In the heart of the ancient palace known as Palazzo Macedon, whose first bricks were supposedly laid by the emperor himself, sat three men, looking out the window to a view of a magnificent garden, with Lake Natura as the backdrop.
The palace was a little ways from Valencrest city, which is why it was deprived of the hustle and bustle that accompanied a metropolis. But more importantly, it was deprived of all the security that usually accompanied such a place. The fact that it even contained a garden, full of grass, bushes, trees and flowers, meant that it was practically asking to be cursed.
Yet the palace had withstood the test of time, surviving for nearly a thousand years.
From the window the three men could see a host of men and women, tending to each corner of the palace, from the gardens, to the orchards, to the small pond filled with fish. That in itself was not odd. The odd thing was that each of them bore a strong resemblance to the three men sitting inside.
But anyone familiar with the royal family of New Velariya would not be surprised by such a scene. After all, it was common knowledge that tending to and maintaining the heritage of the Barakus family was something the family did on its own. They had not a single servant working not only in their palace, but in all their lands.
Those who proved themselves competent would rise through the ranks, and gain important positions, and those who did not would get delegated duties in service to the family. The family lived to serve and raise the prestige of the family, and through that secure a prosperous future for New Velariya.
It might sound backwards, and destined for failure, but it was a fact that New Velariya was at the forefront of research and development in the whole world when it came to Eldrim cards. Though their country was small, it was only so because the Barakus family disdained to distract the focus of their country by acquiring more lands.
As it was, they needed nothing from the outside world, nor did they want anything. At least, until very recently.
"The Ayubi family has petitioned us once more to interfere with the Kolari invasion," the youngest looking of the three said. He was the current king of New Velariya, Hathaway Barakus.
"They got what they deserved for poking that wasp's nest," said the middle-aged man, Cornaro Barakus, the former king, who had given up his throne some decades ago.
"This time they've offered to split the gains from the ruins 70-30, 70% going to us and 30% to them. They've also offered the exclusive services of their innate ability for 10 years."
"Yes, well, they have gone out of their way to nurture their space-based innate abilities. They're useful, but not that useful. They're just trying to tie us down to themselves. They need us as allies for 10 years a lot more than we need their services for 10 years.
If it weren't for the fact that Creta and Saint Codale are occupying their attention as well, I'd say Morphius would finish of Dolziya this time."
The two, current and former king, continued to chat amongst themselves as they enjoyed the changing skyline as the sun dipped towards the west, heading towards early evening. Nothing in the world truly seemed to catch their interest, that is until the third among them turned his head towards the south. Then the two kings, and Sages, hushed in deference to the third.
He was a handsome man, even though old age was clearly visible in his features. His once blonde was now completely grey, though it only added a mature charm to the visage of the man.
"There is an ominous energy in the air," the old man said, his voice barely a whisper. "Perhaps Kolar should tread new grounds more carefully, instead of rushing into the unknown so blindly."
The two men bowed deeply, and without a word, flew out of the palace at full speed, their Sage auras on full display. This was not a sign just to their country, but to the whole world. When New Velariya, the former seat of power of the great Velariya Empire, made a decision, the whole had to obey, one way or another.
All lines dividing countries vanished, all personal interests were set aside, all conflicts became irrelevant in the face of absolute authority. Although Morphius Kade was widely considered the strongest living Sage, that was only because he had the highest kill count for other Sages. That did not actually mean he was the strongest. At least, among the Sages there were those who did not fear him.
The Polymaths of New Velariya feared no one. In fact, it was due to their distinct lack of fear that they allowed Kolar to explore the new ruins without serious interference. They were not afraid that the benefits they gained would allow them to overshadow the Barakus family.
The great powers of Neire looked as they distinctly felt the aura of two Sages. The Barakus had finally made a move. Yet before the many forces could insinuate what that would mean for the ongoing war, an even more distinct phenomenon than the aura of two Sages rocked the whole world.
From the south, in the foothills of the Aether Mountain Range, a beacon of silver light shot out into the sky.
The sun dimmed. The world dimmed. All light seemed to have been absorbed by that one, single beacon of light, leaving it the one, last light source in the whole world of Neire. Anyone and everyone who was exposed to the open sky looked towards the light that shot out from the mist and followed it as it moved in slow-motion towards the White Moon.
It rose… and rose… until it finally crashed into the crescent shaped celestial body hanging up above the world, and for a moment everyone held their breaths. The Sages who were at war paused. The soldiers who were killing halted. The curses which were devouring the world trembled. For that one, brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the crescent moon became whole, even though according to the moon cycle, the full moon was still days away. Its borders shone with a silvery light, which seemed to seep deep into the celestial body bit by bit, and the former White Moon suddenly became a Silver Moon.
Sunlight returned to the world, and all was normal once again, yet the silver hue emanating from the moon never dimmed. The once mundane, less feared and almost forgotten moon of the world shone brightly demanding full attention from all living and nonliving beings.
The phenomenon ended, or perhaps it had only begun. No one knew for certain, but the two Barakus Sages burned with even more zeal as they flew through the sky and into Nova territory.
There, near the shore of Nova, its mighty naval fleet stood and guarded the area where the winds blew from, fighting off against other ships. In the air Ascendants fought each other, trying to prevent interference in the natural flow of the wind.
There was even a Sage watching over the battle from the side. Yet all of that ended when the two Sages appeared.
No words were exchanged. They weren't needed. All the ships suddenly stopped working, as if they had lost all power, and the Ascendants fell out of the sky like flies after suddenly losing consciousness.
The single Sage who had been keeping guard fell to his knees, and though he showed great reluctance, he did not try to stop the two of them. Not even Sages fought against other Sages against a numerical disadvantage. Though it was not easy for a Sage to die, they could at least be humiliated and beaten badly.
In this moment when the equilibrium was finally broken, it was best to accept things as they were. More importantly, everyone was shaken by the beacon of light, and no one knew what it meant.
Silent messages passed through all battlefields, and one by one, the fighting slowed down even if it didn't cease completely. The hidden preparations of Kolar to face these two Sages were set aside, and fiery tempers were cooled.
In a world as dangerous as theirs, anyone who lacked caution had died an early death.
Hathaway Barakus cut through the wind with a single palm, and the winds seemed to divert elsewhere. It was completely natural, as if that is how the winds had always flown. In a few hours, at most, the winds blowing across Kolar would naturally cease, and the fog that had retreated would once again reclaim its territory.
For better or for worse, the exploration of Lumina had slowed down, if not completely ceased. Everyone watched with bated breath to see how the world would change over the next few hours. Everyone except those who were caught in battles of life and death.