Alrest. A world full of Titans, massive creatures who swim across an endless sea of clouds. Atop their bodies are the homes of nations, all very different in nature due to the distance the Cloud Sea creates. These people are accompanied by their blades, beings born from strange artifacts found throughout the world known as core crystals.
Torna is the most powerful Titan, and is home to humans who worship the Titans as gods and care deeply for the bonds of humans and blades. Indol is home to blue skinned beings who worship the architect, a being who apparently created both the blades and Titans. Uraya houses beings who respect their nature, at the cost of poverty. Gormmot keeps safe feline-like lifeforms who are not advanced, nor hold a monarchy. Instead, this titan is home to countless villages, as the fauna and flora of Gormmot is unparalleled. And finally, the oldest Titan, Mor Ardain. A titan so huge, it walks on the cloud sea, its body so large it reaches the bottom with its hind legs. Home to the Ardanians, humans with an unparalleled military and leadership. Governed by their emperor.
And that emperor is I, Hugo Ardanach. This world was at peace, until recently. Suddenly, Titans started to die from an assailant called Malos. Otherwise known as the Aegis. Concern for my countrymen has become a growing concern. My advisors have been urging me to invade Gormmot, to secure an escape route should the Aegis's rampage arrive at our doorstep. I have continuously refused this proposition. With our military and awareness of the situation, I do not find it necessary to invade a peaceful nation. Such thought is incomprehen-
"Emperor Hugo!" A loud and insistent knock echoed through the room from the door, and I turned quickly in my seat. My white, imperial robe floated softly against the back of my chair as I stood, the tail end of it dragging along the floor. The detail caught my eye for a moment and I found myself frowning slightly. I needed to get a tailor to fix this issue. The maker of this robe obviously didn't account for... smaller emperors.
"Come in," I tell to the voice behind the door, standing regally in front of it. The door opened immediately, a lieutenant gasping for air hurrying inside as light poured into the room. He seemed a bit dazed, his eyes both full of fear and disbelief.
"It's.. It's the village! The village of Teddim!" he cried out, and I could feel a wave of confusion wash over me. Meeting the man's gaze from under his helmet, I knitted my eyebrows. I opened my mouth to speak- What of such a small village? To my knowledge was remote and secure enough. -but never received the chance. The man fell to his knees, and it was only then that I took notice of the wound near his arm. The armor had been pierced through completely. My eyes widened in soft realization. No.. Don't tell me...
"It was attacked by the Aegis!" He answered my fears with his own, his voice shaking slightly. It took only a moment for my mind fill with dread but I couldn't allow it to curtain my view of what needed to be done. With my eyebrows furrowing, I kneeled down beside the man and called for the special inquisitor. It wasn't long before steps came bolting down the hallway. "Bring this man to the royal infirmary. Also have someone call for Aegeaon and Brighid," I gently commanded, watching as the new arrival helped the lieutenant to his feet as I myself stood. I calmly stepped back to my desk, closing the journal with a deep breathe.
"Your majesty. You don't mean..?'' I looked at the man from over my shoulder. He seemed frightened in his own right, though a different kind of concern lied there. One for his emperor specifically. I smiled kindly to such a sentiment.
"Yes. I will investigate this personally."