Chapter 18: Solaria-IV history
In the small library filled with various books, Elara and Stephanie, teacher and student, were sitting across from each other, continuing the lesson on the planet's history.
The library was empty aside from a few guards and an old man sitting at a desk with his eyes closed as if he were asleep. Sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating it with a golden glow, while the faint sounds of footsteps faded beneath Stephanie's stronger voice.
"Solaria is a planet that has been semi-isolated from the rest of the universe for an unknown amount of time. As humanity developed, it always faced a problem: the demi-humans," Stephanie explained, crossing her arms, her voice still cold.
Elara sat attentively, focused on her teacher's words. She thought that if her teacher praised her, her father would be proud of her.
"Did the demi-humans have a problem with humans?" Elara asked curiously. After all, during her stay, she had not seen any conflict between them; in fact, it seemed to be the opposite.
Hearing her student's question, Stephanie looked directly into Elara's eyes through her glasses. At that moment, a holographic screen appeared in the middle of the table. The transparent blue display showed texts and images, some dating back several hundred years.
The theme of the texts and images was historical events.
"In the past, there were two great empires. Each represented a race: the human empire and the non-human empire. These two great empires were the undisputed rulers of the planet." The changes on the holographic screen followed Stephanie's explanations.
Two symbols appeared. One showed a sword crossed with a golden spear on a blue flag with silver details. The other depicted a lion with a serpent's tail and raven wings on a blood-red flag.
"The flag with the sword and golden spear is the symbol of human royalty. These two weapons represented combat and revolution, while the flag of the non-human empire symbolized their dominance and their pride in belonging to their race."
Pausing to see if Elara had a question, Stephanie noticed that she was focused, but her small legs under the table kept moving back and forth.
A faint frown appeared on her cold face.
'Why can't this child sit still? This is not how the saint's child is supposed to behave. How could someone as warm and elegant as the saint have a daughter like this?'
Despite her inner thoughts, she continued her duty as a tutor. She tapped her left heel against the floor, making a sharp noise that caused Elara to stop moving.
"Teacher, why couldn't the two empires coexist?" After being given permission to speak, Elara asked her question, which might seem childish, but she was still a child.
Stephanie placed a hand on her cheek and looked at the little girl.
"Because the two empires, especially their kings, had too much ego and ambition. Both sides wanted dominance, so the conflict lasted many years, even centuries.
The statement I made earlier, that the demi-humans were blocking humanity's progress, is somewhat incorrect."
Elara tilted her head in confusion and thought seriously, but after several seconds she still found no answer and decided to ask.
Stephanie did not expect a five-year-old to respond.
"In reality, both sides, humans and demi-humans, were blocking each other."
After letting the silence linger for a few seconds, Stephanie continued:
"Years later, after the fall of both empires, humans and demi-humans realized that each side could offer something to the other. For example, the conquest of our galaxy was achieved through their cooperation."
Elara remained silent, her head lowered, thinking as if summarizing what she had learned.
'Humans and demi-humans fought each other, and many people suffered… so why is it the people who suffer because of others' greed?'
Her small hands clenched her dress.
"Teacher, why did you say this planet is semi-isolated from the universe when you also said that Solaria conquered the galaxy?"
Elara asked the question, setting aside the topic of war and remembering her mother's advice to learn as much as possible about this planet. She herself was also interested.
Stephanie gave a slight smile upon hearing the question. It seemed she was pleased with her student's attentiveness.
As the holographic screen changed, it displayed several texts and images of the galaxy. The title of the "article" was 'The Aeons'.
Elara remembered that she had already seen this term with her mother.
"The Aeons are beings superior to mortals, capable of things impossible for us. We do not know much about them.
However, we know they differ from one another depending on their path. For example, Aha is a trickster who only seeks amusement, while Nanook represents destruction."
Despite speaking about the Aeons, Stephanie's voice showed no reverence or fear toward them.
Still curious, Elara asked, "Does that mean the Aeons are like the sun god?" It was only afterward that she realized she had said something she should not have.
Hearing the question, Stephanie's eyes widened in shock. She stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over behind her.
She approached Elara, placed both hands on her shoulders, and spoke in a deep, threatening voice:
"Never say that again. Never compare our lord to those vulgar beings.
They can never be compared to the sun god."
Seeing her teacher like that, Elara became frightened and tried to move back, but she realized she could not. Fear gripped her heart, her breath stopped, and her eyes widened. She did not understand why her teacher, who had always been cold, reacted so strongly.
She could only nod in fear and say nothing. Seeing her agreement, Stephanie released her shoulders and returned to her seat.
After a minute or two of silence, Elara, still in shock, kept her head lowered. Her eyes, hidden by her bangs, were red, showing signs of tears.
Stephanie spoke again in her usual cold voice after adjusting her outfit:
"The sun god has nothing to do with the Aeons. The Aeons each represent a philosophical aspect such as nilhity, destruction, and abundance.
Despite their power, they are ultimately nothing more than puppets, unable to act beyond their path. For example, Nanook can only destroy. Do you think such slaves can be compared to our lord?
He is called the sun god, but his second title is the true creator. Everything lies in his name and titles. He is the embodiment of holiness and justice, and while all the other Aeons abandoned us, he was the only one to send his messenger for us, the people."
As she finished, especially in her final words, a deep hatred could be felt, and her face tightened.
But Elara said nothing, her head still lowered and silent. Seeing the state of her student, Stephanie decided to end the lesson for the day.
As she stood up and left the library, the only sound was the clicking of her heels against the floor, at a steady but slightly hurried pace.