Chapter 165: Holy Empire
The days passed quickly. Spring ended with a great storm that lasted for days, as if the sky wanted to mark the end of a long cycle.
After that, summer arrived, bringing with it a strange wind: cool and hot at the same time, as if nature itself were unsure which face to show.
During those days, the news spread like wildfire. The three kingdoms that ruled the Northern Frontier were immediately thrown into turmoil, as Mount Vigerth had become a pillar of blood.
That inexplicable phenomenon attracted numerous renowned experts, researchers, and scholars. They all headed for the mountain, eager to unravel the mystery of that peak, which until then had been considered "neutral" territory.
However, despite their attempts, none of them was able to provide a concrete explanation.
Why had the mountain been transformed into a peak of blood? No one knew. The investigations ended in silence, and the official conclusion was simple, almost banal: nature itself had wrought the destruction.
On the Northern Frontier, everyone understood this truth: nature was the real enemy. The world was plagued with inexplicable and terrifying phenomena. In addition, there were the Zu, entities so mysterious and strange that they defied all logic.
That’s why, if on any other day a mountain appeared engulfed in flames, no one would be too surprised. But this was the first time that everyone’s eyes had witnessed such an event: a mountain turned into a peak of blood.
In addition, there was another announcement that shook the entire kingdom of Aragon: the revelation of the third princess, Audrey Augustus. This news caught the attention of many nobles in the kingdom who sought power, as a new contender for the position of king or queen had arrived.
Because the kingdom had recently lost one of its pillars, the Medici Clan, this was welcome news, bringing temporary calm to the situation.
And so the days passed quickly, with various minor events occurring in the different mountains.
...
One month later.
The sun burned fiercely high in the sky, pouring its scorching light onto the earth. The wind blew, but it brought no relief; it barely managed to drag the clouds along with lazy slowness.
The heat was unbearable. The air felt thick and sticky. Added to this was the suffocating humidity, which permeated the skin and made every breath heavy.
However, that wasn’t the most annoying thing.
The real torment was the mosquitoes.
Small, persistent, inexhaustible. They fluttered joyfully in that climate, as if the hostility of the environment were a blessing for them.
They pounced on every surface of bare flesh, their constant buzzing a sting to the ears, a relentless reminder that even the most insignificant details could become a burden.
A large caravan of nuns and priests from the Holy Empire advanced along a narrow, winding road. Their steps were slow but steady, while their voices echoed in a chorus of prayers.
The loads were not carried by simple beasts of burden, but by colossal creatures: long worms with three hundred legs that crawled in a rhythmic motion, enormous centipedes with purple tones, elephants with shells hardened like iron, and large treasure toads that inflated their bodies with each leap.
"Oh, Great Lord of the Sun, give us strength to reach our destination!" some chanted.
"We have traveled for a whole month, crossing turbulent rivers and enduring the harshness of the jungle. Bless us with your strength, my Lord, my guide, Ancient Sun God."
"Brothers, let us endure a little longer! We are not far from reaching our blessed land! This is a test placed upon us by our Lord!"
Their voices mingled with the rustling of giant insects and the damp sound of footsteps on the jungle floor. The caravan continued its advance along the uneven and stifling jungle path.
Little by little, the trees began to thin out. The dense tangle of leaves and roots receded until it vanished completely.
A vast landscape, unusual in the Northern Frontier, opened up before his eyes. The horizon revealed an enormous lagoon, whose waters reflected the sky with a metallic sheen.
And there, in the distance, stood a colossal city. Its walls seemed to rise out of nowhere, surrounded by the flat expanse that contained it.
Along the entire northern border, that was the only place where the land did not rise into mountains; it was completely flat.
But what dominated the atmosphere, what eclipsed even the city, was a sight impossible to ignore: a huge cross six thousand kilometers long. Its shadow stretched out like a divine command, imposing itself on the earth, the sky, and the hearts of all those present.
That place... was unique. And it was forever marked by the seal of the Ancient Sun God.
Among the many nuns and priests, there was a young man with long black hair and an ordinary face, but several distinctive features were already noticeable. His black eyes gazed at the enormous cross, and he wore a simple black priest’s robe with a gold cross hanging around his neck.
That young believer in the Ancient Sun God was none other than Kael Medici.
The same man whose actions would turn Mount Vigerth into a veritable pillar of blood.
"Holy Empire... I’ve finally arrived," Kael murmured, gazing at the colossal cross. It was the emblem of that kingdom, the symbol of its faith and power.
For many, it represented devotion and hope; for him, it was a starting point.
After the incident on Vigerth Mountain, Kael parted ways with Audrey and Martha. They both went their separate ways; after all, they weren’t close enough to stay together.
During his journey, he let time pass without making any additional effort. He did not refine his mana essence, nor did he execute any techniques.
The reason was clear: after using the Reverse Flow Blood River, his soul had suffered devastating damage. Worse still, he had been forced to sacrifice a large portion of the origin stones he possessed to partially repair his mana core, which had also suffered severe cracks.
The cost of using the Reverse Flow Blood River was not something superficial. Its price was measured in fragments of the soul. It was too high a price, for the soul is the most difficult thing to restore.
Unlike flesh or mana, which could be regenerated with external resources, the soul had no real substitutes. Once damaged, even the smallest lost fragment could become an insurmountable chasm.
There were only two methods to repair it. The first, the natural way: to let the soul heal itself over time.
But in Kael’s case, that recovery would take more than a full decade.
Too long a wait, a luxury he could not afford in a world where every moment of weakness could mean death.
Kael pushed his thoughts aside as he advanced with the priests and nuns toward the capital of the Holy Empire, called San Martín.
...
Royal Mountain.
In a huge white marble castle, filled with servants, knights, and wizards who roamed the enormous hallways lined with paintings of the ancestors of the Augustus royal family and their descendants.
The murmur of the knights and servants filled the room when they saw a beautiful woman with long black hair and ruby-red eyes pass by, a small, kind smile on her face.
Audrey stopped in front of the paintings hanging on the wall. Her gaze swept over the immortalized faces of her ancestors one by one. They all shared a common trait: silver hair and red eyes like gems, an unmistakable mark of the Augustus bloodline.
She also had those eyes, but her black hair set her apart from everyone else, making her both heir and anomaly within the line.
Her eyes settled on one portrait in particular: that of her father, Noah Augustus. He wore an elegant suit in shades of silver and black, and his serious expression projected the majesty and gravitas of a king. His features conveyed the severity of a ruler who brooked no weakness.
Audrey looked away and continued walking down the aisles, attracting the attention of everyone present, and with the dignity of a princess, she gave them a small smile.
Until she crossed the hallway and ran into her older sister, Marli Augustus.
She had long blonde hair that looked like gold, reddish-brown eyes, a great body that could be seen even behind her dress, and was approximately 5’9".
Marli approached, closing her fan, and gave Audrey a friendly look and said:
"Sister, why don’t we go have some tea in the north garden? The flowers are very beautiful, and no one will bother us." Her voice was soft like an angel’s and delicate like flowers.
"Of course, dear sister, I want to spend time with you, because I haven’t spent any time with you since I arrived at the castle." Audrey’s voice was also as sweet as honey, and her smile seemed to light up the room where the servants stood watching her.
As if on cue, an angel appeared before them.
"..." Marli’s smile twitches, but she quickly covers it with her fan and says as her eyes soften. "I also really want to spend time with you... Dear sister."
They headed toward the north garden, under the gaze of the servants and knights who were there, thinking they had just seen two angels walking on earth.
...
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