plays: "Thalassia, Lands of Calamity / Battlefield on Quinervalle."

The world as we know it today… has never been the same before. The land that was once washed with blood is today filled with the hatred and domination of man.

Distorted images... enigmatic visions... screens dyed with crimson blood... like a painting... This is the world we live in, a world... where those who have lost everything, join forces to find justification for their questions.

Power..? Money..? Castles and pleasures? That's not what this is about... that's what I thought after the countless strokes I took to say roughly...

A place where blood and brutality currently reside... where dreams and hopes have been trampled upon and spat out by the carnage of man.

This is Thalassia, a canvas stained by aged paint... and the malicious intentions of those who composed it...

The distant echoes of war drums resounded through the air as brave knights stood on the front lines of the military camp on the borders of Quinervalle*, in “Aleonia dèl Renoa*”. The expectation of an imminent invasion hung thick in the atmosphere, and soldiers prepared for the imminent confrontation with the neighboring nation, Galèsia di Vasquiòz*. Explosions thundered, and the chaos of battle took over the surroundings, marking the beginning of a ruthless war.

“Keep advancing! We have to hold back the advances of the Galèsian cavalry–!” Exclaimed the infantry sergeant, when he was interrupted by a surprise attack of arrows coming from the skies.

“Your shields–!”

Countless arrows fell from the sky and hit the soldiers of the lands of Aleonia.

“Arghhh–!” Shouted one of the soldiers hit by the aerial arrows.

The soldier remained motionless on the ground, as knights from the Galèsian front emerged and prepared to obliterate Aleonia's front line. However, Aleonia's elite reinforcements had arrived in time to assist the front line.

There, a young and skilled knight fought bravely, with light brown hair, vibrant eyes under the alias of "Rudra" amidst the tumult.

“We must all make a strategic retreat. It seems like they are plotting something bigger than that” – Said the Sergeant on the front line, informing the Sergeant of the Elite reinforcement group.

Rudra and Aleonia's elite reinforcement group advanced triumphantly, dealing with the Galèsia front. Aleonia's soldiers had regained the advantage.

However, the scenario changed when the ashen sorcerers joined the catapults, mixing flame spells with the rocks, creating colossal Fireballs that detonated the battlefield, unleashing a devastating shock wave. Overwhelmed, Rudra succumbed to unconsciousness, leaving the battlefield momentarily.

In the hazy realm between consciousness and oblivion, fragments of Rudra's past danced before his mind. Hazy memories of a childhood ravaged by war, the flames that ravaged his life and the day he was enlisted in the army played like haunting visions.

Waking up, disoriented and surrounded by the aftermath of the battle, Rudra found himself among seriously injured comrades – some members missing, others with vacant looks of fear.

"I–I–I don't want to die... I don't want to die!", repeated one of the knights, marked by the brutality of war.

Rudra stood up with the help of a comrade and asked about the current situation on the battlefield. One of his companions replied that at the time of the great collision, ashen sorcerers had bombarded them with incineration spells. Left with no choice, Rudra declared that they had to retreat as quickly as possible before the Galèsian infantry took the main positions.

“The Ashen ones… how could I not have thought of that. These marked sorcerers, treated like slaves...!” Rudra remains inactive in his thoughts.

"Staying here is certainly not a good option. We must leave as soon as possible," Rudra announces, suggesting a strategic but risky retreat for his team.

And so, all the remaining knights on the front line, each carrying a portion of their supplies, retreated. The region had been surrounded by Galèsian knights, making it almost impossible to pass through the vast battlefield without being seen. It was then that, with a false step, one of Rudra's comrades caught the attention of the surrounding knights.

"No…!"

Rudra and his group were surrounded, weak and weakened, easily decimated, with only the knight who led the group remaining. Wielding his sword, barely conscious, he had no choice but to fight.

His vision remained blurry and confused until a mysterious figure approached the battlefield and annihilated the knights. Rudra lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss.

"It's going to be okay, son.", said the mysterious voice that spoke to the almost unconscious Rudra.

…

Awakening in a dimly lit room that resembled an infirmary, the knight was being tended to by a maiden with dark purple hair. Still confused and alert, Rudra raised his sword defensively, feeling the weight of his wounds. The maiden, a little scared, asked him not to try hard so as not to reopen the wounds.

"Where am I?"

“P–please don’t move, or your wounds might open again.”

Soon, a man with intimidating behavior and posture entered the room and went towards Rudra.

"Finally. You're awake"

"What happened on the battlefield? My companions!", still confused, Rudra inquired about the recent events.

"Unfortunately, they were all decimated by the Galèsian infantry. You are the only one left, Rudra.", said the man who was talking to Rudra.

Rudra sighed in frustration, mourning the loss of his fallen comrades. Surprised that the man knew his war codename, Rudra questioned him:

"How do you know my name? and who are you?"

That man who introduced himself as Magnusson threw a Dog Tag in his direction, carrying his codename and his rank in the war. Magnusson asked for some time alone with Rudra.

“Can you get up?” asked Magnusson.

Rudra nodded, even though he showed a slight inability to move due to the injuries to his body caused by the fire explosions.

“Put on your clothes. I would like to talk to you in a certain place. I’ll be waiting outside.”

Magnusson turns to the maiden, and she also understands that she needs to leave the room, giving Rudra privacy to change.

Both left the infirmary, and began a conversation outside while Aleonia's knight changed.

“We need him… whatever it takes.” Magnusson said, convinced that he would need Rudra for something big.

“But.. sir Magnusson, he is not yet recovered.”

“Furthermore, he is… a knight of Aleonia…” replied the Maiden worried about Rudra’s current state.

“That’s why I need you to treat him, Lonia.”

“Because he is an influential knight from Aleonia, that’s all the more reason I need to recruit him.” – Magnusson requests a favor from Lonia, the nurse, to help with Rudra’s recovery.

After Rudra changed and left the infirmary, Magnusson asked Rudra to follow him, and Lonia returned to the infirmary. They walked through dimly lit hallways to a room Magnusson presented as his office. There, he revealed himself as the leader of the bunker they were in and shared his thoughts.

"I am the representative of this bunker. Here, I welcome the lives that lost their purpose in war and those who cannot defend themselves from the tyranny of our rotten country," said Magnusson, looking at his desk as he organized scattered papers.

Rudra approached a window in the room, observing the people living in that bunker from above. He was fascinated by their carefree actions in the midst of the Great War.

“This war between nations has been raging for years, taking innocent lives and destroying the homes of those who have no connection with the interests of the crown.”

“To reverse this, I shaped this place, which was once a large excavation mine", explained Magnusson, expressing his reasons.

Turning to Rudra, Magnusson presented him with his purpose. The enigmatic man presented himself as the leader of a resistance determined to end the relentless war.

“For a long time, I have been gathering strong men and women to join me in this place.”

“Many perished to keep this place standing, for the benefit of civilians.”

“...” – Rudra shows silence towards Magnusson’s words.

“And why do you say that to me, a knight of Aleonia?”

Magnusson shared his vision of peace, proposing the formation of a clandestine group called "FIDELIUS". The dialogue continued, with Magnusson's persuasive rhetoric intertwining with Rudra's skepticism.

“You know… for a long time I have been gathering brave men to join me…”

“For a purpose. I call him FIDELIUS.”

“A clandestine group, which operates secretly and imperceptibly in the shadows.”

Magnusson heads slowly, circling his room, as he explains to the golden-eyed knight.

"Rudra, the war has claimed many lives and the suffering continues unabated. With FIDELIUS, we can change the course of this conflict, ushering in an era of peace."

"Think with me. Why has this colossal war continued for more than 15 years in Thalassia?”

“...” Rudra expresses silence, demonstrating that he doesn’t know the answer to Magnusson’s enigmatic question.

"Exactly. We don’t know why this is still happening.”

“Power, land, riches and slavery are not options here.”

...

GLOSSARY:

"Aleonia" dèl Renoa: Aleonia is the country west of Central Thalassia. With the capital of the same name, Aleonia provides the most capable and strongest armies of all feudal regions.

Quinervalle (region): is a coastal region, located in the southwest of the continent. It is a maritime escort center where boats and crews from the region carry out manned missions only in areas outside the dead zone.

"Galèsia" di Vasquiòz:  Galèsia is a country located in the northwest of central Thalassia, and main conflict with Aleonia. His lineage comes from a people called "Enèsio" who practiced maritime extortion and had idealistic and egocentric thoughts. The country is strongly known for having one of the greatest records of nautical knowledge and naval strength in all regions.