The rumble of hooves echoed across the grassy plains as Crown Prince James surveyed the awaiting forces from atop his steed. The elite White Dawn Knights, 500 knight strong, had mustered at his command to meet the invading hordes from Ruben who are ten thousand men strong at Starry Fields.
James thought back to his rapid journey here from the royal capital. Only a day ago, word had arrived of the enemy crossing their southern border in force. Now it seemed the Rubens aimed to sweep all resistance aside in their opening blow.
As the prince, it fell to James to head this defense personally despite his youthful appearance he was still the divine realm master Nathan Pendragon inside. some at court viewed him as too inexperienced for such heavy responsibility. He gripped his banner bearing the von Nova heraldry—a solar crest emblazoned upon a field of azure—hoping to still any doubts among his men.
In the distance, a dark mass materialized along the horizon. The Ruben vanguard emerged like a crawling stain, a swarm twenty times their number that glinted with polished steel and roughspun armor. The war drums began their grim tattoo, and a chill crept over James's nape. Could they truly withstand this horde?
He surveyed his forces—stalwart heavy cavalry at the flanks, center crossbowmen backed by spearmen and swordsmen. It was a tried formation, yet against such overwhelming odds, any misstep could prove ruinous. James steeled his resolve, knowing retreat meant abandoning their homeland to ravagers.
As the enemy swarm neared within longbow range, James gave the signal to raise battle banners. A sea of colorful standards blossomed across the field, fluttering proudly to rally flagging spirits. Then he drew his decorated longsword, pointing it skyward.
"For Nova and her people!" James cried. "This is our land, and these invaders shall find only steel and arrow if they think to claim it! Knights of the Dawn, stand with me! For kingdom and glory, charge!"
A bellowing cry went up as the army surged forth at a tight canter. Volleys of arrows arced skyward from the crossbows to greet the closing foes. In answer, a cacophonous howl rose from the enemy ranks as they broke into a headlong run.
The Rubens spread wide to envelop the flanks yet James held the center fast. When enemy numbers threatened to overwhelm at the edges, he sent reserve cavalry to bolster defences. For every Ruben who fell, two more seemed to take their place. But the Knights stood like an immovable bastion, shields locking as spears thrust.
Though the sun rose high and hot, the defending lines held firm through the hours of bloody clash and maneuver. James led repeated countercharges that took a fearsome toll. His mastery of tactics kept their formation intact against the Ruben swarming attacks. Yet his troops grew weary as casualties piled, and he feared it might not be enough.
At the height of one desperate fray, a lull came as both sides reordered. James took stock—only half his men yet stood on foot, the rest scattered dead or riding rescue. It was then a scintillating surge arose within, flooding his limbs with alien power.
Gripping his sword hilt, James let the magic flow forth in a scintillating wave of force. Where it passed, enemies were thrown back or crushed, rent armor and bone. The Knights roared in awe at this display, taking heart from their prince's newfound gift. In its wake, the Ruben hordes broke under the slaughter, fleeing in disarray back across the trampled grasses.
Exhausted yet exultant, James took stock of the tremendous cost wrought upon the battlefield. Hundreds of lives spent on both sides, the once verdant field now a muddy morass of carnage. Victory was theirs this day, but further trials surely lay ahead to secure Nova's safety. James vowed to hone this magic and prove himself a leader his people could depend on through any challenge to come. Their kingdom's future began here.
A Frigid wind blew across the Northern Marches as Princess Daina looked out over the forested hills. For over a fortnight she had led the Crimson Knights on endless patrol after receiving grim reports. Smallhold villages along the frontier were being harried and razed by a mysterious force emerging from the depths of the wilderness.
With her mounted forces, Dana tracked the raiders' movements, piecing together clues left in blackened longhouses and corpses. She began to suspect the invaders were no scattered bandits, but the advance parties of a larger hostile force massing in the deepwood. Their brutal acts left innocent families slaughtered or taken for dark purposes.
It was on a misty morning that her tracking paid off. Scouts spied telltale plumes of smoke rising beyond the next ridge. Urging her mount Snowfire into a gallop, Dana crested the rise with twenty knights in tow. In a small clearing below, a timber village was engulfed in raging fire as armored figures looted and tormented the fleeing survivors.
"There!" Daina cried, noting a towering brute in oily mail haranguing a kneeling family with his notched axe raised. This could only be their leader, the one responsible for spreading such wanton malice. She gave the signal to charge.
As one, the Crimson Knights smashed into the raiders' rear with thunderous impact. Blood flew from rent flesh as Dana led the assault, hacking aside all in her path with twin sabers dancing. The brigands scrambled to form a shieldwall yet were no match for the disciplined attack.
Soon only the hulking commander remained, turning with a snarled challenge as his men fell. His armor was scythed with gore yet his bulk seemed impervious to normal weapons. But Daina was no normal foe. Feinting left, she slipped right past his crude guard and severed his hamstring with one fluent movement.
As the brute crashed down howling, she glared into his eyes. "Monster, your raid on Nova ends here. Who sends you to despoil our lands?" At his wordless spit and curse, she drove a saber through an eye slit with a splintering crack. Finished with this vile work, she turned to aid the survivors.
In the aftermath, those villagers not claimed by burns told of being waylaid and conscripted north by a mysterious empire known only as the Evergreen. Their banner, witness testified, bore the symbol of twin pine trees wrought in emerald upon sable. This raised grim concerns, for no records spoke of such a realm existing within Nova's borders before.
After evacuating survivors to frontier holds, Daina rode fast and hard to brief her father the king of this dark development. If a new and hostile power had risen in the uncharted north, it threatened not just border folk but the entire kingdom's security. She prayed her brother James was faring better against the ruben invaders even as she feared greater threats were gathering on the horizon.
In the coastal duchy of van, grand Admiral Vald von nova gazed seaward from the gray walls of Fortress Navale. His thoughts, like the churning tide, were restless as birds wheeled and cried overhead. For long years, he had captained Nova's stout fleets to dominance of the southern waters. But now new stormclouds gathered that even his veteran sailors could scarcely fathom.
Comes had arrived on swift galleons of a vast armada emerging from mystical fog banks far to the west. Their language was unknown, yet messages delivered spoke of an ancient power rising once more—the Empire of Evergreen, lords of ancient seas and forests from the western continent. A herald presented Vald with a writ challenging Nova's claim to offshore isles and demanding tribute or face total war upon the waves.
With only months remaining before could be brought to bear, Vald drove his crews hard in preparation. Shipyards worked sun to sun crafting new war dromonds and catapults while veterans drilled fresh conscripts. Spies were sent west to learn what they could of Evergreen's strengths and vulnerabilities.
Vald knew if the invasion fleet found Nova's fleets unprepared, their coasts would burn under bombardment till no holds remained standing. Everything depended on intercepting this threat ere it could rampage at leisure among defenseless towns. As the foghorn echoed its mournful cry into gathering dusk, Vald said a prayer to patron vol that the coming battle may find them equal to whatever mysteries await upon the bounding main. For their kingdom's very life now hung in the balance if these foreign tyrants were not thrown back into the West.
As daylight's glow faded into dusk over the Royal Manor, Crown Prince James strode wearily towards the training grounds. His heavy boots echoed across cobbled courtyards still bustling with servants readying for the evening meal. After endless councils and inspections since returning from Starry Fields, James yearned for the calm focus that sword practice granted.
Yet upon arriving, he spied an unexpected pair already at work amid the torchlit arena. Sergius, a young grizzled knight who acted as his knight in the order, was putting a comely squire through rigorous drills with quarterstaff and shortsword. The lad moved with fluid grace, parrying Sergius' seasoned presses while countering with darting attacks of his own.
Intrigued, James drew closer and was startled to recognize fair features peeking out from under a page's coif. "Julius? I knew not you had such skill, lad." At his voice, the squire started and went instantly to one knee in salute. "Your highness! I meant no intrusion, merely sought to hone my skills while I may."
Sergius bowed as well. "The lad shows promise, sire, with dedication to match your own. I thought it worth cultivating while our forces are stretched across the kingdom." James nodded approvingly. "Rise, both of you. Any who defend Nova are welcome here." A shy smile grew on Julius' lips at the praise.
As the three fell into paired drills, James found solace in the familiar rhythms and camaraderie. His doubts lifted watching younger talents blossom much as he had under Bennir's ' tutelage. Yet shadows remained that even steel could not dispel. News from the borders grew grim—prince Luke still fought a losing battle in the west with the zon kingdom while Daina sent word of mysterious invaders in the north.
Their session ended with the Deep Bell tolling none. As James retrieved a skin from the well, hushed voices carried from the darkened hedge maze. Creeping closer, he made out a lurking figure accosting another within the outer regions of the training grounds. "You grow bold, meddling where you don't belong," the assailant hissed. "Mark me well - keep your silence and share in Lord Stellan's goals!"
At that, a glint of steel flashed and the second cried out, collapsing. James burst from cover with an outraged roar, drawing his sword to engage the lurker. But with inhuman speed, the attacker scrambled over hedges and was gone into the night. He rushed to the fallen and found a palace healer with a dagger protruding from his throat, gurgling his last.
Worse, the weapon bore an all-too-familiar crest—the twin axes of House Drocton a noble family from one of the houses of a southern federation, longtime rivals to the nova crown. James grit his teeth, realizing enemies had breached even the manor's walls. Someone dared eliminate witnesses to due such treason under his very nose. Come dawn, he would begin unraveling this twisted strand, and any role the treacherous Duke Stellan or his ilk had played in it.
The next morn, James summoned his council as guards scoured the manor and city for the assassin. With Daina's latest reports and the attempted killing within the palace itself, the threats had grown too varied and insidious to discount. Yet beyond military matters, leadership required outmaneuvering foes through intrigue as well.
So James listened keenly as his mentor and knight Grandmaster Bennir of the van duchy gave sage counsel. "My prince, difficult days are upon us. But remember - a true leader inspires not just by might of arms, but ideas. Rally your people with a vision of security, justice and prosperity that opportunists cannot hope to match. Stay vigilant, but do not let fear or suspicion cloud your judgment. Focus instead on cultivating allies you can trust above all else."
At Bennir's words, James felt renewed determination swell within his heart. By battle prowess he had gained recognition, yet kingship demanded uniting diverse interests through wisdom and empathy as well as strength of sword. Sergius and Julius, Daina too, had proven their loyalty through deed rather than birth. It was by cultivating the support of such steadfast companions that he would navigate darkness yet to come.
As summer waned into autumn, the health of King Augustine continued its decline. Though still sharp of wit, his once mighty frame had wasted to skin and bones propped up by silk pillows. From his chambers within the Royal palace, he watched new leaves burn crimson outside gabled windows and recalled seasons past.
None but his children and royal physician howard were permitted at Augustine's bedside now. When Prince James came that eve, he found Daina and Luke already in tense discussion beside their father. "My brother faces disaster in the west. Zon forces have breached the Marches and advance unchecked!" Dana said grimly.
Luke slumped, adding, "Our knights fight bravely but are outnumbered three to one. If help does not come within the fortnight, our borders may collapse..." Bowing his hoary head, Augustine took James' hand in a bony grasp. "My son, all our hopes now rest with you . Save our domains before this enemy consolidation destroys us."Luke looks at James in a disgruntled manner as he sees that their father places more faith in James than him.until james was ready lord Christian vert was to momentarily sent a few master ranked knights to keep western forces at bay but this was only a temporary solution as the zon kingdom may find a way to breakthrough
James nodded resolutely. He knew what must be done, though never had the risk been so great. That very night under guard of maesters and elderly royal members who swore fealty, a secret ritual was held within the sanctum of the Royal palace with king Augustine blessing james was to be taken to the sanctumof the nova royals to partake in a retual that only the heir to the throne by take ,luke was livid apon hearing of such news that his brother might even get more powerful then he already is, the inner sanctums was to always be gaurded by a master ranked knight and a few first rate knights
And when a royal heir was to jorney inside he would be escorted by a few high rank knight this time with james There accompanied by Grandmaster Bennir and other master ranked colleagues, James underwent an arcane rite of empowerment to forge his nascent divine talents into a focused weapon the sanctum was where the star god vol's power was at it closest the earth to nova royals it was the sacred place where vol first blessed the first ruler of Nova lucian,the ritual began but what usually last only a few weeks lasted longer in james case as with the system and the heavy blessing given by vol in james reincarnation the royal nova ritual divine power summoned was greater then any other before ,a such of power enveloped james to the point that the outer sanctum gaurds could feel it power that was finding it way into james body he could feel himself enlightened and completly bypassing the grand master realm becomes the youngest mystic master at just 18 years old,all those present are shocked by James growth at best they hoped the ritual would make James a peak master but none thought he would reach the mystic rank this way, as James steadly control his outburst of mana ,vol says my assistance ends here from now on you have to achieve the mission with your efforts as the system is semi shut down after reaching such a rank James needed a week of meditation to stabilize his mana and finally,
As dawn broke, James after 8 months in there he emerged from the ritual more resolute yet weary of spirit. He had accessed depths of ability but sensed shadowed strings that now tugged his will in subtle ways. No matter, for their kingdom was at stake. Calling for his sibling and advisors, James laid out a daring strike on multiple fronts to break Nova's enemies in one climactic push.
First, the White Dawn Knights under Henry now 23 was a peak stage master with Sergius 16 a early stage first rate knight as as vice commander would thread through mountain passes to relieve Luke's marooned forces facing destruction in the Western Marches. Simultaneously, James would lead the elite royal cavalry with bennir in a lightning thrust north to engage the zon kingdom primary armies of invasion before they consolidated further holds. Lastly, he bade Daina ready the Crimson Knights to join Admiral Vald's dreadnought fleet finally setting sail to engage the mysterious Evergreen Armada at sea that seems is going to arrive on nova shores seas soon.
Their simultaneous offensives caught the invaders wholly unaware. Struck from multiple directions at once, resistance crumbled across fragmented frontlines. James wielded newfound magic the zon kingdoms grandmasters were killed with ease,many who were attacking the nova it mythic knight Augustine was ill were in for arude awakening as james decimated foes in awe and terror,till the zon kingdom invading banners broke and scattered into dusk amid piles of ravaged armor.
In the east, a relieving dawn saw the hosts of rubben fleeing pell-mell with nary a stand, and the liberated towns of the Marches welcomed their liberators with gratitude and relief. At sea, an epic naval engagement raged beneath roiling stormclouds where Vald and Daina braved overwhelming numbers. Yet through naval cunning and a sorcerous howling typhoon summoned by Nova's vald from afar, Evergreen's leviathan fleet was sent to watery ruin against the rocky shores.the chief commanders of the zon kingdom and Ruben kingdom who were early mystic knights sneeked into the palace as they thought they would earn easy victory if the nova capital fell as nova royal army commander Christian Vert was not in the capital and the king was ill but their plan was foiled as a frail looking man stood in their way with conviction in his eyes as he released his full powers as he knew he had to end this quickly as fighting two mystics for a long time in his condition was not possible unleashing his full powers and using what little life force he had was the only way but it put great strain to his ill body ,he was determined on sacrificing himself king Augustine used his unique magic ...gravity manipulation and used his ultimate skill in his gravity magic a type of magic that can simulate a black hole and it absorbed them with his ultimate skill the black holes gravitational pull he killed both chief commanders and himself with this move this left the rubbern and zon kingdoms who had the upper hand were now kingdom's that were defenseless and through quick thinking from the senate and short lived civil wars in the Ruben and zon kingdoms as their kingdoms royals lost their ultimate power in their chief commanders ,Julius's father the cunning duke avin with the help of some of the senate knowing James will not sanction the assassin of royals secretly ploted to kill the enemy royals in secret as the kingdom's were thrown to chaos avin and those inhis faction secretly plundered some of the various tresures of the kingdom's but sadly couldn't plunder the two kingdom's royal treasuries as soon as chaos befell the kingdom's james and his Knights quickly moved to suppress the major playes of ech nation and forge key alliances and subordinates in these kingdoms as they were absorbed by the nova kingdom and a year of suppressing rebelios elements this two nations were now under nova rule and nova kingdom turned into the nova empire
Within a year , all fronts had been swiftly reversed through this coordinated onslaught. Victorious, James immediately began the process of bringing newly purged border lands into the fold of the Nova Empire, expanding its dominion like never before. All knew this stunning reversal could only have been brought through his vision, leadership and growth into a savvy leader
Due to the wars that were ongoing during this time king Augustine body was placed in the royal sanctum a holy place for the novas where his body was preserved to the point that no rot had begun, the kings funeral was postponed for a year to that most of the royal family and key nobles were not i the capital and could not leave their stations without weakening a branch of the nova assault o the various fronts
As autumn slipped into winter the two nations fully supressed and most royal returned to the capital, word spread through the continent that King Augustine had passed on to join his forebears among Nova's pantheon of ancestors a grand funeral for the king took place the nation was given a weak of true morning then a month later. At the capital Square, Crown Princess Daina von nova presided over a lavish coranation where before cheering crowds, James Alexander von Nova crowned the first Emperor of the nova empire .
As snow drifted gently upon an era now ended, the new Emperor stood upon a balcony overlooking his capital ablaze with celebration fires into the night. Though dark undercurrents remained, the dawn of a new age of prosperity was at hand under his vigilant watch. Emperor James gazed to the starlit horizons he'd secured with blood and magic, resolved to face any threat that would steal this brighter future from his devoted people. The legacy of House von Nova had only begun.
The once 500 white dawn knight were now just a 100 knights but the ones that survived the war became even stronger these 100 knight were now referred to as the nova empire strongest order with 13 of them being master ranked knight and the rest being first rate knights, they served as the emperor personal guard but now a new threat looms of James word of the Augustine death spread among the 6 continents and another strange rumor seems to be on most lips that nova empire has three magic stone mines that have not been mined yet this rumor is further validated by Evergreen's invasion as it said that the mine was their true goa for the attack ,l now James and his Knights must face a new and fearsome threat to deal with..but the empire is not without might as the nations were joined the increase in grandmasters due to the kingdom's being one he astablishes the elders council a group of 12 grand masters from the the three kingdom's he tells them they will be his advisors and the highest military officials second only to him he gives a imperial decree that all citizens shall be treated as equal and appoint his sister and commander of argent order an organization responsible for security and internal management of the empire, Henry is the chief commander of the white dawn Knights , Julius avin is vice commander of the White dawn Knights and Sergius is given command of a new order the nova empire's commander of the blue lion knights ,the vanguard army of the nation it will be known for it high calvary powess and grand Master Bennir is grand mashall of the imperial main army and the former chief commander honorary count Christian vert of the nova kingdom is given the role of head of the elders council ,Christian Vert whose might was second only to king Augustine count Christian vert is a knight at the cusp of the rank of mystic rank he is a peak grandmaster
The Evergreen Empire's ruler angry at defeat calls upon his strongest army 500 000 strong to March to nova and bring him this child emperor James's head he also sends his three of his five sons to lead the attack the current total of all the army of the nova empire has increased from 70 000 knight that king Augustine's rule had to noe 346 000 knight that James has trained due to the three countries merging into one but the invading army of Evergreen only sent just , a mythic rank knght, 7 grand masters along side their prince's
as James is sleeping star god vol appears in his sleep and says
"We need to talk Nathaniel"