A few months passed, and word of the Cardin disaster spread. The Order of Truth Seekers was adamant that the Church of Pestilence was the one who attacked their city, but nothing came of these allegations.
But what surprised everyone was that Cardin, driven by the desperate desire to protect their city's inhabitants, reluctantly began talks of alliance with the Empire, destroying their neutral image.
The people of Cardin feared that their freedom was at stake. Fear gripped their hearts as the once vibrant city now teetered on the brink of chaos, with unrest seeping into every corner, and citizens began whispering their concerns in hushed tones.
The Order of Truth increasingly lost its reputation, as the people received no confirmation that the order wasn't joining the Empire.
Every day, the unrest grew. The Empire had sent support, but with the support came their military. After the city began to be rebuilt, the soldiers sent made a makeshift military base out of some destroyed buildings and took up residence.
This military base acted as 'insurance' for the Empire, while they sent envoys to the Order of Truth. These envoys held the terms of the deal between the two powers.
When these deals reached Alex's hands, she was heartbroken to see how terrible the terms were. The covenant the Empire was offering was terrible and made Cardin and her order subjects to the Emperor.
It required Alex to give all her work to the Empire and become the Emperor's servant. She was disgusted that they would try to take advantage of her like this, but it got worse.
Exploiting the military base established within Cardin, the Empire unleashed a steady influx of 'support'. More and more soldiers reached Cardin every week.
Alex confronted the Empire's envoys, desperate to salvage what was left of her control and her order's autonomy, only to face silence.
It was as if the Empire was telling her to choose. She tried to make counteroffers, but they were all rejected.
After the chaos Cain caused, her order was in shambles, as well as the city. But she couldn't do anything about it! She was a single person in the ocean of humanity. Alex didn't have the power to stand up in front of an entire Empire.
She bore witness to her beloved city's descent into unrest. Day by day, the Empire's grip tightened, encroaching upon every corner of Cardin. Amidst the turmoil, Alex quietly resolved to bide her time, gradually regaining her strength, and awaiting the opportune moment to strike.
...
Cain was in a village. He traded some of the copper he kept as change for supplies and food for the road. Cain was usually not prone to eating, as he wanted to maintain the perfect image of a god. However, this situation was different because he was with Xavier, his puppet.
This allowed him to taste food once again. He was able to go a long time without eating due to the regenerative virus Yonio created, which he later mutated and changed for himself.
The virus allowed the body to hold the energy it had by slowing metabolism. This was also how he could hold excess 'nutrients' with Animum.
This stored energy would then be used when the body needed to heal, acting as stem cells and fitting the body's every need. The energy was a liquid stored in the bloodstream and heart, and it would spread across the body once the nervous system sensed damage.
The energy was sourced from food, which gave the person immense hunger to acquire the amount of energy needed to operate normally.
That was why Cain's subordinates were eating so much at that inn. However for Cain, it was different. He made the virus Yonio gave him more efficient, and he could get energy from those he killed with animum in addition to food.
This allowed him to have huge stores of energy that could be used whenever needed. This energy could also serve as sustenance, satiating hunger and negating the need for him to eat.
But why waste extra energy when he didn't need to? That was his reasoning behind purchasing some jerky for himself to chow down on.
"Master, why are you eating food? Don't you not need to?"
"I don't, but I waste energy when I do that. Since my believers are not here, I can eat food without creating a negative image."
"I see. Well, we are almost to Salazar. When we get there, I think we should stop somewhere for the night to scout the city. People say the Emperor makes diligent trips there every once in a while."
Cain nodded while he thought about the internal situation of the Empire. his church had a massive network and took over organizations like Ornate Palace and others.
The information from Sarah gave a good overview. As of now, the Empire had three factions that were plummeting it into chaos: the Royal Family trying to hold order, the Nobles trying to stage a coup, and the Rebellion, which was regaining its strength and following.
'I know the church has made contact with the Rebellion. They helped the church get into Salazar, and now we have the nobles trying to cozy up to us as well. The citizens love the church and are already upset with the Empire's taxes and drafts for the yearly wars. It should only take a small push for everything to collapse. Though I plan to make a big push.'
The Empire was not as strong as people thought. Many rebellions over time had caused the nobles to grow annoyed at the Royal Family and make their own plans.
Meanwhile, the Rebellion had been growing from people's unrest. And now the church was there, acting as salvation from the Empire.
The Emperor had long lost control and only made appearances every month or so now. Cain was amazed that the Emperor would let everything descend to this point. It was astonishing for such a grand person to let centuries of work fall like that.
"Master, we are here."
Cain's gaze descended from the sky, fixing upon the colossal wall before him.
Xavier, his faithful puppet, stood at his side, also marveling at the impressive sight.
It was large and decorated with engraved heroes. The wall itself seemed to be regularly repaired and was in good condition.
Rearing into the city behind the gate, Cain saw a lively scene. Smiling families strolled along the meticulously maintained streets of Salazar, their laughter mingling with the chatter of eager peddlers and the hurried footsteps of merchants rushing their goods within their bustling shops.
But it was just a façade. Cain knew the parents of the families were secretly angry at their leader, the peddlers envying the merchants, and the merchants envying the nobles they had to suck up to.
Cain's lips curled into a wry smile as he observed the façade of contentment masking the unfulfilled desires of the masses. They danced on the precipice of their own ambitions, content to remain pawns in the grand game of power, oblivious to the potential within their grasp.
Cain began to talk to himself in his head, making the scene before him an inspiration for his inner monologue.
'Behold! The effects of society. Making people slaves to their leader, allowing themselves to be controlled for something that doesn't benefit them. I can't wait for them to have a taste of despair, hehe.'