[center][hider=War of the New Leaf][color=Silver][center]Until they vanished.[/center]

Only four years after the conclusion of the Scarlet Chapter, the three heroes of their world disappeared without an afterword. Only Erigan Estali and Wernthall Floran had left behind offspring to inherit their rightful thrones, but not yet come of age to rule, the Triumvirate all but dissolved without the greatness that had created the alliance. Without this union, the relations between Estala, Anarcas, and Cesadas began to deteriorate over the centuries, where pointless bickering and petty greed forfeited the potential for sound leadership.

The crown continued to pass from heir to heir, and as the world grew with the time that passed, the tensions only continued to persist.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/B1wFxsK.png[/img][/center]

For their ordinary subjects, they only wished for these roaring tides to calm, and for the promises of peace to be kept by their leaders. Yet, with his father bedridden from the Swarm, the people rode on the hopes that the young heir, Erigan Estali IV, would be the difference they sought. While he wielded the Gift as effortlessly as his ancestors had, he would prove to be nothing more than the same.

Year 600 — the turn of the century, and by calendar date, the New Leaf. The Island—Kingdom of Rozel issued a summons to court to the corners of the world for the hand of Ceiya Moro, where many lieges and knights would answer the call. Countless suitors traveled far and wide for the lady's hand, including Erigan Estali IV, but all would be turned down by the fair maiden. That is, until her final admirer, Jaedal Floran, approached. Black of hair and darkly handsome, the Crown Prince of Anarcas had caught the eye of many in the throne room. The King of Rozel, impressed by the noble's poise, chose to betroth his daughter to Jaedal.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QDdP4eH.jpg[/img][/center]

Outraged by the choice of his sworn enemy, the court was shocked as Erigan Estali IV stepped forward, challenging Jaedal Floran to the death for Ceiya Moro's favor. The Crown Prince proved to be the better swordsman, easily defeating and mocking the young Estali. Enraged, he tossed the sword aside, threatening to torch Jaedal Floran alive with the Gift; in an unexpected scenario, the Chancellor of Cesadas intervened, stopping Erigan Estali IV just as the embers scarred the Crown Prince's face.

With the marriage of Jaedal and Ceiya to come by the next year, the royal retinues returned to their respective abodes, and unbeknownst to Erigan IV, Anarcas and Cesadas secretly formed an alliance, the first of its kind since the Triumvirate during the Scarlet Chapter. With counsel from his father to take what was rightfully his before succumbing to the Swarm, Estala would be caught off guard by a surprise declaration of war from Theodorus Floran. With the nation's rule falling into the hands of Erigan Estali IV, there was a division between the Estalan court on his ability to lead the country through the battles to come.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/sgUbDq6.png[/img]

[sub][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDlIbgSw3OQ]The War of the New Leaf had begun.[/url][/sub][/center]

As the Anarcan-Cesadan Army sacked their lands, Estala was already doomed to fall as the last bastion standing before the capital was Fort Rigane. Erigan Estali IV had opted to fight alongside his armies on the frontline, though he had been forced to the lesser magics, as repeated usage of the Gift would prove fatal. When their enemies began to lay siege to Fort Rigane, there was little hope for the Estalans. Knowing that there would be no other option of victory, Erigan IV tapped into the ancient power within his soul, calling the dormant hymns of the soil beneath and channeling the Gift just as his ancestors had.

Almost as quickly as the invasion had started, the Estalans broke the Siege of Fort Rigane and ousted the Anarcan-Cesadan Army from their lands. Newly ascended as the Archsage, Erigan Estali IV led his forces through the dense opposition, despite the alarming number of casualties on both sides. The Gift carried his sails across the icy sea, marching upon the shores of Anarcas where their enemies had retreated.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XZryK9z.png[/img][/center]

With most of its armies crushed on the Aralean mainland, the remnants of the Anarcan-Cesadan tandem opted to bolster its defense in the capital, leaving little resistance outside of the walls of Blackwater. The War of the New Leaf had turned into a massacre, as those who stood in the way of the Archsage would be slaughtered. This violence had no boundaries as even the ordinary people were treated as enemies. One commander after another fell to this terrible might, all but one lone squire was sparred from the Estalan's campaign. Erigan IV would take the young man as his ward, before laying siege to Blackwater.

When the castle gates finally broke open from the month-long siege, the Archsage marched into the halls of Blackwater, battling their path towards the throne room. There, Theodorus Floran, the wrinkling Regent of Anarcas, sat, with Jaedal Floran and Ceiya Moro in his presence. The lady fled from the melee that would ensue between Erigan IV and Jaedal, their weapons clashing evenly, much to the latter's surprise. With the prolonged usage of the Gift wearing heavily on his life force, Erigan IV was struck down by his foe.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MIlVyUJ.png[/img]

[b][i]"Forblaze."[/i][/b][/center]

In their folly of underestimating the Archsage, Erigan IV channeled the last of the Gift as he lay bloodied and dying, conjuring a storm of fire that seared the ancient frost of the throne room, consuming those caught within its fury. Slipping into the abyss of unconsciousness, the burning of Theodorus and Jaedal saw the eventful end to the War of the New Leaf, resulting in the Estalan victory. While the scars run deep inside his being, and he may never fly like the Archsage once had, Erigan Estali IV would awaken to the only asset that truly mattered; Lady Ceiya Moro.

The flames of war had finally burned out with the Anarcan-Cesadan surrender, yet only a small semblance of peace returned to the world. The unrest remained as Anarcas, with its bloodline in jeopardy, had lost its structure. Restoration was a long road for their former enemies, but for Estala, it did not concern them. As reparations panned and order was reinstated in the world, rumors of an Anarcan heir coming of age began to surface. The old tensions of the New Leaf had returned, but it would be the next generation to decide.[/color][/hider][/center]