Feast of Starlight

Prologue - i

"I must be cruel, only to be kind:
Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."

- William Shakespeare

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ON THE ISLAND OF ELDIA, where Paradis thrived and took on a name amongst the neighboring countries. It was at that small land where people prospered, agriculture flourished, and royal lineages kept their word.

Peace and strength: the two virtues upheld by the Smith's rule. Centuries of alliances and successful diplomacy eventually ended. One name tarnished the legacy of the monarchy - Lothar Smith.

An era of darkness passed over the lands, war broke out between the strongest brotherhood of countries. It was a nasty and tragic split. Greed and corruption tainted King Lothar's heart and drove him mad. His sword, painted in red, drove itself into the hearts of those whom he once called his most trusted friends and family.

Then, Marley, its former ally, turned its back on the nation, fearing that they were next. A great divide tore apart trade unions, resulting in multiple periods of starving Eldian and Marleyan citizens. It was utter chaos.

However, a time came where there was one to uproot the evil that plagued the throne of Paradis. Irwin the Great, he was called. King Irwin redirected the nation's evolution, changing its course for a better future. Uprisings in the streets ended, patriotism began to grow, and the military ultimately became the most advanced in the world. Infrastructure and the economy boomed, and class division gaps decreased. It was truly the start of a miracle.

There was still one crucial issue. Marley, having lost its main trade partner, entered a regression and turned to violence and imperial war power to gain control again. It look lands and kicked out families from their native homes. When it came to Eldia, the militaries were vastly different. Marley's held the numbers while Eldia's held the strength.

After Irwin's death, the Tybur rulers of Marley began their siege on Eldia. The border waters between the two nations were at war and neither of the two could make progress against the other.

It was Eldon Smith, the successor after Irwin, that tried to implement peace through brute forces. Military power became all that he invested his life in. His son, the crown prince, was left with the shambles of his legacy: ending a war that had lasted for two generations.

It was up to Erwin Smith to rewrite their fate. The world required it.

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