LIGHTNOVELONLINE Arc 1: The Sacred Hill
Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.
Prologue Arc: The Sacred Hill
(Demons of the Hill)
Alnus Hill had been the subject of myths and legends throughout the generations.
It was frequently included in fairy tales told to children, a superstitious story for the villagers who lived nearby, and a place of dare for anyone who had the courage to venture into the area.
Tales of dangerous creatures, Elemental Spirits, and even demons inhabiting the hill were widespread amongst the towns and cities, hence why would most avoid passing by. However, for the Imperial soldiers, the recent campaign of venturing the hill to enter the world beyond the gate had debunked those so-called stories. When the armies had arrived, they brought in groups of workers tasked to cut down a huge portion of the forest, surrounding the hill and as a result, the villagers who lived nearby were forced to vacate their homes and moved to other towns. It was better rather than to resist and face the dire consequences.
When the work finally finished, the expedition armies were given prayers and blessings by the high priests before entering the gate. Some of the captains and generals even give their speeches to encourage and raise the morale of the troops. It was a glorious scene indeed as 60,000 soldiers of all classes, including ogres, trolls, beast-men, and wyvern knights marched to their unknown destination. The expedition army's return was already expected to take several days, and all that was expected were new riches, slaves, and glory.
In the middle of their absence, a number of garrisons were set up surrounding the hill in order to monitor the current progress of the campaign. Though, when the day had finally come for the expedition army's arrival, no one had expected the horrifying news of what had transpired.
Out of the 60,000 individuals which marched through the Gate, only a hundred had arrived, a lot of them were beaten, traumatized, and some were shaken in fear that they couldn't even speak normally.
Those who dared to remember spoke of the horrors they had experienced and encountered beyond the Gate.
According to their accounts, the world beyond the gate was different than they had ever seen.
A city, where buildings were made of glass and crystals, and stone.
Moving Artifacts that carry strange life forms inside
The tales from the soldiers, and the way they described the mysterious civilization as if they've rediscovered the Ancient and Fabled Ravernal Empire.
From what they learned from a surviving captain, the campaign was progressing well as the main commanders of the expedition declared and claimed the mysterious world for the Empire. Orders were given to capture every territory and enemy strongholds that they could come across, capture the slaves, and slaughter everyone who had resisted. At first, everything was going according to plan until the demons arrived.
Mages that carried black staffs like nothing ever seen before, that shot fire and cut through legions like a sharp blade through tall grass. Massive metal birds that made the unholiest of screams as they flew overhead at impossible speeds and eliminated the wyvern riders in a matter of seconds. The metal beasts that were completely unaffected by the arrows and spears.
These testimonies coming from men who were some of the most battle-hardened soldiers the Empire had, men who had taken part in some of the bloodiest campaigns the Empire had ever seen and were now rambling on about things that should not even exist. Things that defied all known logic, yet defeated the Imperial army within hours of its invasion.
The only trophy they acquired and were able to bring back home were slaves from that world.
The Slaves that were taken and were now on their way to the numerous slave markets around the continent, but it had come at an heavy price. A price that the Empire could not even fully afford, as just under 60,000 fathers, sons, and brothers, did not return from what was supposed to be another of the Empires's glorious achievements, though instead of victory and success the Empire had lost a huge part of its army although they still had hundreds of thousands to call upon to continue the conquest, it would not be so easy to replace the veteran soldiers. But soon it was realized that whatever the Empire had awoken from beyond the Gate, had followed them back to their world.
Several Weeks Later
Alnus Hill
Yet another tiring day that befell a certain squad of Imperial Soldiers.
It was already in the late afternoon that they found themselves still in the midst of their patrols, not even seeing a sign that this was going to end. No matter how they were all covered in dirt and sweat, they still had to fulfill their duties for the empire.
They were also aware of the current happenings surrounding hill. Reports of strange figures darting about the shadows of the forest surrounding Alnus, strange lights in the sky, patrols swearing that they could see more lights going in and out of the Gate.
There were opportunities to send another large portion of soldiers to secure the main area, where the Gate resided, but considering that the main conquest of the unifying the continent was first priority, the plans were botched and the higher officials in charge, thought that scouts and patrols were probably enough to keep the hill secured and monitored.
However, for the numerous Imperial Patrol groups, fear had already taken over them. As days passed, the majority of the soldiers began to claim that demons had arrived from the Gate and began attacking and mercilessly killing them, even during the day. As word spread throughout the imperial garrisons, a chain reaction occurred, with many soldiers abandoning their positions in order to escape the cursed beings that now roamed the hill..
Only a few groups were brave enough to continue their duties; such squads were to npatrol the hill's remaining forested areas for an entire day, without even the opportunity to have their own breaks.
The current squad, that was on duty, was composed of seven soldiers, that patrolled the entirety of Alnus Hill. Six of the members were already veterans on the field, whilst the seventh member was a young man, who was assigned to the squad in his very first task.
Cyrus, the young soldier, trailed behind the older soldiers who had become his mentors throughout the journey. It was already late at night as they carried their torches, which served as their only source of light as they traversed the forest's narrow path.
Aside from the nervousness and caution that pervaded the rest of the older soldiers, the young man had to stand out. Instead of fear, he was filled with optimism and excitement as he was finally able to join the Imperial army.
Cyrus had worked hard for this.
The young man had a dream of serving his country and following in his big brother's footsteps who had successfully made a name for himself in the military. Due to the latter, his family had received honor and glory throughout the campaigns of the empire and also respect from other well-known families. They were about to be considered and welcomed as new nobles if it hadn't been for the mysterious gate that appeared out of nowhere in Alnus Hill.
The young man reflected on the last time he saw his big brother, who was part of the expeditionary army that marched through the gate. He was never among the soldiers who returned from the disastrous campaign. He couldn't imagine what his big brother had gone throughout there. For days, he was troubled by the thought of him still surviving and begged to join Imperial patrols in the hopes of getting close to the gate and having a chance to enter the world beyond in secret. He was determined to find out the truth and rescue his big brother.
It was a ridiculous plan in and of itself, but he still believed in it.
"Captain, have you heard of the camp that had been attacked?"
One of the soldiers asked as the imperial squad had gotten to the point where they are now exploring the unknown areas of the hill.
The leader of the Imperial patrol squad responded with a sigh." Which camp are you referring to Justus?" He asked." Most of the camps on the west side had been abandoned for a long time now." He explained.
"My apologies Captain, what I meant is the recent imperial camp that had been burned and razed the ground by these demons." The soldier replied, not even afraid to mention the name of these creatures.
"Are you out of your wits!? Never speak of those names if you don't want them to be summoned in front of your eyes." One of the soldiers warned." We know nothing about them except the fact they could kill us in a matter of seconds." He protested.
"Those reports do not hold water with me! We've patrolled the majority of the hill, and we've never seen anything unusual lurking here!" Another soldier voiced his opinion. "I'm not sure why we couldn't just go straight to the gate!"
There were some questions that had been raised in recent days. It was strictly forbidden to approach the Gate with only a few individuals or a squadron. The majority of the soldiers were perplexed because they saw no danger surrounding the structure. They assumed it was simply superstition brought by religious orders and farfetched testimonies that had influenced the decisions of the higher officials.
"In fact, this is our chance! We are on the right path to discovering what really is happening on the top."
The soldier's reasoning had begun to persuade the other members, who were also sick and tired of patrolling the same old spots and areas without uncovering even a sliver of the truth. It was obvious that the higher officials were hiding something from them.
The captain remained silent as he could understand what his soldiers were trying to tell him.
In fact, even in his position as captain, He rarely had an opportunity to know the exact reason why his superiors had given that kind of orders. They were forbidden to question anything and to only do what they were told. His patience was also wearing thin, he had long to go back to his home, but the endless patrols, with no sense, keep preventing that. Moreover, his soldiers did have a point that nothing was really happening on top of the hill. There was no such thing as green-eyed demons, metallic beasts, and such. They were all just fabricated, to begin with.
Then at that moment, he found himself deciding between satisfying his curiosity to find out the truth and safeguarding his men to finish the patrol and live another day for more.
The Imperial Captain stopped his tracks and halted his men, much to their surprise.
He looked at them straight in the eye, giving them a weak smile. He had finally made his decision, that would affect their fate in this nightly patrol.
"Men, I understand all of your concerns and you helped me realize the fact that there will never be an answer unless we found for ourselves, but let's remember that we have our own families to go back to." He explained." Though, as a fellow soldier and comrade, we will venture towards the hill and-"
He couldn't finish his sentence because something struck him in the head and he collapsed like a leaf on the ground.
Blood splattered on the ground and onto the face of a nearby soldier.
Shock overwhelmed their faces as they could not comprehend what had just happened. Their captain's corpse lying in the pool of blood.
"They are here! The Demons are here!"
One of the soldiers exclaimed as they all drew out their swords and stayed closer together in hopes of defending themselves from their mysterious attackers. They intensively moved their eyes around the area in order to spot them. Though much to their shock, one of them suddenly dropped to the ground as much as their captain, followed by another and another.
"Help us!"
"By Emroy!" One soldier exclaimed before a big hole formed around his forehead and he immediately dropped dead on the growing pool of blood.
In the midst of that silent chaos, a swarm of glowing green eyes began to appear one by one, illuminating the surroundings.
Cyrus found himself on the verge of death as the squad's numbers dwindled. Fortunately, he was able to come to his senses and make a break for it, escaping impending doom. He ran as fast as he could down the path that led to the Gate. He couldn't think of anything but surviving and discovering the truth in all of this.
He discarded his torch and sword along the way due to the heaviness he felt from carrying them. He found solace in the silence that he was receiving.
"Emroy won't take me! I'm going to make this out alive!"
"I will not die!"
The young man screamed inside his head as desperation overtook him. He was going to push himself until the bitter end, no matter how tired he was. He didn't have to wait long to see the end of the forest and the familiar silhouette of the Gate. Though something had occurred to him as he pondered why he could see it from a distance despite the darkness. There were these tiny lights of various colors moving and flying around at the end.
As he neared the end of the forest, his eyes widened in surprise and shock as he was greeted by an unusual sight.
Stopping his tracks by the time he reached the end, he found himself face to face with a scene that he could not comprehend and described.
"What in the world is happening!?"
Whether he was hallucinating or not, He appeared to have seen beings from another world. The Gate is being circled by a swarm of metallic beasts. People dressed in unusual outfits were strewn about the area. Furthermore, he was taken aback by the fact that these strange beings were erecting some kind of iron wall from afar, and as he continued to take in the scenery around him, a bright light suddenly flashed before his eyes, which startled him.
At that moment, something sharp and metallic struck his leg, causing him to fall down clutching his leg and screaming in pain; moments later, swarms of these strange people surrounded him, carrying mysterious black artifacts and staffs. As he stared at the various lights beside him, he felt his consciousness slowly fade away until his eyes met one of the green-eyed individuals. Despite this, he was able to muster up the last of his thoughts as he said his would be last words.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry mother."
CHAPTER END
AN: Sorry for the inconvenience as I had to pull back the other chapters for editing due to the lack of story flow. Some of the readers have suggested I should change some aspects of the plot a little bit to prevent confusion for the majority of the readers. Moreover, I apologized for any grammar and spelling mistakes since English is not my main language. Thank you for understanding!