“He’ll never be one of us.
Never has been, never will be.”

Deloran

It was an art through which men and women were able to realize their own will, an art by which a person could exert control over themselves and their surroundings. It was an art that enabled one to become a master of self, and this art, this magic, was once seen as a gift. As the ages progressed, understanding of magic grew, and it steadily turned from a heavenly blessing into a man-made curse. The Saline Realm, latest inheritor of this art, formed as a beneficiary of its power, but it also attracted the ire of the Outer Realms as a result.

Cited as an affront to the laws of nature, war erupted among the seven realms as six united to destroy the nation of Salia. Surrounded by enemies, the Saline Realm contracted and fought hopelessly for survival, but during a season of abject desperation, a figure rose to prominence whose influence and strength would turn the war in their favor. His will leveled cities, his enmity burned legions to ash, and his wrath formed craters in the landscape. He became known as the Great Destroyer, and after two centuries of fighting, the war ended with the Salians claiming victory.

While returning to the Saline Realm, her champion hoped to be acknowledged as a person. Through no will of his own, he was brought into the fight. Through no desire of his own, he became a weapon of war, but the bitter, prejudiced words of his compatriots marred this hope. Comforted only by his captain, he came back to a people ambivalent to his humanity, and he left the battlefield of nations to be embroiled in a new struggle at home.

The Saline Realm

Home to the nation of Salia, the Saline Realm was a vibrant region dominated by colorful meadows, forests, and a mountain range, but it had never known peace. The landscape and its features played host to countless battles well before Salia was formally organized, and the Magic War was only the most recent in that regard. Before that, guardians fought each other for supremacy and the right to shape a national identity. Before that, nomadic wanderers empowered by the Art of Control led a violent uprising to usurp the previous inhabitants which shocked the known world with their new power. Salia was founded by the contention of wills, so it was no wonder that such a territory attracted challenges from the surrounding Outer Realms.

Governing the region were the Council of High Elders and the supporting Council of High Generals who oversaw all affairs of national importance to the realm. Meanwhile, the artisans studied the secrets of magic and applied its craft to everything from construction to combat applications and commerce. The people acted as beneficiaries of their craftsmanship, and the four pillars of Salia’s military maintained order and stability in the region. Thanks to these developments, the people were able to enjoy indefinite lifespans, but with their culture of independence and autonomy came a lack of cohesion. The empowerment of magic enabled Salians to take ownership of the forces around them, but with that responsibility came the terrible burden of isolation.

Characters

Darrio

The Destroyer

Darrio was found on the streets of Ambrosia, adopted by Captain Seris, and trained in the ways of magic to survive the inevitable war. As a child, he did not understand why he had to fight. He was a foreigner, but conscription was indiscriminate, and he was forced to abandon his previous pursuits.

Over the course of the conflict, his attitude and character changed. Darrio was hardened, his heart was calloused, and he had more encounters with death than many of his peers. Nevertheless, he was supported and empowered by those close to him until he became a force of calamity on the battlefield.

Before his return to the Saline Realm, Darrio hoped to reclaim his humanity and find acceptance, but after the failed siege on Celeste, this hope fell apart. After all of the fighting, even with the love of his captain, Darrio felt alone. This was not what he wanted, and by the time he received the title of Firestar, he was lost on what to do next.

Turil

The Honorable

The Battle of Horus was a pivotal event in Turil’s military career. He was able to work once again with the smartest man he knew, but though his cunning friend was the primary orchestrator behind the operation’s success, Turil was promoted to High General while the tactician, Seris, was not.

The event resulted in no bad blood between them, but their distance to each other increased due to the differences in their rank and the effects of the war. By the end of it, Turil had been tempered though his character had changed little. His friend, however, had been altered into a man the general scarcely recognized.

After a long but successful campaign, Turil grew concerned over Seris’ well-being. The captain was aloof and was not as warm with the general as he was before the war pushed them apart. Turil’s intuition told him something was wrong, something dangerous enough to endanger Seris and the realm itself.

Tiberius

The Proud

It was a long war, a war Tiberius presided over as the longest-serving member of the High Elders to survive the ordeal. The stream of petitions, emergency meetings, and attempts on his life had abated, and though victory was attained, it was not enough to simply win. Salia had to triumph.

When Tiberius thought to host the celebration, he remembered the reports received from the field. Darrio accomplished incredible feats against the nation’s enemies, but with no one left to fight, would he find new adversaries in the Saline Realm? It was a thought Tiberius acknowledged and then ignored, but he did not forget.

When he later found himself in conference with the rest of the nation’s leaders and Darrio’s captain, the thought was magnified into a fear and summoned to the forefront of his mind. Perhaps the Firestar was dangerous. Perhaps he would become a threat, and Tiberius took hold of this fear and adopted it as his own.

I will not be alone.

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