The news of the tower of a Magus being raided by a mercenary group strong enough to fight against a whole army spread through the surrounding kingdoms like wildfire.
A total of 22 575 soldiers were sent with 5000 magic casters and a total of 10 Archmages as support. Each soldier was equipped with armor and magic weapons that would allow even the weakest of peasants to easily kill a wolf even if he never practices before.
Of the 5000 magic casters, 4750 of them gratitude out of the highest class academies that teach magic, received the respect of their peers, and were cultivated to be the best that the Arcana kingdom could offer.
Thus allowing them to directly be stationed in the most honorable and rewarding place of them all.
Directly in the place where the most famous Magus was stationed and called his home. The magic tower.
A tool that is said to be the strongest tool that a magic caster could have and inside the tower, the magic caster's defeat was deemed by many impossible.
The remaining 250 magic casters also worked directly under the Magus himself and also received his guidance, allowing them to further progress their magic to be considered the elites of the Arcana Kingdom.
They also held the title of "Arcane Seeds" for they had the potential to reach the 4th-tier and be granted the title of Archmage.
Making them one of the strongest entities in this whole world.
And from all of those forces that the Arcana kingdom cultivated and had hoped for them to grow into something much greater.
In the span of not even 3 hours.
Not even the remains or the ashes of those people were ever found again.
The place that was a symbol of the Arcana Kingdom, the magic tower fell into ruin.
And its surroundings were turned into a desert of gray sand going through several kilometers far and wide.
No one knows what exactly happend for such a place to turn into a desert of gray sand.
Only the statement of the Magus was there, saying that a mercenary group called Deathfull Skulls was the one responsible and the world-shaking scream that was felt heard even in the Capital of the Arcana kingdom was there to known.
That resulted in the mercenary association Durendal being seen in a bad light in the population for purely wearing the title of mercenary.
The death of one of the executives of the Durendal, Archmage Nevvan resulted in many people also dropping their support of the Durendal association. Leading them to a decline and in the future the disbandment of the association.
The people called this event "The Comming of the Gray Fiend".
And despite being a great disaster for the Arcana Kingdom, the other kingdoms saw it as a chance for peace and conjure.
***
In the Berum Kingdom, after the event of "The Comming of the Gray Fiend"...
Near the border of Berum, a meeting between the phoenix warriors was taking place.
Over 50 phoenix warriors were standing tall in five lines with their backs straight, staring into a small stage.
Suddenly, another phoenix warrior wearing armor much better than any of the 30 of them walked upon the stage and stared at the group of 50.
He was the commander of this elite group.
"Warriors who serve the immortal flame! The time of our counterattack against the Arcana Kingdom has finally arrived upon us! Mercenaries of the Dynasty wrecked the famous magic tower of the Magus that killed countless of our men and people!"
"The borders of them were breached! And a large number of their troops were defeated! This is a sign! Be it from the ever light of the goddess or the guidance of the immortal flame! It's our duty as men and women being born in this land to step up and wipe out the invaders once and for all!"
"We won't be blinded by pride or arrogance! We are here to create a better future for our people! And for that, we need to drive our scorching blades into the enemy! And if they break, we reforge them to pierce through those invaders!" The Commander said while turning his head and gazing at 4 young men and a young woman.
"And those reforged blades are those 5, recently selected as the elites of the Royal Academies to join our goal and learn to be those scorching blades that protect our people."
"Come forward and state your name you all." The commander said.
"Yes!"
"My name is Adalius Megarn!"
"My name is Charlotte Charlotus!"
"My name is Rome Arias!"
"My name is Samuel Crafbinder!"
"My name is Ellen Darcy!"
***
In the Dynasty of Ioratal Kingdom, after the event of "The Comming of the Gray Fiend".
With Berum now gaining a chance of a lifetime, they drew back their troops and gave up on invading Ioratal so that they could focus on the Arcana Kingdom.
Forcing the Arcana Kingdom to abandon the idea of conjecturing more land of the Dynasty so that they protect their own kingdom at its weakest state in decades.
Granting the Dynasty of Ioratal the peace that they sought and desperately needed.
Because of this peace, Kingra'mash, the Lich that was impersonating one of the princes of the late king has been able to claim the throne of the Dynasty for his own.
The bards on the streets sang songs of prosperity and the people were celebrating their new king bringing peace to those war-ravaged lands.
And a month under his rule, the most reasonable noble looked at the new king in favor, saying that the golden age of the Dynasty of Ioratal is upon them.
The current location of the king was at the treasure of the Dynasty.
...
Entering the treasury filled with ancient artifacts, rare resources, and forbidden knowledge of the like, the king, Kingra'mash stood in the room alone, with a solemn face.
"~~~~" Kingra'mash mumbled some inaudible words, creating several magic barriers through the treasury.
"Heh~Hehe~ Hahahahahahaha!" And he suddenly started laughing crazily.
His flesh slowly disappeared, revealing his true form with dark blue ethereal flaring eyes.
"Come!" Kingra'mash said as he went to his knees and touched the floor, creating 3 magic arrays.
Those magic arrays, slowly litten up in a dark light, making the shadows extend in the air and form 1 figure for each magic array.
And once the shadows of those figures were removed, a total of 4 Liches were present in the treasury.
One with a single eye, burning with dark light and its middle being white light.
Another with his mouth being smooth with no teeth and his ethereal flaring eyes having the color of teal.
And the last Lich coming from the arrays wore gray robes and his ethereal flaring eyes had the color of gray.
"Look! Didn't I tell you guys that it would work!?" Kingra'mash said while opening his hands wide.
"You really managed to bring us in the treasury..." The one-eyed Lich said in disbelief.
"Even if we split everything, this would last everyone hears a few decades' worths of research funds, if not even a century." The teal eye Lich said, also surprised.
Velkir silently stared at the treasury before turning his head towards Kingra'mash.
"Kingra'mash, are you sure you want to throw away the throne of this kingdom? Wouldn't it be more resourceful to rule and take a cut of what humans earn for the long run?" Velkir asked, with the other two Liches nodding their heads.
Kingra'mash scoffed at them.
"Hah! As if! While in theory, we could amass more wealth on our own. Ruling over all those humans and making sure that they prosper to be worth it would waste the most important resource of all. My time."
"Being with those humans I learned how self-destructive they are for their own. It simply isn't worth a single day inside my laboratory. Nonetheless, those guys expect me to make some kind of heir." Kingra'mash said as his gaze landed on the countless treasures.
"Now let's get paid and get out of here." Kingra'mash declared as the other 3 Liches nodded their heads and started to clean the treasury.
On this day, the new king that was said to bring prosperity to the Dynasty of Ioratal disappeared.
And with him so did the whole treasury of the royal family.
Resulting in the other princes causing a civil war for the throne.
****
Though those events will happend in the future and not the current present.
In the present where everyone was engulfed by Velkirs mass teleportation spell.
The light that was supposed to shoot straight up like an arrowhead towards the heaves became disarrayed by the interferences of the Magus.
The spell was supposed to break and be dispelled, but thanks to Velkir's quick reaction, he managed to make the spell work enough to teleport them.
As result, the spell lacked a few very important components.
And that is the destination and everyone teleporting together.
***
Though a land unknown to many, 2 spears of lightning broke tough the sky and landed on the earth.
*Fsheeeeenn~
From the place where one of the lighting hit, was a tall kneeling figure wearing dark armor, holding a cursed sword in hand and a shield in his other hand.
That figure was Danzel.
"The teleportation worked, huh?" Danzel said before being assaulted by a strong wind filled with snow.
Surprising in seeing snow raiding through the wind, Danzel just realized that something was wrong. Looking in front of him, he could only see white snow wherever he stared.
"Where am I?" Danzel said as he raised up to his feet, looking at the endless snow around him.
He tried to look for something else other than snow till a small trembling voice caught his attention. behind him.
"G-Grandpa? W-Where are you?" Shiro said while tears started to fall onto the snow.
Danzel silently stared at Shiro crying with his ethereal dark green eyes.
Unsure of what to do.