Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

Back in Wahagen, the Archpriest of the empire sat comfortably as he and his companions calmly sipped from the cool refreshments the servants offered them.

"Thank you, little one. It was delicious." Adam said with a kind smile as he finished the drink the maid offered him.

"N-Not at all, your excellency! I'm happy you enjoyed it." The poor woman stuttered her reply, as she felt utterly overwhelmed by the words and presence of this ancient man before her.

"Teacher this palace is so amazing!" Adam's youngest student, Layn then suddenly exclaimed loudly as his eyes kept gawking at all the immense splendor that surrounded him.

Yet before he could reply to his excited disciple, Adam's other companion, Sarm, who also happened to be his oldest student sternly rebuked Layn saying "Would you hold your eyes in check already! Or do you crave death so much that you want to offend his majesty?!"

Frowning, Layn sharply replied "And who are you to say what and what does not offend his imperial majesty? You've only ever met him once, and even then you didn't share a simple greeting!"

"Once was more than enough." Sarm replied with an added edge to his voice, as his mind sent him a year in the past, when he accompanied his teacher to the impromptu war council in the Royal Palace.

Just remembering that day and how a young child, who was barely stepping into his adolescence inspired hundreds of experienced ministers and hardened veterans to charge confidently into hell if needed under his command was more than enough impress him, but what truly terrified him was that even he, a man who has lived and dedicated his entire life to preaching the notion of peace and the rejection of sin, found himself at that moment yearning for the thrill of battle and the foul ecstasy of war.

"What are you even talking about..?" Layn tried to question him, having already noticed his odd behavior whenever the topic of his majesty was brought up, but before he could the doors to the room swung open and my mother and I entered.

"Your majesties." Adam swiftly stood and bowed to us, followed shortly by his students doing the same.

"Please rise your excellency. There is no need for such trifling formalities, especially after you have traveled such a long and arduous trek through the desert." My mother said, as she quickly helped the aged man up.

"Please my lady, you speak as though I am an old, frail man." Adam replied light heartedly, eliciting an amused laugh from all of us, except for the ever stoic Sarm.

Taking our seets opposite the Archpriest, while his disciples stood behind him, he sincerely says with a hint of heartfelt concern in his tone "It's good to see you both in good health your majesties, especially you my lady. I still mention you and your children's health in my prayers daily."

Smiling gratefully in reply, my mother says "And I as well, your excellency."

Turning to me after exchanging a few more words with my mother, Adam began with a brooding tone of gravity "My apologies sire for arriving so unexpectedly, but I'm afraid the situation that currently plights us, is far too urgent and intricate to do otherwise."

"What is this situation, Archpriest?" I ask, frowning.

Sighing, the Archpriest ruffles through his loose plain white robe for a moment before he pulls out a folded piece of parchment, that was smeared with a slash of blood across it, before handing it over, as he said with a somber tone of grief "We found this two nights ago, near one of our smaller temples on the outskirts of the capital, clutched in the hands of one our members from the Apethus Grand Temple, with six arrows sticking out of his back."

Hearing this I quickly took the paper from his hand and began reading it, with my mother who leaned over as well.

It didn't take long for for both of us to look back at them in shock as I asked "Can this information be trusted?"

"I'm afraid I don't know my liege. And though I did try to confirm it, I'm afraid that sort of thing is not our forte." Adam replied tiredly.

The contents of the paper were written by a middle ranking priest in Appethus, who claimed the High Priest of the Grand Temple was in cahoots with Zadkiel that they were planning something big, but it was he didn't know. He also insinuated that many of the other priests are on the High Priests pay roll, as he has been dipping his greedy fingers into the temple's treasury for quite a while now. And finally it also warns that the heretics might have be involved as well, but how much and in what why, the writer doesn't know."

"Do we know the identity of the author?" My mother calmly asked.

"I'm afraid not, my lady. There are hundreds of middle ranking priests in Appethus, and the message doesn't give any hints to the writers identity. As for the murdered messenger who delivered it, he was an ordinary low ranking priest who joined the clergy not more than a year ago." Sarm explained in place of his teacher.

"That poor, brave child. He was no more than seventeen years of age. What a tragedy this is." Adam lamented quietly, though I was still able to hear his regretful words through my heightened senses.

But while all this was going on, I was busy desperately trying to suppress the triumphant smile that was struggling to crawl it's way up my lips.

In the last year of my rulership, I have ordered no less than three purges of the empire from any and all known or even slightly suspected traitors, spies and corrupt officials. And they were all largely successful, but there was one place Isaac and his assassins could not easily breach, and that was the clergy and it's temples.

Unlike the ruthless Hamilcar and the pragmatic Hekan, Adam was a truly kind man who would never allow his subordinates to be hunted down on mere suspicion and half baked pieces of evidence.

Adam is an invaluable person to the state, a true national treasure our land has been blessed with for a millennia. So if possible I would always choose to keep him happy than not, so I never crossed the line, but now not only do I have legitimate reason to finally clean the final corner of my empire, but the man himself has come to me to ask for my help.

'The gods must truly have a sick and twisted form of irony! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect excuse to rid myself of that constant thorn that had been gnawing at the back of my brain. But it's timing couldn't have been more disastrous! I just pulled most of the Shade Cops' personnel from the east, and now do I have to send them back? No, I can't do that. The rat hunt in the west is still of more importance!' I thought half in jubilant glee, half in mind numbing frustration.

"Worry not Archpriest, I will have Isaac purge all those who defile the sanctity of the temples with their greed and dishonesty as soon as possible. This I swear to you in the name of my esteemed ancestor." I assured him with a half truth, as I would indeed have Isaac deal with this as fast as possible, but not before cleaning up the western provinces, which would take some time.

"Thank you, sire." Adam said, as he ever so slightly bowed his already arched back.

I nod to him after hearing this, but before I could say anything, he continued "But with all due respect my liege, such measures are only temporary and would not deal with the root of the problem, as Lord Isaac has a great many responsibilities, and he wouldn't be able to always monitor the ongoings of the clergy."

Shocked and intrigued by this sudden turn of events, I ask curiously "Do you perhaps have a suggestion, your excellency."

Nodding, he says "I do indeed, sire. Two of them in fact." before continuing with a question of his own "Are you perhaps familiar with the twin institutes of the Eight Silent Doors and the Solar Inquisition your majesty?"

Mine and my mother's eyes widen in utter disbelief as we listen to the ancient man, as we both fumble to form a coherent string words to give in reply.

These two archaic organization were founded in the Yue Dynasty and the Luminous Empire many millennia ago to act as the guiding hand and iron fist of their nations' religions should they ever falter or go astray. And with the coming centuries almost every nation in the world had adopted a similar system one way or another, with exception of only the Boreas Empire in the north and us in the south.

The reason? Adam Sekhmet of course. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

We and the northern giant are the only two nations in the world who hold a tenth rank healer in our midst, so the common census became that why would we ever waste valuable resources on something so pointless when we have such a respectable and high ranking priest at the helm.

And though it might seem moronical now, in their defense it worked just fine for a very long time.

"Your excellency, perhaps you should reconsider? This could greatly tarnish your reputation and prestige. The ambitious and the envious might even start to cite this incident to discredit you, and achieve their nefarious ends and..." My mother tried persuading him, but he softly interrupted her saying.

"Please worry not my lady, though it might seem slightly arrogant of me, but my achievements and work over the centuries could never be buried so easily." He finished with a hearty laugh, before continuing calmly with a self deprecating smile tugging at the edge of his withered lips "Besides, what value does pride, reputation or station in life hold in comparison to the sheer weight of the single lost soul of that brave young man, who knew the taste martyrdom before the pleasures of youth."

A hallowed silence unlike any other followed his words, as all those fortunate enough to hear it froze to bask in it's depressing beauty. All of them, except for me, who sat there wanting to partake in the feelings they shared at this moment, but could not.

After all I had seen too much, done too much, lived too much. All I could do was simply ask myself 'How did he safeguard such humanity and compassion after a thousand years on this accursed earth?'

It honestly began to vex me that he had done such a seemingly impossible task, while mine had long been ripped out of me and replaced with nothing but wrath and hate.

Thankfully, before I could further travel down the road of my current thoughts, his words once again rang out, saying "My emperor." he called out "I fully acknowledge my own faults in this matter, as I didn't properly govern the temples, having become too blinded to even notice the cancerous rot that had spread so contagiously through out it. That is why I humbly beseech you, my liege, to at least consider it."

"There is no for consideration Archpriest. You are the most experienced man in regards to all things relating to the clergy, if you believe it be so necessary then it will be done." I reply innocently, as the image of a certain seductive beauty with a plain white mask came to mind for a position of leadership in such an organization.

A radiant smile came to the old man's face as he gleefully replied, with a tone of relief, as if a massive bolder had suddenly been lifted off his chest "Thank you, sire. You have done this old man a great favor."

"Please don't mention it your grace. I will have Darius begin drafting the preliminary plans for such things as soon as we return to the capital. Though we might have to inconvenience you to be present for several of those meetings for your input." I continue talking humbly, while my mind already schemed how to better make use of such a situation, while also sparing the old man as much grief and trouble as possible.

'This is going to be quite expensive, but then again what isn't.' I silently mused in my mind, having drawn up a basic idea of a budget for this new ordeal.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Adam exclaimed, before continuing "As for my second suggestion, my liege, it is to reinstitute the Kaduk Theos system." He said happily as all other thought was suddenly ejected out of my skull by the sheer incredulity of his words.