The Holy Land: That Was My Croissant!

Donquixote family. A family that has circulated throughout the Holy Land for several decades for their insanity. Several members have become the subject of various tales and legends. Examples on why the Celestial Dragons are the way that they are. Stories are powerful in both the world of gods and man. Everything created is a method of telling a story, a tale of one’s life. For it is through the failures of others, humans and gods alike are able to vicariously learn. And such, the story of Donquixote Homing became a fable, an example meant to show the Celestial Hatchlings that humans are nothing more than rats. Rodents meant to be controlled and manipulated. Never to be mingled with. That the gods of this holy land, who sits perched at the world’s center, must overlook this ugly world from their golden thrones.

They can never understand the power and importance of the Celestial Dragons. They can never comprehend their holiness and will never respect their position in this universe. For every dragon was born at the brightest point of a nearby star. Their births such of universal importance, any attempt at forsaking their divine existence will only lead to chaos and confusion as the heaven’s above try to correct their foolish behavior. When the Donquixote Family revolted against the holy decree of the universe, the heavens above rewarded their kind hearts with nothing but pain and suffering. Why? Because the kindest thing a god can do is to exist for the sake of the world. By betraying their godliness, they are truly betraying the kindness of the realm. And the filthy humans became pawns of the universe to correct this.

Another story told is that of Donquixote Mjosgard. A man who foolishly descended into the realm of Fishman, a species even lesser than that of human, in hopes of retaking his property. This foolish endeavor almost lead to his death. If not for the wisdom of the Queen Otohime. But the purpose of these stories were to show that 1) the Donquixote are insane and 2) those beneath the holy land could never hope to understand the will of the universe. That in the face of holiness, the primal beast will do nothing more than to fight back as an animal does when cornered and feared.

But the house of Castilla and León knew this from their first mergence. And as these stories came to fruition, their militaristic ideals were proven. The red haired woman remembered her father telling her these stories. But not as other Celestial Hatchlings were told. See, how could gods of this realm, descendants of those who conquered this world once require the assistance of fish? How could the children of the old kings rely on those who worship them for protection?! The stories of the Donquixote. The assault of Saint Charlos who needed the filthy marines help to save his life...it proved one thing and one thing only. That the Celestial Dragons were losing their godliness.

Her father often read a book of Three Kingdoms that existed during the Void Century. In one of the kingdoms, the one which eventually won the ‘’’Endless war’’’, there existed three crucial people who served beneath the king. Her favorite character, the warrior princess who was a legendary master of every weapon. Her best friend and rival, a brawler who fought the demons of his country and the fighter’s brother who served as a priest that protected his country through prayers. The three of them, despite their differences, formed an army that allowed the kingdom to prosper and fight off the other two kingdoms. But she recalled one particular chapter that followed the priest in his journey to subdue a neighboring village. This village was filled with people who worshipped a nameless god. They were extremely religious and would devote their days growing crops to sacrifice and raising children to continue their worship. This village was crucial in the overall scheme of this mysterious kingdom. And such, the king gathered his daughter and her two friends in a council and asked their opinion.

The brawling brother wanted to rampage through the village with his two sword-maidens and massacre everyone who refused to submit. While the princess wanted to display a more reasonable amount of military force before entering diplomatic negotiations. Meanwhile, the older brother remained silent. For the king showed much interest in the other two ideas. The younger brother went first and lead his legendary squad, armed with their signature flag of a sword drawn, to the village and waged battle. But the village, armed with their own belief and desire to serve their god, fought back without an ounce of fear. For they believed that in death, they would be welcomed to the god’s arms for all eternity. With such a belief, how could anybody fear death? As to them, life was nothing more than a trial that would be rewarded with endless bliss. And after three weeks, the younger brother retreated with spent resources.

Next came the princess and her military legion. Armed with her seven core weapons, she met with the leader of the village and entered tense negotiations. The village wouldn’t dare step against the massive military she commanded. And her martial prowess would prove greater than the barbaric fighter that ransacked their village a week prior. But her diplomatic and more reasonable approach proved just as futile. See, with their belief in god, they knew that they would not need to rely on the dealings of man. To submit would mean to doubt their god. To doubt his existence and his blessings. And such, the negotiations ended in stalemates or with the demands being in the village’s favor. After a month of failed negotiations, the young warrior joined the younger brother in his idea that they should just massacre everyone and take what they desire.

Yet the third brother decided to intervene. The eldest of the trio and quite possibly the wisest, he offered a completely different approach. He said that he would pray and show them that their god is nothing but false tales. The other two commanders laughed at his absurdity. Although religious themselves, they had a more realistic view towards conquest. Still, only days away from the king allowing the two others to completely annihilate the village, the third brother set out by himself. Something which caused the others to laugh and the king to worry about his son’s mental health.

The third brother arrived and requested council with the village leader and the head priest. There it was demonstrated the power of faith. He offered a challenge. He said he wanted to show the reason for the village to serve the kingdom and accept their god. A simple test. The men were allowed to call upon their god to perform a sacrifice and display their god’s might. And then he would do the same and only through their god’s love could they stop his god’s power. If not, they would succumb to his god. They accepted. Prayed. Prepared the sacrifice and called upon their god for a show of his divine existence. They waited. And waited. And only the wind blew from the east. The third brother smiled and laughed. A wind god huh? It was then that he clasped his hands together and began his whispers. After stabbing his hands and rubbing the blood on the golden cross around his neck, he opened his eyes and smiled.

Nothing happened….

They laughed.

The wind blew from the east.

They mocked him and his god, questioning how the great kingdom managed to become so strong with such a weak god. Maybe if not for their mockings they would have heard the thunderous clouds forming above them. Lightning struck the ground and split the earth. Fire began to rain upon their corpses as the realm began to shake. The third brother sat there with a smile on his face as the sky, earth and ocean began to rise around the village. The people scurried to safety and attempted to escape the village. But they found their pathways blocked by raging torrents. They could only watch as the people suffered horrific injuries. However, none were unable to die...No matter what limb had been torn off by a rabid animal. Or their body crushed, they would only sustain enough injury to remain on the brink of death. Still, the high priest would not submit to the third brother’s demands. No. Their god would surely come to their rescue and remove these curses. For the statues and temples they built remained intact. Surely that meant their god still existed.

This battle lasted all of three days. For on the third day the king and the people gathered around the priest. Drenched. Wounded. Broken spirited. It was then that they noticed something quite peculiar. The third brother had not a drop of water on him. Not a speck of dirt clung to his skin. And to his side sat two gigantic lions to keep him company and safe from those who desired to harm him. They begged him to stop this. To ask his god to leave! Yet the third brother could only smile as he revealed the most painful of secrets. Only they could ask his god to stop. Only when they bow their heads and offer their hearts will his god accept them as his children and forgive their resistance. It was then that the reason their monuments hadn’t been destroyed was revealed. They would have to destroy them themselves in order to prove their loyalty.

One by one they smashed their potteries. Demolished their statues and ripped off the embroidered cloths which told of their god’s brilliance. And it was only after they returned on their knees that the clouds disappeared. They offered their servitude and hearts to their new god and thus welcomed the conquering kingdom as their masters. In three days, the third brother accomplished what the other brother and the warrior princess could not. And it was only through the power of faith and power that this could be done. She stopped and smiled. That story always brought a warmness to her heart. It was the book which spoke of the kingdom which eventually became the house of Castilla and Leon. “Understand something child,” The voice of her father rang from within her memories. “Faith is nothing more than a baseless belief. The other Celestial Dragons of this world walk among the clouds on the faith of the people. But their holiness is only as powerful as the clouds in the sky are actually mighty.”

“In order to secure your godliness, you must have the power to prove the faith of others. A Celestial Dragon should not rely on the power of those beneath them for protection. A Celestial Dragon must be a force that is unable to be stopped unless they personally desire it. As the God of that kingdom only stopped when those beneath it bowed their heads to his power, those beneath us must do so as well. And should you require, you could easily quelm any rebellion yourself in under a day. It is for this reason that our houses are feared.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes. The sound of a sword ringing catching her attention. From the massive throne she sat, she stood up and walked to the center of the room. The gold plating which covered her white dress reflected the light of the holy fires which lit the candles. She stopped a considerable distance from a young ebony skinned boy whose body was covered in wounds. His hair decorated in a mohawk with a fiery streak. He moved with impressive speed, his steps carrying him between a massive hail of flaming bullets even with a massive weight tied around his legs. He deflected a bullet from a gun fired several inches from his face. He winced as it entered his shoulder.

“Enough.” The woman ordered gracefully. The other slaves, whose bodies were nothing short of sculpted by the gods themselves, sheathed their bladed weapons and lowered their guns. Men and women of various lands and islands. Their bodys branded by the lion’s paw which represented her family. She approached the young ebony child with a motherly smile as she pulled out her sword. “You represent my house. Even as a slave, you represent that which my house holds dear.” She aimed the sword into his chest and started to dig deeper. Deeper and deeper while their eyes met. But he knew better than to make a single sound. For the pain he felt was the love she had for her slaves. “You’ve seen the slaves of the other houses. Weak. Beaten. Malnourished. What good are subordinates who cannot prove the worth of your godliness?”

She smirked. The boys heartbeat was pronounced through the steel blade which protruded from his back. The beautiful sign of life! She ripped the sword from his chest and kicked him to the ground. “Remember. You exist to spread my worship. You’re a hero sent by the goddess above. I’m expecting you, as with the others, to act like it.” The boy held his chest but not a peep was made. For he could only grab onto his sword.

“Save him. And back to training.” The Celestial Goddess ordered. Several woman rushed to the fallen child’s aide with unique machines. Pieces constructed by the World Government’s science division to enhance one’s healing factor. “Salazar. Never forget your heart belongs to this house.”

“Madame Bathory.” A voice interrupted. A young girl bowed as she entered the gigantic throne room. “The Gala is in several minutes.”

MY CROISSANT!
These Gala’s were rather annoying to attend. She watched as her fellow dragon’s peered at her every move. Afraid that the mysterious Lady of the Castilla and Leon would order their death at any second. Surrounding Lady Bathory were her own two favored slave. The flaming mohawk child and a man who could be classified as the rarest of all slaves, the world’s only Midget Giant. His own size being more akin to a really tall human than the giants of Elbaf. As opposed to the other World Nobles, whose slaves were kept on chains in fear of their rebellion, Lady Bathory’s slaves lacked any physical restraint as they were bound by something far more terrorizing. They remained by her side and completely silent.

“H-hey kid.” A chained man whispered from beneath the giant bottom of one noble. “Y-you should get us out of here!” But his pleas were to no avail. Salazar kept his gaze forward. “Come on kid. What’s wrong with you?!”

Elizabeth Bathory looked back to the filthy slave and tilted her head. “Saint Thorn, do you not know how to keep your slaves silent?”

“H-huh?!” The oversized saint jumped from conversation. “Listen Bathory, everyone here might be afraid of you but don’t forget your place!” His voice was commanding. He pulled out a gun and shot his makeshift carrier in the hand. “And you shut the fuck up!”

Bathory approached Saint Thorn and stepped on the slave’s hand. Causing him to scream in pain as he collapsed to the ground. The result leading to Saint Thorn finding himself on the ground, his head bowing to Bathory. “That’s better.”

“You bitch!” Saint Thorn leapt up and screamed. He turned to his wounded slave and kicked his hand. “How could you get shot?!” He quickly returned to Bathory and snarled. “You broke my slave, now i have to break yours!” Just as quick as he threatened, his gun was pointed to Salazar. He pulled the trigger with a malicious grin. “This’ll show everyone that that annoying house are nothing more than big talkers!”