The Ending War.
What a familiar phrase.
Tales had watched quite a few plays at the Midnight Temple beside the Grand Bazaar—although most of his attention had been focused on figuring out how to fish money from the pockets of the transfixed audience.
He had to admit that, despite the Midnight priests looking like a bunch of crazies, wrapping themselves up so tightly that not a patch of skin showed, and constantly muttering things like "Our Lord shall return," "The world shall collapse a second time," and "All history is a lie. Only the true god Mingye can save the world" ("Fortunately, they never muttered anything like 'The long night is coming, and danger lurks everywhere'... Hey, Lane, watch it! That fat sheep is turning around!—Tales, a beggar watching the play.).
Their plays were genuinely a good way for an illiterate who had crossed over to understand the world without spending any money.
Well, perhaps not that good—following behind Gilbert, Tales remembered a play titled "Mingye's True Form Descends into the Mortal World and Personally Saves Thirty-Three Princesses," and could not help curling his lip.
Among the plays of every kind, ranging from utterly absurd to moralistic warnings, the one that had left the deepest impression on Tales was titled "The Day Calamity Descends, the Hour the World Ends."
That was the Ending War.
Tales still remembered how, amid sets dominated by black and red, a masked figure dressed in black carried a chain and a scythe, his heavy steps and weighty footfalls circling the entire stage. The music always turned dark and terrifying at that moment, often frightening the curious children in the audience into tears.
Wherever the man in black went, actors wearing various headpieces to represent the different parts of the world wailed and screamed before collapsing in heaps across the stage.
He also remembered the chilling words delivered in a cawing voice from backstage:
"Calamity has come! Calamity has come! It will spare no one, nor will it spare this world! Not until all are captured by Calamity!"
"Awaken, my brethren! Awaken, awaken! Calamity sweeps over all, the Prison River floods into the mortal realm, the firmament collapses upon the earth, and the world is about to end!"
"The gods stand forever at our side, and the demons fight beside us! The Emperor stands behind us, and heroes are ahead of us! Only by fighting to the death can we live! Mingye alone is eternal!"
"Brethren! Calamity has come! Mingye has said that the ferryman of the Prison River may not have an ugly face, but the inhuman fruit of the demonic flower can still corrode the human heart! We would rather take up our swords and follow the heroes to a glorious death than become the slaves and lackeys of such a Calamity!"
"This is the final battle, with no distinction between one another, no distinction between the sacred and the mortal!"
"The Ending War! With Mingye covering the earth, Calamity shall surely dissipate!"
In Tales's hazy memory, the neurotic play had portrayed the so-called "Calamity," wielding a chain and scythe, slaughtering countless living beings before finally being defeated by an alliance formed by the entire world.
Yet to the very end, the priests and actors of the Midnight Temple never explained what "Calamity" actually was. When children on the streets pressed them for answers, the priests always made the children say, "Mingye shall return; I am willing to serve at his side," before giving them a piece of malt candy, then smiling benevolently and saying, "Calamity is the enemy of the world."
Lost in thought, Tales failed to notice that Gilbert had already led him to the stairs before the second floor.
The three enormous portraits of the Star Kingdom's kings that he had seen when he first arrived hung neatly on the wall.
"Lusaka Colvin was a renowned portrait painter during the reign of Mindis III. His portraits emphasized the combination of history and character, using the surroundings and movements to convey each person's spirit and temperament with the greatest resemblance." Gilbert stopped beneath the portraits of the three former Star Kingdom kings and spoke in a daze.
"The 'Three Kings of Starfall.' Among Colvin's surviving masterpieces, they are a rare depiction of several kings and monarchs, just as His Majesty introduced them to you before."
A master's work? Only then did Tales raise his head and carefully examine the portrait at the center of the wall—the young knight riding a horse and wielding a spear, whose posture suggested that he was continually surging forward, with his seven-pointed star insignia.
His previous hurried glance had been far too cursory. Only today, with the time to examine it carefully, did Tales notice that this seemingly dashing knight's spearhead had already been blunted, his crown was damaged and mottled, and his armor was covered in splattered blood. Even his mount looked exhausted. The knights behind him were all injured: one charged with a shield, one was covered in blood, one's armor hung in tatters, one pair supported each other on horseback, and one man had even been reduced to a single arm.
Under the setting sun in the distance, mountains of corpses and weapons lay everywhere. Only a few people remained standing, lonely ornaments upon the ravaged battlefield, while blood and darkness dominated the remaining colors.
Except for the young knight in the seven-star crown, who appeared to be roaring furiously, the six people behind him all wore desolate, sorrowful expressions. Yet they still showed the resolve to turn back for nothing, following Tomond I as he raised his spear and roared ahead.
At this sight, something stirred in Tales's heart, and he suddenly remembered what Kessel the Fifth had said:
"That was Tomond I, the last prince of the Final Empire, the founder of Starfall, the 'King of Renaissance.' His valor in the Ending War is still praised to this day."
"He was—" Tales's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Gilbert beside him.
"Yes, 'King of Revival' Tomond Radiant Star," Gilbert replied solemnly. "In the Ending War more than six hundred years ago, he was the highest-ranking among the surviving Imperial commanders in the Western Theater."
"He was also your ancestor, the founder of the Starfall Kingdom after the war."
Western Theater. Surviving. Imperial commander. Highest status and rank.
Tales immediately seized upon the key words.
"An Imperial commander? Which Empire? What was his position? Were there other theaters besides the Western Theater? Who were Tomond's enemies?"
Gilbert was already accustomed to Tales's habit of interrupting and asking questions—or even arguing—at any moment. He merely smiled without taking offense.
"Of course, the only 'Empire.'"
"The only Empire?"
"Yes." Gilbert drew in a breath, his face filled with reminiscence. "Do you know, Young Master Tales? Originally, the known world was a vast landmass shaped like an arm. And the original homeland of us, Starfall, was located at the wrist—"
Tales jerked his head up. "What?"
He interrupted Gilbert in shock. "One—one entire landmass? The Eastern Continent and Western Continent separated by the Sea of Termination—"
But Gilbert only smiled and raised one hand, signaling him to quiet down before the portraits of the former kings.
"Let me finish. The answer lies in the Ending War."
But Tales had already pieced together an answer that was not far from the truth.
The Ending War. Wait, the sea between the two continents was called the Sea of Termination?
Two continents?
Unable to restrain himself, Tales said, "Gilbert, um, you're not about to tell me that a powerful extraterrestrial creature invaded our world with an army, and that we thwarted its plans in a fierce battle, but accidentally broke a magical well and blew the world into two continents, are you?"
Gilbert's smile froze. "What?"
"And then the western one was still called Kalimdor—"
"Shh—" Gilbert interrupted him with an exasperated smile. "My young master, you certainly have a talent for writing novels and making up stories. If not for your identity, you might have become an excellent bard or poet. But we are having a history lesson."
Tales shrugged and shut his mouth, burying a fragment of recently recovered memory deep in his mind—it was still connected to that chuunibyou girl.
Gilbert watched him patiently until Tales stopped speaking and grew solemn before the portrait of his ancestor. Only then did he continue:
"More than three thousand years ago, after humanity comprehended Transcendent Power, Transcendent Rank and Extreme Realm experts emerged one after another. The military's strength and equipment continued to improve. After years of friction, war, and alliances, humanity finally united into a single whole nearly two thousand two hundred years ago. After victory upon victory in its wars against the various races, it became the master of the continent and the known world."
Gilbert's eyes drifted with reverence and longing as he spoke in a distant voice:
"They established a vast nation whose territory stretched to the four seas, whose might awed the continent, and whose reach touched nearly every corner of the known land. Ludorians, Northlanders, Nieders, Kalensans, Redlanders—with the exception of a small portion of Far Easterners, nearly all humans lived under its protection and rule."
"They gave the country no formal name and the dynasty no designation. Its supreme ruler called himself the 'Emperor.'"
"That unprecedented nation, which had neither a name nor any need for one—was simply called the 'Empire.'"
Tales drew in a quiet breath. Yet what he felt was not glory or pride, but only sorrow and lament.
War made the state, and the state made war—he silently added a line he had learned from a master's book in his previous life.
Unity and war. Put simply, how many wars, how much blood, and how much slaughter had been needed to forge an unprecedented superpower?
But Gilbert's expression soon darkened.
"After the Empire had ruled for nearly a thousand years, a powerful new race, almost terrifyingly so, was born silently among humanity."
"They did not age or die, could not be destroyed, possessed unmatched strength and boundless energy, and even Extreme Realm experts could not resist them. Not even true gods or demons could stand against them. More frightening still, their ways of thinking and acting were entirely different from those of humans, and even from those of the various races. They were unreasonable, arrogant, mad, and difficult to communicate with."
Tales stiffened slightly.
That neurotic figure in blue with brown hair seemed to appear before his eyes once more, its mouth opening and closing: "Standing above the boundless sky, surpassing the gods, looking down upon all living beings..."
Tales came back to himself and saw Gilbert let out a sigh.
"They descended upon the world like Calamity, constantly bringing chaos and disaster, blood and slaughter. Under blow after blow, the once-great Empire gradually declined, until it finally perished."
A new race?
Born among humans?
Unreasonable?
Calamity?
Something occurred to Tales, and his heart began beating irregularly.
"By the time of Tomond I, the century when the Imperial Calendar gave way to the End Era, the Empire had already been destroyed for more than three hundred years. The world of humans and the various races had fallen back into chaos and division."
"The 'Final Empire' in which Tomond lived was merely a remnant established by the survivors, another country bearing the Empire's name. Its system, territory, and people were entirely different."
"Historians customarily call the former great Empire the 'Ancient Empire,' while calling the latter, weaker Empire the 'Final Empire.'"
"In Imperial Calendar 1509, the year the Ending War occurred, the Final Empire was merely a middling country in the world. The spiritual legacy and legitimate title of the Ancient Empire brought it not glory and inheritance, but burdens and hatred."
"Former subjects dreamed of ambition, vassal races stirred restlessly, and the many nations watched it like tigers eyeing their prey."
"Though it had inherited the glory of the Ancient Empire, the Final Empire had enemies everywhere. War was constant, taxes were heavy, internal rebellions continued year after year, the imperial family was incompetent, and its rule declined."
"The glory of the Empire seemed destined to end in the 1,509th year of the Imperial Calendar."
"But that very year, that race, those Calamities, had already bewitched many believers and followers throughout the world. Bearing unprecedented power, they formally declared war on the entire civilized world!"
Tales trembled slightly.
His mind was clear enough for him to spot several logical errors in this account, but he did not speak at once. Instead, he held back.
What exactly were the Calamities? What did it mean that they had been born from humanity?
If they possessed such power, why, after destroying the Ancient Empire, had they not pressed on and declared war immediately? Why wait until the Final Empire?
If they were truly completely unreasonable, why would they recruit followers and believers like a true god?
If their thinking was entirely different from that of humans, why would they declare war? To conquer the world? What a joke!
This was a story riddled with holes!
But Tales realized that Gilbert was not deliberately misleading him. Rather, there was a great deal of information that the current Tales simply had no way of knowing.
Just like the secrets of the Year of Blood.
"Those Calamities..." Tales swallowed and asked nervously, "What were they?"
Gilbert was not surprised by Tales's question, but he failed to notice that Tales's tone lacked its usual confidence and composure.
He sighed. "After the Ending War, the gods, demons, and mortal world reached an unspoken agreement to seal away and prohibit all information about the Calamities and their origins. It was also a measure to prevent their numbers from increasing."
"As many years passed, the terror of the Calamities gradually faded, and many people slowly forgot their names and existence."
"However, as the king's only blood descendant, you will have to know about them sooner or later."
Gilbert took a deep breath and spoke with a grave expression. "Those Calamities were once human or members of other intelligent races. But desire, greed, and ambition drove them to become beings that had lost their essence—aberrations. Though they were almost indistinguishable from us most of the time and even hid among us, they were truly a different race."
"Among the common folk and most people, these Calamities shared a single name."
Gilbert cleared his throat. His face was solemn as he pronounced each word:
"Magic Users."
At that moment, Tales used every ounce of control he possessed to keep his body from trembling too violently.
"In their eyes, Magic Users were merely another kind of Psion, seemingly standing alongside powerful beings such as Termination Knights and Psychic Warriors."
"But only the nations and temples that took part in the Ending War knew the truth." Gilbert's gaze turned icy as he continued. "These so-called Magic Users were the terrifying 'Calamities' that had wreaked havoc throughout history for thousands of years, carried blood debts beyond counting, ended two Empires, and nearly destroyed the entire world!"
"Only when they tried to kill a Magic User would they discover that something was wrong, would they notice the clues—but by then, it was usually too late."
"Because Magic Users, those Calamities, were immortal and indestructible."
"Young master," Gilbert said solemnly, "if you are unfortunate enough to encounter a Magic User in the future, protect yourself first. Once you are safe, find a way to call for help... We have measures targeting the weaknesses of Magic Users, and they can be resisted."
Tales touched the wound he had cut into his right hand. His expression remained unchanged, but his teeth trembled faintly—for he had probably already encountered those "Calamities."
Though Tales's mind was filled with doubts, he could not recklessly ask questions for the sake of his own safety. Who knew what others might notice if he questioned Gilbert in a moment of panic?
But something still did not add up... If Magic Users were such terrifying beings, why had they come to fight over a minor gang? Why had the Starfall Kingdom allowed their Blood Bottle Gang to grow within Starfall?
Another inconsistency.
So many inconsistencies.
Gilbert paused, seemingly puzzled by Tales's failure to speak or ask questions. But he did not become overly suspicious. Instead, he closed his eyes as though pondering something, and only several minutes later did he speak softly:
"There is no need to doubt their terror. The power of those Calamities was simply too great. More than six hundred years ago, under the leadership of the strongest experts, our most powerful and courageous armies fought their minions endlessly amid blood and madness. After breaking through the outer defenses, the most elite knights and warriors surrounded those Calamities to the death, yet they could only die in heaps."
Tales remembered the play at the Midnight Temple. Onstage, one actor after another had collapsed along the path taken by "Calamity."
"God after god descended into the mortal world, only to fall. Demons also climbed onto the surface, only to be destroyed. The strongest from every race rushed to the battlefield, only to sacrifice themselves."
"The war continued for many years. After paying a terrible price, we finally researched their weaknesses and defeated those Calamities."
Tales clenched his fists. Ashida's desolate words seemed to echo in his ears: "We lost."
Gilbert's words interrupted his memories of Ashida.
"But the strength of those accursed Calamities was terrifying beyond reason. In the final pursuit and decisive battle above the Extreme Realm, those accursed Calamities, those mongrels capable of nearly destroying the world—"
Tales, who had been carefully examining Tomond's charge, suddenly shuddered. He knew what came next.
Gilbert calmly spoke the next sentence:
"They sank the most vulnerable piece of land at the center of the continent, the point connecting the four directions. Every living being and every object upon it suffered a catastrophe of annihilation."
"After the land sank, the residual energy spread outward and pushed the entire continent apart in two directions. Within just five years, the sea that formed became bottomless, violently splitting the known land into the Eastern Continent, the Western Continent, and countless islands."
"This was the famous Great Sundering more than six hundred years ago."
"The Ending War ended there."
Gilbert let out a long breath. His next words made Tales lose focus for a moment:
"That sunken land encompassed the entirety of the Final Empire."
"The Final Empire."
"Ended here."
Wu Jian scratched his head. "The story hasn't even gotten very far. How did it suddenly become two hundred thousand words?"
A little self-promotion while I'm at it: the Bloodline of the Kingdom readers' group is 701536213.