While the training in Altechna continued, Rian's party grew rapidly under Edward's guidance. As they were absorbed in their training, Lucas's relatives appeared near the training grounds. They were from his mother's side of the family, and they had never given up their ambition for the royal succession, still coveting power. In particular, they held a great resentment over Merslin having helped Alexander ascend to the throne.
Lucas was strolling through the training grounds, watching Rian's party train. Just then, his aunt, Savia, and his cousin, Gerard, approached him secretly and called his name. Lucas was momentarily flustered but faced them calmly.
Savia: "Lucas, it's been a long time. I'm surprised to see you spending your time here."
Lucas: "Aunt, Gerard. What brings you here?"
Savia continued with a gentle smile.
Savia: "I just came because I was curious. Do you know that you, consorting with Rian and his companions, is damaging our family's pride?"
Gerard: "Lucas, you know this. Alexander took the throne thanks to Merslin. It's so different from the future we had hoped for. You could have been king, but because of Merslin, everything went wrong. Is it really right for you to be with Rian's party?"
Lucas listened to their words, and memories of the past came flooding back. The regret of losing the throne and the complex emotions he had felt in his relationship with his brother shook him. But he had been finding his own path while with Rian's party, and he knew it.
Lucas: "This is not the time for such talk. I respect my brother Alexander, and I intend to cooperate with Rian and Ria."
Savia's face fell with disappointment as she stepped closer to Lucas.
Savia: "Lucas, we all wanted you to be king. Merslin helped Alexander and stole your place. Do you really think Rian and Ria can truly understand you? Don't get too close to them. Think of our family's honor and interests."
Gerard nodded quietly and added.
Gerard: "Lucas, being with Rian's party won't benefit you. You could do much greater things with us. Wouldn't it be right to distance yourself from them?"
Lucas let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. He was conflicted between his family's expectations and what he wanted to achieve, but his time with Rian's party had changed his way of thinking. He realized he had a more important goal than simply becoming king.
Lucas: "Aunt, Gerard. I understand how you feel. But from now on, I will follow my own choices. I cannot betray my brother for the sake of power. Rian and Ria are good people. I believe that cooperating with them is the right path for Altechna."
Savia spoke one last time, her expression disappointed.
Savia: "If that is your decision, then it can't be helped. But remember, Lucas. An opportunity always remains. When you need help, we will always be on your side. But this path will not be an easy one."
Savia and Gerard left, but their words left a small question in Lucas's heart. He returned to the training grounds and watched Rian's party focus on their training, confirming that cooperating with them was truly the path he should follow.
Rian saw Lucas returning and approached him.
Rian: "Lucas, did something happen? You don't look so good."
Lucas looked at Rian, smiled, and shook his head.
Lucas: "It's nothing. Actually, my family was trying to persuade me. They told me not to get too close with you and Ria. But I'm going to follow my own decision. I'm going to be with you all."
Rian sensed Lucas's resolve and gave him a sincere smile.
Rian: "Lucas, I respect your decision. We'll definitely be stronger if we're together."
Ria also came over and offered her hand.
Ria: "Your Highness, we are all fighting for the same goal. I'm so glad we can be together."
Marielle: "Your Highness Lucas, the divine will guide us. Let us move forward together."
Brunok: "Alright, now we're all one team. Let's do this!"
Receiving the support of his companions, Lucas felt that he had made the right choice. He had pushed away the temptation of his family and chosen his own path, firmly vowing to cooperate with Rian's party to protect the well-being of Altechna.
With Lucas's decision, Rian's party continued their training with even stronger teamwork. Many challenges lay before them, but now they were ready to trust each other and move forward together.
*****
Episode : The Shadow of Power
Altechna was a mighty nation that had inherited the legacy of the Ancients. Its history began in a place where traces of the Ancients and the Titans remained, and the Altechna founded there held countless legends and myths. Having prospered based on powerful magic and technology, Altechna was both revered and feared by neighboring countries, but it was also plagued by ceaseless threats from within and without.
Alexander's stepmother, who was also Lucas's mother, started a rebellion over the royal succession when Alexander ascended to the throne. She accepted the temptation of an ancient god to gain power but was ultimately stopped by the efforts of Merslin's companions and Alexander. Just before her death, she was freed from the ancient god's temptation and faced her final moments as a human, and in that process, Lucas had to watch his mother die.
Her relatives were still powerful nobles who ruled the lands near Altechna, and while they appeared loyal to the kingdom on the surface, they were in fact plotting to place Lucas on the throne. Their goal was to push Alexander aside, make Lucas king, and thereby strengthen their own power.
Rian's party was continuing their training under Edward's guidance at the Altechnan training grounds. After a training session, while they were resting, Lucas quietly approached Rian and spoke to him.
Lucas: "Rian, if you all want to know more about Altechna, I can help. Altechna is not just a powerful nation."
Rian: "Lucas, I want to hear your story. I want to know more about Altechna's real history."
Lucas was unable to speak for a moment, lost in thought. His eyes were filled with sorrow and determination. Rian could feel the heavy emotions in his gaze.
Lucas: "Altechna is a nation that inherited the legacy of the Ancients. It's true that this country has great power, but there are just as many power struggles. Specifically, my mother could not accept it when my brother Alexander ascended to the throne, and she started a rebellion. She gained power by accepting the temptation of an ancient god. But in the end, she was stopped by the efforts of my brother Alexander and Merslin's companions."
Lucas bowed his head, recalling the memory. When his mother had regained her human self in her final moments and closed her eyes, he didn't know what to do. He was gripped by the guilt of not being able to save his mother and the powerlessness of not being able to do anything for her.
Lucas: "Before her death, she was freed from the ancient god's temptation and faced her end as a human. In that moment, she was stopped not by me, but by my brother Alexander and Merslin's companions. All I could do was watch."
Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart was still tied to his mother's final moments, but he knew now that he had to make a different choice.
Lucas: "My mother's relatives still haven't forgotten that incident. They pretend to support me, but in reality, they want to use me to drive out my brother Alexander. I have no intention of accepting such proposals. But their pressure is still a burden."
Rian listened to Lucas and understood his heart. Rian gently patted Lucas's shoulder and said.
Rian: "Lucas, whatever you decide, we'll be by your side. We'll help you so you can choose your own path."
Ria also came to their side and nodded.
Ria: "That's right, Your Highness. We are all moving toward the same goal. We will be with you, no matter what difficulties may come."
Marielle also bowed her head and said.
Marielle: "The divine will guide our way. Your Highness Lucas, do not be afraid. We all support you."
Brunok smiled at Lucas and said.
Brunok: "That's right, Lucas. Don't worry about it. We're here for you. We can get through this together."
Receiving the encouragement of Rian's party, Lucas decided to believe that the path he had chosen was the right one. He vowed to step out from his mother's shadow and cooperate with Rian's party to protect the well-being of Altechna.
Lucas: "Thank you, everyone. I will be with you, too. To protect Altechna, and for the future we hope for."
With Lucas's resolve, Rian's party continued their training with even stronger teamwork. They came to understand Altechna's past and present and prepared themselves to face the challenges ahead. As long as the power struggles in Altechna continued, they could never let their guard down.
***
Episode : Traces of the Ancients and the Beginning of Humanity
After their training in Altechna concluded, Rian's party sought out the city's grand library to find more information. The library was a place filled with the history and secrets of Altechna, its shelves packed with countless ancient tomes and records. Wanting to know more about Altechna's history, Rian ventured deep into the library. There, they hoped to find clues about the legacy of the Ancients and the origin of humans.
Lucas guided Rian's party down to the library's deepest levels. He suggested they explore a secretly hidden study and the ancient ruins together.
Lucas: "Most of the records out here are general history books, but the really important things are hidden deep inside. I know a place. Follow me."
Rian, Ria, Marielle, Brunok, and Eris followed Lucas's lead to a secret study in the deepest part of the library. This study was a place that only a very select few in Altechna could access, where ancient texts and materials were preserved. Lucas opened an old bookshelf to reveal a hidden door, and inside were the ruins of the Ancients and the records they had left behind.
Lucas: "This is it. The important records left by the Ancients are in here. There are many stories that aren't well known."
The secret study they entered was connected to the ancient ruins. Looking at the ancient stone pillars and tablets, Rian felt the immense age of the place. The pillars were carved with the symbols of the Ancients and complex pictures, and the tablets recorded their stories.
Lucas pointed to one of the stone tablets and explained.
Lucas: "This record contains the story of how the Ancients brought the first humans with them when they left the city of the Ancients and settled here. The Ancients, unlike us, grew quickly and walked much earlier. But the babies they gave birth to were small and frail, and their growth rate was said to be very slow."
Rian stared intently at the picture carved on the tablet. It depicted the Ancients caring for a small baby. The record explained that the Ancients felt these babies were different from themselves, but they still tried to raise them to adulthood with their clumsy hands.
Ria: "The Ancients must have been so confused, seeing babies so different from themselves, brother. They would have never experienced growing slowly like we humans do."
Lucas quietly nodded.
Lucas: "Yes. They thought something was wrong with them, but in the end, they cared for the babies they bore. But as time passed, the Ancients could no longer give birth to more Ancients, and eventually, they disappeared."
Eris interpreted the ancient records, trying to understand the conflict they had experienced.
Eris: "I don't know what influence the temptation of the ancient gods had on them, but this record seems to show the confusion and affection the Ancients felt while caring for life similar to humans. The fact that their sacrifice marked the beginning of humanity as we know it today is very moving."
Marielle examined the tablet, sensing a sacred energy from it.
Marielle: "Was this the will of the divine, or was it a destiny given to the Ancients? Why were they no longer able to give birth to more of their kind?"
Brunok shook his head and said.
Brunok: "There are stories in Dwarven legends, too, about transforming from stone into living beings. We're said to have gained life from stone and metal, and it seems the Ancients also had such a turning point. Perhaps they were trying to overcome their physical limitations, but if the price for that was losing the power of life, it's a truly sad thing."
Rian nodded at Brunok's words.
Rian: "If their choice was our beginning, then I feel like we have to move forward without forgetting their sacrifice."
Ria agreed with her brother.
Ria: "You're right, Rian. We should also strive to find a better path, to carry on their will."
Lucas pointed a finger at the last part of the tablet. It was written there that the Ancients, realizing they could no longer create beings like themselves, had slowly faded away.
Lucas: "The Ancients cared for the humans they bore to the very end, and in doing so, they themselves slowly disappeared. Now, only we humans are left. The sacrifice of the Ancients is what made us who we are today."
Rian was lost in deep thought as he heard those words. The fact that the sacrifice of the Ancients had marked the beginning of humanity today moved him greatly.
Rian: "So we exist thanks to the sacrifice of the Ancients. I feel like we have to remember their story and carry on their will."
Eris nodded at Rian's words.
Eris: "So that their sacrifice is not in vain, we must not forget their will as we move forward."
Marielle and Brunok also nodded, looking at the traces of the Ancients. They had all walked different paths, but now, they felt they were moving toward the same goal.
Lucas: "The history of Altechna is deeper and more complex than we can imagine. Once you know the truth hidden here, it will become clearer what we must fight for."
Based on the information they had gained from the ruins of the Ancients and the secret study, Rian's party resolved to make their journey ahead even more steadfast. Remembering the sacrifice of the Ancients and the legacy they left behind, they decided to join forces for the future of Altechna and beyond.