Legends of the Stars

Interlude: The Nova Empire

Interlude

The Nova Empire

"My journey began at the break of dawn. The path goes past the horizon, far beyond the light of day, deep into the night. Deep into the dark, where my destiny awaits."

-Erik Harbinger, Destroyer, p. 27

After their defeat at Talus' hands, Halldor's fleet returned to Solus, the capital of the Nova Empire. This lightless city sat in the center of a frozen wasteland, sealed off from the rest of the world by mountains. The entire valley was covered in a blanket of ice and snow, with many demons lurking throughout the vast wilderness. This land was the actual result of Hell freezing over.

The capital itself was a despotic metropolis buried in eternal darkness. If anyone tried locating the city from space, they could only succeed by spotting the dark eye at the heart of the continent. All of its citizens lived as prisoners beneath the Empire's cold shadow. No one was allowed to go in or out of the city without permission. Airships hovered over the city day and night, watching over the people with their spotlights. The Imperial Palace sat atop an enormous, black pyramid, which stretched into the sky as a monument to its master.

Ruling over this crestfallen land was Emperor Galen Alderic. This aging dictator, despite the crimes he's committed, was both loved and feared by all who dwelled in his land. For almost twenty years, he stoked the fires of anger and hatred in his subjects towards the people of Astrelm, accusing them of depriving them all of land and resources. They looked to him and his army to regain what was they thought was rightfully theirs. Though everyone outside of the Empire saw Alderic as a devil, his own people saw him as their savior.

Inside the Imperial Palace, General Halldor met with Alderic in his throne room, where he had been summoned to face his judgment. Standing next to Halldor was Kaiser himself, silently awaiting orders behind his draconic mask. To the Dark Lord's left was his right-hand man, Lok, and the other Death Riders. The Emperor sat high on his obsidian throne, contemptuously looking down on the lowly general as he hovered above the ground. The tyrant's left eye was hidden behind a red lens linked to the Empire's online network. This device wrapped around his head like a mechanical halo, a symbol of his nigh-omniscience. Whatever his soldiers saw, he saw too, cementing his control over those who lived in constant fear of displeasing their glorious leader. Something Halldor now had to deal with as the Emperor spoke down to him.

"So, not only did you fail to retrieve the Star of Talus, but you also let the Princess use it to wipe out your entire army. If they get their hands on the other crystals, they could use them to topple our entire Empire."

"Great Emperor, I sincerely apologize for this egregious failure. I—"

"SILENCE!" the Emperor only let out a fraction of his repressed rage in that one shout. His hoarse, sizzling voice exploded as it echoed through his royal chamber. He immediately regained his composure before he continued. "This Ark Knight you speak of, you're certain he's the one who has evaded us these past two years?"

"Yes! Though he continues to elude us, But from him, he has given us the key that we've searched for. I suggest we deploy our new army immediately. They will wipe out our enemies and gather the Stars for ourselves. And with their power, our Empire will be invincible!"

"Do not put so much faith in your armies, General," Kaiser intervened. "Even with this new legion of soldiers we've created, perfected or not, their strength does not compare to the power of the Ark Knights."

"Lord Kaiser, don't try to uphold yourself with your ancient magic! You and your pack of wild dogs haven't had the power to retrieve any of the crystals, nor have you succeeded in eradicating the kingdom's armed forces!"

Kaiser instantly grabbed Halldor by the neck, sadistically squeezing the air out of his throat. The Dark Lord's hand also began emitting a dark mist that wrapped around the general's neck. Lok simply grinned as he watched his master suck the life out of him.

"Be careful not to waste your breath," Kaiser said to the general, who literally hung on the edge of death.

"ENOUGH!" The Emperor shouted, banging his fist on the arm of his throne.

Kaiser immediately dropped Halldor like a bag of dirt. The sound of him hitting the hard floor echoed throughout the Emperor's chamber. The fallen General wheezed as he tried to pick himself up. In all his years serving the Empire, Halldor had never suffered such humiliation. He and his army had claimed hundreds of territories for the Empire without failing a single mission. A war hero in his land, he was highly regarded by commoners and soldiers alike. That is, before he met the Ark Knight. That snot-nosed brat had become the bane of his existence. And now, because of him, he was sprawled across the floor, a miserable failure and an embarrassment to the Emperor.

"We must proceed as planned," the Emperor declared. "Halldor! Kaiser! You and your men will scour Astrelm for the remaining crystals. As for the Ark Knight and the Princess, bring them to me, alive! And Halldor, do not fail me again!" As the tyrant clenched his right fist, the crystal on his ring shined like a crimson fire burning with his own rage.

"Yes, your Highness," Halldor said, gasping for air. As he slowly recovered his strength and composure, he vowed that he wouldn't let the Ark Knight defeat him again.

Never again.

Rising back to his feet, the general and followed Kaiser and his Riders out of the room. The Emperor was left alone on his lightless throne, waiting inside his grand palace as the world outside continued to burn.