Southern Region.
With the awakening of the Ice Castle, the world was plunged into the chaos of the First Calamity.
For those who could receive the news, this was a simple disaster.
As for those who couldn't...
* * *
For a small village near the western edge of the southern region's border, the great changes of the world had nothing to do with them.
This nameless village only had a few hundred people, consisting mostly of men, and the elderly.
In a small, worn-down building, an elderly woman was stoking the fire. Behind her, the family of three were gathered around a wooden table, drinking their soup and discussing the mundane.
A small child asked, "Mommy, when will the snow stop?"
The mother was distraught. It was becoming colder with each passing day, and the inescapable chill of winter crept through the walls like a silent ghost. Even with the aid of the furnace, with firewood running out and food already scarce, the time they had left was running out.
This family was not alone. For those villagers across the continent who refused to relocate and insisted on staying in their homes, many of them faced the same problems.
Between ridiculous requests and unrealistic predictions, many of the already untrusting villagers refused to listen to the empire envoys.
The mother didn't know how to answer.
The elderly lady walked over. Her kind smile brought just a little bit more warmth to the frigid room. "The snow won't last long. This weather is rare for the south, don't worry."
The little girl smiled at her grandma.
After dinner, the girl was put to sleep, letting the two adults gather around the elders in the living room.
The father asked, "Mom, is it true that the snow will end in a month?"
The old lady shook her head. "That was just something that the village chief had said to stop people from panicking. Do you remember that official from a few months ago? You refused to leave with him."
The grandfather nodded, causing the father's head to droop.
The old lady continued. "This is our fate. We chose to stay behind, so we have to face the cold."
The grandfather nodded again.
The father frowned. "Mom, you don't mean that we should have left with him, do you? You know how untrustworthy the officials are."
The old lady sighed. "We should have at least sent away little Lux. I'm afraid she won't make it."
The man frowned. "Mom, you're not much better. Do you think I can't tell that you're struggling?"
The old woman smiled. "I've already lost my sister. Even if I go, then it's just my time. The old are just kindling for the young. I've already taught little Lux my embroidery skill. Now my life is complete."
The man pursed his lips, his eyes slightly red.
If he were asked if he regretted not leaving, he definitely would tell you that he did.
The mother suddenly asked. "Do you still want to go to my brother's funeral tomorrow? If your body can't handle it, then it's alright to stay home."
The old lady smiled. Before she could insist, the old man cut her off. "Tomorrow, we'll stay with little Lux. The winters getting worse, and it's better for old bones like us to stay warm."
The elderly lady pursed her lips, reluctantly agreeing.
-
That night, an icy chill swept through the village.
-
The next morning.
A small funerary ceremony was organized to remember the lost villager who had fallen to the snow.
Because of the snowstorm, the village was unable to give him a proper ceremony. They briefly spoke of his life in the Village square before closing the casket and sending him on his way.
His coffin was built from dilapidated and decaying wood, the best the village could provide.
Small villages were often given simple methods to maintain the dead's peaceful state, so the man's crude coffin was inscribed with a simple and short holy prayer. This was thought to help prevent the corpse from rising again and turning into something else.
After the short ceremony, he was taken by four coffin bearers to the hillside behind the village.
This was their graveyard.
One of the coffin bearers, a young man, complained as he moved towards the back hill. "Can the village really afford to waste firewood like this? If it was up to me, I would keep the firewood and bury him alone."
"Atri! We must respect the dead. That is our bottom line as humans. That is what separates us from the beasts!" an elderly villager reprimanded. This old man followed behind the recession. His job was to make one final prayer after they reached the grave.
Atri grimaced. "It's not your family freezing, right? We're almost out of food back home. In a few days, I'm worried that I'll be the next meal!"
"Quiet! What's that!"
The elderly man in the back pointed to something in the snow ahead.
The four coffin bearers slowed down.
Atri squinted his eyes. He looked at the small shadow on the hillside. "It looks like an animal, a big one."
"What should we do?" Another villager asked.
"I think it's digging at the graves!" exclaimed a third.
"Put down the coffin." The old man said quietly. "Atri, you're the fastest, go and check."
"Damn old man! You're just scared!" Atri hissed as he slowly approached the back hill.
As he closed in, he suddenly heard the sound of chewing.
Atri felt a chill down his spine. He almost didn't want to continue forward.
He gritted his teeth and approached slowly.
When Atri reached the source of the sound, he froze.
'Something' was standing over the hill.
Atri forced himself to step closer.
What stood on the hill was a twisted abomination of rotting flesh and frostbitten skin. Like a zombie, its decaying body was a pale gray, missing large chunks of flesh. Beneath the rotting flesh and twisted black mussels were crystal clear bones, made out of what seemed like ice. Two glowing neon-blue eyes flickered in its sunken eye sockets. Blood so black that it disappeared into the darkness flowed from a wound in its chest. Its crouched body stood up, making a long and sharp creaking sound, almost like a rusty door. It stood over the hill, devouring the corpses of the previously deceased villagers.
Atri widened his eyes in horror, followed by a shrill scream.
The creature stopped eating, its piercing blue eyes slowly drifting over.
At first, the villagers were all shocked by the young man's scream. Before they could ask what was wrong, what happened next sent them spiraling into despair.
The monster twisted its head towards him.
It unhinged its jaw and…
"Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
The creature let out a high-pitched screech.
The snowfield vibrated violently, raising a faint mist.
The creature stood over three meters tall. Despite looking humanoid, its movements were anything but. The way it snapped from one position to another was more like an insect. It would move, pause, assess, then attack.
It was fast, tearing through the villagers in a matter of seconds.
The villagers were all torn to shreds.
The monster snapped its gaze between the hill, the men, and the coffin.
It crawled to the coffin and split it open, devouring the man inside.
The situation was far worse than the villagers could ever imagine.
Hundreds of pairs of glowing neon-blue eyes lit up in the icy mist. Their long spindly arms almost hung down to their feet, and their thin, deformed bodies reached up to four meters tall.
The village was filled with screams.
Unlike the Ice elementals, these monsters were sharp and intelligent, hunting with a silent ruthlessness.
It wouldn't be until a few days later that this tragedy was discovered.
By then, these terrifying creatures had already disappeared.
* * *
City of Llynun, Royal Palace.
Rotell looked at the news that was just handed to her and grimaced. "Another outbreak of Ice Demons? Wasn't that village within the green area?"
A guardsman responded. "Princess, not all villagers are willing to leave. For those who wished to stay, we made sure to destroy any possible sources of infection. Unfortunately, not all villagers are so cooperative."
"Fools." Rotell cursed under her breath.
The guardsmen gave a wry smile.
Another voice came from behind. "Many people don't trust the empire right now. Especially now, when everybody is struggling to survive. Although they were warned, those simpletons would rather die than trust us. And to be fair, there not completely wrong. Just think about it, if someone came and asked to destroy the bodies of your deceased, what would you do?"
Rotell looked at the man who had just entered.
This was a man in Imperial silver. His heavy armour covered his body, leaving only the face of a young man bare and exposed. His long black hair waved in the wind, his sharp phoenix eyes carried a hidden ruthlessness, and his expression was filled with indifference and disdain.
This handsome man, although slightly arrogant, was one of the emperor's twelve personal guards.
From the royal family, only Rotell and the Emperor remained in Llynun, choosing to stand with the city instead of following the evacuation order.
This knight was given to Rotell as a temporary protector.
Rotell nodded at the man. "Do you know how Father plans to deal with them?"
"Those who have failed to report local graves and hidden mausoleums are considered traitors to the empire. There actions don't only implicate themselves, but also the surrounding settlements. This is an unforgivable crime, and it will naturally be met with execution."
Rotell pursed her lips. Although this sounded cruel, it was the only way to make people understand.
Even if there were no survivors, simply making the announcement and claiming credit was enough.
'Ice Demons' were terrifying monsters that rose from the corpses of the dead. When exposed to the curse of winter, a corpse would rise again and turn into an undead demon who thirsted for human flesh. They would 'stitch' the bodies of the dead onto themselves, extending their limbs and increasing their height. They had to be fast because the speed at which an exposed corpse would turn into an ice demon was very quick.
This was the reason Elena had most of the small and isolated settlements relocate into larger and more easily defendable places.
Unlike the ice elementals, Ice Demons were purely killing machines.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, the Ice elementals would occasionally dig up corpses and cause outbreaks of Ice Demons.
This was almost impossible to stop.
Relocating people and destroying any source of a possible outbreaks was the best option.
Rotell looked into the distance.
There, she could see the Ice Titan slowly approaching from the horizon.
* * *
City of Llynun, Royal Palace, Throne Room.
When asked about the Emperor of the Hellion Empire, they would tell you this…
The Emperor of the Hellion Empire was an elderly man with very little muscle and a terrible posture. His long blond hair hung down his back, turning white from its roots as it extended down. His small and frail body wore three layers of engraved yellow and golden robes, making one wonder if he might collapse under his own weight. A golden crown sat atop his head, and a large sceptre floated to his side.
At least, that was his original description.
After eating the nine turns golden rose, the emperor was reborn.
He sat on the throne, his once elderly body now reflecting a youthful middle-aged man. His turbid eyes were sharp and intelligent, carrying a wisdom that rivaled the sages. His golden robes no longer sagged, making him look regal and imposing. He sat there, head tilted and cupped in his palm. His sceptre no longer floated to his side, instead, it floated above his head, tall and mighty, reflecting his rule.
"Ha, what a shame! What a shame! Little Rotell still refuses to take the throne! Tell me, Theo, why is she so stubborn! Why can't she be more ambitious like her third sister?" A playful sigh came from the emperor's lips.
Theo stood to the side, aligned with the rest of the royal guard.
"Your majesty, I believe that you are too easily distracted by her tomboy-like personality. Although she is brave and strong willed, she lacks many of the qualities that are needed to rule."
The emperor sighed. "You're right, I know, I just can't let it go. Out of my three daughters, she is by far the most impressive. Tell me, how do you think I should reward her after this disaster is over?"
"Your majesty, I believe that the first princess is still holding a grudge over the matter of her marriage."
The emperor smirked. "Did she say something to you?"
Theo closed his mouth.
The emperor looked around at his eleven guards. When he thought about the matter with the heavens chosen, he exhaled. "I'm afraid she's the only one who can carry this burden. Rorell is set to take the throne, and Rolilly is engaged to that brat from the mainland. If only I had a son." The emperor shrugged his shoulders in an exasperated manor.
There was a long silence.
"Theo, what's that Arthur kid doing?"
Theo saluted. "Lord Arthur is currently assisting with some improvements to the Magic Cannons, hoping to make a last-minute improvement."
The emperor raised an eyebrow.
His lip slightly rose, either from ridicule or amusement.
"He believes he can do it? Ha ha ha! What an ambitious little guy! Since that's the case, then…"
* * *
City of Llynun, Top of the Wall.
A young boy, no older than 12, lay under a massive cannon, tinkering with its runes.
From afar came a call.
"Where is Arthur?"
The young boy slid out from underneath the magic cannon. "Here, here, what do you need?".
He jogged over, wiping off his forehead.
The boy was very short, with chestnut hair and big black eyes. The boy wore a beige jumpsuit under a black and brown robe. His energetic and youthful expression gave one a good first impression, but the complex and unfathomable emotions hidden deeply beneath his gaze left one in awe.
A man wearing the uniform of an Imperial Captain approached the young man.
"The general is looking for you."
Arthur nodded. "I understand, I'll go now."
The captain nodded, leading Arthur down the wall and towards a large building. This place was very lively, with the various logistics personnel hard at work making last minute preparations.
Logistics Coordinators were giving out loud orders, Suppliers were doing last minute checks, Analytic Teams and Accountants were taking stock, Warehouse Coordinators were organising supply transports, and Magitech Engineers were doing a final check on the city's inner defences.
The imperial soldiers were running around, preparing various things for the upcoming battle.
The Ice Titan was still very 'far' away, but you could already feel its footsteps reverberating through the ground.
Arthur was taken to the Golden Generals office.
The room was guarded by two soldiers.
When Arthur entered, he was greeted by a jolly middle-aged man in golden armour.
This man was Alimb Gallon, the Golden General of the City of Llynun.
The way the Hellion Empire organised its army was that each city had a 'General', and each general had an 'Army'. This army was made up of dozens of 'Divisions', and each division held around 10,000 people. This left the Golden General with nearly two hundred people under his command. This number did not include logistical staff or the 'Black Army'. The black army was the specialised platoons (30 people per), that were given to each general to use, but remained loyal to the emperor. These modular platoons ranged from scouts to spies and even had assassins.
Arthur greeted the man.
Although Arthur had a special status as 'Southern Hero' and 'The First Princess's Fiancée', that didn't mean he could be arrogant.
Alimb began to explain the war plan.
After receiving a briefing on the current situation, Arthur was led to a large hangar where various Magitech Engineers were busy at work. This place required a series of security checks to enter, leaving it with a mysterious reputation.
When Arthur entered, his eyes widened.
He looked up at the massive machine that almost didn't fit in this medieval setting.
"Is this how you intend to break through the Ice Titan's shell?"
The man leading the way nodded. "We've determent that the ice around the Ice Castle rivals that of a mage tower. Even if we could damage it, we can't reach the Ice Castle fast enough before it regenerates.
He looked up, a slightly proud expression hanging on his face.
"The design for this was given to us by the Royal Tower."
Arthur stared at the massive machine.
Steam and steel hissed with contrasting temperatures. Gears turned and clicked, while flickering runes overlapped on their surfaces. The machine was intertwined with pipes of unknown origin and end, its cold surface radiated a soul stirring dominance.
Arthurs eyes scanned through the magic runes.
He silently nodded, satisfied with what this would bring.
This was something like a cannon, used to compress and refine elemental energy into a single big attack. With the materials used, this machine could only survive a single shot. It would take a long time to charge, and it was ridiculously hard to move. When fired, it would likely take the surroundings with it.
It was called the Sun Spear.
This was a weapon that could kill high level professionals.
As for where they got it? Who knows…
Arthur approached the team of engineers.
He knew that time was running out.
* * *