Newest Subjects

Saint-Domingue, Cayes-Jacmel

November 5, 1798

Silence falls over the street as the people gathered watch the strangers kneel at Atem's feet and claim to have come to serve. Despite the group's claim to be loyal to Atem, many of the citizens can be seen slowly inching their hands towards their weapons. With a slight shake of his head the citizens let go of their weapons and simply look at the strangers warily with tense muscles ready to spring into action should they attempt to do anything threatening.

"I do not know you and yet you claim to be loyal subjects who have come to serve. Identify yourselves." commands Atem as the tablet in his hands dissolve into golden particles and return to The Pharaoh's Treasury.

Looking up at Atem, the woman clad in spartan hoplite armor answers "I am Kassandra and the children accompanying me are Caenis, Isis, Marik, and Odion." introduces Kassandra as she gestures towards each child while calling out their names. "We are the sole remaining members of The House of Life, the magical organisation founded by Pharaoh Ramasses II in order to serve the Pharaoh and Egypt."

With a raised eyebrow Atem glances at Aknadin's soul remnant who simply nods in confirmation.

"I see." says Atem as he crosses his arms over his bare chest. "You came here from Egypt to swear fealty to me, I presume that you have an idea of how you can serve me." comments Atem.

"We do." agrees Kassandra with a nod of her head. "However, we will defer to your better judgement."

"Oh? So you did come prepared, that is good. So tell me, how can you serve?" asks Atem.

"I am a warrior and soldier. I can train your army and lead them into battle as your general." she says, earning a nod from Atem before he turns to look at Caenis as Kassandra continues to speak.

"Caenis can-" begins Kassandra before she is interrupted by Atem.

"No." says Atem, earning a questioning look from Kassandra. "They will tell me their capabilities themselves. I have no use for subjects who cannot speak for themselves." he tells them.

"Very well." says Kassandra as she urges Caenis to speak with a nudge from her elbow.

With a wide grin on her face, Caenis looks up at Atem "I'm a warrior through and through. That means I can be the perfect bodyguard." she says

"Oh? Do you doubt my strength?" asks Atem with a tilt of his head.

"Nah." answers Caenis with a shake of her head "You killed a Heretic God so you're the most powerful person in this entire planet. But you're Pharaoh so you shouldn't have to waste your time whenever some idiot decides that they wanna kill you." she explains as her grin widens to showcase canines that are sharper than any human's.

"A valid point, however I will have to test you. I cannot have anyone serve as the captain of my royal guard." says Atem.

"Then I won't disappoint." reassures Caenis before Atem turns his attention to Isis.

"I am Isis my liege, and these are my brothers, Marik and Odion, and we are descendants of the goddess Isis herself." introduces Isis, earning a raised eyebrow from Atem and exclamations from the watching citizens. "We are trained in the basics of all forms of Egyptian magic, physical combat and many other subjects required for one to serve as a Sacred Guardian." she explains.

"It seems that the protectors have barely survived to this era. In the era of Ramasses II there were six families of protectors with each family charged with training a Sacred Guardian to serve in the Pharaoh's court. Those six families were composed of the greatest and most loyal sorcerers of Egypt. In return for their services they were bestowed with a Millennium Item each along with being conferred the highest authority second only to the Pharaoh. It's quite a shame that they have only been reduced to a single family composed of three children." explains Aknadin.

"That is a lot of information that you glossed over when explaining the Sacred Guardians to me." comments Atem as he studies the three siblings.

"It was not important at the time." shrugs Aknadin.

"If you are the only survivors of The Protectors, what has happened to the Millennium Items that were bestowed upon you?" asks Atem.

Presenting their open hands to Atem, a golden light flashes upon Isis and Marik's hands as the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace appear in their hands.

"I see that you have done your duty. You may keep the Millennium Items, let them serve as a symbol of your loyalty and of your new positions as the first members of my Sacred Guardians!" exclaims Atem.

"Thank you Pharaoh Atem." says Marik as he tightly grips the Millennium Rod and brings it to his chest. "I will never fail you." he says as Isis remains silent while continuing to present the Millennium Necklace to Atem.

"Is something the matter?" asks Atem when he sees Isis refuse to accept the gift.

"Pardon my boldness Pharaoh Atem, but I have no use for this gift. As a descendant of Isis I can already see the future and the past through my spirit vision, as such I have no use for the Millennium Necklace. Please take it so that it may serve you well." explains Isis with a bow of her head.

"I see. Then I will have to find something else to gift you while also looking for Odion's gift." says Atem as he takes the necklace from Isis' hands and places it around his neck. As soon as the clasp tightens the Eye of Ra engraved on the necklace flashes as the very same symbol appears on his forehead in a flash of golden light. The symbol remains on his forehead for a few seconds, awing the crowd before disappearing.

"From henceforth you are my subjects. Kassandra, general of the armed forces, Caenis, candidate for captain of my royal guard, Isis, Marik and Odion, the very first members of my Sacred Guardians. Stand and let the people of Cayes-Jacmel see you." commands Atem as the citizens cheer for the newest members of their community.

"You're getting better at those speeches." compliments Aknadin. "By the time you reach sixteen you might finally be as good as Ramassess II." he says as Atem walks past the newcomers and commands them to follow while the people return to their work.

"Your arrival could not have come at a more fortunate time." says Atem as they make their way towards the massive ziggurat in the distance. "I am currently in need of someone to train my soldiers and someone to teach magic to those with the potential for it." explains Atem as they walk past the training field where the soldiers can be seen doing basic exercises.

"When would you like me to start?" asks Kassandra as she watches the soldier's passable performances with a barely hidden scowl. As far as she can see they lack the coordination to be properly called soldiers. They are more like a rag tag group of warriors learning the basics of teamwork. It seems that she may have her work cut out for her, Kassandra thinks to herself excitedly.

"Now preferably. Should you wish to acclimate yourself with the city first then I understand." answers the Pharaoh as he glances at the woman over his shoulder.

"In that case I shall get started now." says Kassandra with a bow before jogging over to the soldiers while the others arrive in front of the ziggurat..

"Since Kassandra has elected to begin her work now, the four of you shall follow these guards to your quarters. When you are finished, come to the throne room." orders Atem as he points to the guards in knightly armor before making his way up the ziggurat towards his throne room.

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It takes around an hour for them to settle themselves and their belongings down in their rooms before they can make their way to the throne room. Arriving there they find Atem sitting on his golden throne with a slight frown on his face as he looks at his tablet. Kneeling in front of the throne, they wait for him to acknowledge their presence. After a few minutes he rubs his eyes before dismissing the tablet and allowing it to return to the Treasury in golden particles of light.

"You may rise." commands Atem. as he stands from his throne and slowly walks down the raised dais. "Your objective is simple, impress me." instructs Atem as he stops at the second to last steps of the raised dais.

"Anything goes?" asks Caenis with a feral grin as Isis and her siblings relocate themselves to the side of the throne room while she twirls her spear.

"Anything." replies Atem as two golden khopeshes made of magical energy appear in his hands and he returns Caenis' grin.

"Perfect." says Caenis as she launches herself at Atem and stabs her spear towards his head.

Tilting his head to the side, Atem casually dodges her stab before he smashes his foot to her stomach with a front kick that sends her flying out of the ziggurat.and onto the field where Kassandra is training the soldiers.

Recovering from Atem's kick before hitting the ground, Caenis stabs her spear into the ground and halts her momentum before rolling to the side just in time to dodge Atem's ground shattering kick. Using the momentum of her roll, Caenis launches into a series of backflips that further increases the distance between her and Atem.

"You survived that kick, good." compliments Atem. "It would be remiss of the Captain of my royal guard to be defeated by something as simple as a kick." says Atem.

"If something like a kick could defeat me I'd turn in my spear and become a farmer." says Caenis as she cracks her neck and rolls her shoulders. "To be honest I didn't expect you to be this fast. Those who become Campione receive an increase in strength and durability, not speed. That means that this ridiculous speed is completely yours and has nothing to do with your existence as a Campione. I gotta say, it's making my blood pump like crazy!" exclaims Caenis as she tightens her grip on her spear and unflinchingly stares down at Atem.

With a smirk on his own Atem returns her stare while Kassandra and the soldiers begin to gather around to witness the battle. For what feels like minutes, but is actually seconds, the two combatants stare down one another as tensions rise and the field begins to be saturated with magical energy and an intense blood lust coming from Caenis.

"Get ready, your highness, I won't be holding back anymore." warns Caenis as her teal eyes begin to glow with a slight blood red tint.

Not mere seconds after issuing her warning Caenis finally move. With a sound reminiscent of thunder and enough force to crack the ground beneath her feet, Caenis vanishes from everyone's sights and reappears on Atem's left with her spear poised to pierce his skull. With wide eyes Atem leans backwards and dodges the attack only for Caenis to kick him on the shoulder and send him crashing into the ground. Using the momentum of her kick, Atem launches into a backwards roll before launching himself into the air where he dismisses his weapons and summons a bow.

In less than ten seconds Atem fires a dozen arrows at Caenis, stopping her from following through with her assault in order to deflect them. Knowing that his opponent will not be troubled by the arrows, Atem wastes no time to launch himself at her once he lands with dual khopeshes.

As Caenis deflects the final arrow Atem appears in front of her and slashes one khopesh towards her neck while the seconds khopesh stabs towards her heart. Dodging the slash, Caenis deflects the stab with her spear and attempts to knee Atem only for him to the offending limb to the side and leaving her open for him to smash a roundhouse kick to her sides, sending her flying.

Not bothering to follow through, Atem dismisses his weapons.

"We are finished, and I must say that I am quite impressed. Anything short of a full fledged Heretic God or Campione would have their entire body shattered after this exchange." admits Atem as Caenis falls to the ground with a groan. "Not only did you survive but you were also able to fight back for some time."

"I…I'm not finished yet." complains Caenis while she tries to stand with the help of her spear only to vomit a mouthful of blood.

"You are finished, and considering the circumstances it is not shameful to admit defeat, Captain." counters Atem with a smile as he makes his way to her.

"Captain….?" mutters Caenis through her addled senses. "So I did it?" she asks with a hopeful tone.

"You did. Now sleep, you can begin your duties tomorrow." answers Atem as he hypnotically puts her to sleep before picking her up. "Return to your training." orders Atem as he walks past the awestruck soldiers and into the ziggurat.

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AN: Here's the next chapter. As usual, tell me what you think and don't be afraid to tell me your theories and speculations. Also, I have a Fate Grand Order fanfic in the works to replace From Mortal to Divinity until I feel like returning to it (I don't feel like writing the DxD jump tbh). It's an isekai story and I plan on using the waifu catalogue for that fanfic so comment who the MC should have as servants and who you want to see as a waifu (no lolis please).

Per usual the next chapter is on my pat re on, pat re on .com / servant ambrosius (without the spaces). Follow me on instagram at servant_ambrosius. Also there's this awesome platform for lightnovels/manga/webcomics called VoyceMe check out the stories on there. It's new but it has great content and is growing quickly.