Ancient Empire Calendar, Year 1832
Two weeks had passed since the wedding. The Kislavein armies were rested and ready to move.
Ricardo Costin was walking through the old and forgotten corridors of his palace.
He had enjoyed the two weeks spent with his new wife.
"There's nothing better than sex to relieve the stress and fatigue of war. Anyway."
Ricardo released the Nur Force from his hand, which guided him in a straight line.
"Runanhaimer said the Nur Force would guide me to find the Sarcophagus of Power. I've been walking for a long time; how much further?"
After walking a few more minutes, Ricardo entered a dead end.
"The Nur Force indicates this place, so there must be a secret passage. That makes sense; if it were just out in the open, it would have been foolish."
Ricardo placed his hands on the wall and began to channel the Nur Force.
"It's a complex system; it reacts to the Nur Force. It's worth examining this in detail."
Ricardo studied the mechanism of the secret passage for a long time. After understanding the system's logic, he decided to open it.
"Good, I've learned it. Now, let's see the Sarcophagus of the Costin Dynasty."
As he entered, he found a Sarcophagus identical to the one beneath Kislavein Palace.
"I had imagined it would be a bit different, but oh well. What matters is the power it will give me. I wonder, while I'm already invincible in my current state, how powerful will I be when I absorb the power of all the Sarcophagi?"
When Ricardo touched the Sarcophagus, information flowed into his mind, and an immense power surged through his body.
As the transfer completed, Ricardo staggered back, falling to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Haah, haah... really... haah... I'll never... haah... get used to this."
Ricardo stood up and examined his body.
"Yes, my powers have increased twentyfold. But this information... and these memories..."
Ricardo studied the information flowing into his mind and the memories he didn't recognize.
"The same thing happened when I touched the Sarcophagus in Kislavein Palace. Whose memories are these? They certainly belong to someone, or someones, from the past. But to whom?"
Ricardo turned away from the Sarcophagus, closed the secret passage, and headed back the way he came.
"I can only learn who these memories and information belong to, and the mystery of these Sarcophagi, when I have touched all of them. I have taken two of the five Sarcophagi; three remain."
Ricardo began to ascend towards the surface.
"When I conquer the North and the South, only the Sarcophagus in the East will remain. To get it, I will have to kill Marco Ashterah. I hope he dies in these wars, and I won't have to kill him myself."
As Ricardo emerged from underground, the bright, warm sunlight caressed his face. He took a deep breath.
He left Costin Palace and mounted his horse to head towards the outskirts of the city where his waiting army was assembled.
He rode his horse slowly towards the city's edge.
The ruined walls of the city, formerly known as Costinopolis and renamed Ricardopolis after the conquest, had been completely rebuilt in two weeks through the intense efforts of millions of Kislavein and Ashterah soldiers and the city's populace.
Ricardo felt a surge of pride as he saw his army standing at attention, waiting for him.
"I never tire of looking at the nobility and beauty of this army. You all joined my army willingly to fight and conquer. You are all children of Kislavein."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ricardo prepared to address his army. He magically amplified his voice and began to speak.
"VALIANT WARRIORS AND MAGES OF THE KISLAVEIN AND ASHTERAH DYNASTIES! KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MADE HISTORY! YOU HAVE OPENED THE FIRST DOOR TO A NEW ERA! YOU CONQUERED THE CENTRAL LANDS!"
The Kislavein and Ashterah soldiers responded by banging their swords against their shields and striking their spears against the ground.
"WHEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH KNEEL, WE AND OUR DESCENDANTS WILL RULE ALL LANDS! YOU WILL BE ETCHED IN HISTORY IN GOLDEN LETTERS AS THE CONQUERING ANCESTORS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS! FIGHT! CONQUER! PLUNDER! AND KILL! LONG LIVE KISLAVEIN!"
The warriors and mages responded in unison:
"LONG LIVE KISLAVEIN! LONG LIVE THE DYNASTY LORD, KRAEL II KISLAVEIN! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE!"
After this speech, Ricardo divided his army in two.
While the first army of two million, under Ricardo's command, marched north,
Marco Ashterah, with two million soldiers—half Easterners, half Westerners—marched south.
This incoming support would be a great help to the armies in the North and South, which had suffered heavy losses.
Note: The word "Nur" is a proper noun and was kept as "Nur Force" in the translation.