"An era of inaccuracy and turmoil," said Asala. "A period of fifteen years from whence the duchess rose to power and the Beaumont royal bloodline faded. And yet, there art no true details of this rise.

Not even interviewing at length with the elderly and historians of all the cardinal cities yields a proper, unified narrative."

"Turmoil, yes, but now, things are better," said Mason. "Because of the duchess. The tainted and traitorous Beaumont bloodline is gone now, and though the Lightborn blood is now lost forever, the great sun god has placed his trust in the hero Sunstar."

Li held back a snort. He knew Helius and he knew Sunstar.

He could not imagine the sun god having the will to give his blessing to anyone, least of all Sunstar. It seemed that the Lightborn bloodline originally ruled Soleil having blood directly from Helius himself, but now that it was lost, the duchess used Sunstar as a surrogate for it to justify her rule.

"The Beaumonts did the best that they could," said Lira. "All of you speak of events far past last I walked this world freely, but during the Third Darkening, the Beaumonts were worthy of respect.

Soleil was not independent then, being one of seven bickering and quarreling kingdoms, and yet the Beaumonts were the first to try to put aside their differences to fight the Darkening."

"The Beaumonts did not rule during the Third Darkening. They stole the crown afterwards," said Mason, and Li cocked his head, knowing that the books said that the Beaumonts essentially usurped power via assassination after the Darkening.

"I am old, but I should say my memory is still fine," said Lira. "The Beaumonts have ruled over Soleil since the Schism following the Second Darkening that broke Soleil apart into seven kingdoms. Do they not still rule now?"

Asala began to explain. "The human, hm, Mason, doth be greatly misguided, weaned on inaccuracies as he has been. I hath read much into the chronicles of 'history' that the scholars of Soleil now write.

There is claim that the Lightborn family ruled for five cycles ever since the descent of the gods, conjuring up a fanciful image that for five entire cycles, across even another Darkening, that the south remained unified under a single bloodline, only to be broken up by the machinations of the Beaumonts."

She shook her head. "A recollection that doth reduce the complexities of history into the realm of fairy tales. Nay, the Lightborn bloodline fell in the Second Darkening of 500, and following a great civil war known as the Schism, the south split into seven kingdoms."

Mason sat down, putting a hand to his head as he tried to think through everything. It was evident that the young man had always grown up with a strong sense of duty and pride to his country.

He wore a sun necklace from the Order of Light, believing in the good of the Light and what it meant. He fought for his people, yes, but also for a sense of country.

Of pride in the concept of Soleil, a concept that he did not know was likely mostly fabrication constructed by the duchess to consolidate her power.

And yet, he must have developed this strong drive because his whole life, he had been told a history that did not exist.

A history that told him that everything good came from the duchess and that at any moment, that good could slip away if he did not fight for the Light and the duchess and whatever else it was that the people of this country were taught to uphold.

Mercer, on the other hand, just nodded through much of the conversation. Although the two brothers were very similar in their goals to protect, where those beliefs came from were very different.

Mercer did not give a single care about history or anything that needed him to sit down and read a text. No, he fought because he simply wanted to protect those immediately around him and to seek glory and valor while his brother fought for love of country and the ideals it stood for.

Many would have said that Mercer's desires were shallower, less noble than his brother's, and yet, was it not better than being a slave to higher ideals built upon lies?

"Soleil itself was merely but one of the seven kingdoms, ruled by varying bloodlines til' the Beaumonts secured power," continued Asala. "The south has never known anything resembling unity until the Era of the Second Light when Hadrien Lightborn, possessing of the long-lost divine blood of the sun, brought the kingdoms to heel."

"Seven?" said Mason, his mind glancing upon another disparity in his head. "But it is my understanding that there have only ever been six kingdoms."

"Doth thee not wonder why there art so few beastkin among the south?" said Asala. "And yet, there art many in the far ranges of Duvin, far enough from Soleil that it hath never truly been populated til' now?"

"This land has always been for mankind," said Mason. "Helius himself blessed this land for man's sake, and that is why the beastmen are north or south, in the farthest ranges of Duvin."

Asala flitted out her tongue in displeasure. "Nay, not divine intervention. The reason is Hadrien Lightborn. Or, as his name doth be known in the north, Hadrien the Conqueror. With divine armor and endless greed, he crushed the six kingdoms known to thee now and brought them in.

The seventh was a kingdom of beastmen. Lizans and Blackfur Lupi. Once tribes of raiders in the central forests of the south, they consolidated under a rule of twin monarchs til' Hadrien slaughtered them all, believing first and foremost in the purity of a Light that shone only upon humans – this sentiment thou sees even now

Now no more Lizans walk this world, and the few blackfur Lupi that lived scattered far south to the wilderness or the north to the realm of the Republic.

For these sins and more, Hadrien Lightborn was struck down by the heavens themselves, his divine armor destroyed and the Lightborn bloodline lost once more.

It is then the Beaumonts, managing to survive Hadrien's purges, took power back oncemore."