Universal Geopolitics & no reponse

As Phaistos emerged from his room, he was still reeling from the memory of the nightmare he had experienced during the night. His steps were slow, and his mood was gloomy. This did not go unnoticed by his friends, who tried to inquire about the situation.

"What's wrong, Phaistos?" asked Kibi, approaching him with a worried expression.

Nevertheless, Phaistos replied that everything was fine. He didn't want to burden his friends when it was possible that his nightmare was just that: a nightmare. He thought he still had time to explain it to them in due course, if it turned out to be something important. Just as Zara was about to try to get more information, they realized it was time to go to the cafeteria if they wanted to eat before going to class.

Phaistos took advantage of the sudden commotion to escape his friends' inquisitive looks. He also tried to change his body language so that his friends wouldn't detect his unease.

After breakfast, they headed to their class for the day: universal geopolitics. Like every day, they would discover a new perspective on this immensely vast universe. Phaistos tried to concentrate, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the vision.

Master Seren, a tall and imposing man with graying hair, entered the room and began the lesson. "Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our universal geopolitics class. Today, we will discuss interracial alliances and the conflicts that shape our world."

Phaistos listened with one distracted ear, taking notes mechanically. However, the evocation of the world's harshness seemed to gradually wake him up as the memories of the previous night resurfaced.

"Our world is not as peaceful as you might imagine. Our race is by no means the dominant race in the universe. When the human race rose in the universe of magicians, there were dozens of other races that were already fully established in this reality. Some of these races had already given birth to supreme magicians, you can easily see the difference compared to us, who barely had rank 5 acolytes. Fortunately, our ancestors managed to attract the protection of the Hikari race, who agreed to protect us for the first 1,500 years of our development. When the period of protection ended, our race had already given birth to a few mages. This ensured a certain stability during the period that followed."

"However, other peoples were not as lucky and either gradually died out or managed to obtain the protection of another race. This period of history is now known as the 'Great Purge.' After several million years of development, other races rose and others disappeared. The race that had protected us is among those that vanished after a great war against their eternal enemy, the Umbralis. The respective deaths of these two races also allowed the elements of light and darkness to become more present in the universe. Other races have gradually started to gain this affinity over time."

"Today, there are three major races left, two of which are in perpetual conflict, while the third tries to remain neutral. These races are:

Humans: "Our race is composed of different clans, with a variety of cultures and beliefs. The half-bloods, born from unions between humans and very powerful magical creatures. These half-bloods are divided into ten major families according to the ancestor who grants them their power, and they are divided into high, medium, and low levels. The high-level lineages are: dragons, phoenixes, and behemoths. The medium-level lineages are: lions, bears, and eagles. Finally, the low-level lineages are: wolves, serpents, cows, and insects. Among all half-bloods, not everyone has the same power. It depends on the power of the ancestor who gave their lineage.

Nevertheless, half-bloods are still very poorly regarded in our society. The battle among all the races was so savage that our race developed endemic racism. We are not the most powerful race, but our diversity and adaptability are our greatest strengths."

The Norgalites: "This term encompasses Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins. These belligerent and brutal races are often in conflict with each other, but they sometimes ally to face common enemies. Their society is based on strength and domination, and they pose a constant threat to other races."

Elves: "The Elves, masters of nature and magic, try to remain neutral in conflicts. Their society is based on harmony and wisdom. They have a deep affinity with the elements and are often mediators in interracial disputes. However, this race is never united, as there is internal strife among the major species such as High Elves, Sylvan Elves, and Dark Elves, who spend their lives on battlefields."

Master Seren paused to allow the students to digest this information. "It is crucial to understand these dynamics to navigate the complexities of our universe. The alliances and rivalries between these clans directly influence the balance of power and overall stability. That is why we created the magical alliance to manage all humans and try to limit internal wars."

The lesson continued for another good hour before the teacher decided to call it a day. One thing was certain about Master Seren: he seemed to be an inexhaustible source of knowledge. Every student question led to a precise and nuanced answer from the teacher. Thanks to this class, they learned that every magician eventually joined the war front after graduation. The scale of the war completely surpassed anything he could imagine; the front stretched over billions of light-years, a distance impossible to comprehend for people living in worlds where even traveling fifty kilometers took an entire day.

Upon leaving the class, while Phaistos had a great desire to go to the library to seek answers, he knew he had to head to either the Hall of Light or the Hall of Water, as it was on his schedule. Even though he had heard that one could easily skip classes, he thought it couldn't be that simple. Especially after learning that the academy's vocation was to train soldiers.

He ultimately decided to go to the Hall of Light, hoping to finally break through his limits and reach the intermediate stage of his understanding of light. After taking the space shuttle to the moon of the Hall of Light, he decided to find a quiet spot to deepen his understanding. Eventually, he settled on a rock bathed in sunlight. It was a peaceful place, conducive to meditation and reflection. He hoped this environment would help him concentrate and surpass his current limits.

He closed his eyes and began to meditate. He focused on the sensation of the light, trying to feel its energy spreading throughout his body. Gradually, he felt a gentle warmth enveloping him, as if the light itself was embracing him with its benevolent touch.

As he continued to meditate, memories of his vision resurfaced in his mind. The flashes of lightning, the roar of the orc chieftain, the violence of the battle... Phaistos focused on the light, trying to push away these troubling images. He knew he had to master his emotions to reach a higher level of understanding. However, just as he felt the burden of his limits giving way, the image of him killing Gorak appeared in his mind. This disturbed him and woke him up instantly. The shock made him cough up blood, and he fell from the rock.

Fortunately, someone caught him as he fell. He recognized the strange instructor who had helped him a few days before to ask a good question. Just as he was about to speak, the instructor gestured for him to be silent, and a white light appeared on his hand. As the light enveloped him, it seemed to heal him, and all traces of the trauma he had just experienced disappeared.

Phaistos lay still for a moment, recovering from the troubling experience he had just undergone. The strange instructor seemed impatient for Phaistos to speak, as he was tapping his foot. After a minute of waiting, he said, "You've been healed from the start; staying on the ground changes absolutely nothing. Do you think on a battlefield you will have the luxury to do that? Anyway, what did you do? Haven't you been told that you need to control your emotions during meditation and even more so during a breakthrough?"

Phaistos quickly nodded and stood up. "Thank you, instructor. This is the second time you've come to my aid. I don't know how to thank you. Unfortunately, I've done everything to try to control my emotions, but because of an incident last night, I can't seem to control myself anymore."

The instructor seemed intrigued by the problem. "Interesting. What happened?"

"I hope you can enlighten me then," Phaistos replied. "After studying the first chapter of a book called [Basic Combat Strategies], I went to sleep and was plunged into a war scene where I took the life of an enemy general. Since then, I've been haunted by what I did."

The instructor's expression suddenly became less interested. "That's it? Sorry, but I'm forbidden from explaining this phenomenon to you. It's better if you find someone else or use your brain." With those words, he disappeared.

"What the hell. Isn't your purpose to help me?" exclaimed Phaistos.