Fargo, The Crystal Palace

Wendover held in his hands a paper. A newspaper. One meant for the wealthy and influential in Imperial society, and as such, was uncensored by the Royal Press. He read the headline over and over again, not daring to read any further than that unless he wanted to risk dying of humiliation.

''IMPERIAL ARMY DEFEATED BY SOUTHERN LOCALS! EMPIRE IN A STATE OF WAR! FIRST BATTLE WON BY ITHACANS''

Wendover was rarely the subject of news headlines. And though he technically wasn't the subject here either, his army was. His defeat was. He brought dishonor upon the Empire, and now he couldn't escape that. Luckily, the King had thought it fit to give him a second chance, and that chance would come today. He was seated in the front gardens of the Crystal Palace, right in front of the Crystal Ball. Trees lined the pathways up and down without leaves, though the frost season was waning. The Crystal Palace surrounded the area, completely dominating the view.

The Crown had called together a Military Assembly, now that the Empire was in a full-on state of war. There would be vengeance to exact on the Humans to the south, in fact, everybody would pay dearly. If the Iscariots won their battles and planned this all out carefully. But they needed to understand their enemy first.

Wendover heard the familiar screech of dragons flying overhead. He looked up to find the Imperial scouts coming back in from their flight. Wendover knew exactly who sent them out… Igraine. She was practically a dragon herself, the way she understood the beasts and cared for them. He wouldn't be surprised if she had invented some fashion to directly talk to them, it'd be the smallest shred of warmth that she showed to anyone. Even if it was only directed towards flying beasts of war.

Either way, he didn't have much time to wallow in his own self-pity. The return of those dragons signaled that Igraine's mission over the Southern Continent had been completed…successfully. For her to be successful while he failed. It added more to his humiliation.

She was tasked with scouting out the American garrison over Ithaca, and the King eagerly awaited her report. So too did he in fact, hopefully, then, Fredrick would see that the Americans had in fact used technology far more advanced than before thought possible. That it wasn't his failure, his forces were simply outclassed, and he was still a necessary general. He couldn't be obsolete. Not yet. Not now.

He stood up, tearing the newspaper to shreds. He was angry at it. But he had to steel himself. Now was the time for leadership. He took a breath in as he walked into the Palace.

Wendover was led to the war planning room by a boar demi-human, who graciously opened the door for him as he walked inside. The room was quite large, the size of a classroom in a university. On the far wall was a magical projection of Aria. The continent was outlined in red, the geographical features and everything surrounding it was outlines in that color. Though a blue color also dominated the south, towards the mouth of the Albya River.

"Wendover!" He heard the familiar voice of Perceval, his old comrade, echo through the room. He saw the great brown bear wave over to him, and Wendover put a little extra effort into making his steps as fast as possible, "You've come at a good time," Perceval said when Wendover arrived at a circular table that the generals sat in. Perceval had thick brown fur, greying a little at the tips from age. His features were large, he was heavyset. Most bears were. Every feature of Perceval had made the Grey Wolf seem short in comparison, and Wendover stood at around six feet.

"As is expected of myself," Wendover told him. Perceval was the only one in the room, though Wendover expected it to fill out with more generals as time went on. So far, the Empire had three Chief Generals, the highest in the chain of command reporting directly to the King and Queen. Sir Perceval, Sir Wendover, and Lady Igraine. They were the most senior officials in the Iscariot military chain of command, and with that, held most responsibility in the planning and execution of the war.

Wendover glanced at the map on the wall, "What's the situation?" He asked Perceval.

Perceval chortled, "You know more than I do. You've fought against the Ithacans, no?"

"Why do you call them Ithacans?" Wendover asked.

"That's what they call their fortress, I suppose," Perceval shrugged.

Wendover sighed, bringing a paw up to his chin as he eyed the map, "Well, I've already written a detailed report on their capabilities. They're like the Falkish now that I think of it… but worse."

"Worse, how?" Perceval asked, leaning forward over the table a bit.

"More advanced. I've seen guns before, but our recruit-level mages usually can go toe-to-toe with Falkland riflemen and cannons. This, however… it's nothing I've ever seen before-"

"And we have reason to suspect that you haven't seen the least of it!" A female voice sounded from the room. The two men turned to see that Igraine had entered the room. She was a bunny demi-human, odd for a bunny-- who were usually pacifists-- to be a military commander, but that made her career all the more intriguing. She had white fur and two long ears that protruded from atop her head. She stood shorter than most, about waist high to Wendover. The size of creatures in the Empire varied incredibly, from bunnies, weasels, and mice people standing little taller than a few feet off the ground, to those like Perceval who were massive. Most creatures stood roughly in between the two extremes however, Wendover and the other canines of the Empire included.

"So, you believe my report now? That we'd been simply outclassed at Ithaca?" Wendover begged her.

Igraine smiled, "You were outclassed at Ithaca," Igraine affirmed as she took a few steps forward, "I'm sure there were other ways to gain victory during the battle. There always is. Perhaps ways an old man like yourself couldn't find?" She teased.

"Spare me the banter, just take a seat and we'll get started on cleaning this mess up!" Wendover warned.

Igraine let out a satisfied smile, as she hopped over to sit at the table. She held her chin up high in confidence, and it made Wendover bitterly upset. Everything about her was just a kick in his groin, his failure, her success… everything. But he had to work together with her for the sake of the Empire.

"And Sir Perceval, it's nice to be in your presence!" Igraine let out a compliment as she passed by.

Perceval smiled, "And the same to you, Lady Igraine."

"When will the rest of our generals be here? Sir Ann ought to be here any moment, right?" Wendover asked to distract himself.

Perceval shrugged, "Sometime soon with the King. Until then, we'll get started, eh?" The brown bear stood and waddled towards the projection of the map. An Ekron stone was glowing red, projecting the image onto the wall like a map, "Our defeat at Ithaca has cost us dearly," Perceval started, again making Wendover sink, "We've been given a bloody nose. What have you found during your scouting run, Igraine?"

"Well… The Ithacans have increased in both size and construction. Their base is completely under the works being built from the ground up, and now there is at least a Brigade of soldiers stationed there. And a lot of equipment that I was unable to decipher the purpose of… they are on the move. We've spotted Ithacan forces moving north, most likely towards Minerva."

"That's us then," Perceval sighed, "This will be much harder than I anticipated previously. But the Humans have us on our back foot. We'll dig in around the City of Minerva, no doubt that they won't try to capture the city as soon as possible. I'll command my forces to dig in and hold the line inside of Minerva. We'll man the walls and the emplacements there, and set up a citizen-soldier volunteer force to handle first aid and casualties."

Wendover realized that the name Minerva struck him as familiar, and he instantly traced back to why, "There is a magical college in Minerva. We should recruit their mages, they are some of the best in the continent. They could defeat even my own magical company."

"I'm sure a stiff breeze could defeat your magical company…" Igraine told him in a hushed fashion, a devilish grin on her face.

"Very funny, Igraine," The wolf snarled. Wendover never bared his fangs at anyone, even as a warning. He was civilized after all, not some lesser creature. But Igraine's endless pestering made keeping his composure difficult.

"During your… battle, did you happen to discover anything of note about our enemy?" Igraine asked Wendover, pressing him for information on the Humans.

Wendover thought back to the battle of Ithaca. He gained some insight into how the Americans fought. They were resourceful, his commanders reported that a small detachment of units had somehow managed to sneak around the Iscariot main army to break the primary force into smaller units and distract them all away from the primary combat. Thereby taking pressure off of the Fortress, and forcing Imperial units to fight on two fronts.

They were quick and maneuverable. And they had a massive technological advantage. But asides from those two obvious facts, the battle didn't give the Iscariots enough information. Usually, they'd gain this kind of information by having a series of smaller skirmishes during the outbreak of war to gauge enemy strength and understand their weaknesses, but this was so far down south that the only Imperial units nearby were those currently defending Minerva.

"They are fast for one, and they are advanced. But the battle didn't give me enough information to understand their strengths and weaknesses," Wendover reasoned.

"Then Minerva will be that battle. We'll be able to gauge the powers of our enemy from there, and then we'll be better equipped," Igraine answered, "Though it is on quite unfavorable terms this battle… I'm sure the Empire will prevail."

"We'll do that then!" Perceval said, again turning to the map, "Magical divisions will hold the brunt of the defense. We'll get the majority of our army behind them to keep the Ithacans out of the city while we evacuate the-"

"Don't give the orders to evacuate," Igraine demanded, "The Ithacans are there to try and gain as much ground as possible, we leave the people in their homes and slow them down at all costs!"

"I understand your concerns, but a quarter-million creatures live in Minerva! We can't just leave them! Right?" Perceval asked.

"If you give the order to evacuate the city, once the wall falls, we'll have to abandon the city entirely. If we force them inside, we can drag the fighting out into the streets and whittle away at their forces on our own home turf," Igraine said. Perceval turned to Wendover for confirmation.

Wendover committed to similar tactics during the Falkland wars, so to try and claim the moral high ground here was idiotic. Perceval should know that "If we keep the people at home, they won't be able to launch any large strike against our city to obliterate us. I don't know what the intentions of the Ithacans are, but if they care at all about civilian life, they'll be incredibly cautious.."

"Seriously?" Perceval winced.

"All is fair in love and war, Perceval," Igraine smiled. Perceval seemed to run something through in his head, thinking it over. Slowly he nodded, relenting to Igraine's demands.

"Fine. We'll request that the Minervan Mayor orders a shelter in, for the city…" Perceval sighed, leaning against the wall, "Any other requests?"

"Well yes… but for Wendover," Igraine turned to him, Wendover slightly feared that she would once again mock him for his failure at Ithaca, though the serious look on her face told him otherwise, "You said that they came from where again?"

Wendover racked his brain to the 'meeting' he had with the Ithacan leader, Jefferson, if Wendover remembered correctly, "They said that they weren't from our world… they are aliens I believe. I do recall reports of a strange portal opening in the southern continent a few weeks prior to the arrival of the Humans, perhaps they were the cause?"

"Impossible," Perceval dismissed the thought, "The Magical Colleges have conducted experiments to open portals before. They all ended in failure, the force necessary to create such a portal far outnumbers anything possible."

"Anything currently possible," Wendover said, "They have to be ahead of us in technology by at least three hundred years."

Perceval didn't respond to that, instead, changing the topic of conversation back onto the Iscariot war plan, "Minerva, we'll move our forces in to reinforce the garrison, that'll take about two weeks to get all of our soldiers in!"

"Two weeks?" Wendover cried out, "They can move faster than that! By the time we get there, Minerva will be in their hands-"

"We have to plan the operation out. The fastest route available takes a week on foot, to move with an army as large as we've made for this, it'll take two weeks. Especially with the southern weather," Perceval argued, "I understand you wish to move as fast as possible, but I cannot make the impossible happen. This is as fast as we can go."

"What about our navy? We can shuttle our troops aboard ship transports and sail them down the Albya!" Igraine hypothesized, "It would cut down the time by many days. Our river schooners can get from Fargo to Minerva in two nights!"

"But the river is at its lowest level!" Perceval argued, "The flood season hasn't recharged the water levels! We'll need good captains to ensure that the transports won't crash into the river banks!"

"I can get those," Igraine answered, "We move via the Albya. Logistical resupply and reinforcement will also use our river navy. Minerva has an ample dockyard and port for our forces, we'll have enough ships and enough places to put them. An army marches on its stomach after all."

"So, this is the plan we're taking to the King?" Wendover asked.

Igraine turned to Perceval, who nodded and with a sigh spoke, "Aye."

The plan was simple in concept. The Imperial Army would move in from the north and reinforce Minerva's garrison with about Twenty Thousand soldiers, Two Divisions. Wendover led his magical infantry forces, Igraine led her dragons, and Perceval would lead the brunt of the defense. Since dragons were slower, Igraine's forces would arrive last and help support the defense of the city while the battle was ongoing. From there, Wendovers forces would hold the wall to keep the Ithacans out and hold out long enough for an Ithacan retreat. Perceval's forces would assist Wendover and hold the city secure, keeping the roads leading into Minerva safe for supply teams to move in.

In the event that the southern walls risked falling, Wendover's troops would fall back into the midst of the city, setting up traps and ambushes for incoming enemy troops. Urban warfare would slow the enemy down, while the majority of Perceval and Wendover's forces could escape from the southernmost parts of the city and into the northern regions. From there, they would blow the bridges leading into the North and cut off any further American advance, holding the line along the junction of the Exeter and Albya river.

Perchance the Americans find a way to cross the river boundaries, and still move further north, the Iscariots would cut their losses and organize a retreat while their army was still intact. Living to fight another day. Igraine's dragons would burn the city down while Wendover's forces torched the surrounding farms and laid waste to the mines, to starve the Americans of any potential resources gained.

It was an almost foolproof plan. One of the most detailed plans they made since the end of the Falkish Wars. And if it could work against them, it had to work against the Humans to the south.

Wendover was determined to stand his ground here against the Ithacans, once again his forces were being put on the line. A defeat here would be another embarrassing blow dealt to him by the Southern Humans. His personal interests were at risk here, one more battle like Ithaca and his reputation as the hero of the Ithacan Empire would be up in ashes.

And then, there were the numbers. Minerva was vital to the Iscariot economy. Farming, trading, production, the taxes gained, to say that it was a major contributor to Iscariot coffers was an understatement. The Empire relied on a tributary system from its vassal kingdoms, taking sizeable portions of their harvest and produce each year to supply its own Empire. Vassal Kingdoms in this agreement were technically independent, though Imperial domination over almost every facet of their operation renders them as little more than slightly autonomous regions of the Empire. Minerva was of course one of those kingdoms, and losing the city would kill or at least greatly injure the Iscariot War Machine.

At least the scorched Earth plan would deny the Americans usage of the rich Minervan resources. But even then, its loss would be disastrous for the Empire.

They had a fight ahead of them, to say the least. But they had to fight nonetheless, the Ithacans were launching their offensive while the Iscariots were down. And now they had to move fast. The garrison in Minerva might be able to hold the Ithacans off for a few days, especially if the civilians don't evacuate. But even then, would it be enough? Only time would tell, as Wendover stood and prepared to take command of his forces once again.

Yuri walked down the long halls of the Crystal Palace, she read the numbered doors as she passed by them, looking for one door in particular. Cathy's office.

Cathy was the Reformist that Yuri had worked for, and last she heard, Cathy needed something done from her. Yuri was a Reformist too if that wouldn't be obvious due to both her status as a freed slave and a human. She actively worked to free as many of her brothers and sisters as possible, and joining the Reformation in that struggle was key to that. However, there had been some alarm, a crisis brewing in Minerva of all places.

Yuri racked her brain to try and remember what Minerva was like, but she knew very little of the region other than the fact that a lot of people lived there. Not much happened in Minerva, at least since the pirates and bandit kingdoms had been eradicated by Rupert. Raids against cities were incredibly rare, and even though Yuri hated the Empire with a passion, she had to admit that the Imperial presence brought about stability that was necessary for development. Though that didn't excuse any of their other crimes against her people, merely serving as the faintest of silver linings.

However, Yuri had to remind herself that she was Imperial. Though she might not be treated that way by the Royalty, or by many of the wealthy inside of the country, she was an Iscariot citizen. Well, she was now. Her freedom from the iron mines of Astchester was an elaborate, and puzzling process. She still didn't understand completely how it happened…

All she knew was that it was bloody. Very Bloody. Imperial common law dictated that any slave whose master died was instantly freed if there was no heir to give the slave to. Her previous master had his head chopped off in a rebellion, his family along with them. Most of the rebels were executed by Fredrick's men, but since she didn't have much of a role in the rebellion she was given a saving grace and freed into Iscariot society.

And then there was that whole puzzle of a man with the face of a mirror… she had nightmares about him. His presence seemed to be everywhere, though he had only seen him once. She had only needed to see him once. She never wished to see him again. She couldn't even tell if it was a man or not… its mirrored face still haunted her. She was left with a brutal image of the creature peering at her from the darkness, with two red spots where eyes should be and pure black as pupils. Both of its eyes looked into her corresponding eyes giving it an eerie look, but the eyes faded once light fell on it, fading back into the mirrored surface that reflected everything it saw. Sometimes, creating images of its own.

She shivered as she thought of that being. It had been about five years since then. She still hadn't forgotten. She should be getting less familiar as time passed on… but if anything, the past few days have proved the opposite true. Yuri got nightmares of Mirrorface slowly approaching her like she was prey, and it was ready to close in for the kill. Its eyes causing her body to shrink in fear when she spotted it in the dark, and its mirrored head delivering an all-knowing presence that made her feel dwarfed. Those were happening more and more, an almost nightly occurrence. Something was happening in the world. Somewhere, and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

She shoved those thoughts into the back of her mind as she walked however, now she had a job to do, and a recurring nightmare wouldn't stop her from doing that, "Yuri! Over here!" She heard the familiar voice of Cathy call out.

Yuri turned on her heels and walked inside the opened door, Cathy stood there waiting. A very welcoming smile on her face. She was a brown jackrabbit. Jackrabbits were larger than their bunny counterparts, but they also had much larger ears. Cathy stood shoulder high to Yuri, and Yuri wasn't a very tall human. Cathy opened her arms, and Yuri returned the gesture, with the two leaning in for a hug.

Cathy had practically taught Yuri everything she needed to know these past five years, taking her in as one of Reformation's followers. The two had formed an almost sisterly bond together over the years, "When you didn't come straight away from the Imperial Court, I got worried," Cathy said, brushing the dust off of Yuri's shoulder, "I thought you were stopped by one of the guards again!"

Yuri smiled, Cathy always made sure to look out after her, "No… I'm fine. After you told them off the last time, I think they got the message."

"You never know," Cathy said leading Yuri further in, "I'm sure you've heard what the trouble is?"

"Something about Minerva, right?" Yuri asked.

Cathy nodded, "It's Perceval. He's told us that there's going to be a battle there soon. The Empire is in a state of war now, and Minerva is set to be attacked."

Yuri's face squinted in confusion, "In a war? Against who?"

"That we don't know… they call themselves Americans, the base they call Ithaca. The Empire tried to subjugate them with an army a week ago, but we were defeated… miserably. Now they are launching an attack on an important area of Reformist operation!"

Yuri thought of a nation powerful enough to not only defeat the Empire in battle but also counter-attack with enough ferocity to threaten the independence of a city that large. She thought of the Falklands, but they had nowhere near that sort of power, "Americans?"

"That's the name they gave us." Another voice came from the room. Yuri looked up and saw a weasel demi-human, cleaning his spectacles with a cloth. Professor Andrew Hyde. He was a greyish-brown weasel. White fur covered his throat and presumably his chest and belly, which were hidden away under cloth befitting that of a professor of his rank. He wore spectacles on his eyes, and stood at Yuri's waist, shorter than both herself and Cathy.

"Professor Hyde! I didn't expect you here," Yuri said. Bowing to the weasel in a curtsy, who returned the gesture.

"I have very important work to do. In fact, Cathy is leaving to Minerva to assist our party's groups inside of the city! I'll be taking over her operations in Fargo." Professor Hyde informed, with a push of his glasses over his brown face.

Yuri knew that Cathy traveled a lot to assist the Reformation's efforts outside of the Imperial core, and Yuri has assisted her before. She's traveled outside of Fargo to do similar tasks numerous times, and they've always gone well. But this was different, "Isn't Minerva supposed to be a warzone soon? The Americans are invading, right?"

"Correct!" Hyde said, his voice cracking a bit with the expression, which he tried to remedy with a few light coughs.

"You can't go out there! It's too dangerous, the city will be evacuated-"

"That's the issue…" Cathy sighed. Yuri turned to look her in the eyes, a sudden atmosphere of dread filled the room.

"What's the matter now?" Yuri asked her.

Cathy looked up, her brown ears hanging low, drooping down to her waist. She inhaled, and with a great sigh, spoke, "Perceval reported that Royal Throne has given the order for all citizens in Minerva to stay where they are. There will be no evacuation."

"What?" Yuri cried out, "Minerva will be under attack! How could they?"

"We don't know why exactly, Perceval was reluctant to tell us. But I have to move in there to ensure that the Reformation will survive!" Cathy said, "The reason it's so important, is that so many of the oppressed live there. Peasants and Slaves laboring away in the mines, fields, and manufactories of the city. Thousands of them. If the Party want's to survive, we have to help them!"

Yuri thought it through. If the Americans were invading, it would provide ample opportunity to release them. An excellent foil to free the slaves and peasants of the city from the shackles of the nobility who treat them as little more than cattle. Though, what would the invaders do? But that wasn't the matter that upset her most, Cathy was volunteering herself to go into a warzone. What was she hoping to do? What could she do?

"What is your plan?" Yuri asked Cathy.

"I'll go into Minerva with volunteers from the Reformation. From there, we will try our best to evacuate as many people as we can and feed the ones we cannot. We'll set up hospitals, assist local cleanup, etcetera. And we'll make sure that innocent people aren't caught in the crossfire."

"Then I'll go with you!" The words came out of Yuri's lips before she was able to think them through fully. Though, she hadn't regretted saying them. Cathy smiled and held out a paw, shaking her head.

"That won't be necessary. It's too dangerous for you, myself and the volunteers can handle this ourselves," She said.

"Well… then I volunteer! Do I have to sign something to get in? What?"

"Erhm, we were hoping you'd stay here. In Fargo. Where it's safe?" Professor Hyde said in a bit of a questioning manner as if he wasn't really too sure about what he was proposing.

Yuri turned to him, "I can't let her go out there alone! She'll be killed!"

"Need I remind you that Cathy is a professional! She's been educated at the Royal Institute of Magic, and she was an Imperial knight! She can handle herself!" Professor Hyde argued.

Yuri often forgot that Cathy was well skilled in the magical and martial arts. Though, she rarely saw Cathy use her skill. There weren't many opportunities to do so unless you had a career-specific role that involved the use of magic. Before the war against the Falklands broke out, Yuri knew that Cathy was a knight in the army, thankfully quitting that profession before the wars broke out. But the two hadn't known each other back then, Yuri was still only a child. Back when she was still a slave. Cathy however, is an author and activist now, albeit an extremely successful one, none of that required magic, "I haven't seen you use magic since..well. It's been a while," Yuri told her.

"Well you'd be surprised," Cathy beamed at her, "I have to resort towards using the skill quite often. But that's neither here nor there. The point is, I can do this on my own."

"Well, I want to be with you!" Yuri protested. After all, if signing up to head to Minerva was as easy as volunteering, why was Yuri being excluded from this? She wasn't above anyone else either in wealth or status. Why was she the exception, "I have to make sure you are safe!"

"I have to make sure you are safe! Besides, who will help Hyde with all the paperwork around here while I'm not around to assist?" Cathy said, gesturing towards the weasel, who in turn stood up a bit straighter at the recognition.

Yuri sighed, "But… I can't let you go into this. It's too dangerous."

"I understand why you are worried…" Cathy sighed. She took a brief glance around the room as if she waiting for a way out. An answer. She turned back to look at Yuri, "I could allow you to help-"

"Yes! You won't regret it!" Yuri practically jumped, "You won't even know I'm there with you. I won't cause any trouble!"

"Yeah, you won't. I'm ensuring that. I'll put you with the rest of the volunteers who I plan to send in to help distribute supplies behind the front lines," Cathy told her.

Yuri thought that it was better than nothing. At least she'd be able to make sure that her closest friend was okay. If nothing else, they would be close, "Fine," Yuri said in confirmation, "I'll do that."

"Good. The army is moving down south via boats on the Albya. We'll move ahead to try and beat them there," Cathy said standing up, "If the last war the Empire has fought taught us anything, it's that civilians always bear the brunt of the casualties no matter what. We need to ensure that they are protected in Minerva! Got it?"

"Got it!" Yuri answered. Cathy took a glance at Professor Hyde.

"Do you want to come with us, Professor?"

Professor Hyde smiled and shook his head, "Not me. I have to hold things down over here while you two are gone. Besides, I've seen enough killing during the last war that we've fought, I'm never going near a battlefield again…" He said a bit remorsefully.

"Alright then," Said Cathy, "We leave tomorrow morning ahead of the Imperial Army. When we arrive, we'll warn people of the oncoming battle and try to get as many to evacuate as possible. Then we'll establish hospitals and food drives, getting supplies coming in from the north. It'll be a lot of money, but I'm sure the Reformation can afford it."

"Ah yes speaking of, the logistics of all of this…" Andrew sighed, "Where exactly are we getting the money for this?"

"I gave Perceval access to our treasury, it should be more than enough to cover for the supplies that we'll need," Cathy told him.

"Right… big day ahead of us all. Best of luck to you," Hyde said, again with his peppy and cheery tone back.

"It'll be a big day alright. That's for sure…"

Yuri was left to think about what exactly she had signed up for. An invading army was coming from the south, and Yuri had volunteered to go in. She had seen combat before, brutal fighting, the worst of creatures of all kinds. It seemed like no matter what, Yuri couldn't escape it. She was only a child during the Falkland Wars, barely a toddler, and she had seen the downfall and surrender of her city. Of her country.

Yuri was also Falkish. The war was how she ended up in the Empire as a slave in the first place. Taken as property by the Iscariot army, along with the other Eastern elves, Humans, and Reptiles of her community. Pressed to do manual labor in the mines of an Empire that hated her with every fiber of her being. Yuri still couldn't get the image of blisters on her hands out of her mind, as her coal dust-covered palms bled from the endless work in the resource-rich hills of the Iscariot countryside. When she was liberated by the Rebellion, she promised that she'd save everyone who faced a similar fate. And prevent more stories like that.

But now the war with... humans? Non-Falkish Humans? And they were strong enough to defeat and then invade the Empire? She had to see this for herself. She had to see if these Humans were anything like her! Humans were supposed to help other oppressed creatures around them, if the Humans saw their brothers and sisters shackled in slavery, surely they'd help! Right? It was an opportunity! But then, why would hadn't they stopped this all earlier? Where were they? Why were they hiding, only now choosing to reveal themselves?

She had never heard of either Ithaca or Americans in her life. This was a first for herself and seemingly everyone else. They seemed otherworldly, but Yuri didn't know if that was possible. Or how that could even happen?

As she thought it over, an intense feeling of dread gripped Yuri. To the point that as the day progressed, she had to sit down in her bed later that day just to reserve space to think. That feeling of dread was linked to the battle ahead. Suddenly she grew incredibly tired... and drifted away to sleep.

Only to wake up and see the Mirrorface, standing over her, staring back into her eyes.