In the heart of the ancient palace known as Palazzo Macedon, whose first bricks were supposedly laid by the emperor himself, sat three men, looking out the window to a view of a magnificent garden, with Lake Natura as the backdrop.
The palace was a little ways from Valencrest city, which is why it was deprived of the hustle and bustle that accompanied a metropolis. But more importantly, it was deprived of all the security that usually accompanied such a place. The fact that it even contained a garden, full of grass, bushes, trees and flowers, meant that it was practically asking to be cursed.
Yet the palace had withstood the test of time, surviving for nearly a thousand years.
From the window the three men could see a host of men and women, tending to each corner of the palace, from the gardens, to the orchards, to the small pond filled with fish. That in itself was not odd. The odd thing was that each of them bore a strong resemblance to the three men sitting inside.
But anyone familiar with the royal family of New Velariya would not be surprised by such a scene. After all, it was common knowledge that tending to and maintaining the heritage of the Barakus family was something the family did on its own. They had not a single servant working not only in their palace, but in all their lands.
Those who proved themselves competent would rise through the ranks, and gain important positions, and those who did not would get delegated duties in service to the family. The family lived to serve and raise the prestige of the family, and through that secure a prosperous future for New Velariya.
It might sound backwards, and destined for failure, but it was a fact that New Velariya was at the forefront of research and development in the whole world when it came to Eldrim cards. Though their country was small, it was only so because the Barakus family disdained to distract the focus of their country by acquiring more lands.
As it was, they needed nothing from the outside world, nor did they want anything. At least, until very recently.
"The Ayubi family has petitioned us once more to interfere with the Kolari invasion," the youngest looking of the three said. He was the current king of New Velariya, Hathaway Barakus.
"They got what they deserved for poking that wasp's nest," said the middle-aged man, Cornaro Barakus, the former king, who had given up his throne some decades ago.
"This time they've offered to split the gains from the ruins 70-30, 70% going to us and 30% to them. They've also offered the exclusive services of their innate ability for 10 years."
Then the crescent moon became whole, even though according to the moon cycle, the full moon was still days away. Its borders shone with a silvery light, which seemed to seep deep into the celestial body bit by bit, and the former White Moon suddenly became a Silver Moon.
Sunlight returned to the world, and all was normal once again, yet the silver hue emanating from the moon never dimmed. The once mundane, less feared and almost forgotten moon of the world shone brightly demanding full attention from all living and nonliving beings.
The phenomenon ended, or perhaps it had only begun. No one knew for certain, but the two Barakus Sages burned with even more zeal as they flew through the sky and into Nova territory.
There, near the shore of Nova, its mighty naval fleet stood and guarded the area where the winds blew from, fighting off against other ships. In the air Ascendants fought each other, trying to prevent interference in the natural flow of the wind.
There was even a Sage watching over the battle from the side. Yet all of that ended when the two Sages appeared.
No words were exchanged. They weren't needed. All the ships suddenly stopped working, as if they had lost all power, and the Ascendants fell out of the sky like flies after suddenly losing consciousness.
The single Sage who had been keeping guard fell to his knees, and though he showed great reluctance, he did not try to stop the two of them. Not even Sages fought against other Sages against a numerical disadvantage. Though it was not easy for a Sage to die, they could at least be humiliated and beaten badly.
In this moment when the equilibrium was finally broken, it was best to accept things as they were. More importantly, everyone was shaken by the beacon of light, and no one knew what it meant.
Silent messages passed through all battlefields, and one by one, the fighting slowed down even if it didn't cease completely. The hidden preparations of Kolar to face these two Sages were set aside, and fiery tempers were cooled.
In a world as dangerous as theirs, anyone who lacked caution had died an early death.
Hathaway Barakus cut through the wind with a single palm, and the winds seemed to divert elsewhere. It was completely natural, as if that is how the winds had always flown. In a few hours, at most, the winds blowing across Kolar would naturally cease, and the fog that had retreated would once again reclaim its territory.
For better or for worse, the exploration of Lumina had slowed down, if not completely ceased. Everyone watched with bated breath to see how the world would change over the next few hours. Everyone except those who were caught in battles of life and death.