With his drink in hand, Damian meandered towards the windowsill of his personal chamber. “It was years ago that the truth was revealed to me,” he addressed Thane. “Like many, I grew up in fear of the Uncharted Lands. I’d heard stories of its denizens, believing in its rumored terrors. We’ve all heard the folklores of those who ventured into the unknown, never to be seen or heard from again. But have you ever asked yourself, why is there so much fear centered around a land that is so unknown? How do we know so much about its plights if allegedly no one has ever survived to tell of its tales?”
Thane sat, slowly stroking his grizzly beard. “I must admit that similar questions had also crossed my mind,” he affirmed. “But I later dismissed my young notions as naiveté. Surely there was some credibility to the rumors since everyone believed in them.”
Damian shook his head. “A lie told enough times becomes the truth, General. The stories, as it were, were not adding up for me. I needed answers that I knew would not be forthcoming. Even the mention of the Uncharted Lands seemed a forbidden topic for most people. Yet, I persisted. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the truth—the conspiracy of a secret war initiated by this Realm and waged against a foreign nation, hundreds of years ago.”
“A secret what?” Thane jolted forward in his stool. He shook his head in disbelief. “No way! I can’t believe ... but how could that be?”
Damian raised a hand. “Many who’ve heard the name Ramsus Bane know him to be my father. But what few realize is that before he was a feared conqueror, he was a member of the Realmsic Council!”
The Warlord lifted from the windowsill and took several steps closer to Thane. “It was he who first utilized Realmsic knowledge to craft his strategies, allowing him to come closest to ever conquering the Realm. During years on the Council, he learned, studied, and internalized its secrets. He kept this information in a private journal, hoping, or perhaps knowing that one day I’d find it and use it to my own advantage.”
“What did you discover?” Thane asked. He leaned forward, his eyes wide, seeming to hang onto Damian’s every word.
Damian dragged a chair from one side of the room and plopped it in front of Thane. There, he sat facing the General. After taking a relatively long pause to collect his thoughts, he continued.
“Several hundred years ago, during one of the most brutal periods of the endless war, it was believed by a small number of Realmsic Councilmen that peace would never exist between Laymen and Magicals. However, individuals within both groups agreed that separation was perhaps the only viable solution. But because Realmsic could only exist within their boundaries, Magicals would be unable to unsettle the Realm. Therefore, it was proposed that Laymen would relocate.
“This had always been a whispered notion, but never acted upon, for Laymen laid claim to the Realm as fiercely as Magicals did. For better or worse, the kingdom was their home too, and Laymen would not leave it willingly. However, in the spirit of compromise, Laymen on the Council agreed that if suitable lands could be identified beyond the Realmsic borders, then they would fully support the relocation effort and encourage their people.”
Damian exhaled a great sigh. It deeply bothered him how Laymen were always consider disposable, and how other Laymen were willing to sell themselves short. Pushing the notion out of his head, Damian resumed speaking.
“At that time in history, nothing was known about the Uncharted Lands. But what if somewhere within it, a Layman kingdom could be established—a kingdom far from the Realm where they could preserve their own culture and finally live in peace? Perhaps such a land offer presented to the Laymen people would be just the compromise needed to end the war once and for all? There was too much at stake not to pursue the idea.”
Thane crossed his furry arms across his chest. He seemed to be considering Damian’s words so far. “Interesting,” he eventually said. “A compromise such as that doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“Perhaps so,” Damian replied. “Shortly thereafter, a small band of explorers—two or three people—were secretly sent into the Uncharted Lands to scout out possible locations. Almost two years went by with no word from these brave souls. Just when it was believed that they’d never be heard from again, they returned with unimaginable tales.”
“Unimaginable tales?” Thane repeated Damian’s words, drawing out each syllable as he considered the idea.
“Indeed. They proclaimed that the Uncharted Lands were not desolate as they first assumed, that it was filled with people just like them. Only their society was far more advanced than the Realm. And their technology, as it was called, seemed superior even to our magic.
Thane fidgeted upon his stool as Damian continued. “For a brief time, these Realmsic explorers lived among the new society. In secret, they studied their culture and learned their ways. They spoke of tools and instruments never before conceived; of paved roads called streets; of lights the shone without fire; of buildings erected completely of glass and concrete that were said to scrape the sky; of weapons that fired metal projectiles faster than the human eye could see.”
Damian’s hand sprang forward to cease Thane’s bouncing knee. Only when it was completely still did he remove his hand. “Naturally, just as you sit before me now, those Councilmen involved too were frightened. They wondered, if ever attacked, how would they defend against a technologically advanced society?
“In ruthless ignorance, those few members decided to strike a distant people that they’d never before seen. Eventually, the entire Council was convinced to wage a secret war. It was agreed that the Realmsic Crystal would actually be used to strike the unknown society. From the magical Realm, its power would be focused towards the location of the enemy, and a concentrated beam of energy would soar across the heavens and rain fire upon their society. Only then would a platoon of trusted Realmsic troops traverse the Uncharted Lands, march into the ruins, and destroy anything and anyone left over.”
“Insanity!” Thane exclaimed, shaking his head furiously.
“Very much so,” Damian replied. “And, on the day of the attack, the crystal’s power was harnessed. Hellfire streaked the sky toward an unsuspecting people. The heavens turned crimson, and for a moment, all fighting ceased within the Realm as every soul stood in awe. Though none other than those involved knew what it actually was, or why it was occurring.
“The explosion couldn’t be seen, but its impact was both heard and felt. The sky remained red for three days as ash fell from the sky. Only afterward was the Realmsic infantry sent out. Precisely six months afterward, the invaders returned to the Realm, reporting that the society had been annihilated.”
“Have mercy!” Thane breathed heavily through his mouth as if his nose couldn’t supply enough air.
Damian resumed where he left off. “Immediately after the attack, all aspects of the secret war were covered up. The original explorers, and the soldiers of the attacking platoon were killed to cover the ploy. And the Uncharted Lands themselves became intentionally shrouded in rumors of terror. All within the kingdom were discouraged from ever leaving the Realm and potentially unearthing what had occurred. All hopes of a land compromise were abandoned, and the Laymen-Magicals conflict continues to this very day.”
Without a single word, Thane briskly rose to his feet, knocking over his stool. Damian followed Thane’s hairy profile as he paced the room like a restless beast.
“Yes, I felt the same as you now when I first read it in my father’s journal,” Damian stated. “But all I say is true. The secret war remained closely guarded amongst those few members of the Council who were involved. And when they eventually died, so did the knowledge of their treachery. The secret war would’ve been lost forever if it were not for a lone Councilwoman who, on her deathbed, admitted her part in it.”
Damian’s throat was dry. He took a long sip of water while observing Thane above his raised glass.
“How did your father find out?” the General asked.
“I
’m not sure.” Damian placed his glass back upon the desk. “He didn’t say in his journal. He only mentioned making the trek and seeing the evidence himself. But even reading his accounts, I still couldn’t believe it. Therefore, I ventured into the Uncharted Lands myself and found the location of the exterminated society. Over three hundred years had passed since the attack, and the devastation had remained untouched.”
Thane’s body stiffened upon hearing his admittance. He tried several times to speak, but seemed unable to find his voice.
Damian approached Thane. Standing face to face, he placed his hand upon the General’s shoulder, which towered above his own. “Regardless of what you may think, I’m telling you all of this for a reason. Although that society is gone, I intend to learn from what remains of their advances, and use it to help our own people. I’ll extend our reach beyond the Realm; beyond the known world. And like Centre Pointe, we’ll conquer any other kingdoms that may exist within the Uncharted Lands. When all is said and done, the world will be ours, and the sun will never set on the empire I create.”
With that, Damian stepped past Thane and turned to the window. He reflected on the now familiar landscape of the kingdom, allowing Thane a moment to reflect on their conversation. The room remained silent for several minutes.
“So this is it,” Thane said from behind, “This is what you really want to do?”
“It is. We’ve come too far and there’s nothing standing in our way.”
There was another long silence before Damian received a response.
“When do we begin planning this new campaign?” Thane asked.
The Warlord smiled, “We’ve already started.”
Chapter Forty-Five