Kendell was in the midst of his morning routine when a sudden sound emanated over the entire campus.
"HELLO STUDENTS. THIS IS A TEST OF OUR NEW BROADCASTING TECHNOLOGY. REGULAR CLASSES ARE CANCELED FOR THIS WEEK. THERE IS A SMALL CONFLICT IN THE NORTHER REGION OF OUR BOARDERS AGAINST THE DIANAG KINGDOM.
A MAJORITY OF PROFESSORS WERE CALLED UP TO FIGHT, THE REMAINING PROFESSORS WILL MEET YOU AT SCHEDULED TIMES IN THE COMBAT ARENA FOR TRAINING. WHEN IT IS NOT YOUR TIME, PLEASE CONTINUE STUDYING IN GROUPS FOR WHEN YOUR PROFESSORS RETURN NEXT WEEK."
'Huh, a conflict... interesting. I need to learn a bit more about this worlds countries and their interactions. I was so focused on learning rituals that I forgot there is a whole world around me.' Kendell pondered.
The news of canceled classes due to the conflict at the northern border with the Dianag Kingdom stirred a mix of curiosity and concern amongst the students.
The involvement of most professors in the conflict highlighted its severity, typically the professors of each school of magic in Houndoria were the most powerful in their field.
Just looking at Professor Falis told them that, he was in the top three most powerful Devil Contractors and the other professors were in the range for their respective fields. Let alone the Golden Demon, Professor Varex, being their instructor for Body Enhancement rituals- his skill was literally taught as part of history.
Kendell couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. The ongoing situation was more than just a mere border skirmish; it was a significant event that could potentially escalate, affecting the academy and its students directly.
Should it truly get drastic they might draft students into the war. They said it was just a small skirmish, but they wouldn't pull the best of the best and cause a minor panic if they didn't need to.
Later that day, as Kendell sat in the cafeteria surrounded by his classmates, the chatter was rampant with speculation and updates. Amidst the conversations, a grave piece of news spread quickly among the students – Professor Eldrin, one of the academy's esteemed faculty members, had been reported killed in the conflict.
The news of her death cast a somber shadow over the students, many of whom had admired and learned from the professor. Especially Coli, since that was his new mentor, he had barely even had time to learn from her!
Kendell felt a pang of sadness. Though his interactions with Professor Eldrin had been limited, the professor's knowledge and dedication to the academy were undeniable.
His loss was not just a personal tragedy for those close to him but a significant blow to the academic community at Tilanaz Academy. The fact that the enemy was strong enough to strike down one of their strongest sent uneasiness throughout the school.
The next day, as Kendell joined his peers in the combat arena for the scheduled training, the atmosphere was noticeably different. The absence of many familiar professors and the impact of Professor Eldrin's death weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
The remaining professors, while doing their best to maintain a sense of normalcy, couldn't hide their own concerns about the unfolding events at the border. The training sessions, though rigorous, were interspersed with discussions about the conflict and its potential repercussions.
Kendell, along with Celia and Coli, participated in the training with a renewed focus, realizing the importance of being prepared for any outcome. The conflict at the border was a stark reminder of the world beyond the academy's walls – a world where the skills and knowledge they were acquiring could have far-reaching consequences.
In between the training sessions, Kendell spent his time diving into books and resources, eager to learn more about the world's geopolitical landscape. His initial focus on rituals had left him somewhat oblivious to the broader context in which these conflicts occurred. Now, he understood that understanding the dynamics of the world was just as crucial as mastering his magical abilities.
By researching in the library he was able to learn a lot about the society dynamics at play here in Houndoria.
Their country was in the center of the planet they lived on, while there three neighbors bordered the lands to the north, east and south. The raging seas lay to the west and as far as anyone knew there was no other life across them.
The northern country is called the Dianag Kingdom. It is a place of democracy that focused on growing their populations magical power through technical research. Apparently they had developed technology that could harness magical energies and produce output based upon the internal strength of the wielder.
The people there are broken into three groups, those who researched new technologies, those who used them to learn how to fight, and those who simply live as citizens. Their country has been plagued by war with the Shelina Empire, and as such they had a major focus on military training.
Their schools taught military strategy, formations, fighting tactics, and how to use their magic technology. They would take students starting at eight years old. It sounded brutal, but that was their society.
The Shenlina Empire is a brutal dictatorship that forces their people into war. They live to the western side of Houndoria. Supposedly there was a reason for the conflict with the Dianagians, however both sides seem to have lost it to history.
The Shens possess incredible internal energy and use 'ki' to fight. By pulling in the external magical energies they can process it with their internal energy to generate physical strength beyond our comprehension.
These ki fighters could go toe to toe with any magic user. They are divided into three groups, weapon specialists, bare handed fighters, and fighting technique users. The first two were as they sounded, but the last one was a form of developing weapons made of pure ki that could have special abilities.
They force all of their people to live in starvation to foster strength, and no mercy. Their way of living is brutal and based upon the ideology of survival of the fittest.
They have a pact of peace with the Cranimites, the last major country nearby. The Cranimites live to the South of Houndoria and are a more rudimentary people. They specialize in black smith work and have pacts amongst the three other nations.
They have many types of people, but the most important are the black smiths, the devil born, and the devil blessed. Their society is based around devils, but not in an evil way.
They form pacts with devil families that are very beneficial for both sides, allowing their people to truly harness the power of the devils without restriction. They are better farmers, construction workers, or even teachers through this method.
They are a typically peaceful people who have no sides in the fights that surround them, and as such typically make their money as mercenaries or most notably through forging weapons or other metallic products for the other nations.
The book went on to discuss that while both the Dianag Kingdom and the Shelina Empire have fought wars with the Houndorians, the sheer power housed in the Houndorian Kingdom was enough to deter a fight.
According to the books, there had been no real conflict in the past decade with either country besides minor border conflicts. The last true fight had been the Sharinhiem Conflict, in which the Golden Demon, fought off Shen invaders single handedly.
This was in the midst of the Ganalaian War, a conflict between the Shen and the Houndorians. The books are very confusing regarding the reason for this war, as well as why Houndoria had to go so far as to kill every Shen that was in the fight.
No prisoners were taken, so no one was spared. It seems a bit harsh even in times of war- especially when your country is winning. After the Sharinhiem Conflict, the Shen began to pull back their forces while the Houndorians mercilessly beat them back in a 'heroic display of might'.
'Interesting,' Kendell began to really analyze what was before him, 'this just sounds like we killed all these people to prove a point. They were already retreating why didn't we just let them leave? And we are the good guys?'
Kendell left the library, getting no further information from the history books, and a bit confused as to what exactly happened in those conflicts. He was especially confused as to why now, of all the times in the past decade, did Dianag decide to attack Houndoria.
And how did they get so strong that they were able to kill our professors? The supposed top ritualists in the whole country.
The book claimed that their military might was incredibly weak compared to ours. Was that a lie to? Or did they just get stronger?
Kendell tried his best to forget about all of these questions for now, he would have time to sort this out when he was strong enough to actually contribute to the fight. By that point he would have the strength to figure out the truth as well.
As the week progressed, the academy slowly adapted to the new routine, with students and faculty alike coming to terms with the reality of the situation.
Kendell, Celia, and Coli, like many others, realized that the responsibilities that awaited them were much greater than simply understanding rituals. They were the future of Houndoria in a world where conflict and power reigned king.