Outskirts of Junia 100 C.D

Two men in tattered clothing, hair dishevelled with multiple cuts and bruises on their bodies, were walking in a forested area. Their countenance was exasperated. They had suffered untold miseries in the past two days. Emmanuel and Marcus continued to walk towards Junia with the baby in hand. It had been two days since the ritual. They had taken nearly an entire day to restore themselves to working conditions. In the meantime, the baby had been fed on goat milk they got from pastoral folks.

As they neared Junia, Emmanuel turned to look at the baby then looked towards Marc, who was holding him. “What do you propose we do with it?”, Marc was reminded of the stern warning the entity had given to him regarding the baby. At Emmanuel’s question, he stared at the baby for a long moment, then looking up at his lord.

“I think it best that I raise him. That way, he stays in close proximity to you, yet far enough that he cannot be of immediate harm. Besides, we stand to gain from the boy if we raise him to serve you. The entity was certainly weakened by the ritual. It should remain dormant for years. In the meantime, we can teach the boy to control his powers and serve you.”

“Hmm…that sounds logical, seeing as killing him is out of the option. Even so, raising the kid can turn out to be a double-edged sword.” Emmanuel looked questioningly at Marc.

Marc pondered on that prospect for a moment, then spoke again, “You’re right. He could turn his sword upon us one day. Then let us raise him to serve your family not as a warrior but as a servant or even a scholar. It’s up to you.”

“This sounds much more acceptable to me. Let's raise him to be a scholar strong in mind, weak in body. Who knows, he might have even inherited Ayu’s cunning…Hahahaha”

Emmanuel, after all his recent losses, relished at the prospect of having killed Ayu and Jeeva. A major hindrance to his peace of mind had finally been plucked out. Emmanuel could now sincerely focus on recuperating and rebuilding. After he has retained his power, it would be time to strike again. 

‘Change is the course of nature; neither the Gods nor any human can stop the wheel of time. While it turns I cannot sit idly by, I shall have Endaria under my foot or die pursuing.'

“As you wish, then I will take him to my house and have him be useful until he comes of age. Then he can stay at your palace to help you.”

Emmanuel was broken out of his reverie by Marc’s statements, “Yeah, let’s do that then.”

…

City Gates of Junia 100 C.D

Emmanuel and Marc finally arrived home. Yet the guards were in absolute shock seeing the two most powerful men in the city under such bizarre conditions. They immediately let them in and provided them with horses to reach the palace. 

As they travelled on horse to the palace, the rumour mill began to dish out speculations as to what had occurred to their expedition. Citizens thought of multiple scenarios, with the major ones being them facing God’s wrath, being decimated by the Veraxes or encountering another army en route.

Emmanuel knew this was bound to happen and did not pay much heed to it. Rumours like these were like tides; they would come and go within a short period of time. Paying no heed was the best way to let it die down.

Yet his defeat was not so easily forgotten as news began to travel to Lyden, Terra, Strigga and going as far as Etris. All the city-states of Endaria knew of the great defeat suffered by Lord Emmanuel Junius in Gallia. This spurred some to think about the prospect of attacking Junia. In the short term, Emmanuel would have to face some uprisings and border conflicts in order to not seem weak to his enemies.

“Marc, in the coming months, we need to be prepared for minor skirmishes, and if we assume the worst, then even an invasion is likely. How long do you think it will take you to recover?”

“A month, maybe more. I can’t really say for sure until I see the healers. We also need to move the legions placed around Gallia towards the South. We need not worry of any barbarian movements for a few eyers now.”

“I understand. I will hold a meeting day after tomorrow to discuss future plans. Let me know your condition by then. You are the Martial King; we need to show this to those fools who think Junia is weakened.”

Marc nodded as he rode his horse away from the palace towards his own mansion.

…

Marc’s Mansion Junia 100 C.D

Otis was the housekeeper of the mansion; he was a middle-aged man nearly 6 feet tall with brown eyes alongside black and white hair. Age had begun to take a hold on him; his face was covered with wrinkles. Yet, he carried himself in utmost regard in order to not tarnish the reputation of his master, General Marcus. Otis was a slave who managed the residence of Marc. Since Marc lived a solitary lifestyle, there were only a dozen servants in the entire mansion, all of whom were also slaves.

Just a while ago, a city guard had informed Otis of Marc’s arrival at the city gates. This news had sprung Otis to his feet as he immediately began to make preparations for the master’s return. 

Soon Marc entered on a horse from the mansion gates, Otis smiled, seeing his Lord’s visage, yet before he could say anything, he was dumbstruck at seeing the thing in Marc’s hand.

‘A BABY!’

Before Otis could prod Marcus on the baby, Marcus jumped off the horse and placed the baby in Otis’ hands. “Take care of the child Otis, feed him, clothe him, raise him. Take the requisite amount of money for all his expenses. I shall occasionally check up on him”

“Is…Is he yours, master?”

“No. He belongs to an ‘old friend’. You need not worry about the details. Just do the tasks assigned to you. Oh, and Otis, he is not to be raised as a servant of this house but as someone who will be extremely loyal to the City Lord. I intend to make a scholar of him for the palace. Am I clear?”

“Crystal, my Lord”

“Good”, Marc then proceeded to enter the hall and depart for his quarters, leaving Otis and the baby as Helios closed his eyes ever so slowly.

…

As dinner soon came to be, Otis realized he had made a grave blunder. There was no one in the mansion to feed the child. All the servants were male, and the women were way beyond the age of being young mothers. Nobody else would be willing to feed the child without a mother, and Otis was not going to go door to door in hopes of finding such people either. The slavers would arrive a month later. He could not hold off to get servants until then.

He soon remembered that women at the brothel had given birth recently and would be the best possible source to feed the child. He ran out immediately from the mansion and called for one of the guards.

“Zack, I need you to go to the brothels and bring me a woman who has just given birth. Here take this money and buy her from the matron”, Otis handed a sack of silver dinas to the soldier. As Zack took the sack and looked into it, he found 20 dinas inside it. He was amazed at seeing such a large amount.

“Shit…this is 5 times my pay Otis, have you finally fallen in love”, Zack insinuated with a knowing smile, but Otis would have none of it.

“Just do the task asked of you. If you do it well, you may even keep the spare left from the purchase. If you fail, then Lord Marcus shall hear of it. Remember to bring a mother with a newborn, doesn't matter who.” Otis said with a calm voice, yet the underlying threat was absolutely clear. 

Zack hurriedly nodded, grabbed the bag and trotted off to the mansion gates.

…

Junia 100 C.D

The red-light district of the city was buzzing with activity in the night. Lights were ablaze as promiscuous men and women hummed to all passerby, alluring them towards the quarters. The entire street was lined with these brothels and their goods. Drunk men were plenty abound. Inside one such brothel was Eliza holding her newborn daughter in her arms as she fed the young child.

Eliza was free from performing services today. This would be so for the coming week as her baby required her care. The matron had been livid when she found out Eliza was carrying a child. She had even told her to kill the child in the womb, but Eliza had been extremely vocal about her unwillingness. The matron was powerless to do so; Emmanuel had enacted edicts that stated that procreation was a boon, and anyone found of infanticide would be beheaded. 

The matron’s unwillingness also stemmed from the fact that Eliza was one of the most beautiful commodities in her collection. With her rosy, red lips, curling eyelashes and deep green eyes, she was irresistible to all these drunk men roaming around. Eliza was a natural beauty as she was well endowed. Her breasts were large enough to make any man ogle at them endlessly, and she had been trained in the art of seduction from a very young age. She was a slave bought by the matron when she was 14 had been groomed for one job her entire life. 10 years since her arrival, she had become a goose that laid golden eggs.

Yet Eliza had always desired to leave this life behind. She wanted to live a normal life, free from the control of those above her. All of this had become a fleeting dream now. After spending 10 years in this place, she had resigned herself to her fate. Yet after the birth of her daughter, the once dying flames of freedom were rekindled.

‘Don’t worry, my Riyana, mama, will find a way for you to get everything you ever wish for. You will never have to see pain in your life. You will be happy, always.’

Eliza loved this little bundle of joy more than anything in the world. For her, she was willing to go through anything. As Eliza cradled her child, she heard footsteps sound on the door to her room. She knew no customer could come to her tonight, so it would have to be the matron.

A silhouette stood just behind the red curtains of her room, “Eliza, are you there?”

“Zack”, as soon as she said those words, a man immediately barged in with a look of extreme glee plastered on his face. He ran towards her and picked her up into his arms.

“Baby!!! You won't believe our unimaginable luck. You can be free, Eliza, free from a life of servitude.”

“Wha…What…do you mean?”

“Eliza, I have the money to buy you right now, albeit it's not mine, but if you agree, you will be able to work at General Marcus’ residence. Isn’t that great!”

Eliza was in utter disbelief; only a moment ago, she was thinking of escape, and as if the Gods had heard her wish, freedom came screaming towards her.

“Is this for real, Zack…we…we can leave here?”

“It's all true, honey Otis gave me money to go and bring a woman from the brothels. You won't believe how happy I was when he left it up to me to choose. Although you may have to service General Marcus, you will only be bound to him, Eliza. So, what do you say?”

After listening to Zack, the joy in Eliza’s heart died down, for she understood that she would be moving from one cage to another one. The new one being fancier than the last but a cage, nonetheless. As she began to deeply think about the prospects of this offer, she began to understand its importance. 

‘Even if it's being bound to someplace else, anything is better than being here. At least my daughter will be free to pursue her own life. If I stay here, the matron will definitely make her a worker. I can’t let that be the case.’

“I’ll do it, Zack; let us go, but did you talk to the matron about this?”

“Don’t worry about her; as soon as she saw the dinas and heard the General’s name, she was extremely willing. Nobody wants their head chopped off for defying his will, after all…Hahaha”, Zack boasted in front of her as she felt a feeling of relief and excitement descend upon her.

“Then let’s leave immediately; let me just pack some belongings.”

“Sure”, Zack left the room and stood outside waiting for her to get things sorted.

Eliza picked up her baby hugged little Riyana, “We are free sweetie, mama is so happy right now”. Eliza hugged her child and cried amidst the hustle and bustle of the streets.