I nodded, slipping the storage ring on as I stood and stretched. I’d been sitting for an hour or so, nearly unmoving, so my body protested slightly as I forced my muscles to respond and elongate. Heart energy could only do so much for the stiffness of dormant muscles.

“Alright,” I said, slowly rotating my neck and rolling my shoulders back. “Let’s begin.” I gave my pants covered in dried blood and dirt a useless pat, and vigorously attempted to straighten the matted hair of a wild child that I currently sported. When that failed as well, I just sighed again and gave up any attempt to not look completely insane. Hopefully looking crazy wouldn't detract too much from the speech.

When I moved to the edge of the tower and glanced down, I was met with a sight that was both surprising and unsurprising. The open top of the bell tower was rimmed by fallen stone walls and debris, so when I moved to stand where those below could see me, I had to remove a bit of the remaining rim; otherwise, those closest would have their view blocked.

The bell itself was still attached to the tower, though it hung a few floors down inside the arc that somehow remained intact despite the destruction.

I wasn’t surprised by the number of people waiting for me, some on the ground and others in the air on wyverns or cockatrices. The crowd was expected—I had called them here, after all. No, what caught me off guard was the look on many of their faces. Of course, some wore expressions of doubt or curiosity, but most had an expression I was unfamiliar with.

At least, unfamiliar with it being directed at me.

It wasn’t fear, hate, or even respect. If I had to name the glint in their eyes, I’d call it faith. Faith in what, I wasn’t sure. Faith in me? Faith in what I’d do? It was almost a zealous gaze that sent a shiver down my spine.

Was this what religious leaders dealt with? I really needed to figure out what exactly being a saintess meant, beyond just being a messenger of this Goddess of Light. The last thing I needed was the Church of Light attempting to insert itself as my core resource.

Especially considering I’d kept one of their Cardinals locked up for over a week. I didn’t know much about that religion, but I felt it was a fair assumption that keeping a high-level member as a prisoner was not likely to be seen as a good thing.

I closed my eyes for a moment, absorbing the heat of the sun, sighed, and then channeled heart energy from my core into my lungs so that my following words would be a roar loud enough for all to hear clearly. I vividly remembered my first speech as Queen of Aedronir—the familiar heat of Ordite’s two suns, the grand podium I’d stood on, and the radiant light of heart energy those around me had exuded during my coronation.

I knew my appearance had been spotted when the loud clamoring of the onlookers slowly began to quiet until there was only silence in the sprawling ruins. I took my time, attempting to meet each and every one of their stares of reverence and awe with determination and fearlessness. Only when nearly all ten thousand eyes were locked on me did I speak.

“I am Lilliana Silverwater, Saintess of the Light Goddess,” I declared, allowing a flood of lunar heart energy to erupt from me in a halo of blinding white light. There were gasps and cries from those below, but I couldn’t make out any words. I kept my voice as melodic as I could, imitating the singsong vibrato that the Cardinal had used when I’d been in the arena. “Today I stand before you with the experience of being both a noble of Lysoria and a slave of Cael. I have been both a mortal and a Core user. And throughout it all, I never lost faith. Even as a slave, the Goddess bestowed upon me a power over life that all, myself included, believed impossible. I am here, now, humbled and inspired that so many of Cael and Lysoria stand with me, filled with the unwavering faith and boundless love of the truly devoted. I can see from here how all your hearts and souls reflect the stars we see in the night, bright and burning with the intensity to protect our land.

“But we must remember that our land is not Cael. Our land is not Lysoria. The Goddess does not discriminate between places of birth, nor does she care. It is the shadows of the Nothingness that the Goddess cannot abide.

“For too long, those shadows—those agents of evil and chaos—have lingered in every facet of Pularea, of Graedon itself. I am here to tell you that if you follow me, together, we will stop the shadows and their whispering tales of doubt and despair.” I pulled on even more of my heart energy, wrapping myself in an even brighter halo of power until I began to levitate off the ground like a descending goddess.

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“Look around you. Do you see any shadows under the Light the Goddess has bestowed on me? Do you see any traces of the cursed magic the Marquess used when the Lysorian Duke arrived to save us from his grasp?” Some looked around. Most simply stared at me with wide, frightened eyes.

That’s right, I thought. Don’t fear me. Fear the Marquess.

“Unbeknownst to any of you, the Marquess conspired with the Pandorian Emperor and was trying to sacrifice all of us to the red insect monsters you can still see scattered all around Sealrite.” There was some murmuring in response to my claim, but the rest remained in that unnervingly transfixed silence. “But he failed. His forces of evil failed. And they will continue to fail.” I whipped my hand to point at the way shadows flickered along the edges of the city wall and buildings outside the vicinity of the light my energy conjured. “See how the darkness trembles and recedes in the presence of our unified purity and faith.

“The Goddess, in her infinite wisdom and majestic grace, plants a spark of faith within all those born. The flame in my heart is the same as the flame within all your hearts. I have simply ignited mine. It is a spark that holds the power to create change, to burn away the veils that blind us, and to illuminate the paths of truth that have been concealed from us for millennia. Together, united, we become a flame that cannot be extinguished. That cannot die. Together, all those evil and corrupt shall tremble before our divine might.”

I let a moment of silence pass, the beads of sweat trickling down my face mirrored by those in the crowd, each of their heads craned and eyes squinted to see me better despite the sun setting behind me.

“We must remember, however, that light and darkness are not wholly separable. Where there is light, there will always be darkness. It is with that understanding that we may be able to harness true power. True faith. So you must not fear the darkness, outside our walls or within yourself. Tame it. Use it. Show it the light within your heart.

“Today marks the dawn of a new era—an era where our souls and our light will combine to do more than simply chase away shadows. It will reshape the very fabric of our existence, of Pularea itself. But only if we can stand together against the oppression of those in power, who believe it is their right to deny the desire of the Goddess who grants all light and goodness in the world.

“Today, I ask you to join me and mine, not as followers or servants trailing a leader, but as companions. Friends. Comrades who will walk the destined path to salvation with me. Lend me your voices and your light so that we might create a divine symphony that paints the world in the brilliance of eternal bliss.

“Together, we will ascend beyond and achieve what no one before ever has. It is those of you here today who have witnessed the miracle of life energy the Goddess has granted me. Believe in me. Believe in Her. Hold onto your faith even when the world seems lost to despair as we battle the corruption that eats away at Graedon. Nurture your inner flame and watch as we transform the world under the guidance of our Goddess.”

Fuck, what was her name again?

I struggled not to tsk my tongue as I ended the speech. “May the Goddess smile upon our journey and our destined path, and may our light never fade. I hope you will all join me in the new world I create in the name of our Goddess.”

There was a long quiet that followed, feeling like an eternity. Despite my earlier confidence, my heart thumped fast in my chest as I waited out the deafening silence.

Then, all at once, the crowd erupted like a volcano of sound. At first, I couldn’t tell if the sounds were cheers, but it quickly became apparent that they were as the ground trembled under the screams of those around me. I thought the noise couldn’t grow any louder until every wyvern and cockatrice released bloodcurdling roars that melded with the throng of people below.

The bell tower shook with the force of applause and support to the point where I momentarily worried the entire structure might collapse. Behind me, Nida thrust her spear toward the sky, and a massive bolt of lightning arced down from the heavens and slammed into her spearpoint with a thunderous BOOM, only resulting in more fervent shouts from every direction.

To them, it must have appeared that even the heavens themselves backed my words and actions.

I grinned and followed up by releasing exponentially more energy until I floated before the crowd like a silver sun, destroying all darkness in my vicinity and basking them in what they believed to be a divine light.

I knew some in that mass of people would doubt, would call me a fake saintess, but it no longer mattered. Those who did believe—I knew they were caught in my web.

I had believers. I had followers. I had a city. I had the beginnings of true power and influence.

The earthquake of sound and motion continued that way for nearly a half-hour before my core began to stress under the tremendous amount of energy it was expending to keep me airborne. I gave a final wave to those below and returned to the bell tower, where I walked out of sight and started to laugh.

I turned to Dralos. “Ready a carriage and entourage for tomorrow morning. It is time I head to the Alistar territory and claim my succession.”

The draconian bowed. “As you wish, my queen.”

Before anything else, though, I wanted to bathe, eat, and sleep. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d truly slept.

“Actually, Dralos, find me a residence first. A proper residence. With a fine bed and bath.” I ran my hand through my once light brown hair, now nearly black, matted with dried blood, gore, and dirt. “I’m disgusting.”

Nida chuckled. “I think you look like a ferocious beast.” She waved to the audience that hadn’t yet begun to disperse. I’d need to have the field marshals begin taking charge of residency and work on reopening shops to get the city’s ecosystem moving again. “I think they thought so too.”