January 10th, 1693 – Port of Loretto, Corse.
Bruno stood atop the fortified balcony of the Governor's Mansion, his hands resting on the stone railing as his eyes remained fixed on the horizon. The air was crisp, the salty breeze from the sea carrying the distant sound of rolling waves. Behind him, Antoine and several high-ranking government officials, military officers, and industrial magnates gathered.
The Elysean fleet—over twenty ships of the line—was approaching the harbor of Loretto. It was an imposing sight, their towering masts cutting through the morning haze, their hulls gleaming under the sun. Bruno had waited nearly three years for word from the mainland, and now, at last, it had come.
Yet, something was wrong.