The Beast That was Promised ✔

THIRTY-FOUR: A New Start

Isiah sighed and stretched his arms high. The warm summer sun beamed down upon him and the fields of green waved in the light breeze. Atop a nearby hill, the children whooped with joy, running about without a care in the world. Some sat on their own, lost in their own little worlds, but it was good to see some of them smiling again.

The class had just finished and he was giving the children a break before lunch was served. His grey robes fluttered in the wind and his long hair whipped at his face. He pushed it away with a sigh and turned down to the Sanctum. It was far nicer than all the Sanctum's he had seen before, mostly because he had built it himself with blueprints drawn by Emrick. All of it was new, styled after the homes in Ishmar, which sat on the horizon, less than a day's walk away.

Each of the homes were the same, two-storey buildings made of wood and stone with large glass windows and massive fireplaces to keep them warm in the winter. Not even his power could keep everyone warm at once. He made his home look like all the others in the new Sanctum, not needing much and not wanting to look like he valued himself higher. The only difference was the laboratory out the back, a telescope on top of it just like at Turian's laboratory.

In each home lived three children and one adult. There were only five buildings so far, but there were still people coming back from their pilgrimage, people who hadn't been there when Harudan had slaughtered the Sanctum of Ishin. One of whom was the girl who had been in Huton when he'd been captured, who had apologised profusely for her lack of judgement. Of course, it wasn't her fault.

All of them knew he was part of the Beast that was Promised. He couldn't exactly hide it, not when Ashera liked to scream it to the world. She lived with him and Emrick in the house at the end of the stone street, but was in Ishmar for a week to visit Nerin. Emrick wasn't with him either but was due to return within the next hour or so.

Things hadn't changed that much from when he'd been living at the old Sanctum of Ishin, life was peaceful for the first time in months, even though he constantly had to explain to newcomers what had happened. He had visited his old home once, to make a sign with the location of the new one. That hadn't been long after he'd returned from Ziya and taken back the children, but he didn't see the point in returning again. It would be left to be taken over by dust and weeds, a remnant of a false religion.

None of them prayed after Isiah told them the truth, even with Beast that was Promised right in front of them. He didn't pray either, if anything, he was starting to follow Emrick's way of life and looked to science to explain the answers of what the Old Gods had created. Praying to them did nothing. If he was going to do something, he had to do it himself, the same went for the rest of them.

Nerin, for the most part, was a good King, if Emrick was to be believed. He was working hard to make sure everyone was supported and they paid back Minisia exactly what was due. The border made it hard sometimes and some people were angry that there was a child on the throne, but they were dealing with it. Letters from Nerin and information from Emrick told him that Nerin had found a captain of his guard, but didn't want a general, which Isiah admired.

He sighed again, watching over the path that led from Ishmar to the new Sanctum. Very few times over the last few months, he'd seen people clad in grey robes wander down the path with confusion in their eyes. Explaining everything to them had been painful, but they had deserved to know. There were only four of them, barely enough to look after all the children, but they managed.

"Father!" one of the children called and he turned. He still wasn't used to the name, but he had been unable to stop them from calling him it. They called Emrick Father too, when he was there. And the one time Rina had visited, they had called her Mother.