Chapter 1: Prologue – War on the Horizon.

Prologue - War on the Horizon.

Albert was nervous, a feeling he had not experienced in centuries of diplomatic service. He stood before the grand hall, hands clenched at his sides, his thoughts were 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 through the hall. Furthermore, he knew it was not a good look, that he must present a steady and confident front to the world. 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, he stopped his pacing and closed his eyes. He thought of his country, of the people he had sworn to serve and protect. He thought of where he was right now: The great merchant city, the jewel of the union, and the pride he felt at being able to represent his people in such an important place. He focused on these things, and slowly but surely, he felt the storm within him abate.

When he opened his eyes, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. He was ready to face whatever lay ahead. And just as he was about to take his first step forward, someone called out to him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Albert, you don't look well. Is everything alright?" The speaker was a young woman, her golden eyes shining bright like the sun, her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. To the untrained eye, she may have appeared as nothing more than a mere girl, but Albert knew better. He knew that the woman before him was several centuries 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. "Klara Sonnenstrahl, as always, a pleasure." She dismissed his formality with a wave of her hand, and Albert felt himself relax. They had been acquaintances for years, and the informality between them was a sign of their long-standing friendship.

Klara and Albert stood side by side, their eyes scanning the grand hall before them. The weight of the impending war hung heavy in the air, and both knew that their countries were the only ones in true danger of falling to the empire.

Albert couldn't help but marvel at Klara's stoic composure. She stood tall and unyielding, a beacon of strength in the face of adversity. He knew that she had faced countless battles and had faced them head on with a fierce determination, it seemed to him that she only worked as a diplomat to relax between the bloody bouts of war. It was as if she relished the hopeless situations that their occupation often thrust upon them.

Klara 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 will be here tonight?" he asked.

Klara nodded, her eyes scanning the room. "The Seers and the Slavers will send a delegation each. Valor will be here, as always. And Cosmoa will also be here, though I am uncertain of their intentions."

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 disaster. But as powerful as their foresight may be, it did little in terms of actual aid. 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 may have mocked the kingdom's knights as mere muscle heads, but Albert knew better. The Bloodsword family of Valor could always be counted on in times of war, their deep-seated hatred for the empire leading them to send troops without hesitation every time the alliance clashed with the empire's forces.

"What about the elves?" Albert asked, his voice heavy with concern. Klara simply shrugged, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for answers. "You know how the elves are," she said. "They want nothing more than to be left alone. The dwarves feel the same way. They believe their mountains to be impregnable, and who can blame them? I wouldn't want to fight in those narrow tunnels, either."

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Klara 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."

Klara looked at him, her eyes meeting his with a steady gaze. "It's not that I know something you don't," she said, her voice serious now. "We both heard the prophecy, after all. The difference between you and me is that I have been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years. I have waited for the empire to extend its greedy fingers toward our lands. Life or death, victory or defeat, it doesn't matter to me as long as I have the chance to kill empire soldiers."

Albert was taken aback by the raw hatred that radiated from Klara'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 they had done to her sister. Though he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the thought of Klara's disregard for her own country's safety, Albert knew that she was still his strongest ally. So, he held his tongue and nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, Klara turned to him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Did you hear anything from the Demi-humans?" she asked. But Albert could only shake his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, but I don't think they'll be joining us. As usual, they're too busy fighting amongst themselves to care about our problems." The news seemed to weigh heavily on Klara, 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. It was terrifying. I still get goosebumps thinking about the ground shaking beneath the feet of their giant Warbeasts."

Albert nodded, his own battle experience limited. Klara'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. The Seer's warning was clear, this offensive will be the largest since the Great Western Expansion. I can't imagine anyone ignoring something like that."

Klara turned to him, 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 could be next, I believe they will send us the bare minimum, if anything at all. You see, humans have a habit of ignoring problems until they become too big to solve."

Albert knew that Klara's words held a ring of truth to them. The other nations of the alliance would likely wait and observe the empire's next move, gauging the level of danger before committing their own resources. But as the empire's war machine had been running nonstop for decades, gathering strength, Albert couldn't shake the fear that it would be too late by the time they acted. He couldn't help but marvel at the empire's ability to produce new mages of the four elements 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 solely for war, rather than to improve the lives of its citizens. Though it was an effective strategy, it was one that was pushing the entire continent towards war and destruction.

Albert was just about to reply to Klara'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 Klara as they made their way towards the entrance of the meeting room.

"Do not be too worried about what the other countries do or say tonight," Klara said, her voice steady and confident. "Equinox is strong, and so is Invocatia. Our two nations have stood against the empire for thousands of years 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 confidence in Klara's voice, 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 Klara.

She looked back over her shoulder and smirked at him before answering, "Then I will see you in the afterlife, old friend." Without waiting for a response, Klara entered the meeting chambers that might decide the future of both their countries, her spine straight and her head held high.

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