"Wars can create peace, but peace can invite wars."
-Kaede Yoshida
"It has been twenty-five years since the war that almost put mankind on its knees came to an end. The war that was once the cause of division between nations is the same war that brought peace around the world and what shaped the modern era. Today, we celebrate--"
"Hey! Why did you turn it off?! I was listening to that!"
A man angrily said after someone turned the television off inside a barbershop.
"Oh come on, it's just about that stupid war anniversary again! I don't need that kind of negativity in the morning!"
"Just shut up and turn that thing back on!"
It was the third of May, Year 25 PDE (Post Downfall Era), a quarter-century has passed since the great war ended. A war so horrifying, even death itself feared it. It is for that same reason it earned the name "The Downfall."
The main streets of the Republic of Phoenix capital, Ember City, were so lively and peaceful, it's hard to believe that just a quarter-century ago, it was nothing but rubble left behind by the war.
Now, beautiful, Victorian-style buildings and architecture incorporated with modern infrastructure and skyscrapers can be seen all across the city. Steam-powered automobiles and machinery are a common sight to its citizens.
Through its abundance of "White Coal", Phoenix, A place that was once a wasteland, is now one of the world's most powerful nations.
" Mom, mom look! A handsome soldier! is he a prince?"
A young boy holding his mother's hand said this as he crossed the busy streets of Ember City.
The handsome young man the little boy was referring to was wearing the Crystalian Military's dark-green collared uniform for youth officers.
The seventeen-year-old boy had Dark, elegant hair and beautiful brown eyes. He had this elegant demeanor making him seem like royalty.
"Look, a Crystalian uniform, and it looks like he's an officer too." A bystander reading the morning newspaper said.
"Doesn't he look a little too young to be a high-ranking officer?"
"Do you think he's here for the tournament?"
"You mean that tournament wherein nations from all across the Eastern Kingdom will be participating?"
"Yes, I heard that every year before the War season starts, selected participants can get the chance to become high-ranking officers for The Phoenix army. "
"That's unlikely since Crystalia usually joins the northern leagues. However, they also have territories here in the East so there is a possibility."
"Warfare Season is About to Begin!" The headline of the morning newspaper says.
"Warfare Season", established only a year after the "Downfall", was formed as an alternative to a regular form of warfare.
After the discovery of "White Coal", a highly efficient, more refined form of power source; The Northern Empires declared war against the central colonies along with their Western allies. Wars between nations and kingdoms immediately erupted as they tried to get a hold of this new, more powerful type of fuel.
The entire Central territories suddenly turned into a warzone. Then suddenly, the war stopped. No one knows the true reason behind the sudden cease-fire.
Not long after, the "Norbania Convention" happened. It is where the most powerful leaders from around the world met at the same table and agreed to end the war. Instead, they created a systematic form of warfare wherein casualties can be put to a minimum, thus," Warfare Season" was born.
"Hey, young man! Are you perhaps looking for the stadium to enlist for the League Qualifiers?" The man holding a newspaper asked the young officer.
"Yes I am, but I can't seem to find it."
"That's easy. First you..." The man suddenly stopped talking. He had an expression similar to someone who would have seen a ghost.
He looked down at the morning newspaper he was holding then slowly looked up.
"You... It's You!" The man stood up and left hurriedly, leaving his newspaper behind.
The young officer picked up the newspaper the man was reading.
"I see. So that's why he recognized me. Oh well, looks like I have to look for the stadium on my own." The young man said as he threw away the newspaper.
The paper danced in mid-air before slowly dropping faced up, revealing what it says.
"Wanted: Ichijo "The Midnight Fantom" Yoshida, Dead or Alive, 20 Million Norbanian Zollars." Above these texts is a photograph.
"No wonder he looked so scared."
The boy on the wanted poster is him, the young Crystalian officer. His name, Ichijo Yoshida, the crowned prince of Crystalia.