The office of the most powerful man in Euphelia was most likely the most extravagantly decorated room in the opinions of those who have had the fortune to visit it. The way nobility and royalty showcased their power and domineering attitudes was done not only in the way they dressed and behaved but also carefully prepared locations that could intimidate even the proudest of men into submission. The value of some of the furniture in Blyn Jenusia’s office was larger than the yearly budgets of some kingdoms, but this was considered a worthy investment in the eyes of previous emperors. Blyn Jenusia spent almost the entire day in this room, without even leaving for a meal, instead having it brought in by a cohort of servants. The gathering he was presiding over was of unprecedented proportions, with the most influential and noble of Jenusians attending in droves.
As any noble youth’s education would entail, he had learned of past gatherings of importance which were usually in some way related to succession or war, but the reason this gathering was called was something else entirely. It had been four months since the successful summoning of over 300 people from another world, a fact which was known to the upper echelons of Jenusia for quite a while now. The training of these summoned individuals was progressing apace, and it had now come to a point when interested parties wanted to stake their claim onto the ones that showed the most promise.
This meeting was meant to proceed smoothly, with the Emperor and his advisers devising a preliminary agreement which was thought to satisfy all. Reality was different however, and human greed knows no bounds, which was why Blyn was fighting off a headache far past the setting of the sun, while his courtiers and other nobles were screaming their heads off.
“YOU IMBECILE! On what grounds do you seek to wed your ingrate to one of Gera’s divine messengers? Your ilk should be content with their station, seeking greater heights will lead only to your doom as most nobles will never consider dirty peddlers their equals!” Shouted a fat man dressed in silk clothing.
Many of the similarly dressed men near him hurled even more abuses towards the less bulky merchant who sat on the opposite end of the large oak table. And it wasn’t until Blyn began to hear his head pounding with his ears that he slammed his fist on the table, immediately quieting the discontent within the room.
“That’s enough Eric, if we keep shouting at one another nothing will be decided upon today, and I will not tolerate any delays in the plan. Kem, you too should understand your own position in this matter. Emperor Raego himself clearly set the divisions between those of noble birth and commoners. Even though you are definitely someone with means, your bloodline does not permit me to grant your son a ‘divine’ bride” Blyn said calmly, steering the conversation in a more productive direction.
“Your majesty, I did not wish to offend the sensibilities of these fine ‘noble’ men who are present here in your glorious company. I merely wished to express my worries that my investment into this endeavor is not commensurate with the rewards that were promised” Kem Thales respectfully explained, while making a dig at the pig-faced Eric Varma.
“You call this holy matter an endeavor? Your words border on heresy merchant, perhaps an inquisition into your heathenly activities is in order” Grand Prelate Hoss commented, drawing groans of agreement from the assembled priests and even some pious noblemen.
“What else could I call it holiness? It was I who provided the rare and precious materials necessary for a summoning which has not been done in centuries. I incurred a considerable expense scouring Euphelia from end to end in search of the near-extinct whiteroot, and I even managed to procure bittersteel ore which has not been mined in centuries. My contribution to this ‘holy’ purpose was very much material in nature, and not a sermon or the like” Kem thales answered, snidely elevating his own contributions while downplaying the ones of the priesthood.
Before the office could once more erupt into a cacophony of shouting and insults Blyn once more slammed his closed fist onto the table, shaking it even at the far end with his strength.
“Silence! I will not argue on the merits of your arguments when they consist mostly of sycophancy and thinly-veiled insults. Kem I will not permit your son to marry one of the summoned, the best I can offer is to give the Thales Merchant Guild a 20 year extension on your monopoly on timber, while giving your entire guild exemptions from taxes for the next three years” Blyn presented his counter-offer, hoping this devious merchant would stop interrupting the progress of the meeting.
“Your generosity knows no bounds your majesty, I am sure that your proposal will be satisfactory” Kem said while bowing, hiding a smile that suggested that these benefits were what he was after all along.
“Before any others attempt to claim one of the summoned as a bride I will state this very clearly. The way marriage is treated in the world they come from is different from what we know. I will not be able to offer any of those present a secure guarantee that a proposed marriage can be arranged, if we begin forcing those unwilling to marry then it will create problems for us in the future, which is something I wish to avoid” Blyn calmly explained, causing some of those present to adopt irritated expressions.
“Your majesty, are you perhaps afraid of these ‘divine messengers’?” Eric sarcastically questioned.
“No Eric, I am not afraid of them and their strength is nowhere close to becoming a threat to the crown. What I wish to avoid however, is to lose the current cooperation the summoned are giving. If we begin antagonizing them by forcing marriages, they will not act as we wish them to later down the line…” Blyn clarified, mollifying some of the irritated nobles.
“So you’re telling us to just give up? I believe that when our assistance was requested we were assured that our houses would be provided an opportunity to marry with the divine messengers.” Eric continued his line of questioning, which were encouraged by the expectant gazes being thrown his way.
“No, that is not what I am saying. Your sons and daughters will be allowed access to interact with the summoned within the confines of the capital, and if they manage to convince them to marry of their own volition, then the crown would sanction such a union” Blyn answered, considerably calming the atmosphere in the room.
“Only our sons and daughters will be provided this opportunity?” Asked Arithmos Freid, an elderly Duke of the Empire, echoing the sentiments of some of the leering nobles.
“Yes Ari, I think four wives is enough for a man of your age” Blyn joked, diffusing the situation in the room into boisterous laughter.
From this point on, Blyn became a lot more strict with the discussion in the meeting, finding compromises where he could, and protecting the interests of the crown where he couldn’t, much to the discontent of some.
Long past midnight the occupancy of the office decreased to two, with just Blyn and his daughter Kuvira occupying the two closest seats near the head of the oak table. Kuvira sat through the meeting without uttering even a word, observing the proceedings carefully as to not miss even the slightest whispered word. Blyn was a lot more tired at this point than his daughter, perhaps his age and the active role he was required to play during the discussions had taken the appropriate toll on both his body and mind. But regardless of these circumstances, he knew he had to remain awake for a while longer.
“That was certainly a historic meeting, by Jenusians standards anyway. It’s quite a shame that no historian will make a record of its existence. I hope you had a fun time during this imperial ‘succession’ diet” Kuvira joked, hoping to elevate her fathers spirits by mentioning the official reason that this meeting was called.
“HAH! Succession… that is certainly a good one. I wonder what the commoners will begin to think after hearing that I wanted to discuss my heir? Do you think that rumors of my ill health and impending death will begin to spread?” Blyn asked, delaying the discussion of important matters with these relatively insignificant concerns.
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“Wouldn’t be the first time father, we will just have to deal with them like two years ago. Are you ready to talk about the ‘Selection’?” She said, nudging her father to stop messing around.
Blyn Jenusia took a deep breath, after which he remained silent for a solid minute, calming his mind in order to prepare him for the discussion with his most trusted confidant.
“Alright, you may begin to describe the preparations if I have anything to add I will interrupt you” He commanded, hoping to get through her monologue before sleep overtook him.
“It has been four months since 327 men and women were summoned in the Irid Forest, during the journey to Krilos one boy perished to an unexpected attack by a magical beast. After arriving the summoned were taught the basics of Rahlian and Jenusian History. They then underwent the magical aptitude test during which Magister Kenner found 52 of them had magical potential, a much larger amount than was originally expecte-” She explained.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard all about how there was a disproportionate amount of them from the Magister already. Kenner thinks that by stressing this point over and over I will allow him to poach some of the summoned to train at the Magisterium, but the most I will give him is two” He interrupted, an irksome expression on his face, before gesturing for his daughter to continue.
“After the aptitude test the summoned were divided into two groups, of those who had potential, and those who didn’t. It was fortunate that only three of the 21 ‘scholars’ were found to have magical aptitude, as it has allowed me to integrate myself more seamlessly with the younger ones. My appearance definitely played a factor, but the lack of supervision in my group has given me free reign to evaluate each and every one of the summoned. In the latter group only the males were taught Ironguard swordsmanship. There was an incident on the first day where a member of the garrison injured a summoned with a practice sword, and he was summarily executed by my personal knight. This harsh response has prevented any others from sustaining injuries as serious as the first one. Within the last month the summoned were also taught horse-riding, during which my knight who oversaw this training reported something very interesting. Some of the summoned actually have experience in horse-riding even though in their world the main mode of transportation are ‘cars’ and ‘planes” She reported, but before she could continue her father interrupted her yet again.
“Did you manage to find out what these ‘cars’ and ‘planes’ are from the summoned? If we are able to recreate these methods of transport in Jenusia it will give us a great advantage over the other countries.” He asked, interested in these foreign words he had not heard before.
“Before I explain what they are I have to warn you that I cannot verify this information with utmost certainty. Some of the summoned insisted that they had used them personally, but it sounds a bit unbelievable to me, as such things seem out of the realm of possibility. A car is some kind of machine that can ride faster than a horse and requires no rest assuming nothing inside the machine breaks. Just like how we use vegetable oil for lighting, the ‘car’ requires a liquid that lies deep underground to function, and if the reserves within the machine run out then it will no longer be able to move. A ‘plane’ sounds even more like a blatant lie, it is an even larger machine that uses that same underground liquid to fly like a bird in the sky while carrying people inside of it. The speeds of which it is supposedly possible are even faster than a car and it can carry hundreds of people at a time over a great distance. From what I have been able to ascertain, we are nowhere near capable of building such things in many lifetimes, and that the world the summoned come from is full of wonders we would consider out of a mythical tale” She answered, with every word her fathers expression turning even more dreamy.
“You are correct, to fly is an option reserved only for myths, at least where common sense is concerned. I feel like we need to be able to glean as much knowledge as we can about their world, it would serve as a great guide for our future innovation” He commanded, before returning to his previously thoughtful expression.
“This is mostly everything there is to report, there are a few outstanding ones in my group as far as potential goes, with some likely to surpass even my abilities. Sir Grant has also reported the names and ages of some of the stronger men in his group, and it is very likely that we will be able to select three magi guardians, and nine sword guardians with many leftover candidates to spare in a few days” She finished her explanation, and now awaited her fathers comments on the upcoming ceremony.
“That is good news indeed, the power of Jenusia will surely rise in the coming years with the aid of these ‘guardians’. Has Hoss given his full cooperation with the ‘selection’? He asked, not entirely pleased with having to deal with the old miser.
“Why yes, as long as some of the fairer-looking ones are inducted as priestesses of Gera he is willing to offer his full and unconditional support in all future matters as long as he remains the Grant Prelate in Jenusia” She unhappily responded, having reached a thorough agreement with her official superior as a priestess of Gera.
“Why yes I’m sure that after the selections are made we can pinpoint a few pretty ‘duds’ to convert. The plan does not end with the selection and as such we need to make sure that by this time next year all of the guardians are ardent followers of Gera” He mused, already plotting his next moves.
“Are you that confident that the summoned would give away their current ‘freedom’ in favor of serving the priesthood? If we force them into it it might backfire…” She questioned, hoping her father thought about this matter seriously.
“Not all of them, no. But in such a large group there are bound to be some who are inclined to become fanatics. They find themselves far away from home, surrounded by strange happenings the likes of which they have not experienced up until now. Is it so strange to think that they would turn to religion in such a situation?” He wondered, an agreeing smile developing on his daughter's face.
“I see, so you are saying that we should make them want to choose such a path for themselves? I think some of the more eager lords who are looking for sons and daughters-in-law must be thinking the same thing right about now. Maybe we ought to loosen some of the current restrictions we are placing on them after the selection then? We don’t want useless messengers after all, they should stay within the vicinity of the capital but getting some practice experience would allow them to fit in seamlessly should goddess-forbid, one of the guardians be unable to perform their duties...” She suggested, hoping that some of those not selected find other uses for the crown.
“I agree, after the selection you may do what you wish with the others. Have you found a match for yourself in the meantime?” He asked, an inquisitive glare accompanying his words.
“Yes, one of the three magi guardians is an acceptable match. His character is exactly what I sought for my purposes” She cryptically answered, her mind full of intrigue.
“Good then it's decided, I will make sure that everything is arranged for the selection ceremony” He said, now preparing himself to head to bed and receive his well-earned rest.
“One last question, are you not worried about the priesthood seeking to use the summoned for their own means? It’s not unheard of for religious figures to be used as rallying points against rightful rulers” She hinted, hoping to use her presence to decrease the influence of the priesthood on the summoned.
“It is not I who should be worried my dear, but Hoss. With the guardians racking up achievements in the eyes of the people with time, the devotion of the commoners will be not to an abstract concept such as a god, but to a living embodiment of virtue and piety, the guardians. We will wrestle a substantial amount of control from that foul old man, and be as secure and glorious in our rule as Raego was” He unilaterally stated.
***
Riding a horse was very unusual at first, and took some getting used to. But by the third horse-riding lesson I felt as if the black horse itself that I was regularly using for practice was responding to my will to some extent. On the ride through the forest paths that were reserved for the use of the Emperor, I saw a bog in the dirt and wanted to avoid it slightly by pulling my reins to the left. But before I even did so the horse moved as if on instinct, and at first I thought that the horse saw the bog too and decided to avoid it on its own. But later on as I was riding by I noticed that the bog was barely visible and as such it couldn’t have seen it from the lower point of view.
It felt great to feel the wind on your face as you gallop, the strain on the stirrups and my legs was substantial but with the additional training I was doing I felt like this was something that I could get used to. Not all students were confident in their riding skills and I personally had a great laugh at Max when he entered the dining room one evening with a huge bruise on his head. He complained the whole evening that his horse must have been retarded or something as it only ever responded to the reins and stirrups one-third of the time.
As time went on I found that I thought less and less on my time back on Earth, and a feeling of ‘normality’ was forming about my present circumstances. Back on Earth my desires didn’t extend past what I wanted to do in my free time for entertainment, and during my tenth-grade started my mother began asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I could never quite answer her, and as I thought about this question on my own I found that there was nothing particularly that I wished to do in my future. Such questions are of course irrelevant to Jenusia as it seems that my future was determined not by me, but by the Jenusians. Ever since I heard the word ‘selection’ from Kuvira’s mouth, I made sure to be the most average of average students in all things be they Rahlian, Jenusian History, physical lessons, or horse-riding. I wanted to lie low and draw minimal attention to myself until a point I could make my own decisions about my future. I was now halfway to my sixteenth year and I thought it would be a few years before I was certain what I wanted to do, be it in Jenusia or elsewhere in Euphelia.
I would definitely want to live somewhere close to my new-found friends, and to do something that at least brought some kind of meaning to my life, just like the lessons the Jenusians prepared for us did. It felt good to have a purpose, but my gut was telling me that my own purpose wasn’t the same thing as the ‘purpose’ of the Jenusians. Back during the ceremony at the temple of Gera the word ‘guardians’ was used by what seemed to be the big shot of the main religion in Jenusia. From what were we, the supposed ‘guardians’ meant to guard Jenusia from? My first thought was that this was akin to a cliche fantasy setting and that there was some evil ‘demon’ or something that was meant to make an appearance, but nowhere in the books Goer brought us to read, or in any of the lessons on history were such beings mentioned.
It was while I was contemplating the purpose of our existence in Jenusia that Sir Grant entered the dining hall late into our dinner, and announced that soon a ‘selection’ would be performed in the Temple of Gera.