The celebration lasted for a week—a week of joy, gratitude, and relief. The people of Thalor rejoiced in their victory over the The Air Calamity. They lit bonfires, sang songs, and toasted to the brave warriors who had fought valiantly.
On the last day, the queen addressed the public from the Azure Throne—a throne woven from stormclouds and infused with starlight essence. She spoke with a clear and confident voice:
"My beloved people of Thalor, today we celebrate not only our triumph over The calamity of Air, Tempest Seraph, but also our resilience and unity in the face of adversity. For six long years, we endured its wrath—its storms that ravaged our shores, its lightning that scorched our fields, its winds that tore our homes. But we did not give up—we fought back with courage and determination. We forged alliances with other kingdoms who shared our plight—we stood together as one against a common foe. And we prevailed—we reclaimed our lands, our freedom, and our dignity.
But let us not forget that this victory came at a cost—a cost that we must honor and remember. Many of our brothers and sisters gave their lives for this cause—heroes who sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Their names will be engraved in our history—their deeds will inspire generations to come. Let us pay tribute to them with a moment of silence."
The crowd bowed their heads in respect—a solemn silence filled the air.
"Thank you," the queen continued. "And let us also thank our allies from other kingdoms who joined forces with us—without their aid, we would not have succeeded. They proved themselves to be true friends and partners—worthy of our trust and gratitude. Let us welcome them with a round of applause."
The crowd clapped and cheered—a chorus of appreciation and friendship.
"But let us also be aware that this victory is not the end—it is only the beginning. For there is still one more threat that looms over us—the Last Calamity. A cosmic menace that still walks among mortals, veiled by illusion. We do not know its true form, its motive, or its location. But we do know that it is dangerous—that it must be stopped.
That is why I have entrusted General Kael Stormbringer—the leader of our forces and a grandmaster swordsman—to lead a knight convoy to commence the investigation. He will seek out clues, track down leads, and uncover the truth behind the Last Calamity and the Corruption Spell. He will need your support, your cooperation, and your prayers.
And now, I will let him speak to you directly."
The queen stepped aside and gestured to General Kael—a tall and muscular man with silver hair and blue eyes. He wore a cloak woven from stormclouds—a symbol of his divine mandate—and carried a sword infused with starlight essence—a blade that could pierce shadows.
He stepped forward and addressed the crowd:
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind words and your trust. And thank you, people of Thalor, for your courage and your loyalty. You have shown me what it means to be a true warrior—to fight for what you believe in, to protect what you love, to overcome what you fear.
You have also shown me what it means to be a true friend—to stand by your allies, to share your burdens, to honor your promises.
I am proud to serve you—to serve Thalor—and I will not let you down.
But I cannot do this alone—I need your help. I need you to be vigilant—to watch out for any signs of the Last Calamity's presence or influence. I need you to be brave—to report any suspicious activity or person to the authorities. I need you to be loyal—to trust me and my team as we pursue this quest.
This quest will not be easy—it will be dangerous, challenging, and unpredictable. We will face enemies both known and unknown—both mortal and cosmic. We will travel across realms—both familiar and foreign.
But we will not give up—we will not falter—we will not fail.
We will find it—we will kill the Last Calamity.
And we will restore balance to Verdantwood. That is my oath—that is my promise."
The crowd erupted into cheers—a chorus of defiance against an ancient evil—but also of hope for a brighter future.
The cheer rang throughout the night until morning came. A knight convoy left the kingdom, led by General Kael. He was accompanied by only generals and knights they would meet on the way—each a master of their craft and loyal to their cause.
As they left, they passed by the recruitment faculty—a place where young recruits trained to become warriors. Among them was a teenage boy, 19 years old. He was a swordsman (regular) with air affinity.
He was sparring with another recruit—a spearman who wielded a long-range weapon, also with air affinity. The boy dodged his thrusts with agility, but his opponent was relentless. He swung his spear in a wide arc, forcing the boy to retreat. He followed up with a jab, aiming for his chest.
The boy parried with his sword, sparks flying from the clash of metal. He counterattacked with a slash, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. But the spearman was ready—he blocked with his shaft, then kicked the boy in the stomach.
The boy staggered back, gasping for air. The spearman followed up with another wide swing from above. The boy, in a attempt to block, realised that it's slower than the first swing.
'A faint?', He thought to himself. The spearman quickly draws back the spear and delivers an sweeping kick to the boy. As he fell to the ground, he simulated twenty two different ways to kill the spearman, just from the angle but since it was a sparring match, he decided to lay low and accepted defeat.
"Get up kid!" yelled the recruitment instructor. "At this rate you'll die before you leave the city gates!"
"Take it easy on the little guy, would you?" said the chief instructor. "I'm sure he's just pressured."
"Lad, what's your name?" asked the chief instructor.
"It's... Rian," said the boy.
"Okay Rian, just relax okay? You can do this. I know this is sudden and you aren't used to it but it's important you learn all you can as quickly as possible. We don't know what to be ready for or when disaster may occur so try your best, okay? Get yourself together."
"Yes sir," said Rian.
"If you continue like this, we'll just lead these kids to their graves," muttered the recruitment instructor to the chief instructor. "I understand the situation we're in but if you rush progress it won't get anywhere. We have the royal knights and the imperial guard—not to mention tons of adventurers and reinforcements from other kingdoms. These recruits are just backup—in case we need more manpower."
"So that means we may not even fight?" thought Rian.
"More manpower huh?" laughed the recruitment instructor. "Figures. I mean, a little boy like that standing up to a calamity—pffft, preposterous."
"That's rich coming from you," whispered Rian.
"What's that kid?!" said the recruitment instructor, hearing him.
"Nothing sir," said Rian.
"You think you're tough huh? You and me—right now," said the recruitment instructor, challenging him. "I've tolerated you long enough."
"He just finished a match. He's tired, I won't allow this". Right after he said it, he noticed something, sparks of pure malice in the boy "Don't hurt yourself old man," laughed the chief instructor.
"Don't worry about me," said the recruitment instructor smugly. "Get the medics on standby for the boy."
The two faced each other, ready to spar. The cheif instructors watched with interest, wondering who would win.
Rian gripped his sword tightly, feeling the cold metal in his palm. He faced a tall man with a scarred face and a fiery gaze.
"Come on, boy, show me what you've got!" the instructor taunted, raising his sword. "Or are you too afraid to face mgaze
Pissed, he charged at his opponent, swinging his sword with speed and force. The recruitment instructor parried effortlessly.
Rian pressed on, slashing and stabbing with his sword. The recruitment instructor dodged, and gave Rian a blow to the gut.
Rian grunted in pain and anger—he had underestimated the instructor's skill and strength. He used his spear to sweep Rian's legs, making him fall to the ground. He then thrust his spear at Rian's chest—hoping to finish him off.
But Rian was ready—he rolled away from the spear's tip, then kicked it out of his opponent's hands.
Rian dashed forward, swinging his sword at the instructor's head. The instructor parried easily, but Rian was not done. He shot a gust of wind that blew dust and debris into the instructor's eyes, temporarily blinding him.
Rian took the opportunity to strike again, aiming for the instructor's chest. The instructor reacted quickly, creating a shield of flames around himself. Rian's sword bounced off the shield, and he felt a wave of heat wash over him.
He backed away, coughing and sweating. The instructor smirked, wiping his eyes.
"Is that all you have, boy? A little wind and dust? You'll have to do better than that if you want to beat me." He then retrieved his spear.
He lunged at Rian, launching attacks with his spear with great force. Rian barely blocked the attacks, feeling the impact in his arms. He tried to push back, but the instructor was stronger and more experienced. He drove Rian back, forcing him to retreat.
Rian knew he was in trouble but he smirked, "gotcha."
Suddenly, a thick mist formed around him, obscuring his vision and the instructor's. Then he used soundbending to create a loud noise behind the instructor, making him think that Rian had moved there.
The instructor turned around, swinging his sword at the empty air. Rian seized the chance and attacked from behind, stabbing his sword into the instructor's shoulder.
The instructor cried out in pain and dropped his spear. He turned to face Rian, fury in his eyes.
"You little bastard! You think you can trick me with your cheap antics?!"
He raised his spear and shot out a bolt of lightning, aiming it at Rian. Rian saw the flash of light and reacted instinctively. He created a vortex of wind around him, deflecting the lightning away from him.
The lightning hit a nearby tree, setting it on fire. Rian felt a surge of adrenaline and confidence. He had just dodged a lethal attack from an advanced spearman. He could win this fight.
He charged at the instructor, who was still clutching his wounded shoulder. 'I underestimated this kid'
The instructor saw him coming and tried to block with his other hand. He created a firestorm around him, hoping to burn Rian alive.
But Rian was faster and smarter. With a blast of wind, he blew away the firestorm, leaving the instructor exposed.
With his sword pointed at the instructor's neck, he had claimed victory. The other recruits were amazed and cheered on to Rian.
Returning the the infirmary, "Looks like you got yourself hurt after all", laughed the chief instructor. "But I saw what you did there. If you wanted to discipline him, why did you go easy on him?".
"I know you felt it too. There's more to that kid than he lets on. Air affinity my ass. I felt something, it wasn't air".