It had been a long, long time since Zhang last slept; so long, in fact, that the process of waking up was almost alien to him. The return to consciousness was slow, and though he was hardly comfortable, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes closed and wish for just a few more minutes. He shifted—he...
2025-03-31 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostArks burned above the planes in numbers almost beyond counting—so many that Anzu wondered if the people below saw more of their countrymen dying than they did stars. He watched in awe from the bridge of his stealth frigate as, despite the losses, the arks continued to tear each other to fiery ribbons.
The bigges...
2025-03-28 15:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe sky had turned orange from the fire, the screams echoed across the city, and the iron stench of blood was in the air. The people hid in their homes as men armed and armored thundered through the streets in search of something they refused to share with the people of the Imperial City.
Despite Zhang’s power, ...
2025-03-26 15:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostThere had been cheery mornings in Artorion over its hundred and fifty years, some of which were still talked about for the vigorousness of the celebrations carried out. It could never be said that Leon’s people didn’t know how to party, especially some of the more raucous Tribes like the Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, and Bears....
2025-03-24 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostBoredom. Anxiety. The constant knowledge that death hung over his head from every corner and that there was little he could do about it.
Yun stared out across the lavish gardens of the Imperial Palace unable to sit still, waiting for his guest to arrive.
“How long will he make me wait?” he angrily ...
2025-03-21 15:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe sound of laughter filled Sakhmej’s great dining hall, and the aroma of all the finest delicacies the plane had to offer delighted the senses. The room was lit by floating rings of glowing gold, the band of each one thinner than a hand but with a diameter of at least two grown men. Carpets had been removed fr...
2025-03-19 15:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe clash of steel on steel was a balm for the bored mind, even if it was only in training.
“Keep that weapon up!” Leon shouted as he pressed against Daryun. His high strike was blocked as Daryun brought his sword to bear, Leon didn’t pull back, and the two fighters locked together as Leon stepped into Daryu...
2025-03-17 15:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostAs four of the five fleets departed the newly-renamed plane of Demetrion, Leon felt no small amount of bitterness rising in his heart. There went his fleets, off to conquer while he remained on the central plane of the cluster, waiting for word to come back.
‘This must have been how Elise always felt.’ 2025-03-14 15:00:14 +0000 UTC View Post
The palace in Imak’s capital city was sumptuous, built with monumental architecture and featuring no less than twenty enormous, many-pillared halls. The whole place was a tapestry of color, every room featuring a new visual theme, and the throne room itself decorated in bright, garish colors designed to ensnare the se...
2025-03-12 15:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostImak’s Kingdom wasn’t one known for gladiator fights, but it had plenty of sports arenas. The largest in the entire Kingdom was situated near the western coast, only a few minutes away from Imak’s palace by ark. Horses would race there at least once per week and chariots at least once a month.
Now, how...
2025-03-10 15:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAs Daryun’s challenge echoed through the dead silent throne room, the air hung heavy with expectation—this was surely a joke many thought, and the punchline was sure to come. Leon himself stared in disbelief at Daryun, who stood defiantly where his King had kneeled.
And then someone began laughing, and others ...
2025-03-07 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostNo small feeling of triumph bloomed in Leon’s heart as he stood before the great stone doors of the largest of Imak’s mountain fortresses. Above him flew Storm Herald and the arks of five separate task forces, numbering more than fifty in total—and these were largely heavier task forces than Nicetas...
2025-03-05 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostI'd appreciate it if you could visit Royal Road and leave a rating or review! It's free, only takes a few seconds, and helps this story out immensely!
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“… we’ll b...
2025-03-03 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe air was filled with bitter or defiant words, almost all shouted so loudly that were it not for the privacy enchantments around the forest clearing, the entire army might’ve been able to listen in. The Lords of Imak’s Kingdom expressed every opinion under the sun when Daryun thought that the matter at hand was qu...
2025-02-28 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostAgonized screaming, defiant war cries, crackling flames, raging magic, and whinnying horses, all these sounds filled the air and then some. Daryun felt the rush of victory, the relief of having survived, of having defied the odds once again. Given the sheer number of corpses around, he’d been lucky—though, his...
2025-02-26 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post“… and they are a truly despicable people! So pigeon-hearted, and with faces akin to dogs! You’ll see, Your Majesty, when your valiant army conquers them, the Karlians are worthy of nothing but disdain!”
Leon nodded along, not quite listening. He suppressed a shudder of impatience...
2025-02-24 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostHaving something to do helped to assuage Leon’s frayed patience somewhat; unfortunately, the ‘something’ that Clear brought to him involved sitting and waiting for longer than he liked.
His fingers drummed into the armrest of his throne now instead of his thigh, though he’d at least managed to still his tapping ...
2025-02-21 16:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostStorm Herald ran swifter and quieter than any ark Leon had ever been on. Despite the extensive reconstruction the ark had required, the jump from the Nexus to the Kesken Cluster was smooth as butter; Leon barely felt it even as attuned as he was to magic at his tier.
As the magic portal dissipated be...
2025-02-19 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostSports had never been something that occupied much of Leon’s attention. Even as King, he’d only ever attend a few races or spars in various arenas, and he paid even less mind to the smaller sports that the Tribes played. As he contemplated the Belicenian Games, however, he found it stoking his spirit of compet...
2025-02-17 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostDisappointment settled in Leon’s stomach like a rock. After more than two centuries of marriage, and nearly as long spent trying for children, he could almost convince himself that he’d grown used to failure on that front, but every time it was confirmed, his hopes sank even further.
Elise and Cassandra each h...
2025-02-14 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostRanks and ranks of plate-armored men and women were arrayed before Leon, their auras shining, their weapons gleaming, their kit immaculate. MALLs hovered a few feet off the ground behind them, their weapons deadlier than ever, their engines more powerful, their armor thicker. Thousands of giants had assembled, too...
2025-02-12 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostThunder rolled across a rain-soaked Artorion, coming in the wake of blinding flashes of lightning. An unnatural chill filled the air as the powerful storm wracked the whole valley.
Ever since planting Mir at the top of Westmount and raising it into the sky, the storms that had come to the Artor Valley had intensif...
2025-02-10 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe wind whistled through the snowy peaks, while bells rang and drums beat in the valley below. Light in the mountains allowed the watchers to track their enemy’s approach, slowly coming closer and closer to their walls.
The Sylphians would have a rough time getting to their fortress. The path was strewn w...
2025-02-07 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostA chill filled the air as the room filled with people. Dozens of the highest officers in Leon’s military, plus his high ministers were attending this strategy meeting in the Flash Fortress, the headquarters of the Kingdom’s military.
The fortress was located along the eastern edge of Artorion, purpose-built on...
2025-02-05 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostIf you haven't yet, please be sure to visit Royal Road and leave a rating or review! It's a fantastic way to support this story, and it's completely free!
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Much of Leon...
2025-02-03 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe ritual Xaphan used to contact his ‘friends’ in the Elemental Plane of Fire was quick to set up, with the most time-consuming part being the actual inscription of the enchantment itself. In the course of its inscription, Leon even improved it by using a storm crystal filled with origin power as the enchantment’...
2025-01-31 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostLeon never considered himself much of a dancer. He was skilled enough at it—Elise, Emilie, and Cassandra had made sure of that—and his experience in combat lent itself well to learning to dance, but he lacked the passion and drive to become truly good at it.
However, as the music of clashing stee...
2025-01-29 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostBowing was no easy thing for monarchs, this much Leon was well familiar with. A century of diplomacy and economic pressures had culminated in Farah’s visit to Artorion and her formal submission to him, but despite the length of this process, he had no intention of dragging it out. He didn’t want to humiliate F...
2025-01-27 16:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostHer heart was a hammer in her chest, beating with deep anxiety and regret. Others may claim that she had done all that she could and that she had no choice, but she knew better—in the face of losing sovereignty, there was always more that could be done, if one could stomach the cost.
...
2025-01-24 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostCheering.
Excitement.
The streets of Ishtorpor overflowed with both. The wine flowed freely, decorative bolts of lightning lit up the night sky, and many businesses had closed despite Djoser’s refusal to name it a day of celebration.
The reason was simple: for a long time, they had lived on the edge ...
2025-01-22 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
