"To Lieutenant General Charles Standford; Crety, and the mysterious fruits we found at the Haryo Base. This includes the operation

This is the detailed report of what we know so far about the epidemic on the Galo Highway, regarding the Roseisle Forest that turned a captive American into a monstrosity. Based on our close examination of the infected blood, we discovered a highly deadly and contagious virus that we have never seen before back on Earth, and we dubbed it as the Arrun Virus, based on its place of origin.

When the Virus enters the body, the Virus will first attack the cells directly and hijack all of its functions and replicate them rapidly until it reaches the brain. The victims of these early stages experience an incredibly high fever of 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 44 degrees Celsius (for the NATO memos), extreme fatigue, hallucination, and deliriousness. Overtime, their blood gradually turns black and the veins start appearing across the body. Once it comes into contact with the brain, the Virus takes over the function of all brain cells and uses the entire nervous system. The victims at this stage become physically stronger, immune to pain, and have higher sensory functions, but their mental capability has been reduced to animalistic aggression. Current estimates state that it takes nine to eleven hours for the body to fully convert to where the human is gone and the infection has taken over. Once the body is fully taken over by the Arrun Virus, we believe it can mutate their victims further and completely deform them into far more monstrous forms usually two days after infection: like extra arms, extra mouths, bigger muscles, or even protruding appendages from across the victim’s body. All of these occurrences are still being investigated.

The Virus is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids like blood or saliva through bites and scratches, but even then, if a single drop of blood or saliva gets into the eyes it is more than enough for a person to get infected. The Virus spares no one as all races and animals are confirmed to be susceptible to infection, except Apostles, of course. Consequently, extreme caution must be taken into account in handling the infected.

Luckily, so far, the Arrun Virus can be cured by using Rokude Pears that are shown to have a unique form of protein that can destroy the Virus but must be administered before the virus reaches the brain within five to six hours after infection.

For the fruits from the Haryo Base, our interrogation with the captive Hayro record keepers and close examination revealed that the fruits called the Essence of the Beasts came from the man-eating tree called Beast Devourers. The fruits are shown to contain highly concentrated hormones of different species, including: Minotaurs, Volraden, Trolls, Ogres, and many more, which suits the description that the tree absorbs the “essence” of the beasts it devours. We theorize that the tree stores the Hormones from different species it consumes into fruits. The effect of consumption is similar to people who overdose on steroids. Their mental acumen is reduced and replaced with a massive increase in strength, senses and muscle, and aggression. The Haryo’s intention is to cultivate the trees and find a way to effectively control the individuals who consume the fruits to build a powerful army against us. It is safe to say that Haryo is trying to make powerful steroids for the League Army to turn them into super soldiers, much like the Nazis experimented with steroids back in WW2 to enhance the Wehrmacht.

Based on all these two problems, we must prioritize the containment of the virus first before it spreads uncontrollably. After that, we can make sure the Haryo will not make combat-enhancing drugs to the League Army. I will report to you for further information if there is any news coming up.” - Ian Hawkins, Chief Biologist of Alnus DARPA base.

***

--- Mimoza Dorm ---

Date: June 13th, 2026

“You are a strange little girl. Did you know that?”

“I know,” Selina proudly replied. “I get that a lot.”

Mimoza handed Selina a bowl of soup. “It will be good if you have a full stomach for this.”

Taking the bowl, Selina began sipping from it. While she liked it, she quickly noticed how different American soup and Falmart soup were, the American soup having a richer and more diverse flavor. “So, you are going to teach me how to use my magic as you did with Lelei?”

With a giggle, Mimoza replied, “Yes, I will. I still remember Lily’s young reaction. However, when she and her sister arrived here, they were already magic sensitive. That was one of the reasons they fled here. Being magic sensitive is a rare thing.”

“Why is it rare?” Selina asked.

“Because, young one, not everyone can become a mage,” Mimoza replied. “When someone becomes a young adult, usually around eight or ten, signs begin to show that someone could learn magic. It is even rarer that both of them are magic sensitive.”

“I see,” Alicia said. “Puberty is such a bitch. The body is changing, so it must unlock something biological. The Aether as Lelei called it.”

“I remember,” Selina added. “It has to do something with the peo…gland?”

“If I remember correctly, it is the pineal gland,” Yao corrected. “Don’t ask me what it means or does. It is something inside the brain that allows you to use magic.”

“I am glad to see you are taking Lily’s lessons to heart,” Mimoza happily said. “I heard your group like to call her a walking textbook; I happen to agree.”

"While I do not know what a pineal gland is, I am glad you know about the Ether," Mimoza said. She sat down in front of Selina. "Tell me how you found out."

Confused by the question as it was already explained last night, Selina told both stories again. How when she saw someone dying, something clicked in her mind, and her hands glowed.

"I see," Mimoza said. "You are from the Edras Kingdom, correct?"

"Yeah? So what?"

"I could tell from your voice and dots on your cheek. I know your people are full of culture; it always confused me why your kind had so few mages. Cato and I have been debating about this since Lily told us that she befriended you and concluded that it is that because your culture has regressed, blinding you of your goddess’ abilities." Mimoza learned it. "How strongly do you follow Mirritta?"

By the corner, Alicia laughed as she read something on her phone. "Don't get her started. When we first met, that was all she talked about. Her dad nearly killed himself by slamming his head against the wall about the prostitution bit."

Selina blushed and then glared. "Yeah. Karlin helped show me there was another way."

"Karlin has returned?" Mimoza asked in a shocked tone. "Amazing. Well, I am happy to hear that. Due to her absence, Miritta followers fell into dark times." Thinking for a moment, she continued, "I do not know if this was her intent, but if Karlin has been mentoring you, it could have helped unlock your abilities. That might explain why it took this long."

As Mimoza explained why Selina is a late bloomer, she thought back to her time with Karlin, the Apostle of Miritta. Karlin explained that there was more than one way to submit to Miritta and be blessed by her. After a long conversation, Karlin said she followed Miritta’s role of Virtue, meaning behavior that shows high moral standards.

"So, you don't care that I am from Edras? Usually, people from the Empire hated me because of our wars," Selina asked.

"I know about the Edras discrimination throughout the Empire," Mimoza said. "Most of it comes from war propaganda, but I never fell for it. I have read the scrolls and heard stories from traders and Adventurers from that region about your people's rich culture and history. Most trades and Adventurers only talk about the sexual nature of your kind, but I always knew the heart of your people. The only reason it regressed into a cultish state was because of the Empire’s frontier war against your kind. I am sorry."

Hearing that annoyed Selina. "It is ok; they betrayed my family and sold me into slavery as a gift to the Empire," she said, no care in her tone. "Can we please get to it? I want to see the school before dad shows up."

Finding Selina humorous, Mimoza nodded. "You are a direct one, but ok, let us begin. The first thing we must do is teach you how to connect to the Ether on your own. Once you can access the Ether and control your magic at will. Then you can learn how to heal and learn a new type of spell."

Hearing that excited Selina. The idea that she will be learning this, unlocking an ability her cult followers can’t use, feeling a jolt of energy in enjoyment. She thought back to her new friends at the Alnus school, especially Naminto. As a healing mage, she wondered if she could help others who have also suffered just like her father, and save people, which is one more step towards that goal.

Mimoza handed Selina a blue crystal. "Place both hands on the crystal."

Looking at the crystal was confusing for Selina, but she did as ordered. She felt Mimoza place her hands on both sides of Selina's head.

"Selina, look into the crystal and think," Mimoza said. "I want you to think about what is most dear in your life. What challenges you have faced. Tell me what was going through your mind when your pet was hurt, or when Lelei was bitten."

Taking a stressed breath, Selina looked at the crystal but saw nothing. "When I was at the village, and that Giant Spider attacked us." In the background, she heard Alicia make a surprising comment about what she said about the spider, commenting on how Selina always finds away to get in danger. "The griffin was so cute, and it lost its mother to the spider. I felt like we were the same as both our moms were murdered."

"Good," Mimoza said. "Keep speaking."

Confused by the point of this, she then suddenly noticed an image in the crystal. "When I saw Lelei laying on the bed, struggling to breathe, I got scared. I saw the infection spreading through the bite on her leg. Knowing that if daddy couldn't find the cure that she would turn into a monster and be lost."

As Selina spoke, she saw the events that appeared in the crystal. Her eyes felt glued to what she watched as the events she said occurred in the crystal.

“Good Selina,” Mimoza said. "Keep focusing. Remember that feeling; let your feelings come out. Remember what you imagine in your mind and keep that centered. Push out everything else."

As Selina stared into the crystal. The moments and feelings of each event flashed through her mind. Other events like watching her family get murdered, watching children be sold into slavery, the mercenaries and that knight appeared, seeing her new friends get hurt.

Selina felt her body warm as she thought, sweat moved down her cheek. Everything around her fogged out as the only thing she could focus on was this crystal. Even Mimoza’s words were fading out. As she felt her emotions of moments and each memory, one suddenly stopped. It was the night where the Americans attacked Sadera to save their people. She remembers being with Sarah who was scared that Sharpe would die after hearing that the battle was intense and there were casualties – feeling scared and helpless that she could do anything to help. She remembered tackling Sharpe once he came home while she was bawling like a baby(1).

Selina can feel the stress on her mind as she focuses on the crystal. With that image of belief of that man who became her father dead, her eyes and hands began to radiate a bright, warm gold light.

"You did it," Yao excitedly said.

Dropping the crystal, Selina looked at her hands, shocked. "I did it…." Then her hands turned back to normal, her eyes stopped glowing, and she fell to her knees as she breathed heavily. Yao helped her back on top of her feet, and Alicia handed her a canteen of water.

Taking the canteen, Selina chugged the water as her body cooled down.

"Very good, Selina," Mimoza happily said. "You did far better than I expected. You can summon a lot of love and courage in your heart."

"And don't forget hot air and determination," Alicia jokingly said. "You might be adopted, but you are more like your father than you think. Thank god you don't look like him, though."

"I heard that," Sharpe said as he walked in with Lelei and Arpeggio. Seeing Selina physically looked distressed, he placed his hand on his sidearm. "Is everything ok?"

"Everything’s green, sir," Alicia said.

Seeing her father standing there, Selina burst toward and hugged him. "I did it! Miss Mimoza helped me, and I did it!"

"Congratulations, Selina," Lelei said after getting hugged next. Looking over, she saw the blue crystal on the floor. "I see Miss Mimoza used the crystal. Looks like you don't have to go through Soredin's Spartan training."

"Yes, she did, and I don’t think dad would let me go through Soredin’s Spartan training," Selina replied. "I don't understand, but it unlocked my magic or unleashed it. How does it work?"

"It does nothing," Arpeggio answered.

“Arpeggio is correct,” Mimoza added. "I learned long ago that it helps to trick the mind. By giving your mind something to focus on and removing all distractions, you can think about what triggered the moment that allowed you to connect to the Ether. It was all you."

"But. I saw images in it," Selina confusedly said. "They were clear as day."

"Mind tricks, Selina," Lelei said. "The mind is a powerful force; you saw what you wanted to see, which is why Miss Mimoza did it."

Selina struggled to fully understand what they meant. The images in the crystal looked so real they looked like television. She wondered if it is related to that 'mind-over-matter’ philosophy she heard her father and Alicia talk about. "Ok. What do we do now?"

"Now, it is time you study." Mimoza set down four scrolls. "Consider it a gift for befriending my little Lelei." She chuckled when Lelei had an embarrassed reaction. She also saw Selina's dreadful reaction at studying. "What you need to do is get better at drawing out your magic until it becomes as normal as breathing, second nature."

Taking an annoyed breath, Selina said, "Ok, I think I understand. Thank you very much for helping me."

"I enjoyed it," Mimoza said. "Just remember to study."

"Ok…, I will," Selina said and turned to her father. "Can we check out the school now?"

Sharpe nodded. "Arpeggio agreed to give us a tour."

--- Academy Hall ---

“This place reminds me of school,” Sharpe mumbled. Moving through the large halls, seeing dozens of students of many different species talking, heading to class. Getting a tour by Arpeggio had made him remember his school days and how much he hated it. The only major difference is the two Rondel Knights acting as armed escorts.

“It is all good, Colonel,” Alicia said. “If anyone comes to bully you, I’ll kick their ass.”

“Maybe this time you could get a date.” Andrew mocked as he flinched from Alicia's fist while Selina giggled.

“You people are strange,” Arpeggio commended. “You are not how I imagined.”

“I do have to agree, your kind is different than I expected,” one of the Knights said.

“That is what we thought too,” Elison commented.

That is when Selina pulled Sharpe's uniform. “Say it!”

With a friendly handshake, Sharpe looked toward the Knight. “Well sir Knight, there is always more than meets the eye.”

Lelei merely smirked and giggled as her sister stared at her in confusion. “I will tell you when you are all caught up,” she chuckled.

Up to this point, Arpeggio has shown him the many different levels of the school like the dorms, training grounds, schooling, and more. So far in the tour Sharpe is impressed on how the school functioned, acting closer to a school from the eighteen-century rather than something more primitive.

“Down that hall is the alchemy wing,” Arpeggio said. “That is what I field in. When I am not doing my scribe work I usually am in there trying to create something to sell. My current project is trying to make a new type of spear, so they are stronger. I had this Silver rank Adventurer who found this strange material and wanted me to see if it could be used on weapons.”

Hearing that, Sharpe pulled out his phone and texted his Delta buddy Nicholas to investigate the alchemy wing, wondering if this new alloy might be stolen NATO technology. While he could check it out himself, he does not want to cause a scene and force a split between Lelei and Arpeggio, so he is ordering them to do it covertly.

As Sharpe finished sending his text, he heard someone yelling his name. Then he saw Legatus Quali-gin Opoctia and his four bodyguards pushed through the students. The two Knights got in the way, hands-on their sword handle. He placed his hand on one of the Knights, signaling to them not to interfere.

“I have orders to protect you,” a knight said.

“Your orders are to protect us, not block us,” Sharpe replied. “The reason we are here is to make a public relations effort to show we are friendly, open, and not afraid. We cannot do that with you blocking everyone and showing people that we don’t belong here. Let the Legatus through.”

Once the two knights let Opoctia through, he pointed at Sharpe and spoke, “Sharpe, so you come here to disgrace these halls with your presence? How many students have you killed? How many of these students have lost friends, teachers, loved ones because of you and your people? Cato and this blue haired traitor here might have sold out on their people but why should everyone else? What offends me the most is your arrogance. Walking into this great city like you already own it.”

Sharpe noticed dozens of students staring, glaring, and debating. Since walking into the academy he has seen these glances from many of them, but only a few conveyed approval. Some seemed to be fascinated while others seemed hateful, probably the loss of loved ones because of the war. What bothered him the most though was Opoctia’s arrogant attitude.

Asking Selina for an ear tip, Sharpe uses it to clean the wax out of his ears, confusing Opoctia and everyone else.

“What is the meaning of this?” Opoctia asked, confused.

“I am cleaning out the horseshit from my ears,” Sharpe replied. “The amount of BS that came out of your mouth filled them up. I should not have to remind you that it has been the mages who have been carrying your kind through this war. Battle after battle, my people have learned not to fear the mages of Rondel but to respect them for what they have done. While in war there are casualties, that does not mean you must forget your fallen comrades.”

“Tell that to the students who are no longer here Sharpe,” Opoctia said. “Tell that to professor Ediyn Samos, the Archmage you killed when you attacked Sadera. She defended her people and died because of you. She was a beloved and respected teacher here.”

At first, Sharpe had no idea who Opoctia was talking about until he remembered that rescue mission on Sadera. Colonel Yang and Lelei faced off with a sky mage, almost ruining the operations. If it was not for Lelei the mission would have ended up in a failure and a hundred Rangers would have been slaughtered with no way back to Alnus(2).

“Easy,” Sharpe responded. “She was blocking our path to saving our people. We don't leave our people behind. Don't kidnap our people and don't try to stop us from saving them. If that is considered wrong by Rondel standards, I’drather do the right thing and be wrong than live by your standards."

Lelei stepped forward. “I faced this woman that you speak of but I did not know who she was. She fought bravely and it was the most intense duel I ever faced at the time. If it was not for the fact that I had helped, she would have defeated me but the reason she died was because the Empire had kidnapped and enslaved their citizens from Earth. These Americans attacked Sadera to find and free five of their people. It was a rescue mission and she was trying to stop us. Can anyone be angry at the Americans for wanting to save their people?”

Sharpe saw the change in mood among the population. “I don’t care about the politics; I leave that to our leaders. We came because of this academy, for what it stands for, and for those who fought for it. Lelei here proved that we can work together, that we do not have to be enemies. I am not here to ask for trust, I expected to have to earn it.” He looked at the crowd and then at Opoctia. “My friend Lelei La Lalena knows where her loyalty lies, and she never wavered in her love for Rondel. You are the one that wants more blood Opoctia, you are the one who does not care about the history and culture, you just want more bodies to sacrifice to maintain your throne. Go back to Sadera where you belong, sit on your false Emperor’s lap, and stop asking students to fight your war.”

If this was a film the crowd would burst out in celebration and rally against Opoctia, but this is not a film, this is reality. Sharpe can tell that the other students are debating, talking about this encounter. Some who acted hostile seem to be acting less so. He just hoped he did not make an ass of himself or Lelei. “Fuck, I hate being a diplomat,” he muttered to himself.

Noticing what Sharpe said influenced the students, Opoctia glared at him but then smirked. “Glad to see the legend isn’t just a story.” He then left with his men.

Alicia scratched her head. “That was strange and out of nowhere.”

Sharpe agreed with Alicia as he watched them leave. He can tell something is off with Opoctia. “I hope I did not embarrass you Lelei.”

“You are taking our presence well, Arpeggio. I expected you would be like the other students.”

“At first I was but I trusted my sister and Cato,” Arpeggio replied. “The Empire stated that you people are these barbaric demons who are here to destroy everything we hold dear. While I still have my concerns, it is clear the Empire has lied or exaggerated many of those details. Don’t mind the other students as many are simply scared or grieving their lost ones.” She then stops, looking out the window. “This is hard, many of us have lost friends, even me.”

“It is ok Arpeggio, it is ok to miss them,” Sharpe said. “It is the nature of war and because we fought on opposing sides that does not mean you have to think less of them.” Saying that he watched Arpeggio wipe a tear from her eye.

Before Arpeggio could respond, they all hear someone calling out Arpeggio's name. Then, a High Elf rushed up. “Hi Arpeggio, I was wondering if you are going to come today?”

Arpeggio facepalmed herself with an annoyed look. “Flat, I told you many times now no. I have no interest in your crazy ideas and I am not going to marry you. Please, don’t embarrass me or this school with your crazy ideas.”

“Oh, sorry,” Flat said, ears draping. “It is just that all the other research sages will be there.”

“Hi Flat, I see you are still trying to union with my sister again,” Lelei said, waving. “Jackson, this is Flat El Coda.” After making the introductions she looked at Flat confused. “I did not know you were back in Rondel.”

The High Elf bowed. “Our expedition was canceled because of the war but that does not mean the trip was a failure. We discovered the ancient Elf text and paintings during our-.”

“Flat!” Arpeggio yelled. “Shut up! These are the Other Worlders, they don’t want to hear your insane conspiracies.”

“Wait, Rondel has conspiracy theories?” Andrew asked.

Taking a depressed breath, Flat apologized. “I don’t mean to embarrass you in front of the Other Worlders but I think we will convince the Sage Research Court this time. I know it.”

Arpeggio's facepalmed, shaking her head. “You've been saying that for decades now. Just go please.”

Finding this conversation baffling, once Flat left, Sharpe asked, “What just happened? And he is proposing to you?”

"I am sorry," Arpeggio answered. "He is a member of a fringe research group, something to do with the sky and the brights. They are considered an embarrassment here. On top of that, he has wanted to marry me since we first arrived here."

"So, nine or ten years," Lelei said, poking fun at her sister. She then stopped after getting a glare. "Jackson, they are research sages. Flat and the sages in his group study what you call astronomy."

"Astronomy? Cool," Andrew said.

Elison leaned forward. "Is that related to when that rocket went into the sky?"

"Exactly," Lelei replied. "On Falmart, most people still believe the world is flat, and that the realm above the clouds is where the gods live. The concept of space has not been discovered yet, and that is why there is so much hostility."

Andrew, Selina, and Alicia chuckled, recalling when Lelei and Sharpe went at it on this topic(2). It was the first time where the two disagreed on an issue. Lelei ended up discovering that she was, and she realized the universe is far more significant than she could ever imagine.

Sharpe looked down the hall. "Let's go and check it out."

"Wait, what just happened?" Arpeggio asked, baffled at what just happened. "You really want to go see? I know your people have a better understanding of the word; even you should see how backward these sages are."

Lelei frowned. "Was I like this?"

Selina pulled on Lelei's dress. "Yes, you were like this." She then got a light bonk on the head by Lelei.

"Come on, let's go," Sharpe ordered.

The group followed Arpeggio to the conference room. The hall is crowded but Sharpe noticed a pointy ear man in a cloak passing. “Hey Spock.”

“Good day Lieutenant Colonel,” Spock replied as he passed.

Once they get to the room it is packed with sages waiting to listen to the presentation. Many of them are cracking jokes about these astronomy sages, some even holding fruits and ink bottles, ready to throw at the presenters.

Glancing down, Sharpe saw Lelei excited while Arpeggio looked embarrassed. He saw the High Elf Flat, a Human man, a half Elf-Human, and a Leonard on the stage. Then the Leonoid approached the speaker podium and spoke.

After Andrew asked who the others were, Arpeggio responded. One of the men is Mokuri, who has proposed the flare-centrism theory, where Uros circled Flare. The half-elf/human is Royintan-Estek, and he suggested that other worlds besides Uros orbit Flare. Sumi Leonard is the group leader, mentored initially by the sage Passol before passing of old age. He proposed that Uros is a sphere and not flat. Many considered him a crazy cult leader who started these theories.

"To my fellow Sages, during our expedition to the elvish ruins of I've Aethel, we have found new evidence to support our flare-centrism theory," Sumi stated. "As you all know, my mentor, Sage Passol, discovered that our world is not flat but a sphere like this fruit." Royintan-Estek held up the fruit to display. "This theory came about by studying Idos and talking to distant travelers. The two defining facts that Passol discovered was that Idos is a sphere because of all the different features like craters and canyons in different spots all around, forming a sphere. The other was his investigations with travels, discovering that the brightness of Flare appears differently."

"I know these theories have been looked down upon in this chamber, but from our recent expedition, we have made some interesting discoveries," Sumi continued. "We found an ancient elvish text and wall paintings detailing many of our theories. Let me introduce Sage Flat El Coda."

Flat walked up with scrolls in his hands. As he approached, he set the scrolls on the booth, but they fell. "I am sorry, give me a moment, please." After quickly recovering, he began. "Based on our recent discoveries, we found paintings showing not just our world but other nearby worlds circling Flare. The painting identified certain types of worlds among the others bright in the night sky. For four months, we were able to find two of the proposed four brights."

"Lelei," Alicia whispered. "What is a ‘bright’?"

"It is our word for stars. We call them that because of how bright they are to light up the night sky."

"Strangely, they are brighter than the others in the night sky, and all we can assume they are closer to us," Flat explained. "That is why we do not believe that there are other Flares but something else. Because we know other worlds exist and seeing the light bounce on Idos, we assume our Flare is making these other worlds brighter than the other brights."

As Flat explained, he pointed to a large wall where Mokuri drew the Heliocentrism model from Earth. "By studying the movement of these brighter lights, as I will call worlds for now on, we were able to track them. Based on their movements, we discovered World A was moving farther away and closer to the Flare. World B is moving in this direction here closer to us."

"Here is the important part," Flart continued. "If both of these worlds were circling us as we assumed, then both worlds should be here and here, but they are not."

The conference erupted in protest and debate. Some laughing and others making degrading jokes.

"Absurd," a man yelled as he stood up. "We have all heard this time and time again. You found some elf text to tell us that we move around Flare? I can go outside right now and look up and see Flare move around us. And the sphere world concept is ludicrous since it would mean everything should’ve fallen down to the abyss."

"Let us not forget the Elves destroyed their era," another sage said. "Clearly, besides focusing on what is real, they focused on absurd concepts. The only thing you have discovered was how the ancient empires fell."

Noticing the hostility towards the astronomer sages, Sharpe wondered if it was like Galileo and Nicolaus Copernicus. Seeing Lelei raise her hand, he quickly grabbed it and lowered it. "Not the time or place, Lelei. We are guests."

"But… they are wrong," Lelei whispered. Getting a warning glare, she backed down.

"You brought up the elves, but it was the elves scholars that proposed the theory," the first sage said. "Sage Erlan Yllafaren said, and I quote:

"Standing upon the great tower and the highest peak I saw. As far as eyes could see for the land upon the land, I saw no curves, no glance, only land. As far as I could go, I gained a glimpse of what the gods themselves see as they must glance down on the world to see our deeds. For this to be true, Falmart and all other lands must align."

Mokuri walked forward. "But this means the elves' knowledge of our world changed over time. We must change how we see things. If there are other worlds, we cannot assume they are all flat bodies, and their Flares orbit them."

"Nonsense," an elf sage said. "I do not enjoy you twisting my people's legacy for your cult. We all know there are other worlds out in the cosmos, but that is what makes us special."

Lelei quickly whispered, "What he is talking about is the multi-world theory. Most sages believe every race came here from different worlds because of the Gate. Your arrival only hardened that theory. Actually, the idea of worlds orbiting their own Flare has yet to be mentioned."

"Lelei, don't tell me you believe these witches?" Arpeggio asked, shocked. "I thought you were smarter than this. You cannot tell me Flat has been right all along."

Ignoring her sister, Lelei continued, "This is why so many people here believe Flare orbits Uros. We all came here for a reason, hand-picked by the gods, so this world must be special. If Uros didn't orbit Flare, that means this world is not special or blessed by the gods."

Sharpe found the multi-world theory exciting and new. It did not cross his mind that they might run into different approaches like this, assuming they would be the same from ancient earth times. Even during Earth, ancient scholars most discredited that the Earth was flat and had to be something else due to influence of religion. Here, he can see why these ideas are far more hardened in culture.

"What about that Erlan sage?" Sharpe asked. "It sounds like he knew something… wait a minute, not to make sense."

"I think I know what you're thinking," Lelei said. "I read your sailors were able to see the curve of the Earth, allowing sailors to figure out that the world was curved. I don't think that rule applies here because Uros is bigger than Earth."

"I agree." Sharpe tried to remember the latest satellite measurements of Uros. The current diameter estimate is over fifteen and half thousand kilometers. He wonders if this bigger size harmed the development of the Heliocentrism model.

"Not true," Sumi stated. "We have evidence that changes this. We are not the first to propose these theories and-."

The next sight were fruits and ink bottles being tossed and shot from crossbows at the stage. The four men tried to block the fruit and backed away.

"I never understood this part," Alicia commented. "In every fantasy story, I watched there are always people throwing food at others. But food is always hard to get, especially here. Isn't food hard to come by nowadays because of our airstrikes?"

"Yes," Arpeggio answered. "I never understood it myself. While not extreme yet, the food here has gotten expensive and rations." She looked over at everyone. "I am sorry you had to see this, but I did warn you. There is a reason why Passol was stripped of his Grandmaster title."

"It is ok," Sharpe replied. "This was a good insight into your people's culture. Besides the food throwing, outside the mainstream theories could be rejected as an absurd joke. However, you must understand that science is always evolving as new information is discovered."

Arpeggio blinked. "Why do I get the feeling you are hiding something."

After the failure of the presentation, the sages left the conference room as before they were laughing, making degrading jokes. The Knights made sure none of the scholars bothered any of Sharpe's team, and besides, they are not the ones he wants to talk to.

Once the conference room is clear, they walk inside. "Is it ok if we stay here?" Sharpe asked.

Leonard Sumi looked out, confused. "Sure, wait. Are those Other Worlders correct? Flat mentioned you might be watching."

"They prefer to be called Terrans," Lelei corrected. "The term Other Worlders does not fully fit who they are, and they want to move past that label."

"I understand," the half-elf/human Sumi said. "I know how it feels to have labels be forced upon you. What brings you here?"

"Flat asked us to come watch," Sharpe replied. "So, we came to watch."

Besides seeing excitement, Sharpe only saw dread from these sages. From their eyes, it looked like these people were losing hope. "I have to say, a hostile crowd. Does this happen each time?"

"That is correct," Flat said. "The more evidence we find, the more hostile they become. I don't understand why."

"People don't like to be told they are wrong," Lelei said. "From my studies, I learned most people would rather be wrong and accepted over being right and alone. Even if a few agree with you, they will remain silent just to fit in."

"Assuming they are correct in the first place," Arpeggio commented. "I am not trying to sound mean because these ideas have been rejected many times now. How could the entire sage establishment be wrong? Remember what Cato said, if everyone around you is telling you that you are wrong, you probably are."

Sumi stepped forward. "It is clear that your people have a better understanding of how things work. Lelei is a perfect example of taking our current understanding and pushing it to the next level. Please tell me, tell us that we are correct or that we are wasting our time. Was Passol an old fool or ahead of his time?"

Seeing Sumi's eyes and his deep desire to know the truth, he poked Lelei's arm. "Go for it, kid."

Lelei happily nodded her head, showing an unusual excitement from her. "You all are one hundred percent right!"

Those words echoed throughout the conference room as everyone remained silent. The sages looked at Lelei with shock and confusion, like they did not expect her to agree with them.

Flat approached. "Wait, before you left Rondel, you were like your sister."

"I know, and I was a fool," Lelei said. "When we went to Camp Galileo, which is based out of The High Hills, I saw these other worlds you spoke of through what they call a telescope. Actually, I found a world that was not like the one you or the elves discovered, a new one."

Lelei then explained her time at Camp Galileo, her experience with Doctor Edward Dawson. She explained the debate with Sharpe between the Geocentric model, which Rondel believed in, and the Heliocentrism model, which proved to be correct by Earth’s people. As she describes, the sages are stunned by this news. She also explained that NATO calls this world Uros and why, pointing out that they like using ancient gods as names.

Royintan approached. "Can you prove this? How do you know this?"

"Because we have been to other worlds," Sharpe said. "We saw it with our own eyes, my people. In my world, we also have a moon we call Luna, just like your Idos. We have a base up there right now with people on it. There are a few, some from other nations too."

"Also, you know we have complex machines that can fly, correct?" Andrew asked and then answered, assuming they already know that the answer is 'yes. "With something we call a rocket, we can put one machine above the clouds. These machines orbit around Earth. These machines have also gone to other worlds nearby and discovered the same thing, that all worlds are spheres."

Sumi held up his hand. "Wait, many months ago, there was this large light that came from The High Hills and went up into the sky. Was that your doing?"

Lelei nodded. "Yes. I was there and watched it. The people of Uros don't fully understand the full extent of Earth's might. They can go to other worlds without the Gate. What that explosive light was a rocket putting a machine called a satellite above our world. I think there are six or seven of them right now."

"I cannot believe this," Mokuri mumbled. "Everything we said was true. Oh, I wish Passol could be here to hear this."

"Wait," Royintan said. "If you knew we were right, then why didn't you say something during the presentation?"

"Because it is not our place," Sharpe said. "There will be a time when the truth will come out and that Heliocentrism or Flare-centralism was correct all along." Then he nodded his figure, making a point. "I will admit that Sage quoting that elf guy and the multi-world theory are new ones to me. We did not have these theories to counter Heliocentrism, so I can understand this stiff resistance towards you gentlemen's proposal."

"I guess all we needed was your technology to prove it," Sumi said.

"You don't," Lelei replied. "While Earth has this technology now and is doing wonders like visiting other worlds, they discovered our theories when their technology was less than ours today. Many people believed in Geocentric theory just like we do now. It was not until Aristarchus of Samos from over two thousand years ago who first proposed that we orbit around Flare. They did not have the technology to figure this out, so they had to use the brights in the night sky and math to figure it out, just like you."

As the conversation went on Sharpe saw the renewed hope in these astronomy sages' eyes. Decades of work paying off. Seeing the scholars walk with Lelei and Andrew about the matter, he got an idea. "You know, whatever happens in Rondel, you are all welcome to join us at Camp Galileo if you wish. You can learn more from our scientists. I think they will enjoy the insight you can bring."

They look at each other with excitement. Sumi approached. "That is a great offer, Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe, but I don't know how we could afford such knowledge."

"It is not expensive," Andrew said. "Every five-year-old can get this knowledge for free."

Looking at Sharpe for approval again and once getting it, she pulled out her cellphone. After a quick explanation of the device to the sages and her sister, showing them pre-downloaded videos of the Apollo moon landing, images of Mars space flights and space stations above Earth, and the bases on Luna. These were all videos she planned to show her sister to prove that Flat was right all along.

What Lelei showed them gave them more shock and amazement, not just from knowing the Terran people’s capability of travelling beyond the heavens and to other worlds without the Gate, but also pride from knowing they were right all along with their Flare-centrinism and sphere world theory.

“What kind of sea those ships are sailing through?” Flat asked. “I see no waves.”

“There is no sea above the clouds,” Lelei replied. “They call it space. It is very complicated to explain now, Doctor Dawson could explain it better but it means there is a lot of empty space between worlds.”

“It is true!” Arpeggio said. “You people can actually reach the heavens and beyond to the cosmos and land on another world. No one can do this! Except the gods!”

“Stop there,” Sumi said, pointing to the Luna outposts. “You really have people on your moon without a Gate? This is possible? I never even considered this, do you have cities there?”

“To be fair we only have been going into space for the past sixty years now and only in the past ten it has been this active,” Sharpe replied. “We don’t have cities on Luna, only a few outposts.”

“Are they all yours?” Mokuri asked.

With a chuckle Sharpe replied, “I wish. There are two current outposts on Luna, one belongs to us and our allies. I guess you can call us the NATO Block. The other one is the Chinese Block. I won’t get into the geopolitical details but I will say sometime in the next few months Artemis VI will be heading to our outpost, which is called Outpost Armstrong. Then, they will be heading to that red planet there which we call Mars, an ancient God of War.”

“God of War,” Royintan mumbled. “It surely fits the theme of this tale.”

“I wonder if one day we can go there,” Flat asked.

“Well, Pina has stated that when she retakes Sadera and installs her republic, space will become a priority for her people so we may know soon.” Lelei stated.

“I just cannot believe this,” Sumi said. “Passol would have been amazed by this. But I hope his soul can see this from above and know his efforts were not in vain.”

"Correct," Sharpe said. "I cannot promise this, but I will bring it up to my superiors. I think they will approve of seeing this as a benefit for both sides. You will see everything Lelei saw and more."

"It will be wise if we keep this to ourselves for now," Lelei said. "The last thing we want is the other sages to undermine the peace talks or try to silence you."

"I understand," Sumi said. "After what you saw today, I don't blame you, and we won't want to upset the peace. But I will say when you give your graduation speech, you will have our support."

Arpeggio looked around, shocked by what happened. “So I guess they've been right all along and everything we know is wrong?"

"Well, not everything," Andrew said.

Alicia chuckled. "But pretty much. I bet you feel like a bitch about how you treated your elf stocker. Now he is going to be famous and have any lady he wants when he could have been yours." She finished by elbowing Arpeggio.

Arpeggio looked annoyed by Alicia's comment but then walked to Flat and apologized for being so rude to him. Even though she has rejected him many times, Flat's reaction seems to be that he has forgiven her and is enjoying her kindness now.

"Strange, I have never seen my sister apologize before," Lelei commented.

"Leave them be, Lelei," Alicia said. "Good chance she thought elf boy was right but was scared to admit it because of the public shame it would bring. Knowing he was right all along might let her be more open."