Time passed as the internal war continued on. No major changes happened as The Holy Kingdom kept its passive stance. Other political leaders and scholars analyzed the situation and could only interpret it in a single way. To The Holy Kingdom, whatever Frigus was doing couldn't be seen as a war.
If an ant made a ruckus near a lion, would it even notice? This was a massive insult to Frigus, but they were too entangled in their own internal war to even comprehend what was going on.
While no major change occurred on a larger scale, when it came to the internal war, some things were shifting. The eldest Princess was focused on gathering power and staying loyal to The Holy Kingdom, wanting to become a vassal state. She hadn't move her armies yet, though why, nobody knew.
Her little sister hadn't gained any ground, which was lamentable for many commoners living under the oppressive rule of her siblings. But they also didn't lose any territory, which also sparked confusion. In the end, she had little to no backing and support, yet she retained most of her land and even solidified her army, or so it seemed.
The reason for people having such a theory was only because of the state of the Prince's lands. As the strongest and biggest force in Frigus, he had a lot more to lose, so perhaps it wasn't that indicative of the overal state of the war. Still, for now, he was the only one suffering noticable losses.
On the southern side, bordering the younger Princess's territories, everything had entered a lul. Nothing really happened as they simply kept one another in check. The more troubling fact was that the self-enlisted army of The Holy Kingdom were hitting them harder than before.
As if spurred by The Lady of Light, they suddenly had better weapons, intel of forces and tactics as they were able to make headway into the border, slowly marching forward. It was only thanks to the powers of the local commander that they were pushed back.
Still in fear of The Holy Kingdom's wrath, the enemy soldiers were never killed, only disarmed and displaced to prisons or back home. While a terrible tactic, it was supposed to keep the anger of The Holy Kingdom at bay. Sadly, while their losses only incrementally grew, the enemy stayed the same but only grew stronger.
It was enivitable that they were going to lose, but that was only because nobody high up was aware of what the commanders near the border were doing. They always tried to avoid killing soldiers from The Holy Kingdom, a tactic the higher ups would be completely against. The thing was, the moment they would be ordered to kill, they would lose the war.
As a few commanders couldn't convince all the others, they held a silent agreement to try to keep their tactics somewhat hidden in their reports to their respective leaders. The west was slowly losing ground, but the east also wasn't saved from turmoil.
Appearing from thin air, a group of mages ransacked town after town, battling and defeating mages in their wake. Nothing stopping their stride, they seemed unstoppable as they quickly rushed from one outpost to the next. It was only after taking out a good portion of outposts that the local commander started to worry.
In Proktor, a massive castle, housing over a few hundred battle ready mages and a few Rank 3 mages, the commander, Graham was trying to figure out the intentions behind the group. The outposts targeted weren't directly next to one another, as if they skipped some places, even if that meant they had to take a detour.
It didn't make sense from a logistical perspective, so he filled his time trying to understand the strategy behind it. He had the time to do so as this castle was protected by a few squadrons, including squadron 13, which was the best one under Graham.
Unlike Rylo, who placed his strongest members in the lowest numbered squadron, Graham had the philosophy that everyone had to grow on their own. Competition was good, but when it could break or make a team, he found it excessive. Squadron 13 wasn't even the strongest one under Graham, yet it was his favorite.
The reason he was so confident in squadron 13 was because of the man leading it, Jason Moore. A man who had not a single failed mission in his records and was capable of figuring out any question or problem if he had been given some time.
As he was revered by many of his colleagues, he was also granted a seperate room to sleep in. This night, Jason had been having a nightmare, making the sweat beads come forth from his forehead.
Opening his eyes wide, Jason was shocked wide awake by a lightning strike. He barely had the time to turn his head to find another flash appear from his window, bathing his room in light for a mere split second.
Closing his eyes, he started to count before a thunderous noise blared from the outside.
'Around two miles.', getting out of his bed, he started to heavily cough. Wiping his mouth, he furrowed his brows as he walked up to the window. Seeing the thunderclouds in the distance, he knew something was approaching.
'No time to waste.', turning around he washed and clothed himself as he made his way to the commanders room. Most of the mages here slept almost every day, though not necessary, it felt nice and became a habit for most.
Only the people who held a lot of responsibility didn't have the time to sleep. So they mostly stayed awake, even if that hindered their thinking ability in the long run. A night of sleep was afforded when they were on leave.
While the thunder raged on above, there was no rain, a dry thunderstorm wasn't common here, but Jason had his mind filled with other things to focus on.
Making his way to the chambers of the local commander, he tried to calculate how late it was. Entering the chambers after knocking politely, he was confronted by the local commander smoking a big cigar.
Behind a large wooden desk, toppled with papers in a disorderly manner, the large stature of the man casted a shadow over the room when a lightning bolt flashed in the mirror behind him.
"Why have you come here Jason? You're supposed to be sleeping."
"I'm just concerned about the current state of the war sir. My apologies if I interrupted you, but I have some personal questions."
The man blew out some smoke through his nose. While Jason was the most promising and powerful captain, he was still lacking compared to the commander. "Go ahead, what is it? Are you worried about the Princess's forces marching forward? Because I can tell you that they haven't moved their lazy asses in the slightest."
Jason only shook his head in response. While they were bordering the east, where the elder Princess resided, they hadn't seen a single fight yet. They were standing on guard and waiting for them to start moving. Yet after all this time there was nothing. So most became bored of their daily training or lack of work.
Graham knew how Jason thought after spending enough missions with him. "Tell me Jason, is your instinct telling you something again?"
Jason felt the need to close his eyes for a moment. "Yes. I believe we should be wary of any enemies."
Hearing those words, Graham needed to take another puff of his smoke. Considering his words, Graham knew Jason wasn't talking about the forces east or even south, but internal ones. This was a point in time where the secretary of a commander in the west was visiting on a cultural exchange of sorts in order to learn how to perform better.
Since he was only posted here for a mere week, he was meant to move back in a day. 'Could it be him he's talking about?', while Jason's remarque might've sounded overprotective or almost paranoid since the east was known for its calm, Graham didn't brush his words aside.
When a massive problem occurred, Jason was always talking about it before it happened, as if he could sense the danger approaching. "I assume you're talking about our visitor?"
"Yes, but not exactly, I believe we should send out some scouting groups just to make sure we won't be ambushed.", Jason stated with a perfectly clear voice.
Graham couldn't help but frown at that statement. "Jason, while I do support you, I can't send out men on a mission without any reason.", Graham said with a stern tone, yet Jason didn't budge in the slightest as he stared directly into his eyes.
Shaking his head, he took a second to smoke a bit. Standing up from his chair, he turned around to stare outside the window. The thunderclouds in the distance and the rumbling felt nice to his ears. Letting out a small sigh. "I know you don't suggest anything without having any reason. I'll arrange a scouting mission in the form of training. I suppose you have a place they need to go to?"
"No, I have no idea, but I believe going north would be best.", Jason didn't break his character despite his quite ridiculous request. Sending out men to some random place because of gut feeling didn't sit well with the commander, but he also understood Jason's worries.
"North? You mean to say the people who've been burning down outposts left and right are coming here next?", as Graham said that he shoved some papers to the side to reveal a map lying below all the other documents.
It showed all the eastern outposts and camps, a few had been crossed out, all situated above the castle they occupied. Jason nodded slightly as he kept his face as serious as he could muster. He knew that if he let any emotion slip, Graham would find fault in his belief.
"That wouldn't make any sense Jason. They've been going after small places where there aren't any strong squadrons or captains, only Rank 2's,. No offense.", he said as he raised his palm as if to soothe the man from afar.
"None taken.", while an incredibly accomplished mage, he was still Rank 2, teetering on the border of Rank 3, but not quite there yet. The power gap between him and the large commander in front of him was like night and day.
Still, Jason had the gut feeling to convince the man before him. "According to the rumors that have been floating around, there are three main offenders targeting all the outposts. Their strength is assumed to be Rank 2, but they could be more powerful."
"Yes, and? You believe those three mages are a threat to our headquarters? Let me remind you that there are hundreds of mages living around and inside this castle. We have a city of mages capable of fighting. Even if they are Rank 3, we house 4 Rank 3 mages at the moment. What could they even do?"
While not entirely incorrect, one of those Rank 3 mages was about to leave their premisses. The visiting secretary was only here for a limited time after all. Still, it was clear that Graham wanted to make his point clear. Their forces weren't something 3 mages could take on, but Jason didn't back down.
The determination in his eyes was clear. "Just send me out. I'll take some men of my own squadron and we'll scout the area.", hearing that Graham couldn't wrap his head around Jason's intentions.
There was no need to go this far, yet the captain did. Graham took a moment to think it through before slacking a sigh of reluctance. "Fine, I'll create a mission to scout the northern area. They'll leave in the morning."
Jason visibly lit up at that statement, smiling brightly as he thanked the commander. "By the way, would you happen to know where the visiting secretary is at?"
"No, I don't, the man should be around Murph, and he's probably bringing structure to the archive like always. You should ask him."
"If you'll excuse me, and thank you for this. You won't regret it.", Jason bowed slightly before leaving the room. Graham still didn't see the point of sending out a scout party, but a promise is a promise, so he immediately created a draft and picked the best scouts his group had.
While Graham was left alone in his office to continue his work, Jason was hurrying himself to the archive of the castle to find Graham's secretary. To get to the archives he had to cross the plaza. Walking over it he noticed a water pit, out of use since mages conjured their own water.
Freezing in his tracks, he approached it and looked deep inside it. There was nothing but darkness deep down the hole. Conjuring up a light and sending it down, there was nothing peculiar or out of the ordinary.
Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind of unnecessary worries. He looked to the sky to find the rumbling thunderclouds up high. 'Focus Jason, you have time.'
Making his way forward, he eventually found the archives. Unlike what most people thought of the place, it was actually extremely structured and clean. Not a speck of dust was visible, only crates and crates filled to the bring with seemingly random documents.
As the pile of crates started to form small towers, they filled the large room almost to the ceiling. Jason could hear the noises of someone muttering to themselves somewhere in the room. Making his way forward, he found an older man sorting some papers. He worked at his own pace, checking each paper before placing it carefully on one of the piles around him.
"Good... night, sir Murph.", Jason caught himself as he adressed the man.
The old man took his time to turn his head. Staring at Jason, he smacked his lips before going back to work. "It is already early morning. What do you want Jason Moore?"
His voice was groggy, as if slime was stuck in his throat, but he never coughed it up. Jason never really met Murph, only heard rumors about the man. But Murph had seen so many papers and created so many reports, he knew all soldiers's faces, names and abilities by heart.
He was meant to be retired, not as a mage but as a soldier, yet here he was. Why? Nobody else wanted to do his job and he got attached to the job. Having nothing else going on in his life, he stayed to continue his work.
It was a sad story for most, but unlike many who saw it from the outside, Murph was happy despite his ragged appearance. It helped him focus on something, without the structure, he would probably fall into a massive pit.
"I was just wondering if you have any plans this afternoon."
"No.", the man didn't have to think for even a second as he knew his life was in this room, organizing the documents.
"I see, then perhaps you can join me on a dinner?", his voice lost a lot of its confidence after meeting the man. "No."
"Would you know where the visiting secretary is at?", the question gave the man pause, which surprised Jason. That slight hesitation in his demeanor said more than he expected.
"No."
The response was concise and to the point, sadly not much better than he expected. Sighing, Jason left the man to his devices and left for his chambers.
Staring at the sky, he saw the sun slowly come up. 'Half a day left.'
Jason thought about what he could do, but there was nothing of note. He had to rely on the scouts. All he had left was finding where the visiting secretary was at, but the man remained elusive.
As he made his way out he saw a group of mages preparing to leave. Seeing that the captain of the squadron was Razir he felt the need to pass by them. Razir was one of the few Rank 3 mages in Proktor.
Walking over the cobblestone, he felt his foot hurt when he mistook his step. Having too much on his mind, he healed it in an instant before approaching the man. Having spiky red hair and wearing limited clothing to show off his muscles, the man stuck out like a sore thumb. Ignoring the eccentricity of the man, Jason had questions.
"Captain Razir, where are you going?", Razir turned to face Jason. He was a mage specialized in fire, a common field to specialize in, but he had reached higher height compared to most.
"Wow, not even a greeting huh, Captain Jason? I was expecting more from one from such a high standing," the man was clearly upset. Jason knew from previous experiences that Razir was jealous of his achievements and used any kind of mistake to drag him down, but Jason wasn't phased.
"My apologies, I've been overworking my brain. I would like to request you stay here for today."
"What? Why would I stay here? Nothing ever happens in this place. My boys and I are going down south to fight that little princes' army. That should be entertaining enough," Razir laughed out loud as his group all chuckled in tow.
Jason on the other hand felt a certain urge to force his group to stay. "I see, still, couldn't you wait for a single day?"
"No?", Razir didn't see the point of Jason's inquiry. It felt forced and annoying.
"Is there anything I could do to have you stay here for a single day?"
Razir saw the determination in Jason's eyes, he wasn't joking around. But no matter how hard Jason believed in his own reasons, to Razir, he looked crazy. Seeing a great opportunity, he took more than an arm.
"Heh, alright. I'll stay here for one more day if you can bring me a love confession of Rubelia addressed to me," grinning widely, he wanted to see Jason's reaction, but he simply nodded.
"I see, I'll go visit her right away, please wait for a bit," Jason had to think about her whereabouts and how he would go about convincing her, but Razir laughed him off.
"Hahaha, don't bother. We're leaving."
"I see, that's too bad. Then I wish you good luck," turning around, Jason went about to search for Rubelia, leaving a somewhat stunned Razir behind. He shook his head before leading his group away.
Jason on the other hand was looking for any mage that was capable of giving him some intel about Rubelia since he never even heard of her. Eventually, he found that she was often spotted in the library, so he quickly made way.
The library was filled with people, each one trying to investigate their own spells or powers, trying to unlock new spells or finding new runes that were compatible with their own repertoire.
After going up to a few people and asking for their names, Jason didn't hold back trying to find her. Even if he embarrassed himself, he only saw it as necessary. One of the girls had short light green hair and a pair of glasses. Her pale skin coupled with white clothing made a perfect match.
While a mage and most likely multiple decades old, puberty never seemed to have hit the girl as she looked almost too skinny to be natural.
"Are you Rubelia?", Jason asked, breaking any kind of personal boundary. She was still in the middle of reading a paragraph before being rudely interrupted, but the fierce stare of Jason had caught her attention.
She raised her head ever so slightly as she nodded towards Jason who almost slacked a sigh of relief. While he had less trouble with social issues, he was tired after talking to so many people.
Taking a chair he sat down next to her, once again breaking any kind of unwritten social rule there might've been. "Are you in love with Razir?"
The lady was shocked, even though her face revealed little to nothing of that surprise. At first, she found it strange to have been asked this question, but what piqued her interest more was the fact that Jason was asking it.
Raising her book ever so slightly, she hid her mouth. "Why do you care?", her voice was quiet and while her demeanor displayed shyness, her voice existed without falter.
"I need a love confession from you to him."
Both had long passed their high-school days, she felt like this was a childish game, but it still didn't make sense. Why would Jason need a confession from her for Razir?
"Just tell me what I have to do to get it," Jason had plenty of experience with people, and most would be willing to help out for a favor or something in return. Most mages only wanted equal trades or ones completely in their favor. Frankly, nobody gave a free meal around here.
Rubelia didn't need long to understand what was happening. Still, she didn't see any reason not to take this chance to gain something. She took a small piece of paper and wrote down a single sentence before pushing the paper back to Jason as she continued to read.
Grabbing the slip of paper, Jason read it carefully. 'Access to the hidden books.'
Sighing slightly, Jason had no idea on how to get that done. He knew about the rumors that inside the library there was a section that contained special books that were reserved for only the best of the best. They were kept secret and served as a reward for people who accomplished the impossible.
Standing up, he gave up on pursuing this any further. Moving back to Graham's office. He knocked politely as he opened the door. "Already back?", Graham asked with a small hint of frustration. While quite some time had passed, it was still the same day, only around half a day had passed.
"I was wondering if the results from the scouts are in yet."
"Jason. I just send them out, you expect them to report every second?", Graham felt flabbergasted at Jason's question. He was a captain, he should know how these things worked.
"Sorry, I'm just a bit tired. Can you help me get access to the hidden books in the library?", Jason hadn't slept for some time, so it was a good excuse but still. Asking about Razir was a waste of time since they already left. It was an opportune chance to gain some information.
"Why would you want those? Besides, not even I can simply grant you access."
"I need them for someone else."
"Can't even say their name? I hope you realize that there are spells in there that are very powerful. If anyone got their hands on it, think of the possible damage they can inflict. You don't give a psychopath a weapon, nor should we hand spells to instable individuals," Graham felt the need to lecture Jason for a bit since he had been behaving strange lately.
"Fine, I don't need them."
"Relax for a second, sit your ass down and wait here."
"I can't wait fo-"
"Sit your ass down Jason," Graham wasn't joking around. "That's an order."
Jason complied since he didn't have much of a choice. Relaxing for a moment, he eventually got himself together. Seeing the state Jason was in, Graham felt something was off, but to him, nothing pointed to anything happening on the eastern front.
The latest news he had was that the eldest Princess was gathering more people to follow her cause, while her army was standing still. If they were in the west, sure, plenty of reason to be worried, but here?
Right as Graham was about to say something to ask about Jason's mental health, a shriek brought everyone to a standstill. The noise was something inhuman, a screech that came from afar. Confused, Graham got out of his chair to look out the window behind him.
Staring at the sky above, the thunderclouds were still there, but when a flash of lightning removed the shroud of darkness, Graham could see tons of little dots in the sky.