Chapter 289 - ECLIPSE

IT WAS a total eclipse.

Neoma suddenly remembered that she had witnesses eclipses before– both during her first and second life. But she couldn't remember exactly when.

And she had a feeling that she didn't want to remember.

["Princess Neoma?"]

She flinched when she heard Trevor's voice in her head.

Ah, she almost forgot that she allowed the demon boy to temporarily connect his mind to hers. We needed to communicate discreetly after all.

["The people at the plaza are starting to panic, Princess Neoma."].

["But why?"]

["Huh? Isn't it obvious why they would panic, Princess Neoma? The moon swallowed the sun!"]

"It's just a solar eclipse though," Neoma said, confused. "The sun wasn't swallowed by the moon– the moon simply obscures it. And it happened because the moon got between Earth and the sun. Thus, the moon casts a shadow over Earth."

She only realized that her voice echoed loudly in the Hall after she spoke.

Ah, right. Since everyone fell silent earlier, her voice was heard loud and clear. And damn, she forgot to speak to Trevor in her mind.

[But it's not like I said something wrong.]

"Son, what did you say?" her Papa Boss, who was now standing beside her (she didn't feel her father's presence!) asked with furrowed brows. "Eclipse? Earth? What are those?"

Huh?

The word 'eclipse' didn't exist here?

[Ah, this world isn't called Earth…]

"Son, the thing you called 'eclipse' is what we call 'God's Rage,'" her Papa Boss said. "This is the first time you've seen one so it's understandable that you're not aware of what it is."

Oh.

God's Rage, huh? It sounded fancy. But was an eclipse really that big of a deal?

["Trevor."]

["Yes, my Moon Princess?"]

["What's happening outside?"]

["The people at the Plaza are currently crying while kneeling and praying to apparently appease their god."]

She almost snorted.

Their empire worshiped Lord Yule so the citizens were probably praying to the Moon God.

That suddenly gave her an idea.

["Trevor, focus all the video-recording devices to me. Then, throw the Divine Item at me as planned."]

["Now?"]

["Yes! Now!"]

The eclipse would only last a few minutes. Wouldn't it be a great idea to take the citizens' fear away by showing them a man-made miracle?

[This will be the highlight of today's show.]

["Princess Neoma, I'm sending the Dive Item to you now."]

Neoma expected the Divine Item to arrive the normal way. Like she was waiting for it to just appear in front of her because Trevor had told her in advance that he'd use a teleportation spell for it. But what happened next was beyond expectations.

The Divine Item dropped like a fuċkɨnġ bomb that blew up the Hall!

***

THE WHOLE Plaza shook hard as soon as I heard a loud explosion.

Surprisingly, the sound of the explosion came from the giant video-recording device in the center. Everyone who turned to the device was shocked by the scene that greeted them.

At first, all they could see was a thick cloud of smoke.

Then, they saw a spark.

When the smoke cleared out, a shining little orb that resembled the moon appeared.

"A little moon above the Crown Prince's head appeared!"

Those words made the screams and the cries around stop. Everyone suddenly became quiet. Then, they all turned to the video-recording device.

The smoke completely disappeared now, and they could clearly see the Crown Prince.

"Praise Lord Yule for keeping His Royal Highness safe!"

"The Crown Prince is surrounded by a strange gold light!"

The roofless Hall was also embraced by darkness. But as the golden light around the Crown Prince and the shining little moon above his head shined brighter, the whole suddenly lit up as if the sun had reappeared.

It was a beautiful sight.

"Is it a shield?"

"It could be but I've seen that kind of light before…"

"The saint?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, that's right! I've once attended the saint's homily in the past! It was the time when a group of rebels tried to ȧssassinate His Holiness!"

"And what happened?"

"His Holiness created a shield for everyone in the temple! And His Holiness said that it was the power of Lord Yule!"

A collective loud gasp was heard.

"But His Holiness isn't here…"

"Everyone, look! The gold light that protected the Crown Prince is coming from the little moon above His Royal Highness's head!"

A bulky man in his thirties pointed at the video-recording device.

His claim was confirmed then.

The golden light that protected the Crown Prince was really coming from the little moon above the royal prince's head.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know why but for some reason, I feel at ease while looking at the Crown Prince and the little moon above him."

A lot of people at the Plaza agreed with that statement.

There was pandemonium earlier but everyone seemed calm now. The shaking had stopped but the sky was still very dark. And yet, the fear in the citizens' hearts was gone.

They knew they would be fine.

The image of the young Crown Prince covered in golden light had become everyone's symbol of hope.

***

FUCK.

Neoma wanted to curse out loud so bad but she bit her lower lip.

She didn't know what was happening but the little moon above her head was giving her the chills. Plus, she was covered with a golden light that felt warm. It had the same "vibes" as her divine power.

[Is it my punishment for trying to use a Divine Item to scam people?]

"Son, are you alright?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm alright," Neoma said politely. "Are you alright, Father?"

She addressed her Papa Boss as 'Father' to express her genuine concern. Calling him 'Papa Boss' would sound weird to the nobles so she called her father the way Nero did.

Her Papa Boss nodded. "I'm alright." He motioned to the surroundings with his hands. "Everyone is safe because of your shield, son."

Ah, yes.

She used the Dome to protect everyone in the Hall.

Even though Lewis and the Paladins quickly surrounded her and her Papa Boss for protection, her Dome was faster.

She turned to the nobles and realized that she didn't really have to use her Dome. Each noble present in the Hall was surrounded by their aura. Even High Priest Wellington created his own shield to protect himself and his people.

Thankfully, no servants and knights were allowed in and around the Hall. Thus, she was relieved that no one was hurt because of the sudden explosion earlier.

"Is everyone unharmed?" her Papa Boss asked in his usual formal and cold voice.

Everyone in front of them bowed and confirmed that they weren't hurt.

"Your Royal Highness, that thing above your head…" High Priest Wellington asked, his voice shaking from what seemed like excitement. "It's a Divine Item, isn't it? I will never mistake Lord Yule's divine energy for anything else!"

Everyone's curious gaze fell on hers.

"It is indeed a Divine Item, Your Eminence," she said politely. "I received this from His Holiness before he disappeared." She said "disappeared" because she was aware that the video-recording devices were still running. It wouldn't be wise to reveal the real story behind Saint Zavaroni's disappearance. And that was exactly why she didn't activate the devices while they were discussing what happened to His Holiness earlier. "Apparently, Lord Yule wishes for me to receive this item."

The High Priest and his people looked shocked by her claim.

In fact, they were looking at her in disbelief.

[Well, it's understandable. If I remember correctly, this is the first time that a member of the Royal Family has received a Divine Item from Lord Yule. Things like that are usually sent to the saint.]

That could be the reason why the people of the temple, along with the bishop, began to look at her with hostility in their eyes.

Or was it jealousy?

[Do they think that they have the monopoly over Lord Yule?]

Heh.

That was a funny thought.

"I don't mean to sound like I'm doubting His Royal Highness's claim…" The bishop, whose eyes were filled with greed at the moment, said carefully. "But I don't understand why Lord Yule would give a Divine Item to someone who's not a member of the Astello Temple."

Her Papa Boss scoffed but thankfully, he remained quiet as if he was trying to hold back.

"I don't think it's weird, Bishop Jones," she said politely, then she smiled innocently. "Aren't I the descendant of Lord Yule? This may be impertinent of me to say but I'd like to think that I received a wonderful present from my grandfather."

His father smirked.

She saw Duke Rufus Quinzel smile warmly at her.

Much to her surprise, she received warm gazes from the nobles who were apparently from the "neutral" side.

She didn't know how to feel with that.

[I hate people who stay neutral when they can change the lives of the oppressed. They're just as bad as the oppressors.]

Thus, she paid no attention to that side.

"Your Royal Highness, did His Holiness say what type of Divine Item it is?"

"Yes, Your Eminence," she said politely. "The Divine Item apparently contains a message from Lord Yule."

The High Priest and his people gasped aloud.

"Your Royal Highness, do you speak the language of gods like His Holiness does?" High Priest Wellington asked. "How can you read the message of Lord Yule–"

The High Priest was forced to stop talking because the "little moon" moved.

And the next thing she knew, she was already curled forward while clutching her ċhėst. The damned little moon entered her body abruptly and the impact was painful. She felt like she was punched in the ċhėst.

[Lord Yule, you…]

"Nero," her Papa Boss said worriedly. "What happened…"

Her father trailed off and looked up when all of a sudden, her body began to shoot up.

There was an unknown yet strong force that forced her body to "stand" while suspended mid-air. She could feel a huge lump of divine energy inside her. In fact, it felt like another soul has entered her body without permission.

But that "soul" was formless.

[Am I being possessed by a holy being…?]

By Yule who was supposed to be asleep?

Well, to be honest, she had a feeling that the presence inside her wasn't actually the Moon God. It was more like a piece of his essence. Maybe Yule used a portion of his soul to deliver the message to her.

"The disappearance of my child Dominic Zavaroni signifies the end of an era," she said in a voice that sounded strange because she also heard several voices talking with her.

It was similar when she faced several gods who talked at the same time.

But her current experience gave her chills because she was forced to read the strange letters floating in front of her. It must be the language of gods that the High Priest mentioned earlier. Strange enough, she could read it.

The content of the message made her realize that it was really meant for her.

"However, it also indicates the beginning of a new era," she continued reading the words that the holy being inside her was forcing her to read. "Do not despair, my children. The moon will continue to shine upon the Great Moonasterion Empire. This time, the First Star will help me light up the sky."

What the fuċk?

But on the other hand, she wasn't the real First Star. It was Nero. Thus, it was her twin brother's responsibility. She would only help Yule "light up the sky" until the real Crown Prince returned.

"I have blessed the First Star with the ability to hear my voice," Neoma said and if she had full control of her body right now, she would have frowned. Her dream of becoming a lady of leisure was slowly fading in her mind. "Have faith in the First Star the way you have faith in me. Your devotion will soon be rewarded," she said, then she paused– shocked by the next thing that was about to come out of her mouth. "In a future that isn't so far away from now, a new saint will be born– and the First Star will bring that special person to their rightful place."

The new what?!

Neoma was so shocked that she didn't notice the moon slowly fade to give way to the sun once again. The large shadow that cast over the Earth was gone. Along with the darkness, the fear in the citizens' hearts disappeared.

The fear was replaced by hope.

The curiosity regarding Saint Zavaroni's disappearance was overpowered by the anticipation for the birth of the new saint.

The faith put on His Holiness was now put on the First Star.

Neoma didn't know that as everything went black for her as soon as the holy essence inside her body disappeared.

***

"NERO, before we go…"

Hmm?

Nero was in the middle of storing a pair of dragon horns in his magic pouch when his mother spoke. Then, he turned to her with a curious gaze. "What is it, Mother?"

His mother was still in her small pink dolphin form.

Right now, he and his mother were alone in his room as he prepared to go back to the Black Ocean. According to his mother, they had to go back to where her physical body was currently locked up for two reasons: first, she couldn't maintain her pink dolphin form for too long. Second, she had something important to give to him.

"I have a confession to make, son."

His mother sounded serious so he waited for her patiently.

"Nero, you're not the First Star," his mother said in a solemn voice. "I gave birth to Neoma first and she's older than you by a few minutes."

To say that he was shocked by the revelation would be an understatement.

"I'm not the First Star?" Nero asked weakly. He couldn't believe it. To be precise, he didn't want to accept the truth. "I am not Neoma's older brother…?"

***

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