《The hero unlike any other》


 Chapter 1 the last hope

    The continent of Lirgo is entering its second year of war against the demons and their powerful armies.

    Many countries are no more than a reflection of their power, while others have already disappeared.

    For several months now, the demons have been turning their strength towards the kingdom of Farosse, and in a desperate move, the kingdom gathered its best mages in the city of Maros.

    Holy Cathedral of Maros

    Archmage Durale opened the doors and headed towards the centre of the cathedral, where a good number of magicians and members of the army were already gathered.

    Once everyone had arrived, one of the soldiers spoke.

    "3 months ago, while exploring the ruins of the legendary city of Toutchal, our most valiant adventurers made a discovery in the lower levels.

    They found the relics of a long-forgotten spell used to summon a hero."

    The room shook under the military man''s revelation.

    "Silence!" He replied.

    "The information on this spell is fragmentary, but we have been able to understand the conditions under which it can be activated.

    To enable the spell to work, a large quantity of mana must be brought together at a single point, a task that will be carried out by the sage Jenie and the archmage Durale.

    The second condition, and the most regrettable of all, is that to enable the worlds to fracture, we must pay a heavy price in human souls, whose crossing into the realm of the dead will enable this fracture to take place.

    Murmurs were heard, some protesting at the use of such a spell without the slightest guarantee of success, when suddenly someone stood up and spoke.

    "Sir, we have no guarantee that this invocation will succeed and you say you''re ready to sacrifice thousands of potential soldiers for a hero who may not be powerful enough against the demons!

    A heavy silence fell over the soldier, but before he had time to reply he was cut off by Captain Egarthy, who spoke up.

    "We know, all this has been discussed at length in the capital, our king has decided to select slaves as well as those condemned to death to limit the losses in the population."

    The briefing went on for hours, with various questions being raised, but in the end all doubts were dispelled and each magician was motivated for the task in hand.

    That evening, after the army briefing, Durale watched the moon, trying to hide his worried expression.

    "They''re probably pinning too much hope on this summoning - even one person with the best powers in the world couldn''t beat the demons, the king is pinning too much hope on the summoning."

    While thinking about what could go wrong, he couldn''t stop thinking about the presence of the king who, if he failed, could blame him and his team.

    2 days later

    road to Maros

    The usual calm of the countryside was broken by the presence of a convoy and its escort approaching the town of Maros.

    "How much time do we have left?" Asked the king, questioning General Pirus.

    We''ll arrive in 2 hours at the invocation site, where a welcoming committee is already waiting for you with great pomp and ceremony.

    The king wore a thin smile. Great," he said, "let them know that the invocation session will start an hour after my arrival.

    "I''ll send it to them." replied the general.

    Minutes passed before the general returned with a message for the king. "Sire?"

    "What is it?" The king replied.

    "Soldiers posted upstream reported locating a demon transporter not far from the cathedral grounds, the transporter was empty but appeared to have been used recently."

    The king seemed perplexed by his general''s statement."Would he be aware of our intentions to summon a hero, if so they will surely take advantage of it while he is still weak."

    Suddenly the king was out of his thoughts. "Have everyone in and around the cathedral checked, also send wyvern patrols into the area and prepare a group of soldiers who will be used to protect the hero, there''s a chance the hero will be their target."

    "Fine sire, I''ll pass the message on to them." Replied the general.

    A few hours later at the cathedral

    After several hours of searching and patrolling, a soldier sent in his report.

    "Captain Egarthy our troops have searched every person as well as the entire cathedral and we have found no trace of a demon."

    The captain seemed disappointed by the soldier''s report.

    "We have no choice, we''ll just have to hope they''re not around." At the same time, the sound of trumpets began to sound, announcing the arrival of the king.

    The king observed the hedge of honour in front of him, at the end of which was Captain Egarthy. "This is a very nice welcome you''re giving me." He said.

    "How have the preparations gone in this short space of time?"

    As soon as the king had finished, the captain replied: "Everything was completed this morning, the males are ready for the invocation. All we need now is your presence to get started."

    "This is all wonderful, I have been informed of the presence of demons in the area, have you found them?"

    Egarthy tried to avoid his king''s gaze. "Unfortunately, whether on the ground or in the air, we have found no trace of the transporter''s crew.

    The king wore a look of both disappointment and fear. "Enough of this subject, tell the mages to get ready, we start in an hour."

    Later on

    Durale observed for the umpteenth time the king''s more than serious gaze, which never ceased to send shivers down his spine.

    "If I can''t do it in front of the king with the look on his face, what the hell''s going to happen to me?Suddenly Durale was brought out of his thoughts by a soldier calling out to him. "Archmage Durale and sage Jenie, you may begin."

    The room began to light up as the mana collection procedure progressed and all the mages could be heard reciting in unison a description of the hero they were asking for.

    "Primary divinity, we implore you to grant our request by sending us a strong hero capable of repelling demons. A hero who could bring peace to the continent with his strength and power."

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Sage Jenie then condensed the flow of mana and sent it to the summoning stele.

    Just as she did so, an immense earthquake followed by a great flash of light caused part of the cathedral to collapse, killing all those sacrificed as well as a few unfortunate soldiers who hadn''t reacted quickly enough.

    Confused Durale tried to regain his composure. "What''s happened I''ve failed?" He looked around frantically. "There are no heroes sacrificing their lives, so what was the point and why did it cause such a tremor that it destroyed the cathedral?

    Once everyone had come to their senses, the king began to give various instructions. "Conduct an investigation into what has just happened, while awaiting further results take the magi in for questioning."

    The king then went out through the huge hole that had ripped open the cathedral, and was surprised to see the city in flames and destruction. "Get all the troops out of this ruin and come and help the wounded in the city.

    The king tried as best he could to hide his anger at the chaos. "Not only did we not get the hero, but we also got one of the biggest agricultural cities in ruins, my kingdom is now on the brink of ruin.

    a few minutes earlier

    2nd wyverne patrol

    Somewhere above Maros a patrol of wyverns was observing the area, always on the lookout for demons.

    "We''ve been asked to patrol for demons for an hour now but there''s nothing of interest, in my opinion the army is panicking over nothing, what could demons possibly find here anyway."

    "It might have something to do with the king''s presence in the area." Replied his colleague.

    When suddenly the two riders were blinded by a light coming out of nowhere.

    "But what arg I can''t see anything."

    Once the light had dissipated and the riders had come to their senses, they tried to contact their base.

    ~Tho to base we''ve just seen a powerful flash of light.~

    crush crush crush

    Despite several attempts, no communication seemed to reach their magiccom.

    "What''s going on down there, I can''t get any answers." He said in a panicked tone, and it was only after a few minutes that the group could hear a communication from the base.

    ~crush base crush do you copy?~

    An air of relief could be seen between Tho and his colleague, but before he even had time to ask what had happened his colleague drew his attention in one direction of the forest.

    "How on earth is that possible?" He said, looking in that direction.

    ~To begin with, we''re dealing with an anomaly in the forest.~

    ~What do you mean by that?~ Replied the base.

    ~The river has changed course, there are new mountains and gigantic cities.~ He replied.

    There was a moment of silence from the base.~We''ve taken note of your observation, can you make contact with any of these cities?~

    ~Unfortunately no, there''s been no response, although there has been some commotion in certain places.~ He couldn''t continue his sentence as he looked around the city.

    ~We''ve got a big problem! There''s a lot of what look like demon carriers on this street.~

    ~Don''t tempt the devil and come back to base, we''ll send a team to investigate from the ground.~

    ~Sure.~

    investigation troop

    In the forest bordering the town of Maros, a patrol of knights urgently diverted towards the anomaly, breaking the plant-like silence that had settled in. Tercen, the patrol''s leader, said. "We have been told by the Wyvern riders that we are close to the anomaly, so please proceed with caution."

    Almost immediately after these words, a soldier called out to the group about what he saw in front of him.

    The group was speechless as they watched a gigantic city rise up on the other side of the river.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "It''s even more impressive than I''ve been informed." Tercen said, looking out over what was once a forest.

    "Look at that bridge you''re standing on, with a gigantic arch held up by ropes." Exclaimed one of the soldiers, the other observing a series of buildings of a height out of all proportion to the surrounding buildings. "I think it''s a castle." Tercen said admiringly.

    "What are we doing, boss?" Asked one of the soldiers.

    "Perla send our observations to the base while informing them that we are going to cross this strange bridge to investigate the anomaly further."

    ruin of the cathedral

    "The cathedral is in ruins." The king thought to himself as he looked at what was once the largest cathedral on the continent, suddenly a soldier called out to the king with news.

    "Sire we have received communications from the capital as well as from the group sending out about the anomaly."

    The king sighed. "Go on, the day can''t get any worse anyway."

    "The group that was sent to the anomaly have confirmed the claims of the Wyvern riders and that the river has indeed changed its course as if it had always been there, they have gone to inspect what they suspect to be a castle." The king looked thoughtful at this information.

    "And what is the message from the capital?"

    The knight continued, looking more worried than at first. "For the capital, it''s a collection of information from several cities surrounding the Fartos Sea, all of which report having felt a devastating earthquake followed by a blinding light that left a different landscape, as did the sea, where the first battle fleet encountered a large land barrier closing off the Pluvia Sea.

    "What on earth is going on?" The king said to himself after hearing the report given by the soldier.

    The king was trying to make sense of it all but the more he thought about it the more it seemed to irritate him, when suddenly Archmage Durale snapped the king out of his reflections. "Sire, what if all this could have something to do with the summoning."

    The king blurted out. "By the moon what have we done."

 Chapter 2 A wind of panic

    For a few minutes now, the excitement in the German Chancellery has been louder than usual. From Chancellor Gabriel Lehr''s door you can hear someone approaching at high speed.

    The door opens in the new Chancellor''s office and he sees one of his ministers out of breath after running around the building. "What''s the matter with you?" He asks him.

    After catching his breath, he explains. "Sir, for the last few minutes, the whole country has been in a panic because of the sudden appearance of a huge blue circle with geometric shapes covering the country at its centre, causing panic among the population who, in some places, are starting to loot under the impulse of the end of the world.

    "What, has the President been notified?" asked the Chancellor.

    "We didn''t need to warn him, he was outside when this phenomenon appeared."

    After a little reflection on the situation, the chancellor suddenly rose from his chair and walked towards the window. "My God, it''s huge! Could it be a new large-scale weapon?"

    "We don''t know at the moment sir, but we have contacted the neighbouring states and none of them seem to be aware of the existence of such a thing. "There is also a crisis management meeting being organised and your presence is strongly recommended." The Chancellor left a moment of silence which seemed unbearable for the Minister.

    The silence ended when the Chancellor gave some measures to be taken immediately. "Seal off all air traffic i don''t want anything in the sky at the moment and get the people home the last thing we want is for the population to be even more agitated than it is at the moment."

    "Yes sir." He replied.

    "You are dismissed."

    "Yes sir." Then the minister left the room.

    "Secretary cancel all my appointments I''ll be busy for the whole day."

    A little later

    The room was now full when President Felix Destinn spoke. "I don''t think it''s any secret why you''re here." Then he began to project photos taken by Internet users.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "As you should know, at 2pm today a strange and mysterious halo of light appeared over our country, its appearance is completely mysterious and we have reason to believe that it is an attack against us."

    The room began to stir under these words. "Thanks to the satellite photos, we have been able to see the real size of this halo, which covers our entire country as well as Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. However, the threat does not seem to be directed towards them, as the satellite photos show the centre of this halo and our country."

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "We estimate its altitude at 900 km as well as a diameter of 500 km it is shown that no attack seems to be viable on this halo due to the fact that it is physically not present."

    "What do you mean by that?" Asked someone in the room. Then a scientist standing next to the president answered the question. "It''s simply due to the fact that it doesn''t contain matter, it''s more like a hologram."

    The room fell into total silence until someone suddenly appeared in the room.

    "It had better be urgent to bother us at a time like this."

    "My apologies, gentlemen, but we have just received a communication from the USA and Italy, both informing us that their interferometer has been detecting gravitational waves coming directly from our country since the halo appeared."

    Everyone was a little confused by the announcement then someone stood up and asked. "What are gravitational waves?"

    "Ah yes excuse me gravitational waves are waves propagating in the fabric of space-time these waves are generally caused by the collision of black hole but there is also an activity that seems to manifest itself on the halo."

    "And what is that?" Came the reply."The halo is starting to concentrate large amounts of energy towards its centre and has begun to rotate on itself."

    The audience didn''t know what to do about it.

    But afterwards, in their corner, the President could be seen having a very serious conversation with the Chancellor, and when it seemed to be over, the President spoke up.

    "Declare a state of emergency", he announced in a most serious tone.

    As expected there were no objections to this sudden announcement and then the President continued. "To send coastal and air patrols in the event of a hostile presence along our coasts and borders."

    later today

    The meeting lasted another good hour with the information coming and going without interruption. It was now 3.30pm when the Chancellor arrived at the President''s office to take stock of the situation and when he entered he saw the President looking out of the window saying. "Do you think it could be extraterrestrial?"

    "We''d better hope not, sir, because that would surely be the end of us."

    Suddenly, an intense ray appeared at the centre of the halo, heading towards the ground. Once touched, a very luminous sphere spread out in all directions at high speed.

    It only took a few minutes for the sphere to completely encompass the country under this blinding light, which seemed to last an eternity for everyone, until the light faded and gave way to a sky now empty of this immense halo.

    "Was that thing fucking atomic?" Asked the panicked Chancellor."It doesn''t look like it to me I can''t see any mushrooms on the horizon but never mind there must be a lot of casualties."

    A few minutes had now passed since the halo had disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and the streets were still calm despite the disappearance of the halo. It was then that the Minister for Foreign Affairs burst into the President''s office.

    "What''s going on? Do you have any information about the origin of this halo?" Dsked the president."No sir, nothing yet, in fact since the halo disappeared we''ve suddenly lost all contact with the world."The surprised president asked.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident."Have you contacted the foreign embassies?"That is to say sir, just like us, they''re not getting any response from their respective countries, but that''s not all.

    We''ve noticed that the internet has suddenly been cut off and now we can only receive the national channels.

    "So what you''re telling me is that apart from all communications in the country it''s radio silence in the rest of the world?"

    "That''s right, Mr President." The minister replied.

    "After all, it''s not so bad that we''ve lost contact with the internet." Replied the President.

    The Minister and the Chancellor didn''t seem to understand why the President was saying this and then the Minister began to speak.

    "I''m sorry, Mr President, but I''m afraid I don''t understand what you''re getting at."It''s all very simple, without the internet the amount of false information will be drastically reduced and will prevent a general panic under the banner of a lie."

    "Seen like that, it''s advantageous." Replied the Chancellor.

    "Now Minister, come back to me when you have more important news."

    "Yes, Mr President." The Minister left the room, leaving the President and the Chancellor to their own business.

    "After this halo, we''re cut off from the rest of the world." Muttered the president.

    Darmstadt at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC)

    The esa operations centre was tasked with mapping Germany for potential damage but the problem was that no contact could be made with any of the satellites, at which point and for the next hour the tension in the control centre kept rising.

    "Still nothing?" Asked the managing director. "No sir, it''s as if they''ve all disappeared from the sky." He was interrupted by shouts of joy from the control room.

    "We have contact" exclaimed one of the controllers. "What about the rest of the European fleet?" Asked the Director General."For the moment we have contact with just one satellite."That''s better than nothing, thought the director. "In that case, we''ll continue our attempts to regain contact with all the others."

    FGS Erfurt 4 miles from S��deroogsand

    For more than 2 hours, the L��beck and Erfurt had been on patrol off the northern Frisian islands in case of a sea attack the soldiers were on the alert, but when the halo disappeared the pressure increased another level with the sudden loss of GPS and all satellite links.

    Hubert Fuhs, the commander on board the Erfurt, was waiting for an answer from the naval base."What''s the news from the base?" He asked the sailor."It tells us that the whole country is cut off from satellite communication and that all contact with other countries is currently impossible."

    The commander thought about the type of particular situation he might be in."In that case let''s stay on our guard, it could be a strategy to destabilise us or even a large-scale attack."

    "Yes sir" Replied the sailor, passing on the order to the captain.

    After 15 minutes of sailing north, a large number of radar echoes appeared."Tell the captain on the double!" Shouted a sailor in charge of the radar.

    Captain Tobi Wehinger was alerted to the situation and hurried to inform the fleet commander.

    After being informed of the situation, the commander rushed into the cockpit as quickly as he could.

    "What does the threat look like?" He asked.

    "We have 200 radar signatures with 10 about fifty metres in size and the rest about thirty metres."

    "That''s far too small for that number he says to himself."

    "Have you made contact with them?"

    "We''ve tried, sir, but they''re not responding to any of our attempts. Replied the sailor."

    "Call the captain of the L��beck and tell them to close with us for the approach to this unknown fleet once that is done prepare to send a Saab Skeldar over this fleet."

    <figure>

    </figure>

    After a few minutes in the air, the Saab Skeldar arrived within visual range of the mysterious fleet."We have the images." Says the CIC operator."

    The images appeared on the screen showing a fleet of small sailboats straight out of another era, with the larger ones in the centre having a long flat platform on the side, their flag completely unknown."Was there an old boat festival planned in the area?" Asked the captain.

    The commander was puzzled by the sight of the drone."Send a message to base informing them that we have encountered a mysterious fleet of old sailing ships, we are on our way to intercept them." Shortly afterwards, the ships changed course in the direction of this mysterious fleet, and the commander left to make a report, unaware that he was about to make the most important encounter for his country.

    Berlin chancellor''s office

    Since the disappearance of all communications, the Chancellor had been extremely busy dealing with the files that had reached his office during his absence, when he came across a report that piqued his curiosity it contained information about strange phenomena that had taken place on the border - roads were cut off rather than continuing, or even forests had appeared where there were fields or towns, and small medieval-looking towns had appeared on the other side of the border.

    The Chancellor, reading this, did not seem any better reassured about the situation in the country.

    "Have we travelled in time?" He asked himself without really taking himself seriously, and called his secretary, asking her to send for the best historians in the city who specialised in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

    Only 15 minutes passed before a group of 6 people entered the office.

    "You must be the historians, so I''ve been expecting you." Once everyone was seated the chancellor began to speak. "You should all be aware by now that anything revealed to you in this room is considered top secret.

    "Once this had been said, he took out a series of documents which he distributed to everyone.

    He scanned the sheets carefully with an air of growing confusion as he watched his reactions the chancellor began.

    "This is all real and that''s why you''re here the government has reason to believe that we were sent into the past and so you''ve been called here to determine what era we might be in."

    There followed an olympian calm before the historians discussed some important photos amongst themselves, and once they had reached an agreement one of them began to speak.

    "We''re sorry, but this image shows a hitherto unknown type of naval architecture, as well as their standard, which is not known to any of us.

    There''s also this city, some of the buildings are very different from what you might expect, but despite everything we''ve determined from the size of some of the structures that we''re talking about a period close to the middle of the Renaissance."

    The Chancellor was pensive, the arrival of the group had raised more questions than answers but they had managed to work out approximately when.

    "That''s all very reassuring, thank you for your expertise, it stinks and will be useful to us in the future. We''ll get back to you when we have better information.

    "The group then left, leaving the Chancellor alone with his thoughts."If this isn''t medieval Europe, where the hell are we?"

    At the same time, a meeting was held with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and virologists to put in place a protocol to deal with the new situation.

    The hectic room calmed down as the Minister for Health and the Minister for Foreign Affairs entered the room once they were settled the Minister for Health began.

    "Good morning to you all and thank you for responding to this invitation in such a short time. In order to better understand why you have come, we have passed on these documents on recent events at the border.

    "Each virologist carefully read the document in their hands, seeing that at the border there were no longer any large modern cities but instead small towns similar to those seen in the Middle Ages. Once each virologist had read the documents, the Health Minister resumed."

    As you can see, the halo has sown the seeds of a possible epidemic in its wake, which is why we need to put a strategy in place quickly to prevent anyone from inside or outside the country transmitting covid 19 to the whole of society and causing a large-scale epidemic.

    Then the Minister of Foreign Affairs took his turn."Unfortunately, we''re going to have to get in touch with this company to avoid having to deal with a large-scale food shortage caused by the break with the modern world, so trade will be unavoidable to preserve our way of life."

    All this goes on until some of the virologists facing the windows start to panic."My God, it can''t be! Said one, pointing out the window." Intrigued, they all began to look in the direction he was pointing, suddenly horrified by the sight in front of them.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "But it''s not our moon, where are we then?"

 Chapter 3 the meeting

    <div>

    "It was late afternoon when the patrol began to cross the bridge leading to the mysterious city that had appeared earlier in the day.

    As the team finished climbing the steps, they could see the sheer size of the edifice. "How is this possible? The floor is made of a single block of stone." One of them remarked.

    Then, a soldier approached the arch to verify his suspicions and banged on it. All he heard was a metallic echo. "Sir, this bridge is made of iron."

    "How can this bridge hold up even with an iron arch? It''s far too heavy a material for such a thing."

    The further they went, the bigger their questions became until they reached the end of the bridge and entered the world of the strange.

    The patrol was amazed at the height of the building in front of them, but above all, the city was astonishingly empty.

    "So tall." Thought Tercen, the leader of the fact-finding mission, as he gazed up at the immense building in front of them.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "What great luxury." Said one of the soldiers upon seeing the glass doors covering the building. "This must be the residence of a very important person to have such grand proportions."

    His comment was interrupted by the sight of a resident speeding by in front of them, pulling a cart filled with various strange objects. He was already too far away to be pursued, but he appeared to be in a panicked state.

    "Well, we''re going to enter through this large arch, and our objective is to find the person who rules this place and question them about this land."

    Tercen''s group had just re-entered through the building''s archway, and their amazement didn''t wait long as they entered a vast, brightly lit room without the need for torches. "Is he using some sort of spell to produce such an abundance of light?" they wondered.

    They had been exploring the immense, empty room for several minutes without finding anything of significant importance. "What could be the purpose of this room if it''s only used for transportation?" Thought one of the soldiers as he examined a vehicle. Finally, after some searching, they discovered a door leading to another room.

    Impressed by the quality and quantity of the glass, Tercen failed to notice someone approaching them until he heard a voice coming from his left. Immediately, the group turned to see a man dressed entirely in black.

    "Gentlemen, I cannot allow you to enter the supermarket without wearing masks." Said the peculiar guard.

    Tercen was a bit puzzled by the guard''s statement.

    "Guard, we don''t have time for your peculiar customs. We need to speak with the manager of this land urgently to find a solution to the sudden appearance of your town and its surroundings."

    The man chuckled in response.

    "I''ve heard plenty of lame excuses for not wearing a mask, but going as far as dressing up like knights was a new one."

    Tercen became irritated by the guard''s provocation, and without realizing it, the rest of his team had drawn their swords.

    "Please stop this, and allow us to speak with the person who governs this land." one of them declared.

    Subsequently, the man quickly stepped back and pulled out what appeared to be a miniature magiccom. "This is Jakob; I''ve got several armed men at the entrance, and I need reinforcements, and fast."

    The most astonishing thing was that he was able to hear an answer coming from this magiccom the magiccom always gives answers via telepathy how come this one is giving it orally he thought but before he had time to finish his thought 4 other men came towards them. At the sight of these people, Tercen''s group prepared for a fight. "Wait!" Cried Tercen, but before he could try to calm the situation, his team suddenly collapsed under his gaze. "What the hell are you doing?" He in turn collapsed under great pain before seeing the men approach and tie their wrists.

    Berlin 5.00 pm

    Gabriel read the document provided earlier by the Minister of the Interior, which reported an armed altercation in a supermarket in the town of Weil-am-Rhein.

    The document''s noteworthy aspect was that the individuals involved were dressed as knights, seemingly having mistaken the supermarket for a palace.

    Gabriel set the document aside and turned his attention to the Home Secretary. "What measures do you intend to take concerning these individuals?"He inquired.

    "Given the highly unusual circumstances, the Minister of Health and I have decided to place them in quarantine at the nearest military base, ensuring they haven''t contracted any pathogens before sending them back home."

    The Chancellor contemplated the repercussions that the arrival of these individuals would bring.

    Shortly afterward, the Chancellor dismissed the Minister and placed a call to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    Annoyance was evident in the Chancellor''s tone as he remarked. "With the arrival of these people, we''ll have to expedite the delegation''s arrival significantly."

    European Space Operations Centre ( ESOC )

    After spending hours re-establishing contact with various satellites, and with only 11 satellites responding, the control center began receiving the first images of the new world. The initial image, captured by a weather satellite over Germany, silenced the last remaining skeptics definitively.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The scientists in the room were divided between fear and fascination in the face of this improbable reality. Once all doubts were dispelled, a voice emerged from behind the computer screens."May I have your attention, please." Said the Director General. "Now that we have undeniable proof that our country has been transported to an unknown world, I would like to inform you that the workload will increase significantly in the coming months. I kindly request that you maintain the utmost professionalism during our upcoming operations."

    The director then went to his office to send a fax to Berlin.

    First battle fleet of the kingdom of Farosse

    Several hours had passed since the royal fleet encountered a vast expanse of land that had suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking access to the Pluvia Sea.

    A sigh escaped from Admiral Oberon''s lips as he gazed at the new land stretching across the horizon."What''s the situation on the mainland?" He asked the mage at the magiccom."A powerful earthquake struck the entire coastal region, causing significant damage. We''ve been requested to dock and provide assistance to the victims." Replied the mage.

    Before he could finish speaking, a distant rumbling sound began to grow, initially faint but progressively louder with time."Approaching airborne creature!" Shouted a sailor from the lookout.

    The mysterious creature passed by the fleet at close range, hovered briefly, and then started to move away, causing a visible sense of fear among many sailors.

    "Send a squadron of wyverns from the dragon carrier!" Ordered Admiral Oberon.

    Upon receiving the command, the fleet swiftly shifted into combat formation.

    Onboard the dragon carriers, wyvern riders prepared for takeoff to intercept the newly emerged threat. It was at this moment that the first wyverns launched from the runway, soon to be followed by the others.

    From atop his wyvern, Sonnald could see the majestic dragon carrier below, from which he had just taken off. "I''ll never tire of this view," he said as he watched his comrades'' boat lift off.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    It was at this point that when he looked at where the mysterious creature had gone he could see two large silhouettes that didn''t seem to be islands, as soon as he realised what he was looking at he hurried to get out his magiccom.

    "This is Wyverns 3 of the Dragon Carrier Cia, I''ve spotted two silhouettes on the horizon in the direction of where the creature left, they could be demon ships and they seem to be heading our way."

    Everyone on board was now under pressure due to the observation made by several dragon riders despite the agitation Admiral Obeorn seemed to be the calmest of all.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "They don''t look like demon ships." He said to himself as he scanned the two huge ships getting closer and closer.

    Suddenly the creature returned, this time with a very human voice.

    ~This is the German Navy, your fleet is entering our territorial waters, whoever you are, stop right there.~

    "What should we do sir?" Asked a mage to the magiccom the admiral was pensive.

    "German navy I don''t know this name, would it be the divine men? It explains the particular architecture of these ships, but it speaks of territorial waters."

    "If we stop who knows what they''ll do to us but if we continue it''s obvious they''ll destroy us." "Tell the whole fleet to stop and keep the wyverns in the sky, they''ll only attack if I give the order."

    Later two small craft were spotted coming from these ships the most impressive was their fast speed despite their size. "They have better equipment than the elves."

    The admiral thought to himself at the sight of such speed.

    The passengers in the first boat had finally arrived and the people disembarking were soldiers dressed all in blue with magic projectile weapons in their hands.

    All the soldiers on board were ready for battle and the situation continued to escalate until Admiral Obeorn arrived.

    "Soldiers, lower your weapons, that''s an order."As soon as the order was given all the sailors on board lowered their weapons.

    "Welcome aboard I am Obeorn Van Ludius the admiral of this fleet." The only thing he got was silence before one of the lead soldiers took a small box to his chest.

    "Recon mission to dinghy 2 secure area you may come."

    It wasn''t long before the lifeboat that had been kept out of the way moved forward, letting its occupants on board. The woman who got out began talking to one of the soldiers who had arrived earlier, who seemed to be explaining the situation to her.

    "Hello, I''m Caroline Kracht, a crew member of the FGS Erfurt. I''ve been sent to determine if you pose a threat. If any of your soldiers attempt anything, their day will be cut short."

    Obeorn had the feeling of a knife at his throat."Very well, I''ll ensure everything goes smoothly."

    On the deck of the Erfurt, Hubert had already been observing for a while the strange boat that had launched these creatures that looked like dragons, which had at the same time destroyed the last of the crew''s sceptics. "Worthy of a fantasy universe." He said to himself.

    "They''ve been on board for a while now, what''s the latest?"

    "Yes sir." Replied a sailor."

    They''ve secured boarding without firing a shot and they''re in the process of questioning the admiral of this fleet."

    "Very well, as soon as they''ve finished, tell them to give me a detailed report."

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    royal convoy

    After witnessing the disastrous summoning attempt, King Vermon II was drained of the day''s excitement when a messenger arrived at his carriage."Messire, we have news from the magiccom."

    "What are they?"

    "It''s the first battle fleet they''ve come into contact with two very similar ships a demon ship."

    "Similar in what way?" Interrupted the king.

    "To tell the truth we didn''t get much information about them apart from the fact that they moved without sails and were quite large.

    Fortunately, it''s humans on board who claim to come from the land that appeared today. They identify their nation as Germany."

    "I see. What about the expedition to one of their cities? It seems they entered a rather rich palace?"

    "To tell the truth sir, it''s already been a few hours since we''ve had any news from them and we''re afraid they''ve done something because when a second mission arrived to find out more about their fate they saw guards blocking the bridge and it seems to be the same all along the new border."

    The king had become strangely calm after these words. "I hope this will not have made an enemy of Germany."

    "Inform General Pirus to forbid access to the new territories until we know more about their intentions."

    European Southern Observatory ESO 8.00 pm

    Night had fallen since the halo had disappeared and unprecedented phenomena could be seen all over Germany. It was at this moment that astronomers in the Southern Observatory looked at messages received from other observatories.

    "It''s magnificent." Said one astronomer, looking at one of the photos received.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "What a magnificent sight," he thought, almost forgetting the other messages that kept coming in.

    "We''re not even in the Milky Way any more." Exclaimed one of them.

    Franco-German military base in M��llheim 8.00 am

    "The day had started so well." Tercen muttered inside his cell, through his window, which he hadn''t left since his arrival, he could see a series of vehicles passing by resembling the demon transporter.

    The fact that most disturbed him was that it was humans who were at the controls.

    "It''s impressive." He said to his companions, suddenly cut off by a strange noise becoming more and more predominant in the room.

    They all rushed to the bars of the window to see the source of the noise.

    To everyone''s astonishment, it was a huge white machine that landed like a dragon.

    "The demons!" Some of the soldiers said in panic, but for the few people who could see a demon machine, they could tell the difference.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The mere sight of this beast terrified some, while others were in awe to see such a beast piloted by humans thereafter 3 people dressed in black then emerged, accompanied by others wearing equally strange clothes.

    It wasn''t long before the cell guards took Tercen away and he was led into a room where there was just a table and two chairs. Very quickly, one of the people dressed in black entered the room accompanied by two guards.

    Good day to you Mr Tercen, I''m Roman Schatz, the diplomat who will be in charge of the meeting with your nation, but before we get to that our leader has asked me to come and meet you to complete the little information we''ve got so far. At these words, Tercen regained his colour.

    "Your leader needs to know that this is all a misunderstanding about the attack on the guard of this castle."

    "Don''t worry about that Sir, it was a market, we''ve already considered that it was a mistake due to the difference between our two countries."

    "A market." He replied in a calmer tone. "So our lives are not threatened?"

    "It was never intended to do you any harm."

    "Now that the misunderstanding seems to have been resolved I would like to know if you are now prepared to answer my questions?"

    Tercen found himself torn by his thoughts.

    "Should I tell them the information they want at the risk of being tried for treason if they attack.

    But if I help them with their advanced magical technology they might be able to help the country in this war."

    After a heavy moment of silence Tercen had made his decision. "I''ll give you information but if I think it compromises the integrity of my country I''ll stop everything."

    There''s no problem. " Roman replied." Well then, let''s get started. First of all, as part of our diplomatic delegation, we need to know where your capital is." Then Roman took out a photo from his briefcase.

    Tercen was more than astonished when he picked up the map, the most astonishing thing being that the Fartos Sea had given way to vast dry land that closed off the Pluvia Sea.

    "But how did you get a map of the region in just one day, with so much detail?" He asked.

    "Ah well, it''s not a map, it''s just a photo in itself, it''s a moment of reality frozen and put on a support, it was taken yesterday by..." At this point Roman hesitated to mention the satellites, and then he remembered the conversation he''d had with the President about revealing technology to the people of this planet.

    "They were taken yesterday by satellite."

    "Satellite." Replied Tercen quizzically."It''s a device high up in the sky that orbits of the Ear... of a planet."Tercen preferred to remain silent rather than say he didn''t really understand.

    Tercen then observed the image and pointed to an area at the mouth of what is a small sea bordered by a series of islands. "It''s right here on the edge of the coast."The interrogation lasted another hour and a half without a hitch. "Very well, I''m done with my questions, so I''ll leave you to it." It was when he reached the door that Tercen called out to him.

    "Are we going home with you in the flying machine?"

    Roman turned back to come level with Tercen. "Forgive me for forgetting to mention this important detail, but our country is afflicted by a scourge that has already taken more than 100,000 innocent lives, and to reduce its spread we use blue masks placed over the mouth."

    Suddenly Tercen remembered the guard''s insistence on having one. "What''s going to happen?"

    "To make sure you haven''t contracted it we prefer to keep you under medical observation for ten days or so. It''s always better than bringing this back to your country and making a real massacre."

    "So it''s for the good of our country." Thought Tercen. "In that case, can we use a magiccom to signal to our country the situation that means we won''t be returning immediately."

    "What is a magiccom?"What kind of question is that? It''s a magical communication device, I''ve even noticed that you have a smaller, more advanced model."

    "I''m rather surprised." Roman replied. "But our country doesn''t have a magical communication device, in fact we don''t have any magic either."

    "But that doesn''t make any sense, how could you get all those machines to work, even demons use magic for that." Tercen replied.

    "We use scientific knowledge based on the principles of physics and the properties of matter, but since you can contact your country I don''t see any problem with you getting in touch with them."

    A few minutes had passed and all the other members of the patrol had been assembled outside their cells when Tercen entered the room accompanied by some of the people of the white machine.

    "Perla." Exclaimed Tercen immediately the mage responded. "I''ve been able to negotiate with the emissaries of this nation, unfortunately we can''t go home at the moment but they''ve given us permission to contact the country so we''re going to need your powers to make the magiccom work." Tercen explained.

    "Yes, boss." She exclaimed and immediately approached the magiccom which had been placed on the table, then placed her hands on the small crystal ball which began to glow with a bluish sheen. "Communication established." She said, then Tercen took the funnel which was attached to the radio before starting to speak into it under Tercen''s guidance, each in turn passing a message.

    Throughout the demonstration, the small German committee made up of diplomats and a few historians stared in amazement at the demonstration of what until yesterday was still fantasy. "Was everything filmed?" Asked one of the diplomats. "Yes, it''s all there." Replied the soldier holding the camera.

    "Very well, we''ll add that to the report." Roman replied.

    royal convoy

    The troops had been on their way back to the capital for an hour when a messenger arrived urgently at the royal carriage."Messire the reconnaissance mission has resumed contact they have given us a report on their situation."

    "That''s excellent news and what are they saying?" The king asked."They have made contact with a diplomatic mission on its way to our country."

    "But that''s excellent have they announced an arrival date?"

    "Well they''re not sure but they tell us they could be here in just a few hours using a white flying machine."The king and the councillors looked at each other in astonishment. "But they have also sent us a coded message warnings." Continued the messenger.

    "Very well then, what does it mean?" Asked the king."Please be careful, their military strength can match that of the demons, do not make them your enemy." Underneath his words one of the generals could be heard choking on his tea.

    "What does the second warning mean?" They all asked.It warns us of a scourge close to a punishment from the goddess Drina that is killing thousands of people in their country and forcing the inhabitants to protect themselves with a mask, this plague is powerful enough to wipe half the population of the Difosse Islands off the map."

    "It could be a real problem if this scourge spreads to our lands." The king said to himself.

    "When the expedition group returns they will be decorated for crucial information given to the nation."

    "They have also told us that due to this scourge they are blocked for about ten passages (days) in their country while they examine the possibility that they have caught this scourge."

    "Let it be so, risk catching this scourge of the team."

    Thereafter the king caused the convoy to speed up.

    Arcus capital of the kingdom of Farosse

    Anxiety had been running high in the capital ever since the king announced the arrival of a diplomatic mission from the new lands.

    It was after a good two hours that a faint sound could be heard echoing through the valleys before becoming louder and louder.

    ~Here are the contact wyvern troops, we have a visual of a device resembling the description.~

    ~Good news, you can send them to base, we''ll contact them.~

    Time passed but despite all attempts from the wyvern base no response could be given from the device.

    a few minutes earlier

    The NH90 caiman was approaching the potential position of the royal capital of Farosse when, after crossing a small mountain, a pilot put an end to the moment of doubt that had been reigning on board for a few minutes: "We have visual on a rather important city bordering the coastline."

    "Land nearby and we''ll ask some of the locals if this is the capital Arcus."Then one of the pilots pointed at the radar with a surprised look on his face. "There''s a formation of 5 flying objects closing in on us."

    The diplomats in their corner debated the improbable formation.

    "How can this be possible they''re not even in the industrial age yet and our country has no plans to fly other craft in the vicinity." Then one of the historians spoke up. "Gentlemen, it''s possible that this is simply a hot-air balloon, it''s possible that it''s commonly used in this world."

    "It could be one of those flying creatures observed by the navy."

    Came out one of the diplomats.Roman then spoke up. "Actually, there is a possibility that it could be a foreign aircraft."

    "How?" To exit in unison."When I questioned se Tercen, he spoke of the fact that a certain country used magic to make machines fly." The debate quickly ended when the pilots announced they had visual contact with the formation.

    Now then on, all those who looked through the portholes could hear only one word. "What the hell."On board they were all stunned to see soldiers on the back of what looked like a dragon, then the dragons positioned themselves around the helicopter while the one in front made various signs. "He seems to want us to follow them." Interpret the pilot.

    later

    "Look at that," said the co-pilot, "they''ve got runways for these dragons."Below could be seen a dirt runway where a few dragons took off, bordered by a series of stone buildings with a fairly large crowd seemingly waiting for something, then the wyverns escorting them began a descent in the direction of this air base."Get ready, we''re landing.

    Arcus Air Base

    "There they are!" Shouted one of the observers."Have the whole runway cleared for their landing." Falan, the base general, exclaimed. Outside the building preparations were being made for the reception and transport of the German emissaries.

    "Sir, the German aircraft suddenly stopped in mid-air and began to descend slowly and vertically."Falan went out to verify the observer''s words. "Interesting, this device doesn''t landing like the demon''s ones but more like a dragon."

    Under the watchful eye of the crowd, the helicopter landed not far from the welcoming committee to much racket, followed by the doors of the aircraft opening and letting out two men dressed entirely in green with helmets on their heads.

    Following a gesture on their part, six other people got out of the aircraft, three of them wearing black clothes and walked in the direction of the committee before stopping a few steps away from the general who had stepped forward.

    "Welcome to the kingdom of Farosse, send by Germany, I am General Falan C Ruhlan who has been charged with welcoming you and taking you to the Palais-Royal where the Queen awaits you."

    "Pleased to meet you, I''m Roman Schatz and I''m in charge, along with my colleagues, of diplomacy between our two countries."

    The crowd applauded after the handshake.

    Surroundings of Maros

    In the stillness of the region the usual sound of nature was cut off by a mechanical noise in the distance approaching the ruins of the now empty cathedral.

    "So what these humans are saying is true?" Asked a demon emerging from the bell tower."Quite so, it would seem that the summoning brought forth something larger than what we had to kill."

    "What was that?"

    "There was a city, no I''d say more like a country and given their infrastructure they could pose a real threat to our nation."

    The two demons then left for their exfiltration ship to leave a report that would change the course of this war.

 Chapter 4 the harsh reality

    Shortly before noon, television channels across Germany were switched on one by one, following the announcement that the President would be speaking about the events of the last 24 hours.

    "My dear fellow citizens, it is no mystery to anyone about the mysterious events that have occurred in the last 24 hours since this halo appeared, Germany has plunged into the complete unknown."

    I can therefore say that on 15 December 2021 Germany left the earth and wandered off into a totally unknown world, leaving in its wake only the brave soldier abroad and our fellow citizens who had gone abroad for the end of the year, they will now be gone forever.

    On this day we mourn our missing, but this will enable us to face the trials that lie ahead.

    I declare that today until the economy is stabilised we are freezing all prices at what they were yesterday air traffic remains closed to international flights use a car only when strictly necessary give preference to public transport a curfew has been temporarily introduced from 7pm..."

    Arcus capital

    The journey to the royal palace went smoothly as the delegation observed that the country resembled a battlefield with its share of destroyed and even burnt buildings, but one thing caught the attention of the whole delegation and that was to see inhabitants with the physical features of animals.

    The royal palace was very large, adorned with gold and luxurious gardens as far as the eye could see.

    Once the carriages arrived at the palace gates, the delegation was greeted by an alley of servants and handmaidens.

    After passing through the entrance, the delegation took a look inside the palace, where the grandiose decorations were reminiscent in places of the luxury of Versailles.

    They were then led into the throne room, where a woman with a warrior look was seated.

    "I am Queen Lusvel Lightmore and I welcome you, gentlemen, from Germany."

    "This is an honour for us."

    "Now that you are here we would like to know what are your intentions?"

    The question was rather expected after the helicopter flight demonstration he had witnessed on their arrival.

    "Yesterday, following an unknown event in our nation''s skies, we were mysteriously transferred to this part of the world, so our government is sending us here urgently to make initial contact with the locals to set up trade in agricultural produce and resources."

    The Queen and her consuls looked satisfied, contrary to what the Germans had expected.

    "So the invocation worked." She murmured.

    "Luckily we know the reason for your transfer to this world."

    This simple sentence aroused the curiosity of the diplomats.

    "A few passages ago (day) we discovered a powerful summoning spell and, given the situation in our country, we took the initiative of summoning a hero to save us from the powerful demons ravaging the entire continent and its surroundings.

    "We''re sorry, we weren''t thinking of an entire country coming instead of just one person."

    The group was astonished by the Queen''s statement.

    "This news is more than surprising and unexpected for us, but these demons have been mentioned several times now if you could tell us about them."

    Then one of the Queen''s assistants placed a card on a table.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    Once the map had been unfolded, the queen began to speak.

    "The demons have always lived on the Dimole islands, for centuries and centuries they were different kingdoms perfecting their weapons to wage war against each other, they built extremely powerful weapons but it was only 2 years ago that a talented warlord managed to unite all the demons, his thirst for conquest not being quenched he turned to the continent by invading the elves and dwarves who were reputed to be very powerful."Then a mage approached the map and projected a red light on certain borders.

    "You can now see the last known area of influence of the demons." He mage exclaimed.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    After the delegation had carefully observed the map, the queen knelt down next to the diplomats.

    "I was able to see when that your invocation was not a waste, so I beg you in my name and that of my husband to save us from this demon."

    Roman observed the queen, who had a glimmer of hope.

    "I and my colleagues have seen the state your people are in, this demon must be giving you a hard time but I''m afraid to tell you that our country would rather not enter into a war at this time."

    "What do you mean?!" Asks the queen.

    "There are many reasons for this, but the main one is the same one that brought us here, in our world trade was an obligation to keep our society going, now if we cut it off our country risks famine, economic and energy crises..."

    "If that''s all, we can arrange to start trading with you.

    Despite the unease that had been created, the diplomacy continued, but everything came to an

    abrupt halt when all the city''s bells began to ring simultaneously.

    "Everyone to shelter!" Cried the Queen.

    "What on earth is going on?"

    The queen seemed to panic at the sound of the bells.

    "It''s the demons."

    "Following that, there was the simultaneous and incessant buzzing of several engines."

    ~Helicopter, this is Roman. What''s happening outside?~

    ~It''s impressive, there are hundreds of planes flying over the capital, lots of bombers escorted by fighters, I don''t know what their target is but it''s not going to be pretty.~

    The noise of the engines soon faded away, followed by the sound of city bells, and soon the castle''s underground passages began to empty out and activities resumed their normal course, as the Queen approached Roman.

    "Excuse me, Mr Roman, but as you can see from the situation that has just unfolded, we''re going to have to postpone the session until my husband returns.

    A carriage is waiting at the entrance to take you to a local inn." Explaining the queen.

    "We understand the situation and will ask our country to see what can be done." Roman replied.

    Berlin Bundestag Hall 2 p.m.

    The deputies were ready to begin the post-transfer session.

    "Your attention please, the purpose of today''s session will be to establish measures for the country''s future in this other world."

    A series of documents was presented to the deputies on the characteristics of the country in terms of defence production and consumption, and one of the documents that attracted the most attention was the report from the diplomats on mission in Farosse.

    "As you can see from this report by our diplomats on the kingdom of Farosse, which is the main instigator of our situation, it is currently in a precarious situation, cornered by an overwhelming foreign power that seems hostile to all nations, so we will have to deal with them with the utmost caution..."

    This session on for a good hour, concluding with a series of reforms or initiatives concerning the nation as a whole.

    -German nationality to be given to any foreigner stranded in the country.

    -Increase in army finances.

    -Increase in the budget of the DLR (German Aerospace Centre)

    -Ban on crossing the border without authorisation.

    -Everyone entering or leaving the country must undergo quarantine and a medical examination.

    -Funding for the arms industry.

    -Subsidies for the electronics industry.

    Volciste Empire

    The demon king listened as the messenger read out the report on the hero''s assassination mission, and as the report progressed the king became angry at the catastrophic way the summoning had gone.

    "This nation represents a greater threat than the elves, I want you to divert the fleet of subjugation of the kingdom of Farosse and direct it towards the territory of this country, we will need to prepare a supply line."

    "Very well, Your Highness, I''ll notify the fleet immediately." The messenger began to walk away when he was called out by the King.

    "One important thing all enemy technology must be brought back for further study." The king was now alone in the room looking at photographs of this new country.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon."The sooner I get rid of you, the sooner the continent will be mine.

    Try not to make it too difficult for me, summon them."

    Berlin 5pm

    The Chancellor had brought together the various diplomats from all the embassies, accompanied by military representatives from the foreign bases.

    "Hello everyone, I think you''ve all seen the news about the loss of external communications, as we''ve seen Germany has been sent to another world."

    "Just now a session was held in the Bundestag where it was decided to offer nationality to all foreigners trapped with the country, we have also decided to close the embassies that no longer have any use without your respective countries."

    The various diplomats talked amongst themselves but nobody seemed to object to what the Chancellor was saying.

    "Now the second subject that has been established is that as you know there are a certain number of foreign soldiers in different bases with the cut-off from the outside world, we have taken the decision to provide you with a salary, accommodation and maintenance of equipment at our expense, where you will retain your independence and your chain of command, but in return we would like to be able to have access to your services if necessary."

    The Americans reacted immediately to the statement.

    "It is out of the question to put ourselves under your orders, we will remain faithful to our country." Seeing this, the American diplomats as well as the French and Dutch soldiers tried to reason with them.

    "But come on, let''s be reasonable, it''s in our best interest to accept. If you refuse, who will pay your men or maintain your equipment?

    You would only be abandoning your bases, and they will definitely reassign them.

    So, honestly, being at their beck and call from time to time is the least we can grant them."

    After some thought, the American soldiers accepted the offer.

    Arcus capital

    18th December 2021

    18th passage 3 Adarr 1649

    After several days'' travel, the King finally arrived in the capital, where German diplomats were waiting for him.

    "Home at last." He said.

    It wasn''t long before the German diplomats showed up.

    "I''m King Vermon II, so I''m going to take care of the rest of the diplomacy. I''ve been told at length about the trade agreement you wanted to establish, but my question is what can my kingdom gain from this exchange?"

    "It''s very simple, our country is offering you goods such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, alcohol as well as technology used by the public... At least that''s what was planned."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Our country has no intention of entering into a war for the moment, but on seeing images of these planes ready to bomb you, our country has decided to sell you some of our firearms and to train your senior military officers in their use."

    The king was speechless at Roman''s statement.

    "That''s fabulous and how quickly could your country start trading?"

    "That''s not obvious, but once the trade treaty has been signed, the first ship could arrive within a week."

    "Interesting so know that your country will be happy to know that we agree to trade with you, now let''s get on with what your country wants to propose." Continued the king.

    The negotiations continued as the king accepted a significant portion of what Germany had proposed.

    The session was nearing its end when the king made a proposal to the diplomat.

    "There is going to be a session of the Continental Union in a few passages (days), this brings together all the countries of the continent and the surrounding islands, it leads to cooperation and the maintenance of peace between other nations, it would be an opportunity for your country to establish relations with other countries."

    Following this statement Roman and his colleagues spoke amongst themselves.

    "What do you think?"

    "It sounds like a kind of European Union."

    "That would be a good idea to propose to the government.

    "It would save a lot of expense to go through all the contacts one by one."

    "I''ve got the impression that he''s not telling us everything about this Continental Union."

    After this time when the diplomats talked amongst themselves Roman took the floor.

    "We will inform our government of this proposal and get back to you as soon as possible." Shortly after these words, the talks ended with the result of establishing a trade route, an embassy in each country and an offer of medical assistance at the Farosse border, as well as authorisation to prospect for resources...

    22nd december 2021

    22nd passage 3 Adarr 1649

    10miles from Heligoland (16km) 8 hours

    Day was dawning for the Demon Submission fleet, which had stopped earlier in the evening after detecting a landmass that was not on any map, as the sun lit up the deck of the Mefar aircraft carrier and a reconnaissance plane set off in the direction of the island.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    After 30 minutes of flight, the mission went smoothly and finally the plane was back in the field of vision of everyone on board, bringing back with it images taken during the flight.

    On board his battleship, Admiral Ethiuc and the rest of the command staff were meeting following the pilot''s report.

    The admiral came into the room with an air of good humour.

    "We finally have the photos of the reconnaissance plane." He placed the photos on the table.

    "As you can see from this photo, this archipelago will be easy to capture with our forces."

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "What an affront it is Farossians do to the empire by invoking such a country."

    "Silence! The empire is sending us to get rid of the vermin that have appeared as quickly as possible, luckily we''ve stumbled across one of their bases, so we''re not far away."

    Afterwards they all looked closely at the photos.

    "I see they don''t have any anti-aircraft defences, so we''ll just need to neutralise their planes before they take off."

    After only ten minutes or so a strategy had been prepared and the planes were already starting to line up on the runway.

    "Glory to the empire, glory to the empire." Could be heard from the decks of the aircraft carriers as the first planes took off.

    Heligoland 9am

    It was a rather peaceful morning on the archipelago, since the halo disaster air traffic had slowed down and the panic of the first few days had subsided, the inhabitants were going out into the streets when suddenly a noise broke the calm of the morning, the inhabitants outside looking in the same direction, in the distance the sky was blackened by hundreds of planes heading towards the island.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    More and more inhabitants watched the plane before some of them began to dive towards the island, followed by an explosion in the port as well as dozens of others, which quickly caused a large fire.

    The inhabitants ran for cover while some were shot down by the planes diving towards them. From the island''s radio tower, employees watched helplessly as the island was ravaged.

    "Bloody hell!" Once the stupefaction and fear of what was in front of them had subsided, they headed for the radio station.

    ~Heligoland to continent the ships spotted in the evening send planes that att~

    Without having had time to finish a bomb hit the building causing a strong white light engulfing the occupants and destroying the radio tower.

    On the aerodrome on the small island of D��ne, some people watch the main island or foreign planes attack from the air.

    "It was like a dream." Can be heard coming from the pilots, some seeing the planes coming towards them and starting to flee.

    "They''re coming here fast we''ve got to get to cover." Some rushed to the planes on the tarmac, being called mad by those who had taken refuge in the building.

    "Let''s take off." Said the pilot in the first plane to take off before the wheels came off the ground.

    "Yes, I''ve done it now, we''ve got to get out of this mess."

    Suddenly the plane turned into a ball of fire, followed shortly afterwards by those on the runway, all this happening under the helpless gaze of their colleague trapped in the building.

    Terror reigned from then on as calm began to return following the departure of the planes from the sky, the inhabitants tried to help the injured by being helped by the firemen who were already far too overwhelmed to see what was on the horizon.

    To the north of the island a large number of boats landed on the beaches of the islands, the inhabitants, having heard an exchange of fire, began to flee, taking refuge wherever they could while the Volciste troops advanced without too much resistance, killing anyone who was unlucky enough to escape from the armed troops.

    On the island of D��ne, all those who had survived the air raid saw the soldiers break down the door, firing on those closest to them while capturing those who had been lucky enough to survive.

    The invasion came to an end after they had entered the city streets with little difficulty, leaving more than 200 dead.

    In the distance, soldiers hoisted a flag on the mast that held the German flag.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    In the late morning an endless convoy of ships could be seen docking on what was left of the harbour, unloading soldiers, weapons and tanks.

    Admiral Ethiuc landed on the main island shortly after capturing the islands, and as he walked he got closer to the people who had been captured on the airbase.

    "So that''s what these people are like, they''re just simple humans. Soldier, send a message to the king, he''ll be happy to know that we''ve won the first battle against invoke them."

 Chapter 5 Continental Union

    Berlin shortly after the attack

    The Chancellor and the President had held an emergency meeting following the information obtained from the Heligoland archipelago."So what are you going to do?" Asked the Chancellor.

    "As if we had any more choice than that." He sighed.

    "Given the situation of the country, I would have preferred not to have to enter into a war, but there''s nothing we can do about it."

    Suddenly the Minister of Defence entered, accompanied by the Chief of Staff. "Good morning, gentlemen."

    "There''s no need to explain the situation to you, you know why we''ve asked you here?"

    "Yes, Mr President, I''ve already started moving troops around and we''re ready to place the area under observation."

    "That''s all very well, but do you know when you''ll be ready to counter-attack?"

    "A week at the most." Replied the Chief of Staff. He conversation continued.

    capital Arcus same day 1pm

    Roman and his team were in their room when he received a communication from the government.

    "Roman you should see this." He stepped forward to look at the message, reading it he made a funny face, before starting to speak.

    "Alright change of programme at the Continental Union conference."

    "What''s going on?" The rest of the team asked.

    "The Volcist Empire has attacked and invaded the Heligoland archipelago, so the government has declared a state of war against them.

    So at the conference, as well as looking for commercial partners, we have to make an announcement about this event and the consequences."

    This sentence sent the rest of the delegation into total silence.

    The next day in the same town

    It was 10 o''clock when the diplomatic elf delegation set foot in the capital''s harbour. Like all the other delegations travelling to the Continental Union conference, the arrival of the emissaries from the invoked lands was already causing quite a stir.

    Each of the elves sighed, not expecting more results from this conference and its newcomer.

    venue continental union conference

    All the representatives of each country were already inside, all awaiting the arrival of King Vermond II and the results of the hero''s disastrous invocations, when suddenly the doors opened revealing the king accompanied by 3 people dressed in exotic garb.

    "It''s just as we thought." The three German diplomats thought to themselves.

    Each of them looked at the different people with appearances that diverged from human, before them a multitude of humanoid species when suddenly a group of people approached them unlike many people this group was the closest to human they were all blond with pointed ears.

    "Mitor luxo du espifa xif nafk?"

    The king, who was still at their side, saw the look of incomprehension. "Gentlemen German diplomats I present to you the elven diplomats of the kingdom of Elose since you do not seem to understand the continental language I offer you the services of my personal interpreter."

    "Thank you for your kindness His Majesty." They replied.

    After the meeting with the most curious envoys, each representative began to take their seat, while the King was already in front of what looked like a lectern, waiting for calm to begin.

    "Good morning and welcome to the 8th meeting of the Continental Union, which is taking place today in Arcus.

    On the agenda today is the state of the various fronts against the demons, followed by technological advances against the demons, but before that, as you must all already know, we attempted to summon the hero in order to send him to the Elose front, but nothing happened as planned because of our attempt, the Pluvia Sea found itself isolated from the ocean by the appearance of a new land."

    Each representative spoke amongst themselves before the king continued. "But in the misfortune of this appearance a nation was on this land or their representatives are present among us today, so I''ll let them present their country."Roman and the other diplomats then stood up with a briefcase in their hands, placing it on a table where a strange machine lit up the wall with an image.

    At that moment, the whole room was stunned by what had just happened. "How can they do that? I don''t feel any magic." Could be heard everywhere.

    "Hello everyone, it''s an honour to stand before you today, as King Vermond said just before, our nation is located on the land that closes off the Pluvia Sea, our country is called Germany and has 83,200,000 inhabitants spread across its territory."

    This was followed by the appearance of a map of the continent, which impressed everyone in the room.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "What a level of detail, in such a short time they could do that." Some people thought.

    Each person looked attentively at the different images that had started to scroll, showing mainly Germany''s military technology, at the end of the slide whispers could be heard, some saw it as a miracle, others were worried, then suddenly Roman began to speak again.

    "Thanks to this slide you can understand a little better what Germany represents here. Roman was silent for a moment.

    "Our country has seen the appalling war that you are all involved in at the moment.

    It was therefore decided to supply you with weapons in exchange for various resources or mining rights, at least that''s what was planned."

    This sentence caused King Vermond to raise an eyebrow."Yesterday morning a fleet of what you call demons invaded part of our territory, forcing our government to join you in this war."

    At this sentence, immense joy seized everyone in the room, and cheers went up for a few minutes before calm was restored.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The conference resumed its course before finishing late in the evening, at the end of which a good number of countries proposed trade agreements or diplomatic meetings with Germany.

    Somewhere in the North Sea

    on board his fighter, Ura Herald fighter squadron leader observed the sea that had been rolling in on the horizon since take-off, the sky was calm and the continent was beginning to be visible in the distance.

    ~To all continental units in sight we climb to our maximum altitude.~ As soon as Ura had given his orders, one of the planes on his right flank turned into a fireball.

    ~Enemy attack!~ He exclaimed, a little confused.

    Suddenly two unknown aircraft crossed the sky accompanied by a loud noise."It''s inconceivable, they don''t have propellers." He said.

    The enemy aircraft made a sharp turn before positioning themselves quickly behind the Volciste fighters.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    Without having time to get out of the situation, the enemy aircraft launched tubes which shot towards their aircraft in a cloud of smoke.

    ~Avoid these things.~ He cried, Some managed to dodge the tubes while others exploded, but before they had time to be relieved each aircraft saw the tubes change direction and come back towards them before seeing nothing but a blinding flash.

    26th december 2021

    26th passage 3 Adarr 1649

    Farosse campaign new frontier

    For several days now, various groups of motorised vehicles have been travelling endlessly from village to village in the Farosse countryside.

    In one of these vehicles you could hear the complaints of certain doctors.

    "Two whole days, not even a trace of an unknown disease". Said one of them, looking at a sample under the microscope.

    "That''s pretty good news, I''d say, as there''s no risk of us being contaminated by indigenous diseases." Replied one of his colleagues.

    An hour later, the group had taken the road back and made a stopover in one last village, once there each doctor got down to their task of listing the diseases.

    After several minutes spent examining the villagers, another known disease test came back positive, but unlike the others, this one sent the doctors into a panic.

    "Guys, we''ve got a big problem". He said, the other doctors had all become worried once they had seen the results presented by their colleagues.

    One of the doctors rushed over to the radio in their vehicle.

    ~This is medical expedition number 26 to the last village on our route, we have a farmer or several found positive for covid 19 we request the arrival of more medical supplies to quarantine the area.~

    Shortly after the message was sent, a helicopter was heard in the sky, causing the villagers to panic.

    "Don''t panic, they''re with us." Said one of the doctors.

    Once the helicopter had landed, another group of doctors left with supplies and medical equipment.

    Volciste Empire

    The demon king had been scrutinising the document containing all the information he had gathered on the invoked country for several minutes, and with one of his quickest gestures he pressed the button at the end of his desk, summoning his Minister for Magical Research.

    "You called me, Your Majesty?" He asked.

    "That''s correct. I read here that you received the aircraft from those Germans on the island base."

    "That''s right, we received them recently and our best specialists are at the moment analysing every aspect of these planes."

    The Emperor was silent for a short moment.

    "You''re going to take me there." Emperor Gothoc replied.

    "Are you sure your majesty?" The Emperor with an air of impatience replied.

    "How do you think I can prepare for the aftermath of this war if I have no idea what this nation can produce."

    "Excuse my lack of reasoning." He replied. "I''ll take you there."

    Gothoc entered the hangar where various technologies recovered during the capture of the island were stored, in the middle of the hangar were a number of aircraft in perfect condition.

    "It emanates no magic." Said the king after a quick glance around.

    "If that''s all it was." Replied a mage approaching.

    "I am Nizuc, the mage in charge of research into summoning technology." He said as he curtsied.

    "Pleased to meet you." Replied the emperor.

    "It seems to me that you said that this plane had other characteristics apart from not emitting magic?"

    "That''s right, we''ve only just started but we''ve been able to establish that its fuel is not Naoil."

    "That''s impossible." The emperor retorted in astonishment.

    After discovering the various German technologies, the demon king couldn''t stop thinking about the fact that nothing showed any sign of magic, including the strange portable screen, and this simple thought made him sigh.

    "I''m going to have to change my methods." He said to himself.

    28th december 2021

    28th passage 3 Adarr 1649

    The diplomatic group from the Kingdom of Elose was moored off the coast of Farosse, not far from the German coast.

    "This map is fabulous." Said the captain as he carefully observed the new map of the region.

    "When I see it, I understand better why the government decided to change the escort''s course." He continued.

    "That''s right." Replied the diplomat. "The government has high expectations of this meeting since their diplomats caused a stir at the conference."

    The captain and the diplomat then left the ship''s cabin.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    On the deck of the dragon carrier Argo, the captain and the other diplomats were now waiting for the transport that the German diplomats had told them to expect at this position.

    A faint mechanical hum could now be heard in the distance.

    "Flying machine in sight." Was transmitted via magiccom.

    "I hope it was them." Pronounced the captain.

    For all the diplomatic group and the rest of the fleet the strange machine could be seen approaching them, to their great relief the machine sported a black cross in a larger white.

    "I don''t see any flotation devices." Said one of the mages on board.

    To everyone''s surprise, the machine hovered above the dragon carrier.

    "What impressive technology, not even demons have such a machine." Exclaimed another mage.

    The machine landed on the back of the dragon carrier with a gigantic blast before its propellers fell silent.

    Output 4 men in green uniforms descending through a side door.

    Each of these men seemed perturbed at the sight of the elves who were making way for them before a group approached them and introduced themselves.

    "I am the captain of the dragon carrier Argo and I welcome you aboard.

    Behind me are the mages and diplomats who are supposed to accompany you to your homeland. Repeated an interpreter.

    The welcome was followed by a small banquet in honour of the German soldiers, before the aircraft took off again accompanied by the elven delegation.

 Chapter 6 counter-attack

    German sky

    It hadn''t been long since Dari and the rest of the elven diplomats had taken off, but already he could see the various German cities below them.

    "The speed of this machine is impressive." They said in unison, but before they could admire the landscape any more, the helicopter stopped in mid-air. "Are we already at their capital?" Dari asked the interpreter.

    "They tell me we''re landing at Bremen airport to take a faster flight." He replied.

    The helicopter now began its descent, allowing the elves to see the expanse of the airport in front of them. "This runway is simply gigantic." They thought, full of admiration.

    "Are those bombers over there?" Wondered one of the mages. "I don''t see any visible weapons and they''re pretty white for bombers. Another mage replied, but without being able to ask any more questions, the sound of the helicopter stopped and the door opened.

    With the door now open Dari could see the gigantic installation before him. "This building is extremely long." He thought.

    The elves were brought out of their wonderment by the soldiers who accompanied them to a plane waiting on the tarmac. "This is a private plane for passenger transport." Translated by the interpreter.

    Inside, the elves were amazed at the comfort and luxury of the plane, and a touch of comedy was added when the stewardess who had welcomed them tried to explain the safety instructions on board.

    "So these planes take off exactly like the demons." Said Maradal, one of the magi who was watching the rare planes take off or land.

    After half an hour''s waiting, the plane began to take off on the runway before taking off in the direction of Berlin.

    It took no more than 20 minutes before the elves were able to observe the immensity of the city before them. "This city is huge, it must be three times the size of ours." They thought to themselves as the green gradually turned to grey.

    Willy-Brandt Berlin Airport

    "It''s extremely cold this winter." Complained the chancellor shivering on the airport tarmac.

    "That''s to be expected." Replied the biologist beside him.

    "Most of the countries in this world are at a level of technology that predates the industrial revolution, so the production of greenhouse gases is lower, which is why we are experiencing exceptionally low temperatures."

    "That''s obvious." replied the Chancellor.

    "Mister, the jet is preparing to approach the runway." asked an airport official. "

    "Finally, I couldn''t stand this cold weather."

    later

    Through the plane''s windows, Dari and the rest of his team watched the gigantic structures of the airport go by as the plane made its way up the runway."Still no magic?" He asked, turning back to the team''s mage.

    The magician closed his briefcase before answering. "I''m still not detecting anything, not even the Madon has made the slightest noise.

    "Dari sighed at this statement. "So Vermond was telling the truth about what the Germans told him about magic."

    The conversation ended when the door was opened and an icy wind rushed in. "With this heating system, it''s easy to forget that it''s the cold season." Said another diplomat.

    Before leaving the plane, the stewardess showed the elves a box with a blue cloth and showed them how to install it.

    "This must be one of their customs". He said to himself before placing the mask over their faces with difficulty.

    As they left, the delegation observed a small welcoming committee before a shivering man stepped forward and extended his hand.

    "I welcome you to Berlin. I am Chancellor Gabriel Lehr, head of the German government, and it is an honour for me to meet envoys from a country in this new world." Translated the interpreter. "It''s an honour for us too." Dari replied as he shook hands with the Chancellor.

    The delegation was guided to the vehicles waiting for them on the tarmac before setting off in the direction of the Federal Chancellery.

    "I wonder why this gigantic road is so empty?" Asked one of the diplomats in the car.

    "It''s very simple, with the transfer of our country we''ve lost the supply of fuel for our vehicles and infrastructures, and for the moment we have to make do with our local production, so to avoid running out of stock too quickly we''ve limited transport to the strict minimum, even though these roads are usually quite full." Replied the chancellor.

    The elves were constantly amazed at the sight of some of the largest buildings on their route, and this amazement reached a peak when they passed by the largest in the area.

    "This building is impressive, it far exceeds the tallest of our towers." Exclaimed one mage.

    "Is this tower the greatest of your country''s skills?" Asked the interpreter, looking astonished.

    "No, as far as I know, the towers in our country rarely rise above 170 metres, the highest of them is around 370 metres, although in our former world the highest of them was around 830 metres."

    Not understanding what a metre meant, the interpreter looked a little confused and fell silent.Seeing the look on the interpreter''s face, one of the historians accompanying the group broke his silence.

    "We were told that your country was in an industrial period, but from the expressions of your colleagues you don''t seem to have any large buildings in your country."

    "That''s right, we live in harmony with nature and we build most of our buildings supported by trees, but even so we can hardly get higher than these, so to see them so high without the help of a tree is impressive."

    "Your country sounds very interesting." Replied the historian.

    The group finally arrived at the Federal Chancellery where they were taken to a large room where various people were already waiting to start the talks.

    "The meeting is about to begin." Said the chancellor.

    30th december 202130th passage 3 Adarr 1649

    Heligoland 8pm

    It had now been several hours since the sun had set over the Heligoland archipelago, the islands bathed in total darkness following the destruction of the power cables coming from the continent. In the distance, the lights of a few cargo ships unloading military equipment could be seen.

    The island''s airfield had changed dramatically, rapidly expanding into a military complex waiting to be armed.

    The town was very quiet, the inhabitants in their homes while the soldiers did their rounds.

    While not far away in the darkness you could just make out the shape of the battleships at anchor.

    On the fleet the sailors were resting in their bunks rocked by the pitching of the ships, while in the battleship Addos the officers were preparing the bulk of the invasion on German soil.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "We still don''t have a plane that has managed to fly over their territory?" Asked the admiral sitting at his table.

    "Unfortunately not sir, the enemy aviation seems to be formidable." Exclaimed one of the officers.

    Their conversation came to an abrupt end when the sound of a loud explosion shook the entire fleet, waking up all the sailors hastily emerging from their bunks. "What''s going on?"

    "I heard a bang." Two sailors said to each other as they stepped out into the corridor.

    "Mister, the Terrore has been hit and is sinking fast. Interpelled the communications operator. Immediately another explosion was heard not far from their position. "We''re under attack!"

    "Send all sailors to their battle stations and prepare to send in a squadron of night fighters." Said the admiral, leaving the officers behind.

    On the bridge of the flagship, Admiral Ethiuc watched in horror as the Mefar aircraft carrier was covered in flames, before his attention turned to the gradual explosion of 5 destroyers. "Where are the enemy units?" He exclaimed."Sir, we''re not detecting any presence around us." Replied a sailor before another distant explosion could be heard. "The bastards are using ghost ships." He muttered.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "Send in the destroyers capable of sending this ghost ship to the bottom, the rest of the fleet gets moving."

    Somewhere in Germany

    Through the window of his flat, Manuel Rosenbaum watches the city soak in an immense

    darkness lit only by the dim light of the sky and a few building lights.

    During his contemplation Manuel kept torturing his mind.

    Finally Manuel let out a sigh as he thought of his family stranded on the island, of whom he had no news since the invasion.

    Inwardly, Manuel, like most of the population, was angry at the government for not having taken

    enough measures to prevent the invasion from happening.

    While Manuel was deep in thought, the journalists'' attention was drawn to a huge warship

    illuminated by an explosion.

    Volciste invasion fleet

    "We''ve been hit!!!" Cried the helmsman shaken by the impact."I want to know the extent of the damage." Asked the captain.

    It wasn''t long before a fire was visible in and around turret 2 from the command post.

    The fire was quickly brought under control and the damage was clearly visible.

    "Those bastards, they''ve got a ship nearby." Admiral Ethiuc thought to himself.

    "How come we didn''t detect it?" He asked.

    "We don''t know, sir. His signature might have been confused with the island." Stammered the sailor in front of him.

    The Admiral''s attention was diverted by the peculiar sound of several aircraft engines above them. "Here comes the air support at last."

    "Tell them to look out for any ships in the vicinity." He continued.

    But very quickly, at horizon level, the admiral saw a strange star mysteriously appear from nowhere.

    "What''s that?"But before he could get an answer, the star whizzed past their battleship before exploding, taking out the unfortunate aircraft in its path.

    As suddenly as the first object had appeared, a multitude of others arrived, striking other aircraft to the total impotence of the anti-aircraft defences.

    "This weapon is inconceivable." Said the admiral as he watched the object change course in mid-air. "So many of our aircraft shot down in such a short space of time."

    Finally, the sound of the explosions was becoming familiar to everyone, although the agonised screams of thousands of their colleagues could be heard all around them, creating a macabre and intolerable melody.

    An hour into the attack, the naval force had been reduced to just three floating destroyers, five cruisers and the four battleships, which had been relatively spared, while the aircraft carriers had been the first to go.

    Admiral Ethiuc had also changed in the hour since the battle in front of him weighed heavily on his mind.

    As another explosion hit the battleship, the admiral felt the ship lose speed rapidly under it."What''s going on?" He asked as he emerged from his cabin.

    "The enemy has damaged our propellers, so we''re losing speed.

    ___

    On the island of D��ne, the soldiers could do nothing about the situation unfolding offshore, they still had no weapons to protect the island and the night planes they had were shot down by these projectiles.

    Ukkilde Skullwreck scanned the possible area where the enemy boats might be, without seeing anything, but finally after all this time, braving the surrounding darkness, a light appeared on the horizon, the same light that had shot down their planes.

    "I see one of those lights!" He exclaimed, sprinting towards the building housing the command center. But before he could finish crossing the airfield, an explosion echoed at the other end of the runway, followed by others, engulfing him and all his colleagues in death.

    ___

    "Mister, we are no longer receiving any communications from the base." Exclaimed the communications operator before a call to the lookout cut them off.

    "We''ve pinpointed the area where the guide shells are being fired." Exclaimed the demon.

    Shortly after the news, all the turrets still in service adjusted their position in the direction of the target, before the whole fleet fired one after the other.

    Seconds passed but no trace of an explosion could be seen at the point of impact."Could we be wrong?" Asked a completely demoralised sailor.

    But from the same spot and from so far away a new salvo of guided shells gradually appeared.

    "COVER!!!" Shouted an officer before a series of explosions, all more or less violent, silenced the anti-aircraft defences.

    ~Multiple fires on board, perforation at waterline level.~ From now on, do not cease to be emitted from the communication console.

    ~The Triumph has just exploded, and is sinking fast.~ The bad news keeps piling up in the magiccom before everything is covered in absolute white.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    ___

    In the darkness of the night, the Schei landing craft accompanied by civilian-made LCT (landing craft tanks) approached the Heligoland archipelago. Hundreds of soldiers accompanied by armoured vehicles prepared to approach the beaches of the two islands in order to dislodge the Volciste troops still alive.

    In the distance, the flames of the remaining aircraft became increasingly visible before the boat stopped just short of the beach, allowing the soldiers to leave.

    The armoured vehicles quickly set off towards the enemy entrenchments.

    ___

    "They''ve arrived!!" Declared the soldier scanning the horizon with his binoculars.

    "Prepare your spells, they have armored vehicles." Shouted another soldier.

    This simple piece of information made a good part of everything in the trench tremble, everyone watched the vehicles get progressively closer to them, until one of the vehicles came to a halt when a series of spikes thrown by one of the soldiers came out of the ground.

    This simple outburst remotivated the troops who were surrounding it, each one of them casting spells on the enemy.

    *Bang*

    This family sounds astonished the Volcist soldiers. "They''ve got firearms!" Exclaimed the commander before more shots were fired, this time from the armoured vehicles.

    "It''s cowards using firearms at such close range." Barked one of the soldiers, although the demons soon retaliated by firing high-speed ice spikes and the rest of their grenades.

    The fighting raged on the island of D��ne while the rest of the troops on the main island were also losing ground, trying as best they could to eliminate the German soldiers who were barely visible in the darkness.

    "How can they see us in this darkness, even though they''re only humans?" Wondered the soldiers being gunned down in every alley.

    Since the firefight began in the town, the demons had started to encounter new enemies here and there, as the inhabitants had collected weapons from the local police station out of sight, making each alleyway more dangerous than the last.

    On D��ne Island, following the total destruction of the air base and almost the entire chain of command, the soldiers who were lucky enough to survive led a disorganised resistance that was ineffective in the face of the German advance.

    ~This is the German armed forces, we are surrounding you, stop fighting and surrender.~

    Under this announcement the surviving troops were in a state of total incomprehension.

    "What did they say? I don''t understand their language. Don''t they speak the continental language? Who here speaks Farossians?"

    Every soldier didn''t know what to do in this situation the naval forces were gone, the air forces had been silenced and there were only a handful of their comrades left.

    "What if he told us to surrender." Suggested a young soldier in his twenties.

    "You fool, that doesn''t make any sense." They said aggressively.

    "You''re probably right." Replied the young soldier completely demoralised before jumping out of the trench with his hands in the air, nobody tried to stop him preferring to let him get shot, but that never happened.

    Everyone saw the young soldier picked up by the enemy but still alive, which quickly motivated each soldier to get out of their trench by raising their hands in the air.

    ___

    ~Here on the island of D��ne, the last of the enemy have surrendered and the fighting is over on our side.~ Announced the soldiers over the radio.

    Only the distant echoes of jerky gunfire could be heard coming from the other island before finally coming to a halt.

    ___

    Pain was all that Admiral Ethiuc felt as he awoke, the room was silent, not a sound from any of the various devices could be heard, but a vague, distant noise could be heard all the same, forcing him to open his eyes.

    "Admiral, by the gods you survived." A completely disfigured person said to him.

    Looking around, the admiral noticed that he was no longer in the command post but in a room with a gutted roof.

    "What''s the situation?" He asked.

    The sailor had to look around before answering. "It''s critical sir, we''ve lost the Triumph and the rest of the battleships are too badly damaged to continue the fight."

    "What about this one?" He asked again.

    "We''re probably one of the worst hit, the superstructure where you were has been blown away, the turrets are unusable and we have no engines."

    The admiral tried to move to see for himself, before a noise caught his attention, nothing could be seen in the darkness but very quickly the few surviving searchlights began to illuminate the surroundings.

    It was a small aircraft flying over the inert remains of the battleship.

    "This is a rotary-wing aircraft." Said the admiral.

    The aircraft moved away as quickly as it had come, leaving the battleships in the silence of the night, at least that''s what the sailors wanted as a new aircraft arrived, this time much larger.

    ~This is the German Navy, your fleet is no longer fit to fight, surrender and no harm will come to you.~

    The next message was translated by the few Farosser speakers, quickly agitating the surviving sailors.

    "Surrender and then what, die instead." Some of the sailors said at the same time. "That''s enough. Think about it, you''re going to fight with what even the anti-aircraft defences couldn''t fire to shoot down that aircraft, and you think our ships still have the means to defend themselves." Bellowed the admiral.

    In the silence of the other sailors he continued. "Now take a boat and relay to the surviving ship that we are surrendering."

 Chapter 7 in the kingdom of the Elves

    Volciste empire

    "It''s been a long night." That''s what the entire high command had collectively thought since communications from the naval aviation group went silent when suddenly the doors of the room opened. "What are the casualties?" The Emperor asked loudly. "Here you are at last, Your Majesty." He said in unison.

    A chill had fallen over the room as the Emperor sat back letting the officers slip him a report on the situation."How could it have happened so quickly?" He mused with an overwhelmed air.

    We''re still not sure, your Majesty, but the few accounts transmitted via the magiccom referred to a new type of weapon.

    "A new type of weapon, interesting." He said as he rubbed his chin, suddenly the emperor hit the dot on the desk and stood up.

    "A new weapon and you''re telling me our spies didn''t even identify it in time!"

    "It''s more complex than that your majesty." Replied the frightened head of the intelligence services."Then what is it?" Replied the Emperor."No agent has managed to penetrate German territory, either by sea or land.

    "The Emperor breathed out a breath before calming down. "Didn''t you try parachuting in our spies?"

    "Of course we did, but no planes came back we only found the scattered wreckage of one of our aircraft."

    The emperor sat back in his chair and thought to himself. "So none of our human spies have managed to penetrate this country, so why?"

    "Their border is heavily guarded and prevents anyone without proper clearance from crossing, the reason is that there is an epidemic going on in their country and they don''t wish to infect the population of other countries."

    "That could work in our favour." Replied the emperor before continuing. "Given that getting into their country is a difficult task, there''s a good chance that they''ll export weapons to neighbouring countries.

    You will therefore send the spies to the largest trading ports, where they will surely supply weapons.

    Finally, the emperor turned to his general, who had remained silent. "General Akkaw, how is the front line progressing with the elven guerrillas?"

    "It is no longer a problem, Your Majesty, our Peacekeepers have crushed the main pockets of resistance, allowing the rest of the soldiers to advance more easily inland."

    "That is all very well." Replied the Emperor. "It would seem that I now have a tough opponent to face, in which case I''ll give you three weeks to get the King of Elose to surrender, we must quickly redirect our forces there against these Germans." He continued.

    4th January 20224th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    23 miles west of the coast of the kingdom of Elose

    "What a beautiful morning." Dari thought to himself as he gazed at the horizon aboard the Sachsen-Anhalt.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The land was not yet visible on the horizon, but the fumes from the coastal industries were clearly discernible.

    A faint noise shifted his attention to the portable magiccom, which was beginning to sizzle.

    One of the mages immediately rushed to the magiccom and began to adjust it by turning a few knobs. ~Harbour of Foureia, we are diplomats authorized by the royal family.

    We are currently accompanied by a merchant convoy under military protection directly from the

    continent, and we request berths for docking with ships ranging from 2 to 4 conufe.~

    ~This is the captaincy of Foureia the coast is not safe at the moment we are bringing a small group of ships to meet you.~

    "These magiccom are impressive." The captain remarked.

    "What do you mean by that?" Dari then asked.

    "We were asked before we left to let you communicate with this magiccom because we thought we couldn''t pick up the waves emitted by these magiccom, but the communication you''ve just made proves that any communication between a radio and a magiccom seems impossible at the moment."

    "That could cause problems." Dari and his team realised.

    The group of boats was very quickly detected by the radars. Finally, after about ten minutes, thirty or so dots appeared one after the other on the radar.

    "Multiple radar signatures 160 km to the north-west." Report opz (cic).

    "Did your country send these famous flying beasts?" Asked the captain.

    The elves soon made a funny face as they observed the area shown on the map.

    "There hasn''t been a wyvern in this area for weeks." He replied.

    "Call the other ships that are preparing to take on unknown aircraft."

    30 minutes later

    The sailors scanned the horizon, searching for the militarized convoy near their position.

    "Do you really think that this convoy has ships ranging from 2 to 4 conufe?" Wondered some of the sailors.

    "Of course not, apart from the demons no one has managed to exceed 2 conufe on the continent.

    If you ask me that diplomat has just gone mad." Answer another sailor with a sneer.

    "And if he was a traitor." Suggested another sailor.

    "That''s true why call on us if they''re already armed, if you ask me the guy-s joined the demons." He continued.

    Very quickly the chattering of the other sailors came to a halt after the shouting of the lookout. "Demon aircraft approaching starboard!"

    Immediately the sailors rushed to their stations for the coming battle.

    ___

    "Still nothing." Complained the pilots of the bombers looking for the military convoy that was the source of the communications.

    ~Come on, guys, we''re not far from their possible location. We need to find them and show them how futile their reinforcements are.~ Said the squadron leader.

    ~I see them!~ Exclaimed a pilot.

    "What pretty little prey we''ve got here." Exclaimed the squadron leader, looking in the direction indicated.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    ~I see more boats.~ Another pilot signalled.The pilots'' faces tensed as they saw the appearance of the approaching convoy. "So big." Said the squadron leader. "Who could build destroyers." He wondered, before observing the approaching convoy more closely.

    "I don''t know where they got that destroyer, but their armament seems quite weak."

    ~I want 10 planes to continue on their way to deal with the elves, the others with me we''ll sink his destroyers and all those freighters.~ He continued.

    Shortly afterwards the squadron split up, leaving the small group to attack the elves.

    Once in range, the planes dived towards the elves with a thunderous sound, the first delivering its charge on a battleship, blowing up the turret and the ammunition bay.

    "They''re good shots." Uknux thought to himself as he watched one of his colleagues being shot down.

    At the same time, the rest of the squadron had already covered half the distance and were beginning to see some of the details of the ships clearly, until something caught their attention when a box on the deck of the military ships turned towards them letting out smoke coloured by the red of a flame. "Have they fired?" The pilots asked themselves before a projectile came into view heading straight for them.

    "What is that thing?" asked one pilot as he dodged the object before it changed course and hit

    him from behind.

    The more than unexpected death of their colleagues left the other pilots shocked, before they realised that other objects were being fired at and were closing in on them.

    "They''re monsters." Projected a pilot climbing on a picket to escape the projectile before everything went white.

    ___

    "What''s going on?" Uknux asked himself after the mysterious explosion of the plane lay before him, his eyes turned to the trail of smoke coming from the side of the destroyed aircraft. "By the gods what." He said, seeing others trailing, heading straight towards them, seemingly following their plane.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    No one had time to work out exactly what was happening as the speed of the smoke was so rapid.

    ~There, on the horizon.~ He said after observing a flash where the destroyers were.

    His inattention ended up costing him dearly when his plane was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

    "What an idiot!" He bellowed as he tried to keep his plane in the air, but after a moment the engine burst into flames, forcing him to eject.

    "What have we just been up against." He thought to himself as he watched his plane gradually fall, before seeing it too hit by one of his strange objects, leaving Uknux to fall slowly into the ocean.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    Fouje battleship

    "What happened?" Wondered Commander Virric, who watched in horror as all the Volcist aircraft were wiped out in record time. "Bring the canals down and we''ll pick up our comrades in the water." He announced.

    He was quickly distracted by the arrival of a stressed-looking sailor.

    "Sir a group of very large ships are visible directly ahead of us and they do not have the Volcist flag"

    "Try to establish contact with them now that the jamming is no longer in effect." He responded.

    German convoy

    "This weapon is impressive." The elves said in unison.

    The captain let out a small laugh. "You''re right, with this we can hit an enemy without them having time to see us, even if I''d rather have shot them all with the Rim-116 than the last 10 with the Rim-162s." He declared.

    The diplomats gradually emerged from their fascination after hearing the magiccom start transmitting again.

    ~This is the Fouje battleship, please identify yourselves as soon as possible.~

    ~We are the diplomats mandated by the royal family, the Germans here have eliminated the planes that were attacking you.~ They replied.

    later on

    It only took a few minutes for the city''s harbour to become completely jammed with people after the appearance of the large ships approaching escorted by the Royal Navy.

    "Get the public out!!!" Ordered the harbour master.

    The ships had stopped on the horizon, leaving two ships to detach themselves from the convoy one was a complete grey and did not seem to contain many weapons, closely followed by a strange red ship with a lot of coloured crates and equipped with cranes.

    As the tugs rushed towards the two incoming ships a messenger arrived with a missive turning the attention of the harbour master towards himself.

    "Sir, we have received a message from the capital."

    "Excellent we finally have the answer, and what do they say?" He asked, straightening the collar of his garment.

    "We were awaiting the return of our diplomats, who have forged relations with the summoned German nation. We rejoice in their return accompanied by these Germans." The messenger continued to read the message while the harbourmaster concentrated on a single piece of information.

    "Nation summoned, the Farossians are remarkable I thought they had summoned a nation of their level or at most that of the dwarves, but this far exceeds my expectations." He said before returning to what the messenger was saying.

    Back home at last, the elves thought to themselves as they took a deep breath and walked up the steps to the port quay.

    "Welcome to the port of Foureia, I''m the port captain and I notice that some of the ships we sent you are missing, do you know what''s happened to them?" He asked in a nervous tone.

    "We were spotted by a group of demon bombers, but if you want more details about this encounter, you''ll need to check with a Farossians speaker with the officer managing this convoy." Continued Dari.

    Shortly afterwards, a group of around ten people got off the ship and approached the small group.

    "Hello, I''m Lena Bain, one of the diplomats assigned to meet your country''s leaders." Communicated the Farossians interpreter, as Lena reached out in their direction.

    "Pleased to meet you." He replied, shaking her hand in return.

    "Our leaders have anticipated the possible arrival of an emissary or any other authority from your country, and have asked us to prepare for you one of the jewels of elven aeronautical engineering that we possess, although the dwarves are a great help to us." He admitted, pointing to an open area where several of what might look like airships stood.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The diplomats looked with fascination at the aircraft presented to them.

    "This airship is magnificent, but I''m afraid I''m going to have to decline this offer, you see we''ve already prepared our own aircraft." She said, pointing to the deck of the boat where a helicopter was already stored.

    "What we need is authorisation to fly over your country as far as your capital." She continued.

    He immediately signalled to someone behind him, who immediately started running.

    "I pass on this request, you''ll have an answer shortly." He declared.

    Finally all eyes turned to the other boat which was starting to move.

    "I almost forgotten, but the diplomat who travelled with you informed us that you were accompanying merchant ships, but I was able to see demon ships before their unification and they were nothing like what you have."

    Lena turned her gaze to one of the people in her group as if to ask for help, which prompted the person to speak up.

    "Excuse me for interfering, but this boat is a container ship, a very different type of cargo ship to what you''ve seen before, making it easier to transport certain cargoes that would be more difficult to transport in other conditions."

    "That sounds convenient, but what is this one carrying?"

    "This ship carries medical supplies as well as weapons and construction equipment." The speaker replied, pushing up his glasses.

    The rest of the elves remained puzzled and thoughtful. "I wonder what kind of weapons he intends to trade."

    As quickly as the questions crossed their minds, a container was unloaded, leaving before their eyes a panoply of weapons of a new kind.

    "As was proposed at the Continental Union conference, our country trades some of our weapons in exchange for mining resources or mining rights, but this will be discussed further with your leaders at a later date. For the moment, the plan is to train your soldiers in exchange for agricultural resources."

    The conversation continued until the messenger returned bringing with him the reply from the capital. "Sir the request to fly into our airspace has been authorised for the German envoys it has been requested that the diplomats sent to Germany guide them to Mangrove airbase"

    "We have the green light." Lena signalled into a walkie-talkie.

    Shortly afterwards the rotors began to turn leaving the Germans to separate from the harbour master finally closing the door of the first helicopter the group took off leaving the harbour town behind them.

    Sky over the capital Zulle

    30 minutes later

    "Are you sure your air base is here?" The co-pilot asked, looking out over the immense valley covered by a dense canopy.

    "Of course, head for this mountain, it''ll be easier to see." Replied one of the elves.

    As he approached the mountain, the pilot noticed a small paved track about thirty metres long with a number of vehicles and people piled up around the edge.

    "Is this what you were talking about?" Asked the co-pilot, pointing to the small runway.

    "Yes, that''s where it is. It''s informing us that there will be no take-offs from the rest of the   runway."

    The helicopter immediately approached the runway and parked above it. "We''ve landed." Declared the pilot as the sound of the rotors began to slow. "Let them know that the diplomatic mission will be arriving in another helicopter." asked the pilot.

    The elves immediately exited the aircraft, giving the pilot time to unload the equipment they had brought with them, before being interrupted by the sound of the second helicopter

    approaching.

    "They were quick." Said the pilots as they watched the second helicopter begin its descent.

    Shortly afterwards, the second helicopter touched down, allowing the diplomats to exit.

    ___

    Lena scanned the area where they had landed from left to right, from the air it might have looked like an old abandoned road but once on the ground it was only the visible part of a track 4 times as big which continued into the mountain.

    The historians beside Lena seemed particularly excited at the sight of a group coming out of the tunnel.

    Finally the small group approached them.

    "So you''re the ones who sent the Germans." Shouted one of the men emerging from the mass.

    The man stepped forward as the crowd gave way to him before he was close enough to finally introduce himself.

    "I am the First Prince Rotoris, please excuse my father''s absence to meet you." He expressed.

    "I am Lena bath my country has sent us to confirm the agreements sent to us by your emissaries as well as to sign certain mining rights and other urgent business."She said, shaking his hand.

    "Great." He said, before inviting them inside the base, leaving the elf soldiers to tow the helicopters inside."

    Once inside, the full scale of the complex was revealed, what had been an underground airbase giving way on the lower floors to a whole small town in terms of surface area.

    "I welcome you to the second capital of our kingdom." He declared.

    This left the Germans speechless.

    "What exactly do you mean by a second capital?" Asked one of the ethnologists.

    The prince turned to face his interlocutor.

    Our capital is constantly being bombarded, and in the long term it ended up burning down a large part of the mother forest, destroying a good number of industries as well as most of the Royal Palace.

    "To avoid having to rebuild every destroyed building we''ve temporarily transferred this below this base, so that now part of the population lives here to keep our production going 24 hours a day." He explained.

    "But now with what Dari has reported to us from his visit to Farosse has given us a glimmer of hope."

    Finally, the delegation was taken to an area where part of the administration was located.

    The place was a maze of tunnels dotted with rooms of varying size before they were finally led into a large room, the room was not very wide, but its tunnel-like appearance covered in bricks could evoke the feeling of a wine cellar.

    The space was lined with dim lighting emanating from a strange red orb levitating in midair.

    The prince motioned for them to sit down on the chair in the room.

    "Very well, now we can discuss your requests."

 Chapter 8 The chessboard pieces

    7th January 2022

    7th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Kingdom of Elose town of Poinsettia 2pm

    Time seemed to stand still around the town, and neither birds nor the sound of leaves could be heard, yet a sound persisted in the distance at the edge of the forest.

    A tank division was preparing to enter the town after a heavy bombardment, and the tanks moved along the long

    corridor of earth and destroyed trees when a loud explosion immobilised one of the tanks.

    In the rubble of an alleyway in the town, a group of elves waited patiently and apprehensively for the enemy units to arrive.

    Terror gripped their beings as the sound of the planes that had been harassing them was heard close to their position, but despite this they were more than motivated to hold their ground against the enemy.

    As they each retrieved grenades from a crate, a metallic noise approached their position from behind.

    "The Dionas have arrived."

    The elves immediately turned to look at the vehicles coming towards them.

    The armoured vehicles spewed a great deal of black smoke as they crossed the alleyway.

    Placing themselves in a ranger behind a pile of debris, the elves were warned of the imminent arrival of the armoured vehicles coming out of the minefield.

    "Prepare to resist, we are the last rampart before the capital, if we have to retreat in the face of the enemy each put metre cost them more than victory, if we fall the country falls with us." An officer declares.

    As the officer finished his speech far ahead of them at the junction of the alleyway and the main road, the cannon of an tank began to emerge, gradually giving way to the rest of the tank.

    "Fire!!!" Bellowed a soldier aboard the Dionas.

    As quickly as could be said, the three Dionas fired their salvo in the direction of the enemy tank. Of the three shell in the salvo, only two hit their targets, while only one hit the tension pulley immobilising the tank.

    Having just stopped, the tank began to turn its turret.

    "It''s time!" Shouted the soldiers before each in turn throwing their grenade towards the underside of the immobilised vehicle.

    The explosion sounded the death knell for the vehicle''s turret, but it wasn''t long before enemy soldiers emerged from behind the destroyed vehicle.

    The elves welcomed them swiftly with a shower of crystals, piercing through the less fortunate, while the demons retaliated with formidable fire spells.

    ___

    Under the watchful eye of their commander, the demons are gradually infiltrating the town and don''t hesitate to enter the network of tunnels hidden in the walls.

    "This bastard elf is using his cowardly tactics to beat our troops." He complained.

    "I hope I don''t need to ask for support from a Peacekeeper." He thought to himself as he noted the slow progress of these troops.

    "Commander." Interrupted a soldier returning from the communications tent.

    "What''s going on?" He asked as he saw the usually calm demon becoming agitated.

    "We''ve just deciphered a communication from the elves that says reinforcements are heading for the city."

    "Again, but it never stops, we''re already having trouble moving forward with all this..." Suddenly the commander stopped what he was saying.

    "If it''s just reinforcements why are you more agitated than usual?"

    "It''s because the reinforcements are made up of humans." He replied in a dry tone.

    "Humans." He said with a sneer.

    After a short moment of reflection the commander continued.

    "Change the target for the planes. If they are dealing with troops much stronger than the elves, have them turn back immediately. Otherwise, let them unleash on those humans it will be a change for them." He ordered.

    "I hope it''s not those German troops." He muttered to himself.

    Shortly afterwards the planes stopped their attacks on the town before turning away in search of the human troops.

    At the same time, other armoured divisions arrived at the base camp and were also preparing to enter the town.

    50 km north-west of the battle

    From the top of an open hill near the capital stands a group of Mars ll waiting under the eyes of the first Rotoris prince for the green light.

    "And you''re telling me that this weapon can bombard the demons besieging the city of Poinsettia from this position?" The prince asked in astonishment.

    "Of course, the system can destroy ground targets with great precision." Explained one of the soldiers.

    After a few minutes the group received the green light. ~All targets have reached the position.~ Declared a voice over the radio.

    Once the information had been given, the soldiers escorted the Prince away from the device, accompanied by some nobles.

    When the crowd was at a distance, the Mars ll moved into position in the direction of the target area before firing their salvos.

    In just one minute, all the missiles were fired, astonishing the prince and the nobles, who barely had time to see the missiles leave the horizon.

    later town of Poinsettia

    In the surrounding mountains, in a place where the giant trees were completely absent, a small group of soldiers kept out of sight a truck equipped on the roof with a half sphere of the most crimson red on which to turn a metal plate, while the outside had a rather relaxed atmosphere inside the truck a small group of demons worked hard to observe the display screens in front of them, it was at this moment that one of the demons spat out what he had in his mouth.

    "What the hell is this?" He said in a panic as he watched a multitude of dots in close formation flying at speeds never seen before.

    "Quickly alert the base camp! Unknown aircraft are heading in their direction at insane speeds." He barked at the communication operator.

    At the base camp, the news circulated very quickly and the soldiers rushed to the anti-aircraft defences.

    "Do you think it''s wyverns?" A soldier asked naively.

    "I''d like to but apparently it goes a lot faster than the fastest of our planes." Replied another soldier.

    The various conversations came to a halt when a loud bang was heard in front of them, followed quickly by others, so that within moments all the tanks that had arrived earlier were nothing more than smoking wrecks.

    "I can''t see anything in the sky!!!" Screamed panicked soldiers, before more explosions hit them, sending them from life to death.

    Everyone was speechless as they watched the entire base camp explode from the top of the mountain, completely helpless as the scene unfolded before their eyes.

    "Not even the shield could withstand such an onslaught." Muttered a soldier as he turned towards the truck.

    After the astonishment, everyone went back to their posts, only to notice that every plane in the air was being shot down one after the other.

    "What are we up against?" The soldiers thought to themselves, totally helpless.

    ___

    The fighting in the town seemed to freeze after the explosions, the demons watching in horror as their base camp was blown to ashes and others in complete denial tried to make contact with them, but it wasn''t long before they were fighting again, this time with even more rage.

    Under this rage, some elves had to fall back for fear of being caught in a pincer movement, but all had regained hope.

    "Are the reinforcements almost here?" Asked a soldier watching the wreckage of the enemy camp from the top of a tree.

    "No, they won''t be here until around 2P 240 (4pm)." Another soldier replied.

    After about thirty minutes, the peculiar sound of a plane was heard.

    Contrary to what some people thought, the plane didn''t stay long before leaving from where it had come.

    The fighting was still raging in the town, but it was clear that both armies were exhausted.

    It was only a short time later that a group of vehicles began to be seen very close to the town, splitting into three groups, one of which was heading for the town gate.

    "Reinforcements have arrived." Declared a soldier on the wall, seeing no one nearby he rushed towards the crate lying not far from him before grabbing the pistol inside and firing into the sky, sending up a flare that was visible to everyone in the city.

    After a few minutes a small group of soldiers had gathered at the gates of the southern entrance, allowing them to see a large group of various vehicles, all of them much further advanced than the decoys.

    "So this is what the summoner''s weapons look like." Murmured one of the soldiers, observing all the vehicles in front of them.

    "Die, you long-eared bastard." Shouted a demon stabbing an elf repeatedly.

    "What are you talking about, we''ve got ears as long as theirs. Replied his comrade.

    "You''re right, but I can''t face all these elves any more, they''re far too persistent. He replied to his comrade.

    "Don''t worry, new troops will be arriving to help us, we just have to hold out until dawn." Replied his comrade.

    They were quickly pulled out of their conversation as the street was shaken by the sudden explosion of a tank about twenty meters from their position, creating a large cloud of smoke. But once the smoke cleared, they saw it was unreal, yet another tank stood before them.

    "We have to warn the others, it''s not just humans who have come it''s a real threat." They muttered in shock.

    After regaining their composure, they fled as quickly as possible towards the temporary base.

    "I''ve had one." Declared soldier after shooting a human who was assisting the elves directly in the head.Since the arrival of reinforcements, the demons have been steadily losing ground to the elves and humans, and simply destroying an enemy tank was costing them an enormous amount of ammunition, where as on the other hand it was a simple matter.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Night had fallen and the city was now bathed in darkness, but despite this the fighting continued to the great nightmare of the demons, who had great difficulty in seeing their target.

    "How do they do it? They''re only human but they can see much better than us at night." Complained other demons.

    The darkness allowed the elves to rest after spending the whole day fighting demons, and although the Germans and elves didn''t understand each other, they didn''t hesitate to share a moment of conviviality with each other before returning to the battle.

    It took another 2 hours before the last demons surrendered, completing the siege of the town and allowing the elves and Germans to defend the remains of the northern wall for the night.

    8th January 2022

    8th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    holy empire Falsile places unknown

    <div>

    However, their project takes a completely different turn when war forces them to make a truce with the Federation of Beastmen in Irossa.

    All the companies in charge of the research have turned to the Falsile Empire, where everything seems to point to the presence of abundant oil resources.

    Drilling often began while the construction of sites was still underway, and other steps were also skipped.

    After an hour, the drill bit finally came out of the hole and with it the core sample that the geologists had been waiting for.

    "It seemed to me that you were not using magic." Interrupted the observer from the empire.

    The geologists and scientists were troubled by the man''s statement.

    Once a piece of oil was collected, he signaled one of the people accompanying him to come closer.

    The woman, dressed in religious attire, held a box containing a yellowish crystal.

    "To answer your question, it''s true that we don''t use magic, but for the moment I assume that this oil has contained the magic present in the organisms that enabled it to be created." He replied, covered in doubts and questions.

    somewhere in the north sea

    <div>

    "There are so many and it''s only the beginning of the day." She wondered as she watched the net filled with a variety of fish, all of substantial size.

    <div>

    The fish kept wriggling and struggling before a loud sound wave burst from the fish''s horn, shattering the windows and causing tinnitus for the poor sailor, who dropped the fish on the floor, before in a hurry another sailor guts the fish to no longer endure the auditory suffering.

    <div>

    Volciste Empire

    Capital magic research center

    This place was conducive to the discovery and study of a whole range of magical fields, producing hundreds of studies and discoveries every year.

    Their research, often related to the military domain, was a source of fantasies and coveting for young mages.

    "While this one contains the fuel used in German planes, despite its blue colour, you too have noticed that it is nothing like our fuel." He continued.

    "I thought that all we could do with this black water was to caulk boats and powering mere lamps." The mages said to each other before one of them finally spoke.

    "I forgot to mention that their fuel doesn''t contain a single drop of Naoil, which is why it doesn''t emanate an ounce of mana." He replied.

    "This changes the whole idea we have about the formation of Naoil and the black waters." The mages said to each other in excitement at the news.

    "They''re telling the truth, you''d have to ask the government to publish such a discovery." Continued others covered in excitement.

    somewhere in Germany

    "We demand an end to this dictatorial charade." Shouted some of the demonstrators holding up placards.

    While others believed that the government had hidden the presence of Aliens with a gigantic orbital laser built by NASA.

    "This is all more than interesting." Noted a human on a street corner observing the demonstration.

    8th January 2022

    8th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Kingdom of Elose secret location

    On the face of it, the house was heavily guarded by a large number of soldiers who, as the Prince approached, opened the doors wide.

    "It''s time." He said to the soldiers who immediately stepped aside to let him pass.

    "Yes, I know what you''d say, I shouldn''t be proud it''s not dignified but you see I was right." He said, chuckling slightly.

    "This war had to go on, you see father if you hadn''t had those fine speeches that this war was lost in advance and that it was better to surrender maybe me and the whole army wouldn''t have given up on you and you''d still be really running your country." He continues, sitting down on the bed.

    "Finally the country is still standing, I made it stand with my innovative ideas." The prince paused for a few seconds.

    "Anyway, there''s no point in telling you this any more, it''s the end for you, you''re no longer any use to me now that I''m sure the country will survive."

    The prince finally got up from the bed and headed for the door.

    "If the war had finally gone against us, I would have woken you up so that I could offer you to the demon to stop it." At that moment a sadistic look formed on his face.

    "It is finally time for me father to take your crown."

    The prince left the room before beckoning a doctor to enter behind him.

    "I want the people to believe in a heroic death on the battlefield." He explained to his general who was waiting at the entrance.

 Chapter 9 the escape route

    Germany, Berlin

    Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research

    The Leibniz Institute is a natural science research organisation.

    Located in the heart of Berlin, it is adjacent to the Berlin-Friedrichsfelde Zoological Park.

    Since the transfer, this park has become a place containing many species that, without evidence to the contrary, are foreign to this world, with pheasants becoming de facto the last representatives of their species.

    Inside the Leibniz Institute, Elene Kranz had been observing her new subject of study for a few hours, brought in from within a German forest.

    On the table was a large cage containing a small humanoid creature at least 1 meter tall, with a greenish tinge and human-like skin.

    The creature was reputed to be weak on its own but frighteningly formidable in a pack.

    During the hours of observing the specimen, Elene noted the complete aggressiveness of this species completely tireless, it continued to bite the bars and attempt to snatch her fingers if they got too close.

    She stopped what she was doing when the door opened, revealing her colleagues accompanied by a scholar from Farosse, who seemed amazed by the tour of the park and the state-of-the-art facilities inside the building.

    "You''ve come at just the right time, I''m going to prepare it for scanning." She explained, pointing at the creature known as a goblin.

    After the goblin had fallen asleep under the effect of the sedative, the zoologists carried it to the scanner.

    The scholar silently watched the strange manipulation the Germans were performing on the goblin, without really understanding it.

    After more than 15 minutes of scanning, the goblin was taken out of the machine and returned to its cage.

    "This machine works wonders." Exulted the scholar as he looked at the anatomically accurate image of the goblin.

    "What is this thing?" Wondered the zoologists as they observed an elongated hexagon-shaped mass positioned in the abdomen.

    "It looks like a piece of metal." They suggested to themselves.

    Noting the Germans'' growing questioning, the scholar began to look at the area that was puzzling them.

    "This is a mana crystal, an organ made up largely of crystalline Oriharukon, which has a great capacity to absorb mana and store it in small cells that allow us to use magic.

    Following the scholar''s explanation, the zoologists were amazed to discover species that were completely different from those found on Earth.

    Kingdom of Igonac

    Academy of Magic

    In the kingdom of Igonac, on an island comparable in size to Mallorca (Spain), lies the Academy of Magic, an institute renowned by all, welcoming mages of all ages and from all walks of life, and for a time even welcoming the daughter of Emperor Gothoc before the war.

    Despite the ongoing war, the Academy had kept its doors open, even though many of its students had returned home.

    But for a few days now, a new and rather special group of students had joined the Academy, making it possible for the first time for people who couldn''t do magic to join.

    There were 10 of them, each divided into several classes, and all of them were renowned scientists funded by the german government to study the principles of magic.

    In one of the Academy''s physics classrooms, a rather more unusual course was being held for Germans who did not yet understand the continental language.

    All their teachers had to be Farosser speakers, and the room was full of students, all of whom were there to attend this most unusual of courses.

    "And you''re telling me that what you call mana, the source of all magic, is an energy spread throughout the entire universe?" A German physicist in the room asks.

    "That''s right, but there are two types of mana, the most abundant is repulsion mana, a mana discovered by demons whose energy no one has yet managed to use.

    Its main characteristic is that it controls gravity by inverting it, taking the whole universe with it, whereas the second mana, which is the mana we use, interacts with almost no matter apart from orichalcum and mithril, metals that make up all the living beings on the planet in varying quantities."

    Before he could continue, the physicist stopped the teacher, drawing the attention of the other students.

    "In our world, almost a century ago, we discovered an energy that matches what you call repulsion mana, we call it dark energy, and we have found no trace of the second variant or of the two materials that interact with it." Explained the physicist, taking notes.

    "No Oriharukon how do they live." Mumbled the other pupils, intrigued by the man''s knowledge.

    Germany

    Internet

    The whole internet was abuzz with excitement after the DLR announced the discovery of a new land on this world, broadcast live on the web and national channels.

    After a long wait, the live broadcast started, showing a lone man at a lectern.

    "The invocation catastrophe, everyone saw what happened that day when the halo cut us off from our world and threw us into this unknown and dangerous world.

    In our misfortune we were lucky, lucky that the halo crossed the orbit of several satellites at the time of the transfer bringing this with us into this world, and today thanks to these satellites we have pushed back the cartographic knowledge of this world by discovering this."

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "It''s only 2700 km to the east of our country that we find this land of an as yet unknown surface area, but all we can say is that this land is inhabited not by an industrial society as we have found traces of in the atmosphere, but by another pre-industrial civilisation.

    The reason why these lands have never been discovered despite their proximity remains a mystery, but we will seek to learn more about this world and its mysteries.

    Within a year, in collaboration with the NewSpace, we will send a new fleet of satellites into orbit..."

    The person''s speech continued for a few more long minutes, but everything that followed the event flooded the new web with a stack of comments.

    Location unknown

    "Have you found out where this burst of magic came from?" Asked the man seated in front of a table observing intently the person standing in front of him.

    "Yes, Your Excellency, our mages have been working day and night to triangulate the source of this sudden surge of magic, and they have come to the conclusion that this surge came from reserve number 1." The man explained as he read the document in front of him.

    "Reserve number 1 you say." The man replied, rubbing his chin.

    "Those primitives must surely have found some ancient magic in the lost colony, they certainly didn''t know how to control it." He added with a sneer.

    "How''s the situation on the other side?" He asked, changing the subject.

    The man in front of him fiddled with a few sheets of paper before answering.

    "They are in the midst of a civil war and are unlikely to pose any problems for us at the moment."

    "Yet another proof that we are superior to them." Added the sovereign, before standing up and walking towards the window.

    11th January 2022

    11th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    somewhere in Germany

    From his seat, Uknux observed the city passing by before him.

    A lot had happened since his plane had been shot down, his world had changed completely, for the first time he had felt the fear of his adversary, an adversary who had shown a power greater than theirs and he had easily beaten him with it.

    "It''s extremely empty." He thought to himself as he watched the roads lined with a good number of cars, while the cars on the road were extremely rare.

    After a few minutes, the roads lined with tall houses gave way to huge white buildings, most of them made of sheet metal.

    Just as quickly as these buildings had arrived, this changed at a bend where the road became narrower, with individual houses on its edges.

    The vehicle continued on its way before arriving at a structure surrounded by trees hiding a long concrete wall.

    Finally, after passing through the gates of the enclosure, the vehicle stopped, taking advantage of the pause to look out of the window where it had stopped and from there he could clearly see the extent of the prison before him.

    "I don''t see any protection against magic." He noted, scrutinizing the flaws of the building.

    After getting out of the vehicle, the guards waiting for him at the entrance removed the handcuffs that cut off his mana flow, and that''s when he noticed it.

    "There''s nothing." He thought, noticing no source of mana in the vicinity."You seem to be quick to notice." A person at the entrance to the building came out, and he immediately turned his gaze towards this person, an elf probably 300 years old, who was scrutinising him with a mischievous look.

    "You''re in luck, until the end of the war you''ll now be housed in the first prison in this country to be equipped with a mana absorber." Explained the man with a sneer.

    Berlin Federal Chancellery

    "It doesn''t look too complex." That''s what Chancellor Gabriel said to himself as he listened to the technicians instructions explaining the workings of the magiccom that had just been installed in his office.

    "I was wondering, does it need electricity to work?" He asked, pointing to an electrical socket.

    The technicians looked at each other with some confusion."Electricity? Sorry, but modern magiccoms use a pulse capacitor, so you''ll just have to change it regularly." One of the technicians replied, pointing to a crate filled with crystalline tubes.

    After the technicians explanation and demonstration, the Chancellor found himself alone in his office with a pile of documents.

    He grabbed the first document in front of him before reading it.

    "So spies are inoculating themselves with viruses to make it easier to penetrate the country." He muttered after consulting the contents of the document.

    13th January 2022

    13th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Volciste Empire naval headquarters

    From his office, Admiral Vrok carefully observed the myriad of photographs that had landed on his desk earlier in the morning.

    "The shots focused mainly on a naval base that a spy had discovered on the east coast of Germany. "Finally, real results." He addressed the intelligence chief seated in front of him.

    "That''s right, from what I''ve learned, our spy had caught the virus that the Germans brought with them. He explained proudly.

    "The results are there, but I''m still disappointed by what he''s brought back." He revealed, pointing to the photos.

    "I think it''s a good job though, we''ve got the position as well as details of the enemy navy." Retorted the head of intelligence.

    "It''s not about that, look at those ships they''re only lightly armed." He explained, pointing to a turret with a single small-calibre gun.

    "If they didn''t have that weapon they use all the time our fleet would have no problem sinking them."

    After a moment''s chatter the admiral asked.

    "Ask your spy to continue observing this base, he seems to be amassing ships on this side." After a short moment''s silence the head of intelligence replied.

    "I would love to but he was captured shortly after delivering the images to our relay."

    "That is unfortunate." Replied the admiral, rising to his feet.

    "Follow me, we have other things to do now." He added, accompanying her towards the Air Force office.

    14th January 2022

    14th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Volciste Empire, dependency of Narlux

    Just a few hundred kilometres from the capital of the kingdom of Narlux, in a house hidden from view, the former king looked with disgust at the flag that fluttered in the wind by his window every morning.

    <figure>

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    </figure>

    "One day I won''t see that ugly flag in my country again."

    He complained as he got out of bed, before starting his usual routine.

    On leaving his room, the former king was confronted by demons, two extremely muscular soldiers equipped with their magic amplifier.

    The king pretended to pass by, ignoring them as he always did, before heading for the dining room where the rest of his family was waiting.

    ___

    A hundred metres away, a small group of dwarves watched the fallen king''s routine through binoculars.

    "He has entered the room." That''s what the dwarf with the binoculars signalled to the men behind him.

    "You may fire." The team leader signalled. "Understood." Responded three soldiers hidden in the foliage, before he pulled the trigger, steadily taking down the demons patrolling outside.

    "Warn the second group that they have the all clear." Ordered the group leader before a soldier, camouflaged in a hideout, began tapping on what on Earth would resemble a telegraph station.

    It took no more than thirty seconds after the message before the second group could be seen approaching the building, weapons in hand.

    ___

    The room in which the king was sitting had fallen silent, neither the prince nor the princess could be heard as the guards in the room began to move.

    "Are those gunshots?" Princess Sodel asked, completely frightened.

    "Hide." Replied the king, pointing to the large marble table.

    The princess was in tears as the gunshots came closer and closer. "Come into my arms." Pronounced the prince in an attempt to calm his little sister.

    Bang

    This was the sound that was heard before one of the guards who had been watching the family carefully collapsed.

    "They''ve got more snipers it''s dwarf bastard." Swore another guard, who in confusion cast a spell in the direction of the broken window.

    ___

    Progress was slow but the group of around thirty dwarves kept eliminating more and more soldiers despite the losses they were suffering.

    "Then, a firearm is always a weak weapon?" A dwarf shouted over the corpse of a demon he had just slaughtered.

    "We''d better hurry." Communicated one of the assailants who had retrieved a magiccom.

    "What''s going on?" Asked the head of the operation.

    "They''ve given the order to kill the prisoners." Explained the young man, at these words all the other dwarves flinched. "To hell with it if it picks up our transmissions, set it to our frequency and ask if the enemies are eliminated at the meeting point."

    After confirming the safety of the targets, the dwarves continued their advance until they reached the appointment point.

    "There are probably still demons on this floor, so we split into three groups, the other two finish securing the floor while my group enters the room." Explain the head of operations.

    ___

    Quiet was all the king could hear in the building, the only noises he could hear were the magiccom that kept repeating to kill him as well as the many footsteps getting closer to where he was."As long as I''m here, nothing will happen to us." He explained, hugging his children tightly.

    "Father, come on, I''m not a child any more." Replied the prince a little embarrassed.

    The prince''s little complaints came to an abrupt end when the door to the room suddenly opened, leaving less than a dozen soldiers who had entered the room equipped with bolt-action rifles."It''s been a long time, Your Highness." Said the man who entered last.After hearing this voice, the king poked his head out from under the table.

    "Sugnus, what are you doing here, I sent you to the elves before the surrender." He asked confusedly."I was indeed there, Your Highness, they sent me to make contact with the resistance in order to exfiltrate you to a safer country." He replied.

    "There is no such thing as a safer country." Ranted the prince, who in turn came out from under the table.

    "You have been cut off from the world for over a year and a half, it''s logical that you are not aware." He explained in the calmest of tones.

    "One of the nations on the continent performed a summoning ritual in order to stop the Empire''s offensive, and they apparently made a big mistake in their spell because they summoned a nation that could rival the Empire." He continued, under this statement silence fell for a brief moment before armed men intervened.

    "Commander we should hurry before enemy reinforcements arrive."

    After ensuring the safety of the area, the group left the building accompanied by the king and his family."We have the king, so send the signal." Ordered the first soldier to leave the building.After a few minutes on the run, the king heard an explosion coming from behind them.

    "What was that?" He asked. "It''s our gift to the enemy reinforcements." Sugnus replied.

    After an uncomplicated journey through the nearby forest, the group arrived at the nearby river. "I thought they''d all been sunk." Stammered the king as he observed the boat some ten metres ahead of him.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "This model was stranded on a beach, it was completely stripped down before being stealthily transported to the elves, who restored it to the best of their understanding."

    "I see." Replied the king with an apologetic look.

    It wasn''t long before the submersible started moving and dived out of sight.

    "The demons haven''t expressed the slightest wish to fight the divines and unfortunately the little information we''ve given them about them has aroused the curiosity of the demon king, who has dispatched a fleet to meet them."

    "Captain I''ll give you a moment." He explained before inviting the prince and the king to their seats to present the title of the document.

    "Also, take a look at this photo. It shows the unexplored lands to the East. It was brought by one of the ambassadors of this country who was seeking to know if the elves were aware of these islands."

    "This is the most interesting document about them, we recorded this one as they approached the Prabela Islands, it''s about radio waves emitted between their boat." He explained, to the astonished looks of the King and the Prince.

    "I thought we were the only ones to use radio waves, even the demons haven''t yet understood the manufacture for this method of communication." Reply the prince.

    "If that''s all it was, he''s not using any magic in anything I''ve shown you."

    "That''s the signal, get ready for an ascent, we''ve got an urgent message."

    "He''s asking us to abandon the mission here and continue on land, the ship is changing course to pick us up from a boat near the whistling cliffs." He finished.

    later

    "Our transport awaits us in the forest." Sugnus indicated, pointing to the forest just visible on the horizon.

    To which the two civilians replied. "Product of bright light at night.

    At these words the rest of the group began to emerge from behind the bushes.

    "We are informed of what we need to know." They replied.

    Bellowed the dwarf as the boat began to pull away.

    "The whistling cliffs." Pointing to a sailor with the spyglass.

    "Yes Captain, I can send the identification message followed by our position." He replied.

 Chapter 10 the giants trail

    17th January 2022

    17th passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Kingdom of Elose, border with the Empire

    The war was raging across the Prabela archipelago, with demons everywhere confronting the guerrilla tactics of the elves, coupled with the relentless assaults of the German army, to such an extent that the frontline had frozen for the demons and even retreated in places.

    In the air, the air force was unable to counter the Germans'' anti-aircraft defences, which effectively shot down the planes. Some air bases close to the coast were pounded by missiles launched from the sea.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    For several days now, the drones flying over the front had been recording major troop movements, so much so that all the soldiers and vehicles had made a more than disturbing retreat.

    Subsequently, various groups had been sent out to scout and had found nothing in particular. This had enabled advances of several kilometres into the occupied territory to be made all over the main island.

    While the troops advanced with ease at the front, the elves at the centre of operations were in a completely different frame of mind, some even in panic.

    In one of the aunts set up by the Germans, the operations general was receiving Elose''s chief of staff, who had requested an urgent meeting about the withdrawal of Volciste troops.

    "What exactly do you know about this massive withdrawal?" Asked the lieutenant-general as he placed the documents on his table.

    The elf swallowed before answering.

    "The same situation occurred a few weeks ago, their troops had begun a retreat across the entire front, which provoked us to fight back and advance as far inland as possible. Morale was high and we were ready to face any ambush.

    Even our vehicles were on board to assist us and yet it wasn''t enough in the face of this new tactic on their part."

    "So what happened?" Asked the lieutenant-general.

    "That''s when everything went up in smoke, I''m not talking about the operation but all the soldiers as well as the machines all went up in smoke.

    Reports indicate that a new weapon had been used against us, none of the soldiers could see it but it fired shells at an extraordinary distance and with gigantic power on impact.

    Their range of fire was sufficient to hit and knock down the nearest towns." He explained with regret in his voice.

    "Are you saying these are shells?" Asked the puzzled lieutenant-general.

    "I''ve heard quite a few accounts and each one describes the same thing, it''s as if a cruiser was attacking them from the land."

    As the elf finished, the lieutenant-general mumbled something barely audible. "So it''s not nuclear."

    "I''m going to send some drones to scout around to confirm and see what the threat is." He finished as he escorted the elf outside.

    ___

    The ground in the countryside shook under the gradual passage of the 12th Panzerbrigade, which was accompanied by several Elosian battalions.

    The soldiers had launched from the local command post a breakthrough into the abandoned defenses to occupy the airfields located on the west coast. The 8th Reconnaissance Battalion had scoured the area upstream and had spotted nothing in the vicinity.

    ~Monitor your positions, we are likely to receive very heavy shellfire and artillery cannon fire.~ Announce a soldier on the radio to all units.

    Under the warning from the command post, the group reduced their pace and began to move away from each other.

    Several minutes passed at reduced speed before a volciste plane flew over the area and was shot down by the anti-aircraft defences.

    "Is it a scout?" Wondered the soldiers as they looked off into the distance at the smoking crater where the plane lay.

    As the soldiers advanced between the hills, 3000 m above their heads a Luna x 2000 drone flew over the area in search of the weapons mentioned by the elves, that''s when emerging from the edge of the immense forest the drone''s cameras picked up a huge mass that reflected enormously in the infrared.

    "What is that monster!" Wondered the drone pilot as he watched the huge vehicle appear in front of the cameras.

    "Call the senior staff at the base, we have a huge problem." Spouted the soldier as the vehicle in the cameras began to move.

    ___

    ~Evacuate the area urgently.~ Was the order repeated to all units entering enemy territory.

    For the 12th Panzerbrigade the order had just arrived when a violent explosion enveloped some Leopards.

    "What the hell weapon are they using! " Complained Brigadier General J?rn K��nneth as he watched in horror the results of the explosion.

    As the casualties became cataclysmic, the 12th Panzerbrigade had begun to flee as far and as fast as possible to get out of range of the enemy guns, when suddenly a series of silhouettes emerged from the horizon and began to be clearly spotted by the group.

    "What is that monster." The Germans were astonished, trembling at the sight of a gigantic tank visible in their binoculars several dozen kilometres from their escape point.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The vehicle was so imposing that the soldiers and tanks on its flanks had even become anecdotal.

    "Its armour must be very thick, we''d have to aim at the turrets." General J?rn analysed as he watched one of the guns in the main turret rise up to fire at vehicles further away.

    ___

    Not far away, binoculars in hand, a young woman watches the debacle with a sneer. "They''ll understand what it''s like to use cowardly weapons."

    The young woman dressed in a military uniform was carefully examining the tactics employed by the Germans. With an air of satisfaction she rose from her position and faced the soldiers accompanying her. "I''m done here." She explained, arranging her cap between her horns.

    After about ten metres, a car emerged from the foliage of the forest to pick up the young woman.

    As the vehicle sped through the countryside grass, the young woman carefully noted the observations she had made. She was both pensive and impressed by the feat she had witnessed.

    "Despite the roughness of the terrain, their cannon always remained aimed at precise points on their target, so what have they equipped their tank with to achieve such a result?" She wondered, as her eyes began to focus on the wreckage of a plane shot down several days ago.

    As a result of all the young woman''s reflections, the vehicle eventually arrived near a building with a more than ordinary appearance.

    Once at the door, the woman thought about what she had seen earlier before opening the doors.

    "How''s the operation going?" she asked the man sitting in her chair.

    "Your return has been eagerly awaited, Princess Oune." Communicated the man as he placed his foot down in front of her.

    The princess looked with annoyance at the man who seemed to be waiting for the order to raise his head.

    "General, we don''t have time for this, I need to know how the other Peacekeepers'' assault went."

    The man noted the impatience in the princess''s voice and stood up. "My apologies Your Highness, to come to your question unfortunately it seems that our Peacekeepers were spotted leading to a retreat on their side only a few rare fights took place to our advantage, moreover one of the enemy units have trucks equipped with their rockets which damaged one of the Peacekeepers."

    The princess listened to the man, arms folded in silence.

    "This information is very interesting." Finally deciding to speak, the princess sipped a cup of coffee and continued.

    "I have carefully observed the debacle of the unit spotted to the east against our show of force, it is obvious that the range of our Peacemakers gives us a great advantage over their armour, but frankly without this advantage the victory would have been theirs."

    The general listened to the princess with eyes full of interest.

    "After a great deal of thought, I have come to the conclusion that if we want to gain the upper hand, we will have to use a strategy that includes our Peacekeepers, for example, replacing the aerial bombings, which have become impossible due to their anti-aircraft defenses, with bombings by our Peacekeepers, which are less at risk than our planes." She continued in the most serious tone.

    "I''ll take note of your comments, Princess, and adapt my strategies accordingly." He commented on the suggestion.

    a few minutes later

    The arrival of the super-tank on the front line had shaken people''s spirits, and for the time being losses had been limited to a few unlucky ones who had come under enemy fire, such as the 12th Panzerbrigade, which had suffered heavy losses during their escape.

    "What kind of lunatic agreed to create such a vehicle?" Complained the various soldiers.

    Calm had finally returned although the brigade was still on the move in order to stay out of the super-tank''s very long range of fire.

    "Even anti-tank weapons won''t be effective enough against this beast." Muttered J?rn.

    ___

    Just 5 km south of the 12th Panzerbrigade''s position, a group of Tigers flew over the island''s vast forest, aiming for the super-tank that was being unleashed at this point on the front.

    "It''s visible from so far away." Greta Edelstrein was surprised as she observed from her aircraft a bright flash caused by a shot from the super-tank''s turret.

    After a few more minutes, the group of tigers covered the last few kilometres that prevented them from attacking the behemoth.

    Once they had reached the 6km range, the Tigers immediately launched their Pars 3 LR, each of which locked onto the heat of the super-tank, before the Tigers turned around.

    The missiles hit their targets in around twenty seconds, puncturing the super-tank''s armour and setting fire to the ammunition bay, which exploded to the great helplessness of the demons on board.

    The day continued with the gradual destruction of the other super-tanks scattered along the length of the front.

    21st January 2022

    21st passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    North Sea 6h30

    After more than a week of perilous navigation, carefully avoiding detection at all costs, the cargo ship carrying the royal family of Narlux had now entered the most difficult part of its journey. The ship hugged the norther route possible to pass as far away from the Volcist-controlled Difos Islands as possible, allowing the cargo to navigate through what was now called the North Sea, where the Empire''s navy attempted to patrol.

    The sun had not yet risen, yet a series of strange red lights streaked the horizon in front of the freighter.

    "Captain this is the land ahead?" Asked the King who had been intrigued by all these lights.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original."Your Majesty, you are very early, unfortunately I do not have the answer yet it is indicated on the map that we are supposed to be several hundred millepass (minute) from German land." Replied the captain before two soldiers entered the cabin.

    "Captain the balloon is ready for take-off." Inform the soldiers.

    As soon as the information was passed on the captain glanced in the direction of the king.

    "Excellent, have the reconnaissance team take off while we move the cargo away." He ordered.

    ___

    From their hot-air balloon, Ogla and Amuhr watched the seemingly endless expanse of water below them. "Still nothing." Ogla complained, even though there was no sign of any land nearby.

    "You''re right." Amuhr replied with a sigh. "Lower our altitude to see what all these lights are." He suggested.

    After ten minutes or so of lowering their altitude, the duo found themselves not far from one of the red lights. "Is that a platform?" Surprised Ogla after she projected a spotlight towards a yellow pylon that was going off white.

    "It reminds me of the Empire''s defence stations." Amuhr replied in astonishment.

    "QUICK REVERSE!!!" Ogla ordered, raising her voice before Amuhr noticed a piece of the structure hurtling towards them.

    Without having more time to turn the engine backwards, the balloon was hit by the strange pylon before gaining altitude very quickly.

    "What''s that?" The duo asked themselves as they realised that their balloon had not plunged into the icy sea.

    "It looks like a windmill." Ogla noted as the flickering spotlight began to illuminate the centre of the structure, which was chased by three huge, slowly rotating blades.

    "We must warn the boat not to approach this area." Amuhr expressed as he tried to make contact with the wireless radio. But as the wind turbine blade began to descend, it gradually slid the balloon towards the edge of the blade, which eventually plummeted rapidly into the sea.

    ___

    An hour had passed since the departure of the balloon, and although the sun had not yet risen, the sky was bright enough for the wind turbines to be visible from the ship all along the horizon.

    As the captain gazed in amazement at the strange landscape before him, a soldier called out to him. "Sir, we''ve had a call from the Crow''s Nest, they''ve pinpointed the position of the balloon, it seems to have sunk but the crew''s dinghy is hanging on to those windmill things." He finished.

    "That''s excellent news, their canoes can''t go all that distance, get one down and send a team to recover them." He ordered in a calm voice.

    After about thirty minutes of sailing, the dinghy was back alongside the cargo ship, aboard which were the crew of the hot-air balloon who, despite their warm clothing, were freezing from their swim in the sea.

    Sitting at a table Sugnus consulted the report that had been provided by the balloon crew and their guess as to the reason for this structure offshore.

    "A large-scale power grid." He mumbled, rubbing his chin.

    After picking up the crew from the balloon, the cargo ship changed course to avoid the very large obstacle zone that was the wind farm, so as to be able to recover the desired trajectory.

    While the navigation was going well, the crew was suddenly disturbed by the sound of a bell ringing in the command post.

    "What''s going on?" Asked the worried captain.

    "The Telemobiloskop has detected a ship in the vicinity." Replied the sailor who was reading the information on the screen.

    This information chilled the blood of the entire crew making the captain react quickly. "If it''s the Empire, they must have detected us. Veer to starboard, we''re entering this windmill field." He announced.

    a few minutes later

    30 km further south

    The sun was finally rising for the crew of the Bad B��den, one of the few coastguard vessels to be equipped with a cannon, the ship had been assigned to the surveillance and protection of the northernmost wind farms.

    The task was a peaceful one, with the exception of a few stray rigs, the ship had not needed to resort to force, until early that morning when strange radio signals were detected not far from the Dan tysk wind farm, to make matters worse the radar detected two floating masses some twenty kilometres apart.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The crew took the threat seriously and were already prepared to take all necessary measures in the event of a threat, so in order to find out the nature of the potential threat a Super Puma helicopter was sent out to reconnoitre.

    Several kilometres away, as the helicopter approached the position of the two ships, once the two boats were in sight, the pilot was presented with an entirely different scene.

    In front of the pilots were two ships shooting at each other, one clearly belonging to the Empire while the other was from an unknown nation.

    "What''s going on here?" The pilots asked themselves as explosions appeared on the decks of the two ships.

    later

    On the Bad B��den, the atmosphere was completely different. The simple little jumps observed on the radio had become a series of clear and precise messages.

    "I still can''t understand this language."

    Complained the communications operator.

    "Whatever they''re saying, send them a message."

    5 minutes passed after the message was sent, and communications resumed, this time it was German albeit in a more stammering form.

    ~SOS here Hope to all German ships in the vicinity.

    We have come from the Iwux Islands to your country with the king of our country on board, who is fleeing from the Empire, and are seeking political asylum.

    At present we have a leak as we are facing a volciste destroyer, and request the assistance of a combat ship.~

    "Signal all civilian vessels to stay clear of the area, and advise our superiors on the course of action to be taken."

    After about twenty minutes, the crew received a reply directly from the Luftwaffe.

    ~Bad B��den, an attack group will be sent to your position. In the meantime, intercept the Empire''s boat and keep it occupied until reinforcements arrive. If a threat is visible coming from the second boat, report it, and it will be added to the targets.~

    ___

    For the Hope the debacle continued, the Empire destroyer had received some damage but not enough to sink her.

    "A German ship is coming our way!" Exclaimed the communications operator as he emerged from his room. "The translation is not certain but it appears to be a coastal patrol boat, they are going to attack the destroyer and inform us that they will not hesitate to retaliate if we fire on them."

    The news had had the effect of a bomb in the command post, leading to a complete calm that was quickly cut short by Sugnus'' words. "That''s good news, warn the crew it would be a shame if they inadvertently fired on the ship."

    But Sugnus''s words were quickly cut off by the communications operator. "That''s not all, I''ve managed to pick up a faint message from the magiccom to the destroyer, ordering them to stop all manoeuvres and turn back." He finished.

    While the battle continued just as fiercely, a ship began to take shape on the horizon as seen from the masts of the two ships, before becoming a clear and distinct shape to the naked eye, which astonished the crew of the Hope for its appearance.

    "What a strange boat." The crew wondered, looking at the deep blue hull.

    "I can only see one cannon." Informed the captain at Sugnus, as a series of flashes emerged from the German ship''s cannon.

    As the sound of repeated gunfire reached their ears, the volciste destroyer received an extremely precise shower of explosions.

    "Not a single shell to miss." Marvelled the captain as he lowered his binoculars.

    From the destroyer Volciste

    "I want a report on what the damage is." Ordered the destroyer''s captain as multiple impacts had just been felt.

    "This is bastard, he''s preventing me from proving my worth to the Empire." Complained the captain as he watched the freighter take advantage of the opportunity to move away.

    "A week of searching for the Empire around the Prabela Islands only for me to stumble across it, I don''t want to lose this chance." Ruminated the captain, before turning his eyes to the German ship. "I want to see that patrol boat at the bottom of the sea!" He demanded.

    Immediately after his order, the destroyer''s turrets turned and fired towards the coastguard vessel.

    The boat was surrounded by the explosions of the shells in the water, but there was no sign of impact. "Tsu We must be getting close." He noted with the faint precision of the salvo. "Prepare the next salvo." He ordered, as at the same time, more shots emanated from the German boat. "What an impressive rate of fire." Wondered the captain as the shells were about to hit.

    "Front rangefinder damaged, it''s unusable." Informed a sailor covered in blood.

    The sailors aboard the destroyer were running from one end of the ship to the other to get to the stern rangefinder, when the ship was shaken by an even louder explosion that shook the entire ship at hull level. "What''s going on?" Asked the captain as he got to his feet and avoided the shards of glass on the floor.

    Just as the crew was recovering from the shock of the violent explosion, another bang came from the sky, this time of a completely different nature. "Have we angered the heavens." The sailors wondered as the sky roared omnipresently.

    Very quickly, the crew struggled to stand upright as the boat dangerously listed to port. "Evacuate the boat." Ordered the captain, before the boat reached a critical point and capsized completely over onto its back.

    On board Hope, the shock of the events was still great. "I didn''t think their plane was at this level." Sugnus marvelled as he contemplated the destroyer that had just capsized after the missiles had hit its side.

    "Looked at the back of the German patrol boat." Indicated one of the sailors as he noticed an aircraft coming out of a hangar, but quickly his gaze was directed towards the person who had entered the room. "The damage list is complete, we''ve lost compartment 2, compartment 4 and now under control, the fires are almost all under control." He listed.

    On the destroyer the red hull still visible was now clutched by the few dozen survivors who had managed to escape from the destroyer, which with this cold morning had all gathered on the hull floating above the water. "Look, they''ve sent an aircraft." Pointed one of the survivors, shivering with cold.

    The helicopter, coming straight from the Bad B��den, made a low-altitude pass, frightening the survivors who thought they were being shot at. However, nothing happened. Instead, the helicopter dropped a series of life-support overboard before turning back.

    As the shipwrecked watched in amazement as the lifeboats dropped on them, a few miles away two orange-hued boats splitting the waves approached.

    "They''re coming with boats." Said another of the survivors, as the boats were clearly visible on the surface of the water.

    "What a disgrace, they have firearms." Indicated another as two armed people per boat came into view.

    "This is the German Federal Police Force, you are under arrest, please get into the lifeboats you will be towed to our boat." Inform a voice in a megaphone with a stammering continental language.

    ___

    "The shooting has stopped." The king, sheltered with his family in their cabin, ready to evacuate at any moment.

    "Father I can no longer see the destroyer from the porthole." Observed the prince, inviting his father to observe for himself.

    "That great noise just now, perhaps something has happened to them." Said the king, but without having time to think more someone knocked on the door. "Your Highness you can come, it might interest you." Informing the sailor on the other side of the door.

    The king turned around and faced the prince, as well as the princess, who was hidden under her bed. "I''ll be right back."

    On leaving his cabin the King was led to the top of the freighter where the captain and Sugnus were waiting for him. "There you are, Your Highness." Sugnus began, handing him the binoculars.

    The King took the binoculars and began to observe what Sugnus was pointing at. In front of him was an upturned hull surrounded by orange channels and debris. "What happened?" The King asked, impressed by what remained of the destroyer.

    "It''s the Germans, they responded to one of our communications and came to lend us a hand using aircraft and this boat." He finished by pointing to the coastguard boat.

    "What action do you intend to take now?" Asked the king.

    In response to the king''s question, Captain andSugnus turned to the towering wooden mast on their side, where sailors were visible untying cables. "We are rearranging the balloon take-off area to allow one of their vehicles to land." Finish Sugnus.

    20 minutes had passed since the destroyer had overturned and ended up sinking, leaving an area covered in debris, while the demons slowly boarded the Bad B��den to either receive urgent treatment or be taken directly into custody.

    As for the dwarves, they had finished detaching the support cables, leaving the runway completely clear and accessible to a helicopter, while in the distance the helicopter was already starting to approach and was clearly visible.

    "Upon closer inspection, this ship is quite peculiar," remarked the Super Puma pilots as they were 500 meters away from the cargo vessel.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    The cargo vessel was still smoking in some areas, but the landing area was clearly visible, allowing the helicopter to approach quickly before touching down. As the rotor began to stop, a group of men emerged from a tent-like structure. "They''re not very tall," observed the pilots as the door opened, allowing the occupants of the helicopter to exit.

    ___

    "So they have rotary wing aircraft." Looking at the king in amazement as a small group emerged from the aircraft.

    "Father they are also equipped with firearms." The prince pointed out, noticing the belts worn by the men in front of them.

    As the men approached the King climbed the steps of a stool to a more suitable height. "Welcome aboard the Hope, I''m King Mekso and these are my children." Said the interpreter, as the king held out his hand.

    "Pleased to meet you, I''m Axel Krauser and we''re from the German Federal Police." The man replied, shaking hands with the king.

    Once the greetings had been made, the Germans immediately broached the subject of their visit.

    "As your communications have indicated, you wish to enter our country." He began. "We are going to guide you out of this wind field and take you for the time of an investigation to one of our overseas territories before you can access the continent." Finished the man, handing them a nautical chart of the area.

 chapter 11 the discovery

    On this cold morning, the King was watching the sea from the upper deck. Since the confrontation, the sun had been high in the sky.

    As the Hopepe, accompanied by the Bad B��den, gradually approached a landmass barely discernible on the horizon, the king gazed at the small, distant piece of land that was growing larger by the minute. "These are islands." He thought.

    The crew, for their part, were looking at an island covered in craters and ashes, wondering what could have happened there.

    "What''s that?" Said the king, pointing to a series of small black masses protruding from the horizon. Sugnus and the captain immediately pointed their binoculars in the direction indicated and looked stunned. "These are shipwrecks, and they''re all from the Empire." The captain explained as the cabin door opened, letting in a small group of German sailors.

    "Fog bank is expected in the area, from now on we take the helm to steer you to safety." Explained the group''s translator.

    Despite some reluctance, the captain agreed to hand over the helm. As soon as the Germans had the helm, the boat quickly changed course. "Make a course change to 130�� for 4 miles." Indicated one of the Germans to the helmsman, before the latter changed the boat''s trajectory.

    After around twenty minutes, the boat was now 2 kilometres from the islands and no harbour was visible to the sailors.

    "Why are we taking this course?" Asked the confused captain.

    "Your boat''s hull is too deep to stand a chance of getting into the island''s harbour. Ships from other countries can easily get in, but yours is too deep." The man explained, pointing to numbers on a blue part of the map.

    After a few more minutes of sailing, the boat came to a final stop, dropping anchor not far from the coast.

    "Aren''t we too close to anchor?" Asked the captain, seeing the coastline just over a kilometre away.

    "Normally, this is an anchorage area for small boats, but yours is wanted by the Empire, so we''ve been asked to get you as close as possible." Explained the man.

    On the deck of the Hope, the sailors busied themselves preparing the boats that would allow them to leave the ship, where the local authorities were waiting for them, while the helicopter on board prepared for its turn.

    In their cabin, the royal family was preparing to leave the ship for the safety of German territory when they were disturbed by someone knocking on the door.

    The person entered and knelt down just inside the doorway. "I apologise for being the bearer of bad news, but your departure is going to be delayed due to worsening weather conditions." Informed the man before leaving again.

    The fog was now so thick that none of the islands were visible, leaving a feeling of being alone on the water. "What do you think life is like in their country?" Wondered some soldiers playing cards in the refectory.

    One of the soldiers put down a glass and said. "If you ask me, it''s the same shit as everywhere else. It''s just that they''re idolised for being able to stand up to the Empire. Inside, there are as many rich people exploiting the poor like cattle as there are oppressions."

    The group''s game was interrupted when someone placed a wager on the table, looking away from the soldiers. "We almost thought you weren''t coming." Jacassed the soldiers, observing that the person joining them was the prince.

    The prince pulled up a chair and sat down in silence before helping himself to some cards.

    "I didn''t think I could come." He said in a hoarse voice, as the other soldiers returned to their game.

    After several minutes of playing, one of the soldiers decided to ask the question that was on the lips of the entire crew. "We were wondering, how does your father plan to talk about the divines and their technology?" The soldier''s question provoked looks of astonishment from the other soldiers seated at their table.

    "If only he would tell me everything he had in mind. The only thing I know is that he''ll wait for more information before discussing it." Replied the prince, laying some cards on the table. "It looks like I''ve won." He continued, collecting the wager from the other soldiers. "No, seriously." Chattered the soldiers as they placed another bet.

    later

    It was around 11 o''clock when the fog finally dissipated sufficiently to allow the boats and helicopter to leave the ship. The noise from the deck was deafening as the Royal Family and senior officers boarded the helicopter while the other sailors looked on.

    Once inside, and with the doors now closed, the Germans helped the dwarves into the seats of the Super Puma.

    After a few minutes, the rotors began to rotate before reaching flying speed and gradually lifting the helicopter into the air. It wasn''t long before the helicopter emerged from its ascent phase, heading straight for the island of Heligoland.

    "Make a representation of the aircraft''s architecture." The King asked as someone at his side sketched the helicopter.

    "Yes, Your Highness, the design is complex but easy to understand." He replied.

    Only after a few minutes in the air did the helicopter stop and begin its descent, finally landing on a wide concrete runway not far from the port. Getting out of the helicopter, the group of dwarves looked around the landing area.

    At the end of the runway, near a brick building, three people were gradually approaching where they were. The runway itself was bordered by two relatively open areas from which the prince could see a few curious onlookers watching them, but not trying to get any closer.

    As the dwarves frantically scanned the landing area, the trio they had seen earlier were now within range of the group. Just then, one of the Bad B��den policemen accompanying them began to speak. "Gentlemen, may I introduce the mayor of the town accompanied by the local police chief and the interpreter who is being provided for you during your stay on the island." He finished. Just as the policeman had finished, the person who had been introduced as the mayor stepped forward accompanied by the interpreter. "Hello and welcome, I''m the mayor of Heligoland."

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "Are they really trustworthy?" Some passers-by exclaimed as they stared at the group passing in front of them.

    Several hours had passed since the landing, by which time a large part of the Hope had disembarked. The sailors could sense the locals'' mistrust caused by the Empire''s invasion.

    As the clock struck 4pm and the sun neared the horizon, some of the dwarves had already returned aboard the Hope, while the others, along with the King, were taken inside the Hochseeinsel hotel, whose interior surprised many.

    Inside, the walls were a plain white, accompanied by a lot of wood, which made it all warm to the eyes of the dwarves.

    The building had recently been reconnected to the power grid, allowing the dwarves to discover different things from what they already found in their country.

    The more expert dwarves were fascinated when presented with a colour television in their room, some even holding back from opening it to understand how it worked.

    Night came and the Prince was exhausted from the day he had had.

    Despite this, he was still impressed by the short presentation on the history of the island and began to jot down his impressions of Germany in a notebook.

    23rd January 2022

    23rd passage 1 Ogdea 1650

    Volcist Empire Imperial Palace

    Inside the capital, life went on as usual. The war was long gone and, since the great invasion, life had improved for the inhabitants. Resources were now plentiful and every citizen could be sure of finding a job.

    It was in this relative peace that the door to the Demon King''s office was opened with a bang, letting the princess into the room where her father was examining a pile of documents. "Father, it''s urgent." The princess exclaimed as she quickly approached her father''s office.

    The demon king watched as his daughter, who was usually calm and thoughtful, became more agitated than usual.

    "What''s got you in such a state?" He asked after taking his eyes off what he was doing. Seeing that she had caught her father''s attention, the princess launched in.

    "You must come with me, I have some very important things to show you that could influence the survival of the empire." She listed.

    "But you see, we can have military setbacks, but nothing that will destroy the empire I''ve built." The emperor replied.

    "Germany is much stronger than people think." She retorted.

    The emperor rose to his feet. "What do you mean by that? Have you discovered something that our intelligence services have not yet discovered?" The Emperor asked, more worried.

    Seeing that she had aroused her father''s interest, she continued. "I''ve got something even better than that, but you''ll have to follow me to the Center for Magical Research (CMR) to get a better idea of what I''m talking about."

    The streets of the capital were gradually filling up with curious onlookers, attracted by the news of the royal family''s arrival. Every citizen rushed into the streets for the chance to see the royal family for themselves.

    The streets were filled with cheers from the people as soon as the emperor''s distinctive black car appeared. "The warrior emperor is here!" Some civilians cheered, as the car continued to pass with its escort.

    The imperial escort finally stopped at the entrance to the complex where an alley of soldiers awaited them, each in turn saluting the imperial family.

    "Follow me, father. What I wish to show you is in the special section." She explained before the escort took them to the right place.

    The Emperor was now facing one of the buildings in the special section. This was not a large building, but surveillance seemed to be more intense than in the rest of the complex.

    The Emperor looked from right to left, scanning the equipment surrounding the researchers, intrigued. "Of all the things in this room, what makes you think that the Germans have a clear superiority over us?" The emperor asked.

    "Now is the time." Said the princess as she approached the group of researchers who were taking notes in front of a long object equipped with fins meticulously fixed to a support.

    "Wernsi Va Brane, can you explain to Her Majesty what this weapon is?" She asked, as the scientist turned to come forward.

    "This weapon is a rocket. It''s a type of weapon I''ve been working on for over 10 years.

    Although my model is still at the prototype stage, the model made by the Germans is much more sophisticated.

    It''s much more precise and manoeuvrable, and even seems capable of rectifying its trajectory on the move, probably thanks to a highly complex on-board computer." He concludes.

    The Emperor looked at the scientist and the rocket behind him before stepping forward. "So, you managed to get hold of one of their most formidable weapons, and to top it off, it''s a weapon that we are designing." Suddenly, the emperor paused in his tirade before turning around. "But that''s not the only reason you asked me here, is it?"

    "As always, nothing escapes you. This was just a foretaste of the threat the Germans seriously pose." She finished before turning around.

    As the princess turned, she signalled to two soldiers who approached a large object hidden under a sheet before removing it, revealing a large plate of charred and perforated metal. The emperor examined the metal plate in complete silence.

    "This is an armour plate recovered from Peacekeeper number 6. It was the target of an attack by the German air force, and by means of a large number of rockets, they ended up destroying it." The princess explained, before arranging a series of photographs on a table.

    The Emperor stared at the photograph in deadly silence. An eternity seemed to pass before the Emperor''s voice was heard again. "Oune, can you clear the room? I need to speak to you alone."

    The room was now empty, and only the emperor and the princess remained. In a macabre silence, the emperor moved, brushing the walls of the missile. The Emperor seemed to be deep in thought in front of the weapon, before being brought out of his contemplation by the clearing of his daughter''s throat. "What exactly do you want to talk to me about, father?"

    "If you''re telling me they''re more powerful than we think, I believe you. You have enough experience to judge. I want to know how you feel about them." He asked.

    The princess paused for a moment before replying.

    "From what I''ve seen of their weaponry, it''s superior to ours. But it seems that they can only field a small number of these weapons at the front, which is to our advantage, with great progress on the front lines combined with the intelligence network."

    The emperor listened attentively to what his daughter had to say, allowing him to devise some strategies. "So all we''d have to do is create a blockade across the entire Parvum Sea to block their supply route and get rid of their stockpile of superior weapons." The Emperor muttered before chuckling.

    "Yes, we''ll do it that way. Our scientists have been working for a few years on a golem-core torpedo. Tell them to speed up the test phases and start production next month. I want a blockade in the Parvum Sea. I''ll use the opportunity to remobilise troops from our colony on the continent and in Narlux to launch an offensive once the blockade is complete." He explained before opening the hangar door. "I thank you for informing me of your discoveries, which will lead us to victory." He said before leaving, leaving the princess alone in the building.

 Chapter 12 those who come from the sky

    Sky of the kingdom of Narlux

    26th passage 2 Eteyar 1600

    26th May 1972

    The continent of Lirgo is bathed in relative peace, with human nations quarrelling amongst themselves for interests that are all the more futile than the others, remaining in their barbarism and total primitiveness. This is what Hocerhu wrote in his cabin as he began to fly over an island called Iwux inhabited by dwarves. "How pathetic these people are. he thought to himself as he was startled by the sound of someone banging on the metal door.

    On the other side of the door was another dark elf, this one wearing his characteristic military outfit and looking as if he wanted to ask something.

    Hocerhu looked the soldier up and down before sighing. "What do you want?" He asked, knowing exactly why the soldier had come. "The captain wishes to have you at his table." Informed the soldier.

    Hocerhu stared at the soldier attentively. "I thought so." He muttered before answering the soldier. "If he''s that insistent, tell him I''ll be there, sooner or later, we''ve got to give him this report." He replied with very little interest in his voice before closing the door on the soldier.

    Once again alone in her cabin, Hocerhu approached the porthole to look through. All he could see was a cloud illuminated by the faint light of the moon, with the ground below plunged into complete darkness Withdrawing his gaze from this uninteresting sight, Hocerhu turned back before getting ready for dinner with the captain.

    Hocerhu was now in the officers'' quarters, just outside the canteen door. He took a deep breath before opening the door. In the distance, the captain was sitting at a table and noticed the man''s arrival. The captain immediately stood up to greet him. "Sit down, Hocerhu. We have much to discuss this evening." The captain said before sitting down again.

    The captain was surrounded by a small number of officers who were chatting amongst themselves. Hocerhu finally came forward to sit down at their table and start dinner. The moment Hocerhu had been dreading came when the captain put his fork down beside his plate and began to speak. "The treaty will be formalised by next week. Have you sabotaged your laboratory as the king demanded?" Asked the captain directly without a single scruple.

    Hocerhu was silent for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "What a horrible choice to let so much research time disappear." He thought, before finally answering. "My valuable research present on site was destroyed as requested. The laboratory was sabotaged and made difficult to access. I would have preferred to set it on fire, but that would have been too visible to the locals." He replied.

    "Excellent news. What have you done with the Toutchal complex?" The captain asked curiously. "The underground networks were flooded, making it very difficult to get through. The outside has been modified, which will definitely give the primitives the impression that it''s an old abandoned city." Replied Hocerhu, tense under these words, not wishing to reveal that the pump system was malfunctioning and lacking in magic, flooding half the complex.

    "However, it saddens me that this law has strengthened to the point of forbidding me to do my research." Said Hocerhu in a calm and composed voice. "You know it bothers the king as much as you do. If the WOIC (World Organization for International Cooperation) hadn''t discovered our experiments on this continent, he wouldn''t have tightened the law to the point of banning all expeditions to the reserves and threatened to destroy any vehicle sent there." Explained the captain.

    "Now we need to find another way of obtaining the resources we need for our research." Hocerhu replied in a calm and composed voice.

    "There was also something else the King wanted to know about your research that he hadn''t informed you about. Project Dimension''s travel attempts have now been halted. It is already too late to influence those accursed civilisations out there." The captain explained, pouring himself a glass of wine.

    Hocerhu couldn''t believe his eyes. The fruit of his family''s labor was unfortunately halted. Deep down, he was filled with rage at the news. "How can His Highness want to stop the very basis of my research? My family has been working for centuries on a way to make a stable passage. It''s even the reason I lived with those primitives who served as my sacrifice." The rest of the table looked at him in silence before the captain replied. "Your future is bright, but this other world can no longer be explored by yourself. They have become exactly like our enemies, whatever your father may have done there." Hocerhu could see where the king''s reasoning had been taken, that now this dimension was becoming dangerous to their magical hegemony. "I see what you mean, but I''m sure I can still make them understand the benefits of ma..."

    "See for yourself, your father and his team have already tried to teach them magic. All that happened was a massacre in this town called Salem, if I''m not mistaken." He finished.

    But Hocerhu didn''t have time to retort when he was cut off by the sound of lightning falling nearby.

    "What are they doing on the bridge?" the captain asked loudly before leaving the room in a hurry, leaving Horcerhu with the rest of the officers.

    Hocerhu was now standing on one of the few gangways leading outside. From his point of view, the airship was sailing in complete darkness, surrounded only by its own light.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    "What a bunch of hypocrites, they were the first to want to open up this programme so they could spread magic wherever it was needed, and now they''re abandoning the programme just because of a few machines." He complained angrily.

    gateway

    "What''s going on here?" Asked the captain as he opened the door leading to the command post. He soon noticed, through the large glass window facing the command post, a sky half-covered by a large cloud mass which was illuminated by lightning flashes here and there.

    "Captain, you''ve come at just the right time." Said the officer in charge of navigation.

    The captain gradually approached the officer before sighing. "What exactly is the situation?"

    "We''ve deviated our course to head directly south to avoid this storm cell, but it''s doing nothing, it''s getting closer and closer to our position." The officer explained, pointing to the storm which was beginning to take over the entire horizon.

    The captain remained silent, which only increased the anxiety of those on board. "We have no choice." The captain muttered with a sigh. "Reduce speed. Your attempt to avoid this storm was a wise decision, but we''re going to have to ride it out. Bring us back on course and maintain our heading." He ordered the captain, before turning to the rest of the crew. "Keep an eye on the onboard instruments and report any information provided by them."

    Under the captain''s orders, the crew members carried out their duties immediately, leading the aircraft into the storm. An hour had passed since the airship entered the storm. Horcerhu, like all the other passengers, was now confined to his cabin, waiting for the storm to pass.

    "Now I can''t even take a bath." He complained as he pulled out some of the writings he had stolen from some of the countries on the continent he had left behind." The wind was crashing against his cabin window, producing a swaying effect throughout the aircraft.

    Suddenly, Horcerhu, still at his desk, was illuminated by a strong light coming from the cabin window. Before he had time to react, a deafening noise echoed through the room before a git occurred on board.

    <figure>

    </figure>

    For the captain, the situation was dramatic. The worst had just happened as the crew received a barrage of information from the onboard instruments.

    "Engine 2 has lost thrust and a fire has broken out in it. said one of the crew members.

    "What''s the state of the balloons near this one?" Asked the captain, as the whole crew grew increasingly anxious. But before there was even time for any response, the lights on board began to flicker.

    On board, the officers were desperately trying to maintain control of the ship as the port list became more intense.

    "Captain, we''ve lost a balloon as a result of the engine fire and we''ve got leaks on three more of them." Signalled one of the crew members in an alarmed tone.

    The captain tried to remain calm as each flash of lightning heightened the tension among the crew.

    The captain had to make a decision. It clearly wasn''t his favourite, but he had to make it. "Close the valves on all damaged balloons and evacuate the helium inside. Get all ammunition overboard and get the passengers to the escape pods." He explained. "We need to buy time and keep the airship in the air as long as possible." He finished.

    ___

    The light turned red as someone knocked on Hocerhu''s door. Without waiting for permission, a soldier entered, visibly tense from the events. "Immediate evacuation of the vehicle, follow me to the evacuation point. He said before turning on his heels.

    After the soldier arrived, Hocerhu had just enough time to retrieve his leather satchel before leaving his cabin.

    In the corridor, the other passengers hurried towards the back of the aircraft. Like Hocerhu, they were all scientists recovered from the Toutchal complex.

    ___

    "Have you found a safe area to start the evacuation?" Asked the captain from a sound tube.

    "We''re looking at what looks like a large flat area from our position. It shouldn''t be long before we reach it." Replied the soldier, whose voice echoed through the tube." This response reassured the captain that an area had been found and that the capsules could be dropped in a flat area.

    ___

    "All passengers and non-essential personnel proceed to the evacuation area." The voice repeated tirelessly, echoing throughout the airship. As Hocerhu got closer and closer to the evacuation zone, he could feel that the stress and panic of his colleagues was unbearable. But who was he to judge them, he thought, as his hand kept shaking under the impact of the events.

    Finally, after several minutes of walking through the crowded corridors, Hocerhu found himself in the evacuation area, a large room with several series of very narrow capsules, each containing a seat. "The evacuation area has been found, it''s a large plain with small hills. There don''t seem to be any primitive villages in the vicinity, which will give you several hours'' respite. Once your capsule is on the ground, wait for the storm to die down and gather round at the crash site. For anyone too far from the crash site, a transmitter will send out a mana pulse, allowing the rescue team to locate you when the time comes." The soldiers explained as the capsule doors began to open.

    Hocerhu was now strapped into his capsule, waiting like so many others for the evacuation, when suddenly the loudspeakers in the room were activated, revealing a deep, calm voice. "Dear passengers, this is your captain speaking. I''m sorry that your return journey has taken such a turn for the worse. The evacuation is about to begin. Unfortunately, we will be landing in a hostile area, so I would ask you to remain in your capsule until the storm has passed. Our follow-on airship has been informed of our situation and will join us as soon as possible." The announcement ended as a tremor was felt in the airship, before the hatches holding the capsules in place opened, allowing the capsules to begin their fall into the night sky.

    ___

    "All the pods have gone, Captain." Informed the man behind him.

    The captain, hearing the news, turned around. "Very well, I doubt the airship will last much longer. Let''s start the descent before evacuating ourselves." He continued as the lights continued to flicker under the shaking of the airship.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ___

    The wind whistled through the metal of his capsule, while Hocerhu was now in a calm environment, surrounded by the wind and the sound of rain hitting metal.

    After several minutes of falling steadily through the storm, Hocerhu was shaken by the sudden opening of the parachute. As the wind began to buffet the capsule, it was illuminated by the light produced by the airship as it violently hit the ground several kilometres from its position.

    Time passed in slow motion as the capsule, carried by the winds, slowly approached the ground, which was completely blackened by darkness, leaving nothing to be seen as it descended. Suddenly, Hocerhu''s capsule hit the ground with a loud thud.

    Through the capsule window, nothing was visible until a flash of lightning illuminated the surroundings, giving Hocerhu a glimpse of the landing area outside. He saw a tree not far from the capsule, with a dirt road further beyond.

    Hocerhu quickly freed himself from his capsule and inspected the surrounding area. The tree was covered by the parachute of his capsule and was therefore extremely visible to anyone in the vicinity. Hocerhu remembered the information he had gathered about this island.

    It was an island which appeared uninhabited on the surface, but which was teeming underground with a species of small humanoids who had begun to exploit the steam. Their very presence on the island had been enough to discourage human populations from settling there.

    Remembering this detail, Hocerhu turned back, opened a hatch in his capsule and took out a rifle with an ammunition belt and the capsule''s transmitter. "Of all the places it could have crashed, it had to be on an island inhabited by a vile mechanical civilisation." He lamented, before looking for somewhere to shelter from the rain.

    ___

    Several kilometres away, the smoking carcass of the airship was being scrutinised by watchful eyes. "Divine messengers crashed." Muttered a young dwarf who was curious to hear an explosion coming from the surface.

    Taking his eyes out of his spyglass, the dwarf rushed to the lantern beside him before pressing down on the lever, rotating the metal plates and revealing the light from his lantern. As the light flickered, he sent the message to other dwarves in the surrounding mountains.

    ___

    Hocerhu was now alone, sheltered in the hollow of a small cave. The rain outside was still raging, but now sheltered, Hocerhu, under the weight of events, dozed off sitting on a rock, weapon still in hand.

    ___

    Fifty metres down, a few kilometres from the crash site, the excitement was at its peak. The dwarves were in a frenzy, receiving a great deal of information about the crash site.

    The town of Darkforge was located to the north-east of the main island. Like all the towns in the country, it was located underground and inside it was home to a population of 30 000, making it the largest town in the region.

    Sitting in his office, a richly dressed old dwarf was reading the many documents that were beginning to accumulate concerning the divine emissaries that had fallen from the sky.

    Next to him was another dwarf who seemed to be waiting for his reply. "My lord, what do you wish to do with this event?" The man asked the nobleman next to him.

    "Bring troops to their aid, they will certainly offer us divine artefacts in exchange for our help." Replied the nobleman, placing the documents on his desk. "Also inform the Queen of our discovery." He finished.

    ___

    Several hours had passed and the storm in the sky was finally beginning to calm. At the crash site, the crew, who had already gathered, were busy organising the rescue and coordinating the efforts of the various groups on the ground. With the help of the other survivors, they had already established a safety perimeter around the crash site.

    "Captain, we have already accounted for a quarter of the survivors; they are now present here." Informed the soldier.

    "What''s the situation with the Aerom?" Asked the captain.

    "It''s flying over the channel that separates this island from the mainland, but the storm has calmed down enough on their side for them to send us a plane with supplies." Explained the man.

    "That''s excellent, it''ll give us extra help." Replied the captain.

    Suddenly, the captain was startled by the shrill sound of the hangar door falling to the ground. Turning as quickly as he could, he saw the survivors all excited and happy to have opened the damaged door, before one of the men quickly approached him.

    "Captain, at first glance, the vehicle is still largely usable." Informed the man, inviting her to follow him.

    The captain was standing in front of the silent hangar, the vehicles in front of him had been salvaged during the evacuation of the Toutchal complex and were due to be taken back home.

    While the few mechanics in the makeshift camp were busy diagnosing the vehicles, they were surprised when one of the mechanics started one of the vehicles, causing a mechanical hum to echo around the room.

    As one of the vehicles was started, the captain decided to end his long silence.

    "Start as many vehicles as possible. All those that start up will be sent out in teams of three to search for signals sent by the other escape pods." He ordered.

    ___

    Several miles away, the dwarves were observing the crash site where three motor vehicles emerged before disappearing into the surrounding plain.

    "I never thought I''d see the day when that happened. Said one of the dwarves as he watched the vehicles speed away.

    The leader of the group also watched the headlights of the vehicles gradually fade away from the light of the torches in the camp of survivors.

    "After a crash like that, they''ll need care and food, so let''s hurry and get moving to help them. ordered the dwarf.

    After an hour''s descent from the small mountain on which they were stationed, the dwarves were now on the plain, just 1 km from the crash site.

    ___

    While the encrypted communications from the vehicles sent out to search for survivors were taking place regularly, the captain was alerted by one of the soldiers making his rounds. He had observed a series of lights approaching their position. The sky was beginning to be illuminated by daylight, making it possible to make out the silhouettes still a kilometre away from the crash site.

    "The natives have arrived." Muttered the captain as he removed his binoculars.

    He immediately turned around, facing the crash site, before speaking at the top of his lungs.

    "Soldiers, a native troop is approaching our position. According to protocol, every vile tribe that possesses the knowledge of science is an enemy. So don''t let these natives get any closer to our positions than where they already are!"

    The captain''s message had just been given, and the soldiers and passengers rushed to collect weapons in preparation for the coming confrontation.

    Weapons in hand, each person positioned themselves in such a way as to be sheltered in case the natives retaliated.

    Each person was ill-equipped, but even so it would have been enough against the group of dwarves closing in on them.

    The silence was palpable. Everyone capable of fighting was in battle positions, waiting for the signal.

    The captain was still watching the small army approach. This one flashed a lantern as if to signal its desire to communicate, before... "dash!" announced the captain in a loud voice, unleashing a deluge of fire on the dwarves.

    The deluge of fire that fell on the dwarves was brief but devastating. The soldiers had the advantage of surprise, and the dwarves, despite their courage and determination, were no match. Within moments, the small army was disorganised and the survivors fled before they had time to retaliate.

    The captain watched the carnage with great satisfaction.

    He was relieved that his men had managed to repel the attack. "I need a small group to capture any survivors." Announced the captain.

    As soon as the order was given, the only functional vehicle in the camp set off towards the scene of the confrontation, remaining there for around twenty minutes before returning with around ten bodies as well as food supplies and damaged medical equipment.

    The captain looked at the group of dwarves in front of him. Their eyes were consumed with rage and anger. "Kill those who are unconscious, they will be of no use to us."

    He ordered the soldiers, who led them out of the tent and coldly shot the unconscious dwarves. After that, the captain turned to the three survivors, horrified and furious.

    He took a chair and sat down in front of them, armed with a pistol, before asking them a question. "What is the reason for your group''s visit?"

    ___

    Hocerhu awoke from his sleep and emerged from the cave, illuminated by the light of day.

    He got up, picked up his rifle and started walking.

    The first thing he saw was a sky that was still grey, with columns of smoke rising from the surrounding factories.

    After a quick glance, Hocerhu picked up his compass and began to follow the course the airship had been travelling on before the crash.

    The ground was still muddy from the previous night''s storm.

    After an hour''s walk, Hocerhu was surprised at the turn of a path when he heard the sound of an engine.

    Not entirely sure of the technology possessed by the dwarves, Hocerhu hid in a bush before the vehicle passed in front of him.

    It was a vehicle equipped with tracks and a machine gun on the roof. Recognising the vehicle, Hocerhu climbed out of his bush before gesturing wildly.

    ___

    "Send in the army!" Shouted the old dwarf as the troops who had gone to help the Divines were completely massacred.

    Furious, the nobleman gathered his troops and ordered the army to be prepared for the imminent retaliation.

    The Divines were going to pay dearly for their attack on his assistance.

    The nobleman also contacted the capital to inform them that the Divines had attacked his relief group with extreme violence and to announce that a punitive army would be sent.

    ___

    The survivors were looking happily at the horizon. For about thirty minutes, they had been in regular contact with the plane sent by the A��rom, which was now in radio range. After an inspection, an area had been found for the plane to drop supplies to the survivors while awaiting the arrival of the Aerom.

    In just a few minutes, the point barely visible on the horizon had become clearly distinct.

    Passing the crash site once, the plane made a second pass before dropping the supplies using an innovative method called parachuting.

    As the plane headed back towards the Aerom, it sent a message to the survivors. ~An unknown army of 5,000 men is closing in on you from the north, they will be within range within the next hour.

    The message from the plane made the survivors tense, as they had to face an army on their own.

    "You heard the message, get shovels and prepare U-shaped shelters." Ordered the captain, as a large proportion of the survivors moved to prepare the defence."

    After an hour of hurried preparation, the survivors were ready to face the army in front of them.

    The dwarves had set up at a relatively safe distance from the survivors'' weapons and seemed to be organising themselves.

    While the tension was at its height and no shots had yet been fired, the survivors could hear the characteristic cries of the wyverns used in this part of the world.

    They flew over the crash site and sent light signals to the dwarf army. Observing this, the captain grabbed the handset of his magiccom and gave his orders. "Shoot those weak wyverns before they try anything."

    Immediately, the airship''s anti-aircraft defences were activated, lighting up the sky with the amount of ammunition fired at the wyverns. The surprise of the attack enabled two of them to be shot down, while the others quickly turned back.

    Seeing the enemy attack on the wyverns, the small army began to move, bringing a small detachment equipped with their muskets.

    The dwarves didn''t even have time to fire a single shot when they were greeted by a hail of bullets that stopped any attempt by the detachment.

    As the survivors of the detachment took cover behind the few rocks on the plain, the survivors, still entrenched in their defences, were quickly surprised by an attack from their flank from a cavalry force emerging in large numbers from the surrounding forest.

    It was quickly met by the vehicles used to retrieve the survivors. With their great mobility and armament, they fired at the mass of ponies in front of them.

    At the same moment, a bang was heard, quickly followed by many others. It came from the dwarves'' artillery, which was beginning to fire on the weak defences of the survivors, at times sending survivors flying on impact.

    Seeing this, the captain laughed. "He really thinks our airship is no longer usable." He exclaimed enthusiastically.

    Before three cannons on the sides of the airship came to life with difficulty before firing.

    The impact of the shells was far more devastating than those of the dwarves, but they were soon silenced after the ammunition that had not been thrown overboard ran out.

    After more than two hours of fighting, the rescapers were running out of ammunition. Only one vehicle remained, while the other two were hit by infantry fire.

    Seeing the enemy fire gradually diminish, the dwarves regrouped for a frontal attack, leaving their position and accompanying their wyverns for the final offensive.

    The wyverns got close enough that some were shot down by the anti-aircraft defences, while others managed to destroy some of the anti-aircraft defences.

    The battle was starting to get ugly for the survivors as their ammunition began to run out. Suddenly, there was a series of violent explosions in the dwarf army.

    ~This is the Aerom, we have been informed of your debacle and have accelerated our speed to join you.~ Announced the sizzling magiccom.

    In the distance, a large mass in the sky was now visible. The airship, although at a great distance, was close enough to annihilate the dwarf army with its cannons.

    "Fire on those closest to us." The captain ordered the soldiers who still had loaded weapons.

    After a long debacle that lasted another good hour, the dwarves were driven back in absolute disorder, leaving the Aerom to rescue the survivors.

    30th passage 2 Eteyar 1600

    30th May 1972

    Horror was all that crossed Prince Mekso''s mind as his army arrived at the scene of the confrontation. Everything had been deserted, but the rotting corpses of his compatriots were still there. It was impossible to tell which body belonged to whom, because the bodies had been destroyed.

    He looked up and now observed the hulk of the airship that had brought the divines here. "The diviners? No, they should be called demons." He thought to himself as he looked at the carnage they had left behind.

    After leaving the carnage, the prince headed for the town of Darkforge, which had apparently suffered an attack from the divines before they left, according to the words of the nobleman who ran it.

    The town, once rich and prosperous, was now largely in ruins. Everywhere the Prince looked, he saw nothing but burnt-out buildings and rubble. The city''s great factories, with their chimneys rising to the surface, were now destroyed by the explosives that had been planted there from the surface.

    Turning his gaze, the prince saw a charred little girl with a doll in her hand. She seemed to be looking at him with eyes full of terror, while the rest of her body was buried under the rubble.

    Suddenly, King Mekso woke up with a start. "That bad dream again." He thought. Rising from his bed, he walked towards the large bay window in his bedroom. On the other side were the streets of Berlin plunged into complete darkness.

    It had been over a month since the King had been lodged in Berlin. After several meetings with the German government, it had been decided that he would sleep in this hotel for the duration of his asylum.

    After a moment looking out onto the street, the King turned to face his bed before lying back down in it. "I wonder why the frequency of this nightmare has increased." He asked himself before closing his eyes.