Chapter 31: The Gods Are Watching

Dune woke up in a lavish carriage, the cushions beneath him soft and the interior richly adorned.

In front of him sat the twins, Ezra and Liam, while his brother Ned was right beside him. Atlas, who seemed to have already assessed their situation, was the first to break the silence.

"We're heading to the capital, Rendely," Atlas began. "They won't kill us because the blessings help us maintain control over our powers.

We got lucky. Just as my god, Dinlas, the god of chaos and hatred, said it would be. He chose me as his blessed. What about you, Dune?"

Dune sighed, revealing the white Zeten cross tattoo on his chest. "Bethel, the god of wisdom and knowledge, chose me and gave me this."

Everyone stared at the tattoo in shock. Ned looked particularly concerned, his worry evident in his eyes. Dune, noticing this, quickly added,

"But you see, I'm not mad. Even if it's hard to control and risky, I'm still happy. Now I have actual power and I'm not so useless anymore. Also the blessings will help us control it better."

Turning to his brother, Dune asked, "Ned, your god? Who chose you?"

Ned sighed deeply. "Deineros, the god of love and desire, chose me... and she's weird. I don't like her." He blushed as he spoke, looking away in embarrassment.

Everyone looked at him, surprised and curious about the implications of such a god. Then Ezra spoke up, "I was chosen by Enero, the god of happiness, while Liam was chosen by Chaos, the god of the underworld."

Atlas, who had been contemplating their situation, added, "I've gained more control over my Zeten and Neba. I also achieved Orange Neba… a significant power increase."

The others nodded in agreement. The twins' Nebas were enhanced to Red, while Ned gained Orange Neba and better control on his main Green neba and Red Zeten.

However, Ned's Orange Neba was unique, it was primarily used to shield him from the harmful effects of his own Zeten, allowing him to use his abilities with much less damage.

Dune, on the other hand, felt a pang of uncertainty. He hadn't had time to explore his new abilities or understand the full extent of his powers.

He looked at his friends, who seemed to be adjusting better than he was, and felt a mix of admiration and determination.

Liam broke the contemplative silence. "What's our plan? Are we going to continue as a crew, stealing and surviving in the capital?"

Atlas shook his head. "I don't think we'll need to do that. We'll be living in the castle territory, close to the king.

We might even have our own servants. Dune, you are already 16.. and the twins also will be sixteen soon. We can join the Academy together and learn more about our powers.

The King probably has a way to hide our Zeten marks."

Everyone nodded, understanding the gravity and opportunity of their new situation. "Okay then, that's a plan," Liam affirmed.

Ned spoke next, his voice tinged with concern. "Except for us, there were five other blessed. Where are they?"

Dune responded thoughtfully, "Nely is from Sanatria like us, but I don't know exactly where she lives. I just hope she's okay.

Elijah is from another continent called Seraphein. The other three are probably nobles from other continents.

They managed to survive under the toxic water for so long; they probably had information about the Blessing Ceremony from their noble families.

Anyway, we shouldn't worry until we're in the capital. We are precious to the King. He won't let us die easily, but he obviously won't set us free either."

He then turned to Ned. "Ned, we shouldn't reveal anything about our family."

Ned nodded solemnly. "Agreed. So that's the plan," Ezra said, trying to lighten the mood with a determined nod.

Dune sighed, his thoughts drifting to Nely. What was she doing now? Was she okay? Did she survive?

He remembered the last time he saw her, when she was dying and he had decided to swim in the toxic water to save her.

The uncertainty gnawed at him, but he knew he had to focus on the present and the future they were heading toward.

As the carriage rolled on, Dune vowed to himself that he would find a way to master his new powers, to protect his friends, and to uncover the mysteries that lay ahead in Rendely.

Dune's mind raced as he thought about their predicament. Then he broke the silence again, voicing the concern that gnawed at him. "What do we do about Cadogan? Are we just going to let him die?"

Everyone sighed, sharing his sense of helplessness. "I wouldn't care otherwise, but he protected us back then," Dune said.

Atlas was the first to respond. "The King and all the higher-ups are already in the city. Cel and Casius left too..."

"What are you trying to say?" Dune asked, realizing that the man behind the King was Casius, the strongest human with purple Neba.

Atlas sighed, "What I'm trying to say is that currently, we're on our way to the capital. What if we kill everyone here and let Cadogan escape?

We can go back to Rendely and blame Cadogan for everything. That way, he escapes and survives."

"One problem: Matiane is leading the soldiers around us," Ned added.

"We can make a surprise attack and catch them off guard," Ezra suggested. "I counted 86 soldiers including Matiane.

Most are below orange Neba, as expected. Matiane is the only real problem, but we're stronger now. We can free Cadogan, and he can help us."

"Also, most of the soldiers are still in Fein investigating. Some have left for different cities, and others followed the King back to the city using teleportation," Ned added.

Dune's eyes narrowed. "And most of all, we all want to kill that bastard Matiane, right?"

Liam grinned. "Seems like the God of War will be mad at us today."

Everyone chuckled, feeling a renewed sense of camaraderie. "Liam and Ezra will fight the soldiers. Ned and I will take on Matiane.

Dune, you should focus on freeing Cadogan. Once we're done, we'll all join forces to fight and kill Matiane somehow," Atlas concluded.

Ezra tried to add, "We need a crew name. We are—"

"Shut up," everyone interrupted in unison, laughing together.

Suddenly, a realization hit Dune like a bolt of lightning. "Wait," he whispered, eyes wide with dawning comprehension.

Everyone turned to look at him, confusion etched on their faces. "This whole thing doesn't make sense,"

he continued, his voice gaining strength. "Why didn't the King take us with him? Why would he leave us with just 85 soldiers for protection? Wouldn't it be safer to take us into the city with them?

He definitely knows that we're strong. Why would he want us to be free in this carriage? What if we escape? It doesn't make sense..."

Atlas furrowed his brow, deep in thought. Liam waved his hand dismissively. "You're overthinking it, Dune."

Ezra nodded in agreement, but Ned, sensing something was amiss, chimed in with a different perspective.

"Listen, I think Dune is right, and I think I know why. When Matiane said he sacrificed Fein for the god's desire, I felt something from the King.

It was disappointment and disgust. My ability can sense emotions well, it seems to have some connection with Goddess Deineros' abilities, but I don't know... Why would King Aramir praise Matiane if he felt differently towards him?"

Atlas's eyes widened as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. "Because the gods are watching their apostles. And Aramir couldn't disrespect apostle of the God,"

Dune's realization crystallized. "That's right! That has to be it. The King wants to use us. He probably knew we would try to free Cadogan. That's why he left him with us. In other words..."

Dune's voice dropped to a hushed, dramatic tone as the truth settled over them like a shroud. They don't want to have problems with the God of War… so .. "King Aramir wants us instead to kill Matiane, the god of war's apostle."

"We're being used as pawns in the King's game," Atlas said, his voice tinged with a mix of anger and understanding.

The carriage fell into a stunned silence. The enormity of their situation hung heavy in the air, each of them grappling with the implications. The King had not just left them to their own devices;

he had set the stage for a lethal test, which could either prove their worth or end their lives.

The weight of this revelation pressed on Dune's mind, but it also ignited a fierce determination within him.

They rested a little longer, steeling themselves for the task ahead.

Each of them knew the stakes were high, but the bonds they had forged through their trials gave them the strength to face the coming battle.

The plan was set, and the group was ready. The time had come to fight not just for survival, but for their future.