Chapter 43: Ashes and Oaths

Chapter 43: Ashes and Oaths

The following days in the village were silent and somber. Nearly everyone had lost a relative. In this small village, forty lives was a colossal sacrifice from which it wouldn't soon recover.

The pyres burning the dead glowed throughout the entire first night and even early the next day. The suffering of the wounded continued far longer, and the mayor had sent people to find a healing magician from the nearby city.

Despite the heavy losses, their work wasn't completely finished. The walls needed repairs, the weapons maintenance.

"There needs to be a military garrison here," the mayor wouldn't stop complaining, having come to check on the wounded. Emilia was still helping the healers.

"We mine metals and forge steel, and instead of having a garrison, they just leave us some healing potions and enchanted arrows."

"Most villages don't even have that," Fjorn's voice was heard. "And after all, it was the military that paid for the tower formations."

"They paid, yes, but they still don't leave us any of the iron to forge real armor for ourselves. These satyrs with their huge horns can't be stopped with leather armor."

The mayor was right. The leather armor was intended to stop slashing and piercing wounds, and perhaps simpler elemental magic. However, crude physical force passed through the armor's protection, breaking bones and causing internal hemorrhaging and trauma, even when the weapon didn't directly touch the flesh.

Fjorn also wasn't fully healed. His old wounds had flared up, and he walked with the help of a large staff, mana flowing chaotically in his body. How is he even standing? Emilia wondered.

On the third day, a group of soldiers arrived to assess the situation. The captain spoke at length with the mayor and finally left. The soldiers were simply sailors from a patrolling ship and wouldn't stay in the village.

"These lowly, lazy officers fatten in the barracks, and we ordinary people have to fight instead of them!" The mayor wouldn't stop cursing, and soon it became clear why.

"Instead of military aid, we'll simply be exempt from taxes for the next three years. However, we have to continue sending iron ore down the stream. They'll pay for it with two silver coins per cart extra. Ha, two silver coins. Is that how much our blood is worth!"

"And not only that. They're sending us a little 'help'—some hunters from nearby villages—and are ordering us to send a group to scout the black ruins to the east! They've somehow been activated, and it's assumed that it's because of their magic that the minor races in the forest have started attacking the surrounding settlements. In the last few days, there have been a total of seven attacks..."

Fjorn frowned and cursed the military, the nobles, and the entire royal family.

"Fjorn, I'm going to need your help. You alone will be able to decipher the glyphs within the ruins. Our mission is to investigate them and destroy them if we can. I've already dispatched scouts. The wave of madness from Gaia is what sent the evil creatures to attack, and for the moment, it is relatively safe. Now is our opportunity to destroy these ruins. What if they activate a year or two from now and we face an attack from even more monsters? A third of the satyrs escaped. Yet they already know how to fight humans. It was only their lack of experience and their severe underestimation of our archers that saved us from further casualties—that, and Gaia's madness. If they had chosen to attack us at night or had released the fog before the fighting began, the situation would have been much more severe."

"It's not that simple," said Fjorn. "Satyrs need to see the walls to leap over them. But generally, you're right. Thrice-damned Satyrs. Them and all the Titans in Tartarus."

"Fjorn, watch what you say. Let's not bring unnecessary trouble upon ourselves," the mayor quickly reminded him.

Fjorn fell silent, but the hatred remained etched on his face. The battle against the Titans might have been won in the previous epoch, but the war had never fully ended.

Later that evening, the mayor gathered a group of people—the best hunters and everyone with unlocked mana. Emilia was also invited.

"We have an order from the regional administrator, Lord Nayson; we've received a mobilization decree. We must investigate and, if possible, destroy the ruins."

There were low murmurs and a few harsher words directed at the Lord and his entire lineage.

"Men, the blood trails are still fresh. These ruins have activated, and we have no choice. Either we destroy them, or their curses will destroy us. We must avenge our fallen brothers and sisters. We must strike now, while the evil races are scattered and weak. If we wait even a few days, we won't get a second chance. With the authority vested in me by Lord Nayson, I declare the mobilization begun. Tomorrow morning we will receive reinforcements from the nearby villages, and then we leave immediately."

Afterward, the mayor approached Emilia. "You are not a resident of the village, and I could choose not to mobilize you. You are still young and cannot help much. However, Fjorn knows how to use your mana. We will have to deal with various ancient glyphs, and Fjorn is wounded, with his old injuries flaring up. His mana is chaotic, and he cannot use his full strength. Mobilizations like this are noted by both the church and the military. You will receive important military points to exchange for money, magical artifacts, or even earthly treasures. Especially if we manage to destroy the ruins."

"I... I don't think I can help much," Emilia said. She was exhausted from the previous battle. Every night she had nightmares, and the strange attraction coming from the souls of the dead reappeared in her dreams. I can't keep going like this, she thought. She felt intensely confused, even despairing, about all of it. She couldn't get enough sleep, had no energy, and hadn't eaten since the morning—she had no appetite.

"Your grandmother is from this village. Your family line started here. Besides, you won't be alone. Our best hunters will be with us to protect us. My two sons and I are going. I personally promise to guard you. Think about it for half an hour."

Emilia felt pressured, and a lump began to form in her throat. What kind of cruel world is this, where even children must participate in battles? Emilia hurried out in front of the mayor's office, stopped by the cherry tree, and wept softly.

"With great power comes great responsibility," she recalled the famous phrase from Earth. Am I truly obligated to risk my life? Emilia wasn't sure. She just wanted to go home and get some sleep.

At that moment, the local pastor appeared from somewhere. "Are you Emilia?" he asked. "Come to the church, I need to speak with you."

Emilia glanced wearily at the mayor's office, then at the strange pastor, who was clearly winded from running to get here. His face was deeply flushed, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

She sighed. She desperately wanted to get away from the mayor's office and its heavy responsibility.

Minutes later, the pastor led her into the small church. It was dedicated to Hecate, one of the foundational goddesses of the Great System. Hecate was the ancient goddess of magic, secret knowledge, and crossroads. She had stood by Prometheus from the very beginning and was among the stronger and more respected goddesses.

The pastor did not stop in the first, open-for-services part of the church, but led Emilia directly into the forbidden second section. This was where the "church mysteries" were performed, where the holy books and blessed artifacts were kept.

"What is going on?" Emilia asked, confused.

"I received a revelation an hour ago. Emilia, a rare opportunity is unfolding before you. The church in your city should have hinted at this. This will bring you closer to the church and the protecting gods, and it will also give you expanded access to the Great System."

Emilia was still trying to process the mayor's orders, and now this strange matter with the church. What in the hell is happening here?

"Listen, Emilia, when someone like you, with unlocked mana and potent skills, starts to align themselves with the Church, the gods begin to sense their presence. Their Aspects assess the strength of such people, and every three years, special secret ceremonies are organized to help the chosen young people offer their services to the Great System. You have clearly been secretly prepared for this."

"So, the gods themselves know about me?" Emilia couldn't believe it.

"Not exactly," the pastor chuckled nervously. "The gods are omnipresent and incomprehensible. Only a small part of their consciousness contacts mortals. And those who are, as you say, 'noticed' are in the hundreds of thousands. There are probably dozens of them in your city alone."

"That many?" Emilia wondered.

"In some cities, there are even more. After all, the gods are many, and each needs representatives on earth. But let's return to my revelation. I cannot speak of the mysteries of the church, and I know this is all coming so suddenly. Under normal circumstances, your home church should have prepared you carefully, then discreetly provided you with the necessary information months, or even a year, before the ceremony. But now, Hecate's Aspect personally sent me this revelation."

"Explain," insisted Emilia, who was beginning to feel overwhelmed by everything.

"Let the Aspect of Hecate explain to you."

At that moment, the pastor grasped Emilia's head with both hands, and a strange celestial energy flowed from his fingers. Emilia froze; it was as if time had stopped for her.

"Greetings, Emilia. I am the Aspect of Hecate, Goddess of Magic and Crossroads. Your unique abilities and strange circumstances have long attracted the attention of both myself and a few other Aspects."

"But I am just an ordinary girl. How could I possibly attract the attention of the protecting gods?"

"Your uniquely developed skills and your peculiar soul, for a start. But you have not drawn the attention of the gods themselves. It is far simpler than that. You can view me as a shadow, of the shadow, of the Goddess's consciousness. A very small and insignificant fraction of her attention. I am more a spirit born of her than her true, focused awareness."

Emilia did not know how to respond to this 'shadow.'

"Yes, I understand. But why are we having this conversation now, when the ceremony is only held once every three years?"

"This battle caught my attention. You performed quite well for a child; you have sufficient mana, incredibly strong magical channels, and excellently developed skills. And these ruins are a rather crucial pawn in the hands of Gaia. It is extremely important that they be destroyed. That is why I am here. I want to offer you a deal. You will gain expanded access to the System, specifically the part concerning Divine Quests and Rewards. If you agree, you will become an Acolyte of Hekate and receive your first divine quest. If you destroy the ruins or perform another great heroic deed connected to them, you will receive an incredible reward: a twenty percent increase to the mana capacity in your body, and the Blessing of Chiron. This is a remarkable boon that will allow you to learn skills significantly faster for the next year. Furthermore, over time, you will be able to complete other quests and accumulate divine rewards and blessings. Although, rewards like this one are quite rare."

Emilia considered the offer. Time in this state seemed to have no effect on her. She weighed the options for a long time, but in her heart, she knew she could not refuse this proposition. My goal has always been to reach the pinnacles of magic in this world.

"I have only one question. How much will this limit my freedom? I don't want to become a servant to anyone, even a Goddess."

"Ha ha ha. What a candid statement. Your soul truly is unique. Few would express themselves so boldly and openly, though I have heard all sorts of demands. No, Emilia, the gods have always respected free will. In fact, the old gods' desire to enslave the younger gods, as well as the intelligent races of the realm, was one of the main reasons Prometheus stood against the Titans. Being an Acolyte is a privilege that you may aether relinquish or lose. As long as you do not stand against the Great System or personally against Hecate, you will have nothing to worry about."

After some hesitation, Emilia decided to accept this privilege.

"Twenty percent more mana, the possibility of numerous future quests—that will be useful throughout my entire life as a mage, and this Blessing of Chiron will help me immensely with my Talismans and other skills. And perhaps in the future, I can gain even more rewards. This is a chance I cannot pass up because of some risk. Besides, I will be surrounded by the best hunters, the mayor, and his sons—virtually everyone with unlocked mana will be participating."

Finally, having made her decision, Emilia turned to the ancient Aspect, the shadow of the shadow of Hecate's consciousness.

"Alright, what do I need to do?"