Sasan Kingdom

[Apollymi]

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/magi/images/1/10/Sasan_Kingdom.png/revision/latest?cb=20141102093611


Sasan Kingdom (ササン王国, Sasan Ōkoku) is a small and landlocked religious country surrounded by mountains on all sides. The country produced a vast natural resources of iron, gold, silver and other metals from the surrounding mountains, and its noted for having the world's highest quality. Because of its difficult terrain, the country itself can only be reached by foot.

Because of its religiously devoted culture, the country is often called as the Land of Purity. They revealed to be descendants of the original humans from Alma Torran. And they worshiped Solomon as God of Sasan, although his name was long forgotten by the Sasan people.

[Bloodedge]

Mid-day, the small country known as the Kingdom of Sasan was approached by a single male figure. He was lightly clad in the armor of the Kina Kingdom with long, black hair cascading over his back in two layers, one being a ponytail for aesthetic purposes. The blue-eyed young man set foot in town after a long journey through the mountain range. 'Finally,' he thought. 'I wonder where that Dungeon might be...'

[Apollymi]

Random citizens from Sasan were moving about as this young man entered and many seemed to be extremely wary. Small children who had been at play were hustled away by their mothers and guards seemed to be staring at him intensely. There was a however an aire of piousness all around as everyone seemed to be scrutinizing the newcomer. One guard in particular was a young man posted with his back against the wall, and it would likely be him who would answer the newcomer's question so he did so aloud before it would even be asked. "Outsiders aren't allowed to interact with citizens and come nightfall you will be escorted to the visitors only center where you will be locked in for the night." said the guard with his bangs cut so that they hung over the left side of his face. One would notice all women had their hair cut in the opposite manner regardless of the styling of the rest of it. This was just one of the many peculiarities of the Land of Purity.

[Bloodedge]

'Hm?' The outsider felt it strange how the citizens of this country reacted to his presence, but he could not say he was very bothered by it. In fact, he was only perturbed by the words of the guard who approached him shortly after his arrival. Interacting with the citizens was not something he cared for, so long as he could find that which he sought. However, the idea that he would be dragged into any place and locked there without his say was absolutely repulsive. "I won't be going anywhere. I came in search of this land's Dungeon. Show me where it is, and I'll be on my way to capture it. I don't really care about anything else."

[Apollymi]

The guard looked at this man completely confused by the word he'd chosen. "Why on earth would you want to be jailed?" asked the guard who couldn't think of anything that would be called a dungeon that wouldn't be involved with the innate imprisonment of the persons therein. Beyond this point many of the people who had been walking away from this man looked confused and suspicious as well. This was shaping up to be a very odd encounter.

[Bloodedge]

The guard's look of confusion was met by the outsider's own, as his assumption that a Dungeon was akin to a jail was utterly mind-boggling. "Not prison! Dungeon! Dungeon!" As he spoke, the raven-haired male flailed his arms about as if to mime the portrayal of a massive structure. "Big, mysterious building with a door of light, filled with riches and mystical power waiting to be claimed by the chosen capturer!"

[Apollymi]

The guard heard out what was being asked by this young man and eventually given the gesturing and legitimate explanation of what he was looking for was able to figure out what a corresponding structure was to the one he was looking for. "Oh! You were looking for the Holy Pillar." said the man who went on to explain. "The Pillar contained the power of god and was bestowed upon the Knight Queen years ago. After she claimed the power of god which was rightly hers... the pillar disappeared." he said. Apparently the appearance of the dungeon here was tied into the religious piety of the region. This guard didn't know if the information he conveyed would be received properly but was at least happy that this young man wasn't trying to go to prison. Though not trusting of outsiders he bore the lad no ill will either.

[Bloodedge]

'Holy Pillar?' This man's choice of words was strange, but he certainly spoke of the same thing. The outsider understood that this country was quite shut off from the outside world, so it was likely to him that they simply thought the Dungeon to be something else. It was quite a problem for the young man that someone else had claimed the Dungeon without him having any knowledge of it before coming here. "Knight Queen, huh? Take me to her. I need to confirm this for myself."

[Apollymi]

This man seemed relieved that he could help out this traveller, but the man's next speech made the one visible eye on the man's face widen. "One does not simply take an outsider to the Knight Queen." said the man who seemed shocked at how much information people from the outside world seemed to be lacking in all things pure. "Though she should be walking through the main street soon. But you can't speak with her... that is simply not done." said the man not sure if an outsider would understand what kind of grave insult it would be to try and speak with their leader.

As he said this a large gathering of knights carrying lances began a procession through the streets. At the head of this was a woman who wore both a red kimono and heavy armor pieces. Her crimson hair up in a pony tail, aside from the part which covered the right side of her face in accordance with their religion. As she moved through the streets her head was held high and keeping up her ponytail was a large hair pin made of gold which had in its centerpiece an eight sided star denoting its use as a metal vessel.

[Bloodedge]

"Main road. Right. Thanks," he said, moving right along from the guard knight. In a matter of minutes, he was on the sidelines of the main road, where a crowd had gathered to watch the march of the knights. He was quite sure this woman at the front of the group was the Knight Queen the guard spoke of, and as he looked at her, he was given confirmation. On his right pauldron, the eight-pointed star appeared in a circle of light, as his Metal Vessel resonated with the Knight Queen's. Paying no heed to the guard's words, he called out to the woman. "Knight Queen! I hear you're the capturer of the Dungeon that appeared here three years ago!"

[Apollymi]

The knight guard returned to his duty without fail, seeming to completely disregard the traveler thereafter. The crowd that had gathered on the road to look at the passing Knights all seemed enthused at the sights of their Knight Queen, and everyone was shocked when the young man a stranger among them spoke to her directly. In fact the crowd practically parted around him as if all wanted her to know it hadn't been them who spoke. The red haired woman's eyes darted to the side but she did not speak, instead it was another among the Knights who spoke. "The Knight Queen was bestowed with the power of god. It is not your place to question her outsider!" it was a command the likes of which was very normal in this highly devout place. As they continued their procession without a hickup.

[Bloodedge]

A scowl crossed the outsider's face when this Knight Queen looked his way only to turn her gaze immediately after. This was followed by the parting of the citizens near him, and the warning of another knight. He wondered who this man thought he was to say such things to someone they didn't know. "Oh, I get it. That's what the other one meant when he said the power of a God. Well, you're all wrong, but if she won't respond to me..." As he spoke, the black-haired male raised his right palm toward the knight he spoke to. A Magic Circle appeared on the back of his hand as he aimed to use his Metal Vessel's magic to take control of this man's mind. "Maybe you'd like to get her attention in my place."

[Apollymi]

This Knight who'd spoken didn't see anything, he was obviously not magically inclined. The Knight Queen however saw this and took pause. But there was nothing he could have done to prevent the Knight person from being taken over. Whatever would happen with him would determine her reaction. She couldn't well stop her procession though so everyone continued to walk. And she waited to see what kind of power this man apparently could manifest.

[Bloodedge]

In addition to the knight, this man took over the minds of the nearby civilians who thought to avoid him. It was his will to have the group stand in front of the Knight Queen and halt her movement. He would also have the knight specifically address her about the Dungeon of Sasan. "That should do the trick. Surely this Knight Queen won't ignore her own subjects."

[Apollymi]

As she walked she soon found that the Knight who'd stopped to address the outsider was now standing before her stopping her movement. The woman paused to look up to the man who proceeded to question her in a manner rather odd. "Did you capture the Dungeon that the people know as the Holy Pillar?" questioned the Knight guard much to the surprise of the others around them. The woman looked at this man and for the first time she also looked at the rest of the citizens who were no longer standing within the lines previously prescribed to them but instead in front of the queen which was a grave mistake. "To question the Knight Queen is to question the will of God. This is heresy." the woman said as she reached for the pin in her hair and the unswayed Knights began to move. "To question the Knight Queen is heresy. The heretic must be punished." they all surrounded the guard and the civilians who had dared question the words of their queen. It was common knowledge to all that the Knight Queen had entered the Holy Pillar and come out with the powers bestowed upon her by God. Such a thing should lead to an immediate execution of the Knight who dared question the embodiment of their God's Will.

But this wouldn't lead to a swiftly met punishment to this guard by the queen. Instead the hairpin she now had in her hand spun for just a moment before water began to accumulate and spread around it. The Knights all bowed ready for the woman to met out whatever punishment she saw fit. As the water settled and solidified it turned the hairpin into a large blue sword which held the same eight pointed star the hairpin had. "The sword of God." a second thereafter a cyclone of water would manifest around it but instead of shooting it through the man who stopped her she shot it at the man who also held a metal vessel. "You've committed heresy. To be against me and my Knights is to stand against God." she stated as she aimed to puncture this man's body with her water enhanced weapon and thus end him and whatever control he'd managed of her people.

"The Queen knows when she is being deceived. The Queen will protect us from the powers of evil and its prophets." the crowd of Knights gathered behind their Knight Queen on bended knee. Admiring her ability to sort out this situation and not wrongly punish the Knight among them who was taken over.

[Bloodedge]

'Is she actually going to kill that guy?' he wondered as the Knight Queen looked down upon her subject. She then went through the process of calling upon her Djinn's powers, which caused his Metal Vessel to resonate again. What's more, she seemed to be targeting him with her attack. The moment he realized this, his eyes narrowed and scanned the immediate area around the woman. 'Which one, which one...' His eyes fell upon one particular red-haired knight who followed closest to the queen at her hind right. "Belior Zakera!" he chanted, taking control of this man's mind as well. To his benefit, this knight was quick on his feet enough to get between himself and the attack that threatened him. So, either the attack would strike what was assumed to be the queen's most devout follower, or she would halt, as far as the outsider was concerned. "I'm a bit upset. I would have liked that Djinn. But, you won't be able to strike me down with a simple attack like that. As you see, I'm a capturer, just like you," he boasted, looking directly into the Knight Queen's eyes with his own piercing gaze.

[Apollymi]

Surely enough the man who answered to the Knight Queen was quick on his feet, but the red haired woman didn't seem at all moved by the fact that he'd come between her and her intended target. She seemed to press forward but for some reason or another the sword which was her Djinn Equip dispersed for a second but while she was in closer proximity to the red haired man presently being controlled by the outsider she simply stepped around him as water began to fall, aiming a swift backhand chop with her empty hand before reconstituting her weapon. She was a battle hardened warrior but she was apparently against sacrificing her own just to kill another. The isolationist attitude of this place should make that obvious. "Looking a woman in the eye in this country can get you killed, looking me in the eye... who do you think you are?" she asked, but she hadn't given up her attack against this young man. She was unsure if he'd notice but the water she'd previously been about to use against him in spear form was collecting instead overhead culminating into spears which she'd cause to rain down upon him momentarily. "Your power isn't of god, the power to corrupt cannot be... so I will rid this world of you... and regain my people." she said calmly as ever as she brought her sword down and caused a rain of water spears upon this individual from above that he couldn't hope to stop by putting another in his way. Her aim to break and pierce his body as swiftly as possible and end the rantings of this heretic before he managed to stir discontent among her people.

"The Knight Queen will rid this world of his evil, she will quell the evil and darkness!" her unhampered Knights chanted in their queen's favor.

[Bloodedge]

"But your eyes are so captivating," the young man jested with a sly grin on his face. It was his intention to move on after proving or disproving the capture of the Dungeon in this region, but now it seemed he'd trapped himself in combat with one who didn't understand Djinn and their purpose. "Of course I don't have the power of God. Neither do you," he said while raising his hand toward the water spears coming his way. "Belial!" The array of spears collided in an explosion of water to fall over the immediate area, revealing afterwards the black-haired male with a large scythe in hand. In one moment, he had lashed out against the incoming attack, dispersing it before it managed to damage him. "Are we done here? There's nothing your power can do to me."

[Apollymi]

"Sacrilege!" the men shouted at the apparent cheeky commentary provided by the outsider. None of them would dare say such a thing to the Knight Queen or any woman for that matter. Beyond this point the man went on to claim that he didn't possess the powers of god and nor did the Knight Queen a sentiment which was rather quickly met by shock from the people. "He admits he isn't of God. How can he stand before her and say such things?!" they voiced such odd statements. It was obvious by the fact that this man said these things that he wasn't familiar with the teachings of this place... he dispersed the most recent attack by the woman with ease presenting her with a large weapon in the form of a scythe. Just further making himself out to be something which wouldn't align with the dogma of her people.

"Those who do not understand cannot be trusted... thus you must show good faith." the woman was a lot of things, but there was a fierceness in her eyes at this moment which would lead one to believe that her mind was calculating the risks and benefits of every word she spoke. But she still had her sword drawn and her weapon equipped and it would not disappear unless his disappeared first. This was obvious to her by the statement she'd so recently made.

[Bloodedge]

"... Good faith?" he asked. It had become apparent by this point of the interaction that the Knight Queen was likely to stand down, but not until he did. The problem here was that he was too wary to disarm himself in what had to be considered enemy territory, while surrounded by guards. However, he knew what the chances were of the opposite happening instead. "You're the religious one here. You should have faith. If I wanted to, I could tear this country apart in the blink of an eye. Have a bit of faith that I won't do that if you drop that weapon and tell these guards to back off."

[Apollymi]

"I am Knight Queen, chosen by God. Religious doesn't quite cover what I am." the woman said. She looked around at the crowd of confused men who seemed to not understand what their Queen wished of them, it would be then that she spoke in a way which would be simultaneously freeing and damning. "Knights stand down." she said and all the men dropped to their knees weapons at their sides. None would question her words but, she could practically feel the descent festering within these people. She was letting a person brandish a weapon which wasn't of God and beyond that she was not fighting against such a person. "Who are we, if not those who can foster new knowledge and understanding in the heretics? Ours is not to question, and saving a non-believer is worth so much more than his blood spilled over the stones of the road." the Knight Queen said as she allowed her weapon equip to fall away and placed the pin back within her hair to keep her ponytail in place.

"The Heretic can not be allowed to walk freely among us while he still spouts his nonsense, I hope he understands this." said the Knight Queen. Though they didn't get out much the idea that multiple dungeons existed wasn't really new to the Knight Queen, she simply had yet to think of a reasonable explanation of this to give her followers. Besides this... the man among them had already spoke heretically making it easier divert attention to him then to point out the shortcomings of her own belief system. The men around the Knight Queen looked up at her with newfound understanding. "The Knight Queen's will is God's will. And her kindness is God's kindness." they chanted making it obvious exactly how the balance of this society's teachings were kept.

[Bloodedge]

To his surprise, the Knight Queen actually had her men stand down. Just the same, she then sealed her Djinn Weapon Equip. Still, the words spoken to and about him were nothing shy of annoying. "I understand a lot of things, but I don't think you do." As he spoke, he brought the base of his scythe to the ground, but left the weapon intact. "Right... So, if we're done calling me a heretic, tell me... Are there other Capturers in this land?"

[Apollymi]

The woman stared at this young man, his apparent thought that she didn't understand what was going on here, made her scoff. She understood far better than most people did. Beyond this he apparently took issue with being called a heretic. "If you didn't keep speaking like a heretic I wouldn't have to keep calling you such." the woman said apparently unamused by the things said by this young man. His question though caused several of the Knights to look up all of them completely confused by what was being asked here. "I am Knight Queen, divine and absolute. No others here are worthy of God's Power." that answer while wrapped in the rhetoric of her country was true and honest, she was indeed the only one with such a power within this place, and beyond that, no others were allowed into this country who showed such a power, for exactly the reason of this young man here. Without the ability to state that they were chosen by the same God, his power would cause confusion among the Knights causing questions of faith which the Knight Queen simply couldn't allow given her position within society. Beyond this the keeping of her faith and those of her subordinates was of the utmost importance to her, she was kind in this way.

[Bloodedge]

The queen's retort prompted the outsider to step forward, stopping only when he was a breath away. He continued staring this woman in the face, as if challenging her very existence. When he was this close, he spoke to the woman in a tone low enough to go unheard by others in the vicinity. "You call me a heretic, but the power you use in the name of God is brought into this world by humans. You don't allow outsiders, but an outsider... a Magi, was the one to raise that Dungeon you captured. You and your powers are no more of a godsend than I am."

[Apollymi]

This woman looked to the young man who stepped into her personal space and heard all he had to say. Unlike most in such a situation she didn't seem to falter in fact what she had to say next would only continue to perpetuate the idea that this man spoke of, turning it slightly to fit the ideals that were known to her by her religion. "If such a person does exist, then they'd be hailed as God's Prophet. Exalted for allowing me the ability to wrap myself in God's Power. Beyond this point... I am the only one here capable of wielding this power, as I am the only person who entered the Holy Pillar and exited alive. If that isn't evidence enough of God's Divine Favor, I don't know what is. And know that this power I claimed did not solidify my place here, I was Knight Queen long before the Holy Pillar rose. Not that I expect you to get it." she explained. Even without full explanation implying that she'd only gone into the Dungeon herself to keep others from constantly not returning. Beyond that her religion spoke of the raising of these pillars as things which happened in times of great turmoil. Thus as their leader she was supposed to be at the forefront as she was right at this moment.

[Bloodedge]

"Really? You people are that into this thing?" he questioned, finding the extreme nature of Sasan faith to be very unnecessary. "So you're the embodiment of God's will, and a Magi would be a prophet of God. I wonder..." With another sly grin, he raised his scythe overhead, spinning it around above himself and the Knight Queen. "What exactly does that make me, who has also obtained the power of a Dungeon?"

[Apollymi]

The Knight Queen didn't even bother looking above her head to see the scythe spinning. In fact, as long as all this man's attention was focused on her, she didn't have to worry about what would happen to her people, so this conversation in hushed tones would continue as she thought over what he should be. "I sent my daughter out into the world 3 years ago, when she returns to tell me what these others are like... their title will be determined. No sooner and no later. Until then..." she paused staring this man down. "Using powers which are directly contradictory to mine, get you labeled as against God and ignorant. But for those willing to learn the teachings of the Sasan... there is hope for salvation." again this woman's choice in words would lead one to believe she was simply in a bit of a political quandry and that this man showing such abilities before her representative of the world returned to explain and offer council he was simply in limbo as to what his standing with the Sasan people was.

[Bloodedge]

"That's funny. So, let me show you something. Belior Goldoreza," he said as the spinning of his scythe came to a halt, giving him the freedom to attack with it if he so wished. He did, in fact, bring its blade down toward the Knight Queen, but he was interrupted by an approaching white-haired man's voice. "Sakurai!" the man said. He approached with a very regal air about him, placing a hand on the obviously younger male's shoulder to discourage his actions. As this happened, he bowed his head to the Knight Queen. "My apologies, Your Majesty. Has my fellow countryman been causing you trouble?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed this young lad wanted to show her something and though she could have tried to block the coming attack apparently she didn't have to. Nothing about her person flinched as they were approached by someone who possessed a rather regal air about themselves and they spoke respectfully to the Knight Queen and approached her properly and as such would be granted the utmost respect in return. "Hm, well... he interrupted my procession, did something which got him labeled a heretic by myself and my knights, caused me to have to render my favorite one unconscious, and single-handedly tried to bring into question the dogma of this nation and thus my authority..." said the queen of the behavior of the young man before her. "But youth is often synonymous with rebellion." said the woman for a moment thought of her own daughter doing something very similar three years prior. She then turned to face the man who'd bowed to her. "And who might you be?"

[Bloodedge]

"Is that so? My, my, it seems you have been greatly inconvenienced. Allow me to extend the sincerest of apologies on behalf of Sakurai, myself, and our country to you, my lady." With the first formality of this meeting out of the way, the man raised his head, at which point he overshadowed the younger male next to him by standing at a height of approximately six feet and one inch. It was time now for the next formality: Introductions. "I am Keiichi of Kina's Nijimura clan. My associate here was sent to your lovely country to look for its Dungeon while I was away, but I finished with my business and decided to come here and save him a bit of time."

[Apollymi]

This man seemed to know exactly what to say to soothe the Knight Queen's current feelings. At his full height he stood massively over her own stature but this wasn't something which bothered the woman. His apology was enough to smooth things over in her mind and obviously she didn't intend to fight any further. His introduction made her brows draw together, obviously she was aware of the other kingdoms and their placement but the idea that they were sending people into other countries just to capture dungeons was completely foreign to her. Of course, as he went on to explain what he and his trouble making friend were doing here. She sighed then standing straight she introduced herself as it was only proper. "I am the Knight Queen Evangelia Nicolaides. As for a dungeon..." her uncovered eye travelled over the young man named Sakurai as she explained this situation swiftly. "There isn't one here, this place you call a Dungeon was our Holy Pillar and mine by Divine Right and I claimed it three years ago. If that is all your trip here was wasted." the woman said clearly hoping to avoid any unnecessary strife since the young man had been nothing but polite since they started their exchange.

[Bloodedge]

"Evangelia Nicolaides, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said with another, gentler bow to the woman. "Ryo, your help in looking for the Dungeon in our absence is appreciated. Keiko is waiting for you on the ship." These words Keiichi spoke to the black-haired male made the latter shiver for unknown reasons, but he understood that there was no point in arguing with the man before him. "Right. I'll be on my way then," he said. Once he was out of the way, Keiichi returned his attention to the Knight Queen. "Holy Pillar, you say? Ah, yes... I forget that the Sasan people are people of faith. Please forgive my ignorance, but if the Knight Queen would permit it, I would love to receive her enlightenment on the subject of this... Holy Pillar."

[Apollymi]

The Knight Queen looked upon these two people and as the boy known as Ryo was apparently sent away for whatever reason, more questions were asked. It was rather interesting to this woman how this man was so startlingly different from the young man who came before him. His expressed interest in gaining enlightenment and the fact that he hadn't made a cross word against her since his arrival made it much easier to converse with this person. "As a people we do not turn away those who seek enlightenment." she mentioned only to continue on the specifics of the Holy Pillar. "Our texts state that the Holy Pillar will only appear in times of great change. And only those worthy of God's Favor will be capable of wielding the power found within. Does this clarify things for you?" she said wondering if this explanation would make sense to someone who wasn't from the area. Apparently these Dungeons didn't simply appear here, and if that was the case, then there were many who would be considered worthy and thus some edits to the way the texts were translated would have to be put into place.

[Bloodedge]

"I see," he replied. Much like the man before him, Keiichi made the connection between this religion's take on Dungeons, and the world at large's existing knowledge about them. "That does give me a bit of understanding, yes. Though, if it pleases the knights, I would like to request a private audience with the Knight Queen to further discuss and compare all of your ideals with those of the pagans. I don't mean to sway your beliefs, but instead to understand the reason behind them as deeply as possible."

[Apollymi]

After a few seconds the man seemed to understand what was being stated by this woman. It was quite relieving, especially in light of the conversation she'd tried to have earlier with the boy known as Sakurai. What she didn't expect though, was the request for a private audience to help this young man further understand the workings and explanations of the Dogma which lead her country. Though this would be quite unusual, a private conversation between two people seeking to gain knowledge would be much better than a large scale spectacle which would cause her faithful to question their place in this world. "I can allow this. It is better than all other options. Join us in the Great Hall at your leisure, you'll be allowed to enter." she said with a quick nod. To the remaining Knights who stood at attention waiting for her next movements she said a final sentence. "Keiichi of the Nijimura clan is an Apostle seeking knowledge... welcome him as such." she said as she began walking towards the place she'd intended to go in the first place. "The Knight Queen's Will is God's Will. We welcome the Apostle Keiichi." the chant of Knights would follow as the procession carried on thereafter.

[Bloodedge]

"Very well then." As their current conversation came to a close, Keiichi left the main street and made his way toward this Great Hall of which the Knight Queen spoke. Once there, he would enter and stand in wait for the arrival of one Evangelia Nicolaides. Inside, he couldn't help himself from noticing a large monolith. The interesting thing about this structure was that its inscriptions were written in the language of Torran, something typically unheard of outside of Dungeons and ancient study. "Hmm..."

[Apollymi]

Whatever the procession had intended to do, by the time the Knight Queen returned to the Great Hall she was no longer in the company of dozens of Knights. No, now it was simply this woman alone who returned and entered the Hall. She had the utmost grace while moving with no emotion showing across her face. But she found his musing around the Monolith to be interesting and as such she decided to start up their conversation anew. "Can you read it?" she asked, in general she expected the answer to this question to be no. As it wasn't a language most people could read. In fact it was one of many lost to the ages.

[Bloodedge]

The arrival of the Knight Queen came in the amount of time he expected following his own entrance. What he did not expect, was her asking him if he could read the monolith in front of him. "Of course. This is the core of your faith, isn't it? It links directly to the stories I was told by the Djinn, and that Magi. Your people are descended from that man's followers..."

[Apollymi]

"It is." she said about this tablet being a the core of their faith. Beyond this point it seemed that this man had knowledge of this stone's teachings from outside sources. This was a bit stunning to her, because she didn't assume most would even bother learning such things. "We are followers of that man, and worship him as God as all of our predecessors did. It is different though, I've never heard those words before, Magi... and Djinn. And that man's name." she said looking over the stone which told the story of a man who basically became God while not mentioning his name. "Has always been lost. But if you can read this, you don't really need my help to understand its teachings." said the pink haired woman. This man was an anomaly amongst her people, but she was accepting of him, because of his curiosity.

[Bloodedge]

"Magi are known as Sorcerers of Creation who appear when there are anomalies in the world which threaten the balance of fate. They cause these Dungeons, or Holy Pillars as you know them, to appear in this world. This, here," he said, pointing to one specific passage on the monolith. "The flow of destiny here is known as the Rukh. Magi are loved by the Rukh, and can use the world's Rukh freely, unlike any other magician. Magi are also known as the selectors of kings. In addition to raising these Dungeons, they find people like us and guide us to the Necropolis within, where the Dungeon's treasure room is located. I'm sure you've figured out the rest. Inside the treasure room is only a single piece of metal which, when touched, awakens all the other pieces... as well as the Djinn who will share their power with the conqueror of the Dungeon."

[Apollymi]

The flow of destiny was at least something familiar to the Knight Queen. She'd spent ages studying this tablet but it had always felt as if it was missing information and apparently it was, rather important bits about the smaller details of how Dungeon's functioned and how Kings were chosen. Such a thing felt odd to her though, because she'd never met such a stranger and also had been alone when she claimed the Holy Pillar. "I see, so the Holy Pillar was raised by one of these Sorcerer's of Creation... but I never met such a person." said the woman, the entirety of the country was rather Xenophobic and anyone seen to be doing anything remotely related to the unexplainable would have immediately come to her attention. "So, the of details of our dogma were lost, but the gist of it remains in tact... there is nothing in this that is a direct challenge to all that we know. There is still a divine right to rule... it is simply determined by what is inside the Pillar..." she stated her general understanding and combination of the added information with the Monolith's teachings. There was a great deal of relief in the Knight Queen, it was quite a good moment to know that her beliefs didn't have to fall with the addition of this new information.

[Bloodedge]

"It is very possible to capture a Dungeon without the presence of a Magi. In fact, the Magi I know has been raising them on a whim, and we've been trying to find him while tracing the line of Dungeons that appeared after he left." Keiichi continued to read the slab in front of him, picking out every little detail that could be of importance in his cross-referencing. It was interesting how this religion came to be, and though he could not personally agree with worshiping the 'original king' as it were, he could accept the reason behind said worship. "It seems to be all a matter of perception. Though I am agnostic on the matter, I can see why the Great King is worshiped as God. These accomplishments go beyond even my ability to fathom his power."

[Apollymi]

"On a whim?" she questioned though it was mostly rhetorical. She could see how a person could have simply passed through this country raising the dungeon without suspicion especially if that person had access to the magic of creation. She didn't really understand that as a whole, but she imagined whoever that person was, he would have been quite a powerful being and thus respected by the Knights because of it. Beyond this point she was now curious as to why this man was looking for this individual if he'd already found what he was looking for. "Why do you search for this Magi?" she asked purely out of her own curiosity. The Monolith which told of the divine powers of the God they worshiped, told a story which had been passed around their people for generations. It was the very basis of their dogma and much to the Knight Queen's surprise, it didn't conflict with the outside world as much as they'd thought it had for previous generations, it was simply for them told in a different perspective. If nothing else, this solidified her belief while giving her the ability to make decisions which her people could also agree with.

[Bloodedge]

"Indeed. For a Magi, he was a very strange child. However, he is good for what he does. Two Dungeons were raised in Kina the day he met me. I captured one, but for the sake of being the power of the Kingdom, I seek more Dungeons by king's order." With these words spoken, Keiichi turned to face the Knight Queen once more. As he did, a glowing magic circle appeared on his chest plate. A separate circle appeared simultaneously at the center of his katana's blade, shining through the sheath. "If I may ask, what Djinn have you come to possess?"

[Apollymi]

"Oh..." the Knight Queen figured this man to be one of the Dungeon Capturers, but she didn't know that the Magi who'd raised dungeons was a child. It seemed like a great deal of responsibility to place upon a young one, but fate was the master of everyone apparently. As they moved along, she noted that he had at least two different markings which made it obvious that he'd captured at least two dungeons. "If you only captured one, why do you have two?" she asked of the young man again a point of pure curiosity. She also found it odd that anyone capable of capturing one or more Djinn would do so at the will of someone else, but she wasn't one to question any one's beliefs. If he chose to follow another she figured he must have a really good reason.

When asked which Djinn she possessed the woman reached up for the hairpin which glowed with similar magical circle. "Vinea." she said of the female Djinn she'd found at the center of the Holy Pillar. It was quite an interesting being though she'd only ever conversed with the Djinn the one time in the Dungeon.

[Bloodedge]

"I have two because of who the other Dungeon Capturer is," he said. After hearing the name of the Knight Queen's Djinn, he gradually drew his sword and raised it above his head. "The Sixth Dungeon, Valefor, and the Fifty-third Dungeon, Caim. Two Dungeons that were captured simultaneously; one by myself, and the other... by my other half. Our fates have been intertwined since conception. We are one and the same, and thus, any Djinn captured by one will become the Djinn of the other. The only restriction we have is on wearing the Djinn's power. One cannot use the power when another has become one with the Djinn."

[Apollymi]

She heard what this young man had to say and it took a few moments for her to catch up. The mention of another half and the simultaneous capture of two dungeons was unheard of. "Are you saying you have a twin, and you share your powers between the two of you?" she asked for clarification. She couldn't fathom two people sharing such power, and choosing to answer to someone else, instead of simply doing things themselves. "That's... I... hm... How can that be?" the woman had spent her entire life studying the Monolith and it'd never seemed possible for two people to share such power. With the apparent knowledge that two Dungeon Capturers shared Djinn, she was a little astounded. She didn't know how such a thing was properly possible.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes," he clarified. Lowering his blade, Keiichi stepped away from the monolith. He had received a reasonable amount of clarification on this matter from the Magi of whom he spoke, but even he had simply come to accept his situation as a fact of life by now. "To put it simply from what we understand, twins are naturally born with connected fates due to the supporting of one another in the womb. Ours is an exceptional case. Our fates are not simply connected, but intertwined. One could say we are both genetically and spiritually the same person. The only things separating us are our minds and physical forms. We even achieved full body Djinn Equip in harmony."

[Apollymi]

As this man explained the circumstance of himself and his twin the Knight Queen looked a bit confused. She supposed the idea that two people born simultaneously would have connected fates made a great deal of sense. But to go so far as to say that they were practically and spiritually the same person was a bit odd. But given her own beliefs she couldn't well question this knowledge, only filing it away for future reference as one of the oddities of this world. Still the woman's brows drew together and her one exposed eye would reveal the steep amount of confusion such a statement left her with. Since there was much to be discussed here she figured she'd asked the simplest of her questions. "Full Body Djinn Equip? There is more to be found than just the weapons?" she asked this because it was the most confusing of the information revealed. She supposed it would make sense if there was more to each than just the weapons but likely because of her understanding of Djinn's Powers being connected to the man worshiped as god she likely wouldn't have thought to let hers inhabit her entire body. Nor did she know if she'd even be capable of such a thing if she tried.

[Bloodedge]

Keiichi didn't expect anyone to simply take this information in stride, but even with that being the case, Evangelia did well to accept what he said regarding himself and his other half. When the woman went on to question the existence of Djinn Equip, Keiichi was initially left with his eyes widened. This, however, evolved into a grin when he realized why she would be without this knowledge. "Excuse me if this sounds a bit forward, but... I assume even the Knight Queen takes part in regular training activities?"

[Apollymi]

The Knight Queen watched as the nature of her question, processed in this man's mind. She saw him, thinking it through the surprise mentioned there and then the turn to the grin which was so easily seen she wasn't sure what he'd be getting at by making such a statement. "Your face is incredibly honest, I said something odd to you." she said as she soon moved past this point and answered his rather odd question. "Of course I do, the Knight Queen is not exempt from our practices and regular training and practice is part of our daily routine. It cements patience and form which are both necessary to our dogma. It also proves I am still the best warrior which is why I participate." she said the idea that someone would be exempt from training simply because of higher status wasn't possible, she was Knight Queen because she was the best, and she had to prove this at every opportunity.

[Bloodedge]

"Must be nice. I was disallowed from participating in training long ago. The only chance I get is with my other half, but... if you're interested... I could play around for a bit." As if to show his motives, Keiichi walked forward, swinging his blade to and fro. He wasn't sure how routine training worked among the Sasan Knights, but he knew he now wanted to participate. "As I said, I don't mean to sound forward, but I need to stretch every now and then, and I could show you what Djinn were meant to do."

[Apollymi]

"Well that is no good. How will others know what they need to strive for, if they are not allowed to know the difference between themselves and their betters?" the Knight Queen stated in response to the oddness of Keiichi being disallowed to participate in general training. His interest now was apparently in training exercises and as such she couldn't help but chuckle just a little. She believed this man to be capable of much in battle and she couldn't argue with needing to see what Djinn was capable of, but there were protocols to be followed and as such she nodded and began to explain. "Well, you will be allowed to participate if you'd like, but there is much which would have to be done before you'd be allowed to face me." she said walking towards what could be considered a throned area. "In order to face me in training, one has to be able to make it through the rest of the Knights before me. They will face you in order from weakest to strongest. This is how training is done, so that each may learn their place and strive to be better for the next time. It is arranged as individual rounds, the first to fall and be unable to continue loses, the winner gets to progress from there." she said of bouts between Knights. "If this is agreeable to you." the woman would snap her fingers and Knights would enter the open space of this area from all sides towards the center of this room readying themselves for the training exercise meant to take place and help them rank the man welcomed as an Apostle among them.

[Bloodedge]

Keiichi could only smile when Evangelia asked about his would-be training partners learning from their betters. "It wouldn't help anyone, honestly. You see, the Kina Kingdom no longer has a military force," he said. A bit of disappointment was apparent within the white-haired man when the terms of this training match were laid out, but this was no major setback. If he had to face every one of the Sasan Knights, he would do so without question. However, as the knights entered the room, he sheathed his sword. He was more than ready to take on any challenger at any time, but he had a single question for the Knight Queen before this session began. "Not to be a bother, but could I perhaps face all of the knights at once?"

[Apollymi]

The Knight Queen's eyes widened. It was completely foreign as a concept that an entire country would forego a military in favor of seeing all their hopes on just a few individuals. Of course, with this in mind she figured it made more sense that he'd been denied the ability to train with others. His following request though made a small smile appear on the woman's face, and surprisingly enough it wouldn't be the first time she heard such a request. The Knights standing around him now seemed to be stunned as well. "Princess Erza is the only one allowed such a thing." they whispered among themselves which only made the Knight Queen grin a bit more. "You're right..." she said of the Knights. "Erza is the only one allowed such a thing, but I think we can trust the newcomer to have a reasonable handle on his own limits. Attack him as you would her." she said all of the Knights bowed and nodded. "The Knight Queen's will is God's will." it would be at this point that the formation around this man would change. All of the other Knights would surround him and begin to arrange themselves as if they intend to attack with some kind of astuteness and together.

[Bloodedge]

"Princess Erza? You have a daughter, then. You don't look old enough to have a daughter that's combat ready," the man said nonchalantly as the knights gathered around him. They were told to attack him as they would this princess, but after taking a deep breath to mentally prepare himself, he spoke on the matter. "Small amendment: Attack me like your life depends on it." With that said, he took on a rather relaxed posture while beckoning the knights toward himself. From what he could see of their forms, he wagered that this battle would last no longer than ten seconds; two if he chose to use his Djinn.

[Apollymi]

The woman standing waiting the outcome of the battle was sort of flattered by this man's statement. And she supposed to people not from the area it wouldn't be obvious that she had a daughter at all. Unlike most women she didn't seem to have any problem discussing her age, though it would likely be shocking to all who weren't familiar with her. "I am forty-five, my daughter Erza is twenty-five. And has been a Knight since she was fourteen." she said calmly. His small amendment to the Knights didn't change anything about the way they'd arranged themselves or even their intentions. Actually, they always attacked the Princess like their lives depended on it, because she was so much more powerful than the rest of them. Basically the group arranged themselves in waves, a wave would attack immediately, aiming to force a reaction from the young man with the trained and practiced movements of their lance like spears. Depending on the reaction, the second and third waves would ready their own counter measures, this is how they operated when fighting in large numbers against a single opponent. All the while the Knight Queen watched, having high expectations of anyone who intended to take on the entirety of the Knight force all at once instead of in single combat.

[Bloodedge]

"Well I'll be," Keiichi replied prior to the knights' final preparations to attack. He kept an eye peeled for their movements, and after checking them out for a moment, he decided how he would end this battle. "Caim!" he called out, summoning the power of the Djinn in his sword as he drew the weapon. In one circular slash, he aimed to cut through not only the spears of the knights attacking him, but also those of the knights on standby. This was a possible feat due to the power of the Djinn Caim, which used his Magoi to extend the range of his slashes to potentially incredible lengths. Following this slash, he immediately sheathed his katana. "And here I thought I couldn't use this one without killing anyone."

[Apollymi]

The move evoked from the white haired young man wasn't at all what any of the Knights expected. And soon enough all had their weapons cut in half, even those who hadn't been directly in line with the attack to start with. This was a shocking turn of events for all of them, and they couldn't even believe that this had happened. All of them bowed to the Knight Queen and to the power of this newcomer. "Princess Erza breaks our bodies, but an attack like this... kills something else entirely." said one of the men before he sauntered off, and the other Knights agreed. They would go off to retrieve unbroken weapons to return to their normal places sometime in the near future. It would be after such a showing that the Knight Queen herself would step off her platform removing the hairpin from her ponytail while speaking. "I haven't seen them so thoroughly beaten in a while. Initially I was confused as to why your home country would place all its faith in you, but... I can see why that is the case." she said as her magoi began to pool and water began to form down her hand and into the hairpin. As she did this a water dragon appeared to circle around her for a moment before creating a water membrane. "Spirit of Sorrow and Isolation, in the name of my Magoi, and my will to grant me a greater power, I order you and your members. Come forth, Vinea!!" she said, expanding it into a large blue sword with an ornate set of layers and a dragon decorating the area above the hilt. Beyond this the blade itself poked out of the very top, so much so that it was eventually grasped by the woman's other hand and while she held it, it was longer than she was tall, not that this seemed to matter to her. As she stepped forward after the first light step, she'd simply launch herself towards Keiichi, feeling no need to hold back against him, she pushed forward, bringing her weapon forward with the smooth and practiced motion of someone who did battle often and aiming multiple slashes toward the young man's body.

[Bloodedge]

It had quickly become time for Keiichi to do battle with the Knight Queen herself. Facing the woman, he bowed as she approached. Her words about his country, while true to an extent, caused a sly grin to stretch across his face. "Pardon my manners, but you're wrong. You haven't seen a thing." This was all he had to say on the matter. Standing upright, he awaited the completion of Evangelia's Djinn Weapon Equip. When it was complete, he took a moment to appreciate its appearance. "So, you've gotten this far. That's pretty good, considering the isolation." With his sword sheathed, Keiichi seemed to have started at a disadvantage. However, as Evangelia approached baring her weapon, he drew his katana with a reverse grip of his left hand to parry the slashes as they came. "I'm guessing you don't want this place ruined." With that said, his armor began to glow, and his hair started taking on a fluffier appearance. "Spirit of Falsehood and Prestige, dwell in my body and use my Magoi to turn me into a great sorcerer! Come forth, Valefor!" Keiichi began to glow in a bright, white light. As this happened, a burst of power that occurred during the morphing of his body caused the doors to the Grand Hall to swing open, and aimed to launch Evangelia through them and into the outside world. When he emerged from this transformation, Keiichi stood with white fur in place of his hair, fox ears, nine white tails, white robes, and a third eye on his forehead. He also seemed to have eyes on the palms of his hands for some reason. Whatever the case, if he managed to push Evangelia outside, he would use the power of flight granted by Full Body Djinn Equip to follow her outdoors.

[Apollymi]

This young man was full of cheeky words, and this for some reason didn't seem to upset the Knight Queen. After all, she apparently had her own daughter to deal with, and as such was quite used to the slight antics of respectful but slightly listless younger people. As she attacked him she found his reflexes to be well above average and soon enough she'd know his ability with his Djinn was also far above her own. The transformation that took place made her eyes widened, but before she had time to comment she was flung from the inside of her Great Hall and out towards the grand courtyard which was presently free of people as all had to go to the armory which was on the other side of the country. "Well, yes, I'd prefer not to have to rebuild my Great Hall, but it wouldn't be the first time." she said after catching herself. She'd give herself a few moments to properly inspect this transformation. "Also I will give you this, I've never seen anything like this before." she mentioned before she began to attack again, after all, she was a thorough believer that one could only truly know the depth of something if they fought it. This time she waved the large bladed weapon over her head to bring it down upon the male as he exited her hall, as if she aimed to cut him in half vertically. She was very precise in this particular action, as if such an attack was the only real way to know what someone was capable of.

[Bloodedge]

"Let's try to make sure last time was the last time, hm?" he asked in rhetoric. It was at this point that Evangelia approached him again, this time with a single, vertical attack. As she came his way, a smile crossed Keiichi's face, and he held his palms out toward her. This would seem to have no effect, but the eyes on his palms were focusing their ability of stagnation on the woman. In Keiichi's aim to throw off any potential perception of his ability, he also used this power on the water molecules in the atmosphere, causing snowfall in the area. However, once this power took effect on its target, they would suffer slowed movements, and even slowed thoughts to make it seem as if Keiichi moved at speeds beyond that of light itself. This would gain use when Keiichi casually shifted himself to the woman's rear during her attack, aiming to kick her in the back after what would appear to be a teleportation performed at the last possible second. "Full Djinn Equip is the difference between Metal Vessels and Magic Tools. This is what the stories mean. Conquering a Dungeon means gaining the power to destroy a country, and build another where it lay."

[Apollymi]

A smile crossed this woman's face at the man's rhetoric, mostly because while she could guarantee that she alone wouldn't have anything to do with the destruction of this building, her daughter hadn't been home in three years, and given that the pair of them were constantly butting heads the likelihood of this occurring again. But she wouldn't get a chance to shed light on her thoughts here, because something strange would happen. There was a moment in which she was coming down atop this man with her blade, but suddenly he would be behind her, a foot making contact with her rear and sending her flying off into the distance. She was used to fighting to a large extent but it'd been awhile since she'd been so thoroughly and outlandishly outmatched. As the man spoke she picked herself up off the ground a bit surprised. "Hmm..." she said thinking about the way this situation played out, she knew for a fact she couldn't properly beat this man and such a thing was unheard of. "I don't think I've ever lost so decisively... not since I was a child anyways." she mentioned as she calmly allowed the weapon equip to fall away and put her hairpin back in the place it belonged. Even so, she took this loss in stride, because... it showed her where she needed to improve as well as her place in the vastness of the world.

[Bloodedge]

After a single, successful counter-attack, it seemed Keiichi's opponent accepted defeat. This was not quite what he'd expected, and in fact, he had been hoping for a more longevous spar than what he'd received here. Nevertheless, he crossed his arms and legs, and floated toward Evangelia, tails thrashing about mindlessly. "It's a bit much to decide a loss so quickly, isn't it? I was under the assumption that you'd aim to complete your Djinn Equip."

[Apollymi]

As she'd already decided this wasn't a battle worth trying to win in the first place, the boy's retort however was quite different from what she expected from most people. She looked at this young man utterly shocked, only to chuckle while reaching to regain a grip on her hairpin. "You know, most people would simply accept that victory and walk away..." she said. "And I personally find it odd to allow someone who has bested me to continue doing so." she said this as water collected and manifested the dragon but instead of simply forming the sword it pushed upwards further up her arms and legs cloaking them in scales as her long robes and clothing disappeared these were the same blue color as the giant weapon. "But fine, it isn't as if this sort of opportunity will present itself everyday." she said as she approached once more, figuring she could at least try this until she didn't have the strength to do it anymore. In this halfling form she was speedier than previously so she combined it with the proper use of her weapon. Instead of wielding it like a sword she took to doing so like it was the lance that the other Knights were seen carrying. Such a maneuver would lead to multiple precise jabs being placed towards this young man as she aimed to gain the sort of control which would allow her to fully cloak her body in her Djinn's power.