Chapter 33: A Naught for the Past

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June 15 - 7:10

Former Kingdom of Alfreya, Front Fortress

The morning sun cast a golden hue over the desolate landscape of the former Kingdom of Alfreya, painting the ruins in hues of amber and ochre. The fortress, once a formidable bastion of defense, now stood as a crumbling sentinel amidst the sea of debris and decay.

Our group, comprising Elio, Kane, Temenos, and myself, stood at the entrance of the front fortress, our faces set in grim determination as we prepared to embark on our mission.

The air hung heavy with a palpable sense of history, as if the very stones beneath our feet whispered tales of a bygone era.

Temenos, ever the pragmatic strategist, took charge, reciting the report he had received from the mission administrator with meticulous precision.

His voice carried the weight of authority as he outlined the cautions, do's, and don'ts that would guide our expedition through the treacherous terrain of the fallen kingdom.

As his lecture concluded, we found ourselves standing at the heart of the central ruins, where the remnants of the once-majestic citadel and the revered church of Eliaya lay scattered like broken dreams.

The air was thick with dust and debris, the silence broken only by the occasional creak of shifting stone.

Elio, his silver hair shimmering in the morning light, broke the somber silence with a quiet murmur of disbelief. "Can't believe that once such a prosperous kingdom now lies in ruins," he muttered, his voice tinged with sadness.

His words struck a chord within me, stirring a sense of sorrow for the kingdom lost to time. I couldn't help but wonder about the people who once called this place home, their lives now relegated to mere footnotes in the annals of history.

Lost in my thoughts, I barely registered Temenos's gesture to gather our attention.

With a flick of his fingers, he snapped us back to the present. "How about we start investigating?" he suggested, his impatience evident. "I, for one, am not keen on lingering in these ruins any longer than necessary."

His proposal met with unanimous agreement, and we set out to scour the area for any clues that might shed light on our mission's objective.

In a flashback, the mission briefing replayed in my mind with vivid clarity. Our task was clear: to uncover clues regarding the missing Imperial reconnaissance troops deployed by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The success of our expedition hinged on unraveling this mystery, lest we face expulsion from the academy.

The memory stirred a mix of frustration and resentment within me. Angela's incessant nagging about my academic performance resurfaced, her scathing remarks about my perceived incompetence haunting me. How could I measure up to the standards set by the previous Loid, the supposed prodigy in his studies?

But dwelling on past failures served no purpose in our current predicament. I pushed aside the memories, focusing instead on the task at hand.

Taking a moment to survey our surroundings, I noted the terrain and environment of the neighborhood. The once-thriving streets now lay deserted, overgrown with tangled vegetation reclaiming what was once theirs. Buildings stood in various states of decay, their skeletal frames bearing witness to the ravages of time and neglect.

The atmosphere was eerie, tinged with an unsettling silence broken only by the occasional creak of crumbling masonry or the rustle of leaves in the breeze. It was a landscape frozen in time, a haunting reminder of a kingdom lost to history.

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