Chapter 4 - History Buff (Patreon)

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The aftermath of that “gross” wasn’t pretty.

Viscount Roswell got very, very angry. So much so that I was belittled and screamed at by the shitty brat. 

Yes, a grown teenager yelled at, for all he knew, an intelligent five-year-old. Very classy. His face turned red. Little veins popped out of his forehead. He threatened to kill me.

It. Was. Hilarious.

Then the gossip began.

Noble onlookers muttered about the “Wrath of the Gods” and such. The clergymen stared in horror, praying. My father’s arms lit with fire. The combination of events made Viscount Roswell suddenly remember where he was and what I was. He lost color in his face and swiftly left the scene with his guards.

It was weird. For a relatively young teenager, he seemed older. I guess that’s what happened in a world with monsters, magic, and a somewhat low life expectancy. People grew up fast.

Regardless, our family had not heard from the viscount since, and I didn’t have to do a damn thing. 

That was one marriage shot down before it even had the chance to begin.

Ahhhh, that made everything worth it!

Such was the power of a Chosen Child, it seemed.

The only tangible backlash I received was from my parents. On their way back to the castle, they said things like, “How could you say that?” and “You know better,” along with “That was disrespectful,” and “Why would you say that to another person?”

On the bright side, our castle was bombarded with requests for tutors for me in every field. And invites for tea and such, so that young noble daughters could make friends with me. But the tutors! That was important. There were, of course, people who wanted to make a name for themselves, furthering my learning. The names were sifted through, interviewed, and investigated until my parents finally landed on a single man.

Professor Lorik was his name. 

He was an older gentleman, likely in his forties. Crisp pepper-colored hair sat atop his head. A lengthy beard grizzled his upper lip, cheeks, and chin. It was neatly trimmed to his face and was full of black and white hairs. Delicate lines of stress danced around his eyes. Three deep ones etched his forehead when he was thinking. He had a slight build, much to be expected of a scholar of his caliber.

It had been a few months since we started our tutoring, and—

“Are you paying attention?” asked Professor Lorik.

My thoughts were pushed aside. The grizzled professor tapped his knuckles against the table.

“Yes, sir.”

“You clearly were not,” the professor rejected. “Enough with the books. We’ll verbally go over something new while exercising.”

Holding in a groan, I stood from my seat in the castle library and moved to a vacant space in between the many tables. “Yes, sir. I could use the change.”

“Is there anything you wish to know?” the professor asked me.

“It’s my choice this time?”

“There is much to learn and teach. As society progresses forward, human knowledge expands. It is infinite as long as people continue to do marvelous things.”

I twisted my body, cracking my back. I then stretch my neck and arms. “Why does no country try to invade Trinity Mountain?”

Professor Lorik’s face immediately darkened. “Why do you think they should?”

“It’s where almost all the Divine Treats are grown, so it surprises me that no one’s tried. We’re the only large landmass on the planet, split into four countries and surrounded by many island chains. It’s true some Divine Treats are found in nature, but it’s rare. I mean, people can powers from cores, but they're not as strong and you'd have to kill a monster or a Synborn to get them."

Professor Lorik nodded along, impressed but used to my intelligence.

I continued, "Trinity Mountain is the only place with consistent volume. If one country can control the continent, it controls the world. If a country could monopolize the Divine Treats, it could increase the number of gift users in its military. They’d win any war at that point, even if the other three countries teamed up against it. So why hasn’t anyone attempted it?”

“It is ironic that a Chosen Child would say such a thing,” the professor commented.

“Then the answer must be important for one such as myself to seek the knowledge.”

“Cocky. But that is appreciated.”

“Someone must have tried at some point, right?”

“No one would dare.”

“Why is that?”

“First, stretching.” The old professor stood up and joined me in the middle of the library. “It’s good to get the blood flowing. Helps clear the mind and retain information after long spans of inactivity.”

I said nothing but nodded my assent.

We began what I could only describe as yoga. The shoeless professor began a standing stretch, spreading his legs and slowly shifting his arms, which I copied.

“Would you care to guess why first?” asked the professor. He slowly shifted his weight from right to left, then back again.

“Because of the Gods. People fear them. They wouldn’t attack a territory solely dedicated to them.”

“That is one part of it, yes.”

“But not the entirety?”

“To the floor now,” ordered Lorik, putting aside my question for a moment. “Slowly. Work on building the muscles in your legs. A limber body aids a flexible mind.”

“Yes, sir.”

I slowly slid my legs apart until I was in a half-split. Gritting my teeth, I let out a low breath and continued the rest of the way down. Soon, my lower half hit the floor as both my legs spread out on either side of me.

It was easy to do a split when I was so young and… missing parts…

Professor Lorik sat down quickly with his legs crossed. “Excellent! If we ensure your flexibility now, you’ll retain it as you develop into a woman.”

Yay…

I didn’t think he was wrong, though, since this was my idea. I’d always exercised and studied back in school, and Professor Lorik went along with it. 

My current body was, funny enough, much more limber than my last. I wasn’t sure if it was only because I was a child or if this body was female. Likely both reasons, if I had to guess. Either way, I couldn’t complain. I would have killed for this kind of flexibility when I was learning jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai.

“You may relax,” said Professor Lorik.

I slowly moved my legs, one at a time, until they were both in front of me. Slight pangs ached in my inner thighs, but I pushed them away.

The professor and I stared at each other.

“Yes?” asked Professor Lorik.

“You were explaining why the Gods were only part of the reason no one’s invaded Trinity Mountain.”

“Yes, yes. Right you are.” Professor Lorik put out both legs, crossed one leg over his other, and then stretched his body across it. “What is a Chosen Child considered to be?”

“A gift from the Gods,” I said immediately. “The comparison has been made enough times that it’s ingrained in my mind.”

“You are their offering of peace, but Gods do not just give gifts. They punish.”

“How so?” I paused for a moment. “Um… is that why there are Synborn?”

“No, no. Those are incarnations of malice. Monsters that afflict the land and darken the hearts of humans, pulling them away from the Gods that love them. Once human, their souls were consumed by the darkness, thus turning them into envoys of evil.”

“But… they come from people. Why would the Gods allow that?”

“Synborn are monsters created from distorted souls. But becoming a Synborn is also a choice. It shows a weakness of will. The Gods would not save someone from succumbing to their immorality, nor would they remove a way of separating the black sheep from the larger, faithful flock,” said Professor Lorik. “They differ from monsters in that they have agency over their change. Monsters naturally occur in the environment and animals, likely curses placed by Demonic Gods.”

It made sense that a world with magic would have monsters to fight. Every positive aspect had a negative. Unfortunately, there were two in this world: Synborn and Monsters.

Synborn were named after syn, which was basically “sin” from my previous world, with a ‘y’ instead of an ‘i’ in it. Not really sure why. The name was an explanation in itself. They came from people. Those who died “with darkness in their hearts” were reborn as monsters. People lived in fear of this, and the creatures were admittedly sometimes a problem in high-populated areas, creating havoc akin to domestic terrorism events, but they were contained quickly. Based on what I’d read, more arose during wartime. Your comrade beside you could get shot in the neck with an arrow, die, and then attack you moments later.

It was a leading cause of death in this country. But, like traffic accidents in my world, it was a normal part of life, and people learned to live with it. Otherwise, they’d be in constant fear, and humanity would have ceased to exist.

Monsters were created when seemingly random inanimate objects and animals were transformed into altered forms. A rock formation might turn into a living, breathing entity. A deer might one day turn into a version three times larger than what it used to be, that can also shoot fire from its horn.

Monsters were more common than Synborn, but both took up a lot of resources from local militaries and wandering mercenary bands. There were also only seven types of Synborn, yet an ever-growing list of monsters in the world.

It all seemed like a fairytale sitting in this boring castle. But I’d heard enough secret stories and reports about them to believe in them. They were real, even if I’d never seen one.

“Then… if not the Synborn, how do the Gods punish us?” I asked the professor.

“With the Voiced,” said the professor.

My head cocked to the side in confusion. “The Voiced?”

“Shush!” The professor held a finger to his lips, silencing me. His voice was low, much lower than it had been all day. “Yes, child. The Voiced.”

“What is that?” I asked slowly, my voice just above a whisper to match my teacher’s. “Why are we whispering?”

“Because that’s how serious the Voiced are,” said the professor. “Whereas the Chosen Children are gifts from the Gods, the Voiced are their tongues. They can bless us or chide us. It is why they are named as such. The Voiced are the Gods’ will. Their voice.”

“Who are? What are they?”

I could feel slight panic coming from my teacher. His gaze held mine. I could tell from the way it flickered that he wasn’t sure if he should be telling me what he was.

“They’re people picked by the Gods to act on Tellus,” said Professor Lorik. “Chosen Children are prodigies heralding an advancement in civilization. They are born special. The Voiced are the opposite. They are made special during their lifetime, becoming champions of the Gods themselves.”

“How?”

“No one knows. Perhaps it is by chance. Likely, there are criteria difficult to discern without becoming one.”

“So… they’re regular people?”

“With the powers of Gods.” Professor Lorik held out his hands and lifted his head. “Borders do not hold them back. Armies do not cause them fear. Alone, they can destroy cities effortlessly. They are both the spear and the shield of the divine, with absolute authority to act as they wish. All countries believe this to be true, so it is accepted.”

“And they’re real?”

“They are very real.”

Ah. So, basically, if this can be believed, there are people in this world with the equivalent power of sentient nuclear bombs. That’s awesome. Makes me sooo happy to hear that.

“How many are there?” I asked.

Professor Lorik paused. For a while. “Three,” he said slowly. “Every country has a Voiced living within its borders except for one.”

“Which one?”

Professor Lorik did not respond.

Realization hit me: there were, hypothetically, three living nukes, and one country didn’t have one.

Ours.

My face paled. “You said the Voiced work for the Gods, though, so that shouldn’t matter. They’re independent. Borders shouldn’t matter, yes?”

Lorik held his breath. “Scarlet, what I’m about to say could be considered blasphemy. If I tell you, you must keep it to yourself. If the wrong ears heard it, your words would hurt us both.” He grabbed my shoulders. “Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

It didn’t matter whether the Voiced were powerful or not. They could be a hoax. They could be real. Regardless, these Voiced had religious connotations and were revered and feared by the masses. That gave them the power to control others through fear or reverence.

Why don’t we just fake one then? The fact that we haven’t means there is either a way to test a Voiced, they’re as powerful as they are inferred to be, or there is another mitigating factor I’m unaware of.

How annoying…

Lorik eyed me steadily. “Good.” He released me. “They are empowered by the Gods, but Voiced have their own free will. They do not act in accordance with religious teachings. They do as they wish, unimpeded, because their power is so great that no one can stop them. Because of this, they, of course, align with the country in which they were born. It is only natural. They are just humans the Gods favored. Whether they follow the Gods’ teachings or not is irrelevant. Their actions are just, not because their actions are just, but because of who they are.”

That’s a lot to take in.

“Why haven’t we been taken over yet?” I asked slowly. “If each country has a Voiced, and we do not, wouldn’t that show we don’t have favor with the Gods?”

“Yes, that is exactly what many believe. But the real question is, who would get our land? If Brosnock, or humble neighbor to the North, emboldened by their Voiced, took over our country, would that not threaten Agias and Viorna? Would they, with their Voiced, not act as well?”

“So stalemate?”

Yeah, they were basically nukes then. That was a lucky comparison. Living, breathing nukes, warhead or not. Utterly terrifying. Then the world was in a state of mutually assured destruction, like my past one. No wonder the only wars in recent history were internal, from what I’d read.

“For now.” Professor Lorik created more space between us. His tone relaxed. “To answer your earlier question, many fear that attacking Trinity Mountain would anger the Voiced. That may or may not be true. What is true is that if one country decided to do so, the Voiced of the others would act.”

“And there’s no need to even take the risk because, from what you’re saying, one Voiced would supersede hundreds or thousands of Eaters, yes? Plus, the people both love and fear them, the Voiced can do as they wish unimpeded by laws, and they’re powerful enough to destroy cities single-handedly. That’s without considering the fact that they’re a direct affront to governmental authority.”

At least, that’s the public perception, it seemed.

“All that is accurate, yes.”

“I see.”

“It is a harsh topic. Our country is lacking because we have not been blessed with a Voiced. They are as loved as they are hated. They are as needed as they are unwanted. Without one, we are lost. Brosnock produces food we desperately require, and hoards superiority over us because their Voiced emboldens them.”

“And that’s why my father was appointed here to increase our food production even though no one else has been able to in the past few decades,” I said as I connected the dots inside my head. “To create a food supply in case we have to go to war.”

“Correct.”

“That’s all… a lot.”

“It is. Come. Stand.” Professor Lorik gestured me up. “I’ll tell you their names. Burn them into your brain.”

And he did.

Astria va Brosnock was the Voiced of our neighbor the North. With what descriptions there were about her, she had short white hair, golden eyes, and a beautiful figure. There were so many rumors surrounding her, it was hard to tell what kind of person she was. But she was close with the Empress of Brosnock, and her presence unified the several territories in the Kingdom. She was a powerful figure, no doubt. 

Furthest north in the cold country of Agias was the Voiced Caine va Agias. Out of all the Voiced, the least was known about him. No one really knew what he looked like other than that his hair and eyes matched what was usual for a Voiced.

Finally, Viorna, the portion of land to the east of the country that was half on the continent, half a peninsula, was home to Adam va Viorna. In terms of Voiced, he was exceedingly hands-off. Others rumors painted him as a beautiful debaucherer. Viorna was made up of warring nations all fighting for unity. There was a council that operated over the country and negotiated with the others, but it was fragile. Luckily, Zalevet, Agias, and Brosnock all bordered Viorna to some degree and kept it in check. Otherwise, the conflict might have bled over to the wider continent. 

Astria was competent, Caine was illusive, and Adam was uncarring. Even so, they posed a substantial threat to the world. At any moment, they could change history, if they so wished.  

Each member had one famous story associated with them that Professor Lorik paraphrased for me, mentioning only the most important details.

Astria was known for single-handedly wiping out a city in Brosnock. Rebels had taken it over and killed all the citizens. In under a day, she killed everyone inside, turning the place into a lasting crater that stood as a symbol of fear for any would-be invaders. It was also close to the Zalevet border, and served the additional purpose of fending off any incursions. 

But no one witnessed this. They’d only seen the aftermath. Still, it was enough. 

Caine the Brutal, as he was sometimes called, destroyed an island off of Agias that apparently had been overrun by high-ranking monsters and Synborn. One day the island was there. The next it wasn’t. Since it was a trading port from the south to the north, several people were able to confirm its disappearance. 

Finally, Adam. He was the oldest Voiced. No one really knew when he became one, but he was the first. If rumors could be believed, he single-handedly severed his country from the larger continent with his powers. No one knew it was true, but given the feats of the other two, many believed. 

My head was spinning when he finished the lecture.

“Let’s cool down,” Professor Lorik said, noticing the stress on my face. “Relax your body.”

I did as he said.

“Split your legs apart and hold out your arms like this.” Professor Lorik made the motion as he said it. “Focus on the energy inside you. Feel your thoughts and let them flow out of your fingertips.”

The doors to the library opened as I followed Professor Lorik’s commands. He and I turned our heads to see the baron enter the library with two soldiers in tow.

We all stared at each other in silence as the baron witnessed this admittedly awkward scene.

“Is this studying?” asked the baron.

“We are clearing our minds through exercise,” said the professor, entirely unperturbed by the awkwardness. “It helps her retain what she has learned.”

“R-Right,” said the baron. He cleared his throat and looked at me. “Scarlet, I wish to show you something that I think you’ll enjoy. Consider it a gift for all your hard work these past few months.”

“What is it?” I asked as I returned to a normal standing position.

“Ah, it’s today, isn’t it?” suddenly said Professor Lorik.

“What is?”

“The cadets have finished their training. We will be selecting distinguished members to partake of Divine Treats and become Eaters,” said the baron. “Would you like to watch?”

I nearly bounced across the room. “Absolutely!” I could almost feel my eyes shimmering in my head.

Chuckling, the baron hoisted me into his arms, easily holding me on his right bicep. “You are welcome to join as well, professor.”

“I appreciate the generous offer, but I think I’ll head home,” said the professor. “Wouldn’t want to intrude on time with your family. It’s precious and fleeting.”

The baron nodded. He looked at me. “Shall we go?”

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