EPISODE 140: SACRIFICE OF THREE 2
— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR 7291. SEASON: COLOR FADING.
Carine Jr. kneeled—around him were the sounds of thousands of hushed whispers coming from those in prayer. He, alongside his family, found themselves in a new hall. This one held mosaics, murals, and other fancied artwork depicting the Goddess in all of her glorious stages. At the front of the hall, three large statues stood. In the center was The Challenger , she held a spear in both hands and a great shield on her back that was nearly identical to the shield in the hands of [Weapon Bearer: King Darius], the [Messenger] and previous king of Edryan upon his descent. On her left was the statue of The Lavish, who held a flail strapped to her waist as she held up a golden coin to examine. Finally, on the right was The Sage , who was calmly reading a book. All three faces held the same look, but different expressions that followed the nature of what they represented. The Challenger was stoic, but the Lavish held mirth in her eyes as she beheld the coin—while the Sage appeared bright, youthful , as she read the book in her hands.
Today was the Sacrifice of Three, and all over Edryan, many gathered in Churches of Madris to pray and sacrifice three things about themselves or three things they would give to the Goddess. Some would slay beasts in Her honor, others gave wealth or dedicated works of art to Her.
Carine was certain of two things he would sacrifice to the Goddess Madris—one, as most Edryans did, was attribute points. There was no greater offer than one’s own strength… one’s own life.
Power.
Endurance.
Vitality.
Mind.
Self.
Intent.
To sacrifice your attributes to the Goddess was the greatest form of worship. You sacrificed your strength, lifespan—the very essence you collected through levels over the years, in worship of Her . How could there be anything greater?
So he would do as many others in the church did. The next sacrifice he would give would be his freedom—for so long as he lived, he would belong to Edryan. His chance, opportunity… all of it was coming as the whispers of this new system of government made it into the ears of the people. Carine was already giving himself to Edryan, as he dreamt of working in the court and changing his home for the better. Now, if the rumors were true, that reality could become greatly achievable within a shorter amount of time.
Carine wasn’t hesitant about this path, but he held minor reservations, demonic whispers telling him his dream wouldn’t come true. On this day, he would sacrifice… he would let those demons go and wholly devote himself to improving Edryan.
That left a single thing, change, aspiration, goal…, dream —that Carine would give up. In truth, the final sacrifice to the Goddess Madris could be anything. There were no rules or strict requirements, what was important was the willingness to do the task. What was important in Carine’s life? The first thing that came to mind was his family, the second was his career goals and more. He’d already given up a part of his ambition in part.
Carine came to a decision—silently, within himself. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself.
“For my third sacrifice…”
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The wind whistled—violent, forceful, like a jagged blade attempting to slice through flesh. It met resistance as the Ro’Joan Rocks fought against the sky.
“Here Be Calamity,” I said slowly.
“It shall be a glorious fight,” Akeem Oni said. His eyes were ecstatic, like a child who snuck to eat a sweet when they weren’t supposed to. He leaned forward over the railing of the [Crowned Jewel], his red dreadlocks shifting in the breeze. The shields of the ship prevent most of the harsh winds from entering.
Next to him, Ade Oni was breathing hard as he checked over his equipment—at the words of his father, he looked up, the same light shining in his eyes. “Killing a Calamity… our names will resound throughout Edryan for centuries. How long has it been since a calamity-level beast has been slain?”
“At least a few centuries,” Amaya responded. She paused, thinking for a bit before responding. “The last time was 7010, but that calamity was like nothing else, it held a level.”
“Raid Boss: Azznar’Rou — Devourer. Its hunger was supposed to be endless…”
Limitless like my blade. I was confused by how such a creature could exist with levels when I first read about it, but now after seeing the [Realm Guards], I think I understood somewhat.
“We arrived at the periphery of the [Abandoned Roc-Mage Tower], where the [Raid Boss: Zephyron — Thunderwing Lord] nested. The central army is just up ahead, prepare to descend,” Queen Titiana stated.
My mother was equipped in full regalia. Her armor was mainly black, but her kneepads and shoulder pauldrons were a stark pink. A black and white spear, the [Heavenspear], stood grasped in one hand. Most of its shaft was black, but just like the Edryani hair, it turned white as it neared the blade. The growth weapon was my mother’s most prized possession and an item she owned since escaping the castle.
I was the only one outside of armor, but that wouldn’t be for long. Below, a busy camp went about preparing for what was to come. Over fifteen thousand men and women rushed about—not all would return home alive.
Today was the Sacrifice of Three. Many Edryans around the country were willing to sacrifice their attributes to the Goddess. It wasn’t a new concept, as farmers, merchants—warriors, would do such when they were down on their luck and hoping for a blessing to change their lives around. It was one of the greatest forms of self-sacrifice that could be expressed in Edryan—in the Genesis Realm.
I wished for a golden age… and I would have it. There were still five days left of the Imperius Grand Summit, and the blessing of the Goddess would last to the very last minute.
I fought every step of the way to suppress the [Aura of Divinity] from affecting those around me. I didn’t understand the Sage’s intentions, but the skill was a soup-up version of my bloodline skill (Unrivaled Might).
Function:
Aura of Divinity
Radiate the presence of Goddess Madris. Your might is unrivaled. Those who worship the Goddess are {Suppressed}. Failed resistance to this suppression and the target becomes {Enslaved}.
By now, I figured this was a punishment of sort. Of the three parts of the blessing, this one and its abilities didn’t make sense to be included. There was an easy way to know…
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
I could hear the voice of Minerva telling me now… perhaps a prayer to the Goddess Madris wouldn’t hurt. For sixteen years, nearly seventeen as the days in the Genesis Realm were slightly longer, I’d resisted bowing to the Goddess.
Small things, my acts of rebellion in not going to church, or my lack of prayer to Her, but my actions of resistance never let up… not until the system activated.
That was when everything changed.
The [Crowned Jewel] touched down on the rough, graveled grounds of the Ro’Joan Rocks. The moment we landed, tens of men rushed forward to grab the large anchor-like ropes and secure the vessel to the ground. My mother was the first to step off, quickly followed by me and the rest of the heroes. Below, a host of people waited to greet us, but three figures prominently stood out.
“Generals,” I greeted. The first, a woman, was accompanied by Alexandria Indrian and Ameri Oni.
My mother smiled. “How are the preparations Gate Protector Yûah North?”
The tall, thin woman saluted, a fist over her heart, as she reported. “The preparations are nearly complete—we require one last hour to do our final checks before we are ready to lure the beast into the trap. The [North Gate Army] is ready to serve and carve our names deeper into the annuals of history. The war room is ready to discuss and finalize our plan of attack.”
A large war bow was slung over the woman’s back, with a quiver of arrows strapped next to it. The once hunter-turned-general did what very few in Edryan could. She broke past the commoner status and achieved greatness. Although most would not claim it to be through her own efforts, as my mother bestowed her a higher class once upon a time after the hunter hid her from pursuit. That was a story for another time, I refocused as my mother spoke.
“Good. We will head there immediately—this sacrifice to the Goddess must be done with great care. Should we succeed, then we are one step closer to activating a [Golden Age] and propelling our people forward.”
I took a deep breath at the mention of a [Golden Age]. Who would have thought when certain conditions are met… an entire country can enter a [Golden Age]—an event that would propel them forward in all aspects. Whether it was intellectual, economic, or if it was fields such as farming, arts, crafts, and more. The Prime System would propel the country forward. Ideas and innovations that were once left as schematics on the drawing board would see themselves come to life in a matter of weeks—days even.
It would be here soon… that , I would ensure.
General Alexandria and Ameri fell in step next to me. “Report, how is my army?”
“Excited,” Alexandria said.
“Nervous,” Ameri said.
The two women looked at each other and smiled. It seems they were getting along with one another better as more time passed.
“Don’t worry, we aren’t fighting the Calamity itself, but the thousands of minions at its disposal. Besides, this is regarded as only a middle-tier calamity… the [Seven Heroes] will take care of it—just focus the attention of our men on their jobs.”
“Yes…, your Highness Lawruthian,” Alexandria added the rest after a pause. We weren’t in the presence of just one another anymore.
“Moona Gamal is here with her troops—wished you’d come back sooner so we could integrate them into the Imperius Army already. They’ll be on standby as healers, but she insists on meeting with you before the battle begins,” Ameri reported. It seems she didn’t change.
I nodded in response. Moona Gamal, one of Madria’s elder sisters, was the leader of the small troop I’d accepted from the Gamal House to serve as healers and more within my army. They held a unique method of healing that focused on enhancing their aura and supercharging it by having multiple [Priestess of Madris] working in tandem.
I hadn’t responded to Ameri properly as my attention was drawn to the second figure. He held rich, thick eyebrows that reminded me of a certain ninja in Earth’s anime. His striking eagle-like eyes met mine, and he nodded in my direction before returning his attention to my mother. His eyes visibly grew bright at the sight of her, and his body straightened ever so slightly. He bowed deep, deeper than necessary for one of his station. I knew that look in his eyes. It was the same one I began to gaze at Madria with.
This was the man who understood the tenth-tier rune Limitless. Pancratius Nepos… also titled [ Sire Limitless ].
The wind itself gently ruffled around the powerful mage. Not through his actions, but the world seemed to respond to him in this manner. I wondered… was he a Prestige too…? Could any of the other members of the Queen’s Guard be hiding their achievements from the world?
This thought quickly faded as a second and final figure approached. He was the third and final figure to truly stand out. I once regarded him as one of the strongest mages in Edryan, if not the strongest. After the revelation of Margret Musa and Camilla Romus as demigoddesses, I was no longer certain. A sneer passed on Pancratius’s face at the sight of the approaching mage.
Caimen Lordstar approached, his eyes focused solely on my mother. The temperature, once the cool of autumn as it approached winter, heated up. The water present on the ground and within the rocks rose as steam before quickly vanishing only after a few inches.
Sparks began to emerge as the two mages’ auras intercepted one another and, step by step, Caimen drew closer. He was bald, with broad shoulders and a strong fit physique. He wore a nearly all black mage armor, only the red of the metal plate protecting his chest held a red four point start on both the front and back.
Here , was one of the reasons why my royal family wasn’t helpless when it came to understanding the domain of space. Here was Caimen Lordstar — Heavenly Body.
He was a Grand Magi who took their understanding of an element to an extreme. In Caimen’s case, it was the understanding of two elements that gave him his title. The man could manipulate both the space and fire elements like they were natural extensions of his body. Once a mage completes their understanding of an element to one hundred percent, they must find a way to break through that bottleneck to continuously raise their capabilities.
My current elemental understanding increased my damage by ten percent, regardless of what element I used. That was a minor thing according to those who truly mastered their element.
The closer Caimen approached, the larger the disruption between the two became. My clothes and those near the two began to ruffle, and the heat continued to rise. Before me…, were two legends who were written in the history of Edryan.
There were famous words that announced my conception to the world, to Edryan.
…I call upon the first ancestor. The first Edryani. No man can best me. No Edryan male has what it takes to conquer me.
Before me, were the two men who tried to best my mother. They were the two men who would have become the father of the next generation of Edryani rulers had they succeeded.
“Settle down you two,” my mother harrumphed—this halted the rising temperature and blowing winds.
Caimen Lordstar bowed, deeply. “You have summoned me, my queen—allow me to be the vanguard and break out the calamity from its nest.”
“We shall see,” came the cold response of the queen.
***
“For generations,” the Queen paused, gazing around the room at the gathering of leaders. Her eyes met mine and I nodded encouragingly while smiling. My mom returned the smile and continued.
“Our Goddess has protected Edryan from the world. She has protected the magi-humans from {Sins} that may consume our humanity. She collects our faith and gives our souls the chance to rest within the promised land—ensuring the cycle of life and death… rebirth and more. Today we shall show our appreciation—we shall show that this generation of magi is not like the last whose faith was shallow and whose {Greed} was far to large.”
The High Queen of Edryan gestured at the magical table between those sitting around. The [Seven Heroes] and a few of their prominent children were present. General of the North, Yûah North and her lieutenants. My generals and more were present. Today we were calamity hunting, to sacrifice A Bird of Prey to add to our Goddesses collection.
It was the Sacrifice of Three, and many Edryans formed their own conclusions on what it meant and what they would sacrifice to the Goddess.
Many had, but I hadn’t. This calamity slaying was not my idea, but my mother’s and her cohort. It was exceedingly difficult for a demigoddess and Prestige to level on the Mortal Plane.
Slaying calamities was the greatest opportunity for them to get stronger before their journey. This operation gave them a chance to slay multiple birds with a sole stone as they had yet to fully understand how to use the strength of one who broke past the mortal limits. This was a test for them and more importantly, this would allow me to truly understand the powers I would one day face.
Demigoddess Kubrat was able to subvert an entire army of high-levelers and more… what could the [Seven Heroes] do?