The shift from the dark shadow of death to the bright light of majestic glory took less than an hour.
In Veridia, before the emperor's body had even had time to cool down, his successor was brought face-to-face with God and the entire court. There wasn't any vigil, no private prayer and no time for Lucian to wash away the stench of the embalming cloves that still clung to his hair.
He stood beneath the towering marble archway opening onto the sacred garden where the Mother Tree loomed. The soles of his boots felt fused to the icy stone, his body revolting against every step forward.
Through the gaps in the Mother Tree's lush foliage, he glimpsed a shimmering sea of silk, silver armour and expectant, impassive faces. There were hundreds of high-ranking nobles, regional envoys and guild leaders on the carved benches. They were all whispering to each other. It was like a swarm of buzzing insects.
Lucian started breathing roughly, in short, shallow gasps. Under his fancy white and gold robes, his skin was all sweaty, nervousness getting to him. The Grand Crown of Veridia sat on his fiery red hair. A heavy, solid gold circlet with glowing, raw emeralds all around. It was way too big for his tiny head, its cold weight was pushing down hard on his temples, making his head go forward in a weird way.
"You don't have to walk like a ruler, Lucian," Thomas said something gently, his hand close to the young King's elbow, ready to catch him if he started to lose his balance. He stood just half a step behind him, wearing a charcoal-grey valet's suit that looked both neat and elegant. His blue-grey eyes scanned the crowd inside the cathedral with a sharp, determined stare. "You're a scholar who's learned the scriptures by heart. Think of this as your own personal sanctuary. Walk towards the altars, not towards them." Lucian's eyes welled up with tears, clear as glass, and he was close to wiping them off and wiping his rosy-pink cheeks. Before Lucian could say anything, the sound of a silver trumpet filled the air.
BLARE.
The loud ringing sound, like the sound of metal, bounced off the high stone ceiling, cutting out all the whispers in the hall.
The burial site was right behind the main royal building where the Mother Tree was. The whole royal family was buried near the Mother Tree because, for Veridia, the royal family was part of the Mother Tree.
So, when they passed away, they had 'to go back' to the Mother Tree.
Lucian walked through the gate into the garden, past several guards. He could feel his nerves playing up a bit as he walked. And a spotlight-like glow spread over his body as he looked up. Blinding, sharp and merciless.
Lucian stiffened. For a couple of harrowing seconds, he just stood there, motionless. The number of people looking at him felt like a physical weight on his chest. He met the cold, judgmental stares of the High Council and the looks full of ambition from the other regional rulers, all staring intently at the weak, scared young man dressed in sacred silk.
He reminded himself not to look them in the eye, while his heart was beating like a bird trapped behind his ribcage. Lucian lowered his eyes and focused on the shiny white floor. He took a step forward, obviously anxious.
The rites began with a single flower. With trembling fingers, Lucian placed the blossom upon his father's cold, linen-bound chest. He closed his eyes, offering a silent prayer for the soul of the man who had ignored him for over a decade.
Forgiveness was a big part of the religion he believed in.
He went back to the place where he had to sit, even though the steps he took felt so heavy, like his feet weren't even touching the ground. Lucian sat on the throne, wearing a golden crown. He stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the casket with Veridia symbols carved into it. The gold tree with a massive size, wide, spreading branches that create a dense canopy and aerial roots.
It's what they called, The Mother Tree.
The tree had been there for hundreds of years with leaves that were golden all year round, regardless of the season. The people of Arboris were super devoted to the Mother Tree and thanks to her, Veridia has become a well-powerful kingdom since then.
The Mother Tree has its own special features, it only bears fruit every ten years. It's called 'the Marrow-Pear.' looks like a regular pear, but it has a unique color. Blue. It's light blue when it's not yet ready to ripen and turns dark blue when it's time to harvest. It can only harvest the fruit at night. In the morning, the fruit goes back to its light blue color, like it's still unripe. It smells sweet and fragrant at night.
And when it's fully ripe, that's when the Mother Tree picks the Queen, who'll then marry the king and become the next 'Bearer of Life'.
Only the Queen who will become the 'Bearer of Life' is allowed to eat it.
Next to Lucian, a number of councils were sitting solemnly, watching the burial ceremony of their king. The Grey Marshal started the final rites of the funeral by telling the officers with the trumpets to play them, to let the people outside the palace know that the funeral procession was almost over.
Lucian's eyebrows twitched as the king's casket was lowered into the grave. Another trumpet's sounds echoed through the air, letting everyone know it was time to cover the coffin with the ground. The winter air hit Lucian's skin and he couldn't help but scrunch up his face, holding back all the feelings that were rushing through him.
The unfamiliar feeling made his throat feel tight and the crown on his head felt heavier and heavier, pressing against his scalp. His seat was pretty uncomfortable by this point, he couldn't see his coffin anymore. It was completely buried beneath the ground.
Oh, he was an orphan now. Just like he had hoped for when he was little…
Lucian clenched his fists. The feeling didn't exactly bring him any relief.
After the king was laid to rest, the ceremony continued with the coronation of Lucian, the Crown Prince. He's the only one of King Caelum Sol Veridian's heirs.
The councils were already in their places, looking a bit annoyed with Lucian sitting on the throne. It was pretty clear that the councils didn't like him.
Well, they couldn't do anything about it. The King and Queen were chosen by the Mother Tree. They're high-ranking officials in the kingdom, but they don't have the authority to do anything about it. Children born through the power of the Mother Tree are the absolute heirs of Veridia.
"We hereby announce the ascension of Prince Lucian Sol Veridian to the throne of Arboris. It is my humble opinion that the Kingdom of Veridia has the potential to continue existing for a long time under your leadership. May the legacy of King Lucian Sol Veridian continue to thrive!"
The sound of trumpets blared one last time, marking the end of the new king's coronation ceremony. Lucian stood still, watching the crowd of high-ranking officials and the nobles cheer in celebration at his coronation. He felt a whirlwind of emotions, he knew their praise was empty, but he couldn't do anything about it. Not even say no to the throne. That was the whole point of his existence.
And then, all of a sudden, when everyone was cheering, a frosty gust of wind swept through the space above where Lucian was sitting. Lots of candles nearby were flickering wildly, the flames, which had been a nice warm yellow, were now an odd pale blue.
Everyone in the row of seats sat up and took a deep breath.
"What might that be...?" Whispered one of the nobles.
What floated down from the sky wasn't exactly incense smoke or snow.
It was ash.
A heavy, dusty rain of grey ash fell slowly, covering the white marble floor and the garden ground, the velvet cushions and the golden robes of the bishops. It had a strong, unpleasant smell. Like scorched earth, iron and rotting wood all mixed together.
Malakor's face went pale. His cold eyes widened, showing a rare panic as a thick layer of grey ash covering his emerald-green sleeves.
The Mother Tree that was right in the middle of the garden looked like it was crying. It'd been 11 years since the Queen wasn't there to nourish its roots and the cosmic entity had gone withered, desperate and rotting from the inside. That ash was a sign of its soon-to-end existence. A warning that the empire's artificial paradise was crumbling.
"Th..The ritual!" Malakor shouted, panicking. He was no longer calm and collected, his voice was pitched high and filled with urgency.
Lucian's knees were shaking so much that he couldn't support his whole body, he fell straight down onto the cold stone steps.
He closed his eyes and quickly got the prayer beads he had hidden in his robes, holding them tight against his chest. A layer of grey ash landed on his blood-red hair and white ceremonial robes as he lowered his head and prayed.