Letta Sinclare.
12 Septara, 1491.
***
"What kind of news? From who?"
I heard the bartenders smile as clearly as I saw the smirks from dozens of familiar faces spread across the room. And though I knew the answer, I waited for the proud words to come out of her mouth before moving. "From none other than the Emperor, Amun," she said. But when no further elaboration was given, I turned back to the young barmaid and stared into the grains of her eyes until the impatience got the best of me.
"Well?"
"I'm sure our clones will tell us all." Gio tugged on my arm. "Good to see you again, Larissa. And thank you."
A million things ran through my mind while we walked to the trading bureau, waving at the citizens we left and having brief exchanges with the immigrants we knew at Corvus Tower. Even within the bureau, there were many. More than there were natives of Hill Base, I began to think after looking over the boards arranged within. The many lists of occupations Amun created before they left were all but filled out, leaving only a few specialties in various fields unattended.
Already, and with such little time, what I assumed to be a daunting goal was passively accomplished. That realization, coupled with the thought of both undead and machines working alongside us, made me both worried and expectant for the future of these two I rescued from a life of slavery.
On one hand, I knew they would grow up without wants and have their every need fulfilled. On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel that even with a childhood of the best nurturing, education, and training, the rapid progression of our Empire would see these children grow to live lives of mediocrity- not that they needed to be anything than what they were.
Still, these thoughts plagued me as I registered them as new citizens. And so, though it may have been cliche, I named my daughter Hope, and my son Sage in the hopes of them being seen as such to the whole of Maru.
As for those who Gio saved, there was a widower, Anta, and his two daughters, Mata and Rita; as well as the still withdrawn Pitt. They were all arranged to live in Gio's shop, as the guard, Vell, and Eric had families of their own. At least until Gio managed to carve out new wings in our abodes for them.
In the meantime, we relocated to Giorno's shop, where he showed them their living arrangements and, after ensuring they got settled, gave them some coin and suggested they have some family time. After a bit of fuss, they obliged when he told them he'd have fresh wardrobes for them upon their return, leaving us without our doppelgangers.
They took on Amun's voice moments later, yet remained reflecting our visages as he asked us how things have been for us.
"Rough." I said after a few deep breaths. "We ventured to Mirfield. And… freed slaves. We... bought them. Like animals."
Our clones- Amun, said nothing. Yet the way their eyes fell onto us and the babes wrapped around my front and back sent a million whispers through the silent shadows around us. "I know it hurts," he eventually said, "thinking of all those that had to be left behind. We will free them in due time. And I know you will raise Hope and Sage better than any other. They will be blessed."
"I hope so." I cooed, rocking back and forth.
"They will be." He assured me, then began pacing in the way he did when there were important things to discuss. "I wanted to tell you this in person. You two, and Jonet. Things don't always go according to plan, however. So, here we are.
"Essentially, I've recruited most of my classmates here at the Bodhi Tree. In creating their doppelgangers, the spell evolved. I can now speak through your clones and pass information through them more efficiently. And, let it be known, one of these recruits is the Epethian Prince, Winston Epeth."
"You can't-" I began to object, but our clones were quick to counter.
"I made deals with them. A devil's deal- a Faustian Bargain. They sold their souls to me, and in doing so, must join the Legions that will one day secure Ulai. In exchange, I grant them power, knowledge, and support in their endeavors. For the Epethian Prince and his vassals, that includes helping him right the wrongs of his country and giving his vassals a luxurious retirement. They cannot betray me or break the terms of our deal, lest there be dire consequences.
"Epethia's change will come from within." He slyly said, then grew serious once more. "That said, another of their conditions was to learn the truth of my past and my vast source of knowledge- something I again wanted to tell you all in person. For that, I apologize."
"Please." Gio scoffed. "We are your vassals, and you, our lord. You tell us when you so choose. We are honored that time is now."
"Thank you." He bowed, then stared at us with an intensity we'd never seen before. "Reincarnation is real," He finally said. "Though, in most cases, it only happens once the universe comes to an end."
He went on to tell us of his past- nearly 140 years in a realm without magic, suffering and thriving in the same breath. A life he had perfect recall of, after being reincarnated in this universe with the backing of its creator. And so, naturally, he devoted to recreating the glorious things of his universe, merged with the magic of ours. And we were those fortunate enough to be recruited as vassals in the earliest stages of his journey.
It was… unbelievable. And yet it came as no surprise to either me or Giorno. We all thought he was… something, after all. Toril thought he was not of these realms. Jaimess thought he was an old man in a child's body. Ed thought he was blessed with divine knowledge. Even Jonet thought he was a drow child of prophecy. Truth be told, I never knew exactly what Gio thought, but I wouldn't have been surprised to learn he thought Amun to be divine from the start.
As for me, I simply knew he was special. And in that way, we were all correct and simultaneously wrong. Amun was the God of this universe, blessed by the creator, and nothing had changed in terms of how we saw him. Yet, that changed everything going forward.
"I just told Silas and the other council members as well. As such, they'll be getting to work building churches, sanctuaries, towers, and artificing yards in the city. In the meantime, it's time to start making prototypes for the Legions' equipment. I'll be sending files about them soon."
Our dismissal was short and yet meaningful. We simply acknowledged his words and our clones returned to being mirrors of ourselves, leaving the four of us uttering to ourselves about the revelation.
"How fortunate must we be?" Giorno chortled dryly. And let the statement hang in the air. "To have been raised by a God in the flesh."
"He's not just our God, Giorno." I said, looking down at Hope and Sage, sleeping so soundly in their wraps. "He's the God of all Maruleans. Always has been."
***
Giorno Nojo.
***
I had been gripped by despair. It blinded me. Deafened me. Kept me from remembering, realizing, understanding- my master was glorious. He was generous. He was our God. What was his was ours. And by extension, what was ours was our citizens, our friends, our children's. And so I returned home with renewed vigor and gave my domain a look over.
The central space was a hexagonal tunnel with raised floors going along the length on either side, creating a sunken walkway in the middle that housed the kitchen and dining areas. The low wall and large window at the far end were cluttered potted plants, art pieces, busts and other bits of furniture to make up my lounge. And beyond the doors to either side were the working area and bedroom.
Sacrificing the back half of my lounge, I pulled down the stone to mold them into stairs on either side and carved out the rock above to vertically extend the common area. Somewhat like the floor below, double units were then carved to each side, giving a private common area and rooms for both Anta's family and Pitt.
With that done, it was on to carve out the windows and the planted terrace and do all the other necessities for them to live as comfortably as possible while my doppelganger sent the procured furniture and enchantments over.
By morning, the endeavors were finished and my clone had brought them over from the shop for the tour. In short, they absolutely loved it. But I not-so-humbly waved their praise aside to offer them breakfast, using it as an opportunity to teach them to use the enchantments along the way.
"This place is amazing, Sir Giorno!" Anta exclaimed once dinner wound down. "I feel like we can do anything here."
"You can do anything!" I merrily replied. "And it will only get more amazing as time passes. But it won't be easy. Everyone from the children to the Emperor works hard, day in and day out, to make this place as great as can be."
"I've noticed." Pitt chimed in. Though he was still reserved, he seemed to have opened up after exploring the city for a bit. Whatever it was he saw, it kindled fires in his eyes that made me eager for the coming months. "I've been thinking... I want to join the guard."
"I encourage you to live it up a little first. Enjoy your freedom. But if you're serious, head to the front gate when you're ready and ask for Rodin. Tell him you want to join and that I sent you. Though, I warn you, it'll be the most challenging thing you have ever done. Possibly the hardest thing outside joining the legions."
"I would hope so, sir," Pitt retorted without delay. "They named me after the job they assigned me as a babe. They wanted pits, so I dug pits. Seventeen years, those monsters spent trying to convince me all I could do was dig. Dig. Dig. Dig. That's all I ever lived. Rocks, dirt, and mud. That's all I was ever worth. Mines and graves were my home. No matter where I went, I dug. And I started to believe them. I was worth was the dirt I was destined to dig.
"Then came you. The man who freed me." He turned his steely eyes to me. "Then came this place, a city where anything is possible. And so, I want to put down the shovel and pick up the halberd. I want to protect this place and the people who helped me so. And if possible, I'd like to free others."
"Well, that's what we're fighting for." I assured him with a soft smile. "It's our goal for all of Maru to be free. Free from the tyranny that ruled you. Free from the threat of the Ulaian barrier breaking."
"Free is an understatement." Anta spoke up with a chortle. "We live like royalty here. I intend to enjoy it. At least until we finish learning to read and write. Mata and Rita are due to begin school after, as am I. But I have the same mind as Pitt. Not that I want to join the guard. But I want to decide my fate. So… um, Sir Giorno, are you in need of an apprentice? I may be getting old, but I can still learn. And I'll-"
"You're hired."