Arriving in Markoth, Rashira expected to see a ruined city from the tales she had heard. Yet, to her surprise, it had already been rebuilt so well that she had to look for the signs of its previous destruction. But when she did, she could see them... There were still many empty lots and the old foundations of destroyed homes. If one recognized their shapes, they could see those that were still there, now flattened and kept clear for a future time when the city had grown enough, and people would need more homes to occupy and live in. Until then, they were just left as empty parcels.

What surprised her was that Sasha, when greeting them, didn't mistake her for a potential wife. Haah... so Leyla was just teasing her. Looking at Leyla, she could see that she was holding back a laugh, ignoring her gaze completely. Seeing it, Lady Sasha probably caught on and quickly explained that Sovereign Leon had sent word before their arrival. It was a relief... But then again, Rashira couldn't explain how a message could arrive that fast... not that she could ask about it. Do they have birds that are faster than a Khulmani hawk? Or...

Thinking, her eyes moved to Lady Sasha, studying her and then forgetting all her questions. She could see how Sasha looked at her daughter, seeing her after months of being apart. The love in her eyes... It made Rashira a bit jealous. To give them time to catch up, she excused herself, and, once again, surprising her, she was allowed to walk around the rebuilt home of the Markothian people. No guards, no escort... which was a bit scary, but she wouldn't show it. Hopefully, this city was just as friendly as Avalon.

It quickly turned out to be the truth. Well, not exactly... The people here were different from Avalonians; they were more reserved and more... focused. Maybe. She couldn't really put it into words, but they didn't have the same aura of freedom around them; they were much more... busy. Especially the soldiers, not the Avalonian ones, but clearly locals, who were still in training and moving around in multiple, small squads, doing most of the physical labor.

No matter where she walked or who she watched—soldiers, the local children doing errands, or a group of workers fixing a roof—there was something in their expressions that made her furrow her brows. It took Rashira some time to understand what caught her attention. It was the way the Markothians looked at passing by Avalonians. Be it Leyla or Lady Sasha, the skull-faced soldiers, or the flag of Avalon next to their own... There it was. That look...

Of genuine worship.

It was not the loud, festival-filled celebration of the Six Gods that some countries held, the ones she knew about. It was not even the honoring of the God that her own bloodline originated from, the worship of the God Toobu. This one had no ceremonies, and there weren't any prayers being murmured or priests walking around, herding people into churches for a sermon.

"Where are the churches?" She suddenly remembered speeding up her walking and looking from street to street, but she found none.

From what she remembered of her studies, Markoth was supposed to be a place where the God of Honor, Valen, was respected the most of the Six. Yet, where were his temples? Or statues? Something? Nothing. Not even any emblem representing his domain, no lightning, and no crossed swords. It was then that it hit her like a punch to the chest. They replaced it all with the heraldry of Avalon.

Walking the streets one more time, looking for the signs specifically, she finally could see them. The old marks were chiseled away and replaced by crude images of an airship, the face of a lion, or just the image of gears... She said nothing at first. What could she say? It was not her place, but the fact that the Six were being ignored and their old markings overlayed by someone who wasn't even a God? It felt... heretical.

"Haah..." With a sigh, she let her feelings settle down, as this was not Khulman. Even back home, not everybody practiced their faith. She couldn't remember the last time she honored Toobu's divinity, either. Still... this felt wrong. Thinking, she paused near a market stall, pretending to examine some of the dried berries as two older women talked in hushed tones nearby.

“...young Rikia is pregnant. Did you hear?”

“Oh? Is she? Good, good! Another little one is always good news; I hope she will give birth to a healthy baby. Sovereign bless her tummy!”

“Maybe the little one will be someone who can study in Avalon, ahaha! I heard that her husband has begun reading to her stomach already.”

"That Dodak? He can read?"

"He learned." The old woman chuckled, "He is good at hammering iron, and apparently, he is now finally good at reading more than the instructions he is given, hah! But bless his soul, he wants to name the baby Leon if it's a boy and Sasha if it's a girl..."

“Hah! The gall!” The other also laughed, "If he goes through with it... he better make sure the kid doesn't bring shame to those names, or there will be hell to pay!"

Deciding she had heard enough, Rashira continued browsing the stalls, overhearing multiple conversations, all of them playing out similarly. Later, returning to the main castle, her thoughts swirling rapidly, she realized that Khulman was unaware of the influence Avalon was exerting on everybody they came in contact with. Then, when they were sitting at the dinner table, she finally spoke up about it.

Sasha, seated at the head, looked up from her meal of roasted squash and lamb, glancing at her when she cleared her throat. On Rashira's left, Leyla was already halfway through his second helping, slouching comfortably in his chair, while on her right, Markoth's king, Edric, was sitting in a way that showed he was in complete submission towards the other two women. And he was happy about it... Which drove Rashira mad, as it was inconceivable back home.

“I’ve noticed something,” She began, searching for the correct words and tone, folding her hands in front of her. “In the city. The people… they don’t speak of the Six Gods anymore... And instead, they worship Avalon.”

Hearing it, Leyla blinked her eyes with surprise, looking at Edric, who simply smiled, saying nothing, but his gaze revealed enough of his thoughts. He knew, and he approved. On the other hand, Sasha’s hand stilled halfway to her glass, her eyes settling on Rashira, studying her face before speaking.

“They’ve replaced them with you," Rashira pressed on, “I just want to ask if it was intentional or...”

"You are not wrong," Sasha sighed quietly, setting her fork down, lifting the cup, and taking a sip, "But we forced nothing on Markoth."

"I can vouch for that," Edric repeated, but Rashira wasn't sure she could trust his words on this.

“But… isn’t this... dangerous?” She continued, speaking more carefully now, not wanting to accuse Lady Sasha of anything. She just didn't want her sisters to be... brainwashed. Jila would be the first to fall into that trap, for sure! “Creating a faith around people? Around a nation?”

"Why?" Sasha asked back, folding her arms the same way.

"..." Rashira suddenly had no answer while Leyla glanced between them, remaining silent, curious about how it would play out.

“We found this land in pieces, overrun and suffering,” Sasha continued, her voice more soothing now, “It was filled with broken people. But our Avalon didn't come to conquer them. Yes, we told them they have a duty, one that they can not escape from, guarding the Pass in the mountains. Something that they must live up to... And we are helping them accomplish it. But as for how they live their lives? That is up to them. They can choose who to worship.”

“And it wasn't the Six who saved us,” Edric whispered under his breath, his eyes growing distant for a moment.

"..." True. Again... Rashira knew that... Was it simply her upbringing that was finding it troublesome? Probably.

“Yes.” Sasha continued, resuming her dinner, “We came when no one else did. Avalon has brought food, medicine, and protection when most needed. When others have written this place off as cursed...”

"..." Once again, another fact. She knew that her Father had designated the northern countries as Cursed Lands, dominated and lost to the monsters. Nobody even thought about people surviving here. “And now they began praying to the Sovereign instead of the Six...” Rashira murmured.

“Not because he asked them to do so,” Sasha stated quickly, blushing a little. “I can tell you now, Leon doesn’t want to be a god. He never did anything like that back home that would lead to that misconception! But for these people…"

"For the people," Edric spoke, gazing at Rashira, "For us, our belief wasn’t about the Gods anymore. This land was abandoned, which is what we thought and believed. Our hope, all of it, was only about survival. Even though it was mostly fake, we were simply too cowardly to take the easy way out. You also had time to look around the city today... Luckily, all that we hoped for became a reality! I can't stop my people from believing in something when it was what kept us going until now.”

“But isn’t it wrong?” she finally asked, watching Cedric. “To let it continue? It may turn into something...”

“It might,” Sasha admitted, shrugging again. “But I’ve seen what happens when people have nothing left to believe in. I grew up amongst such a group... Whose worship was focused around me, especially in the winter,” she continued, raising her hand until a small flame popped into existence above her palm, "Whatever I told them didn't matter. I could say I was just a little girl who could summon flames; they didn't listen and looked at me like I was their savior. They already decided on it, just like the people who made their decisions here. Nothing will be able to change that."

"Well," Leyla finally broke her silence, her voice trying to soothe Rashira, “It’s strange, I know. But it gives them hope, no? Right now, Markoth survives because people believe in something! Something that they can see, too! Maybe that’s not ideal… but it’s at least real.”

Rashira slowly unfurled her hands as she leaned back, her thoughts going back and forth on what they told her. Yes, they were real... but Toobu's Gauntlets were also real... What if, in the future, the Gods do take notice? What will happen... then?

...

....

......

Arthur stood at the base of the boarding ramp of the Punisher, Avalon's fourth and latest smaller airship. For this occasion, he was waiting in full uniform, not exactly in a military one, but one that showed that he was here on official Avalonian business, hands clasped behind his back. The crew assigned to this mission moved around him with pride, saluting him as the veteran soldiers passed him, knowing this excursion would be to bring Avalon's name to those who had only heard about them so far.

"I don't expect to need to do much," Veron said as he arrived beside Arthur, making him smile and nod his head.

"Yeah," he glanced at the still young Knight, who was there when they attacked Ishillia. "Your presence alone will probably be enough to make them surrender. We are here to capture bandits and not for annihilation."

"Understood. It's just a clean-up mission," Veron saluted and was about to say something else when someone else arrived.

"It's bigger than I imagined," came a voice to Arthur's right.

It was Queen Shi Belse, who now stood there in a deep green court dress. Despite her usual, noble bearing, her wide-eyed wonder betrayed her now, something that Arthur was used to by now. It was always the same when someone new was allowed to climb onto one of their airships.

"It is," Arthur nodded as he turned towards her. "Veron, please make sure we have everything we need. I will take Lady Belse up to the observation deck."

"It will be done, My Lord." He saluted, watching as Arthur led the woman deeper into the ship.

"I didn't think I would be let inside one," she said as they disappeared from the Punisher's main bay.

"Your presence is vital, Your Grace." He answered as they walked forward in the well-lit, narrow corridors.

"Yes," Shi chuckled, smiling at him, studying the man who would one day lead Avalon and probably the Union, "I understand. If I am not seen aboard, if I do not sign off on every maneuver, it may look as though Avalon is occupying my country."

"And we want no part of that rumor," Arthur nodded, surprisingly serious. "We need stability back home while we march towards the East next year. The Union is still a new thing, and we are not blind or deaf. We know every country still has some opposition to it. So, the local nobles need to see that this effort is yours as much as ours, and it is not us silently conquering you."

"Don't worry. Just like the other two, we will cooperate to clean up our countries." Shi nodded her head, watching as the door slid apart before her, and a panoramic view entered her eyes. She could see almost everything, and she couldn't wait until it all lifted up to the skies. "Honestly, it will be my first time watching Avalon in action... And I am even more excited about that than flying."