Cyrus cast a glance to the center of the platform. Six magistrates were in attendance, influential members of the Uplifted Church and leaders of various congregations. Those six gathered around the Anointed One, handpicked by the God-Incarnate to lead the island’s religious conversion. Cyrus knew this young woman was special even among the Anointed, for she was one of God-Incarnate Lucavi’s many children he had sired throughout his current six-hundred-year reign. Her name was Sinshei vin Lucavi, and she stood in the center of the platform addressing the gathered crowd. The crimson of her dress was so deep and vibrant, it befuddled the eye. Her black hair was tied into a braid that hung all the way down to her ankles, its weaves interlaced with gold thread. The hair was so long, so extravagant, Cyrus wondered if it was even real.

Braying trumpets signaled the start of the ceremony. The people atop the stage shuffled into place, and Cyrus obediently followed. He stood next to little Uriah. Katrin held his hand, the pair a step behind the Usurper King. Next were the many priests and magistrates in their robes. Upon hearing the trumpets, Magus took his own position ahead of the magistrates, with his sword and shield at the ready. Last, and closest to the crowd, stood the Anointed One, she of the God-Incarnate’s own blood.

Read left to right from the crowd, it conveyed the proper order of all things as decreed by the Uplifted Church: child, woman, man, priest, paragon, and God-Incarnate.

The only ones without a place were the heretical gods, hence the three golden knives strapped to the Anointed One’s waist.

“My children, be not afraid of the coming change,” Sinshei said. The word-lace wrapped about her throat shimmered with blue light as the sapphire embedded in its center flared with magic. Her words shifted from the imperial tongue to Thanese, and they boomed with volume far beyond the capabilities of human lungs. “For centuries, you were deceived. For centuries, you walked in darkness, and crafted idols of your own making. On this day, we end the falsehoods that chained your souls. Be not mournful or afraid. This is a sacred day. A glorious day. It is your day, the day you walk free.”