In the continent of Alasker, within the Holy Empire, things had changed far more rapidly than either Julius or Rosalina could have imagined.
Only a few months had passed since they had left, yet the empire they remembered and the empire that existed today felt almost like two different nations.
The balance of power had shifted, old certainties had collapsed, and events that should have taken years to unfold had occurred in the span of a single season.
Three months ago, Emperor Baek Donaven Evander finally passed away.
The emperor had been ill for many months, and countless physicians, alchemists, and healers had exhausted themselves trying to prolong his life.
Even so, his death still struck the empire like a thunderbolt. From the grandest noble estates to the poorest villages hidden among the mountains, people mourned the ruler who had watched over them for decades.
