morial.
Dictionaries defined the word as a service of rembrance or commoration.
It could also be defined as sothing, such as a monunt, by which soone or sothing is rembered.
The Desert Country of Tarse, which occupied over 18 million square kilotres of Pri World Aidos' Alpha Continent, was currently engaged in activities encompassing both of the anings stated above.
On September 30th, Year 1055 of the 51st General Calendar, the 'Wild Lands' of Tarse, its West Central deserts, hosted a battle of imnse scale, the likes of which the nation of Tarse had never witnessed since its founding.
Millions of soldiers of many races and from many nations assembled to confront the forces of a singular organisation plotting to bring Aidos' invaders back onto its surface.
The Demonic Hand.
The Tarse Defence Coalition Force t the Demonic Hand's Fifth Division, commanded by Deram Hester and his contracted demon, Xolgren Agriker.
Within that division were forces of the Sixth, Seventh and the elite Second Division, including so of its Senior mbers sent to support Deram, as well as demons from the last interplanetary war Aidos had been involved in, who had been sealed during that conflict and had now awakened a thousand years later.
During the battle of the Wild Lands, Deram Hester succeeded in casting a modified version of the World Magic Spell Number 7: Dinsion Gate.
The Gate was connected to the ho of the demons, Gozon, a process which had been accelerated by the intervention of an unknown force, the god Queen who secretly controlled Gozon from behind the scenes.
Erging from the gate was a Peak Rank Demon, Kriemler Ilmoth, a Lieutenant General of Gozon's Interstellar Army.
However, due to the carefully orchestrated circumstances that a certain Hero had planned and exploited, Kriemler was unable to wield his full power as a Superior Transcendent, leaving him partially trapped in the rift and reduced to a level where he could be confronted and defeated by one of Aidos' Transcendents, 'Beast King' Kolvar.
When Kriemler's defeat was nigh, Xolgren Agriker employed his Trump Card, summoning a Forgotten World Conqueror from the Abyss Labyrinth, the second most dangerous location in the entire universe.
This FWC, however, proved insignificant when faced with the trump card prepared by the leader of Aidos' current generation of Seven Heroes.
With a magic circle spanning the entirety of Tarse, he summoned from the Dead Zone, the universe's most dangerous location, a Void Angel.
The Void Angel dragged the FWC off Aidos in an act of violence that sent a shiver of instinctive dread down every spine, bringing a silent and sombre end to the endeavour.
The next 25 days following that fateful day were spent largely on clean-up.
Thousands had lost their lives in the battle that day.
Thanks to the magic circle used to summon the Void Angel, all demon corpses had been consud, and none remained, making the task sowhat easier for the victors.
Many demonic humans had been captured for interrogation, including several dozen Senior mbers who undoubtedly held critical information on the inner workings of the Demonic Hand. As a result, the countries whose forces had co together to form the Tarse Defence Coalition Force all wanted so of them interrogated to expand their knowledge, partly to reduce their heavy reliance on the one who had brought them together and orchestrated all the plans they had executed.
The current leader of Aidos' Seven Heroes, a boy who had only just co of age in the month following the battle of the Wild Lands, was the 'Count Bourne' of the Alpha Continent's Great Western Empire, Evan Eris.
◇ ◇ ◇
A morial was held for those who had fallen in the battle of the Wild Lands on the 30th of October, exactly 30 days after the decisive battle, extending through to the 1st of November.
Purification rites and burials had already taken place in the days prior, and they were commorated on those two days with imnse monunts constructed in the capital of Tarse, Saharion, with all their nas inscribed on the tall marble structures.
But those who had survived the battle deserved to be celebrated just as much as those who had died deserved to be rembered.
The soldiers who had distinguished themselves in combat, the ones who had risked their lives and eliminated several key enemy figures, the 'Living' and 'Veiled' Legends of various nations that had been drawn in, Sovereigns who had participated, and the like were to be honoured.
The entire process, from morials to celebration, spanned six days, beginning on the 30th and concluding on the 5th.
The first two days were dedicated to morials, followed by a two-day interim before the two days of celebrations.
Invited to both events were important personages from many nations across the Alpha and even the Beta Continent.
Seated in a eting room in the Sandfire Palace in Tarse's capital was the now 'physically' 18-year-old Evan Eris, reviewing a list dictating the nas of those who would be attending the ceremonies, representing various nations and international organisations.
"Oh? One of the elusive heads of the Adventurer's Guild is coming? And the Pope of the Holy Kingdom as well? I need to speak with him. The knights he sent were very useful."
Evan said this as he flipped the pages of the book he held, moving to the next page to review another list of nas.
"Representing Graugro is their Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uswil's Pri Minister and the Utraria Republic's President are coming, and…oh?"
He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as he read the next na on the list.
"Terrok's President Damir is coming in person, too?"
After he said this, he looked up at the clone of the Emperor of Tarse seated opposite him at the round table, who imdiately spoke.
"Considering the Terrok Elections are coming up next year, he's likely going to take advantage of the opportunity to network with other nations and build a power base to secure his seat."
"Terrok might see another unrest soon," Cayenne, his Empress, added right after he spoke, prompting Evan to question her.
"Another unrest?"
Cayenne looked up from the map of the Sandfire Palace spread out on the table before her, and after recalling Evan's age, she explained.
"A Presidential Tenure in Terrok lasts 8 years, and one can be re-elected up to a maximum of 3 tis.
This is just the end of President Damir's first tenure, but even then, the man has been in power for over 40 years before becoming President."
Hearing her explanation, not just Evan, but Eliza, who was seated next to him, blinked in surprise.
"40 years? Four fricking decades???"
Evan was genuinely shocked.
One man ruling for 40 years wasn't that unusual. Lloris and Cayenne before him had ruled for even longer.
But Tarse was a 'Monarchy', and Terrok was a 'Democracy'.
40 years was an absurd amount of ti for one man to remain in power in a nation that wasn't a Monarchy.
Bianca, Laurene, and David, the Third, Fourth, and Fifth of the Seven Heroes respectively, all appeared to be aware of this, showing no sign of surprise, which in itself wasn't unexpected.
All three were royals of Major World Power nations on the Alpha Continent, and part of their education involved studying the ruling powers of other World Power Nations like Terrok, so it was only natural that they knew about the man who governed Terrok.
"He has been occupying different positions that have kept him within the highest circle of power in Terrok," Laurene explained, a faint note of distaste in her voice.
"Starting when he beca the Chief of Army Staff 40 years ago, he held several ministerial positions, and 32 years ago, he beca Vice President, serving for 24 years under the previous administration, before becoming the head of the current administration 8 years ago.
He would likely be successfully re-elected, given how thoroughly he has eliminated his opposition."
Cayenne's explanation made Evan whistle, pure admiration on his face as he muttered, "Damn, he sure knows how to keep himself in power."
As he flipped the pages of the book, another person in the room, a yellow, cat-eyed, tanned woman with dusky blonde-accented brown hair who was one of Tarse's Warlords, Isobel, spoke.
"Rumours of election rigging had circulated when he won his first presidency, leading to nationwide unrest in Terrok."
At her comnt, Evan shrugged, his expression unconcerned as he said,
"That's their problem. I don't like the country anyway."
"You don't like Terrok?" Bianca asked, raising an eyebrow, and hearing this, Evan flipped the page of the book once more and replied,
"Yes. They refuse to sign the law prohibiting slave trade, and so, even though it's not legal, it's also not illegal.
Terrokian slave traders dared to abduct young spirits from forests, and as a contractor of three fairly high-ranking spirits, it's only natural I'm not fond of that."
Then, as casually as ever, Evan made a comnt that made everyone in the room, even the aides sorting docunts, freeze in their tracks.
"If it wasn't going to beco an international issue, one of the first things I would have done upon returning from my expulsion to the past would have been to rearrange the Alpha Continent's map with one less country in the north."
"…"
The silence in the room following his words was deafening.
Evan's journey to the past wasn't common knowledge, so aside from the higher echelons of the countries involved in handling the Fallen Celestial Deities in Kreah last December, few knew that he had been sent back in ti.
What people did know was that in the year since that event, Evan had grown imnsely stronger, though none of them could have imagined he had reached the level of a Transcendent.
Still, even without knowing he possessed Transcendent-level power, they understood that if Evan played his cards correctly and frad his 'justification' as 'a matter of planetary security', it was possible for him to leverage his influence to compel several nations to act against another, even if that nation was a World Power like Terrok.
He was, after all, a Duke's son, a Count in his own right, soon to be Marquis of the GWE, closely tied with the GEE, Tarse, Kasteblum, and the Beast Kingdom, ho of one of Aidos' forrly 'Five', now 'Six' Transcendents.
Moreover, the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, who headed the Church of Artemisia, the planet's most influential religion, was entirely on Evan's side, giving him the 'Religion' card as well.
Statents like 'rearranging the continent's map to have one less country in the north' couldn't be taken lightly coming from him, especially since no one could tell whether he was joking or serious.
However, it seed the forr was the case for the mont, as he looked up and blinked when he noticed the silence, then sighed.
"Guys, I'm obviously joking," he said, shaking his head and muttering sothing about why they would ever think he was serious.
"Anyway," he continued, acting as if the past few seconds of dead silence hadn't happened. "I'm not going to be present on the day President Damir is around anyway. Bumr. Wanted to et the guy a bit."
He closed the book he had been holding, and at this, Eliza collected it and asked the question Lloris had been about to, "So you're only coming on the 5th? Why?"
"I have to make preparations for 'Sea Chronicles'."
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