Arsinoë had taught Marcus meditation. From there, the rest was up to him. To go further, meaning to begin his long journey into mastering magic, he had to learn to sense the magical energy around him. Only after this step could he learn to wield it. However, this step could be lengthy, depending entirely on his talent. Since her role wasn't limited to teaching magic, she began teaching him other essential disciplines for magi, like theoretical basics of magic, alchemy, geography, and history, the very next afternoon. Studying world history was too long and possibly daunting a task for a student as undisciplined as hers. Therefore, she decided to start with the foundation of Carthage, like all the great history books of the Empire. Like most founding myths, the one explaining Carthage's origins resembled a children's story. Unfortunately, that's all the scholars had to describe this dark period full of mysteries, monsters, deities, and heroes.
"The princess Elysha of Tyre, upon learning of the assassination of her husband and uncle at the hands of her brother, Pygmalion, took her late husband's fabulous treasure and a few loyal followers to find refuge in a safe place. The journey was long and difficult. She passed Crete and landed on a foreign land where she met the local king, Hyarbas. In exchange for her gold, she asked for land to settle, which she got, and thus founded Carthage. Hyarbas had actually tried to deceive her by giving her a skin filled with soil and telling her that she would only have that soil to spread on the ground. The king was cunning, but the princess was even more so. In the end, he was the one who was fooled. You see, Elysha was an earth magus, and thanks to her magic, she made the earth keep pouring out until it covered a vast space. Hyarbas was frustrated, but he accepted his defeat. Thanks to Elysha, Carthage quickly prospered. Hyarbas, seeing this, sought to marry Elysha by pressuring her with his immense army. She eventually accepted, but Elysha played one last trick on King Hyarbas. Instead of submitting, she preferred to end her life by throwing herself into the flames. Hyarbas was angry, and although he could have invaded young Carthage, he refrained from doing so."
"Huh? He refrained? Why?" questioned Marcus, sitting cross-legged on the ground, very attentive to the story Arsinoë was telling him.
"He had threatened to attack Carthage if Alysha refused his marriage proposal and swore by the gods that he wouldn't attack the city if she accepted his offer. Alysha accepted the offer, so he couldn't break his promise and attack Carthage, even if the marriage hadn't been celebrated. Moreover, Alysha had used her magic to surround the city with a very high and thick rampart, so much so that no army could bring the city down. You see, Hyarbas had very few magi at his disposal, and none powerful enough to bring it down."
"Oh, I see," murmured Marcus, nodding seriously, envisioning the scene in his mind. "And then?"
"Carthage continued to grow and equipped itself with a grandiose port, connecting it with numerous Phoenician trading posts located all around the inner basin, which allowed it to enrich itself considerably. Then, the city began to expand and devour neighboring kingdoms, including the one that was once Hyarbas'. Over the centuries, it seized control of the entire coastline up to Egypt, then began to expand across the Inner Sea, here, into Hispania. At that time, it had a great rival, Remusa, whom you must know by name, right?"
"The city that the great general Hannibal Barca razed. Everyone knows that story!" replied Marcus with a hint of pride.
"That's very good, Marcus. Indeed, that's the city. It was powerful and very influential in Italy. It was a republic, a state governed by a Senate since the Remains decided to have no kings. Despite their internal divisions and the corruption of the senators, it long rivaled powerful Carthage. The two giants, separated by the Inner Sea, couldn't continue to evolve facing each other. So they clashed. It was during the Second Latin War, thanks to the great general Hannibal Barca, that Remusa fell. The city was razed, and its population reduced to slavery. Carthage became an undisputed empire on this side of the continent, and General Hannibal was elected to lead it. Thus, he became the first Carthaginian emperor. Our calendar starts from this glorious date."
"Was Remusa really such a powerful city?" Marcus asked with a hint of doubt. "I've heard it was just a city populated by barbarians worshiping unjust gods who abandoned them because of their cowardice and corruption."
"That's what's commonly said, but don't forget that's what was said by the victors, the Carthaginians. They had an interest in depicting the enemy in the worst possible light to make themselves appear greater. By studying ancient texts, you'll soon realize they were great builders, warriors, and philosophers. So why did they lose?"
"There you go! You're thinking like a historian! That's the question a scholar must constantly ask: why did what happened, happen? The answer is complex, and it's hard to give a short one. The most common, but not the only one, is that their officers weren't always the best, and their magi weren't necessarily in sufficient numbers or quality. That's what led to Remusa's destruction: Hannibal surprised the Senate and its army with daring strategies, separated Remusa from its allies, and then attacked the city itself. In his great wisdom, Hannibal preferred to raze the city rather than risk seeing it rebuild its fleet and army. The Italian peninsula fell over the following years like a ripe fruit."
Marcus accepted Arsinoë's explanation quite easily. He had no reason to doubt her word, especially since her account highlighted the qualities of the first emperor, considered by many to be the best of them all despite his short reign.
Upon his return, Hannibal was hailed as a hero in Carthage. It was almost natural that he took power. However, he did not exercise it alone. He shared this honor with his two brothers. This had only been possible thanks to the total support of the army and part of the nobility. In gratitude, they all received naturally fertile lands (unenhanced by magic) in Italy and Hispania.
In the years following the destruction of Remusa, Hannibal had tried to bring down Celtika, a vast territory north of Hispania and Ifrikia. It wasn't easy, especially because of the very harsh winters, incomparable to those in the north of Ifrikia, but he succeeded nonetheless. The conquest of Celtika was a shock and an important step in the development of the Carthaginian Empire.
However, Hannibal was assassinated in the 18th year of the imperial calendar as he returned from Celtika. Unprecedented funeral rites were organized for him, lasting three months. His son, Hamilcar Barca, succeeded him. He declared war on his uncles who had played a role in his father's death, allowing much of Celtika to break away from Carthaginian control. The war lasted ten years and ended with the deaths of Magon Barca and Hasdrubal Barca at the Battle of Tolosa in the 28th year.
"Hamilcar Barca," Arsinoë continued, "thus became the sole ruler of the Carthaginian Empire."
"Emperor Hamilcar... Hamilcar I?"
"That's correct. Although he's often compared to his father, the great general and first emperor, he wasn't a bad ruler. Nor were his successors. Thanks to very powerful magi and an exceptional army, the Carthaginian Empire continued to grow, extending from the north of Celtika to the western Ifrikia to the outskirts of present-day Persia. But such a vast empire required exceptional beings as well as perfect administration to be well managed. There came a time when it was no longer possible."
"That's when they destroyed the Empire?"
"Not destroyed, no. Divided. The splitting of the empire into two smaller empires occurred in the year 827, which stabilized these territories for a time. Some say it saved the Empire for a few centuries. Anyway, two emperors were appointed, the first to reign over all lands south of the Inner Sea from Carthage, the second over all lands north from Cartagena. But the evil had not been eradicated, neither in the north nor in the south. The northern Carthaginian Empire was the first to collapse in the year 1021, allowing the creation of many kingdoms such as Hispania, Italy, or Germania. The king of Hispania, in 1113, a very powerful magus, resurrected the Carthaginian Empire. It's the current empire that took the name of the Glorious Hispanic Carthaginian Empire to distinguish it from the ancient Carthaginian Empire. You must know who it is, right?"
"I... No, I don't know."
"Ah... Really," sighed the young woman with dismay. "It was Lucius the Great. The founder of the imperial family and ancestor of our emperor."
"Oh."