The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "Sparkle" by Radwimps (movie version or instrumental only) - available in Youtube or Spotify]

"Do you want to know what happened after all this?" the Guardian asked them.

Elliot gulped. He didn't want to hear any more bad news but he also wants to know what happened afterwards. 

"Please tell us".

"In their timeline, there was really no one who came to help the village. Some adventurers passed by, but they weren't as kind as you all were, to stop by and help a whole village".

While the Guardian told them the real story, the whole realm adapted to the words she said - as if replaying back a movie from the start. They spun their heads and saw that the whole village came back the way it was when they first arrived.

"Elin and Elijah did live in this timeline, along with all the villagers you saw in here. They lived poorly, scrapping on anything they could find. It was only when Elijah learned magic and thought of reviving the fields did the village start making a bit of progress. Time passed by. The Mad King arrived and destroyed the whole village like what you all saw today. Then, the King of Chaos arrived as well. They fought each other, damaging the village, and killing all the other villagers in the process. That's when … Elijah died and Elin did like what she did today. She sacrificed her life to heal Elijah. And those words she told him, were the exact words she said".

Everyone started tearing up again. The loss of a great friend, even if she belonged to an entirely different timeline, still broke their hearts. Even the Guardian's eyes, moistened with tears as well.

"Elijah survived that dreadful night, along with a few villagers. They wanted to give up. They lost all their hope. But Elijah didn't give up. Small as he was, he encouraged everyone to start over. And start over, they all did ...

This town, that was all in ruins right now, grew better and better as time went by …

What was once a town with tattered and dilapidated buildings …

Changed into a beautiful and wonderful city …

Pius City - the Holy City in the midst of the Land of Terra …

The city of the very first Great King! ... Elijah!"

Rania, Elliot, and Luna were all surprised from what they just heard.

"Then, is that why Ducis was kind to Elijah?" Rania asked.

"Yes," Ducis nodded. "I knew him very well. He was the very first king that I served and loved with all my heart. Not just me, but all the other guardians as well".

WHOOOOOSH!!!

Great wind blew by and as the Guardian spoke, their whole surroundings changed. The once dead village, lit up in warm, yellow lights!

The houses that were once made of woods planks, broken down, changed into brick houses.The wall market and stalls turned into elegant shops and lots of establishments stood tall all over the town.The place where the dilapidated water fountain was once, turned into a beautiful and relaxing Town Square with lots of flowers and trees and benches for people to rest.The dead fields were revived, high walls covered the whole village and a barrier was formed to protect the people inside.

The town that was once on the verge of dying came back to life and was now a bustling city! And at the end of the village stood a very magnificent castle where their Great King, Elijah resided. 

No more wars …

No more famines …

No more poverty …

No more pain and suffering …

Everyone … was happy … truly happy.

Seeing all the changes that happened to Pius Village, Rania, Elliot, Luna, even Ducis and the Guardian of the realm couldn't help but cry tears of joy! They were so glad … so glad! Their joy couldn't be explained by mere words. Their hearts jumped in delight! 

'Truly, the Lord sees the afflicted and He doesn't turn a blind eye!'

"It's really amazing how the Supreme works and moves and how he chooses His anointed," the Guardian continued. "All the kings in this timelines were either born from royalty, or noble families, or had something special in them. They were all perfect if one would look on the outside. And Elijah was just a commoner, a simple child of no noble birth.

'But the Supreme sees not as man sees;

For man looks on the outward appearance,

But the Supreme looks on the heart'.

While the kings bragged about their strength and competed with each other, Elijah did not compete with anyone. Instead, he served the people.

While the kings sought to destroy and wage war, Elijah sought to restore the lands and comforted the hearts of the oppressed. 

When the kings plundered, and greed, and hated … Elijah spread compassion and love.

Like how a real king should be, he loved the people, and they loved him in return.

Soon, multitudes followed him, even people who were once enemies.

And on his whole journey, he wasn't alone. The Supreme also raised people that would help him".

  The surrounding changed into a temple, where a woman with light blue hair and blue eyes, kneeled to the heavens, and prayed earnestly. Her face was as fierce as her faith, and as kind as her heart.

"First, was the Great Oracle," the Guardian continued. "The very first oracle that existed in the history of Magi. When everyone else lost faith in the Supreme, she and her family, along with Elijah and a few more other people, continued to believe in the Most High. And out of all the believers, she was the one with the greatest faith. The Supreme showed her a vision and summoned her to help and guide Elijah to us, the Guardians.

But we were angry with all the creations during that time for forgetting the Lord. They have abandoned their first love. So all of us hid ourselves and stopped helping the people. 

But then again, the Supreme always makes miracles in the most dire situations. When we all disagreed to meet with the Magi, the Lord raised up another incredible person".

The Guardian chuckled upon mentioning the last person. She smiled so gently as she continued to show everyone what happened. The flashback continued to play, and their surroundings continued to adjust to her story.

"Who was that incredible person?" Elliot asked.

"Well, if there's a Great King, there should be a Great Queen, too!"

Then, the surroundings changed into a forest, where a lovely woman was standing, talking to someone. She looked like a lunatic at first, because there was really no one in front of her. But suddenly, another woman appeared from thin air - the Guardian of Grace, Flora.

Ducis smiled warmly upon seeing her.

The Guardian smiled as she introduced her to them.

"Now this woman is truly one of a kind. She was also a commoner and didn't have much spiritual capacity unlike Elijah and the first Oracle. She could only cast average magic once a day! Ha-ha-ha! But even so, she managed to tame all of us, sulky, hard-headed Guardians. When we refused to show ourselves to Elijah, she interceded for him and lectured us all!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Everyone burst out laughing. 

"That sounds like someone I know," Elliot chuckled.

"Hmm … I wonder who?" Rania jested. 

"Beats me," Elliot shrugged. 

The Guardian smiled warmly and looked at Rania. She softly whispered to herself, "I wonder too …"

"What happened next?" Luna interrupted them all of their own thoughts.

"Oh, right," the Guardian came back to reality. "So after that, the Guardians tried Elijah. That's when the 'Rite of Passage' began. It was the twelve trials that the Guardian set up to test the character of the Anointed Ones. Each trial is different for each Anointed One but they cover the twelve important qualities that are required for a real king. And the trial adjusts depending on the person that is being tested, since everyone has different weaknesses. Due to that, there came some generations where the Anointed One failed … since they still had their own free will. If they chose to give up, then that's it. Luckily, the Supreme would again anoint another person to take over, securing the peace in the planet of Gaia as time went by.

But for Elijah's generation, and the hundred generations after him, no one failed. The next kings came from his bloodline and since he and the Great Queen were such great parents, their children became good people as well. And that marked the beginning of the Age of Peace".

Elliot's eyes widened from all the revelations he's getting. 

"You mentioned 'Rite of Passage' and that the twelve trials were meant to test the Anointed from the twelve important qualities of a real king," Elliot furrowed as he pondered on the information. "Then … does that mean … I will be a king someday? Are all Anointed Ones raised by the Supreme to rule the planet? Or is there something more? Is that ... my purpose?" 

The Guardian of the realm looked at Ducis and Ducis nodded at her.

"For this part … it is time," Ducis looked at Elliot with conviction in his eyes.