Sharing the story of the Great Magissal war to my grandchild.
-What is this Opa? It looks like a strange medal. Is it yours?
-Hey Ema, where did you find my blazon? I thought I lost it…
-I found it in the old chest in the bedroom! Say Opa, what is a blazon?
-That is the symbol of my army, when I was a soldier. It was a long time ago. Do you want me to tell you about the Great war?
-You fought in the war Opa? Tell me! Tell me!
-Well sit down, because it is going to be a long story…
-Tell me, Opa, why did you do the war?
-You know, I was not even born when the war began. It was in 682 of two, a hundred years ago. There was a king, you see. A king of all cities. His name was King Soar. And this king was very young and strong. He wanted to conquer new land for his people, because we humans were more and more, it was a time of great development.
-So, this king started the war?
-That’s right. He decided that Magissens were his enemies, and his army went to conquer their cities. In the south, this king conquered a lot of land, but the Magissens, they were very angry, because a lot of them died, and they lost a lot of cities. So they allied together, against this king. And they attacked back.
There was a battle, a very large battle, in a place called The Peak, in the middle of the desert. You see, there was a new magissen chief called see-Fii. This chief was very smart, and he laid a trap for the king. He attracted the king and his army deep in the desert. And the king made a huge mistake, because his soldiers suffered a lot, and they did not have enough water.
-So they died of thirst? But the magissen too no?
-No, because the magissen, they can use magic. And the chief, See-Fii, he mastered teleportation, and he could teleport his own army, to attack the king.
-Did he die? That king.
-Yes. He died in this battle, and the tide turned. Our army was destroyed, and the magissen chief attacked back. They took back the land that we conquered, they pushed us back in our cities. It was in 712 of Two. two years before I was born.
I was born near Amaal, in a new colony, but one day the magissen armies came for us, they attacked the country, and ye had to flee to Amaal. All the population fled, because the magissen were very powerful and cruel.
-Oooh, it must have been so scary!
-Oh, yes, I was so yound, I don’t have memories of that time. But in Amaal, we were safe, and the magissen never took the city. It is the most protected city in the world, you know.
-Woah! And then, what happened?
-Then, the magissen progressively stopped conquering land. There was a stand-by, you know, their armies began to be tired from war, and the situation was on a “pause” for a long time. Until in 723 of two, the Service was created. You know, the soldiers that defend the city? They are from the Service. When it appeared, it was created by the main cities, to regroup a new army, because the war was not over, and our armies were tired and scattered. So, the Service was created, and that new army came to free Amaal which was surrounded by the magicians. I was 12 when the city was liberated.
Few years later, I decided to do my part, and I drafted in the third arm. This is one of the eight arms that divide the Service.
-So, you went to fight?
-Yes, but at first, I was trained and joined a unit of scouts. Our mission was first to spy on the Magissen armies, but we were not efficient. A lot of scout units were detected and killed. And I tell you, it is hard to follow and spy on magicians that can teleport, or even disappear right before your eyes. But our armies were numerous, and the magissens were powerful but weak. We pushed them back in the West. One day, while I was off duty, I met a young nurse, who ended up being your grandma.
-Ooooh…
-For 15 years, I took part in the war.Of course, I sometimes came back to amaal, to see your grandma, and we married in 733 of two. I changed units a lot, and ended up, as a veteran, in a unit of specialists. We were deployed before the front, and had to distract the Magissen with quick skirmishs, to give our main armies enough time to attach magissens’ camps. This was efficient, but very dangerous, and I ended up wounded.
-Oh, what happened?
-Well, you know why I limp? That is because I took a projectile in the upper leg once. My team had to take me back. The magissen ran after us, but we were lucky, because our
main army joined the battle and covered our escape. I was brought to the hospital, thankfully my wound was not too bad, and I survived! But I was unable to walk, because my leg was paralysed, so I was disengaged. I was 31. I went back to Amaal, to join your grandmother and your dad. But the war was not finished, and the worst came after.
-What happened opa?
-You remember, I told you about this magissen chief…
-Oh, Seevi, or Beevi…
-Yes, See-fii. Well, the magissen were a bit tired of the war, and so were we. So, the war was a bit in a stand-by again, and lots of Magissen did not even take part in their fighting anymore. But See-Fii was killed in 774 of two, and the magissen blamed it on us. Who knows? Maybe it is true. Anyway, it triggered a wave of rage and anger in the magissen, and almost all of them decided to start again the fight. But they decided not to attack our armies in the front. They decided to jump right for our cities.
They attacked and destroyed Kalengad. They killed soldiers, citizen, everybody they could reach. The armies of the Service were far, and reached the city too late. Kalengad was one of the richest cities, and after its destruction, we began to fear, for we could not know when or where the magissen would attack.
They teleported, attacked a city, and disappeared. They destroyed Espleen and Faarie, as well as several smaller cities. They tried to destroy Amaal too, but luckily, this is the most protected city in the world. We were safe, and Amaal has a large defence army. But then,
they attacked Berneem. Have you heard of Berneem?
-Yes, it was the capital. The neighbors say that it was the biggest and most beautiful city!
-Oh, it was. And everyone felt attached to this city. It was the home of Kal. The first city of men.
When the magissen attached Berneem, we were prepared. The lonr Service had anticipated it and a large army protected the city. The battle for Berneem lasted very long, but the magissen did not give up, and they finally breached the city. They burnt it to the ground, and killed the majority of the population.
-But it’s horrible!
-Yes, you’re right… This was a heartbreaking event. And all humans, we all felt hurt. So we gave up. The magissen were declared winners, but they also were badly hurt. Since the majority of their population went to war, and their losses were so great, they decided to flee and take refuge in remote, unknown places. Probably deep in the mountains. That was the end of this war, which lasted for so long and claimed so many lives.
-It was over then…
-Yes, it was finally over.
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