☀️ Arselia and Akonia

— You remind me of an old friend of mine, Drako. In your outlook on the world, personalities, and appearance, the two of you are nothing alike, but your standing in society and work ethic are almost identical. — A worthy man, then. — Sonata's mustachioed interlocutor suggested without a hint of modesty. — What was his name? — Larian Twice. — It was unlikely that this name would mean anything to him, but there was no point in concealing it either. — By the way! I just now noticed that even the number of letters in your names matches! — Oh, the world is full of amazing coincidences, so I'm not at all surprised by this. Who knows, perhaps he and I are brothers separated since infancy?! — Ha-ha, hardly. Having decided that the time for pleasant but unproductive chatter had been exhausted, Drako Mellis surveyed the converted room of horrors: in its place now stood the temporary headquarters of "Aconia," the empire's new military formation. — How are your soldiers, settled in already? — Uh-huh. — Satisfied? — Partially. Some of them have homes in Margel where they've managed to put down roots, so accepting this unexpected relocation might not be so easy, but they'll get used to it. — That's right. Warriors on active duty need to maintain high morale and familiarity with each other's faces in everyday life as well: in war, they won't be able to rely on family members from their home hearth! Continuing his inspection of the temporary headquarters, the governor stopped in the middle of the main hall and carefully examined the decorations filling the interior. — Would my assumption be correct if I said that this depicts you? — He gestures with his gaze toward the "Sonatka" hanging in the center of the room. — Quite... An unusual design. — Yes, that's so, ha-ha... Perhaps we could use a flag or a coat of arms, maybe both, but until we have such symbols, the guys decided to use this piece. This canvas was made by one of my students, so beyond its aesthetic and symbolic value, there's also a sentimental element here. — I see. And this?.. — Eir von Walravn. From what I know about her, she was the founder of the school of martial arts practiced by some of my charges. — Ah, Baldr's School of that foreigner with the strange name... Do you feel betrayed, jealous? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! — No, not at all. If it helps them face the coming events with greater confidence, I'm all for it. — May I ask, do I understand correctly that you permit cohabitation between men and women? — Yes, but only with the consent of both parties. Let me preemptively answer another likely question of yours: regarding interior decor, clothing, and ways of spending free time, I have no strict rules; as long as the organization's goals are achieved, becoming a tyrant over daily matters is not part of my plans. Of course, I will not allow anyone to besmirch the honor of our benefactress-empress, but none of my people would dare go to such extremes anyway. — Your prerogative. Then prepare yourselves — we'll deploy you in Nephria, and your colleague in Farella and possibly the south. — Seeing the lack of understanding in his interlocutor's eyes, the governor appointed by Naria as commander-in-chief of imperial forces explains. — Today it was confirmed that Farella, Calcite, Nephria, and the Harran Empire are preparing a coordinated attack on Welfern lands. The start of the campaign was planned for today, but apparently something went off plan. I never would have thought anyone would be mad enough to form an alliance with a nation of undead, but as it turns out, the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" applies even in such a seemingly insane situation. — In that case, shouldn't we hurry? — No. "Aconia" and "Carneol" will still have the opportunity to play a role in the coming conflict, perhaps even a decisive one, but there's no need to rush preparations. — Understood.

When Drako Mellis left her alone with her own thoughts, the national anthem of her native empire suddenly began playing in Sonata's head.

So much had happened, and how many years had passed since she was a little imperial princess? She had many memories associated with that country, both bad and good, but lately she felt only nostalgia toward it. Most of all, of course, she missed her beloved husband, whose memory always made her heart ache painfully in her chest, but to a slightly lesser degree she recalled her childhood with a shadow of longing, when her mind, heart, and soul were not yet burdened by questions of politics, economics, and war, and her brothers and sisters were close friends rather than rivals in the struggle for power. By this day, even the hatred toward Tiarius had somehow faded away and been forgotten, which was somewhat strange, because judging by Rinza, her native world had long since moved forward, while she remained in a past consigned to oblivion by the universe. But be that as it may, this ghost will fulfill its purpose without forgetting its origins.

Sonata's abilities change.

Flowers of Night -> Flowers of Ackervald Melee attacks (on adjacent tile) reduce the target's maximum health by (charisma)%.

Full Moon -> Tsukimi The character's attacks deal +100% damage from SM (void), attack range increases to 10. When the character takes damage, spends 1 AP to block it.

Moon Dance -> Dance of the East All characters within the swordsman's SP radius receive up to 12 attacks (total). Cooldown: 3 turns.

Quick Sword -> Larian Justice Two additional attacks (100%), attacks against villains deal void damage.

Dash -> Lightning of the South The character deals damage to all enemies along their movement path.

Crescent -> Harmony of Seiran The character deals damage to all enemies around them (+2).

Sword Dance -> Noblesse Oblige Before the character attacks, a charisma check is rolled against the target's will; if higher, the target leaves combat. If this action cannot be applied to the enemy, works like sword dance.

Flash Royal +25 luck. Passive feature: ???

An attentive reader might notice that the name of each ability served as a tribute to the eight regions of the Reymian Empire, but to a native inhabitant of Anuzish, all of this meant nothing.