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Memento Mori
"Memento mori."
A latin phrase that can be loosely translated into "Remember that you are mortal, remember that you will die." A phrase which became both the lifeblood and the bane of Astra in these times.
It had been a long while ago after the Empire of Axium had dominated the Republic of Travia, uniting the war-torn country into a single entity. The Age of Adventurers had ended with the signing of the peace treaty in the Cathedral of Alberio, better known to others at the time as Sanctuary. The government had declared this unification as the Era of Peace.
What a joke.
Of course, Astra, the city, certainly looked peaceful during the daylight hours with the normals going about their business. Children went to their trade schools and their playgrounds while adults went to their jobs. Steam-powered vehicles and horse-drawn carriages moved people where they needed to go. Entertainment was provided by the collisieum where warriors tore each other apart in order to receive some sort of vindication on not being able to do anything else. Buildings of varying elegance stood with the clocktower in the town square being the tallest of all. Police were present to curb any disputes while emergency services were on stand-by at all times in case of trouble.
Admittedly, this facade of peace was certainly believable...until the sun came down and the moon rose. At first, the moments after sunset were quiet as the normals moved into their small little homes. The police known as GunzFactor, remnants of the Empire's squadrons, patrolled the streets with vigor, ordered to shoot suspicious characters on sight. After those few moments of calm, shrieks and screams could be heard in the stagnant air under the moon. The screams of the murdered and the tortured, the shrieks of children watching their loved ones killed in front of their eyes...At night, Astra became lawless and those roaming around outside did so under the risk of abduction or death.
In this "Era of Peace", Astra, the country's capital, held the majority number in assassination and protection requests.
((To be continued.))
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