The teacher looked at the sea of chaos that was his classroom. He had been trying to teach his students the history of their geography, but the students had stopped paying attention and now were chattering excitedly about their other classes. "Alright class." The teacher said authoritatively. "I am going to tell you the story of The Seven." At the word "Seven" the students stopped talking and quickly gathered around the teacher's desk. The teacher smiled at the success of his plan. Even though scholars and historians had proved that The Seven were only humans, they had become the patron gods and goddesses of the United Empire. "Before I start my story, I want each of you to list one of The Seven." The teacher said. The students were as fast as summer lightning, rattling off the legendary names of The Seven and what they stood for. The Emperor of Explosions stood for strength, raw and untamed. The Burning Steel stood for loyalty and elegant strength. The Sky-thief stood for will, the true power of making one's own path. The Blade in the Shadows stood for ambition and competitive drive, the want and desire to rise above others. The Enigma stood for adventure and the unknown, a frontier that will never be fully explored. The Benevolence stood for kindness and peace, the twin saviors of humanity. After listing six of the seven names, the students sat down on the floor, ready to listen. The teacher sighed at his students. "One of you have to mention the last founder." He said with a tired tone. "Until one of you do, I will not tell the story." The students nudged each other, nervous and scared. Eventually, one of the students raised a quivering hand and muttered, "The Thorned king stands for vengeance and leadership, even in the darkest times." The teacher gave a sigh of relief. He had hoped his class wouldn't be so superstitious. The name of the last founder was universally considered a ill omen and, in some places, a curse. The teacher gave a sigh and settled down in his chair as he began the tale. "It all started 150 years ago, when the empire that we enjoy today didn't exist in even the wildest dreams. Back then, there were six nations, all engulfed in a terrible war started by Ignation, the nation of scorching deserts and raging volcanoes. Ignation was led by a man named Richard Gardner, a terribly strong warlord. Led by his sniper rifle and crossbows, Ignation grew strong, allying themselves with the subterranean people of Seisan and Faedom, the people of light, creating the Sacred World Fire alliance." The teacher broke of his story as one of the students yawned and said,"When are we getting to the real story?"
"I want to make sure that you all know the conditions The Seven were born in." The teacher said mildly. "As I was about to say, the kingdom of Ice, Glacius, and the kingdom of air, Soraj, allied themselves to halt Ignation's progress, and thus created the Freezing Winds Alliance. However, these alliances were not without their conditions. Can anyone tell me what the conditions for these two alliances were?" A particularly eager student jumped up and blurted out "Faedom would only join Ignation if Ignation eradicated all of Daemia, the wild nation of darkness, and Soraj cut off trading to Glacius and all of the other nations." The teacher smiled happily as he said, "Very good. Well class, I believe that we should go to the proper place to tell this tale. Please grab your things and follow me." As he said this, the teacher grabbed his wallet and coat and proceeded to walk outside of the school in the direction of the Librarium, where all the records of history were kept. The students quickly followed him, chattering excitedly, for it wasn't often that students had permission to go to the Librarium. As the teacher walked down the street leading to the Librarium, he explained why they were going there. "The Librarium's magic reality rooms will let us witness the tale more fully than me just telling it to you. It will let us see the story as if we were back in that troubled time of war and agony." The teacher stopped in front of the grand oak doors with the Empire's emblem, a phoenix rising from its ashes, carved into them. The teacher pushed one of the heavy doors open and beckoned his students inside. "Now that we are here, I expect you all to be on your best behavior. The Librarium director has graciously granted us use of a magic reality room, and thus I require you to be respectful and quiet." After all the students had nodded in tacit assent, the teacher led them to a normal looking room that opened up to a wide domed room, arcane runes set into the walls, ceiling, and floor. "Watch your step." The teacher said, as he guided the student toward the comfy chairs in the center of the room. Once every student had taken a seat, the teacher sat down in a chair and set up the room to the event he wanted:The unification of the United Empire. He quickly took a seat in a chair in the center of the room as the arcane symbols glowed and magic energy hummed. Each student soon fell asleep in the comfy chairs and the teacher soon joined them. The magic of the room filled the heads of student and teacher alike, transporting them to the time when the world was split asunder by war.