But that only made the present situation more difficult to understand.
What had happened to bring all of that to an end?
Why did Hermes eventually close its borders and isolated itself from the rest of the continent? And what became of Valthor?
From what Julian managed to learn, Valthor was no longer considered an existing kingdom. Its name had completely disappeared from ordinary historical records.
A kingdom that had once stood alongside Hermes should not have vanished so easily.
There had to be a reason.
And considering what the Queen Mother had said earlier, Julian suspected that the answer might also explain her connection to Death.
He looked directly at her.
"And then?"
The Queen Mother turned toward him.
"How did everything become like this? What happened that forced Hermes to close its borders? And what caused Valthor to disappear completely?"
The questions came one after another.
For a moment, the Queen Mother said nothing.
