Pivot of the Sky
chapter-107

Translator, Editor and Proofread: theunfetteredsalmon

[1998 words]

The world outside his body seemed to gain a soul. Heaven and Earth brewed and breathed vividly. Communicating with it with one’s body and mind would expose it as the strength given by gods. It was also the source of magic for mages. Amon had forgotten that he was already a supreme mage, and just like greeting a new life at dawn, he re-experienced the discovery of the source of power.

Amon seemed to be able to see the energy of the rhythm of life. In the ritual, he must grasp the light of inspiration and merge it with his body and mind. To find this state of meditation alone in the future is the second awakening of power.

Such a ceremony, especially for a warrior, can only be performed by a supreme mage. Maria’s ceremony lasted almost twice as long as the usual ritual. She devoted herself and all her magic to it. In the knowledge of outsiders, this was the first time the Adoratrice has held a ritual for the second awakening of power. Of course, she would have to gain experience one way or another.

Warriors generally do not receive the enlightenment of the power of magic immediately after the ceremony. They would typically also require the most basic training in magic in meditation. Only when they find that same feeling they get from the ceremony during their personal meditation can it then be considered a success.

This ritual was usually only held once. It was also a considerable drain on the supreme mage hosting it. If it failed, it could theoretically be performed again, but the probability of success would be tiny. No supreme mage would make a repeated effort for any warrior.

Even though the effect of the ritual Maria was holding seemed to be small, she did not seem to mind if she had to give Amon several more chances. A few days later after the ceremony ended, she sent someone to ask Amon if he could feel the power of magic from being awakened. Amon replied simply, “Thank you, Lady Adoratrice, for your concern. I have succeeded!”

When Maria heard the news, she gave an order to the high priest Idu to teach Amon magic.

Amon had to pretend to study Ejyptian hieroglyphs again. Idu praised Amon’s wisdom and mastery of the hieroglyph in the shortest time. Being able to master such difficult skills in such a short time? It was no wonder Amon became a supreme warrior at such a young age. He was clearly talented and intelligent. Moreover, once he had ‘learned’ hieroglyphs, magic would be that much easier for him, as long as he understood the special and complex rules surrounding it.

The Temple also specially sent two fifth-level mages to guide Amon in his practice of primary magic. As a supreme sorcerer, Amon was quite modest, listening carefully to instructions. He did not put on airs but he seldom asked questions. Regardless, he ‘learned’ very quickly and soon found himself beginning to get involved with the contents of advanced magic.

The two fifth-level mages had difficulty in continuing to teach Amon, so they returned to inform their superiors and to request for a more experienced mage to be sent to teach him. As a result, Idu, an old friend of Nietzche’s and now the high priest of the Temple of Isis volunteered. “Let me personally mentor the warrior Amon.”

Idu took charge of the matter but he did not teach Amon any magic. Instead, he gave Amon the right to read all the books and scriptures in the archives. He instructed Amon to ask if he did not understand what he was reading. The high priest was typically very busy. It was impossible for him to find time to teach Amon any magic. Since the archives were under the jurisdiction of Idu, on top of Amon’s familiarity with the place, he did not need to spend any extra time taking Amon on a tour.

With such convenience, Amon could finally find an opportunity to consult another volume of classics that Schrodinger had asked him to see, but before he could do it he was entangled in yet another thing.

Suddenly, with no prior warning, the Adoratrice ordered for Amon the Great Warrior to live alone in a large courtyard with a meditation chamber. Amon was told to live in seclusion without seeing the outside world. If he wanted to read books, he would have to write them down and send his servant to bring them. Finally, he was asked to wait quietly for an emissary coming from the Pharoah. He was told that something important was going to happen.

The Adoratrice sent a few more books relating to war to Amon, which Amon had read before but was asked to review again. At the same time, a variety of military exercise props were delivered, including topographic maps around the Ejyptian Empire, various models of marching men and camps and even drawings and models of supply and transport vessels, all to familiarise Amon with the art of war.

Maria’s move was a clear hint that the Pharoah would send someone to examine Amon’s capabilities. If Amon passed this assessment, he could expect a very important appointment assigned to him in the near future. He may even serve as a general in the Ejyptian army. If this was the case, it meant that the war between the nations around where the new town of Duc now stood was about to start.

The actual situation was more alarming than Amon’s guess. Maria recommended Amon not as a general but as the head of a new legion!

Three legions of the Ejyptian Empire were ready for deployment. The legions were named traditionally after their gods, including the most elite Horus and Isis legions of the Empire. The army of Seth had long been assembled on the borders of Cape as an outpost.

The head of the Seth legion was Rod Drick, the Lord of the sepat of Cape. The commanding priest was, of course, Lord Urhiya, the eighth-level mage. Traditionally, the head of a legion must be at the very least a supreme warrior, but Rod Drick was a prominent leader of Cape and was more suitable for managing the legion.

The Seth legion was primarily responsible for the management of logistical materials, the supply of bases and the transportation of heavy grain and straw. The resources for battle had been stockpiled in various ways along the frontline of Cape. The Pharoah sent a supreme warrior by the name of Petr Moken to be a commander of the front.

The true elite legions of the Empire were the rightfully-named Horus legion from the capital and the Isis legion from Memfis. The head of the Isis legion was the supreme warrior Ankh. The chief priest was Wadj-hotep, the ninth level mage, while the commander was supreme warrior Ruia. They were all of the Shrine of Isis.

The primary priest of the Horus legion was the high priest of the Shrine of Horus, a ninth-level mage named Lykwid. The commander and general was the eighth-level warrior Vadin while the head of the army was the Pharoah himself!

An integrated legion had 5,000 warriors and 50 mages. This was the combat force officially placed on the battlefield. If the servants and civilian workers were included, it would add up to over 20,000 people providing various logistical services for the legion.

Of course, these three legions were not all the Ejyptian Empire had in their military, but it was impossible to launch an expedition to the outside world during that time. Regardless, the Ejyptian Empire was the most powerful in that period. Upper Ejypt would be leaving a legion to guard the northwest border of the Empire while the Adoratrice would sit in the city of Memfis, where there will also be a legion standing guard.

To defeat and capitulate the Kingdom of Hittite in the most effective way possible, it would most convenient for the Empire to begin their expedition from the city of Memfis along the Nile river and landing on hostile territory through minimal but necessary sea travel. However, the purpose of the Pharoah was to establish a strategic base in the spot where Duc once stood, so he chose to begin from Cape and attack by land across the desert. According to the plan formulated by the Ejyptian military, in addition to the three main legions mentioned above, another legion would be required to coordinate. The legion was named ‘An-Ra’.

‘An’ and ‘Ra’ were the names of the same god. The Ejyptian people believed that this god, coined Nun, was the ‘father of the gods’ and was also the father of the oldest god of the sun, Ra. Nun had many names; ‘An’ at midnight, ‘Ra’ in the day, ‘Hypri’ in the morning and ‘Atum’ in the evening.

According to human understanding, although the ‘seniority’ of An-Ra was the oldest, he was not the most important god of the Ejyptian Empire. In ancient mythology and legend, the goddess Isis defeated An-Ra with a trick, gaining the secret of the god and thus, garnering more power. Horus, the son of Isis, later became the King of Gods and was the most important one. It was said that the ancient god An-Ra had retired to the source of the Nile river.

Interestingly, the long list of titles that belonged to Amon included the term ‘An-Ra’, which could be understood as ‘night and day’.

The An-Ra legion would not join forces with the main legions. It was to follow the northern coastline on the flank whilst the Pharoah’s army would advance. Their tasks were to protect the flanks and prevent the army of the Kingdom of Hittite from landing and ambushing the Ejyptian army, cutting off the supply line between the army and the Empire.

The strategic position of this legion was awkward. If the Pharoah comes out victorious in battles, the An-Ra legion would receive little to none of the recognition. If the Pharoah falls or retreats, the legion would then have to leave the coastline and move on the main army’s pursuers in order to cover them. If the Kingdom of Hittite makes a large-scale roundabout attack from the coastline, the legion would be the cannon fodder before the primary counter-attack by the main army.

But the largest possibility was that this legion was serving as a cover and a warning along the coastline. It could take a thousand marches and not participate in a single, vital battle. As long as their tasks were complete, the head of the An-Ra legion could be regarded as one who provided meritorious service for the Empire. Prominent people were typically and naturally reluctant on taking up the chore of being the head of An-Ra, so the Adoratrice took the chance to recommend Amon.

At the end of the day, this was a matter of appointing a military leader. To hand over 5,000 soldiers and 50 mages to anyone would be cause for exceptional caution, even if it was Amon. The Ejyptian Empire had to be prudent, so it organised special personnel for assessments. After ten days alone in the courtyard and meditation chamber, Amon was finally invited to the office of the government of Memfis, where he met several prominent imperial ministers.

There were seven people sitting in a semicircle in a hall, with the Adoratrice in the middle. On the left of Maria was a military minister from the city of Waset named Ison. Next to Ison was a mage called Susga, a high priest of the main Shrine of Horus in Upper Ejypt. On Susga’s left was Djehutihotep, the governor of Memfis.

On the right of Maria were three high priests of the Temple of Isis, Wadj-hotep, Burk and Idu.

These people formed a temporary committee to assess and decide whether Amon was suitable to be appointed as the head of the An-Ra legion.