"With the sun to guide us, we wipe out the darkness."
Jonathan stood at attention, staring up at the Messiah Leaders. Leaders Maverin, Adjunir, and the recently appointed Nikolai before he opened his mouth to speak with the chorus of hundreds around him.
"We grind our enemies to dust."
"On the blood of those who came before us, we uphold the laws of old."
Maverin had spoken first, now this time, it was Adjunir who delivered the line. The Leader induction ceremony was something Jonathan hadn't experienced, but always felt as though he would in time. The Leaders valued him, but with the passing of Leader Juna, he had missed his opportunity. Nikolai had been chosen above him. This was fine, of course. Everyone knew Adjunir was the next to go, and when she was gone, Jonathan would get her place as the head of the triumvirate. He spoke along with the Messiah's chorus;
"We crush those who stand against us."
"With the world as our witness, we save the undeserving from damnation."
Nikolai delivered the line in his broken English. Jonathan had half-expected it to just be said in Russian, but perhaps the other two had forced him to learn this bit of English to follow the traditions of the Messiah. Now they'd all have to learn Russian with him at the helm.
"We fight until our dying breath."
"So is the way of the Messiah."
All three leaders delivered this line, and silence befell the Assembly Room. The ceiling rose a hundred feet into the air, flags hung on either side of the wall, the massive balcony where the leaders stood was now vacated as the ceremony completed.
The Messiah remained at attention below, before they relaxed and talk began to break out among them. "Sucks you missed out on getting that position," a voice behind him spoke.
Jonathan turned to see his fellow Lieutenant, "Songbird", grinning at him. She had white hair with crimson highlights, shoulder length and curly. Her skin was olive, and her eyes were grey. They had been rivals for as long as he could remember. Well... their entire lives, really. They'd both been born into the Messiah. His parents were dead by now, but she still had her mother until last night, who was the recently passed Leader Juna.
The Messiah was a triarchy. Despite anybody having a shot at becoming a Lieutenant or even a leader, it was usually delegated out through bloodlines. This was especially prevalent with Leader Maverin, who was the sixth in a long line of fathers and sons that had taken up the mantle of a Messiah Leader—with no children of his own to claim his mantle.
"You're one to talk," Jonathan replied. "What was it you told me? Oh, right. 'With momma gone, that position is as good as mine'."
Songbird rolled her eyes. "I'll still be a leader, give it time, Sweep."
Sweep. The title Jonathan had been given upon completing his first mission after becoming a Lieutenant. It sounded lame, unassuming, if one didn't understand the context- even then, he disliked it. He had been named as such for his ability to 'sweep the floor with his enemies corpses', which was true enough in both a metaphorical and literal sense, but that didn't change the fact that the name itself was... pathetic in practice.
Without sharing any more words, he and Songbird left the great hall behind, alongside most of the Messiah. They were given a wide berth by the casual grunt, of course. Becoming a Lieutenant was no easy feat, and deserved a modicum of fear and respect. Until recently, Nikolai had been known as 'Wendigo' for his ability to rip his enemies to shreds in seconds, and to drain their literal essence of being. He was hands-down the most gruesome of the Messiah Jonathan had ever seen.
