Over a thousand gazes were fixed on Nero, which is why the pressure he felt was not just psychological. Aether was dancing in the air, responding to the surging emotions, almost as if it was just as infected by the sage's words as everyone else.
Unfortunately for Nero, that meant that when the sage, and everyone else, looked at him, the aether responded and crashed down on him. If he had not learned to increase his internal aetheric pressure, and gain momentary strength, then just the weight of the aether would have been enough to cause him to stumble.
But it was not as if Nero was completely spared. It was clear to anyone looking that Nero seemed to be struggling, and that he was doing everything in his power to maintain a stoic expression on his face. Without understanding the actual immense pressure bearing down on him, they could only imagine Nero as a young child suffering flashbacks of a traumatising night.
Haiden continued to speak, though his voice rising as he spoke, gaining momentum.
"When our enemies take us by surprise, Kolar does not take it standing. We hit back, we fight hard, we sacrifice, and we protect. That is the pride of Kolar, and it is as strong now as it was back then. But though the pride of Kolar is strong, what of my oath?"
Haiden looked back at the crowd, but for some reason Nero felt the pressure around him grow even stronger. The sage continued to speak, but this time, his voice softened.
"To be honest, I have lived a long life, and I am ashamed to say that it took the interrogation of a child, even younger than I was when I took up arms… with eyes filled with questioning desperation… to remind me of that night. You took an oath, he said to me, and suddenly I was sixteen again, marching off to war and potential death.
Is this the army I've been training to join, he asked me, and suddenly, I felt ashamed."
The sky had completely changed colours now, and the blue had mixed with shades of pink turning into orange, turning into red, surrounding Haiden as if he were the rising sun.
"997 years ago, Emperor Iskunder Macedon changed the world. He showed us new horizons, and a new way to live. For nearly a thousand years, we have lived in his shadow, in a pale imitation of the empire he created. None have tried to surpass him. None have tried to take humans to the next step."
Nero was struggling to pay attention, but when Haiden said those words, even he felt the anticipation. Something seemed to change. It was as if all the guests who were here, in attendance, all had the same idea altogether. But they couldn't believe it. They didn't dare to consider it. Yet they held their breaths nonetheless.
In fact, even the flowing wind seemed to freeze, as if the world itself was waiting in anticipation of what Haiden was about to say.
"Then it occurred to me. If even as a sage, I cannot protect my home as a sage, then my journey is not over. How can I find a way to surpass the sage realm? Does such a realm even exist? In all of human history, there has never been such a realm. Even the emperor had no path."
Dead silence covered the field. No one spoke. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. At the same time, they wanted to hear more.
Such questions were asked everyday, but it usually wasn't the head of an entire branch of the military discussing it in an army base. Instead, it was children discussing their daydreams in school corridors.
"Naturally, I cannot just do it because I want to. Otherwise, the emperor himself would have reached this unattainable height. But, we finally have an opportunity in the form of the Eldrim ruins."
Projector screens started to rise behind him, and as soon as they were fully extended various images appeared on all of them.
Nero expected to see ruins, but instead he saw various terrains in all the screens, and massive armies in each of them. For a few seconds, Nero was confused, until he recognised the shape of some of the mountains in the images.
Those were…
"You must be wondering, if such a thing is true, why am I so openly revealing it to the world? It's because for months we've been operating in secret, but the news has already been leaked. We have been fighting in secret, but it can be kept a secret no more!"
The scene on the projectors changed, and instead of stationed armies, the images were of destroyed landscapes. Craters filled the lands, and smoke covered the skies. No bodies could be found, because there were no bodies left to be found!
"Saint Codale and Dolziya have partnered once more, and threatened open war unless we yield the ruins to them. Yesterday, they launched a probing attack as a warning. Creta and New Velariya watch in silence, waiting for an opportunity, a weakness they can take advantage of. Only Nova has offered some help, in exchange for a chance to study the ruins."
The screens changed again, this time all of them showing a man floating over a massive body of water.
"Last night, Sage Morphius intercepted a sage trying to sneak into our borders, and pushed him back. At the same time, Sage's Christina and Gale launched a counterattack on our neighbours to remind them who they are dealing with."
Another set of images appeared, this time showing even greater devastation.
"The reason I am telling you all this, ladies and gentlemen, is because after months of fighting covertly, Kolar is once again at war. But this time, it is not a war of survival, or resources! This time, it is a war to decide who will define the next one thousand years, and all of it will be decided here."
The pictures changed once more, this time revealing a sprawling ruinous city, half buried underground, and half covered in white, cloudy mist.