Anthology of War, Greed, Fame, Pride, and Nationalism

The Winter Solstice: Contrasting Climates Volume I and II

In a distant medieval world, the Winter Solstice arrived, marking the arrival of the First Day of Winter. In Giltena, blizzards ravaged cities and towns alike. The freezing winters on the Northern continent are a result of its tundra-like climate. It's mildly cold in both the Western and Eastern Continents, but we focus on Ishtar, the Eastern one. The nations of Ishtar, namely the Islands of Caelum, Enca, and the Country of Midi, are fortunate to be spared from the destructive Nor'easters that plague the mainland. It's all thanks to their tropical climates. On the Northern mountains of the Kingdom of Seven, The Kingdom of Dragnof, the Tsardom of Iceberg, and the Pergrande Kingdom stood a peak. This peak was the tallest of all the mountains in this chain. It was located in the eastern outskirts of Seven, 3 miles away from the border with Dragnof. Here a mighty dragon lived in his cave. This dragon used Snow magic which controls the snowfall and creates icy spikes to attack their enemies. His name was Fenris, King of the Snow Dragons. Fenris had found a mate, and he no longer lived alone in his cave. His wife was Theodora, Queen consort of the Snow Dragons but Queen of the Ice Dragons by birth. Unable to have biological children, the happily married couple joyfully discovered and subsequently welcomed three orphaned children into their loving home as their own. The oldest was a boy named Thor Wethersfield, and he was trained in Snow Dragon slaying magic. His younger sibling was another boy named Leo Wethersfield, an Ice Dragon slayer. The youngest one, Alexander Wethersfield, was a formidable slayer of Ice and Snow Dragons. This little boy was special among the Wethersfield Brothers as he received secret training from both a Chaos Demon and the God of Chaos named Discordius. 

They commanded him not to tell his older brothers about his magic, or disaster would come for him, then they teleported back to their respective domains. Thor, at sixteen, sought vengeance on Pandora's Box, a dark guild that had raided and killed their parents in the past. Leo, aged fifteen going on sixteen, was just as vengeful as his older brother. But Alex didn't care about power or revenge, to the annoyance of his older brothers. He could barely recall the appearance of their biological parents. All he knew was they were nobles among the wealthiest elites of Seven. It was his older brothers who knew them. So the air was tense between the Wethersfield Brothers. Acnologia, the Dragon King and Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, attacked the cave where the family lived after many years had passed. He destroyed it, killing both Fenris and his wife, Theodora. That was the moment when Alex's sanity slipped away, so to say. He boldly dared to challenge Acnologia to an intense duel, engaging him in his human guise. Their battle raged on for endless hours, with neither one gaining the upper hand, until Acnologia, cunningly, feigned defeat. Seizing this opportunity, he imparted upon Alex the elusive knowledge of Chaos Dragon Slaying magic. Though hesitant, Alex accepted and thus began a grueling training regimen as the sun rose on the following day. Alex and his brothers climbed on Acnologia's back and flew to the Dragon King's cave in eastern Dragnof. But before they left, Fenris and Theodora's bodies were laid to rest. After the funeral, they wasted no time and immediately began their training in Acnologia's cave. Unfortunately, Acnologia's teachings tainted their minds and spirits. Alex, Leo, and Thor began to despise humans and develop a preference for dragons. In fact, they raided a village 0.37 miles away from Zirconis, the capital. None of the 5,000 villagers survived their raid. Hades Richardson, the formidable guild master of Grimoire Heart, observed their relentless attack and graciously offered them the opportunity to join his dark guild. However, just as the brothers were about to reach a decision, Acnologia, in an unexpected turn of events, intervened and presented a compromise to Mr. Richardson. After the brothers finished their training and Acnologia leaves, they will join Grimoire Heart as mercenary mages. Hades enthusiastically agreed, and they parted ways, for now. Until then, Acnologia turned up the heat in their training. Alex, Leo, and Thor, instead of raiding five villages daily, were given the daunting challenge of raiding ten thousand villages in the Kingdom of Bosco. After 10 years of this and brutal training, the 3 brothers were very strong but also very heartless and brutal. Acnologia was proud of them for listening to his stories about the dark side of human nature. They were each given a present as congratulations on completing Acnologia's "boot camp".