I was planning on following up last month’s post, but I’m currently going through my final readthrough of my manuscript and my time is crunched. So I’ve decided to release another excerpt. Enjoy!
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“It is my greatest pleasure and utmost duty, under the guidance of Mercury, to address the intellect of the great Vesuvian Empire and elsewhere who has the brave heart and the capable intelligence to listen. As King of the Marin State, the Sulæn Islands, the Province of Icelandia, and the Westport Sector, I feel it is my duty as rightful monarch to restore the strength of Elsov and to preserve the freedom of thought among her people.”
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“This treatise has had many years of preparation. I began writing by the human hand in the early weeks of MCMXLIII, two years before I took up my father’s throne. However, my thoughts and impressions that were molded into this work were gathered well before I took up mine inheritance, even in the days of my primary schooling. Since these early years, I have had a deep connection to my direct ancestor and founder of the original Vesuvian Empire, even Khon-uul, later to become Emperor Vesuvius I. the Great.”
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“At this time, I do not refer to myself as Emperor, but King of the remnants of his old empire. I will inherit the rightful title once all of my true subjects again flock under the banner that I wave. What Vesuvius the Great had accomplished thirteen-hundred years ago must be restored. Not only did he unite the dragon race from the treacherous roots of beastly savagery and unite them to rule, but he reached out his paw to bring unity to an ill kingdom infected by the weakening San’rex dynasty and her equally unenlightened enemies. For nearly a century the Great Vesuvius I. led the battle to purify Elsov of carnal barbarism, and his legacy continues to live on in the realm of epics akin to the kingdoms of heaven. It is now my duty to resurrect the honorable name and finish what my forefathers began so many ages ago.”
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“To some, it may seem unfortunate for me to inherit an empire in ruin. When you are told the stories in your youth of what your inheritance would have been had it not been for the cowardice of your more recent forefathers, you may expect the youth to be disappointed. On the contrary, I consider it a blessing that I began as a governor of a ruined land. Had I not been guided by the Great Vesuvius since before my birth, I may have suffered the same fateful errors that the lineage of Lapregus has made, and I would not be enlightened as I am now. I am well educated in the histories of the land of Elsov, the Angle-lands, and also the dealings of the foreign lands: the so-called First Earth. Yes, there are many who consider this First Earth a fantasy, a mere setting for myths. But mark my words, the First Earth not only exists in her literal form, but she carries significant reflections of our world. In recent decades, many revolutions have taken place in this strange world, and have challenged the works of great men. Many nations there have fallen into miniscule states governed my uneducated peasants, whilst others attempted to reincarnate the great despotism, though in a modernized uniform. I will speak more of this queer realm in a later chapter, before-which I must explain the necessity of my cause:
“It is the operation of fate by time that great leaders, be him man or dragon, should come forth to pull a ruined nation out of the ashes of defeat, stand her back on her pedestal of glory, and guide her forward to eternal honor. Nations come and nations go, as again operated by time through fate; but the hand of one great leader may reach forth, even after his temporal days, to restore his nation that had since faced defeat. Such is the case of the Great Vesuvius as he pointed his eternal paw to my father, King Alidraco the Inspired, and now myself, who bears his name and the name of his son. Death does not retard the Great Vesuvius’s honor. His honor has been restored today! To deny his preeminence would, indeed, be to insult the civilized creature! This is the natural progression of society. How many struggles—how much blood—how many years will it not require to realize the good which I intend to do for the sake of civilization!”
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“These unfortunate matters were what awakened a flame in Khon-uul’s bosom that never before burned in the bosom of a dragon. It was to be revealed to him by divine ordination that he would not only revolutionize the very nature of the dragon, but he was to accomplish something not yet even accomplished by the humans of Elsov: he was to begin a revolution that would rescue civilization from of darkness and savagery, and into a higher realm of thought and wisdom. Legend has it that when this flame was sparked in Khon-uul’s bosom, the entire earth shook violently—castles crumbled to the ground, mountains fell and rose, and rivers rerouted themselves. Yes indeed, the creators of this world were ready to welcome this hero into their eternal glory!”
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And there you have it.
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The Tales of Draco 