Chapter 1

Four years have passed since the battle of Whitestream came to its conclusion. The war has disintegrated into a stalemate, with both the Empire of Justitia and the Lohkanian Homefront on guard for each other. In this time, plans have been formed on both sides to bring the war to a swift end. The ways of peace were not considered by either faction; the plans have been inked in blood. The only question remaining now is the speed by which the bloodshed will advance…

A bell tolled in the distance. As the cries echoed over the lands of the Core, proceedings were taking place in a bunker, hidden away from ordinary Imperial society. The Court of his Imperial Majesty, Apollo III was now in session, and its guests all rose to their feet. A name honouring an old emperor, bearing the mark of an institute that exists in all civilisations. It was the perfect cover. For this was no ordinary court where the accused would stand trial. It had to be hidden for a reason.

The guests took off their hoods, revealing their young faces to the empty chair in front of them. A door swung open in a dark corner of the room; the echo of footsteps sounded loud and clear throughout the hall, as a figure walked to the chair on the other end, which sat higher up than any of the youth gathered. With all eyes gazing, the figure took his seat, took a gavel out of his coat, and struck the desk in front of him thrice, the echoes reverberating throughout the hall.

“Attention! Attention, everyone! We are starting.”

Several masked guards bearing medals of the Elite Legions came in from the sides, taking a kneel or stance around the perimeter of the center space. Around the raised podium, by the tribunal where the cloaked figures sat waiting, and by the base of the Judge’s giant stand, they all took position, as the High Judge seated above laid out a yellowed manuscript on his desk.

“Children of Lokahn. Three long years have passed since that fateful day on which you left your homelands. Three years of separation between your families, villages, towns, farms, and everything you have ever held dear, all with the aim of protecting your native land. You have suffered, wept, and feared for her fate, all throughout your training. Yet you, the Gifted, never lost hope. No matter how much was lost, no matter the suffering you faced, you stood firm, and kept your eyes on the light. The light that you would one day wield in service of your home, your country, your Emperor. And today marks the moment that will for all eternity confirm your grace and wisdom in service to the Lady. Today, your graduation from this special academy will take place.”

A boisterous cheer took the room by storm, as the students of the academy applauded the Judge. Cowls fells off one by one; authority no longer demanded their faces be hidden now. The Judge was smiling upon them. Before him, the faces of the students he had guided to the one truth came into the light. Not one face looked older than the age of sixteen. All the magic in the world couldn’t make the process any faster, unfortunately. But a youth’s fury is unmatched, and woe be upon any enemy that crosses it.

“My students… no, my friends…” the Judge said with a bash of his gavel. “You have grown tremendously. Your mastery of the art of our Lady has not had an equal in centuries. For this is a dark time for the empire, and for your country. Our forces are resisting the demonic onslaught with all their strength, but they cannot last forever. Today, the relief they have been praying to Lady Justitia for will finally come. Today, we Justitians will turn the tide of this war, and repel the Draconist menace for good.”

Another wave of applause came across the room. A telltale yellow glow appeared in the eyes of many a student. The glow that will undoubtedly strike fear into many a demon’s heart before they are struck down. It spread across their face, highlighting the blood vessels running under the skin. Pure strength radiating through their bodies, a force that only had to be believed, not understood.

“Your faith rings true. Before your graduation, I would like to ask the valedictorian of your class to take the stand.”

All eyes went to the front, where a girl of some fifteen years stood up. Her face was a mixture of emotions: from excitement, to fear, to stone cold stoicism at what had to be done. The scars of puberty had left an impact on her face. She looked so innocent and harmless, a cloak she was more than happy to bear for the task ahead.

She took the stand once all emotion had been reduced to a stoic gaze. The judge’s gavel rang. “Mirage Redfield of Lokahn. Your word!”

Mirage cleared her throat. “My fellow students… Truth to be told, I have not prepared any speech for today,” her voice echoed throughout the hall, “I feel that no prepared speech could adequately describe how I feel right now, standing here on the final day before our time has come…”

“Long ago, I was just an ordinary girl growing up in the countryside of Lokahn, living together with my family in a simple village, surrounded by loving neighbours who protected and nurtured me in any way they could. None of us were rich and fortunate, but we lived, and we were happy with what we had. That should have been my life for years, until it all was lost. On one day, I lost everything. Everything dear to me was gone. My family. My neighbours. My life, everything I had ever known and held dear, gone…”

Her fellow students watched on in silence. All of them had a similar story to tell of death and destruction breaking apart their precious lives. And yet, despite knowing each other for years, tears still rolled down cheeks. Fire and agony never got any easier to listen to. You may only grow desensitized to the concept, but no one is ever not affected by the tales of true horror.

“No matter how much I cry at night, nothing will ever wash those images out of my mind. Of watching my whole world burn to ash. Of watching my neighbours plead for their lives before being put to the sword, all because they wouldn’t support their insidious cult with everything they had… Nothing will ever make me forget, and nothing will ever make me forgive. While they slaughtered with glee, I hid with tears streaming down my face. Those tears were seeds for my revenge… and for Justice. We’ve all had to shed so many tears over the years, and it is these tears that will now blossom all over our country!”

A wave of applause echoed through the chamber, as the ones in attendance rose to their feet to congratulate their classmate. Their faces shone in a pale light coming from above, their youth and inexperience in life bare for the Judge to see.

“And blossom we will. For today marks the day that Lokahn will lose its chains. Today, our struggle against the draconic menace begins. Today, we will set things right, once and for all, so that future generations may prosper! Long live Lokahn! Long live Justitia! Long live the Emperor!”

It was from this fateful moment, when Mirage finished her speech, that this secret chamber would never know silence again. Forever they were haunted with the great applause and cheers of the Gifted class, whose emotional celebrations were destined to leave a mark on not just Lokahn, not just the Justitian Empire, but the whole world. From now until time’s end, no matter how pleasant or hellish the current age may be, the echoes in this hall were eternal. For the world had changed on this day, irreversibly so.