"Your Majesty, we cannot hold off the invasion! They are pouring into The Hole more and more! We have to fall back; we have to ask for help!" A man stood on his knees in front of the Rovan Emperor - Argos Rovan II. His eyes had deep circles, and his skin was pale from the past month's sleepless nights. He was the War Marshal of the Rovan Empire.
"So...it has become this bad...as expected. Raise. Elaborate: how are we losing ground? We have you, a divine strategist; we have the strongest warriors, and we are definitely smarter than them...so how?" The Emperor spoke, his tone one of acceptance.
"That is true, Your Majesty, yet also not. I can only do so much alone. We are supposed to be smarter, yet...forgive me for what I am about to say! We have become dull and arrogant. Our generals and commanders underestimated the enemy, thinking that they should not expect much from rats, bugs and lizards. The Unclaimed are being led not by Dark Elves, but by their own - they...they have become smarter, more patient."
"I see...Venelus, you are right; I will not deny it. I will seek help from Emperor Alexander; I will request that his War Marshal come as well. Their war has ended; they have a five-year peace treaty; we have entered an alliance. Surely, two divine minds can work better...sigh" Argos was filled with acceptance. He had understood that he would be the incapable Emperor, going down in history with such a failure. Yet, he would not give up; he chose the lesser evil.
He could abdicate, let his Empire perish. By the time an Emperor is chosen to replace him, it'd be too late...or, he could at least do what Alexander had done - create a wall, stall, push out. Both options were grim, yet it was evident which evil was lesser.
Was Emperor Argos a foolish Emperor? Absolutely not. He was brilliant, not a tad worse than Alexander, yet such was his tragedy, such was the difference of brilliance among their empires' youth. It was undeniable that Emperor Alexander would try to retake the wall, even without Aurelion, yet the birth of a genius accelerated and cemented results. He was even the strongest Expert, recognised publicly by both Empires' Masters.
Yet Argos was not envious at that time, after all, his wall had been intact...until now.
The Princes, his Empress, his council- they were all here; they all looked tired. They worked in various sectors of the Empire, trying their best to contain the Unclaimed, yet as brilliant as they were, the mistakes committed on the front were more fatal than their victories.
"Emperor. Request for Aurelion. He can weave Living Silver better, faster than any dwarf could forge. Their Holy City has been producing ores and this godly material for thirty years; he has probably thousands of tons of it. We need to ask him for help as well; we need his craft and mainly...we need his strategies as well." Venelus spoke as he gritted his teeth. This request was a tad too much, yet it had to be done; too much was at stake. Humiliation, shame...it was all better than continuing to lose.
"Venelus...we sent him gifts, but it would not be enough to move him. He is rebuilding his city; he married two months ago. Asking him to leave his Aurelia and his dominion, he will outright refuse...I thought of it as well." The Emperor's voice resounded. Nobody dared to speak, not right now. One mistake and you would be dead, regardless of your status here or your competence.
Your suggestion could be wrong, even if you've been correct until now, yet in this moment, this one mistake held your life, as well as the lives of trillions.
"Your Majesty, he needs money to repair the city. We can give him that; our treasuries are full, even despite the Calamity. We can marry our Jewel to him; we can give him anything. Send your son, Valerian, to negotiate. Ask their Emperor for permission to send a delegation. He will agree; let us believe in the Prince. It is all or nothing. Just let him use our sacred pond to soak the Living Silver, allow him to use the powers of two Gods and create something that could help. Allow him to lead armies. With him, Severin and me, we can stall, possibly push back." Venelus spoke, his head hitting the floor and causing cracks in it. He was a Master, yet his mind was far more useful.
"Archmage Valerian, prince of the Empire, prepare to depart. Money, we can give; armies - he will lead if he wants to; the Divine Pond - he will use it, our Jewel - he will definitely have it if he is as brilliant as I saw him last time...Whatever it takes, Valerian, do not fail the Empire. If I go down in history as incompetent, cast the first stone of your future reign as a Reclaimer and Rebuilder." The Emperor's voice rang, his Imperial order given.
"Yes, Father. Whatever happens, I will see to it done...and know this: regardless of what history speaks of you, you are one of the best Emperors we could have ever asked for. We will fix what our arrogance has caused. I am departing as soon as their Emperor allows it." Valerian, one of the only three Archmages of the Rovan Empire, bowed down as he accepted his duty. He was barely thirty, yet the mantle he would have to accept became increasingly heavy.
Emperors usually ruled for a hundred, even a hundred and twenty years. Masters, Experts, Wizards and Archmages - they were blessed by longevity. Rarely will an Emperor ascend the throne unless the circumstances were as Alexander Salerios's.
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Aurelion woke up in his bed, yawning and pushing the naked body lying on him away. He looked towards the window of his bedroom.
The clouds were passing through, while occasionally, a silver roc would fly, blow the mists off and reveal the Holy City that was coming to life. That was the luxury of sleeping in a bedroom carved in the heights of Mountain Aure.
Being married is nice. She is an angel...
Aurelion thought as he looked at his wife, Aurelia. She was yawning, so he bent down and kissed her forehead and nape.
They had been married for over two months now, and she was keeping his order to the point. On the other hand, they were trying to have a child, but it was hard. She was almost an Expert, while he was an Expert as well, albeit infused with divinity - producing an offspring was harder for beings at a higher level. That was balance, and he was one such being now. The Silver Overlord- that was how he was called nowadays. Much better than the snowman.
"Ay...leave me be, husband...You were too much yesterday...go away!" Aurelia said as she pushed him away while smiling. These two months had been heavenly for her; she was happily married and loved, even if she was neck-deep into work. She was a builder, and there was a Holy City that she had a duty towards. Of course, her husband helped her massively, even if they argued most of the time during work.
Aurelion stood up, covering his wife's nakedness, ensuring her warmth now that he was to stand up.
His naked body was soon on its two feet. His scarred back moved towards his robe, and he put it on, hiding the aftermath of his battles and love sessions.
Now he was on the terrace, lighting up a cigarette as he gazed down at the city. Those months had been hard; he had learned more about himself, his power and his duties. Grave news had come about the Rovan Empire, but he had said nothing of it, as Alexander left. Too much was happening for the Emperor to remain at his son-in-law.
I am growing more and more powerful every day... Is this the power of being Aurelion?
Luther was now a Master, and he was training with him every day, as well as with his mentor, the War Marshal. He had finally understood why they wore robes and no armour.
It was because they would be gifted armour upon ascending to this stage, summoning them at will and giving them divine powers. Luther's armour was...something divine; it was draconic and domineering. The War Marshal had refrained from showing his own, but Aurelion knew that each armour was different; it was a display of a warrior's techniques.
Although he was not a Master, he had grown stronger through training, as well as meditation. He would close his eyes and remember his fight with the Immortal Soul. A fight he was meant to lose, had he not avoided fighting directly, but rather with softness. A true serpent he was...
Regardless, meditating on this fight had caused him to improve his techniques and his fighting experience. On a side note, the divinity inside of him was only empowering his body more and more, leaving him baffled. Thankfully, the seer had calmed him down; it was all normal, especially his vision returning, even if his eye remained grey-blind in colour. Those were things only his closest circle knew of though.
Before, he had a prophecy to fulfil and reclaim the city, the power of Aurelion. Now he had done it and received its powers. The Goddess blessed her chosen one with it.
"Husband! A delegation has come" Aurelia suddenly stood up, feeling the arrival of foreigners from the Teleportation Station. She was a ruler; her divinity was also increasing with each night.
"I felt it. Rest; come to me when you have awakened properly. I love you." His body disappeared in a flash as he headed to see what was happening. Not just him, Luther, Severin, as well as Louis, Dain and Thomas.