Krion leaned back against the pillows piled behind him, settling into the fort of his bed while the soft, steady rhythm of Hatsune’s breathing filled the room. Looking over, he saw the Leporine had settled into sleep, curled up with the b buight around her. It was odd, having someone else sleeping in the room with him, sharing his space like this. Yet he had meant what he had said earlier. He really did like having her around.
Turning his attention back to the thick book in his hands, he was grateful for being a quick reader. He flipped through the initial pages at a brisk pace, sing the lines with practiced ease, which was strange as it was not written in English but the nguage of the Empire. Still, whatever Rolfun had doo allow him to speak the Imperial tongue allowed him not only basic literacy but the ability to read even a niche book like this one.
In some ways, he had expected the history of House Bcksword to feel less like a dry at of dates and deeds and more like an epitasy tale. You know the kind. Imperial knights sying dragons to save noblewomen, or perhaps epic jouro destroy a evil artifacts. As fasating as those expectations were, Krion couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed as he made it past the first few pages. The book’s scope was broad, more a sweeping general history than an intricate record of the finer details he hoped to learn about House Bcksword. He had hoped for more personal aes or perhaps even intimate glimpses into the politid intrigue of his extended family.
Instead, the narrative maintains a detached, almost schorly tohe author seemed more ied iing an unbiased at than indulging in storytelling flourishes. There were no dramatic revetions, no thrilling rets of pivotal movements from a first-person perspective — just a methodical exploration of facts, dates, and key events.
Krion shifted against the pillows, adjusting his position slightly. Despite his initial disappoi, he had to admit there was value ihor’s approach. The effort to remain objective was evident from the very beginning, with lengthy footnotes g multiple sources aensive appendices cross-refereng flig ats. The author had clearly goo great lengths to verify the veracity of what was written. He supposed that that effort alone helped justify the high pri s of Knowledge that he had spent to obtain a personal copy.
Holy, it was a bit overwhelming. Yet, as he tinued reading, bits and pieces began to form a clearer picture of House Bcksword’s history. The earliest geion were professional soldiers, carving their domain from the equivalent of untamed wilderness and enemy kingdoms across a dozen worlds in this region of what would bee the western portion of the Treverorum Empire. He had partly expected that, given what he remembered about his own education growing up, during which he was taught about how Empires like those of the British and Russians often spread their trol of territory and peoples through violent means. Indeed, what struck Krion the most in those early pages was how what would bee an Archducal House erceived by those they entered. Acc to some cited ats, House Bcksword had been seen by the local races as “monsters in the dark.” Apparently, the Bckswords had fought their way into the region, frontirenched powers with ruthless efficy. Their methods were brutal, and their victories absolute. Entire kingdoms were razed aultiple worlds, the leaders opposing Imperial might brought to ruin.
What struck Krion most was the sheer scale of it all. The Treverorum Empire’s expansion in the region, facilitated by House Bcksword, had spanned vast territories, a size that still boggled his sensibilities, bound as they were by Earth-born scales. He struggled to prehend the distances involved, let alohe logistics required to maintain trol over such a vast domain. The text spoke of how the Bckswords had not only waged wars across hundreds — perhaps thousands — of worlds within this region of space but also ventured into other areas of the Multiverse. His eyes slowed as they came across that word on the page. It was ohing to grasp the cept of vast, ielr empires run on magid the rules of a gamified system; it was quite ao accept that sutities crossed iirely different dimensions of existence.
Kriouro reading, and the mentions of the Multiverse quickly ehe book returning to the more immediate circumstances of House Bcksword, particurly the reputation they had been acg. The author did not shy away from aowledging the reputation of these early Bckswords. “To their enemies,” one passage read, “the Bckswords were a force of uiru, wielding steel and Essehout mercy. Yet, to their friends and allies, they were stalwart defenders and protectors, willing to spill their own blood to protect those they held dear.”
Krion leaned back, abs the weight of those words. Monsters in the dark, yes — but monsters who were fiercely loyal to their own. It painted a plex picture of his aors, ohat he had to admit resonated deeply with him given his situatioe the vast cultural and tempap between them and his own experiences ba Earth.
He thought of the way Houses ied here at the Imperial Academy, with alliances and rivalries simmering just beh the surface. The notion of unwavering loyalty to friends and brutal vengeance against enemies was no longer fn to him. Given the ats in the book, it would be fair to say that he had entered a en which a universal stant ower as the ultimate currency.
The book tio describe how the new House Bcksword had quickly bee ted among the elite of the reverorum Empire in the region. inating from the Core Provihemselves, the author briefly departed from his unbiased too praise how Bckswords had earheir pot just through martial might but also shrewd political maneuvering and unwavering dedication to the Empire’s cause. Despite their initial reputation as reavers of the battlefield, they had been instrumental in stabilizing the region, helping to set up and proteew tradiionships while seg hundreds of border worlds. Even the locals, once hostile to the Bckswords, had gradually e to respect — and even rely upon — their strength.
Pausing for a moment to digest what he had read, Krion’s mind drifted as he sidered what the early legacy of House Beant for him. His time at the Imperial Academy had shown him from the first day that many other ss eyed him with suspi, disdain, or even ht hostility.
Ahere were also those who had already alighemselves with him. It reminded him of the diy described in the book: brutal to enemies, protective of friends. That was a lesson that really resonated with him. And ohat he didn’t think he would have a problem adopting for how he did things going forward.
Kriouro the book, flipping ane, skimming through more ats of the expansion of the Bckswords and their solidation of power. Battles against opposing fas, marauding monsters, and rogue dungeons all painted a picture of him sharing a lihat had been defined by war, struggle, and survival. Throughout, there was a clear pattern — those who itted acts of cruelty or sought to destabilize the region through terror and savagery were dealt with mercilessly. House Bcksword did not believe in half-measures when it came to proteg their people.
His brow furrowed as the authored referenced an at of one such campaign. A neighb House had resorted to ensving aire Imperial frontier world and using dark magic against the Bcksword over a dispute they had. When House Bcksword learned of what they had dohey left no stourned, and over the course of a decade, they dismahe enemy House in its ey.
There was no glory in the descriptions of the as House Bcksword took, only grim y. Krio some uanding — sometimes, hard choices were required. The end of the duel with Ort had been how he had chosen to send a message of his own. Perhaps House Bcksword’s reputation as monsters in the dark wasirely unjustified, but he hoped it was inplete. That they were also protectors as much as the were protectors, that they were willing to bear the burden of harsh deeds so that others could live in peace.
As he read on, Krio more than a little relief. Additional notes and short mentions of other as taken by the Bckswords, made clear the fact that his House was also defined by loyalty, honor, and justice — though their interpretation could be harsh by Earth standards. That was more than a bit relieving. He had been worried he had been bound without choice to a family of monsters. That they also hoheir friends regardless of race, f alliances and trading agreements with species and cultures that other noble houses might have dismissed or looked down upon simple because of who they were was not only something that Krion agreed with, but hoped would provide some early opportunities for building up his own allia the Imperial Academy. Still skimming, he mentally marked a few pages refereng specific Houses that he might look into at a ter time. As soon as he was done, he flipped to the chapter.
And that was wheone of the book shifted.
The early chapters had been filled with stories of quest and expansion, the vivid portrait of a House whose legacy stood as a bulwark against chaos and enemies beyond the walls of the Empire. The test chapter delved into more ret events, and the picture painted was grim. House Bcksword, once a preemi for this portion of the Empire, was all but in ruins. Its name, previously synonymous with strength and power, had fallen into disgrace; what reputation it had remaining, in tatters.
The author didn’t mince words, suggesting that the House was being targeted by multiple covert enemies. Apparently, this fall had begun with a grand weddiween an outside power and the “gem of the heirs” in House Bcksword. The choice of words was iing, but the author provided no further eboration on that heir’s identity. Instead, attention shifted to the chaos that followed. Acc to the author, an ambush had taken pce during a massive invasion of the House Throneworld itself — ahat shook the very foundations of the Bckswiven the historical inviobility of that world.
Though the book refrained from detailing the sides involved, the author did hat House Bao beat back the invasion. But victory came at an unimaginable cost. The power structure that had defihe house feions was left in ruins, shattered beyond immediate repair.
Krion’s hands tightened around the edges of the book as he read more about the aftermath. The core family, once a bastion of strength, was reduced to a mere handful of surviving members. They had been forced to rely heavily on the branch families of the House to maintain even a sembnce of their former power. The imagery jured by the author was bleak — House Bcksword standing amid the ashes of its flory, desperately trying troup as vultures circled overhead.
And the vultures had names.
Krion’s eyes sharpened as the author mentioned House Bright. The revetion came with a caveat; it had takehor siderable time to firm the involvement of that rival house. Acc to what he had been able to uh, House Bright and its allies had moved covertly at first, striking from the shadows. But as time went on, their as had bee bolder, their iions clearer. By the time of his writing, the author sidered it to be an ope: House Bright was leading the charge against House Bcksword, seeking to dismantle what little remained of its power and influence. Indeed, beyond waging a covert war, House Bright also leveraged its siderable financial resources to purchase the territories and worlds once held by House Bcksword. Some had been lost through despoilment by other enemies; others had beeed away in ing deals arayals.
Despite the grim reality described on the pages, Krion sensed a defiant uone iext. The author hat House Bcksword had not gone quietly into the night. They had executed what amouo a fightireat, refusing to surrender even as the odds mounted against them. That stubborn defiance was something else Krinized. It was a trait he held as well — the refusal to yield, no matter how dire the circumstances.
Turning his attention back to the book, he moved to the chapter, seeing that there was not much remaining. He was getting tired, especially his eyes, but he refused to go to sleep until he had fihe book. His gut was telling him tomorrow was going to be a busy day, despite it being the start of the long weekend.
His persistence was rewarded in the first few paragraphs, during which the author revealed that the downfall of House Bcksword was not solely the work of House Bright. The other Archducal Houses in the region had pyed their part as well. Though none seemed to hold a true vea against House Bcksword, they all had seen the weakening of the once-mighty House as an opportunity too tempting to ighe result of those several decades of struggle ended up being referred to as the Five-House War.
He blinked several times, trying t the pages bato focus. Fighting against the looming presence of sleep, he read faster, less skimming and more boung from page to page, looking for any importaails. Mention was made of many minor families of nobility aligned with the Archducal Houses as having swooped in to cim scraps from House Bcksword’s misfortunes as well. Territory, trade routes, and key resources that once bolstered his family’s House were now scattered amongst dozens of opportunistic rivals before the war gradually shifted into a state of ceasefire. Though they were not driven by deep enmity, but simply the nature of politid survival, Krion had a hard time finding it within himself tive them.
The st portion of the chapter made refereo the unraveling alliances of House Bcksword. Many of the other Houses that had oood firmly by his family’s side aba, either out of fear or self-preservation. The politidscape was shifting, and few wao be dragged down alongside a House teetering on the brink of colpse.
But not all had turheir backs.
Krion made another note of the page that mentioned a small number of Houses that had remained fully loyal, refusing to betray old bonds despite the growing pressure to do so. He struggled to read their names, his vision going in and out of focus. He really wao sleep. But not yet. He turo the final chapter, where the author shared his final observations about House Bcksword.
trary to his expectations, the author took a step back to focus on the region as a whole. With House Bcksword’s power waning, and the infighting increasing, the borders of the Treverorum Empire in the region weakened as well. What had once been a stronghold of stability had bee a fractured and vulnerable frontier.
And this vulnerability could not have e at a worse time.
Acc to the author, aid and support from the Core and ions of the Empire had decreased i years. Political turmoil, eic strife, and military campaigns elsewhere had stretched the Empire’s resources thin. The Western region was now left rgely to fend for itself.
Krion’s chest tightened as he read the authrim warning, dated to only a few years ago. Outside powers, sensing weakness, were beginning to gather to exploit the situation for their own gain. Given its size, immense resources, and massive poputions of various races, the region was more than a tempting prize for ambitious enemies of the Empire. The thought of fn forces desding upon the region, sowing chaos aru, filled Krion with a sense of foreboding.
Earth.
His homeworld was about to gh the Iion process in the few years, and he could imagine what would happen to it if the region of the Empire it was supposed te into was desding into any number of new wars and invasions. Shaking away visions of bloodshed and the bodies of his friends and family ba Volksturm, Krion pushed his weary eyes to tinue looking over the st pages of the book.
He was gd he did, as the author’s final words struck him hard and gave him a small measure of hope to offset the trepidation he felt. “House Bcksword, though diminished, still stands,” the author wrote. “Its survival, precarious as it may be, is a testament to its resilience. Yet, if it is to rise again, it will rength, unity, and leadership capable of navigating the treacherous waters ahead. The fate of the region — and perhaps the Empire itself — may well hinge on the choices made by the ss of House Bcksword in the years to e.”
Krion closed the book slowly, the weight of what the author said settling heavily on his mind. The room was silent save for the soft crackle of the fire and Hatsune’s quiet breathing. He exhaled, feeling a mix of determination and dread. Though sleep tirying to sink its cws into him, he kept it at bay for a few minutes more to sider what he had read. The history of House Bcksword, his House, had begun as a tale of triumph and strength but had ged into one of dee and desperation. The book had painted a far grimmer picture of the Archducal House than he had hoped.
And now he was here — summoned from Earth to the Imperial Academy as a s of that House.
Yes, his presence made sense. House Bcksword clearly needed every potential s with a drop of blood of their family it could muster. Only through seg the family could they tio pursue the strength, allies, and resoureeded to rebuild the fractured legacy of the Bcksword. Kiron being at the Academy must have been a part of that desperate strategy.
Given how it was besieged on all fronts from multiple parties, perhaps that expined why no representative or message had yet arrived from them to him. They were simply too busy struggling to survive against enemies both covert and overt. But if he was so important to their pns, surely they would be trying to tact him at some point, right?
He frowned, setting the book aside on the side table. No messages, no representatives, no resources — nothing. As much as the book had provided crity as to the overall situation for House Bcksword, it had also raised more questions about his own personal circumstances, and the silehat had followed him since his arrival at the Academy weighed on him more than ever. Regardless of their iions for him, his family had left him to fend for himself without so much as a tokeure of support.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, slumping bato his pillows. The sharpness of the word felt right. It was the only thing close to being capable enough of capturing his frustration at that moment. It was hard to put the pieces together, to grasp the true scale of what was happening. Krion wasn’t foolish — he khat a family he had never known didn’t owe him anything. The world, after all, ce where power came at a steep price, and loyalty was a rare odity. But still, the bitter sting of his apparent abando burned deep in his chest.
He felt disected, adrift in a sea of uainty. He grimaced. The more he thought about it, the more the situation made sense only if House Bcksword truly didn’t care about him. At least not in a way that mattered. They cared about power, about status, about positioning themselves to weather the storm. He was just a part of that equation — an heir who could be disposed of wheime came. A symbol of their legacy, but little more than a pawn in their games.
“Fuck,” he repeated, the word this time filled with more venom. He rolled onto his side, the weight of his thoughts sinking him into the soft mattress beh him. There was nothi for him to g to. No safety . No family. Krion knew only ohing for sure in that moment: he couldn’t rely on a himself.
That truth settled in his mind, and for a moment, the weight pressing down on him was gone. House Bcksword, as powerful and as feared as it might have been, wasn’t ing to his aid. No one in the Empire outside the pocket pne of this Imperial Academy cared whether he lived or died. The only thing that mattered now was him. And what he chose to do.
If he was going to survive — if he was going to build a life for himself beyond the shadow of his family’s legad bee strong enough to help Earth wheime came — he would have to build towards his future from the ground up. No more relying on others outside of his friends here. No more waiting on some future message or letter from his family. He would have to pn on carving his own path, and he would have to protect himself from the same ehat had threatened House Bcksword for turies now. Building alliances, f retionships, and seg his position at the Academy would be crucial. But Krion alshe limitations of his current situation.
He needed a css.
Without a css, Krion was at a signifit disadvantage. Everyone would be harder without one. And he he best css he could get. Once he had one, he had a feeling that everything would ge. He could feel it in his bones.
The thought brought with it a stronger sense of resolve. Krion had never sidered himself weak, but now he uood that strength wasn’t just about physical power or skill with a sword. It was about trol — trol over his destiny, trol over his own as, and trol over his future. He couldn’t wait for anyone else to e through for him. He would be the only one who could shape his fate.
As his thoughts began to settle, Krion finally lost the struggle with his eyelids. The exhaustion of the day, the emotional toll of the revetions tained within the book, and the weight of his future caught up with him all at once. He turned over onto his side, pulling the sheets over himself as sleep began to cim him.
There you have it, the first bit of insight as to what is going on beyond the Imperial Academy with House Bcksword, with more to e in the chapters ahead. See you Friday!
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