With a long and solemn blast of the horn, a procession of carriages slowly entered the storm-ravaged Lola City. The four-wheeled carriages were imposing, with windows carved with exquisite and intricate designs, as well as silver and copper foils decorating the four corners, prompting people to whisper among themselves, wondering which of the aristocrats had co for an inspection.
Soon, the mystery was unraveled when the Royal crimson chariot appeared in Lola City, causing everyone to visibly perk up. A figure in a crimson-purple Royal robe slowly descended from the carriage. The people of Lola City almost instinctively bowed their heads, so knowledgeable landowners and lesser nobles promptly knelt on one knee, all in hopes of making a favorable impression on the co-sovereign Emperor.
From the grand carriage to the debris-strewn streets of Lola City, Emperor Anos I made her way onto the crumbling thoroughfares accompanied by guards. Baron Lawrence intended to step forward and kiss her ring but was refused—a presumptuous move, until the priest, from the Church neared, bowed his head, and kissed Anos’s ring, before stepping back respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Emperor..."
The priest attempted to say sothing but was interrupted by the Empress.
"Who is inside the Church?
I have heard that you have seen God’s ssenger."
Her voice, crisp and brief, sent a shiver down the spines of both the priest and Baron Lawrence.
They exchanged anxious glances, neither daring to speak first.
God’s ssenger...
Since Solamus sounded the horn and returned to Heaven, there had been no sight of God’s ssenger on earth for three millennia.
The reason the priest and Baron Lawrence reported as much in the docunts was partly due to personal desires for more relief resources, and partly because... the people of Lola City were spreading tales of God’s ssenger.
Many testified they had seen the Envoy in the midst of the storm, and after it cleared, not a single person had perished.
But neither the priest nor Baron Lawrence had expected that Emperor Anos I herself would personally grace this place.
"Your Majesty, we... neglected to include the word ’alleged’ in our docunts..."
The quick-witted priest stamred in an attempt to explain.
Anos’s gaze was fixed on the stone Church; she ignored the two n and walked straight in.
After a mont, the Empress stopped and let out a deep breath.
"We et again, Mira."
Mira turned to face Anos.
The Empress took steps towards her;
"It’s like I’m your attendant, always moving towards you whenever we et."
Anos said, positioning herself in front of Mira, where the sunlight from the window cast a long shadow.
"Have you co to arrest this ti?"
Mira asked in a soft voice.
Anos nodded and said,
"Do you plan to run? You had ample ti to leave."
"The people here have been kind to , they provide with als and freshly made milk."
Mira’s response seed beside the point.
Anos looked at her coldly,
"You’ll get even better treatnt at the Imperial Palace."
When the words fell,
Mira looked back at Anos.
Her coming here was for Anos.
Having served as a ssenger for nearly a year, even within the high ranks of the Primordial Church, there were whispers of a new Envoy.
This was known to Mira through the Prophecy.
Looking at Anos’s familiar face, Mira took a deep breath and willingly extended her hands.
The co-sovereign Emperor personally placed the wooden shackles on her.
.................
The carriage jostled along the road.
Emperor Anos I watched Mira warily.
Mira shifted her wrists, complaining,
"It’s unbearable, I can’t move at all."
Anos responded coldly,
"Then you should never have appeared, not ever."
Mira shook her head and spoke softly,
"I carry a mission entrusted by God."
The Empress stared into her eyes and asked,
"What is it?"
"About the Primordial."
Mira paused for a mont, then continued:
"The Primordial Embryo, God entrusted it to , and I need to free it from your control."
Facing Anos, there was nothing much for Mira to hide now.
"Is this what God asked you to do?"
Anos asked out loud.
Mira solemnly nodded her head, saying,
"Of course, what you don’t know is that what you are trying to do is like using your arm to stop a chariot."
The Empress shook her head with a wry smile.
Mira leaned forward, her voice rising,
"I’ve spoken to the God in Heaven.
Anos, He knows you, knows all of you, and He witnesses everything you do."
The Empress looked sowhat impatient and retorted,
"So what?
Do you think I’ve been bewitched?
I know exactly what I need to do, much clearer than my parents ever did."
Then, she let out a phrase,
"Mira, I’ve already t with the Six Gods."
Mira was stunned.
The girl realized then who it was that would eventually ascend to the Thunderbolt Star.
Despite previous speculation, it wasn’t until Anos’s words that she could truly confirm.
"So it was you..."
Mira murmured in a low voice.
The Empress replied indifferently,
"Yes, just as you’ve thought."
After saying this, Anos did not look at Mira anymore; in her heart, there was little affection left.
Even the smile directed at her parents was out of habit, starting from who knows when, a re lifting of the lips could craft a stiff smile.
Mira watched Anos.
What the girl was thinking about, after a long while, she slowly said,
"Could it be... the Six Gods think that their King Shan’en chose to fall because He had too much affection?
Thus, they need soone with a Golden Heart like you to beco King?"
Anos did not respond directly but countered,
"Isn’t having greater power a good thing?"
Mira continued,
"They have been waiting for you for a long ti, haven’t they? Over so many years, only this child from Delos could encompass the Golden Heart."
The Empress said nothing, rely giving Mira a fleeting glance.
The carriage continued to rock.
Silence swirled within the cabin, lasting who knows how long.
Anos’s gaze remained outside the carriage window.
They were gradually approaching the Imperial City, and soon, the magnificent six walls of Danschel would appear before them again.
"Mira, if only you could be soone who listens and follows my commands," the Empress said, out of nowhere.
Mira turned to look at Anos.
The latter did not turn her head, still facing the scenes flashing by outside the window,
"What a pity, henceforth we can only be in opposition, our paths can no longer coexist."
Mira pondered, then after a mont, she asked,
"Anos, do you know what you truly need to do?"
The Empress still didn’t glance aside,
"I know what I want to do..."
"No, it’s not about what you want to do, but what you truly need to do."
The Envoy spoke slowly,
"What you truly need to do, is to be a person."
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