**This is an extended flashback of the first "Kalina Clan" chapter of the main story, (this happened before the war)**
*...The man was woken up by the sound of his alarm; he yawned and stretched before finally getting up to turn the alarm off. After turning off the alarm he walked towards the restroom in his small apartment, 'Morning routine,' he thought to himself, and soon his apartment "came to life." The lights turned on and the blinds rose slightly to allow the natural light of the sun in through his windows. The coffee pot turned on and began brewing his usual, while a small humanoid figure came out of the cupboard and began preparing his breakfast. After dressing for his work day, he went into the kitchen, ate his breakfast, grabbed his lunch, and left out the door, 'Security guard,' as he thought this he could hear the locks in his apartment closing and he heard the faint beeping from the alarm system that was installed in all the apartments on his floor.
He walked down the narrow street, greeting the occasional passerby, on his way to work. The factory wasn't far from his home, which made his commute fairly easy in the mornings and evenings when he returns home. Once he arrived he held his wrist out for the man who guarded the door, and after a quick scan, he was allowed to enter. As soon as he entered the warehouse, he put his personal items in his locker, and grabbed his work uniform that he wears over his usual clothes. He worked in a facility that focused on plant sustainability, so he needed mild protective gear for the different conditions and different plants they could be exposed too. He quickly tucked his dark red hair under his hat, grabbed his safety goggles, laced his boots, then began his daily work routine.
...A woman from the neighboring territory was also woken up by the sound of her alarm, and quickly shut it off. She did not work at a factory, but rather she worked within the temple. There had been a new transition of leadership over the last month and there were many preparations she needed to complete for her daily tasks. She quickly dressed in her simple, long grey dress, and apron, then left her room to check on the other maids. As she walked down the long corridors, she saw a few small humanoid figures scurrying about the temple, with trays carrying food, as well as some with cleaning supplies. 'Daily schedule,' she thought to herself, then shortly after she saw a small schedule appear in a translucent list in her forearm. After briefly reviewing her schedule, she arrived at the living quarters for the other maids, and entered to make sure everyone was ready for the day.
After taking care of the morning schedule, she prepared a special tray of snack for the Elders. "-why would they even consider...bad blood...not pure!" From where she was in the kitchen, she could vaguely hear someone talking in an aggressive tone near the next room. 'Sound focus,' "Would you calm yourself? This not becoming of a young Lord," A woman with a smooth voice said, "We have the most from our bloodline, we have the most powerful abilities, and yet they want to hand the Clan Head, Lord, title over to a-to a, scum blooded family?! What does the Kalina Clan that the Doha Clan does not?!" There was a younger man's voice who was shouting angrily. 'Maybe I shouldn't listen anymore,' she thought to herself before gathering the last of the snacks and walking out of the kitchen. When she did so, she startled the pair with her presence, but she paid them no mind and continued forward to present Elder Takeda with his afternoon snacks.
....As the days passed, everyone worked hard in their respective fields, to keep the island and their inhabitants happy and healthy. There were scheduled trade days that took place with the important figures of the Tradelands and the important figures of the Territories within The Island. Due to living on an island, some resources were harder for the people of the lands to come by, therefore. they would periodically trade or exchange some of their technology for resources they needed to fully thrive. Most of the meetings with the officials ended peacefully, however there were whispers amongst the residents of both The Tradelands and The Island Territories, that this last meeting did not go well and that a threat was made from the Tradelands Military.
"We can't let them continue to push us around! We are powerful alone and even more together! We need to fight ba-" "Hush, you do not need to speak so loudly or out of turn," an old man said towards the younger man's comments. "We have plans on how to handle this. For the meantime, we will enforce the old methods of passing from the temple grounds into the rest of the Island Territories...My Lord, we have yet to finish the binding of your blood and Clan Insignia to the main checkpoints. Once we do this, everyone else will have to follow suite," The older man was directing his attention to a tall and thin man with dark green hair who was standing near the window. The tall man simply nodded in response as Elder Takeda and the young man, made their way to the door, "We will get our of your hair now My Lord," he said before walking out. "Damn royalty, no respect-" *THUD!* "Ow why the hell did you hit me old man?!" The younger man said while rubbing his head, getting no response from Elder Takeda. He then stopped talking and followed closely after him as he walked through the corridor.
..."Mirko, it's great to see you again my friend," a tall, dark skinned, muscular man with medium length, ice blue hair and bright yellow eyes, said while reaching his arm out towards Mirko. Mirko smiled slightly and firmly shook the man's hand, "It is very good to see you again Valen. How has the new Guard Unit position been treating you?" Mirko was also a muscular man, but he was slightly shorter than Lord Valen, (not currently "Lord" but a writing habit), had a slightly lighter skin tone, and he had dark grey colored hair and bright blue eyes. The pair had multiple layers of clothes on to keep them warm from the winter winds and snow. Mirko, being from the Northern Territory, had thicker layered fur to keep himself warm; he was visiting the area because of the rumors townspeople were spending. As the pair continued catching up, someone was silently watching from the shadows, trying to gather information and remain undetected.
..."My Lord, this is the young General I was telling you about last week," a middle-aged woman with straight, mocha brown hair, and blush pink eyes said as she "presented" Lord Valen to the current Lord of the temple. The current Lord looked at both of them with a disinterested look on his face. "He has risen through the ranks quite quickly and has always proven his loyalty to The Guard. I thought you would like to speak-" "That is all Abena, you may leave now," the current Lord said in a flat, dismissive tone, as he looked at a piece of his dark green hair that had tucked its way into his robe. Abena sighed slightly, but obediently followed his orders, closing the door behind her. The current Lord looked over towards Lord Valen, (who is currently a General), with a blank, emotionless expression. "You may rise now Valen," Lord Valen was startled but did not let it show on his face as he rose to stand before the current Lord; his weapons lightly clinking against each other as he stood. "If you are wondering how I knew about you, it's because I have many loyal subjects who are employed within The Guard Units," the current Lord stood and walked away from his seat and down the small set of steps towards Lord Valen.
Both of the man were around the same height, but the current Lord had a smaller frame and lighter skin compared to the muscular and scarred body of Lord Valen. "You are all I have heard about as of late. Many of my men and naturally, the woman, speak of you as some sort of immortal being. An outsider with Abilities descended from royal blood, a Man of Ice, Shadow Warrior...shall I continue?" He asked the younger Lord Valen, in a somewhat mocking tone, "No My Lord, I have heard many nonsensical rumors about myself and my supposed bloodline. There is not need to continue if you do not wish too." The current Lord stopped just before Lord Valen, "Would you like to know the truth Shadow Warrior? About your bloodline that is..." he said while trailing off, trying to judge Lord Valen's expression. Lord Valen's eyes wavered slightly, and the current Lord smiled in response, "That's what I thought. Come now, to my personal library, there I can explain our family tree a bit," he said as he turned towards the door, his long hair swaying slightly, and his long robe, softly dragging against the floor as he walked, leaving Lord Valen in shock where he stood.