Chapter 404: After The War
VOLUME 4: ECHOES OF WHAT WAS
Six months had drifted by since Amthar crossed blades with the Demon Lord of the Gaia Demons, Sylvathar, and his monstrous legions. In that span of time, the Kingdom of Solara struggled to breathe again. Recovery within Zones 19, 17, and 16 had been a sluggish grind. Citizens, displaced and weary, spent nearly five months confined in underground shelters, clinging to hope while their shattered homes awaited resurrection.
To hasten the rebuilding, males aged fourteen and above were called upon, their hands turned from pen and play to hammer and brick. Slowly and steadily, the heartbeat of Solara began to pulse once more.
Far across the lands, the Tempest Kingdom bore its own scars. Zone 13 had nearly been erased from the map—but it stood, barely. Reconstruction was swift, taking just under a month’s cycle, but the air still clung to loss. Nothing truly felt the same.
The Dark Knight Academy, Tempest’s pride and pillar, had also endured great ruin. Yet within three months, it had risen from its rubble, showing signs of restoration and progress, though faint echoes of the past still lingered in the halls.
Meanwhile, in the Crescent Kingdom, casualties had been mercifully low. So much so, it took but a single week for its people to return to their homes and live once again in comfort. The sun returned to their skies faster than most.
Within those same six months, talk stirred between the Crescent and Tempest monarchs regarding the reopening of their academies. The idea was met with hope. But after reviewing the records of that harrowing conflict—records soaked in blood, sacrifice, and desperation—Queen Lucy made a resolute decision: her students would not return to class.
During the war, those very same students—young dreamers training to be knights and mages—had stood between death and the defenseless. They had risen to the call with blades too light for the burdens they bore, yet they did so without hesitation, facing dangers they had no business confronting.
Stories spread like wildfire across the Crescent Kingdom, tales of the twin children of Caelum Virellan, who defended not only themselves but their fellow students and townsfolk from the wrath of the Gaia demons. They became names whispered with reverence in the streets and markets.
But they were not the only young guardians of the kingdom.
In Sear, nestled in Zone 7 of the Crescent Kingdom, another tale was told. The tale of Dylan Wellington.
The blond-haired joker—known more for his wit and humor than his might—stood shoulder to shoulder with his father, a retired knight of old. Together, they became shields for their family and the villagers of Sear.