Ruler Of Iron And Flesh

"So, Eli, where are you from?" Alaric asked as they walked down the hall to their first class the next morning.

"I'm from the far outer districts of Preah. I've never left the city before because my parents would tell me that it's not safe. What about you?"

"I lived in the outer districts with my mom. I've always wanted to leave the city as well, but my mom would say that there are large monsters that lurk out there."

"I heard that, too, but I've never seen a monster in my entire life. What do you think the rest of the world is like?"

Alaric thought for a moment, "it's probably just like Preah. Dusty and nasty with a few green patches here and there. Well, here we are."

They stood in front of an ornate door that had a sign reading: 'history' above it.

Eli said, "I've always loved history, but we've only been given the history of Preah in our old schools. Now we should hear more about world history."

They opened the door and saw about 30 students already in the class. The entire classroom was set up where the desks started near the ceiling and were all sloping down to the ground. In front of the class were a large desk and a chalkboard.

Alaric looked around, and a group of boys snickered when they saw him and Eli come in. One girl waved at him.

Alaric blushed and waved back, but couldn't bring himself to sit next to her.

There were a couple of open seats at the edge of the class, so he and Eli took those.

The class was chattering amongst themselves but stopped as soon as the door opened.

Burt walked in with a bag he set down on the desk in front of the class.

Alaric was excited that his first class was with Burt, but also knew to keep silent so that the rest of the class didn't realize he was related to Burt.

"Goodmorning class," Burt began, "My name is Burt, and I will be your history instructor. Before you hit the age of 12, you all were taught the basic history of Preah and Irigia, but now I will teach you more about the world."

One student raised her hand, and Burt called on her, "yes?"

She asked, "is it true that there are a lot of monsters roaming outside of the city, and that the large mechas are meant to protect us from not just other nations, but the monsters as well?"

Burt nodded, "that is correct. Over the past 12 years, there has been a significant decline in the monster population. However, monsters are a very real existence, and you would be right to be careful whenever you leave the city."

A boy raised his hand, and Burt pointed towards him, "what's your question?"

The boy asked, "have you ever fought monsters before Mr. Burt?"

Burt paused for a moment and took a deep breath, as if terrible memories were coming up, "I have, on a scale that is unimaginable unless you were there. Now then, on to the history lesson."

Burt drew a map of the world with chalk and brushed his hands off once he was done.

"The world was in relative peace with only minor skirmishes between different nations until around 13 years ago. That's when Emporer Marc Tafel came into power. He quickly made a rise through the ranks and took control of the Kotus's Empire's assets. It took an alliance involving several major powers, including Irigia to take down the Empire."

A boy raised his hand and asked, "why didn't the alliance do anything sooner to the Empire to stop them from becoming so strong?"

Burt chuckled a bit, "the alliance was a shaky one, and only held up because of how strong the Empire had become. It split apart as soon as the Empire was defeated."

Burt cleared his throat, "about a year later; our country suffered a significant drug problem due to the Ranid Kingdom's lack of control over the gangs and groups residing there. Can anyone tell me what happened due to the Ranid Kingdom's faltering system?"

A girl raised her hand and stated, "The Trostan Kingdom invaded, Right? That's what my dad told me."

Burt smiled, "correct! The Trostan Kingdom took advantage of the situation to prey on the weaker nation. Irigia stepped in and put a stop to the Trostan Kingdom's assault after allying ourselves with the Ranid Kingdom."

Burt reached into his bag and pulled out a glowing coin.

The room gasped when they saw the bright glow of the coin, and Burt smiled after getting a satisfying response.

"This is a bright coin. The Ranid Kingdom and Irigia made drastic research developments on the coin after we saved their kingdom. Now, we strive to give each officer their own bright coin. The next class after this is where you will receive yours."

Burt paused for dramatic effect, "this coin will give you some abilities from monsters. What abilities you get will depend on your genes and your character, and sometimes it will even depend on your mood. But that's all for the next class! For now, let's dive into some more history, shall we?"

Burt went on to explain how the countries have changed their relations over the past few years, and how Irigia and the Kotus Empire were now close allies. But Irigia has since drifted away from the Predo Dynasty.

The tension between Irigia and the Trotsan Kingdom was high, and a fight could break out at any moment.

Alaric had a hard time paying attention to any other details because he was too excited to receive a bright coin in his next class.

Soon, Burt looked at the clock and stopped the class.

"Okay everyone, it's an easy first day, but I hope you retain everything I've taught you."

Burt spoke to the whole class but seemed to focus on Alaric when he said, "good luck with the bright coins. Sometimes it can be difficult to use."