November 27th, 628

  Zoning out was a rather interesting neurological function. The ability to mute out stimuli and focus on nothing seemed entirely unproductive. It was the same with memories, how the body would go on autopilot during monotonous tasks and when it was all said and done, you’d never remember any part of the hours of zoned out work.

  Over the last handful of years I had become incapable of it. With every advancement, my mental faculties would reach new heights. After creating my second Spark, the task of creating memories and remembering things was no longer a task. It was barely a function my body had to engage in. It simply happened. Like a laser engraving data onto a disk, it was a mere consequence of physics. In some sense, everything could be considered just that.

  For the first time in years though, I had done it. I had finally managed to zone out, and not how I usually did where I’d simply crunch mental tasks while looking like I was bored and frozen.

  No, I had finally managed to ignore something. I finally had a gap, albeit brief, in my memories. It was something I hadn’t seen outside of sleeping since I got my second Spark, and something that became increasingly seldom after around Authority 3.

  The only downside was that it had come to be after two straight weeks of being awake.

  The upside was that I had discovered that zoning out was a brain’s way of either coping with things or defragging. If it wasn’t being used to block out excessive stimuli, it was being used to process memories and put them into long term storage.

  I sat cross legged on the very edge of the top of the Hardpoint, right on top of a bunker that overlooked what had become No Man’s Land.

  Erhan stood behind me. I could hear how the wind blew against his body and the fabrics of his suit, sense the faint shifts of his body, his arms in his sleeves, his feet in his shoes, even his abdomen in his shirt.

  Was it a little dangerous here, sitting right against the edge where I could see straight down a couple hundred meters? Sure it was. Plenty of flying monsters had already tried to swoop down and grab me. Thankfully the anti-air turrets were working out well, and most had been killed before they could get close. Anything that slipped past was killed by Erhan, my diligent butler.

  I frowned when I started hearing everything again. I knew I was getting tired but zoning out had felt great. It had come and gone so quickly since I realized what was happening mere seconds after it started. Like a dream, it had faded as fast as it came.

  Now I was just annoyed. I quickly dropped a mute field next to me, which deployed and silenced all sounds from the outside.

  The silence contrasted with the views of battle below. I saw every explosion of fire from every avenue of attack, even saw the devastation that other elemental projectiles caused. Wonderland had started coming out with unconventional spells and slapping them onto other elemental crystals, giving them value on the battlefield. After all, fire crystals were 68% of our crystal expenditures. Explosions were just too useful on the battlefield, and the only other crystal used in significant amounts was the air crystal, which often complemented the fire crystals. After that it was the earth crystals, those being used to saturate the wall with mana and strengthen it.

  Now, there were earth crystals being used in munitions. They weren’t spatial rounds, but they still tore nasty new assholes in the enemy.

  I’d have to start thinking of something to use the water crystals for. But of course I had other pressing matters to use my brainpower for.

  I had spent only a brief period in the territory of the Verks Marquisate handling the new biological outbreak. For now there was a lot to do and none of it required my presence. My troops were more than capable of handling themselves, and I had Sector 4 there to collect samples that they would deliver to Wonderland for safe study.

  It was a dangerous disease but I had long developed gear to prevent contamination. So long as nobody got lazy, I wouldn’t have to deal with an outbreak amidst my own staff.

  We had already gotten results in the past couple weeks of study, but the analysis that came back wasn’t pointing in a good direction. Based solely on the magical signature of the disease, it could be safely assumed that it came from the Scourge. There had yet to be any incidents that might expose the presence of Scourge agents in the area, but as it turned out, the Verks Marquisate wasn’t the only place hit.

  I already knew such would come to pass. There were four other noble territories that had seen a recent outbreak in the past month and two of them had already come to me for help. I sent minimal batches of 50 to 100 Iron Legion soldiers as specialists to help with containment, but I had no illusions about being of any significant help unless I could find a cure.

  What made it clearly of Scourge make was also the fact that all four nobles were still human, not Nephilim. I could deduce that other human noble territories would be hit, so I sent out anonymous notices in advance to prepare them. Still, the damage would be unavoidable, and based on the projections of spread and the symptoms of disease, the damage would be catastrophic.

  I could unfortunately do little about it. Iron Legion didn’t have the manpower to spare despite the generous offers from those nobles. Extracting a hundred here or there would quickly add up if I had to do it enough, not to mention that they had plenty of manpower themselves.

  Still, it brought into question the scale of this war.

  This world’s population wasn’t large. As a consequence of still being a relatively non-industrialized society where the majority of the population was agricultural, population growth wasn’t incredible even with magic. At least, that was for the ordinary population. Magi had a whole other path of development, and based on my projections after collecting historical data from places like the libraries of various nobles, they seemed like they were rapidly expanding to the point of overtaking their non-magical counterparts.

  After doing my own consensus, I had come out with a population estimate sitting around 375 million. The Kingdom haddouble the population of the Church, the former at 275 million, the latter at 100 million.

  Based on the scale of both military and Magi concentrations, the Magus population rested at around 15 million, with 9 million residing in the Kingdom and 6 million in the Church. This would be considered high, but when I mapped out the meat grinder that was the war with the Scourge and then overlayed it with projected estimates without significant deviations alongside the average lifespan of a Magus and average guesstimate fertility rates, I found out that this number was actually low. It should be at least double if not triple, but the Scourge was outbreeding humanity and the war demanded its sacrifices. Unfortunately, ordinary humans couldn’t help in that department and the population had long stagnated due to death tolls.

  That left 360 million ordinary humans. They were the vast majority, but held very little true power for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, they were an extremely important resource for the Magi. They were the source of food, resources, and general labor. They supplied the entire economy, and the Magi simply multiplied its value with magic.

  Humanity’s war with the Scourge relied on this vast population of ordinary humans. Soldiers had to be fed, clothed, and supplied with resources and logistics. This didn’t happen without ordinary humans, and as in every war, the principal targets of both sides would be the supply lines.

  Cut off the supply, and even the Magi would crumble. I had a feeling that the Scourge was attempting to do this. The Nephilim were the primary method. Corrupt humanity from the inside and strife would break them enough to hamstring the military. This new epidemic was just another addition to that plan. Riddle prosperous economic territories with disease and their output would plummet. Then the ordinary population would die off, even if the Magi managed to live.

  The big question was: how many ordinary humans had to die in order to economically devastate humanity?

  The answer wasn’t large. The population wasn’t large to begin with. If the Pillars of Creation and Mantle of Wisdom were still kicking and the Scourge didn’t exist, this world’s population could be well past a billion, but reality was a bitch and their threshold for economic shock was unfortunately low.

  I wasn’t sure about the precise calculations, but I didn’t need to be. I had a good feeling about what would happen because I was going to be a major part of it.

  Village and town exterminations as well as assassinations were starting to slow. After Umara developed the teleportation spells we needed and the finalized enchantments were tested and given the green light on reliability, Sector 4 got busy deploying them. It would take some time to rig every vault across Kingdom territory, especially since a large portion of the manpower was still dedicated toward Iron Legion operations and the extermination campaign. There weren’t so many people who I trusted to handle such a delicate task as infiltrating the most top secret areas of high nobles.

  I had many different operations ongoing simultaneously. In scale, the extermination campaign, vault infiltration, and epidemic research was small, seemingly less important than a full frontal war.

  I had to keep them all moving anyway, even if my focus was on one more than others. They all had their crucial roles to play, and I unfortunately had to be their playwright. I was thanking God for being a Summoner during these times.

  Since my advancement didn’t rely on physical strain or magical practice, I could advance even while busy with day to day affairs. I could make steady progress through the mental study of my advancement formations.

  It had been a year since I last advanced to Authority 8 and I was steadily on my way to Authority 9. It wasn’t necessarily going to be here soon, but I also wasn’t rushing it. The reason for that was precisely what I found myself staring at on this auspicious day.

  In the silence of my mute field I stared at the horizon where that Great Barrier perpetually rested. I had found that it was closer than before. Over time it was closing the distance and as I had heard from Umara, one key to getting closer was the Conceptual. I wasn’t sure what the hell it was, but it had helped Umara massively despite hurting her just as much.

  It was closer than it was a year ago, but I hadn’t made any significant strides in attempting to pull it further. I had been too busy priming everything for my moves, but I had not been without personal growth either.

  I was at least halfway to Authority 9, but more than that, the technology I had developed over time was only growing more terrifying. The SEER Knife was just the tip of the iceberg. My new line of Programmed Magic was growing deeper in complexity, and if taking a concept far into the extreme was how Umara was able to get closer to the Great Barrier, then perhaps I needed to follow in her footsteps using strengths of my own. The Mantle’s technology was perhaps the gateway toward cracking the secrets of Magika and its transmutation, but its potential went far beyond that singular application. The shield that had protected the Anomaly on the Island of Continuance was one application that represented countless others, the ability to program Psyka and thereby influence both Mana and Vigor with it. They had harnessed the power of all three Magi classes with Psyka alone, and yet that shield was a crude use of the tech.

  If it were taken further, it had the potential to elevate the Summoner class to heights capable of creating an Authority 12, just like Knights and Warlocks.

  I had a feeling that was the path I needed to walk.

  If that was the case though, I couldn’t rush my advancement. I had to develop this tech alongside my advancements, not letting it fall behind so that I could break the Great Barrier at a suitable moment. I figured that the earlier I broke the Great Barrier, the better off I would be when I waded through Authority 10 and 11. I didn’t want to wait, and time spent on one was time taken away from the other. I had to simply balance the two.

  I gathered my thoughts, something I had done a thousand times over the last few weeks, and grabbed the mute field. It deactivated and the cacophony of sounds slammed into my ears. It was no longer as annoying, just background noise like it was supposed to be.

  I could feel the pull of exhaustion creeping around my mind. Two weeks of constant activity was a challenge I put myself through, and while I could probably push it another week, I hardly had the desire. It would be a week of fighting to concentrate and stamp down irritability, and my Generals didn’t deserve that after the good work they had been doing on the Line.

  “Erhan.”

  “At your service.”

  He stepped up when I called, my eyes glancing downward at the massive wall underneath me. Well, it was more of a cliffside than a wall.

  “...I’ve got wedding business to attend to in the Holy See on the 30th, right after the Magisterium students leave. Umara doesn’t want it to be on new years, so it was moved up. The wedding is now on the 10th, which means I have just under two weeks to get prepared. Thankfully, those who it concerns have already been mostly informed and informally invited. Proper invitations will be getting delivered soon, but it is still extremely short notice. Either way, Umara and I need transport. We’ve been granted an audience with the Pope that evening.”

  “It will be prepared.”

  “Thank you. As for now, if you could retrieve the written evaluations of the students from Instructor Bria for me and bring them to my study, that would be appreciated.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  He turned and stepped away, my gaze lingering on the battlefield for a time longer.

  Then I finally got off my lazy ass and left, my mind on the list of tasks I needed to complete before the wedding arrived.

  ……

  …

  November 30th, 628

  “ALL TEAMS, FIVE MINUTE WARNING!”

  Faey felt her heart rate rise when she heard the echoing voice over the announcement system. She wasn’t the one who needed to do checks but she still went down her mental list anyway.

  The pitched sounds of metal screamed around her as massive machines started groaning to life. The Train cars were already docked behind them, hatches open and ready for deposit. The metal structures of those train cars lingered with poisonous mana despite their reinforcement and containment enchantments.

  Faey could feel it through her armor, but she felt that she had gotten somewhat used to it over the last couple weeks. No matter what though, she felt like it was impossible to get used to what she was about to do.

  “You ready, kid?”

  She looked up, her mental list pausing as her superior walked over. He was the Captain of her Harvester team, in his mouth a burning stick of Moonshine that glowed silver and let off smoke. An actual drug, unlike the cigars John often smoked. She wondered how he had managed to get some all the way to the Line. Iron Legion was not known for its relaxed security.

  There was probably some silent “no harm no foul” agreement with the supply guys going on.

  She nodded, not daring to take off her helmet like he did. She felt like suffocating whenever she tried that in these staging bays.

  “Eh. Nervous as always.”

  “Well you’re doing better than Puke over there. Just remember that these machines here will kill you long before any lingering monsters do. I still remember one guy, an Authority Seven Knight, who somehow managed to sneak his hand in and get his arm grabbed by the grinders. Only reason he didn’t get pulled in like all the other corpses and get chopped into strips was because one of his friends had a fast enough reaction to cut his arm off at the shoulder. Poor fucker lost his dominant arm, will never swing a sword again.”

  “Wow…”

  Faey responded as enthusiastically as she could. This was the 6th person she had personally heard that story from and the hundredth time it had been told. Everyone in the Harvesting section knew it and they loved telling the story to all the students that cycled through.

  This was the second time that Faey had cycled through this section. It was the first place she was sent to after they had been given their assignments and brief training upon arrival. Unlike last time, the students had been sent all across the Hardpoint and had taken up various jobs. It was just as John had told them. They would be given work and responsibility, and they had to fulfill their role as a cog in the machine.

  Each person had been given three random jobs that they cycled through every handful of days. Just a couple days ago, they were given the options to choose any job that they wanted to end their excursion on.

  Faey had enjoyed her time in the Harvesting section. It was one of the only sections that got to go out into No Man’s Land and the only one of that category that students were allowed into, so she had picked it for her final section. They obviously weren’t allowed to do something like join a recon team that was dropped in the middle of enemy territory, as much as Faey would’ve loved the opportunity.

  Their job was simple, but also considered the most dangerous. Sure, they only left the Wall when the battle was over, but it was still unpredictable, toxic, and gross. It wasn’t a coveted job.

  Faey found that she enjoyed it though, but only because her armor was made with bleeding edge tech. With it, she wasn’t bothered by the fields of corpses, body parts, pools of blood, growing Bloodthorn, poisonous atmosphere, or other highly undesirable details.

  That also wasn’t mentioning that when there wasn’t a battle to worry about, they had little to do. Most of the time she got to hangout in the garages, either helping clean gear and wash the Harvesters or sitting at the side listening to everyones stupid banter.

  It may not have been enjoyable during her first cycle, but after her latter two cycles she realized that it was much more exciting and wanted to come back.

  She glanced at the Harvester itself. It was a massive machine, and at the moment, remarkably clean despite its job. There was the cabin itself that was rather heavily armored with a glass front, and then there was the huge set of grinders on the front responsible for scooping and eating all the corpses it drove over. It would grind up the corpses and through mechanisms she wasn’t entirely sure of, would filter out the Black Crystals from the flesh.

  There were many dozens of teams of Harvesters besides their own, and all of them would go out after every battle with an escort. Faey’s job in all of this was being an auxiliary scooper. It was a nasty job where she would walk next to the Harvesters and use large forks to skewer and scoop straggling corpses into the side intakes of the Harvester. Normally they didn’t have to do much since there were plows between each Harvester that would plow the corpses into their lanes, but if there was ever a corpse or two that slipped by, she would be the one to toss it in.

  “ALL TEAMS, ONE MINUTE WARNING!”

  The Harvester looked as brutal as its job, and that was despite most of its butchering assembly being hidden behind plates of metal and safety gates so that no humans got caught in it. Still, what little she could see exposed promises written in blood of becoming a mixture if she wasn’t careful.

  “ALL TEAMS, GATES OPEN.”

  With the last announcement, the massive gates lifted and exposed the battlefield beyond. The breeze brought with it a heavy atmosphere and unbearable stench, not that Faey could smell any of it.

  Still, her Captain finally threw on his helmet, as did many others as the Harvesters rolled out.

  They were slow and steady, so Fay didn’t need to go any faster than walking pace to keep up. The plows moved in parallel with wide front blades that cut through thick piles of corpses and Bloodthorn, leaving her a clear blood soaked path she could stroll through.

  Like most of the time, their Harvest went by uneventfully. The excitement didn’t lie in the potential for live monsters to be lingering around, but the fact that they got to walk across the land of death in front of the Line.

  After some time, they stopped their advance and prepared to turn around and return. That’s when Faey finally turned back.

  She lifted her head and gazed at the colossal wall. All across it were metal turret emplacements, too many to count and all of them teeming with Mana. The Hardpoint was no different, a massive metal shield sticking out slightly from the wall and filled with its own specialized turrets, defenses, and packed with the administrative command of the entire Line.

  She turned her head to the left and right, seeing the same wall stretching across the landscape and into the horizon until it dipped down with the curve of the world.

  It was a colossal structure that sent chills down her body every time she looked at it. Despite trudging through paste made of muscle and organs spat out from the Harvesters, she almost lamented that this was her last day. She wouldn’t get to see the sight again for a while.

  An image of glory and horror, an impenetrable bulwark of magic and technology painted with the death of countless thousands.

  Faey saw the flashes of light in the corner of her eye, turning around to glance at the fires being ignited as they headed back. Alternating every week, they would either burn or bury the remains. When they burned, like now, fire crystals would be planted that consumed themselves gradually with a blaze of fire. When they buried, earth crystals were used to overturn massive portions of the ground and bury the biomass underneath many feet of dirt and sand. It was incredibly wasteful and inefficient, but that’s just how much material there was, and they wanted to leave as little for the Scourge as possible. It also helped clean up some of the Bloodthorn, that hateful carnivorous vine.

  They finally got back, a blaze left in their trail as they walked through the gates dripping blood. The Harvesters moved to deposit their hauls into the train cars, dumping everything for several minutes before the cars closed their hatches and rolled off to another section of the Line.

  Faey sighed and went to decontamination, where they sprayed all the crap off themselves and the Harvesters. After getting jetted with water for a few minutes, she got to escape early to go clean up, dodging the job of scraping off the Harvester blades.

  After going through her routine and scrubbing her boots for an hour, the call was sent out to all Magisterium students to pack their things and get ready to leave. They had already prepared to do so over the last couple days, so everyone was ready.

  Today, they would be heading back, and most of them were excited. While it wasn’t their last excursion and the others wouldn’t be nearly as exciting as this one was, they would still get to take their experience back with them and tell all kinds of stories that nobody else could imagine.

  Some time later, all the students were standing in an airfield, their items packed into spatial storages. They remained loosely in formation, Instructor Bria standing by the side, waiting for the man of the hour.

  He soon arrived, a car rolling to a stop nearby. John stepped out, Faey smiling even as Instructor Bria called them to attention.

  He walked over, smoking that familiar cigar and looking across all of them.

  “Congratulations, trainees. You’ve made it through your last excursion here at the Glass Desert. I’ve seen next to zero negative evaluations. All of you worked hard, and most importantly, did your jobs properly.”

  Faey listened as he gave his speech. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, perhaps slightly more sentimental since it was their last time here. Many had looked forward to the excursion being over while they were working, but now that the end had finally come, most found themselves longing for more.

  Odd how that worked.

  “I wish you all good luck with the rest of your year. A new generation of warfare is coming, but personal strength is just as important. All of you hold talent that will ensure the survival of humanity as a whole. Don’t be fodder, is what I’m trying to say, because the Scourge has shown you what happens to fodder. Now, your Instructor has report cards to give you all, so go line up and grab them. They’re yours to keep, containing your evaluations as well as areas to improve.”

  The students followed his command, everyone shuffling over to the Instructor as she passed our the pieces of paper.

  “Faey, come say hi.”

  Faey’s smile brightened when she was called, turning back to John and striding over.

  “Hi!”

  “Hello there.”

  John smiled back, Faey diving in and receiving a tight hug.

  “How’s my favorite little soldier in this forsaken wasteland?”

  “Doing pretty alright. How’s my favorite Commander?”

  “Tired and overworked. Thankfully I get paid enough to care.”

  “Well, you are the richest man in the world. I would sure hope so.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  She chuckled, the two separating from their hug.

  That’s when John took something out of his coat, handing it to Faey. She recognized the look of an invitation, her brows raising.

  “What’s this?”

  “This is my official invitation being extended to you for my wedding. It will be in 10 days.”

  “That soon?!”

  “Well, timelines change.”

  John shrugged, Faey opening it and seeing the impeccable letter. Penned by a master on pure white parchment and inlaid with actual gold, the invitation was as expensive as it was a work of art.

  The contents were simple. It was an invite to the wedding of John and Umara Cooper, taking place in the Holy See’s Sacred Chapel on December 10th, year 628.

  Faey’s eyes lingered on their names. John and Umara Cooper. She didn’t think it would ever be possible, but Umara really was taking John’s last name, not that of their noble lineage. It went against every custom they were supposed to uphold. Such a thing would only ever happen if Umara were marrying into a Grand Duke’s household or to a Prince.

  It was certainly rebellious. Faey wasn’t sure what she thought about it, but she could quickly admit that seeing her sister break away from the chains of political marriages inspired an incredible feeling.

  Then again, when else would it happen if it wasn’t happening with the richest, smartest, and one of the most influential men in the world, who was also as loving as he was ruggedly handsome?

  Faey held her sigh, looking back at John and smiling widely.

  “Congratulations, John. I never had any doubts that you’d make my sister happy.”

  “I did always tell her that she was the lucky one.”

  “Uh huh. Now, Feiden will obviously be at the wedding, right?”

  She changed topics hastily, John giving her a weird smile.

  “Please. If he didn’t show up, I’d have his perky ass. Yes, he’ll be there.”

  “Good, because his perky ass is mine. You know, since he’s gonna train me in the way of the spear and all.”

  “Ah yes.”

  John chuckled, Faey’s face flushing a bit at how bold her words had gotten.

  “Anyway, don’t forget that I’m supposed to be meeting him soon. I’d like to see him before the wedding.”

  “Of course, of course. I’ve scheduled you two a time to meet in two days. Your mother is coming to my estate to talk wedding plans, and he’s going on leave, so I figured it was the perfect time for both of you to stop by and meet since we’ll be in the same place.”

  “Oh, good. Sounds good.”

  She nodded with a smile, John laughing a bit more before ruffling her hair.

  “Alright kid, my invitation has been delivered. I’ll see you at home in a day or so. For now, I get to go talk to some big shots.”

  “What big shots?”

  “That I can’t say. You might see some of them at the wedding though.”

  Faey hummed with impression while covering her head.

  After that, the students finished grabbing their evaluations. Faey received hers, and John gave his final speech.

  Soon they were on a plane headed back to the Magisterium, their minds filled with the recent memories of their jobs and the Line.

  And John was on a jet right behind them, his nose pointed to the Holy See.

  ......

  ...

  November 30th, 628

  I landed in the Holy See’s airfield. From there my transport to the Apostolic Palace was swift.

  The palace could barely be considered that by the standards of this world. It was made of normal grey stone with few outstanding features. They were going for a humble look, obviously, but it was still incredibly large given its importance and resident population.

  It was the home of the Pope and his office, as well as the residence for many of the bishops and cardinals of the Church. It was a holy place, intruded upon by outsiders extremely seldom.

  It was also where I was having a meeting with the Pope. This could be considered my first official meeting with the man. Every other time had been among other circumstances, like Umara’s Crown surgery and my transfer of technology.

  I wasn’t the only one who had been invited. Umara was within the Verga Peerage, waiting for my arrival. She didn’t want to enter such a place without me there, for multiple reasons, primarily that this meeting concerned both of us and she didn’t want to speak to the Pope unless I was there with her.

  It was a matter of caution, which had to be held in extremity given who we were seeing. This was also considering that I had learned certain things ever since going to the Gateway. Given that I had met the Pope before, and while much less powerful than I was now, there was little to hide that I hadn’t already exposed back then. Still, I would reserve everything I could in front of the man.

  It didn’t take me long to link with Umara and head to the Apostolic Palace. We were dropped in the plaza outside the building, and the first sight that caught my eyes besides the building was the amount of robed individuals outside of it.

  The majority of them wore simple robes, nothing more than white cloth with a few colored designs for identification of position or rank. There were some though who wore the robes of bishops or cardinals walking in and out, likely to their services. Their robes were a normal amount of rich, which meant vibrant colors, designs, and inlaid with precious metals, gems, or fibers.

  These men held high standing, regardless of Authority. Such meant little in front of spiritual dedication and faith, or so it was supposed to be. Nobody had any illusions that high Authority individuals were seen as greater than the ordinary, even in the spiritual realm of worship and dedication to God.

  I could go on for hours about the psychology behind it, but proof was in the pudding, and there was a reason that the Pope was Authority 12, not some beggar on the streets who spent his every waking hour singing praises and prayers.

  I linked my arm with Umara’s, and we walked to the entrance, looking quite outstanding. There were no shortage of eyes that drifted our way. After all, it wasn’t every day that outsiders entered the Apostolic Palace.

  There was a man there waiting for us, a cardinal who I recognized. Not even the Holy See was safe from Sector 4, and I had studied the administration of religious leaders thoroughly before coming here. After all, with an infallible memory, why shouldn’t I maximize my repository of knowledge and stuff every name and face into my brain as possible?

  We were led by the cardinal through a winding maze of hallways and walkways. The palace was massive because just within the Holy See there were hundreds of Churches, and even more leaders who managed various regions and sectors of religious development. There was naught a single room in the place unfilled, because all religious leaders wanted to live where the Pope did. What greater form of authority, to be in the same place as he? As if it put them on equal grounds.

  Finally, we arrived at the office of the Pope. There was but a single door, and amongst the others, it stood out only in the fact that the nameplate above the door was outlined in gold.

  The cardinal knocked for us, and I heard a smooth voice answer.

  “You may enter.”

  The cardinal pushed open the door, ushering us through before closing it, leaving us alone.

  I eyed the Pope, who stood in front of his desk with another guest, Hallowlight. The two watched us as we entered.

  I could tell Umara was a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps not with the fact that we were given audience with such a powerful man, but the fact that I wasn’t known for being exceedingly courteous. Where she wanted to bow, I wanted to face eye to eye.

  Eracle Syagrius. He looked the same as the last time I saw him. Linen clothes with a longsword on his waist and a stature even taller than me at 6 feet 10 inches. We hadn’t seen each other in some time, and yet even now I could barely make out his Aura.

  Or, it was more accurate to say that what I sensed was his mere existence, which usually implied some form of Aura. His Aura itself, I could glean no details about.

  And when I tried, I could actually feel the Great Barrier press down on me. Somehow, some way, it actually got closer as I walked toward him with Umara and stretched out my hand to shake his.

  He returned it in kind, and that's when I understood that so much as sensing the depths of this man’s power demanded that I break down the Great Barrier. Power itself was rejecting my observation of him. How strong he was, I couldn’t quite fathom, but my intuition told me that it wasn’t as simple as his Knighthood being that outstanding.

  It was something spiritual. The kind I sensed from those girls at the Gateway, when their rude gazes tried to glean my life’s story, just countless times deeper.

  “Greetings, Sir Cooper, Lady Talerria.”

  “Greetings, Your Holiness.”

  We shook hands, Umara opting for a curtsy, the Pope bowing slightly in response.

  I turned to Hallowlight, smiling at her.

  “Sovereign Hallowlight, it is good to see you again.”

  “You as well, John.”

  We greeted each other before I stepped back, allowing Umara to do the same.

  The Pope motioned for us to sit on the couches facing each other. Once we sat down, I faced the man and gave a small smile.

  “I must say, I’m surprised you wanted to see me personally, Your Holiness. I suppose this is about our upcoming marriage?”

  “Indeed it is. I’ve heard that you acquired a reservation for the Sacred Chapel on the tenth of December.”

  “I did.”

  “Then I’m sure you also know that the Sacred Chapel is usually reserved two years in advance. I’m thus surprised that you were able to acquire such a convenient reservation for yourself, and in only 48 hours at that.”

  “An inconsequential matter. I simply have my ways.”

  The Pope sighed, lifting a few pieces of paper that had been on the table between us in advance.

  “I disagree. How did you convince the previous reservation holder to give up their time slot? You must’ve been extremely persuasive, considering they’ve been waiting for two years for that very day and time.”

  “I gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”

  “Sounds more like a threat.”

  It was my turn to sigh and lean back into the couch.

  “Is there a reason that we’re speaking about this? I mean no disrespect, but I find it difficult to believe that the Pope has time to investigate the drama of Chapel reservations.”

  “I don't, but I do have time to investigate you. After all, you are an important consideration in a growing amount of matters of the Holy See, especially as you start reaching.”

  The Pope dropped the papers on the table. A quick glance told me that they were indeed about not just the reservation I had acquired, but faint reports on my Sector 4 assets within the Holy See.

  I looked back up at him, already memorizing every word on the pages that I could see.

  “I figured this meeting would be about marriage matters.”

  “Can a meeting not have multiple purposes?”

  “They can, but conversations about my Sector Four are best done privately.”

  “You imply this isn’t a private meeting. Is it because your fiancé is here? Or is it Hallowlight? I can assure you, she is as concerned with this as I am. But I’m sure you knew that. So if not Hallowlight, then it makes me curious as to why you don’t want your fiancée here talking about these matters.”

  I narrowed my eyes a bit. Now I was a bit pissed off. What I had expected to be a light meeting about my marriage, where I also intended to invite the Pope to officiate the wedding, was turning out to be some kind of shakedown.

  Was I concerned about Umara hearing about Sector 4 matters? Not necessarily. She had already been directly involved in some of our darkest operations.

  Still, I didn’t appreciate him attempting to use her against me.

  “You must have an important reason that you’re playing these games, Pope. I don’t bore Umara with every detail of Sector Four operations because she has better things to do than bog down her mind with the dark details of the world. Those things are mine to handle.”

  “These are hardly games, John. You think these are light matters?”

  “Yes, I do. I call them games because that’s exactly what they are. The politics I engage in and the subterfuge I conduct are both like hobbies of mine. They are hardly my primary focus, and yet you people treat them like there’s nothing more important in the world. Just because you’re bad at them, doesn’t mean they aren’t still games.”

  “Nevertheless, I have concerns about your abuse of power inside my territory. We’ve protected ourselves from Kingdom and Scourge influence for far longer than you can imagine, and while I didn’t initially intend to, your movements have made me concerned about whether your influence is something to snuff out before it grows.”

  “...Are you really so naive?”

  I looked at the man with a bit of disbelief. I was sure he truly believed what he said, but that begged the question of why he thought that his territory hadn’t already been influenced long before I arrived.

  Yet he smiled, waving toward Hallowlight.

  “You call me naive, and yet your fiancé is in a similar position as I. These matters are more extensively handled by Hallowlight, because you’re right, I don’t have the time to be investigating these matters myself.”

  “...I’ll hold my opinions on that.”

  My face fell flat as I turned to Hallowlight. She didn’t wear her normal veil and cover, perhaps because of where we were. And while she was blindfolded, her face was impeccable, her skin perfect.

  I knew she was albino, but she really was quite the specimen. Still, that blindfold reminded me of those girls at the Gateway.

  I had my suspicions. Seeing Hallowlight again confirmed it.

  My eyes gazed through her blindfold. I could sense her gaze, could sense some of her thoughts in the way her eyes shifted under her eyelids and the way she scanned me. Her body language, my memories of our last meeting, the things I knew about her, no matter how little, and what I could surmise and assume about her and what she did.

  It all painted a picture in my mind. Hallowlight, the Sovereign Healer who operated with the Order. One of the most powerful women in the world, and as about as naive as I was.

  We simply stared at each other. I noticed my thoughts flicker with images, a phenomenon I knew wasn’t happening exclusively of my own accord, despite my inability to sense any external influences on my mind. Still, I knew how to manipulate the Auric sights of others just as I could my own head.

  What were normally just memories turned to scenes of that which hadn’t happened, scenes of possibility and brutal recollection. I stared down Hallowlight and let her see a blended mixture of the truth, as well as what I could, and would, do.

  Then I asked.

  “What do you think you see, Hallowlight? I remember those girls at the Gateway well. Sisters, I believe you refer to them as. Their training was hardly as complete as yours. One of them vomited at the mere sight of me. They were rude with their gazes. But I now know they weren’t the only ones who had been.”

  “You’re right, they weren’t as trained as I was.”

  She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she stared straight at me and smiled widely.

  “I can see past the menacing barriers that you’ve raised around your soul. I admire your ability to manipulate your mind. Perhaps that’s the path all summoners should take. Nevertheless, despite coming to us in a time when you’re forced to grab the reins of humanity’s advancement or risk extinction, it's okay to shed this portrayal of viciousness and show others your good side. I feel that your charm suits you more than your visage of terror, as opposed to what the guys at the Order say.”

  My emotions turned conflicted as I felt critically exposed. It was an ugly feeling, knowing that she was seeing things I would prefer remain tucked into the catalogs of my mind. If she was allowed to see glimpses of my spirit, then she could profile me, attempt to break me down and read what I would do or had done. Those were secrets being exposed.

  Still, that she saw more than the bad meant that I would at least have someone to vouch for me. My intuition told me that Hallowlight wasn’t actually here to interrogate me, but to vet me for the Pope.

  It seemed that she would be on my side.

  I let go of some of the tension in my body, noticing that Umara’s hand was clenching mine with rather incredible strength.

  I squeezed her hand back before responding, a bit more relaxed than I was a few seconds ago.

  “I hardly need my enemies knowing how much of a charmer I am. But I appreciate an evaluation that doesn’t disgust you.”

  “But of course.”

  Hallowlight suddenly turned to Umara, giving her the same smile she gave me.

  “You are quite loved, Umara. I’m glad to see that you return it in kind.”

  I glanced down at Umara, noticing her start to flush.

  The Pope sighed, motioning toward Hallowlight.

  “Alright Hallow. If we can return to our topic.”

  “Of course.”

  The faint smile on my face faded, but at least the growing hostility had been defused, for now.

  I looked into the Pope’s eyes.

  “What do you want from me? I assume you brought all this up for a reason.”

  “Well, I’d like you to remove your agents from the Holy See.”

  “Which won’t happen.”

  “Which is why that’s not what I’m asking for. I’ll give you my bottom line. Don’t interfere with the affairs of my territory. I don’t care what you see or discover. Keep your hands off, and go through me if you so desperately feel the need to do something. Maybe even cooperate with us, if you’re feeling generous. Do we have an agreement?”

  I stared at him in silence for a few seconds, his hand raised for a shake. I certainly didn’t want to agree, but this was also a concession on his part, and quite the gracious one at that. It could’ve gone much worse, and defying him here would shift us right onto that course.

  It at least seemed like he wasn’t as naive as I thought he was.

  So I reached my hand out in kind, shaking his.

  “We have an agreement.”

  “Very good. Now, as for the issue of the Chapel.”

  The Pope brought out another piece of paper from a spatial device, glancing it over.

  “I have no issues with you using it. You are far from the first to do such a thing, and I could care less about the reservations, especially since you at least compensated the unlucky couple. However, this doesn’t solve the issue of whether or not you can get married.”

  I remained silent, letting him elaborate, even though I knew what he was going to say.

  “As much as the Kingdom has enjoyed appropriating the term, marriage is a sacrament and getting married demands that both parties be baptised and have gone through Chrismation. As far as I know, neither of you have done that, which means you can’t get married in the church. That will change as soon as you do these things.”

  “There’s no need to worry about me.”

  I responded plainly. I wasn’t sure how it translated between worlds but the religion seemed the same, and I didn’t intend to redo processes that I had already gone through years ago. Not simply because I didn’t want to, but because I wouldn’t replace the sacraments from Earth that had been given to me by and with my family.

  “I’m already Catholic, was born and raised that way, and don’t intend to redo things.”

  The Pope silently glanced at Hallowlight, who nodded to him after having observed me.

  There must be some way she was able to verify what I said. I don’t know how much she saw, whether she saw things of Earth, but it was clear she knew enough. Perhaps her nod came after verifying something completely unrelated to her ability to see my spirit.

  I really needed to send people to the gateway. Thankfully, Umara had provided me with the coordinates. Soon, I’d have some eyes there.

  “And Umara?”

  The Pope turned to her, her head shaking.

  “I am not baptised, Your Holiness. However, I have already scheduled my baptism. It will be on the sixth, and if necessary, you can contact my sponsor, Vetsmon Verga. He’s with the Order.”

  “Just days before your marriage. Worry not, I trust that you have your affairs handled, and I certainly trust a member of the Order to be a sponsor. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.”

  She smiled widely, a small smile growing on my face, merely to keep up pretenses.

  She had spoken to me about the baptism, and I had trusted her to arrange things since she didn’t want to bother me with it while I was busy. What I had not known was that Vetsmon was her sponsor.

  I wasn’t opposed, of course, but I’d be talking with her about this little surprise later.

  With that, the Pope seemed satisfied.

  “Then I have no objections. So long as the Sacraments are fulfilled before the day of your marriage, you two are free to be wed in the holy presence of the Lord.”

  The Pope stood, signifying the end of our discussion. I certainly had nothing more to say at the moment, not before I handled things with Sector 4.

  We shook hands, holding the grasp for a few seconds as he spoke to me.

  “This meeting may not have been as friendly as I initially wanted it to be, but I congratulate you, John Cooper, on your marriage. May God bless your union.”

  “Thank you, Your Holiness.”

  I gave him a small smile, Umara and Hallowlight giving their goodbyes. Umara also handed Hallowlight an invitation to the wedding.

  She took it with a happy smile.

  “I’d be honored. It’s been some time since I’ve been to a wedding.”

  “And we’re honored to have you!”

  Umara stepped away giddily. She quite liked Hallowlight, and that would be yet another Sovereign at our wedding.

  With that, the two of us stepped away, leaving the Apostolic Palace and heading back home.

  Now our affairs would be all about the wedding and its planning. With the green light from the Pope himself and all requirements settled, there was nothing stopping us now.

  ……

  …

  December 2nd, 628

  “It looks like a nice place…”

  Faey muttered after stepping off the plane. A short distance away, she could see John’s estate, both the main building and its auxiliary buildings and areas.

  With the weather having cooled significantly over the last month, there was light snow sprinkling down from the overcast above. Faey had on warm and thick clothes, not technically necessary since Knights were often immune to the weather and temperature changes, but she enjoyed being warm amidst the cold.

  Her breath came out in a vapor as she followed her mother. There to meet them was Erhan, John’s butler. The man was dressed sharply, but Faey could still barely comprehend him. He was Authority 10, capable of becoming a Marquess with his own territory and noble family, and yet he chose to serve John. Faey could offer just a smidge of understanding since John was who he was.

  Erhan bowed a bit to Talexia when she approached, motioning to the car waiting for them.

  “It is our great pleasure to have you, Duchess. John waits within the estate with Lady Umara.”

  “Very well.”

  They all boarded the car, getting driven the short distance to the estate and being let out to walk in.

  Entering through the back door, Faey glanced around at the mild architecture. The estate was built more like a fortress than a household. There was concrete and steel everywhere, as well as thick enchantments riddling the structures. While there were some veneers that attempted to mask the brutalist design, John’s paranoia was clear in its influence.

  It was both a home and a bulwark of protection.

  Faey hadn’t been in the estate before, even if she had heard of it from her mother. She wasn’t sure if she would have designed her own estate this way, but it had its own charm, especially considering all the facilities it seemed to have. While not lavish and rich like their own estate, it was definitely functional, and probably no less expensive considering how deep the enchantments went.

  Upon entering the living room, Faey saw John and Umara sitting with some of their friends. She recognized Vetsmon and Tana, as well as Feiden, Ponteck, Ilinca, and Shadowbane. There were some other faces she wasn’t as familiar with. She remembered their names: Aki, Katta, Aria, and Jaya.

  That girl Katta gave her the creeps. She may be pretty and unique, but something about her Aura unsettled Faey.

  They were all gathered around a table, going over papers with writings and drawings across them. There were samples of flowers and pastries across trays nearby, Tana and Jaya stuffing their faces with some cake as the others sipped on steaming chocolate beverages, dressed in full clothes for warmth.

  The house was a cozy mixture of coolness and warm circulating air, a few of the girls wrapped in blankets as they cuddled into seats

  They all turned when Faey entered with her parents. John and Umara stood, walking over for greetings.

  After John had shaken Ikhor’s hand and Umara had hugged her mother, they moved to the table, John bringing up a few papers.

  “We’ve been going over the menu and decorations. Please, get comfortable.”

  Talexia nodded and took her seat with Ikhor, Faey settling in by her sister.

  Talexia commented after everyone was in their places.

  “You all seem to be comfortable.”

  “Everyone is on leave, not to return to the front lines until after the wedding. I figured since I was hosting, I may as well make it a warm day in the winter.”

  “Hm, it certainly is warm.”

  Faey smiled a bit as John started showing Talexia a few pages with design choices. From the layout of the tables across the venue to the arrangement of every item on the tables themselves, there were many details to go through and almost all of them required personal input.

  Thankfully the venue was at least already set. While the marriage ceremony itself would be in the Holy See, the reception would be within John’s estate. John had built an entire ballroom and renovated most of the auxiliary estate for this very purpose, making all of it fit for hosting the highest of society. After all, they couldn’t possibly invite multiple Sovereigns to any old normal mansion.

  Faey glanced out the window nearby while thinking about it all, watching the snow fall for a moment. Nearby, on a wall of the living space not far from the glass, was a fireplace with burning wood logs, leaving a smoky scent that lingered in the living space.

  For some time, there were small discussions, some about the wedding planning, most totally off topic. Not everyone had something to do or decide on, but that was hardly an issue.

  What mattered was that everyone was in one place, in each other’s presence. It was a rare occurrence.

  Faey turned her head, glancing at a corner of the living area. She had noticed the tree when she walked in, but only now that she took a better look did she realize how dressed up it was.

  Ornaments hanging from branches, magical lights tied to strings and looped around, and dangling strands of thin silver placed occasionally that shone under the lights.

  There were also some odd pieces of what looked like candy, hooked like a cane and swirling with red and white color. Faey had never seen it before, and she stared long enough to catch John’s attention.

  “What do you think?”

  Faey turned to him, smiling and combing back her hair before glancing back at the tree.

  “It looks nice, but what is it?”

  “It’s a Christmas tree. First one that I’ve set up in my own home in the last 7 years. This tree was the closest I could find to a conventional evergreen from my memories.”

  “I see.”

  Faey stared at the tree a bit longer, John sighing.

  “Yeah, it’s not complete though. We need family ornaments to hang. Personal ones for each of us. That includes you, so start thinking of an ornament you’d want.”

  “W-Well I’m not sure what I should be looking for. This is the first I’ve even heard of tree ornaments.”

  “Hm, well, take a look at mine.”

  John brought up his hand, Psyka blooming and forming into an image. After a couple seconds it looked like a real object as it fell into his palm.

  It was a bear, wrapped in a sweater and scarf and riding an undersized snow plow while waving. It looked old and slightly worn, certainly not the prettiest or most ornamental thing.

  But it was cute, and most importantly, personal.

  John chuckled a bit.

  “My mother got me this ornament when I was just a baby. It went up on the tree every year, and when I was old enough, I would hang it myself, along with the rest of my family whenever we started putting up Christmas decorations. Everyone had one, and we’d all choose a branch to hang them on. Sometimes we’d fight for who got to hang theirs higher.”

  “I see…”

  Faey went quiet, others around them staring at the ornament.

  It felt like what John was showing them carried a lot more weight than he let on. After all, nobody had ever seen his family before. In all the time they had known him, they had only heard the very occasional mention of them, if that.

  John kept the illusion active for a few seconds longer before dispersing it.

  “Maybe I’ll come up with some, and you can let me know if you like them.”

  “Sure, thank you.”

  “Of course. Oh, and that reminds me. You, and Feiden, follow.”

  John stood, the two standing with him after a moment of confusion and walking out of the living area.

  They went to the training building, entering the metal room with weapons, gear, and thick enchantments across the walls.

  Once the door closed, John turned to them, smiling.

  “Feiden, I’ve told you about your new assignment.”

  “Yes…”

  “You’ll be training Faey here in the way of the spear. You’ll engage with her technique, refine it, and help develop her Aura alongside her combat. Every other week, you’ll leave the Line and return here to train her for that week. During that time, both of you will live within the estate and use its facilities.”

  Faey and Feiden looked at each other, Faey smiling nervously and bowing a bit.

  “I’ll be in your care.”

  “Y-Yes. Uh, John, I don’t think I’m the best for teaching. Is there a reason you can’t get someone from the Whetted City’s academy to teach her? Someone with significantly more experience than me?”

  “The reason I can’t, is because I don’t want to. Through teaching her you will also teach yourself. Your goal will be to train her until she can beat you in the basics.”

  “I…”

  Feiden glanced at her a few more times, Faey’s smile turning wry.

  Something like that would likely never happen. Feiden may come from a Marquess household and technically be born with lesser talent than her, but Faey also didn’t believe that she was capable of walking the path her sister did either. Not only were she and John both on a whole other level, but Feiden was their close friend, as well as someone from their class.

  The Calamity Class was renowned, and not just because of what happened to them at Purple Sky. Those who hadn’t gone insane or catatonic had moved on to become incredible Magi. John may be the most famous of them, but he was not the most powerful.

  Faey had no idea how powerful or talented Feiden truly was, but that he could stand beside John and Umara in battle meant that he was on a level she couldn’t fathom. Attempting to teach her to beat him, even if in just the basics, was an impossible task.

  Not that impossible was any reason not to try. The point was training, obviously. Still, John’s excuse for not finding Faey an instructor from the world’s most prestigious knightly academy was rather lackluster.

  Not that Faey wouldn’t take the chance. She wasn’t sure what was going through John’s head, but she knew her own goals and he had opened the door for her. She would move forward, as she intended from the beginning when she asked this of him.

  John suddenly took out a few pieces of paper, slapping them against Feiden’s chest. The man took them, John patting him on the shoulder after the handoff.

  “Here’s a guideline for you, friend. I’ll leave the rest to you. Hang out in here as long as you two want to flesh out the details. I’ll take my leave.”

  John waved and left, Faey waving back with a bright smile.

  The door closed behind him, Faey turning back to Feiden as he read the papers.

  She had never gotten a very good look at him. They hardly ever met in general, but Faey had known that he was good looking and another close glance confirmed it.

  He read the papers with a small scowl on his face, though he seemed resigned to his fate. Still, even that expression on his face was… pretty.

  No wonder John called him a pretty boy. Faey had no way to disagree with that evaluation, and she didn’t mind getting lost in his handsome visage.

  “So, listen…”

  Feiden spoke, Faey perking up as he looked at her.

  “I’m not sure how serious John was about this, but I can talk to him and get you in with a real instructor. I’ve never taught anyone and I’m still learning things myself. I’m far from being a master. Hell, I’m not even Authority 10 yet.”

  “But you’re only a level under, and it’s not like you won’t reach it at some point.”

  “I guess…”

  He didn’t seem to know how to respond to Faey’s praise. She smiled a bit wider, looking into his bright eyes.

  He seemed to have a generally reserved personality. From what Faey could remember after that fateful day, his girlfriend at the time had been killed during the chaos at Purple Sky. Faey still wasn’t sure about the details even to this day, but an attack by the King of Anarchy was bound to kill most. It was a miracle that anybody from the Calamity Class had survived.

  Still, it seemed to hit him hard. Faey could see it in his attitude. Nobody would be the same after an event like that. John and Umara certainly weren’t.

  If Faey had noticed anything from them though, it was that they had only grown closer. Their love for each other had become ingrained in their souls and they had been inseparable ever since.

  Anarchy made them fight for each other, bonded them in a way that made it seem like they were fighting against the whole world together.

  Faey was curious if Feiden had the same thing within him.

  She got closer to him, her shoulder brushing against his as she looked at the papers in his hands.

  After several seconds, she turned her face up to his, smiling.

  “I think we can give it a shot. You don’t really think you could steer me wrong, do you?”

  “I won’t deny the possibility. My path may not necessarily fit yours.”

  “But the basics are basics for a reason. I think your expertise in real combat is more than enough to elevate my own.”

  “Fighting King Bloods is a bit different than fighting humans.”

  “You should show me.”

  Feiden’s mouth closed, a bit of conflict on his face as he found himself unable to rebut.

  Faey knew she was technically right. She was still only Authority 4 and he was an entire 5 Authorities above her. That was an unfathomable gap, especially considering that like her sister, they were only roughly 8 years apart in age.

  Faey couldn’t imagine crossing 5 Authorities in 8 years. That was a task that would take most others double or triple the time.

  Especially if Feiden kept advancing. At the rate he was going, he’d be Authority 10 within another year or two, and only just pushing 30 years old while she was in her early 20s.

  Could she hope to catch up? Absolutely not.

  Did he have an immense amount to teach her despite not being a master as he so proclaims? The answer was a resounding yes.

  Feiden had no way out, especially when it was John telling him. The man hadn’t even asked.

  Finally, he sighed, reading over the papers more.

  “Very well. I don’t know what John might have planned for me, but we can do some light training while we’re here until the wedding. Did you bring your gear?”

  “Always on me.”

  “Good. Give me the day to go over these. Tomorrow, we can start with something light, if we have nothing else to attend to.”

  “I have a good feeling that we’ll be free.”

  Faey grinned, Feiden smirking in agreement.

  He put his hand out, Faey taking it. There was no shake, just a light but firm grasp between them.

  “I look forward to working with you, Faey.”

  “As do I. Should I call you Master?”

  “I’d really prefer you don’t…”

  “Master Feiden.”

  “Just Feiden, please.”

  “Hehehe.”

  She laughed a bit. Turns out he was easy to tease.

  She could already tell that this would be fun.