Soul Avatar

Previous Heroes

"Oh my son, you are finally back."

A happy voice rang out in the dining hall.

Albert saw his father and smiled.

"Yes father, I did what you asked and they will be here tomorrow."

"Oh! That's good news then. Come, it's time to eat anyway."

Albert nodded and walked toward the table reserved for his family. His mother and Liana were also seated there.

Orion sat at the edge of the table for the 'heroes' as always and started to eat like everyone.

It was a true feast, several dishes were on the tables. A delicious fragrance enveloped the hall.

"Riona told me that you wanted to know what happened to the previous otherworlders."

Suddenly, Emperor Helio spoke.

Silence fell immediately in the hall and they all stopped eating.

Seeing their serious expressions, he spoke.

"100 years ago, my ancestor summoned the heroes of another world. They were also like you lost but quickly recovered. They knew that to get back to their world they had to find a soul relic."

"Excuse me Emperor."

Aura raised her hand to speak.

"Yes ?"

"You summoned us into this Empire to defend you against the Ankouna Empire and the Lunarstella Empire. I understood that, but what about 100 years ago ? Were there enemies also at that time ?"

The Emperor nodded at her question.

"Yes, and it was the previous ruler of the Ankouna Empire. My ancestor summoned the heroes to fight against the previous ruler of the Ankouna Empire."

"So what happened ?" Austin asked curiously.

"Your predecessors defeated the previous Emperor of Ankouna but..."

There was a little pause but he shook his head.

"They all died in that battle."

Helio said with a bitter expression.

"""..."""

Most of the class' faces turned pale at his words.

If they even died, then what about them ?

"The-they all died ?" Aura asked dumbfounded.

"Yes. Though our records of the battle are scarce and damaged, that's what is written on them." Helio nodded.

"Then what about us? What are our chances against the current Ankouna Emperor ?"

Austin asked with a serious face.

The atmosphere turned very tense and serious.

It was about their lives after all.

"The current Emperor of Ankouna seemed to be stronger than the previous one."

As soon the Emperor said those words, panic spread in the hall.

"N-No way...."

"If even the guys before us died, then what now ?"

"Do we even have a chance?!"

"We can't even run away ! It's the only continent!"

"Calm down everyone, there is still more chance than before."

The Emperor's words caused everyone to shut up.

"How so ?" Aura asked in an impatient voice.

"In the previous war against the Ankouna Empire, the continent was divided. The Kingdoms and Empires were all against each other. It was the primary cause of the ruin of the Heroes. They were overwhelmed by the number of enemies. But now it's different. We are allied with the Fulgura Kingdom and the Nychterin Empire," Helio said reassuringly.

"But you said the Lunarstella Empire and Niveis Kingdom are in enmity with this Empire, right ?"

Aura asked, remembering.

Helio's face turned bitter at her question.

"Yes, we are currently in enmity against the Lunarstella Empire and Niveis kingdom, but a truce has been talked between the Emperor of the Lunarstella Empire and me."

"Dear?!"

Margreth exclaimed as that was a secret. Even the high-ranking nobles of this Empire still didn't know that.

"It's okay Margreth, the heroes are here to help us, they have the right to know." Helio replied with a smile.

"Is it true father ?" Liana asked with a hint of hope.

Truthfully, she disliked this nonsense war between them just because they worshipped different gods.

"Father?" Albert was also curious.

"Yes. We will schedule a day in a few months to form a truce during the imminent war."

The class couldn't help but be tensed after hearing the word 'war'.

They had only heard about it in books, school or documentaries but now they were really going to experience it.

"You are talking about a truce each time but couldn't we form an alliance with them instead ?" Austin asked, confused.

"Sigh...Unfortunately, I can't take this decision alone. My people don't want to ally with people believing in an heretic god according to them."

"Of course, I can still force my decision as an Emperor, but I would lose the trust of the people of this Empire and that would be catastrophic in the current time."

"I see..."

Austin lowered his head. Honestly, this thing about the heretic god was nonsense for him, but it was true that the Solaria Empire needed to be united in this period.

"Ah right, I nearly forgot to tell you. My son invited people from the Fulgura Kingdom and Nychterin Empire and they will come tomorrow to meet you. Please get along with them as they will be your allies in the future."

The class nodded seriously.

After that, they resumed eating, though they lost their appetite.

After lunch, Orion took a nap in his room.

Waking up, he felt refreshed. The run of one hour, then his beating by Jordan really took a toll on his body.

Leaving his room, he headed to the immense library. After hearing what happened to his predecessors, he wanted to be more useful.

Maybe he could learn a few things from the books.

Upon entering the library, he froze for a moment. At the usual table he would sit, Liana was sitting and reading a book.

"Lia-na ?"

"Hm ? Oh Rion, you here ?"

Turning around, Liana was surprised to see Orion in the library. They just ate an hour before after all.

"Y-Yeah, I thought maybe I could learn something useful from the books..."

Orion replied bitterly, it was the only thing he could do to help the Empire.

"What about you Lian..."

Liana glared at him.

"Wh-what about you, Lia ?"

Liana smiled and replied.

"I was trying to find something about the previous heroes."

"The previous heroes ?"

"Yes, we know nearly nothing about them. Even if it was a hundred years ago, don't you find that strange ?"

Liana said with a frown.

"You are right...it's very strange..."

'Now that I think about it, even the other empires and kingdoms had no information about what happened exactly during the war a hundred years ago.'

"I will help you, Lia."

"Thanks." Liana smiled sweetly.

Orion averted his gaze from the dangerous smile and sat on the nearby chair.

He took a random book from the pile of books Liana gathered near her and started to read.

One hour passed quickly and Orion found nothing about the previous heroes.

He glanced at Liana and it seemed to be the same for her.

Suddenly she looked at him.

"Rion."

"Y-yeah ?" Orion stuttered, upon hearing her serious voice.

"Could you tell me about your family..."

Liana asked with hesitation.

"Eh ?"

Orion froze at her request.