"Also that child was holding back," Gray blurted out and her words surprised King Girsal.
"Holding back?" King Girsal asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Definitely," Gray replied with a nonchalant shrug, twirling down the hall. "I’m pretty sure she’s got more tricks up her sleeve."
"Oh, speaking of tricks," Gray turned to face King Girsal with a sly grin, "You ntioned a war in three weeks, right?"
"Yes, that’s right, Apostle," King Girsal confird.
"Here’s an idea," Gray suggested with a mischievous glint in her eye, "Let her go solo in the war. I an, toss her in with not just regular folks, but High Humans, Chaos, and Holy Humans."
King Girsal was taken aback. "Apostle, that’s outrageous!"
"Just hear out," Gray said, undeterred. "If her life’s on the line, you can always swoop in to save her. I bet you’re interested and eager to see what she’s truly made of, right? What better way to test her strength than a life-or-death situation?"
"Alright, you have a point there," King Girsal conceded with a slight bow.
"Also," Gray continued with a cold determination, "Figure out a way to get her on our side. Soone with her potential can either join our goddess Paige or...well, you know the alternative, she might as well die. We can’t risk other churches trying to get her to their side and using her against us."
"But she’s..." King Girsal began, only to be interrupted by Gray, who suddenly appeared before him, her eye revealing a pink cross at its center.
"Would you dare defy an Apostle?" Gray asked, her gaze intense.
"Absolutely not!" King Girsal replied nervously, feeling the pressure she emanated pressing down on him, tightening his chest.
"Good! "That’s what I like to hear, pa, pa, pa, pa." Gray said, her tone lightening as she patted him on the shoulder. "So, about that war..."
King Girsal raised an eyebrow, "Are you planning to stay for it?"
"Not interested," Gray replied casually, giving a thumbs-up. "Just stream it for ."
"But what if it gets leaked?" King Girsal exclaid, worry in his voice.
"That’s the whole point," Gray replied with a chilling smile. "If word gets out, the only safe haven she can turn to is the Church of Paige. After all, her parents are mbers of our church. We’d have no choice but to protect her. Her abilities are bound to co out to the public sooner or later, and other churches or countries might co sniffing around and covet her. It’s better to be prepared and keep her from falling into the wrong hands."
"This is turning out to be much more serious than I had anticipated," King Girsal muttered, his brow furrowed as he fixed his gaze on Gray.
"Yes, indeed. Given the abundance of light magic she wields, her exceptional beauty, and her undeniable natural charm, she might even ascend to the status of a Saintess. Although, I rather hope she doesn’t beco the next Saintess of beauty," Gray remarked, her tone devoid of emotion.
"But what if she does beco a Saintess?" King Girsal inquired, curiosity evident in his voice.
"I highly doubt it," Gray replied with a dismissive shrug. "She cos off as rather cocky and brash. If, by so chance, she does attain that position, her fate will likely follow the sa path as those who ca before her."
"I must be on my way now; I have more pressing matters to attend to. We can discuss the details of her origin via the communication cube," Gray announced, stepping onto a light pink magic circle that promptly whisked her away.
The warm smile that had adorned King Girsal’s face was replaced by a cold, calculated frown. "I despise groveling before that elderly woman," he muttered sadistically. "One day, I’ll attain that level of power and beco the most influential figure on the continent." he whispered with a sinister grin. "For now, I must abide by their whims," he resigned himself to the present reality as he began walking away.
Upon returning to his office, King Girsal settled into his chair, pushing aside the jade tablets cluttering his desk. He touched his ring, causing a small, clear vial containing light red liquid to materialize. He twirled the vial between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the contents.
Shrugging off his coat, he examined his arm with a glare. What had once been a fully regenerated limb had reverted to its chanical state, exposing his artificial limbs.
"Even Kielbasa, a Sacred, couldn’t alter my condition with his blood," King Girsal muttered through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then chuckled as he looked at his hand. "Why did my mother have to be a damned cha?"
_______
In a lavishly decorated room, a young boy, approximately ten years old, struggled with uncontrollable fits of coughing, even coughing up blood. His long, disheveled black hair frad a pair of striking erald eyes.
Maids rushed to tend to Girsal, attempting to clean him up.
"Leave at once!" Girsal barked at the maids with fierce intensity, and they hurriedly exited his room, fearful of his wrath.
After a brief pause, a fair-skinned woman of exquisite beauty entered Girsal’s room. Her eyes glistened with tears as she gazed upon the suffering boy.
"My dear son, I’m deeply sorry that I couldn’t provide you with a healthy body. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure such suffering." the woman lanted, tears streaming down her face as she gazed at her son. However, her heartfelt words were t with a cold, resentful glare from him.
"All the doctors, every single one of them, told they couldn’t diagnose my condition, but they all had the sa grim prognosis—that I didn’t have much ti left," Girsal confessed, his eyes welling up with tears. "Mum, I don’t want to die."
His mother gently cradled Girsal’s face in her hands, her eyes filled with fervent emotion. "I had hoped you’d grow up just like any other human child, my dear boy. But it appears that a cha like couldn’t birth a fully healthy child into this world," she confessed, dropping a revelation that left Girsal in shock.
"What are you saying, Mother?" Girsal asked, his voice quivering as he stared at his mother.
"I should have augnted your body a long ti ago. It’s the only way you could have a chance at a longer life," his mother explained, tears still in her eyes.
"Mum, what do you an?" Girsal inquired, his confusion deepening.
"I should have done it much earlier, but this country has a deep-rooted prejudice against other races. If I proceed with the augntation, you’ll beco an outcast," his mother explained, her tone tinged with fear.
Girsal was overwheld by his mother’s revelation. "But I’d rather be human. I’d rather die as a human than beco a monster!" he declared, his gaze unwavering as he looked at his mother, whose expression contorted in pain at his words.
"If you stay as you are now, you won’t have much ti left, maybe just a year," his mother declared, gripping his hand tightly. Her features beca a blur to him, but he could still recall her warm smile.
"It’s because this country lacks good doctors, we’re not well off!" Girsal exclaid angrily.
"We’re not exactly poor," his mother countered.
"Then why is this room adorned with fake gold and crystals?" Girsal’s question pierced the room, causing his mother to shift uncomfortably and she looked nervously around the opulent surroundings.
Frustration simred within Girsal as he continued, "Every year, Father lavishes his wealth on the commoners, distributing it generously. But when it cos to paying for my dication, he struggles to find the funds, because most of his hard-earned money is squandered on those who hardly appreciate it!"
"You’re right," his mother conceded, her voice laced with sadness. "But your father does it because he’s an inherently kind man. He helps those who don’t have enough to eat or proper clothing."
"What’s the use of him being a kind man to others if he can’t let the world suffer to save his loved ones?" Girsal questioned, his teeth grinding in frustration.
"Does Dad even care about , Mom?" Girsal’s voice held a lifeless quality as he locked eyes with her.
"Of course he does! That’s why he visits you every day!" his mother asserted with unwavering conviction.
"I see," Girsal replied, his gaze searching. "So what’s going to happen to now, Mom? Am I really not going to be human?"
"Yes, you’ll lose so of your humanity and beco one of the most powerful beings in the world—a cha. But I hope you’ll still live a long and fulfilling life. Always rember, your mother loves you dearly. No one must ever know that you’re not human. And if you ever feel lonely, my holand will always welco you back," she whispered as she cradled his face gently, her fingers brushing through his hair.
Girsal felt a strange drowsiness overtaking him. "Why am I getting so sleepy?" he murmured, his mind growing hazy as he drifted off.
When Girsal regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a pool of blood. His eyes widened in terror as he saw his mother, bleeding profusely from a gaping wound in her abdon. But to his shock, there was nothing inside her.
"Mother! Mother!" Girsal cried out, rushing to her side in a state of utter panic.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the horrifying truth. His mother’s heart and parts of her inner structure that maintained her bodily form were missing, including her spine.
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and he looked at his own limbs, a faint greenish tint coloring his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
"What the hell is happening?" he muttered, his fear palpable.
"Wait, why can I even stand?" Girsal’s confusion deepened as he got up from the ground, his eyes never leaving his mother.
"Mother, did you...?" he began to ask, his voice trembling with disbelief.
He collapsed beside her, hugging her tightly, heedless of the blood-soaked surroundings.
Suddenly, a group of maids and butlers burst into the room, ready to attend to the ailing prince. However, they were greeted by a nightmarish scene that left them frozen in horror, their eyes fixed on Girsal.
_________
As Girsal strode through the echoing halls of the castle, he couldn’t escape the hushed whispers and gossip trailing in his wake.
"That cursed child," soone hissed with icy disdain.
"They say he killed his own mother."
"Did you hear that so of her limbs were missing when they found her? Maybe he... consud them?" A voice speculated with morbid curiosity.
"I heard the doctors claid he’d barely be able to walk, but look at him now, wandering the castle as if he owns the place. He must have stolen those missing limbs!" Another voice chid in.
"Disgusting fiend. Pray he never becos king."
"He’s a revolting boy. I shudder at the thought of soone like him ascending to the throne!"
"An inferior, heartless creature like him? Never!"
"An individual as inferior and ruthless as he is would never beco our king!"
****
"Inferior?" Girsal clenched his teeth as he sat before a grave in a secluded garden, the na "Marian Vanluad" etched onto the marker.
"Live a fulfilling life," his mother’s words echoed in his mind.
"Mother, life can never be fulfilling unless you stand at the pinnacle of society. How can one find fulfillnt when the things they hold dear can be snatched away?" King Girsal murmured with pain in his voice.
"Though I must admit, this is a blessing," he said suddenly, a grin breaking across his face. "I could barely lift a sword before, but now I can take on hordes of beasts with ease!"
"Don’t worry, Mother, your sacrifice wasn’t in vain," he declared with a manic gleam in his eye. "Your son will build a wealthy and powerful kingdom, free from any so-called ’disgusting races’ that dare to taint our royal lineage!"
"This country is pathetically weak," he spat, his tone dripping with disgust. "Ever since you left, our military might has crumbled, we’ve lost wars and our finances are in shambles, and that fool of a father keeps throwing our treasury at those scoundrels in exchange for their peace! Unacceptable, disgraceful!"
"Humanity is feeble, unable to stand on its own," he grumbled. "In a world of self-interest, those who play the ga right thrive while those who falter lose. And our country is on the losing side."
"I’m tired of scraping by in poverty! I watch nobles feast on sumptuous als than , even though I’m a prince. Unacceptable, utterly disgraceful!" He exploded, slamming his hand into the ground, forming a small crater.
"All my brothers are weaklings, too spineless to use even slaves to win wars, and yet they themselves won’t step onto the battlefield! Dearest mother, I’m fed up with these fools. I can’t stand them!"
"Every ti I suggest my approach, they label it as cruelty. But it’s the surefire way to achieve all my goals, goals that would uplift this small country!" Girsal explained.
His eyes sparked with enthusiasm as he continued, "From the constant updates I receive from Mother Base at the cha Tower, I’ve learned that royal families in powerful nations dine with actual gold. Real gold, can you believe it? I want that too! I crave a magnificent palace, exquisite and rare dishes every day!" His declaration radiated excitent.
He lowered his gaze, a hint of lancholy in his tone. "If only we were wealthy, perhaps you’d still be by my side," Girsal mused, his voice tinged with sadness. He gently placed a beautiful crystal purple lily on his mother’s grave.
"And if that so-called Saintess had healed , you might still be alive!!" he muttered through gritted teeth, recalling the cold, indifferent look the Saintess had cast his way when he lay on his sickbed. "She demanded an exorbitant sum, and when Father couldn’t afford it, she simply refused to treat ! Everyone knows how greedy she is, despite being my step-sister. But don’t worry, Mother, I’ll make her pay dearly for what she’s done!"
Girsal’s tone took on a joyful note as he declared, "And as for my race, you needn’t fret. I can beco human! There’s a way, and I’ll make sure to fully embrace humanity, striving to beco the perfect human."
He went on, his voice resolute, "The Church preaches that Humans possess the highest power among all races. Not Floops, Starlights, or chas—humans! According to their doctrine, the other races are ant to bow down and serve us. They were created by the High God to be our servants. After all, why else would a cha like yourself submit to a human like Father, if not because you were an inferior being all along? But don’t worry, Mother, your son won’t be inferior like you, for I will be human! I shall never align with the chas," Girsal declared with confidence
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