February 10

Washington D.C.

The White House

Prince Cabal sighed in relief as he stepped through the doors of the White House, welcomed in by President Lee.

Lee noticed this and smiled, “Yep, that’s the same way I feel with the press, Your Highness.”

Cabal chuckled, “They’re the same everywhere, it looks like. Will we have to entertain any more of them?”

Lee responded as he guided Cabal toward the Oval Office. “No, thankfully. We finally have some privacy now, so we’ll be able to discuss relations between our two nations.”

Cabal tilted his head in confusion. “Hm? I was under the impression that Mister Gesta and Mister Heiden were already doing that.”

Lee opened the doors to his office. “That is true, Your Highness, but ultimately, the final say falls upon leaders like ourselves.” Lee sighed as he sat down, gesturing with his hand toward the couch across from him.

Cabal took the cue and sat down.

“A drink?” Lee poured a couple shots of bourbon made from Qua-Toynian corn, aged via acceleration magic. “

“Yes, I’d like one, Mister President.”

Lee poured another couple shots and gave it to Cabal. “A toast,” he said, raising his glass, “To our newfound friendship.”

After a resounding clink, the two men leaned back, sipping their alcohol. Cabal reacted in slight surprise as he tasted it. “My, this is quite possibly the best alcohol I’ve ever tasted!”

“I reacted the same way myself,” Lee said with a smile, reminiscing. “For some reason, every food product that comes out of Qua Toyne is perfect. The locals say the land is blessed by a goddess.”

“Hm, I see. If I had heard that a year ago, I would’ve disregarded that. I was quite surprised to find out that magic is real in this world.”

Lee nodded, taking another taste of the bourbon before leaning forward. His expression shifted from pleasant friendliness to serious professionalism. “I’ll get straight to business: I am concerned about the recent aggression displayed by your nation’s military.”

Cabal wondered what Lee was getting at. “What do you speak of? Our war with Leifor ended months ago!”

Lee shook his head. “I’m talking about the Conshal Island Chain. Earlier this week, a Gra Valkan naval task force attacked and defeated a local alliance in an act of conquest.”

Cabal denied it, putting his hands up to emphasize his innocence. “I haven’t apprised myself of the military’s operations; I thought we had entered an era of peace.”

“Ah. Unfortunately, it looks like someone got bored of this peace while you were flying to the United States. Your people disregarded the surrender of the Conshal Alliance and continued to indiscriminately bombard civilian population centers. I’ve yet to receive the numbers yet, but the death toll is estimated to be in the tens of thousands — men, women, children.”

Cabal’s eyes widened in horror. “I— That can’t be!”

“I also heard rumors of Gra Valkan soldiers stealing from the Conshals and raping their women. Needless to say, the United States does not approve of these barbaric acts. You understand how we might not want to associate with the Gra Valkan Empire after that…”

Cabal jumped on the defensive, quickly pointing out that other Elysian nations had no qualms with such acts, and even regarded it as typical for conquerors to completely dominate the subjugated. “The rest of the world engages in such acts. How are we to be blamed for something not considered criminal by Elysian standards?”

Lee sighed in disappointment. “We were beheld to Elysian standards when we fought Louria and Parpaldia. We could have done whatever we wanted to their people and resources. Yet, we chose benevolence. Those that associated with us later on — Topa, Riem, Fenn — they all abandoned their anachronistic ways, instead choosing to adopt more civilized manners. Now, I’m not saying the Gra Valkans are uncivilized for treating the Elysian natives the same way they treat each other, but you do have a choice.”

Lee’s words were reasonable. Cabal took a moment to think before responding, “I see. I too wish that this atrocity never occurred, especially not by our own hands. However, it has already been done. Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m not holding the Gra Valkas Empire accountable for war crimes. Hell, this world doesn’t even have rules of war or an international body for oversight. You can’t be guilty of crimes for which there are now laws, but I want to let you know that Secretary Heiden is, at the present moment, working to have Director Gesta agree with a set of proposed rules. If that doesn’t work out, I request that you use your influence to make this possible. Mutual trust goes a long way, especially when it comes to trade and technology.”

Cabal understood Lee’s implications and responded accordingly, “I’ll see what strings I can pull, but I cannot guarantee any outcomes.”

“Glad to hear that, Your Highness,” Lee said. “By the way, are your people perhaps looking for a fleet that went missing near the Branchel continent?”

Cabal perked up, intrigued by Lee’s mysterious insight in the matter. “Why, yes. What do you know of it?”

“It turns out they were intercepted by sea monsters and Annonrial forces.” Lee grabbed the tablet beside him and fiddled with it, showing Cabal a satellite feed of the fleet. “We were investigating the Branchel continent while this happened.”

A video of small figures on the ocean played. The small Gra Valkan reconnaissance force soon split off into a submarine warfare formation, dropping depth charges. Large columns of water sprouted up, followed by the camera zooming in as much as possible. The quality was low compared to American standards, but clear enough to show the naval battle unfolding. Tentacles encircled a destroyer, with numerous others following suit. Small arms fire was able to fend them off, with depth charges easily ripping through the sensitive internals of the monsters. The fight with the sea monsters concluded within minutes.

After recuperating, the small group sailed onward, only to be intercepted by a fleet of angular warships, similar in design to Mirishial vessels. Three of these vessels brandished large cannons that easily placed them under the classification of ‘battleship’, while the dozen other escorts were made up of smaller cruiser and destroyer type vessels. Both sides ceased movement, presumably to communicate. After several minutes, the Annonrial warships opened fire out of the blue.

Prince Cabal gasped in shock as his nation’s fleet was utterly decimated by an array of cannon fire and several anti-ship missiles, which were aimed at the Gra Valkan battleship. “That— Was that the Annonrial fleet? That was an act of war!” Cabal stood up, pointing at the screen. “Those barbarians!”

Lee looked at Cabal with a pensive look, sympathizing with his anger. “This information is yours to use. I can have the tape inscribed upon a disc or vhs cartridge, so you can show your folks back home,” Lee offered.

Cabal calmed down, his furrowed brows returning to their original expression and the lines of anger fading from his expression. “Yes,” he said lightly. “I’d appreciate that.” He sighed, feelings from the unexpected bad news still lingering within him. “Mister President, thank you for bringing this to my attention.” He paced around the room, clearly frustrated with the prospect of war with a nation that had just wiped out a Gra Valkan task force with little contest. “I… Is there anything else you know about these Annonrials?”

Lee shrugged. “Well, not much. We’re currently conducting some remote surveillance over their mainland and asking Elysian natives about the Annonrials. Out of either ignorance or inability, they know as much as we do. I theorize that it’s because any ship that approaches their mainland is destroyed by either sea monsters or their advanced warships.”

“Advanced warships…”

Lee nodded. “Mhm. Are you familiar with the tales of the Ravernal Empire? Or the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, as some of the natives call them?”

Digging through his memory, Cabal did recall an instance where he read up on magic on Elysia. The material ranked the species in terms of magical affinity, with humans and animal hybrids at the bottom and elves near the top. The top, however, was a position occupied by the light-winged species. He didn’t remember what their exact species was named, but did recall seeing the terms ‘Ravernal’ and ‘Sorcerous’ often associated with this particular species. “Yes, vaguely. Are they the light-winged beings?”

“They are. They constituted the population of the Ravernal Empire, which subjugated this planet in its entirety, or so the legends say. Old tales describe them as having vessels that can reach the heavens, artificial aircraft that fly faster than sound, and even a weapon of mass destruction. We’re classifying it as a magical nuke; the Mirishials say it’s something known as ‘core magic’.”

“And… do you find these tales to be truthful?”

Lee gave a slight chuckle, shrugging as he did so. “Well, not completely. Still, we’ve found a surprising amount of evidence to suggest that they did exist. That, alongside the attitudes of native Elysians and the ruins present throughout the Central Continent. The idea that the entire nation simply vanished is quite far-fetched, but then again,” Lee spread his arms, “We’re here.”

Lee’s words were undeniable, leading Gra Cabal to believe that the Ravernals did indeed exist, and that they were a potential threat to be taken seriously. If anything, they represented the epitome of Gra Valkan magical fears; they represented the reason why the Gra Valkans were initially peaceful and afraid to interact with the Elysians. “That is… unsettling,” Cabal said. “However, what does this have to do with the Annonrials?”

“It’s quite possible that the Annonrials are descended from the Ravernals,” Lee replied bluntly. “Over time, it’s possible that the light-winged species evolved to become the winged species we see in the continent today. Couple that with footage of operational Ravernal weaponry in the area…” Lee trailed off, the implications of his words clear.

“I see,” Cabal said, remaining silent in thought afterward.

As a gesture of goodwill, Lee decided to give Cabal some advice. “I don’t recommend showing your people right away. This is clearly an unforgivable transgression, but even we don’t know the extent of their technologies. Waging war against a civilization more advanced than your own is, well, I suppose you can look at your war with Leifor as an example.” Lee took another sip from his glass.

Cabal looked down at his own glass, and downed the rest of the contents with a single gulp. “I see… I’ll take this into consideration. Still, this aggression cannot go unpunished. The Gra Valkan Empire will act. I just don’t know how, or when.” The revelation he had just experienced was staggering, and more than enough to plant seeds of doubt against the superiority of the Gra Valkas Empire. There are usually bigger fish in the sea, he surmised, but at some point there will be a biggest. Just who represents this biggest? Cabal reflected on his question as he looked at the technological achievement sitting on the table before him: the small tablet. His train of thought ceased once Lee resumed the conversation.

Lee refilled the glasses as he spoke, “Heiden’s department is planning a diplomatic visit to their ‘gateway island’ of Bushpaka Latan soon. We hope to let them know who we are, and to hopefully — although I stress that this is quite a long shot — establish good relations with them. Despite their superior technology, they have yet to act out against the other nations, so I’m under the impression that they’re simply aggressively isolationist. We can keep in contact,” Lee offered, “and if this is the case, my people will let you know and you can act accordingly.”

“That is a sound plan,” Cabal replied, fear of the unknown continuing to infest the darkest reaches of his mind.