Faith and Hope

On December 2, 1110, Blaise, Angel of Miracles, made a historic declaration in Backlund Square in front of the entire empire.

The Lord of Storms had died, slain by the Eternal Blazing Sun, who had also seized his authority. The news was like a bomb that detonated in the feeble minds of mortals.

Gods had always been Omnipotent and All-Powerful in their eyes. Above all, there were those who stood with the eternity. As a result, the prospect of a god's death stunned them to their core, little by little extinguishing the burning hope in their hearts.

Faith was an important pillar of support in everyone's heart. This is especially true in these dark and desperate times.

But a god had died. It demonstrated to the world that even the gods can succumb to the tide of time.

So how about them? Can they even make it through the coming chaos? Many unsettling questions raced through their heads.

Despair and hopelessness pervaded the world as the still darkness took their hearts, extinguishing the burning hope.

Nevertheless, the historians did their job. Their quivering hands recorded history for future generations.

The Holy War was a conflict between seven churches. The gods themselves were said to have fought on earth, pitting the primal forces of the cosmos against each other. A poetic historian even stated that the holy war felt more like the entire world was at war with itself.

The ending of the versions, however, was the same.

The Lord of Storms was slain by the Eternal Blazing Sun as the world-ending storm was engulfed by infinite pure light.

The Sun God then conquered the Sky and Ocean as his own crown....

On December 10, 1110. The declaration's repercussions were still felt across the Trunsoest empire, as nearly one-fifth of the empire's population lost their pillar of faith.

Chaos erupted in the orderly utopia, leaving its imprint on the empire and threatening to tear it apart with its twisted claws.

Surprisingly, the Night Emperor did not use his authority to forcefully suppress the chaos, but instead allowed it to happen, inadvertently eroding the empire's 'Order.'

Meanwhile, the horns of war sounded once more as the undead army of Bayam Empire, which had been stationed in the cannel between the Northern and Southern Continents, resumed their march into the Northern Continent, marching towards Trunsoest Empire.

The Tudor Empire and the Solomon Empire both began mobilising and marching against each other.

The haze of war began to engulf the entire world yet again...

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11th December, 1110. Palace of Eternity, Backlund.

Silvery snow bled down from cloudy sky. It fell straight and steadily without a wind, in a soft universal diffusion more confusing than the gusts and eddies of the morning.

It engulfed Backlund's capital, creating an ethereal scene. There was no one in the streets, bridges, or balconies to witness this spectacle though, other than the sun god walking towards a towering door.

As usual, the sun god, Aucuses, was dressed in black and white. The falling snow melted away around his figure.

While a faint horn echoed in the background, he looked behind the desolate city. That sound was drowned out by the countless prayers ringing in his ears.

He set aside his prayers for his kingdom and focused on the Palace of Eternity.

The last ten days with Lilith had been nothing but debauchery. They mostly ignored the outside world, only indulging in each other's bodies all day and night.

They did, however, put an end to their revelry yesterday, as the deteriorating situation in the outside world demanded their immediate attention, no matter how reluctant they were to separate.

Lilith left to the Twilight Kingdom in the morning to meet with her 'son' to discuss the situation of Death and matters concerning the ruined St. Million. He did, however, remember to pull her for another round right then and there before she left.

Aucuses smirked and shook his head as he remembered her glare at the time, but her swift actions and reactions told a completely different story.

While deep in thought, he arrived in front of the colossal door of the royal palace, which was guarded by hawk-eyed demigods walking back and forth.

Aucuses did not enter through the door, instead peering up at the palace's highest balcony. With a tap of his shoe on the cold ground, he floated up and flew towards it.

After a few moments of being assailed by the cold wind, he gently landed on the balcony, looking ahead.

Trunsoest, the Night Emperor, walked out of the study room and onto the balcony, holding two cups of coffee.

"Congratulations, your Excellency." He smiled and offered him a cup of coffee. "Just the way you like it."

Aucuses accepted the coffee with a smile on his lips. They stood next to each other on the balcony, overlooking the city of hope.

"You know," he said in between sips. "You don't have to call me 'Excellence' anymore. You may address me by name."

"No.." Trunsoest shook his head. "I prefer it this way. It felt strange calling you by name in my mind."

"Whatever you want in the end." Aucuses said, looking at him. "But I don't mind if that's your concern."

Trunsoest nodded lightly before turning his gaze to the city of hope for a few moments, sipping his coffee.

His golden eyes dimmed as he finally spoke. "The hope you gave them is waning..."

"You are mistaken..." Aucuses stated as he looked at the desolate city of hope. "I didn't give them hope. Even if one is God, one cannot grant hope."

Trunsoest looked at him, surprised.

He went on, indicating his heart. "All I did was ignite the hope. It always exists in hearts of all. One needs enough faith to discover it themselves. And, I just gave them that."

"Faith and hope." Trunsoest murmured. "It does makes a lot of sense. As we speak, Your Excellency; mothers are taking their last breaths with their children huddled in a cold bunker; the very last goodbyes are being said to their loved ones as they leave for the war; men and women slowly marching out of the empire holding the flag in silence, their dimming eyes losing the last glimmer of hope; a pair of lovers jumping off the mountain, kissing each other one last time..."

Aucuses listened calmly, his eyes as indifferent as ever. He put away his empty cup on the railing on the balcony.

He finally looked at him and spoke verily. "Chaos. Trunsoest, sometimes chaos is necessary."

A god's fall cannot be completely concealed, especially in this era. It will be revealed one way or another, though the consequences will be less severe than they are now.

Aucuses decided to go ahead with it regardless of the consequences, in order to avoid any future problems with the faith.

"I know…" Trunsoest gave a forlorn smile. "There must be Chaos before order. Neither can exist without the other."

"Indeed." Aucuses nodded, still surprised by his change. "It's like two sides of the same coin. However, this does not preclude you from carrying out your order."

"Never forget, Balance is key. Chaos and Order come second."

"I would do well to remember that." Trunsoest muttered, his dimmed eyes brightening, "But order alone will not end this period of despair and hopelessness; in fact, it may worsen the situation."

"Give it some time." Looking around the desolate city, Aucuses suggested. "The scars will fade with time. People will eventually move on."

Trunsoest nodded quietly, his golden eyes still flashing with excruciating visions and images.

"Who do you think you'll face first, Trunsoest?" Aucuses suddenly asked, noticing his depressed heart.

"First…" Trunsoest was silent in thought before answering. "Salinger. It will be him."

"Inform me before you go into battle." Aucuses said solemnly. "I'll fight alongside you."

Trunsoest didn't seem surprised and also didn't ask any questions. He simply nodded in agreement.

Then he said quietly, looking into Aucuses' eyes.

"Thank you."

Aucuses patted his shoulders. "It's always you, Trunsoest. Remember that. I just showed you the path."

"Even so, thank you for everything." Trunsoest bowed slightly.

Aucuses smiled. "Walk your path, Trunsoest. The last piece of advice I can give you is to quit bowing, not even to me."

When Trunsoest heard this, he immediately looked up, only to see golden particles of light fade into obscurity.

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