths as the old ones?” Even as he said them, Ezekiel could feel the air begin to vibrate as Wolken realized the full implications of the Emperor gaining two new Exalts.

If they weren’t bound by the same oaths and restrictions as the old ones, then the Alliance was doomed. Ezekiel wasn’t a full Hunter. If they came under attack by two full-fledged Mythic Hunters, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Indeed! I am as happy as you are, to see our Empire grow stronger!” the Emperor continued before Wolken could say anything. “However, I said there were two new Exalts! So, with great pleasure, allow me to introduce to you a grand gift from the newest Royal house! An Exalt from the Kindled family! A Radiant Expert whose strength knows no bounds!”

All who heard this new Exalt’s introduction could tell that there was an incredible amount of bias towards whoever this was supposed to be. The difference in behavior that the Emperor was displaying to a Radiant Exalt compared to Life Exalt was staggering.

Of course, all the higher ups around the world understood it was the Cult’s doing. Their backing was now more obvious than ever.

For Ezekiel, he had a feeling he knew who the new Exalt was. Something he decided to voice for the rest of the Guilds, so they could begin making preparations. “I guess they figured out how to grant a fallen Mythic a new Spirit. This must be what the Kindled Ancestor traded for-”

“Warren Kindled!”

Everyone who knew the significance of that name turned to Ezekiel, even as another figure stepped out to the center of the stage. His face was older, with stress lines and scarring, but there was a noticeable resemblance to Ezekiel.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the group, those that didn’t know that name, to turn toward Ezekiel with wide eyes and open mouths. Their shock was painted on their faces. Yet nothing was said.

The moment the Emperor spoke the name of their new Radiant Exalt, the world around the Guild and Alliance’s base seemed to freeze. After the words were processed, the world fell silent.

It took several seconds for Ezekiel to reaize what he was seeing and hearing.

Then, everyone in the camp was brought to their knees. The power of the Void pressed down on all of them, and the air was sucked out of their lungs as the world slowly turned into a vacuum.

With eyes glowing with an ever changing starlight, Ezekiel’s entire being was lit up as his mana didn’t just effect his Element and the environment. It became a tangible light that filled the world.

“That fu-!”

Before he could finish, a fist covered in solid air and pushed by a whirling cyclone impacted into Ezekiel’s jaw. With his mouth wide open to scream at the image before him, it was a weak point he couldn’t cover. He found himself thrown through the air, impacting harshly on a mountain, bursting through it and rolling to a stop on the other side.

Even with his mana passively reinforcing his body, Ezekiel’s head snapped to the side. He felt the pain of his jaw dislocating, his body flying through a small mountain, and his mana falling to more manageable levels as the world went dark, and he passed out.

----------

Back at the camp, Wolken cradled his arm as he waited for the hundreds of Hunters around him to recover themselves. He ignored the rumble that spread through the ground, and passively kept the stone and dust from the collapsing mountain from affecting their base.

However, his focus was mainly on the health and safety of his followers. The moment he saw a Life Hunter climb back to his feet, he immediately started barking orders.

“Life Hunters! Death Hunters! Check over everyone who’s unconscious, and make sure that they can still wake up! Everyone else, gather yourselves and help the Life and Death Hunters with anything they need!” Wolken’s orders were received with a muffled ‘Yes Sir,’ as the Hunters tried to recover.

“We need a healer over here as well!” Riley called out from where she had been standing next to Ezekiel. She had made her way over to Wolken and was one of the least affected by Ezekiel’s outburst. Both because she was among the strongest Hunters here, and because she was used to Ezekiel’s magic.

Upon hearing her words, one of the Life Hunters stumbled over. Riley pulled a simple recovery elixir out of her Void Pouch, which the healer downed in seconds. He took a few deep breaths but seemed to have recovered a moment later.

“Arm. Now.” His no nonsense tone was likely the only thing that kept Wolken from refusing.

“I’m surprised that you’re not going for my head right now.” For a moment, it appeared as though he was addressing Riley. But then they looked at where Wolken was staring.

An opalescent sword, halfway unsheathed, was hovering in the air. Beside it was a humanoid figure with few discernible features. But from their posture and the direction they were facing, it was clear that they were observing Wolken with an intense focus.

“Shine...” Riley moved toward the Void Spirit, but they shook their head.

“It’s... not fine, but I know that Ezekiel isn’t dead, just really injured. While I do not like what you had to do, I understand it. If Ezekiel’s mana was permitted to truly run rampant, those below the Legendary Tier could’ve died. Their souls crushed under the might of a true Mythical being.” Shine’s tone was flat and sent shivers down the spines of anyone who heard them speak. “I also know that, even with a fractured hand and arm, you could destroy me with ease. So, if you’ll excuse me, I need to recover my partner from the other side of that mountain.”

With a flicker of mana, they disappeared from the area. Riley moved to follow, but the noise from the still playing Slate Artifact drew her attention, and the attention of the other Hunters that were on their feet.

“I am pleased to see that you, my subjects, do not begrudge these Exalts for their origins. It is hard for those outside the Empire to reach such great heights, after all.” The Emperor’s visage smiled as he insulted every other nation in the world. “However, I am afraid that I have bad news, to go with the good. For it appears that our grand Empire now finds itself at war!”

Across the world, those that were watching tensed in preparation. Though there was one island that was currently dealing with a shadowy outbreak in the basement of their Cathedral.

Yet, the target of the Empire’s war surprised them all.

“According to our illustrious investigators, and the Hunters who have sworn their allegiance to the Empire, rather than that rabble of foreign bandits clans known as the Guilds,” every Guild Hunter that heard this clenched their jaw at these words, but continued to listen, “we have discovered a daunting piece of information. The Cruor have increased their numbers. Now that every Brood has a Lord of their own once more, they have consolidated their forces, and an all-out attack is imminent.”

The clenched jaws of the angry Guild members around the world went slack at what they had heard. An all-out war with the Cruor was unthinkable. It hadn’t happened since the Age of Despair, and certainly not since the existence of Mythical Hunters was revealed.

Though, the fact that the Cruor had nine Broodlords once more was a bad sign for all of them.

It was such a bold claim that none of the higher ups in any of the national factions dared to doubt the Emperor’s words. The fact that there was already proof of the presence of Cruor in Morathi, and the Rot’s attacks on the Archipelago’s islands, was more than enough to make those with eyes see the possibilities.

So many had died during the first Age of despair, that humanity’s numbers hadn’t reached half of what they once were. The Desolate Lands had only mostly been pushed back, and barely a third of the Archipelago even had a human presence on it at this time. At its peak, it was believed that over eighty percent of the islands at least had a human presence, if not control.

For another total war to occur at this time would mean a massive loss of life. Especially since the Cruor had only grown more dangerous as time passed. All while humanity was more divided than ever.

“Worry not, my dear subjects! For, while there is evidence that the Cruor has grown stronger, so too have we grown, in both power and ingenuity!” Several racks of Artifacts were rolled onto the stage behind the Emperor. “New developments within our new faith, the Followers of Radiance, have brought about changes; weaponry and defense mechanisms, that will greatly aid in destroying the Cruor, and removing all trace of their existence from the Empire!”

A deafening applause reverberated through the area as the ones watching in person cheered for the Emperor. His smile seemed almost manic at this point, and he threw his arms outward with a final declaration.

“With this in mind, I am also announcing the creation of the Army of Light! With our new land in what was once Morathi, and our allies to the south, in Tarquessa, we welcome all who seek to destroy the Cruor, and free this world from their blight! Let the Great Radiant Crusade begin!”

The applause continued for a little longer, before the projection on the Artifact cut out, and the Artifact itself cracked in half as the enchantments destroyed it from the inside out.

But as the world fell into a natural silence, with only the sound of the wilderness and the wind to be heard, no one knew what to think. All around the world, those that had seen the announcement from the Empire stood or sat in shock at what had been said. Some more than others, but it was felt all around all the same.

The world was officially entering a new Age once more, and not a single person outside the Empire was happy about it.