Day 7, Month 8, Year 469 of the Fifth Age
Gilvaris Summer Palace, THE KINGDOM
Only recently entering twenty-two years of age, the illness that ravaged Lapis visibly robbed from him a luster that should have matched his sister Larimar’s beautiful golden locks. Despite his almost normal look otherwise, his physical strength continued to wane, depriving him of the freedom to use even his own legs. Eventually, the ailment left him confined to a wheelchair, restricting the parts of the world this man could explore at his leisure. He found himself increasingly distant from a memory of running across a beautiful grassland, feeling all blissful and free just like his childhood many summers ago. It was an unexpected turn of fate of becoming the next conduit for the Prophecy that his prison ended up being not as bleak as he would have expected. It was more of a gilded cage, for a lack of better word.
Since he made a promise to Larimar to cherish his life, however, Lapis will do his best to at least appear resolute in the presence of others. And thus, it has been written.
Having woken up just before sunrise to start the day with a morning prayer, Lapis, now well-fed and dressed in fresh attire, emerged from his private chambers with Larimar faithfully pushing his wheelchair. There, a golden-haired and blue-irised middle-aged man, the same person as the one who accompanied their leisure stroll yesterday, was found standing with a calm air that he exuded.
“Safety and peace be with you, My Disciple, Sister Larimar. How are you feeling this morning?”
“On you as well, Master Roshe,” Lapis replied gracefully, doing his best to match the courtly tone used by the man. “For us to be able to live to see another day, truly, it’s a blessing from the Sibling Gods. I don’t feel too much discomfort.”
The man named Roshe raised his head and gazed approvingly at Lapis’ response before asking another question, “Well then, what would be your plans for this day?”
“For starters, I would like to visit the library to do some studies on my own until noon, Master.”
“I understand. Then, shall we?”
Lapis nodded, and Roshe offered himself to push the wheelchair so that Larimar could walk beside her brother. The place they were in was impressively vast, but almost to the point of excess that simply going to the library is quite a trip, as Lapis mused to himself. Even though the week prior to his first Prophecy would normally see a break from his training as managed by the agency to which Roshe also belonged, Lapis with his limited choice of activity chose to study independently. Like a silver lining among a dark cloud, the Summer Palace was also a place to compensate for his inability to move freely—a place where he could see the world through the information condensed in the quality tomes that were well within his reach.
“Is everyone doing alright, Master?” while waiting for their arrival at the library, Lapis raised his voice and asked Roshe.
“Oh. Yes, everyone else is still blessed with good health even today. As a matter of fact, other than the ongoing war and the preparation for the upcoming Prophecy, there is nothing else out of the ordinary happening as of late.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary…” Larimar mused, “Even without His Eminence’s presence, for everyone in THE KINGDOM to be able to operate normally is… how should I put it…?”
“These are already trying times out there. His Eminence wouldn’t want any more disruptions in the lives of the Faithful. Of course, there are always complex issues at hand, but if you have been paying attention to my previous lectures, you should know the general reason why he implemented the current system of governance.”
“Ah, worry not, My Master, I clearly remember the duties and responsibilities of the Hierarchs, including the three Agencies and six Wardenries under them,” Lapis smiled lightly.
“Hoho… As you should My Disciple, I’ll be sorely disappointed if you don’t,” Roshe, being the official assigned by THE KINGDOM as the young man’s overseer in his training, replied with a half-chiding tone.
Lapis said in defense of himself, “Those people are the ones I will be working with as long as the Prophecy permits, it will be ridiculous of me to not know what they’re doing, Master.”
“That would be true,” Roshe retorted lightly.
The current Priest-King, who had already been confined to his bed awaiting his impending passing just one week away, was naturally no longer able to fulfill his responsibilities as the leader of the Kain Divine Kingdom. Nevertheless, the state itself was not entirely without a helm.
The Priest-King’s tenure witnessed a significant institutional reform in the central governance of the country, shaping the system that the three of them are familiar with today. Viewing himself first and foremost as the high priest for the religion and the conduit for the Prophecy from the Sibling Gods, the current Priest-King chose to share governance and decision-making authority with a group of officials chosen at his discretion to serve as his advisors, known as the Hierarchs comprising of three Agencies and six Wardenries, with the Prophecies as a general guideline. Even though the Priest-King’s opinions still hold a significant influence in the decision-making process, with a mechanism for continuity in leadership in place, the Divine Kingdom will not run itself to the ground in the event of his physical absence, just like the present-day.
It was during the course of his training, that Lapis had all but concluded that the current system of governance is stable enough that any major—and unnecessary reform that will only shake the nation’s foundation is not going to be necessary. Most likely, Lapis will take a stance following the examples set by his predecessor.
Throughout the long history of the Kain Divine Kingdom, the Priest-Kings displayed a wide variety of governing styles. These ranged from absolute theocratic monarchs who believed themselves infallible to benign messengers of the Sibling Gods who saw themselves as merely the “first among the Faithful.” Some even merely served their tenure as puppet rulers, retained by opportunistic individuals solely due to their exclusive role as conduits for the Prophecy. In essence, their right to the throne was grounded in the “Mandate of Heaven,” but whether they wielded actual authority depended on various factors, including the circumstances, the legacy of their predecessors, and the individual Priest-King’s disposition.
Now, the desire to eliminate the Priest-King may cross the minds of some, but due to something called the “Miracle of the Prophecy,” Priest-Kings and their determined heirs are literally unkillable by mortal hands… or blades… or guns—whatever construct intentionally designed to reap one’s life, protected by a supernatural force unless the fate itself wanted them to depart the mortal coil. If the Prophecy itself had not yet foretold the end of their lives, reality seems to forcibly bend around the Priest-Kings and their determined successor to ensure that they will not die until their last Prophecy comes. There are many precedents of assassination attempts or accidents involving the Priest-Kings and their successors, but every single time they survived; maybe wounded, but they lived.
EVERY.
SINGLE.
TIME.
Because of this, instances of weaponizing this miracle by the more martially-oriented Priest-Kings were not unheard of either.
In any case, it was an utterly unthinkable thing for Kain—no, Yggdra, to exist without the Prophecy. As a result, the worst thing that a usurper can do is to cut off their limbs and imprison them, or capitalize on their reluctance to actually govern thereby reducing them into puppets. But even then, Yggdra—the world—seemed to have its own way to correct itself. Many times the Mandate of Heaven is challenged, many times the Mandate of Heaven retaliated twice as fierce. And thus, it has been written.
Before long, the three finally arrived at their destination.
Rows and rows of towering bookshelves containing wisdom in a written form were quite a sight to behold. Many of the books stored here were said to have been the current Priest-King’s personal collection as well. Not only the works of literature sanctioned by the Divine Kingdom’s government, the Priest-King also collected those deemed as ‘heresies’ whether blatant or subtle from all over the world. When asked why, the man himself had said at times that in order to predict their lost brethren’s actions and formulate the best path to bring them back into the Sibling Gods’ embrace, one must be able to understand the way of their thinking. But since Lapis wanted to be here to take his mind off of the weight of his first Prophecy, going anywhere near such thought-provoking literature seemed to be not the way to spend the day.
As Lapis was brought to settle on an ornate reading desk placed in the corner of this fan-shaped room, Roshe looked around and lightly rubbed his hands together.
“Alright, My Disciple, we’re here,” he said. “Do you have anything topic in particular that you want to read that I can fetch for you or do you wish to explore the library on your own?”
“Hmm…”
Lapis pondered for a moment.
“Actually, I’m in the mood for reading something about airplanes. Master, do you mind?”
“I understand. I’ll be back shortly.”
While her brother was watching Roshe disappear among the shelves, Larimar smiled slightly and turned to Lapis.
“…Airplanes, huh?”
Lapis shrugged. “For some reason, I couldn’t help but think about it since earlier…”
“Well, it’s not like there’s anything wrong with that. It’s your day off, Dear Brother. It’s only right that you want to enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you, Sister.”
Lapis’ experience with flying was limited to boarding a government airship when he and Larimar came to THE KINGDOM. But even four years after that event, the memory of the changing scenery and the reception he experienced as the designated successor remained clear in his mind. Now that for some reason such a memory resurfaced in his mind, it only felt right that Lapis wanted to quench the thirst for this specific knowledge by perusing relevant materials.
Soon, Roshe returned with a stack of books so that the young man could start his independent study. Like the quiet atmosphere in this room, despite the bleak scenery outside, THE KINGDOM and the majority of the country remained at relative peace.
It was seven days before Lapis’ first Prophecy.
Day 10, Month 8, Year 496 of the Fifth Age
Gra Valkas Empire
As the War of Fate entered an active phase, it became not only a costly affair in terms of lives lost but also a drain on the people’s well-being. The discontent among the non-fighting Free Men of Gra Valkas and the liberated ones posed a greater threat than any invading force. It was imperative to maintain high morale and ensure that news from the frontlines was consistently uplifting and positive. This is why the Emperor was almost shaking in rage as he witnessed the spectacle that the invasion force in the Kainian mainland had caused.
Despite the fact that it took place on their archnemesis’ core territory, a feat in and of itself, the Gevura Campaign marked the Gra Valkas Empire’s first and greatest major defeat. It shattered their momentum and exposed a vulnerability in their ability to wage a land war against a peer power, sending a message to the entire Yggdra that even the Free Men, who valiantly resisted the mentally enslaved Kainians, had their moments of weakness. On the other hand, Kain, already humiliated by losing on their own territory, started to beat its chest loudly because of this.
Therefore, when the Gra Valkas Empire had no choice but to give up Gevura and retreated to the established defensive lines on the peninsula, the Year 496 conference held between the Imperial General Headquarters and government representatives outlined a new policy. This plan aimed to retake the region after the operations to secure resource areas and establish a long-term undefeatable position somewhere else was progressing without major hiccups. This approach was a downward shift from the original war plan, which had sought to capture regions further east of Gevura to threaten Port Verses through overland routes. Given the current impossibility of this objective, the new policy prioritized the aggressive recapture of Gevura, coupled with diplomatic efforts to engage Kainian representatives in a neutral country for off-the-record armistice negotiations.
In this context, the Navy General Staff instructed the Combined Fleet Headquarters to study, plan, and prepare for an operation next year to eliminate the one thing standing in the way of secure sea lanes to the peninsula: the Kainian Southern Left Navy based in Port Verses.
During a meeting at the Combined Fleet Headquarters on the Gra Valkan mainland, the Strategic Advisor can be heard giving an overview of the enemy to the convened officers.
“It is confirmed that there are still eight battleships and six battlecruisers currently being anchored at Port Verses. Of the former group, the surviving ones include two Guygalos, five Pandon, and one Zenebas, while the latter group comprises two Jasyuline, three Vakishim, and one Dragory. In comparison to the start of the recent phase of conflict, they have down to seventy percent of their original strength. On the other hand, however, Port Verses enjoyed an uninterrupted overland supply route and intact port facilities, so while it is unlikely that the Kainians will be able to construct anything larger than a destroyer, it is safe to assume that the damages inflicted during last engagement at the second month have been largely repaired.”
At present day, held back by the Gra Valkas Imperial Navy, the Kainian Divine Royal Navy ships have rarely sailed out of the harbor as the situation was turning into a stand-off. While superior individually, the Gra Valkan naval vessels already deployed to Kainian waters were beginning to spread out across an entire continent’s coastline to contain the Kainians in their harbors. On the other hand, a strategically located naval base called Port Verses near the peninsula where the land war raged on housed the battered yet still powerful First and Third Fleets of the Kainian Southern Left Navy. The loss of Gevura had foiled a plan to employ bombers from land to neutralize these units, leaving the Gra Valkas navy no choice but to continue their stare down with the enemy. Before the Gevura recapture operation could start, the threat to their shipping posed by the Southern Left Navy’s sortie must be eliminated first.
Pondering the report, the Chief of Staff asked a question, “If the Southern Left Navy realizes that we’re beginning to pull assets out to reinforce our operations in other areas, what are the likelihoods that they’re going to sail out and challenge a decisive battle?”
“It’s conceivable,” the Strategic Advisor asserted. “Despite the Kainians’ passive tendencies, they have shown a willingness to risk themselves in trying to intercept transport ships supporting the invasion force.”
Usually, the Kainian battleship fleet will act as a diversion, engaging the waiting Gra Valkan fleet while their scouting group of fast battlecruisers sneak out and hunt down the lightly defended transport convoy. In this manner, the Southern Left Navy suffered a series of tactical defeats in the past that sank four out of their 18 capital ships, but eventually it disrupted the Gra Valkan supply route hard enough for them to not be able to hold Gevura for long. Eventually the Gra Valkans began to assign battleships to escort the convoy in response, which saw the sinking of two battlecruisers, but then the Southern Left Navy turned passive again and these battleships were subsequently reassigned to other locations. Ideally, the Gra Valkans would have liked to whittle down the Kainians’ naval strength in a long-term campaign, but they were currently compelled by a political objective that forced them to destroy the enemy as soon as possible.
The military was ultimately an extension of politics.
The Commander of Eastern Fleet, Vice Admiral Caesar Roland, spoke up from his seat next to the Combined Fleet Commander, “Speaking of which, I heard that Kain is about to conduct that annual Prophecy ceremony of theirs several days from now.”
“Why do you have to point out such nonsense, Caesar?” an officer interrupted, snickering at the seemingly random statement.
“Consider this,” Caesar continued unperturbed. “The Kainians are religious fanatics that have shown themselves to change their doctrines at the drop of a hat if their Prophecy says so. If, by chance, this Prophecy commanded them for example to turn aggressive and engage the enemy at all costs, would the Southern Left Navy not follow it, no matter how irrational that may sound?”
“……They would.”
The Commander of the Combined Fleet voiced his agreement with Caesar’s words.
“With that in mind, let’s move on to the operation plan. Strategic Advisor, how many aircraft carriers that can be prepared before the operation starts?”
“Sir. The construction work for the second and third Ophiuchus-class carriers is scheduled to be completed on the tenth and eleventh month this year, respectively. Together with the merchant hulls currently undergoing conversion, we would be able to field a total of eight to nine carriers at the start of the operation. Since the aircrew have already been undergoing rigorous training with the 1st Carrier Division, there should be no problem in that regard.”
“I see,” once again, the Combined Fleet Commander turned to Caesar, the person who proposed this plan. “That would bring the number of attacking planes to at least forty-eight. What do you think? Will it be enough to achieve results?”
Caesar’s response was blunt, “If we are expected to neutralize the enemy through the air raid alone, that number is not sufficient to completely annihilate the enemy fleet and destroy the port facilities.”
Sighs and muffled groans of annoyance from the other personnel filled the tense conference room as they listened to Caesar’s verdict. They understood that the situation at hand and the Kainian Southern Left Navy that stood in the way of the Empire’s political goal of quickly recapturing Gevura was not the best of the matches.
Even now, the Navy was still somewhat divided in the approach to crack the Southern Left Navy. Skeptics to Caesar’s plan to use the largely untested naval air power advocated luring the Kainians with a decoy convoy and destroying them in a fleet decisive battle. However, this was countered by Caesar who estimated that this approach necessitated the Gra Valkan surface fleet to at least outmatch the Southern Left Navy three to one, while by this time the majority of Gra Valkas Imperial Navy’s vessels were either tied down watching the Kainian navy or engaged in other ongoing operations to secure the resource zones, all nowhere close enough to Port Verses.
Having a portion of its forces pulled out as well, the remaining Gra Valkan surface combatants in the area include two Hercules-class, four Pictor-class, and one Crater-class battleships in addition to four Orion-class battlecruisers. Capable of steaming faster than 22 knots, this lineup provided the local Gra Valkan forces with a total of sixteen 16-ar (41 cm) and ninety-two 14-ar (35,6 cm) main battery firepower. The ones other than the Hercules and Orion classes were older battleships armed with six twin turrets to make the number of guns still somewhat on par with that of the Kainians, which is 108.
On the other hand, the combined main gun firepower of their primary adversary in Port Verses still included ships sporting sixteen 16,5-ar (42 cm), fifty-six 15-ar (38 cm), eighteen 13,8-ar (35 cm), and eighteen 12-ar (30,5 cm) guns as their main batteries. The two Kainian Guygalos-class equipped with the powerful 16,5-ar guns, while they accumulated damages in previous engagements, were steadily being repaired while the Southern Left Navy was sitting at the harbor.
At this point, engaging in a fleet decisive battle with such a threatening (if passive) opponent would likely lead to a tactically inconclusive outcome, at best. Hence, despite the skepticism of those who questioned Caesar’s seemingly exaggerated estimates, the situation on the field painted a different picture. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to lure the Kainians into a decisive battle or to bottle their fleet, the only viable option left was to bypass the natural fortress safeguarding the Southern Left Navy. This daring seaborne air raid had become their sole chance to achieve tangible results.
Nonetheless, their options were limited by the relatively nascent technology at their disposal. The Ophiuchus-class aircraft carrier, alongside the converted merchant carriers, could each accommodate an air group of fifteen planes: nine fighters, organized into three sections of three planes each, and a maximum of six torpedo bombers divided into two sections. By substituting one of the fighter sections with torpedo bombers while not sacrificing the combat air patrol and escort too much, they could increase the total number of attackers to 72. In Caesar’s assessment, this number fell somewhat short of being capable of decisively neutralizing the enemy. A half-hearted commitment to the plan would merely serve to alert and enrage the Southern Left Navy.
“But that’s not the entirety of the plan,” the Strategic Advisor pointed out. “The plan is to neutralize enemy capital ships in the harbor in conjunction with the surface fleet that will be also on standby and pursue the ones who attempted to escape.”
“I am concerned about the Kainian air power, that’s why I think it’s still too low,” Caesar said.
“But haven’t you made your aircrew train to conduct attacks at night?” someone said incredulously. Seemingly not satisfied with pioneering what would be a series of ‘firsts,’ Caesar was demanding a little too much, and this officer was not amused.
“The Kainians also understand the concept of nighttime aerial combat, if anything it’s safe to assume that they’re better at it than us. The only thing we can count on here is the element of surprise.”
“Hmm… I understand the angle of your opinion,” the Combined Fleet Commander, finding himself agreeing with Caesar, nodded.
As fate would have it, airplanes had also become an increasingly prominent tool for military operations on both sides of the War of Fate. Since the current phase of the conflict started eight years ago, the Kain Divine Kingdom, in particular, was quick to master the usage of air power through both lighter- and heavier-than-air aircraft. Despite the naval dominance of the Gra Valkan forces eventually caused the frontline to extend into the peninsula southwest of the Kainian mainland, there the Kainians resolved to force them to bleed as much as possible for every step their adversaries took. Fighting on their own home turf, the Kainian Air Service pilots consistently demonstrated their mastery of the skies and the pilots were soon hailed as chivalrous men evoking the imagery of holy knights from ages gone by. The same cannot be said in regards to naval aviation, however, which was where the Gra Valkas Empire strived to surpass the Kainians.
“Very well, I will make a proposal to the General Staff about this,” the Combined Fleet Commander declared. “Now that we are running out of options in the face of the constraints imposed on us, we should ensure that we will spare no effort in the only option we have. Gentlemen, I need you to all work hard on preparing to break this deadlock. The fate of the Empire depends on your efforts!”
