Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

Just to the north-east of the Rockwell Kingdom, beyond the Roth Dukedom, lay the Zilon Kingdom.

This relatively new nation was smaller and less powerful than the Rockwell Kingdom, but that didn’t mean it was weak, especially when it came to its top masters, nearly all of whom were gathered tonight in nation’s capital city, Highland.

Built part-way up the southern slopes of the nations titular Mt. Zilon, Highland was a natural fortress extremely easy to defend and nearly impossible to attack.

It was actually this mining city’s natural defensive advantages that gave the Kardesh Family the courage to try to succeed from the Black Tiger Kingdom roughly 300 years ago.

In the centuries following that successful but bloody revolution, the city was repeatedly fortified. Some felt it was a reflection of a defence-above-all-else mentality, while others sneered at what they considered the ’cowardly nature’ of the new Royal Family.

Of all the bastions in Highland, of which there were many, the Royal Palace was, without a doubt, the most impressive.

It was a vast complex built nearly halfway up the mountain, with many of its structures and rooms quarried directly into the rockface itself, allowing the palace to withstand external siege for multiple years without any difficulty, even if the rest of the city had already fallen.

Deep within that very palace this New Year’s Eve, inside an enormous stone hall adorned with Spirit Lamps and luminous gemstones, over 2,000 guests stood at attention as and woman on the edge of being consider elderly silently sat upon an imposing throne.

Queen Theresa Kardesh was the picture of calm, her eyes closed in peaceful reflection.

She was only the third ruling Monarch of the Zilon Kingdom, a position she had held for an astonishing 212 years, nearly three-quarters of the Small-Sized Nation’s entire history.

Her long reign was not by choice, but rather by necessity.

After her father, the First King, and her elder brother, the Second King, both passed away young, Theresa became the oldest and strongest living member of the Kardesh Family, so the position of Queen simply fell to her.

Somewhat short, with a stern face, numerous old scars, and too much muscle to be considered attractive by most, when Theresa was coronated at the age of 194, she only intended to occupy the throne for a few decades until someone from the next generation gained enough strength and wisdom to replace her.

Unfortunately, after winning their freedom from the chaotic Black Tiger Kingdom, it seemed the Kardesh Family had exhausted all its luck.

Most of its strongest and most talented members had perished in the war, leaving a hollowed-out bloodline, resulting in no outstanding talents being born to the direct line or collateral branches for many years.

With a need for a strong, stable figure to guide the young kingdom and protect it from both internal and external threats, the Complete Peak-Rank Adept Theresa was forced to carry the crown upon her head for far longer than she originally planned.

Had it not been for her incredible sense of duty and a profound love she had for the nation she and her family had sacrificed so much to help establish, Theresa would have stepped down long ago and let fate takes its course, but having just turned 406 a few days ago, she was finally going to get her wish.

Queen Kardesh couldn’t help quietly breathing a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes and gazed down at her long-awaited heir.

Kneeling before his great great grandmother, Josiah Kardesh kept his head lowered, waiting patiently.

On the eve of his ascension, Josiah naturally felt a bit anxious. Having basically been raised by Theresa, he too had a conservative mentality that preferred stability over chasing benefits.

Even having been prepared for this moment for most of his life, however, it was still somewhat nerve-wracking now that the moment had actually arrived.

Still, time marched ever on, and soon, the midnight bell tolled, signaling the arrival of the new year.

Rising from her throne, Theresa stepped forward, lifted the weighty crown she had worn for over two centuries, and placed it upon Josiah’s head before bowing to him as her new King.

There were no speeches or elaborate rituals, just a simple and direct transfer of power and authority, but that didn’t make the moment any less significant. If anything, it only reinforced how monumental this succession truly was.

Everyone in the hall followed suit, bowing deeply to the new King, the solemnity and seriousness of this transition not lost on any of them.

The oldest and longest ruling monarch in the South-Central Region had just been replaced by the youngest king among the 4 surrounding nations.

Josiah rose slowly, his head feeling far heavier than he expected it to, and turned to address the room, "My subjects..."

.....

In contrast to the solemn, formal atmosphere of the Zilon Kingdom’s New Years Coronation, the Elros Grand Duchy’s Palace was filled with joviality.

Built from a type of pure white stone on an island in the middle of a pristine lake, the palace was one of the most dazzling architectural works in the entire South-Central Region, as well as one of the most difficult to access.

The only way on or off the island was by boat or across a nearly 2 kilometres long bridge, making it all but impossible to launch a surprise attack against or invade en-masse.

This land had also once belonged to the Black Tiger Kingdom and had become independent around the same time as the Zilon Kingdom, but unlike the Kardeshs who launched a bloody struggle for freedom upon seeing an opportunity too good to pass up, the Elros Family had quietly plotted their succession for over a century.

During a particularly turbulent period of civil strife in the Black Tiger Kingdom about 300 years ago, the Elros Family felt the time was right and acted decisively, making use of their extensive preparations to gain autonomy 2 years before the Kardeshs despite launching their rebellion at roughly the same time.

Back then, the Elros and Kardesh Families actually had quite a bit of enmity between them, something that had persisted until today, yet neither of them would likely have been able to break away successfully if they hadn’t both rebelled at the same time.

By both declaring independence in quick succession, the Zilon Kingdom and Elros Grand Duchy forced the forces of the Black Tiger Kingdom meant to maintain order to split their attention and fight a war on two fronts.

The Kardesh Family had been stronger than the Elros Family at that time but were also far less prepared, so they came under much fiercer attack, but the Grand Duchy didn’t get off scot-free, also suffering significant losses in the war.

Eventually, two Small-Sized Nations with relatively equal strength were established, and with the unrest in the Black Tiger Kingdom at the time not showing any signs of settling, its Royal Family had no choice but to silently accept this small defeat.

290 years after its founding, the Elros Grand Duchy had become relatively prosperous thanks to its extensive economic and marital ties with the Tarnath Dynasty, a calculated move on the part of its successive leaders.

That, however, wasn’t enough for its current ruler.

Pascal Elros, Fifth Grand Duke of the Elros Grand Duchy, was essentially the opposite of his southern neighbour, Theresa. As a young, 135 years old Complete Low-Rank Adept, he was brimming with desire and ambition.

The Grand Duke wasn’t a fool, though. He knew that his nation lacked metal reserves, a critical component in war, so careful preparations were necessary before he made any big moves.

Fortunately, long-term thinking was one of the Elros Family’s specialities, and Pascal was no exception. For the past 30 years, even before he was crowned Grand Duke, Pascal had been quietly building up his forces, and as the new year dawned, he was confident his time would soon come.

Looking out over his gathered nobles and allies, Pascal lifted his cup of Spirit Wine and toasted loudly, "To the Grand Duchy’s glorious future!"

"""Glory to the Grand Duke! Glory to the Elros Grand Duchy!"""