The fact that the emperor visited him, that visit brought a single unanswered question
WHY
but that was silenced, due to the council addressing him in unison
"Daniel Martin, you are to become a theology user in the next 72 hours due to the emperor decree, you are now dismissed from the council"
the moment Daniel heard it he exited outside as he spotted a shaken Eliza and Gideon
"it went well" said Daniel jokingly
"it didn't" Eliza erupted
she pounced next to him as she was a volcano of rage
'KID, YOUR DONE FOR YOU LIFES DONE FOR"
Gideon watched as even he felt shameful
Daniel didn't comprehend it, he was dragged into this world by them, but he chose to stay to protect people he loved
Eliza started to take deep breaths and calming herself
"Kid, the reason the emperor came here is not to break the curse but to remove wracking monopoly on monarch, he wants to weaken the house of wracking as all the other houses will bow to Augustus after that fact, they have held the emperorship for various cycles through Adrian Marcus Augustus and David Damion Augustus. Only house wracking opposes them due to their heritage during anno dominus. so right now, the emperor is using you as a tool to break the monopoly" she said everything like it was a curse
now at heart Daniel felt naive to think the emperor did it to help him, but one thing was sure no matter what he has been dragged into this world and in this world to protect you need to be a theology user
"it doesn't matter, I will continue to follow the original plan"
"There is no original plan, this was supposed to us" she points to Gideon "helping our teacher grandson to become a person of power so he could like a life of luxury same as how out teacher did for use but in our stupidity, we turned you into a political puppet"
"Eliza but I belong here if I want to protect my family and bring honor to them for that I will do anything"
"Kid, you're not fighting a fair battle you're trying to gamble with a god"
"I though the first flame didn't exist if that doesn't, so do not gods"
Eliza erupted into a full-blown laughter
it sounded like a war cry as Daniel couldn't but note
"Sure, the worst that can happen to you is that you mutate"
those words sting but he knew that we would make it back home as a senior inquisitor, a theology user
"Are we going to stand and talk about my predicament or leave I have till 72 hours till the becoming a theology user"
"Yeah we" before Gideon could finish that
"Let him stay with me, I have an apartment in terra for my service during the battle of melds during 123 ad during that cold war"
"sure" Gideon voice held none of the previous charisma or anything but just a tone of a fool
Eliza apartment was small but lit very well as they opened the door and entered with there being a crunch and a dining table on the front and a kitchen to the left with a hallway leading to another room presumably a bedroom
despite the view it had, from the balcony which was few steps near the couch it was small, smaller than his staying quarters in inquisition
"You can't enter the bedroom, you can stay here ok"
"Why asked Daniel"
"Its private, that's why" from her words he could understand she felt offended by him
he felt like a piece of shit but right now all he wanted was something to eat
"You got anything to eat"
"Yeah, it's near the fridge"
"I am going to be in my room" she continued "don't enter it or disturb me"
as Eliza walked to her room, something hit him like lighting he forgot his backpack in Gideon cruiser
Daniel has no new clothes or cell to connect to his family
he slowly but surely made his way into the kitchen and dragged open the fridge and found a soup packet
it was canto, the smell hit his nostrils, his mouth watered like an upcoming flood
he took it and positioned himself at the desk counter
he gulped it down his throat as the spice burned his esophagus but in a good way
after few minutes he moved his body to the couch but that was so hard for him due to exhaustion
the moment he laid down the first thought came to his mind was Gideon situation he stood there shamed; he did that cause his grandad was his teacher he did all of this to bring Daniel to a seat of power he felt ashamed he was the reason Gideon felt that way and what did the emperor want with him and Eliza today felt off till now she felt like a person who didn't care about anything and her energy didn't match her rank but now that he is also her rank, his behavior didn't align with it, he was still a whiny child.
but today Eliza behaviors felt off but he had other problems right now, he pushed these all thoughts back to his mind
his muscles were still numbed, and he didn't feel good, but the worst part was what he had learned today
about theology, a runic mysterious magic called seir, other xeno species exist t and that we are in a cold war with them another powerful species
but they he didn't mind, that didn't blow his mind there were rumors of being called star-kings who unmake stars, a powerful xeno species exist these were all conspiracy theories he had somewhat believed
but first flame a religion where he faithfully believed was government propaganda
that hurt his mind, how will his mother feel when she finds about it
she attended every church session believed in the church more than the government
how will followers of unorthodox feel after knowing that the emperor he believed as an angel created their region for control
it had hurt him physically and mentally
and the emperor arrival and him telling him that he was important
he was again going to be used as a puppet by a being so powerful he could be compared to a God
and if he succeeds his fate still remains unsure
what if he couldn't protect his family and brought problems to them
he couldn't take it; he tried to force himself into sleep
but sleep didn't want him but after a while it came
he woke up in his house, in his bed and got up and walked to the living room
"Mom, dad" he screamed
"Mom, dad, Melina"
"Mom, dad"
the words became for desperate and fearful
the house erupted, pillars of flame started to just arrive in that spot
everything went in ruin
flames were everywhere
the carbon monoxide started to choke him
he fell on the ground choking on it
tears came
he made muffled sounds
"Daniel help, help" screamed a voice from outside
it was his sister voice
that single decibel was enough
he ran, no he pounced too the door
but he couldn't open it
"Daniel"
"Daniel"
"Daniel"
each was from his family member his dad, mom and sister as they kept ringing
he used his shoulder as he rammed into the door and ran outside
he slipped but arrived outside
the entire wheat farm was burning, all the house even ones miles away were in ruin
he turned his back,
he was horrified
there were three heads, hanging from invisible strings
it was his family
he fell down on his legs, tear flowed
the water in his mouth went dry
a women appeared beside him
it was Melina
"You couldn't save us" she said in a dreaded voice as she continued
"You brought this upon our family, you did this"
"You did this"
"You did this"
"You did this"
the words kept ringing in his head
"now, I didn" he sobbed he broke down
he lied there sobbing in a fetal position
a heard a crying even more intense than his
it was Eliza
he understood, this was a lie
"no, it's not a lie Daniel" screamed Melina to his face
he was still sobbing but those tears from outside, had helped him to regain enough lucidity
he tried to force his mind out of this dream
the world started to crack apart
Melina grabbed onto his body
"no you can't leave me Daniel"
"You can't leave me Daniel"
her screams did affect Daniel, but he had to let it go
after what felt like a century
the world cracked
he woke up in cold sweat as he felt disgusting
he looked around to see the sun set and to see a clock on the wall which said 6
by then he was still not feeling ok from his dream but the sobs broke him out
he still heard Eliza sobs
"I loved him"
"I did love"
he heard that between the sobs
he walked to Eliza room
after seven steps he was standing outside the door
he still heard the sobs, but more Powerful fuller and sadder
he felt her sadness even from here
it hadn't decided to knock, but what if his dream and her sobs are related
what if she is in danger
the moment the thoughts came to his mind
he barged inside the room, to see it full of photos of a young man and Eliza with her bed at the side and a desk on the left of it with the rest being filled with phots, the room was dark
he spotted Eliza in the middle staring at pictures and crying