Chapter 109: A City Of Believers

In the Underground City, an important event was taking place. The Keeper of The Red Moon, who had been the subject of conversation since Sylun had returned from the Summit, was to be present at the opening of a Temple made for him.

Skepticism, which had been quite high in the beginning, had fallen considerably but maintained a presence. Rumors had spread and the influence of the Red Moon was felt repeatedly in a short time span. Even if someone wanted to maintain their non-belief, they would have at least one acquaintance that would berate them and present them with several convincing rumors and stories. That helped, but the most driving factor was the penalty of blasphemy which was death.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late!” A teenage boy held the hand of his little brother as they moved toward the Temple. The pair were both wearing poor quality clothing covered in dust and rips and they looked a little thin, but they were in high spirits. For those like them, hope was something that could keep them going.

The Underground City, like most cities, had its share of poor citizens. The Dark Elves weren’t included since their longer lifespans allowed them to form quite a lot of connections which helped them hold majority control over the economy.

The two boys were lycanthropes who lost their parents at a young age and were unlucky enough to be born without any prominent abilities. It was a sad story and there were much more just like it to be found in the lower class districts and beyond.

“My legs hurt,” The younger boy complained as he trailed behind his older brother.

“Here, I’ll carry you,” The teenage boy let his brother climb onto his back before he raced toward the Temple.

The roads were nearly filled and there were at least five or six guards attempting to maintain order every 100 feet.

“Any crimes committed on this day will be punished by death, by order of her Majesty,” A guard yelled as he cleaned his bloody sword. Beside lay the body of a criminal covered with an old cloth stained with a scarlet color.

The scene helped to repel would-be pickpockets and thieves who thought it to be the best place to strike.

“Excuse me.” The boy maneuvered through large groups of people as politely as he could, but at some point, the crowd became too dense.

“I can’t see anything,” his younger brother complained.

“...I’ll find somewhere else.” Their desire to see the Keeper grew with each passing moment so they could only search for another spot.

“Attention! Her Majesty, Queen Sylun Meldara will be speaking soon,” Someone announced with amplification magic.

“We’re going to be late,” His younger brother complained.

“We’ll make it, I promise.” Although he said that, they wouldn’t be able to see much from their current position.

Thousands of people were gathered outside of the temple and they stretched as far as the eye could see. Attendance was mandatory and those who were caught away from the temple would be killed. Eloise and a few other elite squads of lycanthropes were sweeping the unoccupied area checking for anyone who hadn’t appeared. With their senses, it was safe to say the likelihood of an average person escaping detection was abysmally low.

“Hey.” As the boy continued on, a childish voice called out to them.

They turned around to see a girl with pale blue hair with black roots, her eyes and fingernails matched the blue of her hair, and three small black of varying sizes sat between her brows. She wore a black shirt with intricate patterns of wolves sewn into it along with black pants and black boots. On the left side of her hip, a metal baton hung and on the right a small ivory scythe with a segmented chain attached that resembled bone. It was obviously Harper.

“Yes?” The teenage boy answered carefully. He recalled the stories about the slaughter that happened. It was said that a young girl with pale blue eyes was the one directing it and was the most vicious. To be even more detailed, the victims attacked in public would be beheaded with a skeletal chain and scythe without a word of warning.

“Come with me,” Harper said with no room for negotiation.

“Are you with the guards? We didn’t do anything wrong, I promise.” The boy could feel his little brother’s arms tightening around him and grew even more reluctant.

“Are you going to make this hard for me?” Harper frowned as she fidgeted with the baton on her hip.

“N-No.” The boy held his head down as he moved toward her.

“Good.” Harper nodded before she lead them through the crowd and toward the temple.

“Move!” Harper shoved a man out of her way. Although she wasn’t as strong as Ira she still had quite a lot of strength.

“Who?!” The man turned around and was about to curse when he saw the color of Harper’s hair and stopped the words on the tip of his tongue.

Harper didn’t pay any attention to him and continued to push through the crowd with the two boys until she arrived at the temple. The group of guards in front of the stairs and parted, allowing her to enter. She took a few steps and then turned around to look at the dumbstruck boys.

“Let’s go,” Harper said as she gestured for them to speed up.

The brothers woke from their stupor and followed after while overhearing a few people voicing their jealousy.

Harper climbed the stairs and avoided the servants setting up a speaking platform and opened the temple door which was protected by even more guards.

“Ira! I got them,” Harper called out.

The two boys looked around and it wasn’t long before a young man appeared in their eyes. He had pitch black hair and piercing yellow eyes that glowed brightly. His features were sharp yet youthful which made him seem as if he was eighteen or nineteen from a quick glance. He wore a black shirt with red patterns sewn into it that was similar to Harper’s except his was even more detailed. He was surrounded by a contingent of guards but he maintained a friendly smile that made him seem approachable in spite of that fact.

“I noticed you two moving around when I took a peek outside,” Ira said as he stood up.With his sense of sight, it wasn't very hard to see them approaching, the only question was why he picked them in particular. Ira's answer to that would simply be "Why not?"

“W-Who are you?” The younger boy asked in ignorance.

“You!” A guard showed visible anger and was about to draw his sword, but Ira waved him off.

“No one in particular,” Ira shrugged.

The older of the two brothers seemed to understand a few things. Since they were more or less illiterate, they weren’t able to understand the Imperial Proclamation, but the rumors of his numerous.

Before anyone could speak any further, a dark elf woman walked out from somewhere deep inside of the temple. Her pure white hair was braided in a ceremonial style and there were three black circles painted on her forehead. Her outfit consisted of a dark red robe with the insignia of a black wolf on her chest and a small silver crown without any decorations.

Behind the woman, a younger pair of dark elves who appeared to be siblings dressed in identical red robes. Of the two, the girl also had three small black circles drawn on her forehead.

Everyone in the room kneeled except for Ira, Harper, and two other humans standing off to the side.

“Don’t you know who you’re facing? That’s the Queen, the Prince, and the Princess,” A servant that was near the two boys whispered.

They both widened their eyes in surprise before he put his brother down and kneeled.

Sylun raised an eyebrow at the two dirty brothers dressed in rags and looked toward Ira for an answer.

“They wanted to get a better look at the ceremony,” He shrugged.

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“If that’s what you wish, then I have no problems. What are your names?” Sylun asked.

“I’m...Etrys...y-your Ma-Majesty and t-this is my-y brother, Edlyn…” Etrys, the older brother, clearly lost his ability to speak when standing in the front of the Queen. His body shook and he began to sweat heavily.

“Where are your parents?” She continued her inquiry.

“Dead...Your Majesty,” Etrys answered with a trace of sadness.

“So your orphans?” Ira asked as he glanced around the room. His own parents were dead and so were Harper’s and Amy’s. Aldis, on the other hand, still had his mother around.

“Is that something common here?” Ira asked Sylun who’s expression darkened.

“...We have our share of impoverished citizens, Keeper.”

Etrys watched as the Queen of the Empire held her head down to the young man next to her. His they opened as wide as they could as he paid attention to her the last word she spoke. It confirmed that Ira was the Keeper and had a status higher than the Queen.

“Why don’t you start training them?” Ira asked as he examined the brothers.

“If that is what you want we’ll start immediately, Keeper.” Sylun nodded while only thinking of how to carry it out effectively.

Those too old to fight they could be trained in logistics, it was a job that only required education rather than fitness. If they were unable to do that they could still serve as cooks, attendants, and stable hands for the lizard mounts. Although the Dark Elf Empire would end up becoming more militaristic, it didn’t matter to her. In her eyes, Ira was something akin to a deity even if constantly stated he wasn’t.

“Anyway, is it time to start?” Ira asked.

“Yes, Keeper,” Sylun nodded.

Everyone inside the temple began to move around as Sylun and Ira moved toward the doors. Etrys and Edlyn moved out of the way and looked around cluelessly until a servant approached and guided them.

…

Outside of the Temple, the crowd stirred but no one dared to raise a fuss since the punishment was quite clear.

“Presenting, Her Majesty, Queen Sylun Meldara,” A voice with amplification announced and it was met with loud cheering.

The beautiful Dark Elf took to the platform and stood with a stoic expression as the cheers continued.

She raised her hand the cheers subsided and allowed silence to slowly drift in.

“I’m sure all of you are aware of why you were called here today. If you’re not, then you must be wondering why you were forced to come or why so many were killed in the last few days. Before you receive any answers, let’s think of the history of all Empire. Before I was a Queen I fought against everything to survive and at that time I had few people to turn to. With the help of a dear friend of mine, this Empire was built on the bones of people who understood that sacrifice was necessary for a better future.” Sylun gazed upon the crowd and only continued after they had time to contemplate her words.

“They understood a very simple fact; We were abandoned by the Gods. Its acknowledged by everyone on the continent, but not many are aware of the story that has been passed to me by the generation that came before me and even before the Collapse. My parents told me that we were a prosperous people. We were the forefront of all civilization and no one could challenge us. With that being so, we grew arrogant and we were struck by a divine punishment.

The Gods cursed us and those under us and so our skin became pale gray like ash and our hair white. Our abilities weakened and we’re only able to return to our previous strength during the winter when the two moons could be seen. The humans who lived with us became the Beast People we know today while the others were struck with curses that turned them into Vampires or Lycanthropes. Without any guidance from the Gods, we looked to the Moon for our salvation.

That’s how the legend went, but no one can say if it's true since thousands of years have passed and no traces of that time remain. What I do know is that the Gods have abandoned us, that is for certain.” Sylun brought the stigma that followed all of those under the Dark Elf Empire back into the forefront and watched as people became emotional. She remained unmoved as there was no one that was alive to witness the worst of it. When the civilization was small and the remaining Dark Elves were persecuted and cited as the cause of the Collapse for a few decades. In that time, the battles seemed to be daily as they fought off hordes of zealots from each race attempting to eradicate them.

“We have never had any real hope during my reign as Queen. That is until the Red Moon appeared in the sky and we knew. Although our lifespan can vary, Dark Elves suffer from low birthrates, but during that night the rate of conception surged. We all felt the Red Moon empowering us no matter who it was and for the first time, I felt hopeful. You’ve seen the Vampires who awoke to stronger bloodlines, but they grew too drunk on their own power and were punished for it.” As Sylun finished, a few people began cursing and those who were unlucky enough to be Vampires found themselves as targets.

“That isn’t to say that all of them should suffer for the mistakes of a few. I understand the reasoning behind their...passion, but as a ruler, I could not accept it. Just as I can accept anyone attempting to erase that hope. I’ve announced it already, but we have found the Keeper of the Red Moon. He is able to spread its influence at any point in time and I’m sure some of you were able to feel it during these last few days.

I also know that there are some skeptics and the most boisterous of your kind have been dealt with. From this point on, anyone who speaks ill of the Keeper will be killed without discussion. Those of you who will become victims because of that statement should take solace in the fact that you’re a necessary sacrifice which will contribute to a better future.” Sylun’s words roused the spectators but none dared to make too big of a scene while guards were present.

“Now, not only have we have been honored by the Keeper’s presence, but he has also chosen to speak and to demonstrate his ability.” Sylun finished her speech and stepped to the side, allowing Ira to move to the front of the speaking platform.

…

Ira looked at the thousands of people who were looking directly at him. He observed them for a few moments before channeling the influence of the Red Moon and looking again. Thousands of red eyes similar to his own stared at him with shock. The crowd burst into a commotion as the existence of the Keeper was finally confirmed.

Though his next sentence brought everything back to silence, “I’m not here to guide you.”

The plain affirmation rang through the ears of everyone present and they felt an indescribable sense of confusion set in.

“Look at all of you,” Ira laughed before continuing, “More than half of you didn’t believe I was real and now that I am you expect me to, what, guide you to a golden age? I'm not a messenger of some higher power. I don't have any teachings to pass to you. I don't have the power to perform miracles that would benefit you and even if I did...”

Ira smiled, “I wouldn't help anyone who expects prosperity without the slightest amount of effort. I’ve been thinking about moving my family to this city and by default, I’ll be invested in its continued survival, but that’s only if I decide to come here in the first place. Sylun practically built this place with her bare hands so why would I even waste time in a city with people who aren’t willing to do the same but expect my assistance.” Ira’s words began to make sense to those listening.

Everyone seemed to take the same thing from his words, he wanted them to grow and to work toward whatever goal they had like Sylun did. A fervor traveled through the crowd as blood rushed throughout their body and increased their excitement. They understood that he wanted them to take measures themselves rather than relying on him to solve all of their problems.

While what he said was something that wouldn’t be convincing if said by anyone else, while under the influence of the Red Moon it felt more than possible. Young and old both felt invigorated and the prospect became more realistic. They didn't need a false prophet lying to them while taking their money and possessions in exchange for dreams that would never come true.

Ira stepped down the from the platform and the crowd remained quiet as a feeling threatened to burst from their chest. Although they understood him they couldn’t think of a way to express it. Their gratitude, their hope, their willingness, their agreement, and their desperation all boiled without an outlet of release until a small voice was heard.

“Praise the Keeper,” A guard said as he kneeled.

“Praise the Keeper.” An old beastman at the end of his life found the strength to kneel and voice his emotions.

“Praise the Keeper.” A Dark Elf noble who began to reevaluate his contribution to the Empire knelt as he found himself wanting to change.

“Praise the Keeper.” A Lycanthrope who lived as a beggar had nothing to give but his spirit and readiness to serve knelt down to show it.

“Praise the Keeper.” A Vampire wanting to erase the dishonorable actions of his relatives and gain back the trust of the people fell to his knees.

A chorus of zealous chants echoed through all reaches of the city as a new resolve found its way into the souls of most of the population.

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