The three well-known kings—King Balthazar in southern Cypriox, Hebronor in the northern part, and Wendzar in the eastern region—were once priests who were elevated to kingship of the three cities of Cypriox. Driven by their high ambitions to gain full control of Cypriox and its people, they changed the traditions of the populace, replacing them with a new system. Like it or not, the people had to follow their commands.

"Those priests are useless, they should be removed from their positions. Their teachings are leading many people astray. So, what should we do about them?" said Wendzar, his anger boiling over at the priests who were rebelling against them.

"The news is already spreading that they are still preaching false beliefs. It's not good if we just let them continue... What will the people say if our systematic religion has no influence to change narrow-minded people like them?" Balthazar added.

"My concern is that even other countries might stop following our new system. This change is meticulous, and if we can't sort it out here within our own country, what about our other allies?" mused Hebronor.

"We can replace them by appointing new priests who are excellent speakers, and we will teach them the correct faith—we have sacred writings that will guide them on the right path. Through that, they will clearly understand our objective," Balthazar suggested.

There was a young man named Hyushen Deveör, who was destined to become a priest to fulfill his parents' purpose for his welfare and the reputation of the Deveör clan in their city in the eastern part of Cypriox, called Santimum Opryx. This city was ruled by King Wendzar. He was the only child of Devon Deveör, a couple known in their area as a wealthy family. Their clan was a leader in serving the sanctuary of their church; many of them served in sacred work, which gave them high honor in Cypriox society.

From a young age, Hyushen was trained by his parents to become a great king of Cypriox, a dream that was easy for his parents to achieve because they had a strong connection with the current king, King Wendzar. However, because the selection of a king was a sacred process, anyone had to first go through the priesthood to test their goodness, inner strength, and, most importantly, their intelligence to understand the people's problems and how to solve them. He first had to become a priest to serve the people of Cypriox. But the final decision was still in the hands of the current king, who would choose among the priests.

In fact, King Wendzar himself had promised his parents that he would choose Hyushen as his successor. King Wendzar saw him as a son, which made him feel close to Hyushen.

Hyushen was diligent in his studies and undeniably intelligent; he could even debate with the country's most brilliant scholars. Another thing everyone admired was his skill in speaking.

"Hyushen, you probably know the situation in Cypriox. Many are rebelling against the new system of our new religion," said Wendzar. "We need to remove the priests who are rebelling against this system."

"My King, I have also found that they are changing the teachings, so I am deeply saddened because many believe and follow them," Hyushen replied calmly.

"If that's the case, then our decision might be correct. If you ask me, I have a great hatred for traitors."

"But, those priests are doing their duty for the sake of peace. Because of the many speculations that they are behind the rebellion, they see that the system you have built has a stain of blood, a blemish on the face of our country."

"Are you saying that they are changing the teachings because we are violent kings?"

"If that is what you see in yourselves," he calmly replied. "I'm not saying they are right, but our society has become too bloody."

"They are the ones disrupting society. If they would just follow—there would be no trouble!"

"But if you'll permit me, those people have lost their loved ones; all those who were sacrificed for sacred salvation left their families in tears."

"The life of one is the salvation of all. They are just a few who were sacrificed for a more sacred society. In fact, they should rejoice, for they will have salvation and blessings that are for all of us," he replied passionately. "It is their honor to sacrifice their lives on the Cross."

"I am saddened because the people who were sacrificed are suffering a severe lashing, something that innocent people do not deserve," he responded sadly.

"That is just a part of the scourging of humanity's sin—because they represent the entire world, they must endure that!" Wendzar was no longer pleased with Hyushen's replies. "If you came to me to voice the feelings of your weakness, stop that! That is not how a king thinks!"

Whenever they spoke, Wendzar would sometimes mention a vision revealed to the three kings about the future chosen by the Mystical Being in their dreams. But instead of one of them being chosen, it was revealed to them that none of the three had the qualities of the chosen one. Because, they were consumed by the greed to become powerful over all of Cypriox. They no longer had mercy on the people who were rebelling. They secretly had the people who led the protest movement eliminated. And now, they planned to remove and imprison the priests who were secretly teaching the old faith.

"Tomorrow, go to the border of Cypriox and join the officials who will meet the visitors. I want you to welcome the Elanthro for their offerings to our church."

"You can always rely on me, my King, for this responsibility. You can expect a large portion of their offerings to reach our church here in eastern Cypriox."

"Think of it as me doing this secret work for our clan. Your parents know this system of the eastern king."

"This just maintains the power of our entire Deveör clan, so I understand why you outsmart the other kings."

"The offerings from other countries depend on their decision and goodwill as to where they will offer. So, your wisdom and skill in speaking are what I can rely on most. Someday, you will become a priest in our church, and I want you to be excellent at mingling with people even now."

Hyushen knew he had to work for his clan, with many dictating his every move to achieve their exceptional standards. All to maintain their status as a wealthy and powerful clan in the country of Cypriox. But even if he sometimes disliked it, he still did it because that was the way his parents had raised him. He wasn't bothered by his duties but by the people who dictated his life.

In truth, he had discovered many sects said to be the opposite of the Crux system—the Triangulum. Or a movement with a Triangle sign believed to be secretly opposing the religious system, also known as the Shadow of the Crux. Religious people who hide in the shadow of the Crux is what they were called. He thoroughly studied this from the symbols, types of people, and even the way they spoke, as many priests or religious people had joined the so-called Shadow of the Crux. So, he knew the deep reason for the rebellion against the Crux system. Nevertheless, serving the Shadow of the Crux was considered espionage. The angels thrown out by the Elanthro were believed to be henchmen of the Shadow of the Crux. These angels thrown out by the Elanthro were people from Elanthro who did not worship the Crux power.

Due to his studies, Hyushen also discovered that Thallerion was once a follower of Crux, but this was cut off when a conflict arose between Elanthro and Peronica. And because Thallerion chose Peronica since the Thallerion king's wife was the daughter of the Queen of Peronica, and because Cypriox favored Elanthro, the connection with King Xerxez became unclear. Nevertheless, Cypriox still tried to re-establish a relationship with the current king of Thallerion.

Cypriox was a sacred country, so the government conducted an intensive cleansing for religious purposes, which is why other countries were not aware of the turmoil within the country. This was because they cleaned up the mess before it could worsen, which led to the creation of the Shadow of the Crux, a movement that was against the Cypriox system.

But even though he grew up in a sacred world, he was still aware of the greed and thirst for power of other people. All Hyushen knew was to be excellent at everything to be recognized by his clan, but as he came to understand the world he was in, he understood more and more what it meant to be human.

His clan treated him specially because everyone knew he would be the next king in Santimum Opryx of Cypriox. Hyushen's lineage had green eyes, a special trait in all of Cypriox. Only their clan had such a feature. Even King Wendzar had green eyes.

From childhood until he became a young man, he was serving in the convent. And now that he was studying for the priesthood, he served as the king's right-hand man to be trained. And when he became a priest, he would leave his duties in the king's kingdom.

Hyushen went to the border of Cypriox at the train station to welcome the expected arriving train. But in an unforeseen event, Eavur's group and Hyushen's party crossed paths. Eavur's group was armed, making them very dangerous compared to the Cypriox soldiers who were wearing white and were very formal.

A skirmish broke out between the two groups. But because it was a planned attack by the Barbarian group, they got the upper hand over the Cypriox people. Even the Elanthro who brought the offerings were harmed when Eavur's companions set off an explosion.

"Identify yourself, man with the mask," Hyushen said. Because the man had acted heroically. "Aren't you with those barbarians?" he wondered.

"You're stealing the offering that belongs to the gods," Hyushen said. But the man ignored him, busy transferring the silver into his container.

"Stop what you're doing. I know you're a good person, unlike your companions. Saving me is proof of your good heart!" But he still remained silent.

"The Barbarians are evil... Why did you join them?" The man stopped and spoke.

"Don't utter the word evil! Because you don't know the life that Barbarians have." The man immediately left, but what Hyushen didn't know was that he was Eavur, the son of the king of Elanthro.

When Eavur was a child, his father would take him to the Cypriox church for special religious occasions. So Eavur recognized Hyushen.

And because Hyushen had a sharp memory, he remembered things he often saw in people. When he saw the man's necklace, he had a strong hunch that the person was familiar to him, but he wasn't sure.

Many were injured and others fainted from the explosion, but Hyushen was still lucky because he didn't even get a scratch. Hyushen immediately reported what happened to Wendzar. Nevertheless, they still got some offerings, but because they had been desecrated, they did not accept the offerings. They had Elanthro return the offerings because they were no longer sacred in their belief.

Because of his hunch, he went along to Elanthro to make sure his assumption was wrong. He asked people there about the whereabouts of the son of the Elanthro king. And when he realized that he had been missing for a long time, he seemed worried that his hunch might be correct. So, he personally visited the king, saying he was there to check on him as a representative priest for his priestly training. It was a reasonable idea.

"Is that you, Hyushen... The boy from the convent?" the king of Elanthro greeted. King Philip was close to Hyushen's family.

"My King of Elanthro, I am glad to see you. Yes, I am Hyushen Deveör," he replied.

"Come! Come! Let's go to my private quarters," he said. "Are you hungry?" the king asked with concern.

"Don't worry about me, my King, because I am fine." He followed King Philip to his destination.

"How time flies, I would not have thought that the person I am facing now is a young man," he said. "How is King Wendzar? I heard he is going to make you a priest."

"It's a pleasure to hear that you also know that news, and that is also the reason I am here—not because of what happened on the train, but because I am here to check on you."

"You warm my heart, to think that this is the first time someone has visited me just to check on me. King Wendzar will not be disappointed because you are truly worthy to be a priest."

"You are giving me too many compliments."

"Just forgive me because it's been a long time since I felt this way." A sudden sadness appeared in his eyes.

"By the way, how is your son, Eavur? It's been a long time since you last visited Cypriox. Our last meeting was when I was sixteen." Their age gap was not far apart, so he knew Eavur was also a young man.

The king fell silent, and Hyushen could read the expression on his face, which seemed to hold both anger and longing.

"That boy?" he replied softly. He sat down and looked into the distance. "That boy has left me."

His hunch grew stronger. "And I have no news about him. Someone once reported to me that he was in the land of Opthallian, near the country of Cypriox. But when I went there, I didn't find him."

"Do you know if he joined an organization?"

"That's all I know about my son. Maybe he's become like the angels thrown out by Elanthro."

"That's unlikely to happen. From what I know of your son, he is a religious person."

"I did everything that was good for my son... But— this is what he gave me in return. Am I a bad father?"

"If I were to answer that question, my answer would only be in your favor, but you are the one who knows yourself, and what I know is that no father would not do everything to make his child happy."