The war decision passed by the Senate had caused a great stir throughout the Imperial Domain. A civilisation that had lived in quiet peace for centuries had chosen war in order to survive. However, this was a war offered by an emperor who craved the stars.
A war that might never end.
According to the Senate's Edict:
- All wars will be fought with an army bound in loyalty to the Emperor. Those wishing to become soldiers would join the Imperial Army. The only requirements for joining the army were to be a volunteer and physically fit. This would increase the army's strength.
- Weapons illegally stored by noble families would be overlooked if they were surrendered to the army. This would ensure that the army had the weapons it needed at the outset.
- Noble families will send family members to the army solely to serve as commanders during operations. This will prevent any single family from gaining undue influence within the army.
- It will be illegal for noble families to assemble armies outside of their guard regiments. This will prevent any potential internal sedition.
Before long, noticeable changes began to take place in the empire. Engineers were designing new war machines, the greatest of which were vehicles capable of reaching the stars. The army was growing rapidly.
New factories were being built for the war, while old factories were sometimes demolished to make way for the new ones, their former purpose forgotten.
Although the Titans were hesitant when the decision was first made, the new machines and the Serathians' ambitions caught their interest. For they had never seen a race that could breach the confines of their world before. And they began to watch them with even greater curiosity.
Within a few years, a peaceful civilisation had turned into a militaristic one. The army was ready for this war, with new soldiers and new equipment. And they set off for the war that was said to be easy, the war they were told would be over in a few weeks...
However, the sudden war that followed centuries of peace did not go as expected. A few weeks later, when they were supposed to return, not even the littoral edge of the continent had been captured. Losses were in the hundreds of thousands. The ability to use mana, which the Titans had spread throughout the atmosphere, had not passed on to the Serathians alone. In this continent of constant war, the warriors of other races knew how to use mana better for combat.
Weeks turned into months, months into years. Half the continent had been conquered. However, the front lines resembled a grinding mill of flesh. Losses exceeded millions. The Senate, internally, preferred to liken this event to population control that had been ignored to prevent famine before new lands were cultivated.
The losses in the war turned to virulent anger among the Serathians. The people now saw every race that was not Serathi or Titan as savage and barbaric creatures, believing that they should be utterly wiped out. With the arrival of news and grisly photographs from the front, the army's opinion on the matter became clear.
The scorching and ruin of enemy settlements. The refusal to accept surrenders and even the execution of envoys who came to surrender. The entire forest being burned down because the location of the enemy settlement within it was unknown. The skulls of dead enemies being used as macabre decorations. Genocides. Piles of burning corpses, impaled heads, towers made of corpses and heads, and even a photograph of a general seated at a table with the dead enemy leaders, seemingly eating with them...
This feral madness had now reached a point where even the generals, the senate, and even the emperor could not halt it. And it seemed that no one wanted to stop it anymore, because the people now had a target for their anger: the Others.
Before the invasion of the continent was over, the news expected from the Chief Engineer arrived. The machine that could reach the stars was finally complete. Repeated tests and designs had already caught the attention of the Titans, but a ready-made one had caused all the Titans to gather. There was a circle of shining mana in the sky.
However, this 'small' device, capable of carrying only 20 people, was not sufficient for the Emperor. At the session in the Senate, attended by the Patriarchs of all the noble houses, held to reward the Chief Engineer and those responsible for the device, the Emperor stated his true intentions.
"I thank the noble houses for gathering here today. The reason we are gathered... well, I suppose I don't need to state the reason for our gathering; after all, one would have to be blind not to see the device outside."
There was murmuring and light laughter in the Senate.
"In the presence of our distinguished guests here, I congratulate Chief Engineer Sarith'en and the other engineers involved in the invention of this device for their outstanding and peerless service."
Everyone in the Senate began applauding the engineers. The applause lasted for several minutes. As the applause died down and everyone waited quietly for the awards to be bestowed, the emperor began to speak again.
"However! Is everyone not aware that this will not end here? After all, we cannot conquer the boundless stars with devices that only carry 20 people. We expect yet greater achievements from you."
The Senate was surprised that the emperor had brought up this topic now. The emperor seemed to be dismissing the engineers' success and demanding more. However, this reaffirmed the emperor's determination to everyone.
A few decades later, the entire planet had finally been conquered. There was no longer any other race on the planet. The soldiers were now talking about returning home or relaxing.
"Yes, Your Majesty, everything is ready. The 217... starships, each carrying 100 crew, close to 5,000 soldiers and sufficient provisions and ammunition. They will travel to the planets we designated with the scout... vessels we sent earlier. Most of those planets do not harbor any significant peril. Initially, they will secure a region and establish a safe zone for the colonists we will send afterwards."
"It is well," the Emperor said calmly, as he watched the starships slowly ascend into the vault of the sky. And from the balcony, he began to call out to the armies and the people in the Ceremony Grounds.
"Look! Look and see the height our civilization has reached. What you see here are but the first harbingers of what you shall witness in the future."
The emperor was right. These were the omens of things to come. Yet, they were omens of things no one could ever have predicted.