Chapter 3: History

One year before the 'Great Chaos,' Penrith College, Class: History

The moment Runo and Arturo stepped into the history classroom, they were greeted by a tall, enchanting girl whose glasses added to her charm. Her pearly white smile and welcoming gesture put the boys at ease.

"Welcome to history. Mr. Neuman asked me to help students find their seats while he takes care of something. Can I please have your names?" she asked.

"Runo and Arturo," they both replied.

The classroom felt spacious, akin to a cinema before the movie began, with most seats unoccupied except for a few early arrivals. The girl scrutinised her seating chart to find their designated places.

"Runo, E8, and Arturo, B16. Unfortunately, you're not very close together, but hopefully, the lesson will be so engaging that you'll forget all about it. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alaina. Nice to meet you both," Alaina said, maintaining her warm smile.

"Nice to meet you too!" both boys replied.

Arturo and Runo took their seats and prepared for the lesson, while more students continued to stream in, keeping Alaina busy with seating assignments. After some time, a tall, white-haired man walked in, wearing a purple tie. He removed his blazer and placed it on his chair.

"Hello, my students. Welcome to history. Sorry I'm late. My name is Steve Neuman, but you can call me Steve. I believe we can all act like adults and engage in mature conversations in this room. Ah, Alaina, thank you for assisting with this. I'll write you a recommendation letter for the school council if you continue to excel," Steve Neuman said.

Steve exuded a nonchalant demeanor that instantly connected with the new faces scrutinizing his every move. He went on to introduce himself further before delving into the fascinating part of the lesson.

"Our planet is divided into three continents: the upper continent, Gaspai; the middle continent, Baridmeth; and the lower continent, Krazurag. For over a millennia, countries from Gaspai and Krazurag have attempted to conquer the uninhabitable land of Baridmeth. They've failed due to inexplicable water currents around it, treacherous terrain, and frequent natural disasters, including weekly magnitude-nine earthquakes. It's no mystery why the seven Gaspai countries and the nine Krazurag countries have been unsuccessful. I believe it'll be impossible to conquer Baridmeth for the next few millennia unless we develop technologies capable of confronting these hazards and advancing as a species," Steve proclaimed to his attentive students.

"Why do they persist in trying to obtain the middle continent if it's so perilous?" Alaina questioned the wisdom of national leaders.

"They do so because of what the five churches have spread about it. They believe that in the heart of Baridmeth lies 'The Holy Land of Gods.' They claim there are undiscovered resources that could bestow godlike power upon a nation," Steve Neuman explained. Each student absorbed this information, replaying it in their minds to fully grasp the significance.

"However, when this knowledge spread like wildfire, it led to devastating consequences, sparking numerous wars as nations fought against each other for control of this holy continent. To halt these senseless conflicts, the five churches established a system for countries to make attempts at conquering the middle continent. The order was determined through a tournament called 'The Tournament of Succession,' featuring representatives from all the nations. This tournament occurred fifty years ago, and our country, Soralia, placed second... to last," Steve Neuman said with a tinge of disappointment.

"As you're aware, we made our attempt at the beginning of last year, so we have just one more nation to fail before the next tournament begins. Fortunately, we'll all be here to witness it!" he concluded.

The informative talk was cut short by the bell signalling the end of the lesson.

"Thank you all for listening to my lecture. I hope it wasn't too dull. See you in the next class!" Steve thanked his students.