The next chapter revealed a new figure that dominated the pages—an imposing man in a blue uniform, wearing a laurel crown and standing before vast armies.
Father Alric squinted at the name beneath the portrait. "They call him… Napoleon. A man who rose from obscurity to command entire nations. It says here he crowned himself Emperor and reshaped all of Europe through conquest and reform."
King Aldred leaned closer, studying the detailed maps of Europe that shifted with every page. "He defeated kings, took crowns, and humbled nations… yet also gave his people new laws and order."
Alric nodded slowly. "The book says he was both feared and admired. His armies marched across the continent, fighting coalition after coalition. No kingdom could stand against him for long. His tactics… they were revolutionary for their time—swift maneuvers, massed artillery, and merit over birthright."
The king's brow furrowed. "Merit over birthright… so even a peasant could become a general?"
"Yes," Alric replied. "It seems his nation rewarded talent above lineage. Many of his greatest officers came from humble beginnings. But with every victory, more kingdoms united to stop him. They fought great battles—Austerlitz, Borodino, Waterloo—names that still echo in their history."
They turned to a page showing burning cities and endless ranks of infantry with bayonets fixed.
"This was not just war," Aldred said softly. "This was the birth of something far greater—a nation rising not by divine right, but by force and ambition."
Alric pointed at another passage. "It says that although Napoleon was eventually defeated, his ideas spread across the world. His nation learned to value efficiency, discipline, and strategy. Even in defeat, they gained strength—militarily, economically, and politically."
The king tapped the image of a tricolor flag waving above a battlefield. "So this was how they built the foundation of their power… Through leaders who united their people, and wars that forged their will."
Alric nodded. "It seems every step they took toward greatness came from conflict. And with each war, they adapted faster than their enemies. That is why they survived… and why, even in defeat, they grew stronger."
King Aldred closed the book slowly, deep in thought. "If such men could rise from nothing and shake the world… what of this nation now, with weapons and power beyond comprehension?"
Father Alric placed a hand on the page. "That is what makes them dangerous. They have always been a people who do not stay weak for long."
The two shared a heavy silence, both realizing that the Aurion Republic's history was not just one of progress—it was one of relentless ambition, sharpened through centuries of war.
The next pages, filled with trenches, smoke, and thunder, awaited them—the dawn of a new kind of war that would change the world forever.
The pages shifted to scenes of unimaginable devastation—muddy trenches stretching endlessly, men in strange helmets clutching rifles with bayonets, and entire landscapes turned to barren wastelands.
King Aldred stared at an image of soldiers wearing eerie masks with round glass eyes. "What… are these?"
Father Alric traced the unfamiliar symbols beneath. "It says these are gas masks. They were created because… they used poison in battle. Clouds of deadly gas that burned the lungs and blinded men."
The king's face hardened. "War has never been honorable… but this? This is slaughter beyond reason."
They turned another page—massive machines crawled across the battlefield on strange metal legs. No… not legs. Tracks.
Alric read slowly. "They called these… tanks. A weapon born from desperation. Armor that no arrows nor bullets could pierce, moving across the mud where horses and men could not."
Aldred's eyes narrowed as he examined an illustration of a tank crushing barbed wire under its treads. "Such machines… unstoppable by anything we have."
The next pages showed another terrifying innovation—aircraft swooping above battlefields, dropping bombs and firing strange weapons from the sky.
Alric's voice grew quiet. "It says… Aurion played a vital role in this war. They were the first to create tanks. They were also among the first to design true warplanes—machines of the sky that could strike from above."
The king exhaled slowly, the weight of realization settling in. "So this nation… has always been ahead. They built these weapons while the rest of the world still fought with swords and horses."
They flipped further—pictures of trenches filled with lifeless bodies, soldiers huddled in despair, entire towns reduced to rubble.
Alric's voice trembled slightly. "Millions died. Entire generations of men were lost. Yet despite the horror, Aurion emerged stronger… richer… more advanced. While other nations bled dry, they grew in power."
King Aldred clenched his fist. "They did not just survive this war. They thrived from it."
Alric nodded grimly. "And this… was only the beginning. For the next war, it says, would be even worse."
The king's gaze lingered on an image of soldiers marching under a flag that looked strikingly similar to the Aurion banner of today.
"By the gods…" he muttered. "If they could endure this hell and rise from it… then what hope does any kingdom have against them now?"
The final page of the chapter showed an image of tanks, planes, and warships lined in perfect formation, the seeds of a military power unlike anything Drakensport could ever comprehend.
And the next chapter loomed—one that would reveal horrors even greater: The Second World War.
The next chapter opened with a world engulfed in flames—cities reduced to rubble, columns of smoke rising to the skies.
Father Alric's voice grew heavier as he read. "The Second World War… far greater than the last. Entire continents fought. Millions upon millions perished."
King Aldred leaned closer as the priest pointed to a map covered in red arrows and symbols. "This war… consumed the world itself."
They flipped to pages of soldiers storming beaches under withering fire, tanks advancing through ruined towns, and fleets of warships unleashing devastating bombardments.
Alric's expression darkened. "Aurion fought across the oceans… in lands far from their own. It says they were crucial in driving back a great empire in the East… the Japanese. The fighting was merciless. The text says they adopted a new doctrine… an eye for an eye."
The next image made Aldred freeze. A soldier holding a knife interrogated a captive. The caption described brutal methods of extracting information from enemies who refused to surrender.
"They resorted to… barbaric ways," Alric whispered, almost disturbed by the words he translated. "Torture. Executions. They showed no mercy to the Japanese forces. They became as ruthless as those they fought, believing only absolute victory could end the war."
King Aldred stared at a vivid painting of soldiers raising their flag on a distant shore. "This… is how they reclaimed those lands?"
Alric nodded. "Yes… they liberated the Philippine Islands. Side by side with another great power called the United States. It says Aurion was the spearhead—storming beaches, clearing towns, fighting in jungles against an enemy that refused to surrender."
The pages grew darker. Scenes of entire cities in flames, prisoners executed, mass graves dug hastily in blood‑soaked mud.
Alric's voice shook slightly. "This… was not chivalry. It was slaughter. The text admits it openly—Aurion abandoned mercy in these battles. They believed that showing compassion would mean their own deaths. They fought not as knights… but as predators."
King Aldred said nothing, his jaw tight as he studied another page—massive bombers flying over cities, dropping countless explosives, firestorms devouring everything below.
"They destroyed entire cities," Alric continued. "Every man, woman, and child was seen as part of the enemy's war effort. No one was spared."
Then, the priest turned to the final images of the chapter—two blinding flashes over vast cities, mushroom clouds rising to the heavens.
Alric's hands trembled. "It says… they created a weapon unlike anything ever seen. A single strike could destroy an entire city. They used it twice… on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
King Aldred's face paled slightly as he stared at the strange, towering cloud. "What manner of weapon… could cause such devastation?"
Alric swallowed. "The text calls it… a nuclear bomb. The power of the sun itself, unleashed upon the earth."
The room fell silent.
For the first time, King Aldred understood—Aurion's power was not simply strength of arms or wealth of resources. It was a will to do whatever was necessary to win, no matter how brutal.
"They are not knights," the king finally muttered. "They are something far more dangerous. They do not fight with honor. They fight to end wars."
Alric turned the page, revealing diagrams of strange machines and glowing symbols. The text described a theory of splitting atoms—an idea once considered impossible.
"The book says…" Alric spoke carefully, "…it was Aurion scientists who first developed the knowledge of this 'atomic power.' They shared their research with a distant ally called the Americans. But they… allowed the Americans to take the credit, so the world would not see Aurion as the true hand behind the destruction."
King Aldred furrowed his brow. "They gave away their own glory?"
"Not glory," Alric replied. "It says they sought… peace. If Aurion were seen as the sole creator of such devastation, they would have been feared and hated beyond measure. So, they stepped back—allowing another nation to bear the burden of history."
The next pages depicted the mushroom clouds again—Hiroshima and Nagasaki in ruin, thousands upon thousands dead in an instant.
Alric's voice grew quiet. "Two bombs. Two cities erased from the earth. The war ended days later. The world believed it was America's doing alone… but here, it claims Aurion guided the hand that built the weapon."
King Aldred stared at the words, unsettled. "They gave mankind the power to destroy itself… and then hid their part in it."
Alric nodded solemnly. "It says they believed this was the only way to prevent the world from uniting against them. By appearing less threatening, they avoided a future war fought out of fear."
The final paragraph of the section struck both men with unease:
"Aurion chose to let history see them as merely a participant, not the architect. The world never knew the full truth… that the nation most responsible for ending the war chose obscurity over power."
King Aldred closed the book halfway, his hands trembling slightly.
"They created a weapon that can wipe out a city," he said quietly. "And they gave the world a lie to protect themselves."
Alric met the king's eyes. "This is not a nation of mere warriors, Your Majesty. They are a nation of planners… thinkers. They know when to fight, and when to let others take the blame."
The room fell silent again.
For the first time, Aldred realized just how dangerous Aurion truly was—not only for its weapons, but for its ability to shape history itself.
Alric slowly turned the page. The next section showed diagrams of rockets taller than castle towers, each carrying the power of the bombs they had just read about—but multiplied many times over.
The caption beneath an image read: "Nuclear deterrence: the balance of terror."
Alric translated the words carefully. "It says… every great power built these weapons. They call them nuclear missiles. If one nation fires, the others fire as well. The book says they could destroy the world many times over."
King Aldred's hand clenched tightly on the table. "Destroy the world… willingly?"
Alric nodded grimly. "It is called 'mutually assured destruction.' They built them not to use… but to make sure no one dared to strike first. The entire world lives under the fear that, should war break out… all will burn."
The king leaned back, visibly shaken. "They are madmen… yet they claim to seek peace."
Alric turned another page. The next sections detailed wars that followed—photos of deserts, burning cities, soldiers in strange armor wielding weapons of fire and thunder. The names Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and unfamiliar places like Iraq and Afghanistan appeared in the text.
Alric read slowly, "It says Aurion… took part in every major war of their age. They toppled rulers, hunted warlords, and fought in lands far from their home. It describes them as… brutal. Effective. Relentless."
Images of black‑clad soldiers storming buildings, missile strikes leveling compounds, and infamous men captured or killed stared back at them.
King Aldred exhaled sharply. "They have not only the power to destroy cities, but the will to remove kings and conquerors as they please."
Alric closed the book for a moment, his hands trembling. "They do not act blindly. Every move is deliberate. Every war they fought… they won."
For a long moment, neither man spoke.
King Aldred finally muttered, almost to himself, "This is not just a kingdom of great warriors. This is a nation that decides the fate of rulers and empires… and they have weapons that can end the world."
Both men exchanged a grim look.
The power Aurion held was far greater—and far more terrifying—than either of them had imagined.
King Aldred slowly closed the book and rested his hands on the cover, staring at the strange soft pages as if they held the fate of his entire realm.
The flickering candlelight cast long shadows in the study. For the first time in years, the king felt uncertain—deeply uncertain.
"They have crushed kings, ended empires, and forged weapons capable of burning the world to ash…" he murmured. "Yet they greeted us with trade, not conquest. Why?"
Alric shifted uneasily. "Perhaps they no longer hunger for land or power as we do. Perhaps… they already have everything they could want."
The king leaned back, eyes fixed on the ceiling beams. "If this book speaks true, then these Aurions are not mere men. They are a people shaped by endless war—by victories and horrors beyond comprehension. And yet… they smile. They trade. They talk of peace."
He drummed his fingers on the table, deep in thought.
"If we treat them as equals," Aldred said slowly, "we may prosper. But if we treat them as foes…" He glanced at the book again, remembering the images of firestorms and mushroom clouds. "…then we may invite a doom that not even the gods can stop."
Alric hesitated before speaking. "What do you intend to do, Your Majesty?"
King Aldred's expression hardened. "For now… we will continue diplomacy. We will learn from them. And we will never, ever provoke them."
He rested a hand on the book once more. "But we must also prepare. If the Aurions decide to turn their power upon us, no fortress, no legion, and no god we pray to will be enough. We must be wise—wiser than any king before us."
The study fell silent again, save for the faint crackle of the candle.
Aldred knew that the future of his kingdom—and perhaps the world—had just become far more dangerous.