The conflict between Aakman and the royal family of Nesser was to be expected. The Aakman, who existed before Valencia was established, called themselves the guardians of the Ancient Civilization. The ancient relics and chambers in the desert were a source of conflict between the Aakmans and the royal family. As a result, King Imur Nesser sought to rally the Aakmans to resolve the situation.

 

King Imur Nesser was infamous for his impatience. He sought to find a common ground on this matter and reached out to the Aakmans, though they swiftly declined. Furious with the outcome, the king sent his soldiers to Aakman territory and slaughtered many of them. The Aakmans refused to concede to such tyranny.
Instead, they hid from the king and his soldiers. It was then when a horrific calamity swept across the western continent. The Black Death that originated from the merchant guild of Valencia affected everything in its wake. Those affected by it eventually died as their skin rotted and turned black. King Imur Nesser witnessed the terrible symptoms of the disease personally when the queen succumbed to the illness. The infuriated citizens criticized the king stating that the Black Death was the result of the Aakman massacre. Other lands saw the king as a devil. In the end, the black stone was deemed the root of the problem and that it somehow caused the onset of the Black Death in Valencia. The Elionian Priests in Calpheon saw this an opportunity and persuaded the king and his officials to seize control of the desert, where the black stones are buried, in the name of preventing this calamity from happening again.

 

The overly confident alliance expedition of Calpheon marched their way into the desert. Armed soldiers of Valencia stood at the ready in the desert, as if to have been expecting of such an occurrence. However, the Valencia military’s primary role was to protect the monarch, and as such it could not match the strength of the expedition. The war raged on for 30 years due to Guy Seric’s ambitions and greed, so nobody expected his campaign would come to an abrupt end. A great sandstorm appeared and swallowed both the Valencian army and Calpheon expedition. The expedition suffered heavy casualties and caused an end to their campaign outright, bringing an end to this prolonged, greedy war. The desert sands buried the spilled blood and the horrors of the war altogether. To commemorate the fallen soldiers, King Imur Nesser called the place of conflict the Red Desert, and praised Aal for bringing victory. “The vast desert is Aal’s land. The oasis signifies the tranquility of Aal and the black stones represent Aal’s abundant provisions.” The kind reiterated these words as a guide. However, the prevalence of the Black Death and frequent internal struggles made it difficult for Valencia to recover. King Imur Nesser’s ailing health also signaled a new king to be crowned sooner than later. The officials crowned Torme Nesser as the 5th king of Valencia, the oldest king in Valencian history. He already had three sons and one daughter when he ascended to the throne.

 

King Torme Nesser was sophisticated, open-minded and appreciated culture. As a result, astrology and theology flourished, and Valencia’s wealth increased as it profited from the black stone deposits in the great desert. As time passed by, Valencia emerged as a powerful nation where citizens enjoyed a high standard of life. The citizens heeded to Aal for guidance and looked ahead for a brighter future.

 

Torme Nesser succumbed to the illness and his first son, Sahazad Nesser became the 6th king of Valencia. To fulfill his father’s wish, Sahazad Nesser appointed the second king Barhan Nesser, who was born from a foreign woman, as the head of the military. He appointed the third king, Manmehan Nesser as the head of the law administration and the princess to look after Aal’s sacred book. The citizens took greater pride in their monarch upon learning the transition of power went smoothly.

 

However, the peace in Valencia was short-lived. Barhan Nesser learned from his mother that Sahazad did not have the golden key. Since the crowning of the first king thousands of years ago, the golden key has played an important part of the inaugural process. They say that only the king must possess the golden key, as it also signifies one’s legitimacy as the true successor to the throne. Aside from this, other strange events and phenomena have recently been occurring in the desert. There have been reports that the Aakmans started appearing again and that ancient giants have begun roaming the desert. Many believed the events to be related. The golden key that played a role in the founding of Valencia now threatened to destabilize the balance of the monarchy.