Foreboding Daze IV

The boys, having already learned these details, were not any more enthused than they had been before Gambell began speaking. Cedric was no different, taking the opportunity to ponder the strange Shlank defection, which seemed even more odd now that he knew the story of Velagoras and Garik.

“So then, keeping in mind the conflicts of our pre-dome Molovar, let us review the battles that have occurred since the sky became grey.

“As many skirmishes that took place before the Day Left in Grey, the amount of conflict we’ve seen in the twenty years since has been significantly greater. Even with the powerhouse Snarilia stepping completely away from the national stage, the tensions between states which suddenly became caged in by this strange dome of mist, only grew.

“Surprisingly, the Shlanks backed off their assault at the Wall, and looked elsewhere. The Gleazons, having failed at western expansion, had turned their gaze south, toward islands and seas that would provide southern states a foothold to the northeast. The Shlanks answered the call, possibly seeking these strategic footholds as potential steps in taking revenge upon the Black Shlanks who not only left, but risked dirtying their precious bloodline.

“This allowed us Teutons to strengthen ourselves, and while we were eventually forced to meet the Gleazons at sea in small scale battles as well, a three-year period of rapid development passed, proving vital for what we had in store.

“Meanwhile, in the northwest, the successful Celanocians took only a year to conquer the state of Felaficia, where they would then build a powerful military base and initiate what we know to be the famous Wolverine regime. In the next year, they returned their gaze to the center-most Gleazons, having failed to subjugate the stateless islands close to them. This forced the Gleazons to give up their plans of expansion, and instead focus on maintaining their strong defense in the form a highly elevated plateau-island, which the Wolverines would spend nearly two years toiling away at to no avail.

“The Gleazons’ withdrawal from southeastern seas seemed to allow the Shlanks a free ride to the north. However, upon running into Molusht fleets that had frantically expanded in reaction to suddenly being trapped in enemy territory, the group returned to their side of Takanova. Back home, they wasted no time in continuing the fight with us, which turned into a yearlong clash at the Wall, the most intense fighting we’d seen thus far.

“Of course, we were able to hold them off and secure the Wall, but not without countless lives lost, troops from both home and mountains alike.”

Cedric’s throat lurched at this, as this was the war that he was born into, that made him a war orphan. Now that he had a bit more information on his parents and the people of the mountains, the thought of that year-long Shlank war gave him an empty feeling he couldn’t describe.

“Now, thanks to our development in the years prior, we were able to recover quite quickly. Of course, this was very necessary, as it was time for the states to ally themselves for the first time. The hostile Molusht forces, who now held two islands and faced no resistance from the nearby Snarilia and Shraunts Island, were beginning to build a wide-scale perimeter with their fleets. Their forces seemed to multiply unnaturally, as their threat grew larger and larger by the day, until the Shlanks, Gleazons, Wolverines, and Teutons convened and decided they must work together to take out their mutual enemy, one who had even larger numbers waiting on the outside if the dome were to ever fall.

“And thus, another year-long war took place at sea. The four states who chose to fight brought their finest warships together in a concentrated effort to wipe out the numerous Molusht fleets. Finally, the five-way naval fight was drawn into southeastern seas, where the final scorching battle took place.

It was there, in what we now call the Ghost Seas, where we finally routed the Molusht forces. It was in the same battle, fifteen years ago, that the Wolverines, led by General Shuant, betrayed us and murdered the most recent Sword Heir, Hedric. The Gleazons ignored the sudden betrayal, focusing on chasing down the scattered Molusht ships, while the Shlanks surprisingly kept their heads down and returned home.

“Just like that, we were suddenly thrust into war with the Wolverines without so much as a declaration of war, and we have, of course, been fighting that war till this very day.”

Gambell’s speech trailed off with a low tone that matched the wounded body language of the class.

“Now, onto my theory I’ve been mentioning. You see, I reiterated the history of these wars to emphasize the impact the Dome has had on our country. To get you thinking about the way the different states reacted to being caged in suddenly. Now, I’d like you to also think about the relics given to our ancestors and the Shlanks. The Sages gifted these relics to us with goodwill and guidance in mind, and look at what both states did with them: we turned them into the two most powerful weapons in the world, and used them against each other for our own gain.

“So, you see, it is my thought that the Dome’s appearance was of no natural occurrence, but another chance given to us by the Sages to come together as a nation. This is evidenced by its timing, with the three-way war raging across the northeast, and the leftover mutual threat of the Molusht forces still lingering. The stones were lined up so that we would all come together as one, however, all we did was continue fighting. As a matter of fact, the fighting only worsened. And when we finally were forced to form an alliance to stamp out the obvious threat, the alliance did not even last the duration of its mission. Many blame the Wolverines for being power hungry conquerors, but the truth was that there was never a mutual trust between the four allied states.

“This was likely one reason the Snarilians and Black Shlanks refused to cooperate. We simply never communicated with each other as people, despite the Sages guidance.”

“But, couldn’t it just as easily be the opposite? It seems more likely we were pitted against each other from the beginning, doesn’t it?” Quentle shamelessly spoke up the moment Gambell’s speech paused, sounding as serious as he did in the previous class.

Cedric had the same thought as he did, but after yesterday’s outburst, he had decided to hold his tongue no matter what.

“Well, that way of thinking is in no way wrong, Quentle,” Gambell answered with a modest smile.

“Huh...” Quentle murmured in shock, his eyebrows contorting like he was trying to make shapes out of them.

“That is the most obvious opposing view, after all. I personally choose to see things a bit more positively, is all. It is my belief that Sages are beings who serve to guide our world, and foster a collective Will among its people.”

“That’s my problem exactly, though. Our Will is fine and all, but giving the Shlanks a Will like that…seems kind of blatant, doesn’t it?” Quentle was now holding nothing back in his interjections. This counter had Cedric genuinely interested in Gambell’s response, but the class began to clamor before the stressed teacher could answer.

“Why wouldn’t they just come out and tell us if that was the case?”

“How could they not foresee the fighting that would come from suddenly being trapped in here together?”

“The Dome caused the destruction of an entire state!”

“People’s greed destroyed an entire state! And don’t forget a state was wiped out before the Dome as well!”

The class quickly split into two sides, arguing over human nature and Gambell’s theory.

Cedric, along with his friends, remained silent. He had no interest in these things, though he couldn’t help but admire Gambell’s unwavering belief.

“Alright then, boys. I’m glad I could rouse you from your sleep with my ramblings, but let’s end there for today. You see, I wanted you to start thinking about these things as you approach your preparation tests next week. The state of Takanova Island, as well as the direction of our domed country. Whether you end up as a soldier, a researcher, or a common worker, you all have the capability to mold our collective Will, and even our world, in what you do in life.”

His last words struck Cedric. As class dismissed and he made his routine trip to and from home to Castle Town, he thought about his father’s question. Whether he wanted to be the Heir or not, he knew that he would fight, and what he would fight for.

My duty as a Teuton.

My duty to myself…

I’ll fight…to discover that…and mold it.

As he looked up to the Dome, he felt his inner light begin to cut through the sea of cloud, if only by a bit.