Chapter 1: Hope and despair

"How can this be!? How have we not noticed this?" General Gramah scratched his bald, shiny head and desperately looked at the recent report in his hands. "This is bad, really bad. A disaster!" Four soldiers stood in his office before his desk, all of them standing straight. The report in Gramahs hands gave off a bad vibe that even the soldiers felt uneasy towards. "How have they avoided our attention for so long? We should have noticed them directly after their arrival, but what is this?! Estimated arrival: yesterday 1400?" One of the soldiers suddenly began to speak. "Sir, the administration noted a jamming signal that shut off our surveillance and communication regarding this region. They either used a jamming device, have someone with the ability to control light, or-" "They planted a spy." Gramahs eyes darkened as hey uttered those words, then he stood up with his hands behind his back. He was of calm, but serious composure. "Establish communications with the Premier and the King General of the United Forces. Also, send a message and this report to all the other generals of the alliance!" The soldiers saluted their general and immediately left to follow their commands. The General stepped out of his office after the soldiers left, stepping into a long hallway, walking past several doorways. People were hectically scurrying around everywhere, holding papers, or specific orders given to them. They immediately stopped with whatever they were doing when they noticed the general passing by, standing straight or saluting to show their respects. The General acknowledged their attention with a quick nod while continuing his journey along the passage. It was a long and plain walk through the building. The grey metal making up the structure wasn't new, but it was reliable in protecting the people. General Gramah walked further and further, his footsteps echoing through this long and enduring passage. After a few minutes of walking, he finally reached his destination. A plain, metal door with a sensor on the center of the upper half. The General got closer and directly looked into the sensor. A light appeared and a gridded scan swiftly hushed over his eye, scanning it in its entirety. After it was finished, a high beeping sound occurred and the metal door unlocked its high-security titanium locks and opened into a dark abyss. The General stepped into this abyss with a sigh of frustration. The door closed behind him, cutting off the only light source illuminating the beginning of the room. The air was cold and for a few seconds, there was only darkness, but lamps began to glow up shortly after the door closed, revealing a big round room with an armchair placed at the center. There, in front of the armchair was a big monitor covering the whole wall. General Gramah looked around. The walls and the floor were made out of big chunks of steel, untouched by the stains of time. "As good as new huh?" He sat down, sinking deep into the armchair, facing the gigantic monitor. The monitor suddenly began an activation sequence. "Activation protocol. Code 00649822GREYMOTH63. Commence full upload." The monitor lit-up. "Emergency. Requesting direct contact with Premiere Verdin Oaq Garamont and King General Ali Grom'kuzard. Call them immediately." At first, nothing happened, but two faces popped up after waiting for a few seconds. One face had long, pointy ears that led backward and were decorated with all different kinds of jewelry. He had sharp, purple eyes, long brown hair, and a strong nose. His eyebrows were sharp and rounded but his chin was prominent and thin while the skin was pure and beautiful. A ruby was embedded into his forehead to show that he held power within his fists. The expression this man gave off had a hint of elegance and peace. The other man on the other hand had a much more rough-looking face with grey skin. His pointy ears were rather short and led upwards. A scar decorated the right cheek while his eyes were demanding and determined. His thick mustache and the bushy eyebrows could be seen from miles away. He also had very short grey hair. Gramah swallowed. Before him, was King General Ali Grom'kuzard and Premiere Verdin Oaq Garamont of the Alliance Republic. In Gramahs perception those two were the most powerful individuals of the Alliance. Gramah stood up straight, raised his left hand into the air, and put his right fist against his chest where the heart was located. "REPUBLIC FLOURISH! GRAMAH, NINTH GENERAL OF THE REPUBLICA MILITARIS AND LEADING OFFICIAL OF THE HEARTLAND SANSIAS MILITARY FORCES REPORTS TO HIS MAJESTY, PREMIER VERDIN OAQ GARAMONT, AND SIR KING GENERAL ALI GROM'KUZARD! I HAVE CONCERNING NEWS THAT MAY THREATEN THE PEACE OF SANSIA, AND THE PEACE OF THE REPUBLIC IN GENERAL"

"Stand easy, General, and tell us of your predicament." His voice was so warm and soft that he tension in the room loosened after the sound of this wonder echoed through those walls of steel. But the stern looks of the King Generall kept Gramah in check, ensuring discipline in his heart. General Gramah sat down, maintaining a straight posture. "Yes, your Majesty." He swallowed again. "Your Majesty, King General, I am sorry but a breach in our defenses occurred, and that in the worst way possible." Both superiors looked at Gramah, still not showing any signs of emotion. "Yesterday afternoon, enemy forces invaded the Holy Fields of Sansia, the fourth heart of the Republic Alliance. They came from literally within." The eyes that at first stared so strong, darkened with worry and despair. "Even worse, they are no ordinary forces. They belong to one of the impures, Maw, to be precise." Out of Premier Garamonts mouth sounded a bitter "No..." before he got silent again. This, terrified the General. King General Grom'kuzard sighed in frustration and began to speak. "To tell you the truth, soldier, we already suspected something might happen. But this?" Gramahs eyes widened in disbelief. "King General, Sir, I am sorry but could you please explain? I don't quite understand." He was shaken, and his superiors noticed the planting of doubt that occurred right now. But the King General quickly followed up with an explanation "Our Premiere, the Grand Counselor, and a few others felt that something wasn't right. Through their sensu, they felt a presence trying to invade throughout the whole republic." "Yes..." The Premier began to lift his gaze. "We all felt that something was trying to break into not only our beautiful home but also our minds, yet we could not figure out what it was, or where it originated. This is one of the worst-case scenarios. They not only invaded from within Sansia, but from within the Holy Fields that contain the divine preservation and representation of the Sansik people." Premier Garamont stroked his chin. "Tell us the details, General Gramah, so that we can consider our possibilities." "Yes, your Majesty!" Gramah quickly brought out the Report and urgently read through it trying to catch every detail. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, and excuse the vagueness, King General, but we assume that they invaded roughly about 1400. That what brought them right into the Holy Fields was probably some teleportation technique, performed at the inner eastern sanctum. For now, they have already expanded and conquered ten square kilometers of Holy Field territory. Their numbers equaled 20000 the last time we checked, but reinforcements are steadily arriving, increasing their numbers by the thousands every hour. The Custodes of the holy fields are currently locked in combat, trying to fend them off. They tried to inform us, but nothing worked until this morning. Not only did they impair our surveillance, but they also jammed the entire communication within that area. The Custodes had no choice but to set up their defenses. The Custodian forces of the Holy Fields have created a ring around the horde, but they can't hold out much longer with only 10000 men and women." The mustache of the King General began to tremble. "We have to immediately send forces to the frontline to negate our disadvantages and strike back!" "We would have already sent reinforcements, but the jurisdiction of Sansias holy fields allow outside forces to enter only with the permission from the Administrator of the holy fields or the current Premiere." The Premier's eyes narrowed down on the General. "General Gramah, there is no way that they could just appear in one of our states without outside intervention. Something has helped, yes, maybe even guided them. We have to get to the bottom of this, whatever the cost. But for now..." The Premiere sighed. He looked at the palm of his hand, pondering about their fate before he stood up, his eyes raging with the fire of a thousand suns. "General Gramah, what is your duty?" The General jumped from his seat and kneeled. "To protect the Republic with all my being, and to persecute its enemies with all my power!" Premiere Garamont smirked. "I heard many stories about you, General. They call you the 'Tsunami of Hialga, great battle distributor'." The General lowered his head further by the mention of that title, but King General Grom'kuzard just laughed. "My Premier, he took on five members of Samuels royal guard, killing two and taking another two as captives, risking his life for the republic at this crucial moment. Whatever it may be, the General is no pushover." "Thank you for the praise, sir, but it was my duty to crush those defiers!" The Premier stood up, looking down on the kneeling general. "Rise, General. What do you suppose we should do?" Gramah stood up and looked in front of him, plunging into the deep hole of thought. "We should first focus on reinforcing the Custodes defensive ring and destroying the source of the incursion to prevent them from gaining even more advantages. After that, we should try driving them back as consistent as possible, eradicating what we can and annihilating all that remains." Gramah lifted his finger. "And while we attack them from the outside, several shock teams, assassins, and scouts will weaken their structure from within, until the infantry is ready to push on." He sat down again, sinking deep into his armchair. "I would personally guide the onslaught into enemy territory after the stabilization of our defenses!" "Easier said than done, soldier." Said the King General. "I know, sir. I know that we can't maintain such an operation for a long time without sacrificing many resources we may need in the future, so everything depends on the first battle and the soon destruction of their 'gate'. We may win a pure war of attrition, but the cost will be high. So we have to strike fast and at least destroy their pathway leading into Sansia! Considering that we are dealing with the Holy Fields makes the situation even more difficult because we can't rely on heavy artillery at all!" Now the Premiere stood up, looking down on the General and gesturing at him with his open hand. He was a tall Remari. He wore a red robe with gold ornate patterns. "So be it. I trust you, Gramah and you have shown your capabilities in the past. I am sure that you will take the right choices." King General Grom'Kuzard stood up as well. He was not as tall as the General, but buffer and wider. He wore a green uniform with ornate epaulets. Large quantities of Medals were attached to his uniform, telling silent tales from the deeds of his lifetime. "Your Majesty..." The King General looked determined. The Premier smirked. "Ninth General of the Republica Militaris, not only will I permit you to enter Sansia's Holy Fields with Republic and Sansian forces, but I'll also give you authority over them! You are allowed to use the 'emergent order' so that your authority shan't be questioned! The supervisors will be informed in due time. For the time being, you will be on par with the Great Governor of Sansia!" Gramah kneeled again. "For the Republic Alliance! I will not disappoint you, your majesty!" The King General and the Premiere nodded. They were ready to leave the call going back to their duties, but the General remembered something and stood up. "Wait! Your Majesty, Sir! There has been another incident occurring inside the Holy Fields!" "What? What happened?" The King General was alarmed, but the Premiere seemed calm. "An explosion of gold. We assume that someone from the High Church or someone associated with them fought with someone or something. It happened not that far away from the incursion, maybe it even had something to do with it." The Premier's face twisted, giving him an angry expression. "What is the meaning of this? The Holy Fields lie outside of the High Church's jurisdiction! They are not even permitted to enter those grounds sacred to the Sansik people!" The Premiere snarred angrily at his thought. "The empire is bold, ignoring the concordat of Mount Uria like that!" King General Grom'kuzard stroked his mustache, looking thoughtful at the ceiling of his room before he began to speak. "Gramah, make sure to hold an eye open for those who caused the explosion. If you find anyone, capture them and bring them in for interrogation. Also, don't forget to bring substant evidence that the high church entered the Holy Fields without certified permission! I will also interrogate a few of the officials I have in my vicinity and make preparations for another worst-case scenario while having another pair of watchful eyes over Sansia. What will you do, your Majesty Premiere Garamont?" The Premiere was furious, but his anger didn't seem to affect his judgment in the slightest. "We must not reveal that we know of their doing! I will confront the Divine Pontiff and the Grand Regent if we have substantial evidence ready. Else, they might try to pull one of their stunts or tricks! I will also contact a few people that may have valuable information regarding this matter after discussing the incursion with the second heads." He now spoke directly to General Gramah who was just in awe witnessing the Premiere speak like this. "General Gramah, take care of the situation on-site! Your secondary objective will be the investigation of activities related to the church, the empire, or both that happened in Sansia!" "Yes, your Majesty!" Gramah saluted to the Premiere and the King General. "Gramah." The Premier had a look of worry on his face. "When you return, please return with good news. Even though I am not from Sansia, the Sansian people still belong to the Republic. And everyone belonging to this wondrous alliance is also belonging to me!" The Premier and the King General both closed their eyes. "We wish you look, General Gramah. May your path be guided by all divine forces, and loathed by the profane powers lurking in the shadows." "Thank you, my lords. May your rule bless the Republic as it has blessed me!" After those words were spoken, the Premiere and King General left the call, leaving behind nothing but darkness on the screen. Gramah was alone now. In thought, he looked at his hand, reminiscing about his home. He then made a fist, showing his determination. Those eyes, they were full of hope. Full of glowing magma. "I will destroy our enemies! They'll regret ever coming to Sansia!" He then turned to the door and opened it, but was surprised to find two figures already waiting for him. Both of them were clothed in black, armored trench coats, pants, and boots. On their head, they wore Oval helmets with black visors that prevented the General to see their faces. They waited for him but stayed silent. The General smirked, put both hands behind his back, and stuck out his chest. "Gentleman" He began walking forward, remaining in his authoritative posture. "walk with me." Both of them looked at each other, nodded, and began following the General along the hallway. In the meantime, the lights of the room were going out, and the door slowly closed itself, cutting off the room and leaving it in utter darkness.