Chapter 85 - The Shadow on Top of the Wall

Close to two thousand years ago, after the fall of the Pentapolis of Philistia, the Dukedom of Ansem, alongside the Dukedoms of Rosalia, Renata, Alaria, Morena, and the Marquisdoms of Corena and Baruna banded together and conquered the then barren lands in the southern and western strip of the continent. It was a long and hard-earned victory, but they managed to conquer the entire land west, east and south of the Argent River.

The then Duke of Ansem, Alaric Dai Ansem swore fealty to the budding religion which was centered in the Temple, and started propagating the belief in EON, the Lord of Balance and Creation. With the support from the rest of the Dukes and Marquises, Alaric declared himself King, and formed the Kingdom of Ansem. Thanks to the constant tribal fighting in the Prairie of Rhodnius, they had several years, in which they could develop in relative peace, save for the constant skirmishes with the Heretic Barbarians.

North to this part of the continent, is a grand wasteland, bordered with mountainous perils, and bathed also by the Argent River and its tributaries. Both the River and the Mountains create a sort of natural barrier, which has proven unsurmountable to this date. These are the Barbarian Lands, and even greater than Rhodnius, they are quite likely the greatest danger that haunts the Ancestral Kingdom of Ansem.

It was Alaric's grandson, the King Johannes Dai Ansem I, The Builder, that expanded the city of his ancestors, and built a huge cosmopolis, which would later be named Eonia, in honor of EON. He was also the one responsible for constructing the Dam for the Argent River, something which took the best part of 30 years. The city was quite close to both the river and the sea, and was actually situated towards the eastern and northern tip of the Territory.

Since then, Eonia and the Johannin Dam have been the two most iconic views in the Kingdom, and the jewel of the southern part of the continent. The Dam allowed Ansem to quickly develop its agriculture, and other technologies, which allowed Ansem to quickly become one of the Major Territories. As its borders expanded towards Rhodnius, they took over three counties from the latter Territory, the last one being Syracuse, which eventually forced the Ten Biggest Tribes to stop infighting, and form The Great Council of Rhodnius, which managed to stop the advance of Ansem's forces.

When Nerun arrived at the doors of Eonia, it would be a lie to say that he was not astonished. Nerun had felt small when watching the wonders of nature, but this was the first time he thought about the greatness of man. Both Corona and Syracuse had nothing next to the splendor of the city of Eonia

Eonia was an immense city that was over twenty thousand square kilometers, with well over 100 million people living in it. It was not the biggest city in the World though, but it was among the top five. The number of inhabitants did not include the people that entered and left the city everyday, as well as the numerous visitors and tourists, which could very well double or triple that number from time to time.

The walls of the city were well over 70 meters high, and the towers next to the city gate were close to a hundred meters. The walls surrounded the southern and northern part of the city. To the east there was a grand port, with many ships that traveled towards Brindisia and Lutzomya everyday.

To the western part there was a great ditch, and a barren area, that was usually used for several purposes such as Temporary Festivals, Martial Tournaments, Army Drills and such. There were also some mines, and some productivity areas. At the other side of the ditch was part of the Johannin Dam with a small brook of water falling from the Dam towards the ditch, forming a false lake.

Currently, the walls around the city of Eonia were a bit understaffed, nor that they were afraid of any attack whatsoever. After all, there were several Legends inside the city taking charge, nor have Eonia ever suffered invasion since its inception.

Towards the western part of the city there was a magnificent, yet austere compound which had the royal symbol of the Lion and the Eagle. The compound was filled to the brim with soldiers moving constantly, and there were many royal guards in the vicinity. Most of the Noble Families from Eonia and its surrounding Counties were also present. They were all waiting for His Majesty, Johannes Dai Ansem IV, the Lion King, to arrive from the Golden Palace.

This Compound was the center of the military might of the Kingdom, the Headquarters of the Grand Royal Army of Ansem, also known as the Martial Temple. The excitement in the air around the compound was palpable, and everyone both inside and in the surrounding areas were discussing and talking merrily with each other.

"Things seem to be improving. I think it's not long before Ansem enters a golden age, hehehe." one of the soldiers commented to his partner.

"Well, we must alway maintain a cautious attitude. But I don't bear to disagree with you, since it's true that after more than a decade of this stifling feeling, things finally seem to have taken their proper course. Man, if General Armand had not done those despicable things, how could we have gone through so many difficult times, and be shaken here and there by our enemies." answered the other. The last part of his comment, was done with a bit of rancor and displeasure.

"Sshhhh. Do you want to get us into trouble? You know very well that that name is taboo among many of the soldiers. Besides, His Majesty himself has never believed the claims of the Temple, which was what really put a strain on our relationship. Fortunately Lord Raphael made sure to contain the Temple's fury."

"Please, what could they have done? Attack us? It's not like we would have feared them. Even if Armand is not around, don't we have Lord Falma, as well as Lord Titan and the King himself. Just Lord Falma alone is enough to scare the whole bunch of Legends away from Eonia." as the soldier said the name of Falma, the First Dragon General, the pride in his voice was completely undisguised. It was almost as if Lord Falma's achievements were his own.

And the people of Ansem were truly proud of their advanced kingdom, their rules, their prosperity, and of course, their Martial Experts, especially Falma No Eremia, the Sword Saint, currently considered the undisputed strongest Qi Warrior in the Six Major Territories.

Conversations like these were not uncommon, and many of the soldiers and guards, and even the nobles that were waiting for the King to arrive were discussing the current events. There had been many changes in a short period of time that made them feel as if they were in a maelstrom, and they were fighting not to be devoured by the tide of time.

Two noble women that were waiting in the main hall were also talking quietly to each other. "It's such a shame that Lord Falma is not around for the ceremony. I was so hoping to see him, even from afar. Just a glimpse of him is able to make my heart enter an undisguised turmoil, hihihi."

"You are right. He is not only talented, but handsome and so brave. It's a shame he is still single, apparently no woman has ever caught his fancy. Then again, how else could he have gotten so powerful, if he had not a heart that solely belonged to the Tao of the Sword." sighed the other woman.

"Indeed. I heard he could not come, since he is currently guarding the Northern Border against the Barbarian Invasions. Hmph. Damn barbarians. When will they realize the error of their ways and stop in their heretic beliefs? Then again, it's necessary for Lord Falma to take charge. It is said that there are several Legendary level experts among the Barbarians, the Bear Lord, being the most ferocious of the bunch. Thankfully with Lord Falma around, they can do nothing but hide in the wasteland. Eeeh… is that? Even she came." said the lady as she looked towards the entrance of the main hall.

A Beautiful and most gracious lady walked in. Her beauty was breathtaking, enough to cause a nation to topple. Her golden locks, and emerald coloured eyes had everyone feeling lost. Her nose was chiseled, her lips were red, luscious and moist, and her demeanour clearly showed her high standing and charisma. She was none other than Julieth Anniana Dai Corena. She was now fourteen years old, and was already considered one of the three most beautiful fairies in the Kingdom of Ansem, and the pride of House Corena.

When Julieth entered the hall, many noblemen and suitors approached her like stars surrounding the moon, and started wooing her, to which Julieth barely replied with a bow or a nod here and there. She barely talked, but her voice was enough to make the young men's heart flutter, and many dreamt of wedding Julieth and ascending the heavens in a single step.

Julieth was accompanied by her personal Steward, Menke, who had previously gone to Radem alongside Julieth, and there was also another man with them. It was an old looking, slightly chubby and with puffy eyes. However, those that knew him, knew better than to underestimate him, since he was one of the most relentless and greatest businessmen in the World, and the amount of money that went through his hands on a daily basis, was greater than the entire wealth of minor territories in their entirety. He was none other than Giannino Dai Corena, the Minister of Revenue, and the Patriarch of House Corena.

After House Corena arrived and took the position quite close to the center of the hall, and in one of the most important places, the other members of the Five Great Families also arrived, one after the other.

House Baruna was right next to the placement of House Corena, and the thrill, and excitement in their eyes could barely be hidden. It was hard to blame them, after all, much of the celebration that was about to happen was related in many ways to them.

The patriarch of House Baruna, was a warrior himself, an old man, yet with few wrinkles around his eyes, with a hooked nose, and a full head of brownish-red hair that had already signs of greying. His robes were stern, as was usual of militaristic families, and his name was Abraham Dai Baruna. There was a young man at his side, who could barely hide his infatuation towards Julieth that was close-by and he was summoning his courage to talk to her.

It was Abraham who first broke the ice while speaking, "Old Fox Corena, your girl is becoming more and more beautiful with each passing day. Aren't you afraid of any crook managing to rob her heart and taking her away from you. You might as well marry her into my house, at least I can assure you that she will be treated like a queen, hahahaha."

"It's not that I'm disagreeable to a wedding, but I wonder if any of your sons would be good enough for my little girl. It's a shame that that tomboy of yours is not a man, otherwise I would have been the first to propose an engagement, hahahahahaha. Then again, I had no opportunity to congratulate you earlier. For that lass, Elizabeth, to have already become a Legend is quite praiseworthy. Even more than that, the Temple has chosen her to become the next Seneschal of Ansem. She is quite a talented young girl, barely 27 years old, and already a powerful Legend. The Iron Maiden, such a mighty title. With a new legend being born in Ansem, things definitely look to be improving. It's a shame about Old Raphael, otherwise we could have had three mighty Dragon Generals, each a legend." answered Old Man Corena with a boisterous laugh and powerful voice.

"And that niece Elizabeth's student to also be so mesmerizing and talented is also quite lucky for our Kingdom. It's also due time to celebrate his promotion. For an orphan boy from the outskirts of the kingdom to have made it this far is almost like a fairy tail. So I guess it's double congratulations to you, even though he is not your son, he can be considered to be affiliated to your house, though many would like to believe he is neutral to all the politics and shenanigans from the Noble Houses." followed Gianinno. There was an undecipherable gleam in his eyes as he said this. Many of the close nobles, soldiers and other officers from the kingdom were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, and try to gauge the intentions from these two heavyweights of the Kingdom.

"Elijah's merits and honors are his own. We barely had anything to do with him, we simply provided some training help. I was at first against the idea of Elizabeth taking him under her tutelage, but he has proven to be quite talented and quickly surpassed my expectations. It looks like her eye for talent is a lot greater than mine." said Abraham with a self-deprecating tone, but it was obvious that he was greatly proud about this. It was indeed true that Elijah could be considered part of his camp, since his very own daughter was her master.

"I think you are the one that has a very good eye, Uncle Menke. I know you sent some gifts to Elijah back then, and he also came and visited father that one time. I could hardly believe that that escort you had hired on a whim back then could have become the rising star of our Kingdom's army. It's quite difficult to find someone as talented and brilliant as him, even among the Noble Houses, and even in the Royal family." whispered Julieth as she found the whole thing quite incredible, to say the least.

Menke and Gianinno simply heard her comment and only nodded and smiled. The relationship between their House and young Elijah was a bit more complicated than most people knew, and this relationship was under wraps. All of the guards from back then had been given promotions and a big bonus to be quiet about what had occurred back then, and no one seemed to be the wiser about the whole incident. Julieth regained her composure quickly, however, she could not help but remember someone else. Someone that left an even deeper impression in her mind, a young boy that was right next to Elijah back then, and that was just as brave and boisterous.

"Where could you be? Maybe it was just a far away dream. For your brother to have made it here, I guess that's as far as things will get." said Julieth to herself.

…

The guards in the wall of the city were also quite excited and talking about the event currently taking place in the Martial Temple. They Were laughing and boasting about this and that, when all of a sudden one of them noticed a strange shadow coming from one of the highest vigilance towers in the Gates. There was someone on top of the tallest point of the tower, currently squatting as he was seeing the whole city and taking it into his eyes. The guards were flabbergasted by this and they had goosebumps. 'Someone actually dared to climb the tower and infiltrate Eonia? No, that's not possible, or does he want to suicide?'

Nerun, who was looking at Eonia from the highest vantage point in his vicinity, was quite joyful. He was enjoying the sight of a grand part of the city of Eonia, and could not help but fall in love with it. The guards were about to holler at him, when Nerun suddenly shouted happily with all his being:

"EONIA… BROTHER… I HAVE ARRIVED."