"Have you heard what is happening? Are you aware of the state that our world is in? That we who all stand here today are the lucky few?"
The building was almost completely silent. Hundreds of people, men, women, and kids, all from the various higher and lesser noble bloodlines, were all gathered in a single room, seated while a man stood on the stage, preaching to them.
"Rejoice, for I bring you glorious news. God walks among us. And her name is Haru Sini."
The church buzzed as various speakers crackled to life, allowing a soft melody to spill out. Various statues of Haru ignited in magical fire, and on the stage, the priest and vice captain of the Shining Sentinels guild, Father, walked back and forth and clapped his hands.
"Long ago! In a time before time was a thing and our flat world was said to still be round, the Almighty came, and he created our realm, and it was through his act that the sinful fairies were cast out, and the race of man was soon born! They say that we, as humans, were made in his image, but that is false, for the only being who can claim to be equal to the Almighty is the one and only Haru Sini! Haru the Lightforged! Haru the White! Haru the Bright! Haru, mother of the Knights, the Demon Slayer, destroyer of the Ebony Knight! It is through her will, her kindness, and her wrath that we stand here today, in an era long past, in which time flows forward. In Haru we trust. In Haru, we perform the duties that she placed before us."
Tori Helios watched the performance in awe. Fire flowed and danced around Father, and the music kept building.
This was the first time she ever got to come to such a celebration. She had been too young, but now that she was fifteen, her family had finally permitted her the right to come to the sermon. She was glad she did as well. After all, soon she would be taking the Knights' exam, and she'd quickly rise up to being the vice captain of the Shining Sentinels guild.
She watched as Father continued his speech.
Father clapped his hands. "One." He clapped again. "Two." Then again. "Three. Four. Five." For each number he clapped. "Six." And then finally. "Seven." He clapped one last time. "First, she gave her blood, and it was through this act that she quenched her people's thirst. Second, she gave her flesh, and it was through this act that she prevented her people's starvation. Third, she gave her eyes, and it was through this act that she allowed her people to see the world the way that she did. Fourth, she gave her voice, and it was through this act that she allowed her people to speak. Fifth, she gave her Core, and it was through this act that she allowed her people to gain the holy rite of magic. Sixth, she gave her heart, and it was through this act that she allowed her people to feel what she felt and to truly come together under a single cause. Seventh, she gave her head. In her final moments as Haru Sini, they say that she walked with pride and allowed herself to be beheaded, and from her neck a holy light spilled out, and she became the one who stands at the top. She gave up her head, and it was through this act that she was able to share her thoughts with the world. And so, Haru was truly born."
All the fire and even the sound began to swirl together and formed into a slender blade of pure energy, which Father gripped and raised to the sky.
"Oh, Haru, our blessed one above, hallowed be your mighty will; here I stand in your kingdom below, you who gave your will, you who gave your spirit, you who gave your very head; I beg of you to give some more. May blessings fall upon your Knights below; grant us the right to wield your might!" The sword kept glowing. "We are perfect. We are pure. We are Haru's Knights, and therefore, we are on the side of the people, and we are the law. We decide right from wrong, and we follow it out in accordance with what a Knight should do. We are the blessed ones, given power and worship to the great being above, and in return, we only have one task that we must truly follow. The most important one of all. The one job Haru left for us."
Shadows began to bend and twist, and they slowly took shape. The darkness morphed, and in front of Father stood the image of a Knight in ebony armor.
Father swiped his holy sword and beheaded the Knight. Shadows bubbled up out of the wound like blood, and the silence in the church was shattered by a roar of cheering.
"Our task is to slay anything that stands against Haru! Blessed be the great Haru Sini."
Everyone was clapping for Father now. All eyes were on him. All but one pair.
Tori stared at the beheaded Knight. The image of the Ebony Warrior, who had nearly ended all life. Haru's greatest foe, and one of the reasons she was known as such a mighty god in today's time.
Tori's eyes traced over the image, and for a moment she couldn't help but wonder. What would it be like to go against a threat such as the Ebony Knight? What would the world think of her if she did something just as amazing as Haru did?
Would she gain their love?
The ceremony soon came to an end, and all the nobles began to leave. Tori was deep in thought as she journeyed back to her manor, followed closely by the guard she had been given.
"So, what's going through your mind?" A finger poked her in the cheek, and Tori blinked and looked up. "You were spacing out during the event. You begged your mom to let you go but barely paid attention."
Several eyes were locked onto Pretty Face. The strange woman floated off the ground, her body tilted at an angle, as she remained in front of Tori, a smirk on her face.
Tori just frowned and looked away from her babysitter. "I paid attention."
"Did you now?"
Tori puffed her cheeks out and nearly huffed. "What do you want, Pretty Face?"
"Aw? You think I'm pretty?"
"That's literally your name!"
The Knight giggled and winked. "Yeah, yeah. But what was on your mind? You were deep in thought and kept staring off into space the moment the Ebony Knight came out. Don't tell me you have a crush on a monster like that?"
Tori's face scrunched up. "I would never be into anyone who was even remotely like that; that's gross." Her face then softened. "People loved Haru."
"Yeah?"
"What do you think that's like?"
Pretty Face frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tori looked up to the sun and reached out as if she could grasp it. "Love. What is that like? Everyone loved Haru. Everyone. Some even say the Ebony Knight loved her, and some believe she loved the Ebony Knight. I don't think it was romantic, though. Haru loved us all. She cared about us so much and did everything for her, and we repaid her by creating two stories. Some say she is up there. Her body is on the moon, watching over us all. Others believe she left us and went to the land where the Almighty resides. How did she do it? How did she have so much love to give and receive?"
"She saved the world." Pretty Face stated. "She slayed the mad tyrant, taught humans how to use magic, exterminated the elves, the dragons, and the giants, and sealed the demons. And most importantly, she did battle with the Ebony Knight. Haru saved us. She lifted us up when we needed her and ensured we would be able to keep going forward, and thanks to her actions, you humans are now the dominant species."
Tori nodded. "I know that, and yet still I am baffled." She glanced at her hand and pulled it away from the sky. "They say I am special. They say I am needed. That I am wanted. That I will be used to usher in a golden age. Father claims that I should rejoice, for I was born with a rare trait. One that he will use to grow and become the strongest Knight so that he may defend our land. Yet I haven't once seen a look of joy or admiration in his eyes. Not once have my parents said 'I love you' to me, despite the fact that they sold me to him and they were promoted to main branch status." Tori sighed, and her hand balled into a fist. "All I am is some tool. Some… Object. No one even wants me. They want my skill. No one has any love for me."
"Aww." Pretty Face wrapped her arms around Tori's neck and kissed her cheek. "There, there! I love you."
"Knock it off, Frank." Tori grabbed her guard by the face and shoved her away.
"You're no fun." Pretty Face giggled, and then her look grew serious. "Though, if it is love that you are concerned with, then have no fear. It's only a matter of time till you become an Arcane Knight and gain the eyes of the people on you. Father is soon to be promoted to the leader of the Shining Sentinels guild, and he'll undergo the process of having the Holy Saint bound to him. Sadly for him, she prefers to be fused with men, so he won't be able to escape that fate through you until someone of equal power and potential comes along, but that'll surely be a while."
Tori's lips grew into a tighter frown. "That's not truly love. That's just adoration. I know I'll be famous, but I'll be loved for my title rather than for who I am."
"And you think Haru isn't loved for that?" Pretty Face rolled her eyes. "Half the stuff about her isn't even true."
"How do you know?"
"So many stories. Hundreds of them. Some are bound to be based on fiction." Pretty Face said simply. "And yet, we still listen, and we still share her love. That is the same you'll get."
"I guess…" Tori didn't sound very relieved by that notion.
Pretty Face let out a sigh and rolled her eyes once more before she suddenly spotted something. A cruel smirk crossed onto her face. "You should still be relieved. After all, you don't have the same fate as those lesser things. The damned vat nobles."
Tori looked to where Pretty Face was staring, and her eyes went wide. Other nobles also noticed and were staring. It wasn't often you'd see vat nobles walking around Rose.
There were three of them. One was a man in cherry red armor. The other, a man in bronze. The final was a girl, younger than her, with silver hair and eyes that looked like they were a pair of moons. The girl glanced at her and smiled, giving her a wink, before she and the two knights got into a car and left.
"Vat nobles," Tori muttered, and her nails lightly dug into her palm. "Looks like they were going on a mission. And that silver-haired girl. Were those eyes moon-like?"
"Yep." Pretty Face hummed. "That was a Lunar, a Marsian, and a Saturen." Pretty Face explained. "It's rare you see a Lunar one. How odd."
Tori shivered slightly as the image of the silver-haired girl burned its way into her mind. Her eyes trailed after the car. "That poor soul. I hope she's okay. Though I fear only a sad fate awaits her if she is indeed a vat noble."
The Esteria kingdom had many noble families. Typically, you had nobles and lesser nobles. Lesser nobles were families that clung to power and had to fight for their right. They were expected to uphold the law and pass on the kingdom's beliefs to their kids. The Zyne family was one such lesser noble group.
Main nobles were those who came from Haru's bloodline. The Lunar, the Helios, the Marsians, the Saturens, and finally the Jupitar family. These five families also had main branch families and underbranch families. The main branches were the ones in charge and could take over should the head of a family die, while the underbranches were mainly used to be married off to lesser nobles for profit or even other nations or main branch families.
Sher herself was born into the underbranch, but her family's status was bumped up since Father was a higher-up in the main branch.
And then you had vat nobles.
Vat nobles were a group that shouldn't exist. She really didn't like them, especially with how they were used.
The heads of a noble family could be arrogant. They like keeping their power no matter what. After all, they're above basically everyone, with the sole exception of the king. It is also the duty of a noble to have kids, especially if they are the head of the family, as it is their future child who will take over.
But what happens if the head is unable to have kids? Long ago, another main branch family would take over, and they'd be at the top, but as technology has improved and the world went on without Haru, science and magic came together, and people learned that they could simply create their own child.
The process was extremely expensive. So much so it was the absolute last resort most nobles would come to, but they'd always come to it eventually so that they could keep their seat.
It required creating a body and a soul artificially. This act was unholy and could only be done through the study of text left behind by a being who claimed to be a fairy. It basically made a clone, or a vat-grown being.
This allowed a noble to have a kid despite their flaws, but it did often take a while for a suitable baby to be grown, and it had a nine-out-of-ten failure rate. So, what did they do with the failures?
Well, they were, of course, used for suicide missions.
Quests that no other sane Knight, not even a member of the Phoenix Flight guild, would be sent on.
Thankfully, the process was so expensive that the kingdom literally couldn't afford to make an army of clones or do it repeatedly, so vat nobles and the failed ones would only appear every now and then, but she had just seen three.
Tori felt her stomach flop. She didn't know why, but she was pretty sure that something was wrong.
She didn't know it, but that was the day everything changed.
***
Tori knelt and kept her head low. "I bestow upon you my power." Sparks of mana seeped out of her and flowed into her master.
Silence filled the mansion as Father allowed her energy to seep into his flesh. He looked down at his hand and opened and closed it into a fist several times, feeling his strength grow by a small amount.
"It isn't enough."
Tori flinched as Father's hand landed on the top of her head. The Shining Sentinel guild leader stared down at his vice captain, his lips thinned into a disapproving line.
"For three years you have served under me, yet my power has barely grown. You should be like a battery. I should be able to draw out so much energy from you, and yet I am getting nothing. The Master trait within you sometimes doesn't act. Is that your doing?"
"No, sir," Tori said quietly.
"What was that?"
"I said no, sir!"
Father kept his gaze fixed on her before he finally grunted and turned away. "Very well. Finish cleaning and then go to your room."
"Yes, sir." Tori tasted copper as her teeth sliced into her cheek.
The Master trait. A cursed trait she had been born with. It allowed her to strengthen those who owned her. It was a rare trait, but one she was sadly born with. Father had taken her in and claimed her as his own, so he could use that trait to improve himself.
He also treated her more like a servant every day. He got it in his head that she needed to actually view him as her master, so he started making her do more and more humiliating things.
She had half a mind to kill him, but of course, that would never work since he was far stronger than her. Also, as much as she hated to admit it, he did make her famous. She had been gifted powerful armor and a strong Knight Gear, and she had been brought up to the rank of vice captain, all in such a short amount of time.
The world knew her name. They cheered her on, and she got to be in commercials and say all sorts of things. She was famous, and people claimed they loved her.
Claimed.
Tori sighed, and she finished her cleaning. Father's house was huge, and once he got her, he fired all his other servants. Once she was done with all her chores, and it was well past midnight, she took a shower and got ready for bed. She had a ton of photoshoots in the morning.
It was almost funny. In the day she was a big-shot hero who the world stared at, and at night she was some creepy guy's slave. At least Father wasn't into women, as he never made any passes. That was good, as she'd have cut it off for sure if he tried anything.
Tori finished getting dressed, slipping her nightgown on, and then she stepped into her room. She was instantly on high alert as a surge of mana spiked up in front of her.
"Row Light-"
"Oh, relax." Evelyn rolled her eyes and giggled. "Must you try and attack me?"
Tori stopped and blinked when she saw the captain of the Hydra Storm guild standing before her.
Evelyn Lunar was the newest captain, and she had created her very own guild. The woman was considered a prodigy. A great talent. Someone who would naturally take over her noble family one day.
Someone who was for sure not a vat noble, no matter how many times Tori was certain she recalled that fact.
"What are you doing here?" Tori demanded.
Evelyn snorted and floated forward, lifting off the ground. "Oh, you say that every night."
"Every night? What do you mean?" Tori took a step back and felt the door brush up behind her. "This is the first time we're meeting."
"You think so? Good. So Father doesn't know about me then."
"What?" Tori shook her head. "Get the hell out of my room-" She was cut off when Evelyn's lips touched her. Her eyes went wide, and she shoved the girl back. "What are you doing!"
Evelyn laughed and licked her lips. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted love? Don't you want my love~"
Tori was about to snap again, but suddenly she couldn't speak. Evelyn's words almost seemed to wash over her, and the world became a bit fuzzy. Things were going in and out, and she blinked as the room faded and only Evelyn and she existed.
Evelyn wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. "You want love? Poor little Tori. Lonely Tori. Sad Tori. All you want is to be devoted to someone and, in return, have them devote themselves right back at you, but yet you can't find anyone. Oh, how sad you must be. But worry not. Rejoice, for I bring you glorious news. God walks among us. And her name is Tori Helios."
Tori shuddered, and she gasped. Her mana flowed, and her trait activated. She began to strengthen Evelyn.
"All you have to do~ Is obey me. I need you for a really, really important job. We're going to save the world. And you'll get all the love you could ever want. How does that sound?"
And then Evelyn was gone. Father's mansion was gone. The world was gone. Tori rested in a pile of snow, her flesh ice cold. Her ribs were beyond shattered, her skull cracked open, and the mere act of breathing was a pain.
Yet she was still alive. Staring up at a sun as she always did, only this sun was shaped like a bird. A phoenix was in the sky, lighting up the cold vault she had been shoved into by that blood mage.
"Just a tool. Is that all I ever am?" Tori weakly reached up for the sun as if she could grasp it. "My parents, Father, Evelyn, and even that Olivia girl." She chuckled. "How pathetic I am. Perhaps this is a fitting fate then. I'll die. Alone and discarded."
Tori closed her eyes and felt her exhausted body start to give out.
And then she felt pain when someone poked her in the face with a stick.
"Ow! What the hell!" Tori sat up and growled, but then suddenly froze when she found herself face to face with beings that looked like elves, but they had purple skin. "Uh? What?"
High blinked and looked down at the armored woman who had smashed into the destroyed village that was in Davi's vault. "Hello?"
"Hello?"
And thus, Tori Helios found herself somehow trapped in Davi Hawker's vault.