The Emperor and the Servant: A Tale of Two Heroes

Chapter 14: Faith

Previously: The test of faith begins in the Amazon.

Main quotes: “All we can do now is believe. Once we were Watchers. Now we are Believers.”(Uriel) “What constitutes freedom is acknowledgement of a world beyond the self.”(Christian)

  “Have faith for you are justified in living the truth.”

  The words of Gabriel the Messenger resound in the ears of one man who heard his message. This was before the Emperor and his comrades were brought to the Amazon.

  “What does this mean?” Solus projected himself in a mental plane.

  “You hold the strength to oppose all who desire to end, and to have faith in the goodness of humanity and God…that is the love of your father.” Flashback reveals more of his past. Solus Tenebrae was the only son of the 7th Chronicler and a woman of simple beginnings. They were of the middle class. One day, in one of his father’s “secret expeditions”, he was brought back dead. Stories were unclear but it was said he got caught in a fight that ended terribly. The perpetrator hid among those whose names were unknown.

  “But I know also that the Minister you got close to…”

  Flashes show how the two became so close, working hand by hand.

  “He was the one who killed the man found dead.”

  “So you knew this too…”

  “You saw guilt as he looked at you.”

  “He took my father’s identity. Shameless bastard…and I thought…”

  “He is what you see he is. But when the time comes…your true faith will shine.”

  The days have gone by for quite a while. Time does elude people.

 

  August 31, 1205 A.D.

  The Emperor and his comrades stayed with the Angels for three days, each day recounting the stories of the three and understanding the Quest more, which is further reflection for any who seek truth here.

 The next three days were dedicated to the Master, who revealed His truth in the Scriptures. Finally, it had lasted nine days since they had been brought to the jungle. They had no need to camp out and eat the food from the world. The Master provided for them. But He cautioned that a strong resolve makes the food they eat something that truly sustains them. Nearing the beginning of the cold autumn, the Ministers gather in their wait for the Emperor. Even if he had solved a potential crisis of power, he was not there to benefit from it. As explained, the Emperor was the target of an assassination plot concocted by Duke Von Sehen who stood among the Twenty-Four Ministers of State. De Jure notes, “We are a small assembly. Yet we carry the burden of the Empire on our shoulders, not the Emperor who leaves to do the unspeakable. If his exploits bring glory, they are for no one to partake. We cannot trust him.” This worries Patria.

  Maximus and Raynen continue to fight. “You will not stop ‘his’ coming!”

  “What makes you think your leader is all-powerful, just because a mere mortal can do nothing to him?”

  “He is not…well not yet. So the real threats must come in the right time but not the one you know.”

  “What are you saying?” Maximus smiles at this. “Our leader is not who you think he is.”

  Their clash gives them a wider understanding…of the men they follow.

  “Emperor Vincent believes in truth. He does not seek all others to follow his own word alone.”