The Hikari Civil War

Overview

The Hikari Civil War began twenty years after the Establishment of the Tower, following the death of Yoshino Hikari, the aging warrior-king of the Kingdom of Hikari. His two children contested the crown: his eldest child and rightful heir, Satomi Hikari, and her younger brother, Arata Hikari, who seized it.

The war began as a succession struggle but became a test of the Peace Treaty of Hope. Satomi’s flight brought her to the Tower, and the Lord’s later intervention in her campaign made the conflict the setting of the Second Transgression.

Succession crisis

Before Yoshino’s death, Arata had acquired influence inside Hikari with the aid of nobles who considered a woman unfit to rule. Shortly after the king died, Arata declared himself king and protector of Hikari. This declaration turned a succession dispute into civil war.

Satomi’s flight and refuge

Satomi’s force suffered severe losses in the opening battle and was routed. She fled with her royal knight, pursued by assassins seeking to claim her head for Arata. Their escape brought them to The Tower, protected by powerful barrier magic. An elderly butler admitted them. Satomi remained at the Tower for six months while attempting to rebuild her army; the reasons the Lord received her and the events of those months remained unknown to public historians.

Resolution and wider significance

The six months at the Tower form the turning point between Satomi’s rout and her return to the field. Public historians do not know why the Lord admitted her, what took place during her stay, or why he later acted in her defense. Once Satomi had rebuilt her army, she returned to Hikari to reclaim the throne. Her forces again neared defeat before the Lord’s intervention turned the battle remembered as the Battle of a Thousand Shadows.

After rebuilding her force, Satomi returned to contest Hikari. During the subsequent Battle of a Thousand Shadows, the Lord of the Tower intervened, Arata died, and Satomi reclaimed the crown. Within a week she executed the nobles who had allied with Arata and began rebuilding the kingdom. The Lord’s intervention was a more direct breach of the treaty’s political neutrality than the First Transgression, and Volume I states that Magnus imposed the consequences. The event is consequently remembered as the setting of the Second Transgression as well as a civil war.