Aetherion and Princess Elysia gradually established a small, yet profound, connection built on mutual understanding. Elysia, hesitant in the daylight, became a silent, devoted companion during his training and never mentioned his martial arts lessons to anyone. In turn, Aetherion offered her a much needed commodity: respect. While the rest of the Imperial Court regarded her merely as "the little sister with some healing abilities," Aetherion appreciated her sketches and the painstaking effort and attention to detail they contained, traits akin to the discipline of his grueling training. She was his unintentional anchor, the only one who recognized his strength, not the shame that accompanied it.
The time of their shared solitude was coming to an end. The whispers criticizing Aetherion shifted to something deeper and far more menacing. The looming and ominous feal of war was beginning to stir. Skirmishes and border conflicts of the expansionist and aggressive Shadow Empire was straining the eastern borders. Rumors of feal and disorder haloing the palace were proving dangerously effective. The Shadow Empire was proving their worth of the Azure Kingdom. The Empire's control of brutally effective dark spiritual arts and military tactics was unrivaled, and the current conflicts were escalating far more than the Azure Kingdom with the Empire had encountered.
After concentrating on the court's internal issues and the social calendar, the court suddenly went into a panicked state. The Emperor relied on his strong sons, and, due to the Emperor's nature, this was becoming a problem. This predicament was the perfect opportunity for Aetherion's half-brothers to attain the glory and authority they so desperately sought. Prince Kaiden was vigorously boasting about the so-called 'unstoppable' power his fire techniques could unleash, and, on the other hand, Princess Lyra was coldly calm, relying on the more 'rational' and 'strategic' atmospheric spiritual currents within the endless sky to engineer a plan.
From his solitary corner, Aetherion noted the escalating chaos. The fundamental problem with the numerous interesting and creative strategies sprung from a complete reliance on overwhelming spiritual force an old tactic of the Azure Empire. They failed to recognize the primary reality of war: the need to incorporate logistics, deception, and the exploitation of the enemy's mind along with raw power. He noted their flaws: the predictable movements, the blind reliance on the very spiritual power that had, in the previous, smaller confrontations, lost them the forces. With every unsolvable problem from the Shadow Empire, he had willed to every spiritualist not to consider the problem. The very fireballs and wind spells sparking his most recent, ruthless, tactical, and contrary silenced focus. The time of observing unengaged, of the 'Worthless Prince' was almost over.
Aetherion's observations were confirmed at the Imperial War Council meeting. The atmosphere was a poisonous mixture of fear and conceit as they gathered in the Grand Hall, lit by spiritual chandeliers. With his proposal a simple demonstration of brute force Prince Kaiden, a man whose physical size matched his ego, took center stage. He called for the mass mobilization of powerful spiritual masters to form an enormous offensive line. With booming confidence, he spoke of burning the vanguards of the Shadow Empire, utterly ruling out the idea of siege warfare or flanking maneuvers.
"Father," Kaiden said, his voice resonating off the marble pillars, "We command a pure spiritual density that the Shadow Army does not possess. We'll overpower them. We are wasting our core strength if we do anything less.
Ever the political thinker, Princess Lyra offered a more complex but no less spiritual plan, concentrating on erecting enormous elemental barriers to counter the enemy's dark magic before using air and water elementals to launch devastating, targeted attacks. Although her plan was praised for its elegance, Aetherion, who was watching from the sidelines, pointed out how important it was to have perfect weather and perfect spiritual coordination two things that are nearly impossible to maintain during a long war. When logistics failed and morale collapsed, he saw the tired expressions on the faces of the experienced generals, men who knew that spiritual strength alone did not ensure victory. They were aware of the price of depending solely on opulent, religious displays.
Aetherion saw his opportunity during a brief, tense silence while the Emperor considered the two proposals. Leaning against a forgotten tapestry near the back, he maintained his modest appearance, but his mind was racing through simulations at a terrifying rate. He saw that Kaiden's plan would inevitably be counterattacked; the Shadow Empire would just target supply lines and avoid the main spiritual force. He recognized the vulnerability in Lyra's defense: the formation as a whole would disintegrate with a single, significant breach in the spiritual barrier. He suddenly realized that his real purpose was to transform the idea of warfare in this empire, not to compete in the spiritual arena. His ability to think beyond the spiritual cage was what gave him strength, not just his fists.
The Emperor gave a long sigh and rubbed his temples, as the burden of the crown seemed very heavy on his brow. "The proposals are reasonable, my children, but they are..." he said, the voice ringing tired of a thousand unjustly won victories turned too soon into painful stalemates. Just then, as the court ministers began propounding their tentative, old-fashioned-a-la-mode suggestions, Aetherion stepped out of the shadow of the tapestry. This movement was slow and deliberate, but drew every eye in the hall-then narrowed in curiosity and minor disgust.
"Really, if I may interject," Aetherion said, his voice cutting against the murmuring audience not with supernatural power but rather an unbidden, emphasized clarity. He proceeded to the central war table, a massive, polished slab of engraved obsidian representing a map of Azure and Shadow Empires. He ignored any kicking glares or strange frowns directed at him by his brothers and ministers, for his sole focus was on the strategic picture before him.
"Their masters of dark arts are not the real strength, Your Majesty," Aetherion continued, giving a cynical note under which irritation simmered, no trace left of the usual pomp and circumstance of court, indeed of any bravado seen in that grand hall. "True strength for them comes in form of logistics extended in possible directions and cavalry to isolate, ambush, and destroy our lines of spiritual supply. They don't intend to win, in a duel of power; they intend to win in a war of attrition."
He did not point to great fortresses in the north, but instead to a small, neglected mountain path far to the south, one that had been deemed too dangerous for any self-respecting spiritual master to bother defending. "This will be their main entry point. They will use this pass not for offensive maneuvers, but rather to get behind our frontline spiritual defenses and thereby cut off food and healing supply routes into the border." He glided his fingertip across the map, along a line which had nothing to do with magical circles or elemental defenses. "What we have to do is to counter with a stronger physical defense against their physical presence. We will need disciplined infantry and siege specialists to block this choke point--forces that do not drain constant energy from the spiritual atmosphere."
For a moment, the hall filled with a loud gasp. Not because his strategy was foolish but because of its terrifying sense and utter lack of spirituality. He had demystified the war, reducing it to brutal, primitive mechanics. The generals exchanged furtive, awed glances; meanwhile, Kaiden and Lyra gaped at Aetherion with a mixture of shock and utter indignation. The "Worthless Prince" had just provided a military assessment more piercing than any of the spiritual prodigies present. The silence that followed was weighted by incredulity and the sudden realization: this boy, this outcast, could perhaps possess the key to their survival.