April, Two years ago

(Saint Sylia as a teenager)

It was decided that many of the children would attend the six o'clock ceremony alongside their relatives. Most of them remained in the Cathedral after completing their visit. Sylia arranged for them to receive special lectures and light entertainment while they waited. She also gave each child enough coins to purchase souvenirs at the boutique. A gift package containing books, amulets, and a few educational items had been prepared for them as well.

Sylia entrusted the group to a few of her Representatives as she withdrew to attend other duties. Lady Sayana took charge in her absence, much to the children's delight. The Lady had even arranged an additional set of gift packages for both the adult and child guests, most of which featured her own creations.

The remainder of the afternoon passed in joy and laughter, filled with music and songs, until Sylia returned. Adults and children alike were enjoying a light collation, accompanied by brief lectures delivered by Priests at Sylia's request.

Jimmy stared in awe as Sylia reentered the hall, dressed in an elegant gold and white Saint's garb.

"Wow." he said. "You really look like a Saint now. Earlier, you looked like a Priestess candidate."

Sylia smiled and gave his cheek a magical tug. Jimmy let out a comically pained sound.

"Is the meal adequate?" she asked.

"It is." Jimmy beamed. "Thanks, Miss Sylia. Can we take some of this soup home?"

Sylia frowned and turned to her daughter, Sayana, who simply smiled and explained.

"They liked the Instant Grantis Chickadions Broth and Onions Soup your Bunny and I remade." Sayana said, her tone casual.

Sylia sighed. "I see. You can give them some of the chicken version."

"That's the one we gave them." Sayana replied. "The other version was too strong."

Sylia nodded. "Good."

Jimmy looked up from his soup cup, eyes wide. "It's so good. What is this?"

"Sayana made that one with her Blessings." Sylia said. "I'm glad you like it. She's a Top Apothecary and Alchemist in the Grantis Enclave." She glanced at her daughter. "You could have just asked the caterer."

"I did." Sayana said. "Then I saw how much the children ate and how many more guests came in here instead of going to the other hall. So I gave them my soldiers' rations. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Sylia said. "We should block the entrance to this hall."

"We did." Sayana said. "But your Bunny let a few pass. I put Gumtal Kenerasis in the next room with food and drinks, as you asked. He didn't seem to fit here anyway."

Miaka blinked. "My uncle is here? I had no idea."

"He brought his daughter Kathie to be tested." Sylia said. "I had him admitted with his wives."

"Will it be okay?" Miaka asked. "I'm not sure they'll be happy being so close to you."

Sylia grimaced. "It should probably be okay."

Jimmy leaned forward eagerly. "Miss Sylia, can we take home some of the instant food and packaged snacks Lady Sayana brought? They're so good, and they require little Magic to make."

"Fine." Sylia said. "But keep it from Liedsa and your father. You can feed some to your siblings when they're not around."

Jimmy nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Miss Sylia. I didn't know you had such a relative."

Sylia gave a slight shrug. "She's my daughter. You know her father. Dancan Kantarios, my porter."

Jimmy blinked. Count Hugder Rakulda, standing nearby, froze as the words landed. Hanna Canteros, at his side, gasped softly.

"Does his mother know?" she whispered.

Sylia shook her head. "We didn't tell her yet. We will once we have her moved into the new Half-Enclaved District subsidized by Grantis. Dancan is relocating there with his new wife. I got them a house."

Jimmy stared. "You're subsidizing your ex-lover?"

Pullina smacked the back of his head. He was far too mature for his age and said things he shouldn't. He'd been spending too much time with those Fairies. People might start asking questions.

Sylia puffed her chest slightly. "Of course I would. He was my employee. I have a reputation to uphold. So what if we tangled a long time ago?"

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure it wasn't that long ago. Not according to Mother Liedsa. I heard you had another child in your adult form. That probably won't help his marriage."

Pullina slapped him again, harder this time.

Sylia crossed her arms and said coolly. "It's a common arrangement among Nobles. You can ask Count Rakulda here. He has a few arrangements like that himself."

The Count flushed, clearly uncomfortable. Hanna Canteros stood beside him, lips tight, fists clenched.

Count Hugder Rakulda relaxed a bit and asked. "Is it truly Grantis? Or Flory-Grantis?"

Sylia answered plainly. "Both. They are linked and are considered Twin-Enclaves. You only knew their Joint Semi-Enclaves anyway. We never gave you access to the actual Enclaves."

Count Hugder Rakulda closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

Hanna stepped forward. "Sylia, you are adding a Semi-Enclave? Can we have access?"

Sylia shook her head. "I am sorry. I can't give you access. Some of your children are problematic, and I can't trust Rakulda. The man is too arrogant and might get us in trouble. I prefer dealing with his father Agnar. He is at least humble and knows his place."

A few of the guests gasped. The Saint had just rejected publicly a Noble. It was not good.

Count Hugder Rakulda gritted his teeth. "You will never forgive me, would you? Wasn't that enough to declass me and put my father in charge of my Branch? The Kanekald now rule us."

Hanna's eyes widened in shock. She had never heard anything quite like that.

Sylia's gaze was steady. "What are you talking about? Agnar is also a Rakulda. I didn't declass you. Your Drake Guardian did. I merely pointed out that your character wasn't worthy of his protection. You were arrogant and didn't know your place.

You would have brought ruin upon the entire family. He agreed with my assessment and removed some of the protections surrounding you—the very ones that unnaturally prevented your Mana from declining as it should have. Those protections went to your head. Your blood and Soul weren't strong enough to bear such power. By putting on those protections to artificially empower you enough to rule, the Guardian neglected the corruption brewing beneath.

He realized too late what I spotted immediately. We had to call upon a Spirit to purge your Soul. The Bunny Guard who implemented that protection was demoted and now cleans pots.

Your Soul had to be partially infused with Neutral Soul Matter, but even then it was not enough since we acted too late. Corruption had already twisted permanently your character. You had to relearn so much. I only helped with that."

Sylia sighed and continued, "You accuse me of things I never did. Have you tested your Mana level as of late? Once your Mana was cleansed of all traces of corruption, it declined to Count-class. Didn't you notice?"

The Count's eyes widened. "No, this is due to age."

Sylia laughed. "Yes, for a Count class that could be true! Duke-class individuals don't see their Mana decline before their fifties or sixties. You should be grateful. You'd be dead by now if we hadn't taken those measures.

Oh, Lords. You are truly delusional. I suppose your resentment of me is why you sought out all those prostitutes and treated women so poorly. Your wife abandoned you. You were banned from returning to Lemonbar since the insult to me and to your Goddess was too great."

Sylia shrugged. "We sent the territory controlled by your wife's family to your Region since it was too corrupted. Of course, you thought I was mad when you offered me the Second Wife's Position, knowing I was that Saint. Thinking back, it was quite amusing. You kept insisting. That's how many of your relatives and friends knew you must have been bespelled. You might have been arrogant and foolish, but you were never that stupid."

Sylia let out an annoyed sound. "Offering second place to the Avatar of Sanatra, the Goddess of your Drake Guardian who created the Kendarios bloodline, was like asking to be cast out from your family. You don't truly understand what has been done to you. Sanatra was falling. She was remade by a High Spirit and allowed to rise through me. The new Sanatra carries my will as hers—since she has 90% of my God-awakened and enhanced powers."

Miaka's eyes went wide. Her brother blinked, dumbfounded beside her. Count Hudger Rakulda stared at his hands, bewildered.

Sylia smiled. "Yes. That was when you started being rewritten as simply Rakulda. To tell you the truth, since Soul was being reformed, that part was likely deemed to disappear anyway as it was too corrupted. You fell to a minor spell through sheer arrogance and pettiness. You believed yourself superior to me as soon as we became intimate. The insolence! Does the little moth think itself greater than the Giant Fire Gargantis-Golem simply because it landed on its skin?"

Rakulda dropped to his knees while Sylia cackled.

Sylia continued, "Did you know what my Division was mixed with? You gave us the perfect excuse to purge an entire Flock from that woman's Protection Gods. They played that petty joke to shame me. We had them devoured by Giant Fire Gargantis-Golems after falling to flesh.

You should be careful, Count. Your former Goddess still holds a grudge against you, contrary to me. How many of your offspring will suffer, I wonder? Your blood offerings have decreased as of late, and you taint yourself with prostitutes. I'm fairly certain they dispose of the blood you offered.

Perhaps your brother Hendekel will share your fate. They merged you together in order go to give you a chance, but it seems far from sufficient. Maybe they will start extinguishing the Soul part belonging to Hudger and transfer the rest of your brother's Soul in your body. After all, he fellvictim to your foster brother because of you.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

To prevent his end, the same Spirits who cursed you granted him a chance at life through you but he wasn't strong enough and was quickly tainted by your ways."

Hanna gasped. "What?"

Rakulda stared at her, stunned. "What?"

Sylia sneered. "You haven't changed, you insignificant microbe. Hendekel, I suggest you grow a spine and start taking control. I'll give you two years. Show him hell."

Turning to Sayana, Sylia asked. "I trust you've begun selling in the designated areas?"

Sayana nodded. "I have."

Sylia then faced Jimmy. "Jimmy, don't overdrink that soup. It's made with a Blessed Skill from Lord Chester's House. Sayana gave you military rations, not civilian ones. That means it lasts longer even though my Bunny diluted it. That kind lasts ten to twenty days, providing either gradual or instant nutrition depending on your needs and bloodline. You seem to require the gradual kind. Thanks the Lords. This kind is for Commoners, so it wouldn't last more than three to five days for higher adult Nobles."

Pullina blinked, eyeing her wooden mug. "I see. No wonder it tastes so good. What are the properties of civilian rations?"

Sylia explained. "There are normal rations and traveler rations. The former provides better nutrition. The latter offers a full day's worth of sustenance."

(Sayana)

***

The six o'clock Zodiacus Sign Acknowledgement Ceremony gathered many onlookers eager to see the new Brenzegel Cathedral. The vast majority remained speechless in front of such beautiful edifice. It was built to impress Mortals after all.

As expected, many of the Slums children were attending the event with their family.

Jimmy was thus attending with his half-sister Heyra and foster mother Gwandia.

Pullina was there with her half-siblings Johan Krevoski-Kenerasis and Miaka Kenerasis. Johan was accompanying his half-sister Beana and looked as lost as he had been at the lunch gathering. Beana looked sharp on the other hand. It was odd seeing them together since Johan was a bit soft in the head. Dunkareh had adopted him since he had been married to his mother and kept his rights even after the marriage was terminated. The mother of Johan and Miaka, Amana Kenerasis, had quickly understood what kind of man Dunkareh was and ran for her life. Dahia had then taken advantage and took the position with great enthusiasm.

Sylia knew that Dunkareh had been sired later in life by Grenar. Maybe that was why he had corrupted so fast. The man was born in Irdalenvi contrary to many of Grenar's.

***

Several Saints joined Sylia and performed with her the Rituals. However, only Sylia underwent the Zodiacus Testing. Shock rippled through the crowds and even the Priests from other Churches who had joined in to witness the Zodiacus's Full Ceremony. Now, they were left with awe. The reason? Saint Sylia had been acknowledged by all the Houses at House-Level then by each Sign.

It was unheard of. No one had ever accomplished such a thing.

Then came the Benedictions which were bestowed generously by the majority of the Signs and of course by all the Houses' Spirits. The Blessings were also given freely by many Signs and only one House, the House of Rainbows, refused to bless Sylia saying she was no kid and that she was not that nice to kids. A few children and their relatives chuckled about that.

The shocking part was that two Signs of Lord Chester House gave Saint Sylia the finger. One related to The Chipmucks said they were expecting her Blessings instead and she was late in her gifts. The other related to the Turtles mentioned some Turtle Soup and a few kidnapped Turtles that were enslaved and harassed. Save those two, none spoke ill of the Saint and even those cheeky Signs apologized quickly after seeing her upset expression and gave her a few Blessings.

***

The Ceremony concluded in triumph. Lady Sylia's Acknowledgment by all the Houses of the Zodiacus System had sent shockwaves through the crowd. Whispers rippled in every corner, each one attempting to grasp the magnitude of what had just unfolded before their eyes. A few attendees showed more restraint, limiting their comments to praise for the grandeur of the newly revealed Cathedral but they were the minority. One name lingered on every tongue: Sylia.

Stories were spun before the night was over. Ballads were composed in honor of the Saint who had achieved the impossible. The joy only grew when that same Saint unsealed a hidden square and invited all present to a grand celebration, an open-air barbecue accompanied by a variety of activities and indoor banquets.

Music filled the air. Some danced, others rushed toward the three theaters connected to the Saint's buildings. Wine, ale, and exotic fruit juices flowed freely. The food was not only abundant and of remarkable quality, but largely free. Much of it gifted by the very Gods who had shaped the new Cathedral District. Only a few select offerings were priced.

It was a day of celebration for all. Among the joyous crowd, Jimmy stood out, glowing with happiness after receiving a Blessing from one of the most prestigious Signs. As a child of the Slums, he still couldn't believe he had received such honor. It meant the world to him. He knew this would open doors that would otherwise have remained forever closed. In his heart, he silently thanked the Saint who had made it possible.

And he was far from being alone in his sentiment. His friend Pullina, and many other children, shared in his gratitude. They all understood just how extraordinary this moment was. Most of them were born in the bleakest parts of the Slums or came from families too poor to ever dream of attending such a Ceremony, let alone being guided by a Saint of Sylia's stature. They knew the truth. None of this would have happened without her and her kin.

Everyone could feel that Sylia and her relatives stood apart from the other Saints. Many of those so-called Saints were frauds, devoid of Holy Magic or Divine protection. Yet, they charged outrageous sums to the naïve or the ambitious, those desperate to climb the social ladder. Sylia was different, and everyone could see it.

She was the bright star that shone above them all. A bringer of hope.

***

(Adult Sylia in her Nights Church clothes)

In the days that followed, news of the Saint's achievement spread rapidly throughout the Kingdom. Newspapers, magazines, and the upper echelons of society all buzzed with discussion about Saint Sylia's unprecedented Acknowledgment by every House of the Zodiacus System. It signified that she held the protection of all the Lords who truly mattered in their world. Such a feat was unheard of.

Though most citizens knew little about the intricacies of Divine politics, they understood one thing clearly. There had never been consensus among the Gods of the same Flock when it came to the Blessing of one mortal. The Guardians of the Zodiacus were even more unpredictable and far more formidable. They were, often, even more powerful than the Gods, having been crafted by the Lords themselves.

However, no one was more shaken by the news than the Royal Family.

Some among them began to fear that Saint Sylia would now turn her gaze toward them. And with good reason. Both Saint Sylia and Lord Chester had previously struck the Capital and several Royal territories after discovering the family's involvement in orchestrated attacks, not only against their main target, Sylia's son, Danielu, but against several of Sylia's other children.

Driven by desperation and their dwindling power, the Royal Family had resorted to increasingly horrifying methods in a bid to obtain more Magic. They began abducting very young children, enslaving them, draining them. Sometimes, doing both to their terrified victims.

Many within the family had long since shed the last vestiges of humanity. They fed on the innocent and crushed all opposition with ruthless efficiency.

But this time, they were facing Saint Sylia herself. And they knew there would be no easy escape from her wrath.

In one final act of desperation, they turned to the Sovereign Duke of Irdalenvi, hoping he might deliver them from the reckoning they feared. He was known to be powerful and resourceful—at least on the surface. For a family whose Magic and Skills had eroded steadily over the centuries, he had seemed like the perfect solution. But they had no idea what they were about to awaken.

Because this was Saint Sylia they were dealing with.

Lord Chester may have withdrawn, for now but that only meant Sylia and her Source would act directly. And there would be a dear price to pay.

Those who had wronged her had already been offered many chances to repent. Instead, most of them had doubled down. That, in itself, was a grave mistake.

They may well have just unleashed hell.

***

Several days passed, yet the excitement surrounding Sylia's Ceremony showed no signs of fading. The Saint had organized a series of smaller events to honor the children who had taken their Zodiacus tests later than the others, each for different reasons.

Nearly a week later, the children from the Slums gathered once more with a handful of friends from nearby Districts. The meeting took place in one of Sylia's secured, semi-hidden squares nestled at the Outskirts of the Slums. As before, Sylia had made sure barbecue dishes were served, ensuring the children had plenty of meat to enjoy.

She took pleasure in watching them eat, laugh, and forget their hardships, if only for a while. And she waited—waited until they were halfway through their meal before delivering a most shocking announcement.

She had anticipated everyone's surprise, even the protests that followed. But it didn't matter.

Sylia had a plan, and she intended to see it through.

Their livelihoods were on the line.

***

The children stared at Sylia in surprise. They had been happily munching on Dabarkon skewers, treats brought from their Enclaves by Lady Sayana and Saint Seyka. Both women were relatives of Lady Sylia and doted on the little ones from the Slums.

Jimmy was the first to speak.

"Miss Sylia, could you repeat what you just said?"

Sylia smiled. "We'll be heading to the Province Capital and the Kingdom's Capital in the next few days. I'm not sure in which order yet. It depends on whom I feel like striking first. Some Gods seem to think it's time for budget cuts. We've got too many useless Kings sitting around stirring up trouble. Maybe it's time we cut them down to one. Beheading one and replacing the other with his brother wouldn't be so terrible."

Jimmy gulped and looked at his childhood friend Pullina. He was still too young to understand politics, but he was pretty sure that killing Kings and replacing them wasn't exactly a good thing.

Saint Seyka interjected, gently. "I think it would be dangerous to bring the children with you."

"I'll make sure each one of them is protected," Sylia replied calmly. "We'll only take the tough ones. As for the others, we can bring in their copy instead."

Saint Seyka let out a sigh. Lady Sayana simply looked resigned. She knew their mother well.

"May I ask what's prompted all this?" Seyka asked.

"I've been bored lately," Sylia said. "Mathias had his fun. Why shouldn't I have mine? I plan to bombard Setralz next, since they not only sold out to the Karakov Empire but broke our pact on top of it."

"I can understand you would want to destroy Setralz," Seyka said slowly, "but heading to the Capital…could cause serious trouble."

Jimmy looked at her doubtfully, then nodded anyway. "Yes, Miss Sylia. If a civil war breaks out, we'll all be in danger."

"I'm trying to prevent a war, not start one." Sylia replied sharply. "I'm tired of constantly defending myself. They keep sending assassins after me, and they even tried kidnapping several of my children. Maybe I should bring a few with me this time and give them the perfect opportunity to try something. That way, they'll stop sending people altogether. They'll know I'll be showing up in person next time and dealing with them seriously."

"I see," Seyka said with a slow nod. "That would make sense. Still, you already devastated a third of the Capital Region with that Drake of yours after Danielu was almost kidnapped. Returning so soon might be… excessive."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "I thought that was Lord Chester's Drake!"

Seyka shook her head. "No. That one was hers. If Lord Chester had sent his own Drake, there wouldn't be anything left of the Kingdom. He wanted the entire Capital Region erased. If you attack a child he has blessed, you're doomed. Even those attacking someone who had been blessed by Guardians from his House receive brutal retaliation. And if one of his Mascots taps a foot, it's game over for the country."

"Luckily," she continued, "they only sent, this time, a Subordinate, to destroy a small part of the land belonging to the Royal Family. But even that didn't go so well. The land still vanished entirely. That Subordinate either had too heavy a foot or was afraid of disappointing Lord Chester. You know, the reason the House of Rainbows was created was because they didn't want to give too many Benedictions from the House of Chester to local children. There wouldn't be much left of this world if they hadn't come up with that solution. The Rainbows House is still overseen by one of the fiercest Chipmucks of Lord Chester, Lord Maxchipu. All the Gods bow to that one. Even Mazeros and Mazeron both fear and respect him."

Jimmy gasped. A few of the children stared at the floor, worried.

Sayana gave a soft smile. "It's true, children. I've heard that Lord Maxchipu's own children were absolutely incapable of creating anything cute. They all took after the Dark Lord who can't either. Even though Lord Maxchipu was modeled after Lord Matty, he turned out too tough-looking and definitely not cute. In the end, he went crying to his Godfather, the Master of Blood Lords, who made him a few cute children. They were the ones who became the first Guardians of the House of Rainbows.

"After that," she added, "Lord Maxchipu started forcing those kids to make more cute Guardians, and only gave the final touches to their designs. Unfortunately, the House of Rainbows ended up being feared by all. Their Flock can be terrifying when they're angry. Thankfully, they still have more restraint than Lord Chester and his House."

Several of the children who had received Benedictions or Acknowledgments from the House of Rainbows now looked uncertain.

***

The children and adults present at the gathering did not openly comment on Sylia's declaration. They trusted her with their lives. Most of them already held a bitter opinion of the Royal Family and the Kings. Many had witnessed relatives taken away as slaves, worked to exhaustion and discarded once they were no longer of use. Resentment had long taken root in all those families who had been endlessly exploited and persecuted for their Magic and beliefs.

***

That day marked, for Sylia, the opening declaration of a quiet war against the Royal Family. She swore to herself that she would uproot every trace of corruption festering within their ranks. One of the Kings would fall and this time, there would be no replacement. She would unleash hell upon him and his relatives who sought to prey upon her children and those under her protection.

There would be no mercy.

The days that followed would shape the politics of the Kingdom for years to come. But it is too soon to tell that story. For now, you need only remember that the Royal Family stood at the very heart of the schemes against Sylia.

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