[ ʀᴇᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜɪɴɢ ]
Jeongguk, a bored village merchant, is caught up in a magical story in the midst of a Nation's Civil War following his meeting with the powerful (and beautiful) Fallen Wizard, Kim Taehyung. After he is cursed by Taehyung's rival, th...
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The Captain couldn't see him. Neither could the General, nor the two Knights, nor the seventeen Soldiers standing around the rectangular table. A sort of electricity swirled within him, tangling with his veins as he breathed deeply through his nose. The power encouraged him to sink further, deeper, into the shadows. He realized he could disappear completely if that was his wish. If he wanted, he could surrender to the pull of the string tied around his waist, tugging him into the vast pit of darkness that hovered around him and pooled at his feet. For now, the darkness simply kept him invisible to the naked eye. But if he wanted, if he truly wanted, the darkness could be his home.
The Fallen Wizard shook his head and stepped closer to the table. The Soldiers were all taller than him, blocking his view. He clenched his jaw and summoned an apple-sized amount of magic to the balls of his feet. He rocked backward onto his heels, before rolling forwards and lifting off the ground. He floated slightly farther into the room and peered over the heads of the Greydell Army members to see their plans.
"As I've told you before, we cannot travel through the Misted Edge," the Captain was addressing his superior officer, but his brow was furrowed together and he looked frustrated. The Fallen Wizard wondered if he was purposefully not using formalities. "We have to move the lines north and through these valleys."
"Going around the Edge would add eight weeks to our timeline," the General growled. "We don't have the money or the bodies to spare. We must go through it."
"If we go through the Edge, we'll never come out the other side."
The Fallen Wizard smirked. He was grateful for the reputation held by his home. He hated visitors in his land.
"Sir, our Navy can handle the Belhaven-"
"Our Navy is useless! All the fighting has been done inland, we might as well just sell the submarines to pay for new battleships."
The Fallen Wizard frowned. That wouldn't do. The Belhaven front was preparing to push forwards within the next month. Greydell wouldn't have time to build adequate battleships.
The Captain sighed, rubbing his forehead with a calloused hand.
"Sire, I cannot send my men into the Misted Edge with good conscious. I would be sending them to their deaths."
The Fallen Wizard felt the tension in the room rise a degree, and noticed every Soldier was standing with principle posture. They looked like the propaganda posters glued to the buildings at the docks, clad in their blue and green jackets and holding silver spears.
"Captain, if I may."
Every head turned to gaze upon one of the Knights at the other end of the long table. His neck was turning red, but he seemed determined to speak his mind.
