Junia 100 C.D 

Marcus sat in his quarters. The dimly lit room gave off the feeling of minimalism at its peak. Despite its large size, the room only contained one bed, a large desk. Sprawled over it were multiple maps with a quill and ink at the end. A large bookshelf was situated to the immediate right of the table, covering the entire wall behind it. Near the window were two oversized armchairs, on one of which sat Marc in deep rumination. 

‘It seems my aura will recover in a week. Thankfully the damage was not too severe. That Entity, it was grimoire. Even after it cloaked itself in blood, the aura it released and my own were on two completely different levels. Even after slaughtering 100,000, I would be only barely able to imitate its aura. Such sinister energy does not belong to ordinary existences. We need to be extremely careful in dealing with the boy. I need to speed up my training being a Quintus is of no use against beings of such power.’

Marc had begun to realise that his powers were insignificant when compared to beings like the Entity. A Quintus may be indomitable before humans of the current age, but in the time before Titanomachia, they were bugs. 

Marc stood up from his seat walked over to the desk. Picking up a quill, he began to write something on the dried parchment. The years of studying as a tactician had taught Marc to record all encounters he had. They helped him to understand and improve upon his past mistakes. Only by constantly studying their every move can one hope to refine themselves. Talent can help one float, but only by working on yourself will you swim and thrive.

As Marc sat there penning his thoughts, he remembered that the child had been left in the care of Otis. ‘Hmm…Otis should have made the necessary preparations by now.’

Time passed by as Marc delved deep into his work, and by the time he finished, Marc noticed Selene’s eyes high up in the night sky. It was getting rather late, and sleep had begun to take hold of Marc. He rose from his seat, proceeded to drag himself towards his bed and fell asleep, one that his body and mind desperately needed.

…

Marc’s Mansion 

Eliza and Zack finally made it to Marc’s residence after their long walk through the city. Otis stood at the gate as he watched the duo enter from the entrance and walk towards him. When they finally stood before him, Eliza slowly bowed her head in deference to Otis. This action greatly pleased the slave as he sported a slight smile that quickly escaped his face.

“How much?”

Suddenly Zack had a reluctant expression on his face as he gave a slanted look to Eliza, deliberating whether to reveal the number or not. 

“I asked you a question, soldier”, this time Otis had a commanding tone, Eliza continued to cradle Riya, trying not to focus on this part of the conversation, yet even she couldn’t help but be unnerved by it.

“17 dinas, Sir.”

“You can keep the rest, soldier, as stated earlier. What is your name, woman?”

Eliza had been dazed after hearing the number. Nothing could scar you like knowing your value as a commodity in the eyes of others. Due to her mental state, she failed to register whatever Otis said.

*clap*

“Aah…Huh…I…I’m sorry, sir. I got lost in thought. Forgive this unworthy one.”

“What is your name, woman?”

“Eliza, sir”

“Follow me”

Otis was beginning to get impatient with all this waiting around and immediately breached the main topic without any introductions. He started to walk into the house as Eliza followed after, yet he suddenly stopped.

“Return to your duties, soldier. Your work here is done”, hesitance was evident on Zack’s face but seeing a reassuring nod from Eliza eased him, if only a little, as he turned around and left.

As Otis led her through the mansion, Eliza gawked at the grandeur and luxury of the estate. Red carpet throughout the floor, curtains made of silk, vases and paintings lining every passageway wall, marble walls the height of which made her tilt her entire head. 

Eliza had never even dreamed of such things existing. Being able to stand in such a majestic place made her feel extremely out of place. Having lived the life of a slave and night worker had made her self esteem hit rock bottom due to the treatment she received from the matron. Hence she felt unworthy of standing there. 

After several twists and turns and climbing of stairs, they arrived in front of a room, the doors of which were massive. Otis pushed them open, and bright candlelight suddenly entered Eliza’s eyes as she saw a room lit with hundreds of candles, with two large beds at its very centre on which sat two maids.

‘This must be the General’s…’

Her train of thought was immediately broken when she saw a baby lying on the bed with the maids looking after it. ‘A child?’

“Eliza, you have been bought by the General to take care of this boy. You and your child will be taken care of by the mansion. You will not be treated as a servant in the mansion, and you can even ask the maids to do some feasible work for you, but you are no mistress. Your sole job is to care for the boy and nothing else. Any expense in raising him will be overseen by me, along with his education. You are not to associate yourself with any man or anyone from your previous life. Have I made myself clear, Eliza?”

“Yes, sir”, Eliza instinctively responded.

“Now feed the boy, he may look calm, but he has only had goat milk the past two days.”

As soon as she heard that Eliza felt pity for the boy, she understood that he did not have a mother. She moved towards the bed carrying Riyana in her arms. Upon reaching the bed, the maids immediately moved away from the boy letting Eliza through. She placed Riyana on the bed and slowly picked up the child. 

As if understanding that he was being moved, the boy immediately opened his eyes. He looked at Eliza as she cradled him. Eliza, too, continued to stare at the boy. She had been mesmerised by his eyes. People with two differing eye colours were considered auspicious. They were harbingers of golden eras. It was said that Emperor Alexander had gold and emerald eyes, and anyone who looked at him would never be able to look away until the Emperor allowed it.

‘Majestic…’, it was the only word that came to Eliza’s mind as she continued to stare at the boy’s eyes. The boy, in turn, continued to look straight into her eyes. Soon a smile crept upon his chin as he giggled. This wholly floored Eliza as she started to smile ear to ear, looking at the child.

…

Sometime later, after feeding the boy, she placed him on the bed next to Riya and left to look for Otis.

On her way to Otis, Eliza had to constantly ask for directions from the guards and servants. Eventually, she found Otis in his quarters writing on parchment. The door was open, and seeing Otis in deep focus, she decided to knock.

*Knock Knock*

Otis slowly raised his head to spot Eliza, after which he took a moment to finish what he was writing, then motioned for her to enter and take a seat. Eliza followed his invitation and took a seat before him. Eliza waited for Otis to speak, yet he continued to sort through his papers. Out of impatience, Eliza attempted to talk first.

“Sir, I would…”

“Wait a moment, would you? I have a mess to sort here.”

This statement effectively silenced Eliza as she rested her previously forward-leaning back on the chair. After a few moments, Otis was finally done with his work and looked at her. Seeing the indication, Eliza contemplated for a moment before organising her thoughts and speaking.

“Sir the child, I have questions regarding him.”

“I’m listening.”

“What is his name? Who is he? Does he have any relatives? Is…Is the General his father?” 

The last question was heavy with hesitation, yet she asked him anyway in order to not have any doubts later. Otis continued to deeply stare into Eliza’s eyes before heaving a sigh.

“The Lord told has not notified anyone of such. For the second, I do not and wish not to ascertain his identity. I would recommend you do the same. So far as I have understood, the child has no living relatives. As for your last question.” Otis’ tone suddenly turned grave. “I expect this to be your first and last transgression against the Lord, the boy is not his, but even so, the child will be raised to be a scholar in the City Lord’s palace. That should tell you enough concerning his status.”

“Ye…ye…yes, SIR!”, words had failed Eliza after being so severely threatened by the aura that Otis released.

After waiting for the situation to calm down, Eliza again broached the topic to Otis. “If I may, sir, can…can I name the boy?”

After being surprised by the question for a moment, Otis made a mental note. ‘Maybe my lord would know of it.’

“I would have to confirm this with the Lord, but I believe that you will be able to name him. What do you have in mind?”

“I thought of naming him, Adrian.”

“Hahahaha…I see that even you were done in by his eyes. They are indeed like the seas.”

Silence loomed over the room after the topic for their conversation was over. Eliza was hesitant to leave, for she did not understand the proper manners in a situation like this. Seeing her still sitting there, Otis understood that she was clueless.

“Well chop chop then…go do your work, can’t have the children without their mother, can we?”

“Huh…ah…yes”, Eliza gathered herself and quickly departed from Otis’ quarters. She retraced her steps back to the room where she had left the kids. As she entered, she saw both her daughter and the boy sleeping peacefully.

‘He seems almost as old as Riya. Raising two children, a sigh escaped Eliza, but her countenance was one of joy. She had always wanted a boy and a girl, but after Riya was born, Eliza had begun to put off the idea of having another child. Even Riya was a happy accident. Nonetheless, she had experienced the hardships enough to understand that her previous environment was no place to raise a child. 

Eliza slowly tucked her children and herself into bed. She did not wish to disturb them but couldn’t help touching young Adrian’s cheeks. ‘So beautiful and tender, he is an angel. Yet, he has lost all that was owed to him. Don’t worry, baby, I will never let you feel the cold hands of loneliness.’

Feeling the warmth exuded by Eliza’s hand, Adrian began to wrinkle his cheek. He liked this warmth; he was attracted to it. Yet being in infancy, he was unable to get closer to it no matter how much he wanted to. Eliza understood his need for more care and drew herself closer to him, and began patting his belly ever so slowly. She had lulled him to sleep. 

Tomorrow would be a new day with much more to look forward to.

…

Etris 100 C.D

Precipina had just finished her daily duties and was about to retire to bed. Before closing her eyes, she sat down before the holy fire in her quarters to offer her prayers to Agni. She kneeled down and whispered, ‘O Divine Energy of Fire, give me higher intellect and illuminate my mind.’

‘Your wait is over, young one; He is here.’, the fire before Precipina’s eyes began to exude boundless heat. It was rejoicing and in great glee over the birth of the Harbinger. The joy of Agni influenced Precipina too. She also had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye at the thought of seeing the Harbinger’s glorious form.

‘Not yet, young one, He is still young. You must wait for him to find you; the Trinity have willed it so.’

Precipina had been planning to look for the Harbinger; however, as soon as she heard Agni speak of them, her face immediately grew into one of supreme reverence. She immediately kowtowed on the floor, her head to the ground. She knew the meaning in Agni’s words, and she would be a fool to do otherwise.

The flames slowly returned to their normalcy as the heat in the room returned to its regular temperature. Silenced loomed in the room, with Precipina still in her previous position.