Western Region...
The western region was called the land of death. Long ago, this was a bright and prosperous land. Green forests and winding rivers stretched into the horizon, its beautiful sky and breathtaking weather surpassed the rest of the continent, and the Elfefalein Empire's greatest treasure, The World Tree, once stood here, stretching into the heavens.
After the fall of the Elfefalein Empire, this land suffered a devastating blow and was transformed into a black swamp full of deadly poisons and countless curses.
Although the land was still livable, the western region was considered the most hostile region out of the five. The north was the most mysterious, the east was the most intelligent, the south was the most orderly, the west was the most dangerous, and the central region was the oldest and contained many sleeping monsters.
The 'capital' of the western region was the fallen World Tree, the City of Oriest.
In this blackened city was the headquarters of the Mercenary Alliance. The Mercenary Alliance was split into nine powers, each with its respective totem.
White Wolf: Leader.
Grey Snake: Assassination.
Silver Shield: Mercenary Army.
The Silver Eye: Informants.
Black Chain: Black Market.
White Skull: Necromancer's Tomb.
Red Hand: Research.
Violet Cap: The Controllers.
And...
The Black Lion: The Underground Auction House.
In the city of Oriest, a large gathering was underway. The leaders of the nine branches had all gathered.
Their goal?
To discuss the upcoming changes regarding the predicted calamities and to oversee the change in leadership for the Silver Shield.
Bang!
A man slammed down his fist.
"I told you that blasted forest was trouble! Now look at it, a whole battalion dead, their leader crippled! What's worse, why did Anchor go personally!"
"I told you already, he was close, so he chose to go personally!"
"That's nonsense! Anchor wasn't the kind of person who would do something so stupid! What did those damn birds whisper in his ear!"
A sneer came from the side. "What whispers! We just told him as it is! There was an ancient elven treasure buried there. That's a historical fact!"
"Treasure my ass! Those weaklings from the adventurers' guild had to call in the 'Legend of Fire' just to suppress the thing that almost escaped! If it wasn't for the Sky Towers intervention, who knows what would have happened!"
"Do you know what they're saying! They spread news that it was us! They're saying we were the cause of the massacre!"
"Hahaha! They're not entirely wrong!"
"Shut up, Wana! What we need to do now is focus on the appearance of the Heros!"
"Focus on what! The three that have already appeared were swooped up like treasures! I've heard rumors that the central region already has one as well! Don't tell me you want to venture back into the Green Wind Forest just to look for the missing hero!"
"Don't be foolish! If there was truly a chosen in the forest, then they would probably have been taken in by the Green Abyss! Don't tell me you want to go and demand that they hand them over!?"
"Superstitious bastard!"
"What do you know!"
"Nay a bad thought! Thos beasties under the green don't have da right to raise a human child!"
"Who said that it was a human child! Just because the three Heros that we know about are all humans, doesn't mean that the other two are!"
"It's true. Instead of worrying about this, why don't we focus on the first calamity? With the appearance of the chosen, then that must mean that disaster is approaching!"
Suddenly, a strange and 'thin' voice sounded. "There's something wrong with you guys. No, it's the whole world!"
The surrounding leaders all quieted down and looked at him.
He was a tall, thin boy with an androgynous face. He had many mouse-like features, making him look very cowardly. Unlike the nine leaders, he stood to the side, unwelcome at the table.
"Whose subordinate is this!"
"What do you mean, Mousa?"
"Speak or die!!"
Mousa pursed his lips. "I don't understand how you have all come to the conclusion that what is written in the book of calamity is true. You just heard the term 'chosen by heaven' and all of a sudden accepted it?"
"What about it!"
Mousa shrank his neck. "It's just, why does it seem like you're all affected by the same brainwashing that the Grey Snake uses? Why do none of you find that weird!"
The room fell into silence.
They all seemed to have woken up from a dream. A strange atmosphere shrouded the room.
"It can't be, right?"
"Why do I suddenly feel that it is very ridiculous?"
"Mousa is right, something's wrong..."
"Why did I take it at face value?"
"Odd…"
The man at the head of the table suddenly looked up. "Mousa, have you read the Book of Calamity?"
Mousa shook his head.
The man frowned.
"Who hasn't read the Book of Calamity?"
There were no hands raised.
The man frowned deeper.
Then, he suddenly burst out laughing. "Bahaha! I understand now, so it's like that!"
He stood up, a violent aura erupting from his body.
"Close the black order! From now on, we're going to build a new army! I don't know what's hidden behind these calamities, but I'm afraid that what lies beyond is far more terrifying than the Dragon of Destruction!"
Although his words were abrupt, they carried an unquestionable authority.
At least…
"I object!!!"
The Leader's momentum was suddenly cut short.
His eyes turned to the leader of the Black Lion.
"My son was killed in the north not too long ago! I must seek revenge!"
The leader narrowed his eyes. "I will allow it, under the condition you use your own manpower. Also. Your seat will be held for one year. Exceed this and you will be replaced. Any objections?"
The leader of the Black Lion roared, "None!"
The others all agreed with him.
From this moment onwards, the entire direction of the Mercenary Alliance would slowly shift from a continental power, to a hidden army with the sole goal of fighting an imaginary enemy.
* * *
Southern Region, Llynun.
The southern region was controlled by the Hellion Empire.
A few weeks ago, an 'Ice Castle' was suddenly discovered by the Silver Eye and publicized in the continental edition of the daily newspaper. This castle garnered a lot of attention because it was located just south of Llynun, the Royal City of the southern region. Llynun was already near the southern coast, so it was extremely strange for an ice castle to suddenly appear. It was worth mentioning that there was no snow, just a massive castle that seemed to be made of glimmering crystal.
Many adventurers wanted to explore this mysterious castle, but all they could learn was that approaching the castle would cause one to freeze to death in an instant. The castle would occasionally let out a 'breath', covering the surroundings in an icy mist. The Hellion Empire became concerned at the sudden appearance of this ice castle, but they were still recovering from a recent rebellion, so they lacked the organisation needed to create a proper investigation team.
-
Within the ice castle, a lone man lay on a bed of ice. His pale and weak body looked incredibly fragile, almost looking like it had not moved since birth. This man had pearl white skin and shining blue eyes. His two ears popped out from the side of his head, but they were much longer than a normal elf's. His complexion was sickly and his face was dull.
He looked through the countless ice mirrors that reflected the hundreds of attempts to invade his home.
His name was Tsaral, the Ice Monarch.
He was a High-Elf.
Tsaral looked over the many mortals whose greed brought them to self-destruction. He watched the weak and the strong advance together, only to freeze and disappear into the lifeless embrace of death, no different from one another. He couldn't help but wonder if these were really the people who had inherited the land of his fallen empire.
His castle was not a castle, it was his body.
If one were to enter it, they would have actually entered his domain.
But it didn't matter. Nobody could even get close…
He wondered if these people could really defeat the upcoming calamity.
He wondered if these people could really defeat him.
Tsaral had been alone for a long time. His race had ridiculously long lifespans, but in the end, he was left alone. His race was gone, and he himself was abandoned. Time wore down on him like the waves of a vast sea. At a certain point, he even felt like he could feel the flow of time, as it slowly ate away at his body.
Why was he here?
Why did his castle appear?
Tsaral had made a deal with a demon. Tsaral himself thought that 'demon' was an inaccurate term for 'it', but he called it a demon, nonetheless.
Calamity must be brought by cause and effect. The first domino was very important. Tsaral had read the Book of Calamity, so he knew what was coming.
This 'demon' still appeared, still offered a deal, and Tsaral still accepted the deal.
Half a year from now, the Ice will bloom. His sorrow and loneliness would seep into the earth, covering all things with isolation and stillness. His loneliness would become the cloak that embraced all life.
As for what Tsaral requested?
Even the demon did not understand why he would ask for such a thing. Tsaral himself was unsure of its significance as well.
Tsaral had asked the demon to drop a small seed at the border of the northern forest.
This was the command of his father, thousands of years ago.
Tsaral was told that if an indescribable monster ever appeared before him and offered him a deal, he would agree with the condition of postponing it by half a year. As for the reward, he would pass on the seed to the demon and ask him to drop it in the northern region.
The demon had originally offered to help him escape from the ice castle, to help him walk atop the continent once again, but Tsaral asked the demon to drop the seed instead. That was just how loyal the high elves were to their empire.
The demon could 'see' certain things, so it found it strange.
Whether the calamity started now or one year later, it didn't change anything. There wasn't even a line of fate connecting to the delay. As for the seed, it was just a meaningless and worthless request, one that it would usually laugh at if it could.
When he 'looked' into the future of that seed, he saw it fall onto a busy road, and spend its life being stepped on repeatedly, leaving it no chance to grow. He couldn't even tell what kind of seed it was.
With his foresight, he happily made the deal.
The problem was, after this demon made the deal, he suddenly felt odd. He felt like something in the unseen world had looked his way, like he had attracted the attention of something much more powerful than himself. This 'gaze' was neither 'order' nor 'chaos', it was unique, special, and ethereal, almost dissipating into a forgotten memory the moment it appeared.
Regardless of this inexplicable feeling, the demon had succeeded in his goal.
He disappeared, returning the castle of ice to its dormant and eternal state.
Half a year later, the first calamity would begin.
* * *
In the central region, Blackstone Mountain Range.
Elena stood on a mountain peak, staring into the void.
When she heard about the Castle of Ice, she was shocked. The first calamity had come too soon. She should have had another three years. Why did it appear so early?
Elena once again felt like things were getting out of control.
First, there was the appearance of Petra, an unknown factor. Then the Silent Witch underwent a change, and now there were these extra three 'Heavens Chosen'. These three heroes were never there in her previous life. She had heard the name 'Dorothy Quella' before, but the 'her' from back then was far from the 'her' now. She was sure that the other two were the same, powerful people who were pushed up even higher by an unknown hand.
The only problem was Petra.
Elena was sure that Petra was not there in the previous loops.
She didn't know what caused this change, but she felt like it was an opportunity, an opportunity to finally change the future she had experienced.
Even if she had the extra three years, she still wasn't sure she could handle the first calamity alone. Although the ice castle was still in hibernation, when it did fully awaken, then the continent would be plunged into chaos. Not just the southern region, the entire continent would finally have the opportunity to see the power of the High Elves.
Elena did a quick calculation and discovered that the ice castle would stay in hibernation for half a year. This overlapped with the next green tide in the north. She didn't know if this was caused by its early appearance, but this still gave her the time to do many things.
With the appearance of the extra three Heros, this had a subtle effect of making the world more mindful about the upcoming calamity.
Elena could use this to make large scale preparations in the hope of the survival of many more people.
In her last life, she was unable to do much because her influence was too small.
Elena felt like this time, she might just be able to do it, she might just be able to meet that embodiment of destruction again.
Her thoughts ran back to the first loop, where she was helpless and alone.
Elena remembered when that massive black dragon raised its head and released a breath.
After that, the world disappeared.
Elena broke off her thoughts.
Her hands still shook when she thought back to that monster.
As for the first calamity, there were two main points to focus on. First was the castle itself. When the Ice Castle woke up, the surrounding world would be slowly transformed into a world of ice and snow. Everything in proximity to the ice castle would not only freeze, but also turn into Ice Elementals. The second thing she had to worry about was the environmental curse. During the first calamity, the Cross Continent would be thrown into a cursed winter. Ice elementals would bloom from the falling snow, and Ice Demons would rise from the forgotten earth. Most of the isolated population would be killed by the Ice Elementals, their corpses raised as ice demons.
Elena needed to make sure these isolated settlements move to larger and more easily protected places.
This, of course, included Evergreen Town.
Elena suddenly wondered how that little girl was doing.
Elena had tried to divine her, but all she got was chaotic static.
Elena thought about the unaccounted for fifth hero, the one missing from the north. Was it possible that Petra was the missing chosen?
Elena didn't know whether to hope that she was, or pray that she wasn't.
Anyway, there was a lot to do.
Elena focused her mind and began her preparations for half a year later.