January 13, 1640

Albion Castle, Runepolis

A resounding hum echoed throughout Emperor Mirishial’s personal study, reflecting his curiosity as he analyzed the pictures presented to him by Director Freeman. “This… What purpose could they possibly be fulfilling by hiding this information from us?” He looked at Arneus, his eyes suggesting that he knew very well what the answer to his question was, yet denied it.

Arneus picked up the magazine, finding interest in the still image of a Pal Chimera hovering above Annonrial territory. “Your Excellency, it would seem the theories of the Preventionists are true.”

“To think that those barbarians are indeed the descendants of the light-winged demons makes me ill… Although I will admit, I have been suspicious of their appearance due to their wings,” Mirishial thought about the Preventionist theory that suggested the abandoned Ravernals slowly evolved over time, their wings materializing as they lost magical energy and reidentified themselves as Annonrials. The fact that these barbarians displayed high levels of magic energy also lent credence to the theory, while the discovery of a Pal Chimera over their lands cemented it.

Arneus nodded, “I always felt that Bushpaka Lagan felt,” he paused, searching for the right word. “Artificial. The way they hold themselves is also unbefitting for the rest of the barbarians we’ve encountered, as if they’ve been forced to play some sort of character.” As he spoke, negative opinions against the Annonrials grew. He felt betrayed, almost furious that such evil creatures had infiltrated their world, and even the world leadership conference.

“The fact that they continue to keep their night a secret bothers me… If they have access to Ravernal weapons, why have they not dominated the world yet?” He scratched his head, baffled by the actions of the Annonrials. “Their technology could even be advanced enough to contend with our own, considering the images shown here. Why pretend to be barbarians and suffer global humiliation?”

“Might I propose a solution, Your Excellency?” Gears began to turn in his head as he thought about the images in the magazine.

Emperor Mirishial nodded.

“I believe that the Americans might have some more information on the Annonrial Empire. At the very least, they can certainly acquire more. Would it be possible to have Minister Phiam acquire some information on the matter?”

Mirishial sighed, weighing his options. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward as he spoke. “If the Americans are shrewd, they may exploit this as a bargaining chip. ” He scrunched his face in frustration. “Would it be possible for us to perform surveillance using our own spy planes?”

Arneus thought about the technologies that the Annonrials likely possessed. “If we assume that their level of technology is similar to our own, then,” he paused, thinking of an example, “Consider our own detection systems. They’ve been able to detect our surveillance aircraft. It would not be a stretch to assume that the Annonrials are capable of similar feats. Therefore,” he reasoned, “I think it would be prudent if we wait for confirmation before acting.”

“Confirmation of…?” Mirishial asked.

“Of Annonrial detection capabilities,” Arneus promptly replied. “If no international incident occurs between the Annonrials and Americans, then it stands to reason that the Americans have a means to spy on targets without their knowledge. In this case, it would be best to ask them for help.”

Mirishial nodded, stroking his sharp beard. “I see,” he said, reflecting on Arneus’ words. “Wait,” he suddenly spoke, eyes widening. “If what you say turns out to be true, then that would imply that the Americans could also have spied on us in such a manner!”

“Regrettably, yes,” Arneus spoke in a softer tone. “There likely is nothing we can do about that, although I doubt that would find anything of value from their observations.”

Mirishial shook his head. “There are many things of value that they may have discovered already, such as the existence of ancient weapons within our territories. The question then lies within how they decide to leverage this information.” He changed his tone, conveying mixed feelings of reluctance and jealousy. “Of course, I’m grateful that they’re friendly and willing to support us against the Sorcerers, but I still have my empire and its subjects in my best interest.” He sighed, deciding that the matter was not worth pursuing. “If you can find anything that can help with negotiations, do let me know.”

——

January 16, 1640

Washington D.C.

Sifting through documents, Lee remained silent in his office — contemplating, studying. The discussions with Mu’s government picked up after a Christmas and New Year’s break, finally resulting in a firm trade agreement and technological sharing agreement. Leveraging friendly relations with the Holy Mirishial Empire, Ambassador Reiker was able to secure favorable deals with the mercantilist Muans, who were more than happy to pull the Americans away from the Mirishials.

With the timely development of Doctor Holden’s magical converter, new priorities sprung up, considering Mu’s integration of magic into their mostly scientific civilization. Refraining from ignorance and recognizing the potential of magic, Mu developed numerous ‘magitech’ inventions using the same runic principles discovered by the Magical Research Department. However, these inventions were mostly limited to augmentations for known mechanical constructions. Engines had runes inscribed upon them to make them weigh slightly less and planes were modified with wind magic to improve their aerodynamics. Limitations imposed by materials science were pushed a bit further back, with runes making up the difference.

Due to Mu’s general propensity for science, magic was minimally integrated into their society. Wild fantasies of magic-based shield generators and illusory spells were once hot topics amongst Muan scholars, but eventually died out. It seemed that only the esteemed scholars of the Holy Mirishial Empire had enough magical knowledge to figure out such arcane devices. Then, with the introduction of the Americans, Muan society experienced a renewed vigor — borne from envy that a mechanical civilization more advanced than them existed. In exchange for access to the American electronic goods market, Muans opened up their archives and offered their magitech prototypes.

Lee’s train of thought drifted over toward the subject of magitech itself as he began to wonder what devices could now be made possible. Railguns? Magic could certainly satisfy power requirements and help improve projectile velocity by using magic to increase the Lorentz Force, but that didn’t fix the issue of the rails themselves. If they did use magic to increase the weapon’s power, the rails certainly wouldn’t be able to hold, unless there was some sort of magical solution. Mentally, he shelved the idea and filed a note to bring this up with Dr. Holden and a few associates from BAE Systems. He couldn’t think of a solution, but they might be able to, given time and an expanding knowledge pool of magic.

While wrapping up his thoughts on magical weapons, he heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said, looking up.

A mustached man entered, greeting Lee. “Mister President, something’s come up.”

Taken aback by the man’s unexpected appearance, Lee responded, “Gordon! This is a surprise. What happened?” He asked with slight urgency and worry in his tone.

“Do you remember the satellite photos we took of the landmass down south? Of the Annonrial Empire?”

Images of strange magical contraptions and a circular alien craft flooded his mind. “Yes, I do. What about them?” Lee’s investment in the subject grew, his curiosity excited to prod for answers.

“The Holy Mirishial Empire wants to know more about them. We did have a diplomatic mission planned next week, but the information package sent over cautions against this. Apparently, there is reason to believe that the winged people of the Annonrial Empire are descendants of the ancient Ravernals, who also had wings.”

Lee raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a bit racist? I mean, just because they have wings doesn’t mean they’re like the Ravernals of the past…”

“I thought the same at first. The Mirishials understood that such assumptions can’t just be made without compelling evidence. Historical records show that a large number of Ravernals who were left behind managed to flee south. Additionally, there are several studies and experiments that demonstrate how pure magical energy — which is what the ethereal wings of the Ravernals were made of — could coalesce into material form and harden. It looks like these studies were actually originally about the formation of magic gems, but some Mirishials were able to make a connection.”

Lee took in the data, conflicted about his next course of action. “And I assume their unnecessary secrecy makes them even more suspicious, along with those ‘Pal Chimera’ UFO-looking aircraft that they operate?”

Gordon nodded.

“Alright then. Secretary Heiden, I want you to lead the diplomatic team to the Annonrial Empire. Before you do so, have your personnel collect data on them. You can also ask Robert to task several satellites for surveillance over the region, should any of that information be useful to your strategies. This situation is trickier than I expected; I trust you to handle it carefully.”

Gordon nodded. “You’ll have no issue from me, Mister President. As for the Mirishials, what should we tell them?”

Lee smiled. “Hmm… Let’s make the most out of this deal. We can send over all of the photos we’ve taken, but make sure it’s worth it.”

——

“We can’t certainly be even considering this! What, have we gone mad? Our research into magic integration?!” Phiam exclaimed.

Liage reassured him over the manacomm. “Knowing who the Annonrials truly are is a worthy trade. If there is even the slightest chance that they still share goals with their ancestors, we must find out immediately and prepare accordingly. Now please, accept the Americans’ deal. I will venture to Bushpaka Latan myself to gather more information.”

Phiam sighed reluctantly. “Very well. Safe travels.”

He ended the call, exiting his office and walking over to the newly established American embassy in Runepolis. Making use of an empty office building as their temporary embassy, the Americans were quick to adapt and modify the area with their technologies. Already, large pieces of equipment inhabited the building’s perimeter. Judging by their appearance and the various cables sprouting from their underbellies, Phiam deduced them to be generators — vital for the satiation of the American hunger for electricity.

Sounds of construction emanated from somewhere past the towering buildings beside him. With an estimated completion date of several months, he wondered why the Americans bothered to set up their gear instead of waiting. Did they really need air conditioning that badly? The moment his eyes landed on a team of technicians working on a large dish, he dismissed the question.

He walked past the bustling workers, heading straight for the ambassador’s office. After a short wait, he was greeted by a woman with platinum blonde hair. “Minister Phiam, what can I do for you?”

“I wish to accept the deal you offered earlier Ambassador Snow,” he said, holding out his hand.

Snow shook his hand and smiled. “Please follow me.”

She led him to her office, where an information package was ready to go. Boasting thickness unmatched by even dictionaries, the package was full of high-resolution photos of everything that satellites were able to spot in the Branchel continent, from cities and ports to secret military bases hosting ancient Ravernal weapons. A smaller stack sat beside the package: individual photos that Snow intended to analyze.

“Before you go, Minister, I’d like you to answer a few questions for me — if you are permitted to.”

“I’ll see what I can do, ambassador.”

“Great!” She smiled. Showing Phiam the first photo, she asked him, “Can you identify the object in the picture?”

Phiam analyzed the circular object with bridges connecting to a central node in the center. “It’s a Pal Chimera. Aerial assault unit used by the Ravernal Empire.”

Snow nodded. “Do you know of its capabilities?”

Phiam tilted his head. “Somewhat. From the legends, we know that these units are able to travel a bit slower than standard wyverns, but noticeably faster than naval vessels. We estimate that they can travel up to 200 miles per hour.”

“What about weapons?”

“According to legends, they have magical batteries for long-range bombardment. We have no estimate for the caliber of these weapons,” Phiam answered to the best of his knowledge. He knew that Hirkane and Birkburn had tested Pal Chimeras before, but did not know the details behind these secretive experiments.

Snow set the photo aside and showed him the next set. “What about these?” She pointed to a row of advanced-looking battleships parked next to ones of slightly different design.

“This photo is of the Annonrial Navy?” His eyes widened. “And are those Annonrial battleships?” He asked, referring to the smaller vessels.

“Yes, and we assume them to be Annonrial in origin due to their abundance. These, however,” she said, pointing again at the advanced vessels, “Seem to be quite few in number.”

“If my memory serves me correctly, those are Orichalcum-class battleships. They represented the backbone of the Ravernal fleet, along with their aircraft carriers, escort ships, and Pal Cowne naval fortresses.”

Snow’s smile faded as she moved to the next set. “I assume then that these are the Pal Cowne units?”

Phiam took a glance at the large, boxy platform in the photo. Compared to the object, the Orichalcum-class battleships sailing beside it seemed minuscule in comparison. “The legends have little mention about their appearance, but I would assume that this is indeed a Pal Cowne.”

“Are there any details you can provide?”

Phiam shook his head. “I wish I could, but documentation for these behemoths simply don’t exist, or were lost to time. I apologize for being unable to answer your question.”

Snow gave an understanding nod. “Well, we’re all set. Thanks for helping with this analysis. If you need additional copies of the photos, give me a call using your new telephone system.”

“Thank you, Ambassador. I’ll have my staffers coordinate with you to share our magical integration data.” He concluded his meeting with the American ambassador, shuddering as he thought about the images of Annonrial weaponry. Unless Emperor Mirishial was hiding more stored units, it was clear that the Annonrials not only possessed more, but likely also knew how to operate these ancient devices. Gone was his initial apprehension about trading sensitive research for this data. All that remained was a striking hollowness — one brought into existence by the fact that despite these advanced weapons, the Annonrials continued their act. They could have conquered Elysia long ago. Why remain silent? Why hide their true power?