Under The Emperor's Eye

The Camp of Commader Zenat

"So, You're the daughter of the Mendelines?" The duke asks

"Yes, Commander" Ivory stepped forward from Group 1 and said in a strong tone.

"That's good, you must have a good educational and magical foundation. I can see why you became the class representative. I'm the commander-in-chief of this campaign so you guys will be playing very important roles in fighting against the Southern tribe. But don't worry, we have no plans to put you in danger" Duke Zenat says in a serious tone

"What role would we be playing if I may ask, commander?" Ivory asks in a respectful tone.

"Well, I guess I can tell you. It turns out the southern tribe has somehow acquired Kortz".

Ivory's eyes popped out, Most of the magicians in the military are positioned on the border of the Voraine and Thorkell empires. It was deemed as a "waste" to use the precious mages on the southern tribe, mostly because they didn't even use Kortz like the other two empires.

"I see, it makes sense why we would be added to the campaign as insurance. We aren't officially in the Military yet but we still have more than enough magic to help add pressure to the southern tribe. And once we take them down, we could now move you and Commander Flamor to the other two battlefronts" Ivory says slowly.

Duke Zenat smiled, "It's glad you're smart enough to pick that up, as expected of a Mandeline. So you are aware of how much responsibility is on our shoulders for this campaign. Failure is not an option, this has to be a success, not only for ourselves but for the future of our empire", he says with a commanding but inspiring tone.

"Yes, Commander Sir!" Ivory and The rest of Group 1 saluted and yelled back at Duke Zenat.

"Alright everyone pack up and get ready to depart. It will be a long journey ahead of us". Duke Zenat responded as the class started to prepare for their upcoming journey.

The Camp of Commander Flamor

Group two looks up and the tall and menacing man slowly approaches them. Some start shivering while others start sweating. They have been isolated magic scholars who never even stepped on a battlefield. How could they deal with such a scary and experienced veteran commander like Marquis Flamor-

and before the group could finish their thoughts, they heard the commander's voice as he rushed towards a figure in their group.

"Fionie! Come give Daddy a hug! How's school been these days? No one is bullying you, right? I was hearing things about that Mandeline girl. Just tell Daddy and he'll-" 

"Dad Enough!" Fiona says as she lightly pushes her doting father away.

"I am a class representative now! I have an image to take care of Father. And I'm not too worried about Ivory so let your daughter handle her own problems!" Fiona says with an exasperated voice.

Commander Flamor smiles and whispers into her ear, "You're stronger than her aren't you?"

"Just a little bit," Fiona says as she slowly nods.

Commander Flamor burst out laughing, "As expected of my good girl, how could you lose?"

Commander Flamor then rearranges his thoughts and stares at the group.

"As you already have heard, we will be heading towards the southern tribe to unify their lands. We are one stronghold away from winning the war but things got a little tricky when they brought out Kortz. We also assumed they would face us off in a frontal war like they have been doing all this time but they've changed their tactics now that they've been cornered. We will be a unit that won't only just support Commander Zenat's team but we will also deal with any unknown factors that might pop up in the war" He says with a powerful voice, opposite to the soft voice he was making towards Fiona not too long ago.

"Handling unknown factors? I'm sure this goes beyond just them bringing out Kortz right? What exactly did they do that put us into a situation where we would dedicate an entire unit just to handle unknown variables" Fiona asked in a contemplating tone.

Flamor smiled, "My daughter is so intelligent", he thought to himself but cleared his throat before speaking in a more serious tone, "You're correct! if Kortz was the only problem, we would just need to join up with Commander Zenat and attack them directly to increase our firepower to the highest efficiency. However, it turned out that when we left to attack the stronghold, Southern tribe soldiers were hiding and they poisoned our lake which was our main source of resupplying at the time. Even with Kortz, we still would have won the war if nothing happened to the lake, it would've just taken longer but alas..." Flamor said with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"You did well Father, our class has always been proud of the work our commanders do on the battlefields and we'll be here to help you out this time. With all of us here, we will not let anyone sneak around and play tricks on our camp" Fiona says with confidence.

"Fiona is right Sir Commander! We are all strong mages too, we will help you win this war" The class echoed, completely forgetting the initial fear they once felt when they first met him.

Commander Flamor smiled again, "You guys are great kids, alright we'll get ready to leave soon. Let's be the group that performs the best in the campaign".

"Yes Commander, Sir!" They all said in unison.

The Camp of Commander Lance

A young, handsome man with sharp features stood in front of two other figures. He gives off the aura of a powerful and stable person. He may be young but he seems to be an experienced man, as if he has wisdom beyond his age. 

"Good Afternoon everyone, my name is Lance and I will be your commander for this campaign. I am still in training but I can assure your safety so please trust in my abilities" Lance says with a stable and confident look in his eyes.

"Yes, Commander Lance," Selena and the other members say sternly.

"He doesn't even seem older than me yet he is a commander. How amazing" Selena thinks to herself.

"The two men behind me are my two aides, Allen and Damien. I wouldn't have made it this far without them. They will also be assisting you whenever possible". Lance says while explaining the situation to his group. He then looks over at Selena.

"I take it that you are the class representative?" Lance asks in a questioning tone.

"Yes, That will be me!" Selena answers firmly.

"Okay good, we will have to be working closely together from now on. I hope we all have a good time and achieve great things in this campaign", he says as he stretches out his hand for a handshake.

Selena hesitates a bit and then reaches over to shake his hand and says "I hope we can get along as well Commander Sir".

"We're all the same age so no need to be formal, Just call me Sir Lance", He says as he shakes her hand. 

As soon as their hand makes contact, a burning sensation stings his eyes. Crown-like symbols appear once more and he quickly covers his eyes. Images flash through his mind as he takes a step back while enduring the slight pain. 

Damien and Allen quickly dash forward and block Lance from the sight of others. 

"The war has been pretty traumatizing for Commander Lance, if you would please excuse him, he just needs some quick rest," Damien says as he carries Lance towards the resting area.

"I'll continue in his stead," Allen says as he starts to recount the situation.

"Commander Lance is in an interesting position compared to the other commanders. He is more than powerful enough to deserve his title so there is no need to worry but due to his abilities, he has gained immense trust from Commander Zenat and Commander Flamor. This allows Commander Lance to be completely independent of normal military orders, If he believes another course of action is the best one to follow, he can directly ignore what the other commanders have said and do what he believes is right"

The class was stunned. This was a lot of power to give to a commander who was the same age as them. Do they trust the wisdom of a 20-year-old that much? especially in comparison to Duke Zenat and Marquis Flamor? The class all slowly thought to themselves while coming to their own conclusions. 

"Don't think too much, I just said this so you can have full faith in the commander and his abilities. Don't let his age fool you, I've seen with my own eyes just how impactful he has been in this war. He was also the one who reduced our losses after the southern tribe ruined our lake. No matter how strong he is though, he will still need help to reach the heights he deserves so please take care of him" Allen says passionately while bowing to the class.

The class was a little stunned after hearing the accomplishments of Commander Lance and then seeing Allen bow toward them. The class reacted quickly however and said, 

"Of Course, Sir Allen, Commander Lance has been helping in the southern campaign for so many years now. We owe him and the other soldiers for our current peace. It is only right to assist him when he needs it. We'll do it for him and our empire!" The class said with newfound bravado.

Damien walked back into the room and reached the side next to Allen. 

"The Commander apologizes once more for the disturbance, he wants everyone to take their time to pack up and get ready to head out," Damien says to the crowd.

Everyone nods their head and gets ready to go and pack their things.

Selena, who is still stuck in a daze, finally snaps out of her own thoughts. "Just what was that? His eyes..." She mutters to herself as she also goes to pack her things.

"saw his eyes change. Maybe no one else saw it because he was so close to me to give the handshake but when do eyes change like that? Did he use magic? No, it can't be. Apart from the basic spell of barrier, everything else learned is offensive magic so this shouldn't be a spell. Was it something he was born with? I doubt it since the only thing that would come close to that would be the Emperor's Eye..."

"Wait... There's no way, right? But why would he be in a war? Shouldn't he be at the palace learning magic? Would they rather use the eyes to help them in the war? I'm not too sure..." Selena says and she continues to drown herself in her thoughts.

Based on what the Dean said, "The Emperor's eye is passed down through the imperial family, and what I saw should fit the description. That must make him a prince, right? Does anyone else know? Is he hiding it on purpose? And I heard the eye can see visions, so did he see a vision after he shook my hand? What did he see?" Her mind continues to race. 

She then freezes, she forgot the most key factor in this entire situation, he's a PRINCE? Doesn't that make him my...

Her mind jerks back to a memory she had when she was younger.

"Selena, your mother has decided to get you into an engagement".

"What's an engagement mommy? the young Selena asked in confusion.

Mrs. Jobaine sighed, "You really are too young but I just couldn't help myself. I'm sorry Selena, but this is for my own selfish desires. An engagement means that there is someone who is already chosen for you to be married to in the future. Just like Mommy and Daddy, you'll start your own family with him. It's something that will happen far in the future so don't worry about it much now Selena and remember not to tell anyone about this no matter what" The mother said in a stern voice.

"Why mother?" The young Selena asked

"Because he is a prince. Once we get involved publicly, we will be forced to join the faction wars of the imperial family. Right now, our family is still developing and my research is almost completed. The most important thing now is not to fight in politics but to continue on the path we are on now. In the future, if you do get along with him and accept the marriage, our way of life can bring out considerable change in your future and maybe even the entire empire!" The mother said with a sweet smile as she looked at her young daughter. 

Selena looks back upon the memory she had shortly before she turned five. 

I didn't think much about my engagement, the only thing I know about him is that he is the prince of our empire. My mother said that if I meet him and we're incompatible, then she can cancel the engagement for me without causing too big of a problem. It can't be easy to cancel an engagement to a prince though but I'm glad I still have a way out just in case. I have always been curious about who my fiancé was but the imperial family hides their family matters from the public eye too well. 

Selena thinks back to those sharp eyes that quickly turned into a crown symbol.

"The emperor's eye huh? I've heard so much about it lately. Commander Lance is actually the son of the current emperor? Maybe that's the special circumstances his aides were referring to earlier. I don't think he wants anyone else to know he is the prince either, It may be just like my mother said, it's a better political move to keep quiet about everything until the situation is stable", she says as she breathes out a sigh with a complicated look on her face.

"Looks like this fiancé of mine is quite an interesting character. I have something to look forward to in this campaign" Selena says as she puts her remaining bags on her back and prepares to depart for the southern territory.