The enticement of getting to hear about the first generation of Mistguard was enough to get the current cycle of cadets up on their feet and hurrying down to pick up their “pamphlets.”
Grabbing his, Det almost grunted at the weight of it. It felt like a chemistry book his dad had owned when Det was a kid. Somehow, each sheet of paper was ridiculously thin, making the entire book weigh far more than it looked like it should.
Good thing I have ReSouled strength, Det told himself, hooking the book under his arm and jogging back to his seat. The rest of his party sat down a few seconds behind him, and the whole classroom was settled within two minutes. Really, for having almost two hundred folks get up and go to a single cart, that was pretty efficient.
“Well done,” Libra said. “And yes, that really is your reading for the first week. As I’ve said, next time we meet in class we’ll discuss highlights from it, but it’s important that you read through it so you understand the context of those highlights.”
“We’ll read it,” one of the cadets said quickly, clearly more interested in the other topic promised them. “Tell us about the first generation! Tell us about the Administrator and the Architect!”
Libra looked like she wanted to roll her eyes but somehow resisted. “That is an excellent place to start,” she said, “though probably not for the reasons you think. The Administrator and the Architect, among others—while both famous and consequential, especially to the history of the Mistguard—were not, in fact, first-generation ReSouled. They are the first we talk about because they are of the generation that founded the Mistguard, but they are not the first to come from Earth to Elestar.”
That statement generated a buzz around the classroom, with cadets talking to their neighbors, and some even shouting out that it couldn’t be right. Everything they were taught on their home pillars said the Administrator and the Architect were the first ReSouled, because they were the first Mistguard.
At the sentiment, Libra smiled but didn’t interrupt the hubbub.
On Det’s right, Eriba was unsurprisingly quiet. On Det’s left, however, Sage was staring hard down at Libra, Vault, and Fluke, his fingers white where they gripped his textbook. Did he really doubt what they were saying, or was it something else?
“Now, this is why history is important,” Libra finally went on, her voice cutting through the chatter just as effectively as the headmaster’s or Caustic’s had. Must be some kind of skill the instructors learn. Then again, he didn’t even know what her magic was, so maybe it had something to do with that? By her name, he had to guess it was something to do with balance. Probably not horoscopes.
“The Administrator and the Architect,” Libra continued, “are all very important figures. They are actually third-generation ReSouled. That’s right, they came here in the third cycle, not the first.”
“Then who came here in the first cycle?” one of the cadets shouted. “What happened to them? Who are they?”
Libra grimaced slightly at the questions, and Det wondered why… for all of three seconds, until the woman spoke.
“Who they are and what happened to them is actually unknown. We only know they existed at all because of records provided by the Nivelhime Kingdom to the Administrator, who in turn recorded their existence in the Mistguard libraries. We believe, according to those records, that many of the ReSouled from those first two generations lived out their lives on the pillars where they were born.
“Others, we suspect, were branded insane for speaking of another world and a past life. Some, we believe, tried to leave or return home. But none of the notes left by the Administrator or the Architect—or any others from their generation—indicate they were ever able to find any ReSouled from the first or second generation still alive.”
Now that she said it, the room was completely silent.
“Based on other records from that time,” Libra continued, “the Nivelhime Kingdom was barely a kingdom at all. The pillars, geographically, made it very difficult for a civilization of their technological progress to exist. What they had, instead, were a series of communities.
“The closest pillars banded together for their own protection when they were within a few miles of each other and could find ways to traverse the mists. There weren’t many, and the few that existed were anything but safe by most standards.
“Some of your required reading in future weeks will get into the gliders that were used between some pillars. There was even one pair that used a kind of zipline. More on this later.
“Where there were no opportunities for joining forces, other pillars went it alone, especially those either in the sixth strata or below the mist line. There were not enough pillars in those strata, relative to each other, to form alliances. Or, as one can imagine for sixth-strata pillars, the vertical differences provided too much of a challenge.
“As for pillars below the mistline, to this day, we can’t be confident we’ve found them all. Some theorize the number of unknown pillars below the mistline might even match the total number of pillars we’ve mapped in the Mistsea.”
“So it was,” Tena said, clearly thinking about how to word it. “It was kind of tribal before the Mistguard?”
“Better,” Sage whispered beside Det, so quiet he wasn’t sure he imagined the word or not.
“Tribal would be one way to describe it,” Libra said, while Det looked at his friend who was focused on the discussion. “Not the nomadic kind. These tribes—communities—rarely left their pillars, and even though there were set alliances between some nearby pillars, individuals traveling to and from were very rare.
“There were no mistships at the time, nor was there any magic, since there were no ReSouled. The occasional pirate ship did come from the Corelands, though they were primitive things. Imagine something the Wright brothers would have invented, and then imagine that trying to cross the mist sea from the Corelands to the nearest pillars, or from pillar to pillar.”
The class chuckled softly.
“The pirates, despite their deathtrap airships, were still a problem. Especially along the borders. One of the Administrator’s records highlights the role the Mistguard played during their cycle in taking back some of those pillars. As you’ll learn in your reading, it actually took several cycles to fully retake the pillars of the Mistsea from the pirates and the Cored who had claimed them. And even then, that was only after mistships had been introduced.”
“The mistships really were the single most influential development for the Nivelhime Kingdom. With their discovery, suddenly travel between pillars was possible. Trade was possible. Defense was possible. You can probably guess which of those roles the Mistguard had a primary responsibility for.”
“Did the Architect design the mistships?” a cadet asked somewhere off to Det’s right.
No, Det thought immediately, the Wordless did, rising unspoken in his throat. Most of these cadets didn’t—couldn’t—know about them yet. Then again, how would Libra answer that question?
“The Architect and the Administrator, along with several others from their generation that you will learn about—such as Inertia and First Aid—are credited for the mistships’ discovery,” Libra said. Good evasion. “Since that was almost two thousand years ago, of course, that responsibility has expanded beyond them. But they were the ones who first gave the Mistguard the ability to share mistships with the people of the Nivelhime Kingdom.
“Of course, we use them ourselves, but they’re also an excellent source of income to keep the Mistguard running. They're also what will pay your substantial salaries as you progress through the Ranks and complete missions,” Libra said. While most of the cadets in the room were motivated by their drive, nobody was against the idea of more money.
Every cadet leaned forward a little bit more at that.
“Yes, each of you will be expected to contribute in different ways,” Libra continued. “While most of you will be taking the fight to the Corelands or defending the Nivelhime Kingdom, others will be working on projects such as missions that keep income flowing into the Mistguard.”
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“So, you’re saying,” one of the cadets in the front row spoke up, “the Mistguard basically saved the Nivelhime Kingdom? That we’re saving it every year? That doesn’t sound like a mistake to me.”
“That part of it isn’t the mistake, we’ll get to that soon. As for saving Nivelhime, in some ways, yes, that is the gist of it,” Libra said. “The Mistguard is directly responsible for liberating pillars within flying distance of the Corelands. Without us, the pirates and the Cored would likely have continued to push into the kingdom, eventually overwhelming it. Possibly.”
“What do you mean by possibly?” another cadet next to the first asked.
“Well, unfortunately, records prior to the advent of the Mistguard are sparse. What we do know is that pillars have been populated for a significant amount of time, and in that time, it’s not like the Cored or Uncored took them over. Yes, distance played a major role in it, so it’s impossible to say the Cored would have definitely encroached on further pillars. However,” Libra said, adding a dramatic pause, “contrary to what you may have heard, there are more than the Cored and Uncored living in the Corelands. In many ways, they are, in fact, the least threatening of what resides there.
“Then there is the nation beyond the Corelands. One who, again, we have little information on beyond the facts of the magic they use and the war that was fought there. A war so devastating that it has changed the nation—or nations, shall I say—forever. There are several continents beyond the Core Lands, all falling within the boundaries of that collective group of nations, and we only know a little bit about them.”
A cadet said, “Only a little bit?”
“Only a little bit,” Libra confirmed. “Our expeditions through the Corelands to reach them are not without great risk. Even assuming we get through the Corelands unscathed, there are things that guard those distant borders from interlopers. Defenders which have proven to be very dangerous even to the denizens of the Corelands and the Mistguard both. Defenders who are not interested in opening diplomatic relations.”
“Okay, so we can’t really go to this other nation,” one cadet said. “But what’s more threatening than the Cored and Uncored in the Corelands?”
“The true masters of the Corelands,” Libra said. “Some might even say the true masters of this entire world. Thankfully, they tend to remain within their home territory.”
“Well,” a cadet called from the back, “who are they? What are they?”
“They have several names,” Libra said. “What they call themselves are Kindred.”
“That doesn’t sound so terrible,” a cadet said. “I thought you were gonna tell us they were demons or something.”
Libra smiled at that. A knowing smile that made the hair on the back of Det’s neck stand on end.
“Funny you should mention that,” Libra said. “The few records we have from the Nivelhime Kingdom before the Mistguard often refer to the Kindred as just that. Demons.
“They have horns, they have wings, and they have powerful magic. If they so wanted, they could reach any of the pillars within the Nivelhime Kingdom without an airship or a mistship. They simply have chosen not to. And they are one of the enemies we must always be prepared to fight.”
“How strong are these Kindred?” the person on the other side of Eriba asked. “What Rank are they?”
“Like everything else from the Corelands,” Libra said, “they vary in Rank, but none are weaker than C-Rank. We believe their leaders are S-Rank. Not something we would wish to see reaching a pillar. Don’t worry, though, we will talk more about the Kindred as we progress through the history classes over the next few years. That’s enough of an introduction to them.
“There is another important part of history that we do need to discuss, though, to help you understand the Nivelhime Kingdom a bit better. And this is one of the mistakes the Mistguard has made.
“Before I tell you what it is, though, let me ask you this. Each of you has lived out there for the last twenty years, and tell me, for a kingdom that’s been in existence for more than two millennia—at least—what’s your first thought about it?”
“It doesn’t have chocolate!” Calisco shouted. “How can it even be called a kingdom?” she grumbled quietly after.
“Or telephones!” another said, oblivious to the mumblings of a certain chuni.
“Social media!” a third added, while her neighbor shouted out, “Memes!”
“Those smart Japanese electric toilets,” said another one, “the ones that spray your ass.”
That got a laugh, and also a few nods from the cadets around the room.
“If all the technology we see here on Mount Avalon,” Det said, “is the same stuff the pillars have—and it’s all based on Mistguard technology—then that means the Nivelhime Kingdom isn’t very advanced.”
“Exactly,” Libra said, pointing directly at Det. “Exactly that. If we were to look at the history of the Nivelhime Kingdom similar to the history of Earth, the Mistguard arrived prior to the Industrial Revolution. Because of the influence of the third cycle—including ReSouled like the Administrator and the Architect—and the contributions the Mistguard provided to the Nivelhime Kingdom, an Industrial Revolution was never needed.
“Because it was never needed, it never happened. The Nivelhime Kingdom unfortunately relies too heavily on the Mistguard. In a way, their ability to innovate has stagnated. Many of the pillars don’t have the expertise to build or maintain any of the technology we share with them. If any repairs are needed, most are reliant on us to send technicians we train here on Mount Avalon.”
Det nodded slowly as that made sense to him. There had to be Wordless knowledge wrapped up in a lot of the magic-technology the Mistguard used, and they wouldn’t be willing to explain that. More than that, there were probably barriers—not the kind General Vans used—to make them more difficult to take apart and reverse engineer. Then again, if the training for that kind of thing existed only on Mount Avalon… Wait, that’s not right.
“What about Refit?” Det asked, referring back to one of the pillars Captain Simmons had pointed out on the way to Mount Avalon from Radiant.
“The mistship shipyard?” Libra confirmed, and Det nodded. “A special case, and a kind of satellite campus for Mount Avalon. While much of the pillar is occupied by regular residents of the kingdom, the shipyard itself is Mistguard owned and operated. The technology behind the mistships is both complicated and proprietary, making access to the shipyard very controlled. In many ways, it’s one of the most secure sites in the Nivelhime Kingdom, and if any of you take some of the upper-year classes related to mistships, you’ll likely spend some time there.”
“Hold on,” one of the cadets said, interjecting herself into the conversation. “Forget the mistships for a second. Are you saying the people of this world never invented anything like a train or a telephone?”
“The equivalents of these things that they have are, yes, provided by the Mistguard,” Libra said, easily flowing from one conversation to the next. “They are inventions and innovations we shared with them. Even then, they don’t stretch to every pillar. Those in the lower strata, or those without exportable goods to other pillars, or industries that boost the economic station of the pillar, are left almost in what we would consider the Dark Ages. While those at least have plumbing and running water, that is more a luxury than the bare minimum.
“Worse, for two thousand years, these pillars have seen no real forward movement. It is my understanding that we have two cadets in here from the pillar of Radiant, one of the few pillars below the mistline. Now, not to call out these cadets,” Libra said with a smile, “but Radiant is a good example. Compared to what you find on Avalon, calling Radiant ‘primitive’ would be far too complimentary.”
“You can say that again,” Calisco said, no qualms at all about people knowing where she was from. “We barely had more than straw huts over our heads.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Det said. “Though, ‘Dark Ages’ isn’t that inaccurate.”
“And how did you feel when you got to your suite on Mount Avalon?” Libra asked since the two cadets had outed themselves.
“Kind of like we’d walked into a sci-fi movie. Or the future,” Det said.
“An entirely different world,” Libra agreed. “And, I’m sure that if the cadets from Radiant compared notes on living conditions with those from the sixth strata, they would also be very different. Radiant, to this day, is quite similar to what any pillar would have been like prior to the Mistguard getting involved.
“The sixth strata pillars are probably the most advanced outside of Mount Avalon, but they are still far behind twenty-first-century Earth. If I had to, I would—in a lot of ways—equate them to the 1960s, maybe the 1970s, with some standout pieces of technology that we’ve been able to provide. Like televisions.”
“Not sure how Sage would’ve survived without those,” Det whispered just loud enough for the rest of his party to hear. That didn’t get him a reaction from the man next to him, with only a giggle from Eriba coming.
If anything, Sage looked… annoyed at the conversation, though he schooled his expression as soon as he noticed attention was directed his way.
“I would’ve gotten more sleep,” he said, a smile forced onto his face.
“Clearly,” a cadet shouted, not noticing whatever was going on with Sage, “Televisions and the movie industry are definitely one of our greatest contributions to this world! An even bigger one when they get me on screen there.”
“Oh, not this again,” one of the other cadets next to the man said. “Seriously, how can that be your drive?”
“Because, look at me, I was made to be on the big screen,” the first cadet said. “Just you wait. Give me a few years, and you’ll see me everywhere. I will be the most sought-after, famous person of this class.”
“Oh, hear that?” Det said to Calisco and Tena, while keeping an eye on his oddly quiet friend. “Sounds like some new competition has stepped into the ring.”
“Yeah, good luck to that,” Calisco said dismissively. “He ain’t got nothing on us. Right sista?” She offered her hand for a fist-bump, which Tena promptly met.
“Total small-fry,” Tena said.
Libra, meanwhile, smiled as she let the various groups of cadets rib each other for a moment. Finally, when she spoke, she only had a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “Now, I think that’s about enough of an introduction to things. You’ll find a lot more detail on what we talked about within the books now in front of you.”
Det looked down at the thick hardcover book at the mention, flipping it open like so many other cadets around the room. The pages were absolutely jam-packed with words, with at least some images to break it up. Well-done images at that. Still going to be a lot of reading.
“Just wonderful,” he muttered.
“For the rest of this class,” Libra continued, “I will continue to answer some questions. However, I think it is important we discuss the structure of the course for the coming semester. So, let’s dig into that a bit. If you’ll open your textbooks to page ten, you’ll find the equivalent of a syllabus. Vault will walk us through that.”
“Thank you, Libra,” Vault said in his bass voice. “Let’s start with this week’s activities…”
