One day, we'll both be free from here. I promise.
Six centuries after the previous civilization came to a catastrophic end, the remnants of humanity survive in a seemingly utopian paradise. Nehemiah Tumen is the only friend of Crowned Prince Erik Ny...
The Hall of Sacrifice was an ancient, rounded room enclosed by stone walls and a domed ceiling that soared high overhead. Three pathways, equally distanced from one another, branched out of the Hall to form a Y-shape, each leading to one of the three preparation rooms. I emerged from one of the pathways accompanied by Shen, Zhu and Sezim.
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Being buried deep underground, the only light in the room came from hundreds of burning candles in the niches of the walls and pillars. Above us, a balcony encircled the entire room, with columns and arches on both levels stretching to the ceiling, each adorned with sculptures of beasts and heroes of legend and long forgotten history.
An elevated platform was located to my left, at the front of the Hall between two of the branching passageways held the Sacrificial Ark,* a gold-encrusted, box-shaped relic from the Age of Antiquity said to be nearly five millennia old. The Solomon family had preserved the Ark for thousands of years in secret, and relocated it to the Hall of Sacrifice just before the end of the Age of Chaos. It was a symbol of continuity mankind, reminding us of all the trials we had overcome in the past, and giving us the perseverance to endure and preserve what remained of humanity into the future.
When I arrived, everyone else was already present in the chamber, crowded around the walls of the room and on the balcony, leaving a large, empty space in the middle of the Hall. All ten of the Great Families were present, representing ten of mankind's tribes. The Three Holy Families, Villarvattom, Ishkhan and mine, the Tumen family, were also present. However, the Three Noble Families, which included Erik's family, were not here. They were always excluded from such ceremonies.
Above the altar on the balcony sat Lady Sheba Solomon herself, the head of the Habesha Tribe* and the Solomon Family, the chief family of Aelia. Her petite, almost frail body, sat on a simple throne, clad in all-white robes that glowed with flecks of gold in the candlelight. A loose shawl was draped over her curly, black hair. Shadows danced across her chestnut-coloured eyes and ebony skin.
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Seated to her right was a girl I didn't recognize, with curly and messy flaming red hair, sticking out in every direction. Her piercing, green eyes and pale, freckled-skin contrasted with the plain, dark green cloth loosely wrapped around her. Despite being a young woman, she was unkempt and dressed as if she were elderly. Compared to everyone else in the room, especially Lady Sheba with her regal composure, stern posture and the sombre expression on her face, this girl definitely stood out. She sat leaning on one of her arms, fidgeting with her feet and darting her eyes around the room. Her eyes caught mine and she turned her head sideways, quizzically, observing me for a brief moment before loosing interest and shifting her gaze yet again.
