Journal entry: Year 18–Revelations

In the intricate tapestry of fate, I find myself ensnared in the eternal fascination of conflict, a symphony woven from threads of war or the ominous preludes that herald its arrival. It is a dance orchestrated by myriad forces, converging into a cacophony of divergent opinions and beliefs, reaching its crescendo only when one ideology obliterates its opposition. This clash, resonating through the ages, may seem surreal, for battles can be ephemeral as the flicker of a candle, yet wars persist, enduring until the very fabric of existence begins to fray. The distinction between war and mere dispute lies in the resolution, one through physical confrontation, often accompanied by the feeble whispers of psychological warfare, while the other finds its end through the ethereal dance of verbal communion. Personally, I find solace in discourse, for war, more often than not, feels like an extravagant squandering of the sands of time. The War of the Famished, ironically named, stands as a testament to the profound squandering of those very sands.

Two moons' cycles have waxed and waned since our ingress into the realm of adversaries, and doubt, like a shroud, has descended upon our cohort. The elusive grandeur of the capital city remains beyond our grasp. Our initial intelligence led us to a city of moderate proportions, yet the castle eluded our eager eyes. Streets, once bustling with life, now lie strewn with the lifeless, and the survivors, more akin to the spectral denizens of a realm beyond, traverse with cadaverous grace. If the Famished were once loyal citizens, hunger-ravaged and desperate, these remnants are unmistakably souls that have traversed the abyss of the final stage of starvation. Despite the grandeur of our army parading through the desolate streets, no spark of vitality graces our sight. Inquiries are met with either an ominous silence or incoherent mutterings.

The fervor that once animated our legion, transforming them into zealous warriors, now wanes in the shadow of uncertainty. Yet retreat, like a coward's refuge, is an option not granted. The elusive sovereign, the puppet master behind this macabre tapestry, still lingers in the desolation. Fortnights stretch into an endless expanse, and exhaustion, both of body and spirit, becomes our constant companion. Sustaining a legion numbering over a thousand mouths proves to be no trivial feat. Even the most benevolent souls, were they inclined to share their provisions generously, find themselves impotent against the grip of starvation. The city, it seems, cannot be rescued by the sustenance of mere victuals, and the witnesses among us are condemned to watch the slow, agonizing demise of a once-thriving metropolis.

In the midst of seemingly futile endeavors, a silver lining revealed itself to me – an extension of time granted for my nocturnal strolls. Beneath the shroud of night, I unraveled a revelation concerning the unfolding events. Beyond the city limits lay a peculiar haven for me during my midnight perambulations, an area of unique barrenness – an arid, desiccated terrain resembling cracked pottery. This landscape, once teeming with life, now stood as a testament to an unnatural transformation. Vast plots, reminiscent of the farmlands in our own kingdom, were separated by roads, and what I trod upon was once fertile soil rendered desolate and unusable. Haphazard trenches were revealed as the remnants of flowing rivers. This desolation was not confined to a mere resettlement; it hinted at a grim reality – an extensive drought had ensnared the entire kingdom.

The solace of my nocturnal excursions lay in the freedom to wander unfettered, contemplating the unfolding mysteries. Daylight, a cruel tether to my group, confined me without substantial purpose. Idle chatter and aimless passing of time marked our daylight hours. In these moments, I yearned for solitude. Yet, amidst the mundane, an intriguing camaraderie blossomed between Darian and Tessaia, despite my reluctance to officially acknowledge them as friends. Invitations to join in activities became frequent, and with limited alternatives, I couldn't refuse.

An enjoyable pastime unfolded during these shared moments with Tessaia and Darian – the pursuit of hidden or hard-to-find passageways. One such venture led us to a secluded hut, not entirely abandoned but showing signs of decay. Out of courtesy, we knocked, and to our astonishment, an elderly man greeted us. Unlike the city's other denizens, he appeared relatively hale, despite the fragility lent by his age. Inviting us inside, he shared tea and became the focal point of our inquiries. A former priest of the city, he had foreseen the calamity that befell the realm. Living in a remote location, he had noticed the reduction of the river's water level, prompting his investigation upstream. What was once a massive crater had dwindled to a mere puddle. The remaining water supply seemed precarious, and his warnings to the people were dismissed in anticipation of a rainy season that never arrived. Preparing for the worst, the priest had stored countless buckets of water, sustaining his garden until the present day. His tale, though captivating, left me with a crucial question: had he informed the king of the perilous water situation? Indeed, he had, and the revelation marked a breakthrough – we now knew the castle's location and the whereabouts of the unscrupulous king.

With the final destination looming on the horizon, the army set forth on its advance. Though the objective lay not far, marshaling such a sizable force to a single point demanded considerable time. Yet, my personal zeal to claim the king's head was not as ardent. Another fascination had seized my attention, a subject that had lingered in the recesses of my thoughts but had yet to be thoroughly explored—the intricacies of the human body.

In this realm of mortal existence, afflictions and injuries painted a canvas of suffering, and those who undertook the challenging quest to understand the human form, physicians and healers, were born. Ethical concerns yielded to the pursuit of knowledge, for dissection became the key to unlocking the enigma of life concealed within. While doctors sought willing contributors to bequeath their departed bodies for the sake of science, I found an abundance of research material among the fallen famished. Where else could I glean the answers I sought? The use of my own body was inconceivable, and within a city teeming with morbid opportunities, the estate became a clandestine laboratory. My research endeavors, however, were confined to the nocturnal hours, when Sir Dubert's watchful gaze waned.

As the imminent departure date approached, compromises became inevitable. My investigations now revolved around the examination of the city's torsos and the discreet acquisition of limbs strewn across the desolate roads. These amputated appendages, while deteriorating and losing their vitality, found an unexpected preservation in a method my mother had once imparted for conserving meat at low temperatures. The limbs I gathered retained their pristine state, and during my nightly explorations, the mysteries of the human body began to unfold. Bones formed the resilient scaffold, muscles bestowed strength, and between them coursed the energies that animated this intricate system. With more time, the essence of the body might have been unveiled, but the mysteries of the organs persisted. Time constraints forced me to curtail further experimentation, as the sight of the castle emerging amidst the treetops signaled that the hour of reckoning had arrived.

It came as no surprise that the true abode of the castle remained a well-guarded secret. Nestled deep within the woods, its formidable walls concealed by the lush embrace of foliage, the fortress blended seamlessly with the surrounding forest. In stark contrast to the opulent palaces of our kingdom, this structure bore the character of a robust stronghold. Yet, armed with a cohort of mages, breaching the castle's gates became a matter of time. However, our entrance was far from a mere incursion. The enemy king, seemingly anticipating our arrival, positioned his elite guard atop the walls. As we approached, a torrent of arrows descended upon us, inflicting mounting casualties as we pressed forward. Our army's primary mission was to safeguard the mages. Despite my capability to effortlessly blast open the gates, the imminent battle spectacle drew me in. The mages conjured colossal fireballs, though with a conjuration time that belied the grandeur of the display. Nevertheless, their objective was achieved. With the gates breached, we anticipated our forces flooding in, only to be met with their own cavalry and infantry pouring out, setting the stage for a colossal bloodbath.

Our forces perhaps had not anticipated facing the kingdom's formidable knights, expecting only the familiar famished. To me, however, armored or not, they all succumbed to my prowess. Yet, even with numerical superiority, our ranks dwindled as the conflict unfolded. Tessaia and Darian, fighting valiantly, teetered on the brink of exhaustion. As heartening as it was to witness their resilience, the prospect of their untimely demise loomed. I offered assistance intermittently but aimed for a balanced engagement. Amid the ceaseless casting of "Magic Missiles," the experiment I yearned for lingered on the fringes of my focus – the integration of newfound knowledge into my mana. With a myriad of subjects before me, it seemed the opportune moment to experiment. Be it a minor injury or a severed limb, within my scope of knowledge, restoration appeared plausible. Yet, my primary concern was our own army. Employing my newfound skills, I endeavored to mend injuries, extending my healing powers to an entire radius of wounded allies. Methodically, I traversed the wounded, mending injuries on a grand scale. Before long, our injured soldiers had received my care. So absorbed was I in my task that I inadvertently pushed my own limits. The surge of data overwhelmed me, and I succumbed to unconsciousness. The events that transpired thereafter were recounted to me by others.