"Alright, don't make a lot of noise. The Cardinal was sleeping. I had to steal this out of his room." Sylvester whispered while crouching in the corridor outside the Cardinal's room. Beside him sat the bright-eyed, secretly excited Ella, looking at the crystal ball.
"Just put your hand on it and try to send Solarium in," Sylvester instructed her.
Somewhat scared but also interested, Ella raised her little hand and pressed it. Soon, a bright light began to shine on it, and it changed color from black to bronze, then silver, golden, and finally.
"Diamond pattern!" Sylvester read it. "That's brilliant, Ella. It seems your genetic gifts have affected your entire body and not just the mind. You will one day be a Grand Wizard, and it is my duty to make you one as fast as possible."
"Like sister Aurora?" Ella inquired, appearing to be inspired by the Inquisitor High Lord in training.
Click!
"Who's there?"
"Busted!" Sylvester left the testing orb in front of Cardinal's door and ran away, picking Ella in his arms. He knew he didn't have to, but just to make it more memorable, interesting, and fun, he entertained the little girl who appeared to lack any happiness in her life. At least his little escapade brought a smile to her lips.
Finally, he brought her to the little room she shared with Emara, the only other woman in the Hive Project. He tucked her into her bed and bid goodnight.
"Just rest and be healthy. Don't worry about too many things. If it's your family, they are being taken care of very well. You can even meet them when we go to Blackhart Kingdom tomorrow." Sylvester reassured her and left.
With that, he went to his own room. But, there was someone who was a little jealous.
"Meow meow… Maxy, tuck me in the bed too." Miraj shyly called for Sylvester. "I'm small too."
Sylvester just laughed and did so, knowing the furball would complain with Xavia later otherwise. "Want me to sing a lullaby too?"
"Yes!"
"..."
"I was only kidding." Sylvester switched off the lights and lay down on the bed as well. Of course, he didn't need to sleep, so he just planned and plotted with his eyes closed, visualizing certain possibilities and the aftermaths.
…
The morning came, and Sylvester prepared to leave. The monastery cooked the breakfast, but the Cardinal didn't appear to be in a very good mood.
"Ugh… I will find the one who placed that orb in front of my door. How dare they plot and trip this old man—my back aches now."
"..."
Sylvester and Ella looked at each other for a second and decided to keep their mouths shut. It wasn't like they wanted to hurt the old man.
"You have done a good job maintaining this monastery, Cardinal Edward." Sylvester complimented the man and washed all his pains and sorrows away. "I will grant a thousand Graces to the monastery to build more resthouses for the future as there will soon be many more pilgrims traveling."
The old man was just all smiles and nothing else. "I am honored to receive your praise, Your Holiness. But I would like a few more priests as well—I lack staff."
"Send a letter to Saint Wazir. I will inform him to pay attention to your request." Sylvester got up with that as he finished the breakfast.
He left the monastery and saw almost the entire village had gathered outside to bid him farewell. Hands clasped together, their eyes full of worship, and the scent in the air, they shouted nothing but silently watched.
Sylvester got atop the reinsman seat of the large carriage and waved his hand toward the people while singing a hymn and shining some light upon them.
♫Believe in Solis, for he sees it all,
We are equal, rich, big or small.
Everyone stumbles, and all may fall,
But when he speaks, answer his call.♫
♫May the Lord's light enlighten this place,
Smiles and worship remain on your face.
This is life, not a sinful, wasteful race,
Be honest, and you, the Lord will embrace.♫
A few faces smiled, and a few cried. As Sylvester was merely twenty-seven, a majority of the people in the village were also alive on that fateful night. In their hearts, they all knew they had supported the burning of the two innocent women and the baby boy, who was claimed to be the demon when he was the god's apostle.
With that, Sylvester moved the horses, and the journey began once again. Beside him, this time, sat Emara and Noah as the children were still asleep in the back.
Soon, the carriage passed over a large, open area, an intersection in the village. It brought plenty of memories, the fear for the life he had felt.
"This is where the chief of the village tried to burn me when I was a month old. But Inquisitor High Lord came and saved me." Sylvester pointed, telling the two intellectuals.
The two gulped their saliva and looked at the place. Not now, but they knew one day it would be deemed a historical place.
"You were fated to be the Pope from that moment?" Emara asked, somewhat feeling blessed.
Sylvester bobbed his head. "And much more."
'I remember being in mum's womb. It makes no sense that I took over some other baby's body.' Sylvester reminded himself as they left the village, slowly trying to dismiss what he had learned in that journey.
Sadly, it was not easy to travel all the way down to the south. What was supposed to be a four-day journey from Deserte Village turned into a week-long trip. The Blackhart Kingdom, once known as the Sorrow Kingdom, was still not fully healed from the catastrophic earthquake that had destroyed everything. The first priority was to rebuild the cities, towns, and villages and mend the fields, not prepare the roads.
So, Sylvester took it upon himself to at least smoothen and repair the road that he traveled on. But over time, he decided to help each small village and town as well, erect their protection walls, and use earth magic for plowing and harrowing the land for agriculture.
The people worshiped him, and he decided to reply in kind, leaving behind a permanent memory of himself in the minds of old, young, and children for decades to come.
'Now that there is peace, this is what I should be doing until a real clue to enter Demon Realm is found.'
…
Holy Land,
As one of the world's most powerful beings, many would think he had a lot of work to do. Especially when he worked for the most powerful organization in the world that oversaw all sorts of welfare projects for the people.
However, Julius Aurelius Alexander found himself with nothing to do. Although he had been assigned a private office, fifth rank as a Guardian of Light, he did not have any defined duties to do.
"As the Saint Wazir, I'm sure you would know where my abilities can be of use." Julius, wearing new and clean church robes, his beard trimmed and hair shining white, spoke with Saint Wazir, Gabriel.
Gabriel had his plates full, surrounded with stacks of papers that reached the ceiling, and even more were continuously being brought. "Fifth Guardian, I fear I do not have enough authority to give you a task. The Pope decides the long-term duties of the Guardians, and I can only ask you for help in case of an emergency. But as of now, there is no such thing."
Julius frowned, bored beyond words. Heck, he had already read all the church's holy books, and there were almost a thousand of them. "What of the other Guardians? Where are they?"
Gabriel sighed and quickly opened a drawer to look at the list. "Emperor Raz, as the first Guardian, is still in the Blackhart Kingdom. Bloodrain and Soulbreaker are on the basement floor of this building. Inquisitor High Lord is training the Inquisitors and Lady Aurora. Headmaster Geralt is at the School of Dawn. The Sixth, Seventh, and Eight Guardian positions are still empty."
"So there is nothing for me?" Asked Julius again.
Gabriel shrugged. "I'm afraid there isn't, Fifth Guardian. Why don't you tour the Holy Land? I'm sure you will find something worthy of your interest. If nothing, you can simply inspect the Guild Peninsula to ensure nothing illegal is happening there."
"Yes, I do that every single day."
"..."
Gabriel didn't reply, feeling speechless and somewhat suffocated by the imposing presence of the Supreme Wizard.
"Understood, I will not hinder your work." Julius eventually stood up to leave Wazir's office. He didn't say any church greetings, however.
'The Guardians appear to be far more independent than what I previously assumed. Does this mean I can leave the Holy Land at will?'
He wondered and walked downstairs. Over the various floors, he saw the Priests, Archpriests, Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals running around with papers, working or shouting about various deadlines, reports, or some minor mistakes.
'Quite professional.' He didn't lie to himself and admired the work ethic.
So, out of sheer intrigue, he decided to go downstairs and look for Bloodrain and Soulbreaker. Although he still slightly disdained Bloodrain, he had agreed to give Sylvester a chance first.
Click! Clack! Click!
"Oh?" Amused and marveled at the scene. He saw the massive underground floor covered with thousands of printing machines, working overtime with hundreds of priests running around. The scent of the ink and the paper was something he never knew could be this pleasant.
He walked over to one machine and glanced at what was being printed.
"Biology for Beginners, Art of Construction, Elements of Nature, Magic of Physics, Mathematics for Beginners, History of Sol… Amusing, these are not religious books."
Once again, amused, he continued to walk in and soon found a large room reserved for the manager of the printing press. However, to his amusement, he found Bloodrain and Soulbreaker inside.
'W-What are they doing here?'
"Cardinal Julius?!" Soulbreaker, clad in his imposing robes and visor, saw the new Fifth Guardian. "Come, join us in this battle of minds. His Holiness created this amusing thing recently."
"What is this thing?" Julius came forward and looked at the small table placed between the two Guardians as they sat on opposite sides.
Bloodrain didn't speak as he still felt highly regretful about what led to the rise of Anti-Light. But he did wave his hand and pulled another chair for the man.
"This marvelous thing is called the game of Chess," Soulbreaker revealed, playing his move on the table.
"Do you have no work?"
Soulbreaker looked at his opponent for a moment, Bloodrain, before replying solemnly, his heavy voice echoing under his visor. "That is correct, Fifth Guardian… There is no work."
"..."
At that moment, Julius realized something.
'I-I'm not alone. These two… There is just too much peace. There is nothing to do.'
Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.
