Primaris and Reiknassus

Rufus came down, along with Edward and Gadaric. No one was surprised that Gadaric was with them.

"You guys don't need an explanation why he is with me?" Rufus wondered.

"Naaah, not really. While you were moping in here, we were trying to keep the peace on Aesis, and uhmmm, we bumped into Gadaric a couple of times and luckily always at the same time," Joan explained.

"He once even saved Gwon from a group of rebels in the Alberic mountains," Liana explained.

"What were you doing there?" Rufus asked.

"Someone had to keep the peace while you were here sulking," Doreen said with a smile.

"Well, don't know if save is the correct term. More like assisted when I went out ahead of the rest of you," Gwon tried to clarify.

"You got lost in the mountains. You were raised in the mountains, but nonetheless, you got lost, ambushed and captured. Only when Gadaric came with his soul watchers were you able to be released," Liana continued.

"...didn't have to be that precise," Gwon mumbled.

"Well, that's good. I guess we will just get going then," Rufus said and clapped his hands.

"YEAH, LETS!" they all yelled.

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"So, uhmm. I guess we need a gravity ship first," Yosef said, the obvious no one mentioned.

~~

Preparations started for departure. Gathering resources for building a gravity ship suitable for the journey began immediately. Yosef was ordered to design and manage the construction. He had the most knowledge of engineering and craftsmanship of them all.

"Yeah. Seems logical for me to design it, cause building puppets and gravity ships is practically the same thing," Yosef said sarcastically, before he was ordered to work on the vessel.

Amala and Pema were sent back to the grey-scale mountains to prepare the grey skins for their Raja's departure. Doreen, along with Rufus, planned reforms for the Fairfax kingdom to govern itself without their king or the other friends of his.

"We have gathered here all the tribal leaders and nobles. They are eagerly waiting to meet you," Doreen explained to Rufus as they walked through the hallway.

"Excellent. I will meet with the nobles and tribal leaders at once," Rufus answered.

They entered the throne room. When the nobles and tribal leaders saw their long-lost king and Raja, they were stunned. He had not aged a day and looked still like a young man.

Many of these people were descendants or even children when the battle of the bloody rock valley happened. Most even doubted the king was still alive, let alone so youthful. This showed that their ruler was remarkable, as his divinity had blessed him with youth and a longer life. They bowed at once, as it was clear they were in the presence of a living legend.

"Please, raise your head. I am here to have an important announcement, and I would have you stand for it," Rufus stated.

Rufus was now over fifty years old, though he didn't look like one. He wasn't as timid or a pushover as he was decades back. He was an experienced king, though he had long been a hermit.

"I am grateful for you to come here. I do not know many of you, only the more elderly ones, but some of you I might mistake for your parents. Many of your fathers fought with me at the battle of the bloody rock valley," Rufus started as he looked around.

Many nobles and grey skin tribal leaders felt reassured and joyful that their king had returned from his isolation.

"I know this is selfish, but I have decided to abdicate and leave Aesis world. This may surprise me, as many of you have never seen me. But a decision has been made, and I will not back down from it."

All human nobles and grey skin tribal leaders immediately pleaded with their ruler to reconsider. They finally had their king back, and now he wanted to leave. No one had ever heard anything negative about their king, and the time he had brought was known as a golden age, however short it was. He was also clearly the mightiest king in all of Aesis. In their eye, now was a time to bring back the golden age with their king leading them.

"Stand down!" Rufus ordered.

Everyone went quiet.

"I will not leave you to fend for yourself without a working government. This is the reason you are here. I also am not letting all our efforts towards the Aesis world go to waste. Together we will sew the future of the Aesis world."

Soon a person came inside the throne room. He wore a splendorous purple robe and had a ruby earring on his right ear. He had a crown on his head with sapphires embedded in the sides. He was being accompanied by Varangian soldiers and two sentinels of the embers.

"King Rufus Fairfax. I am Aoricus of the house of Wulf, the son of Wulfila and the co-emperor of the Heian empire," the man introduced.

The Heian empire had survived but was significantly weakened from its time during Emperor Ala. Wulfila and Wulftrude proved to be capable of unifying force and fair leaders. They held onto a nation that still can be considered an empire.

Both Wulfila and Wulftrude had become an emperor and an empress. It had been a long struggle for both of them, but many believed they were the only ones who could maintain and protect their people. Eventually, many nobles and despots of the empire aided them in claiming the empire.

They then reformed the way how the nation would govern itself. They created their own house, the royal family of Wulf, which had two families. One family descended from Wulfila, and the other from Wulftrude.

When an emperor died, he would be succeeded by the co-emperor, who was chosen by the two imperial Wulf families. The only law and rule was that the co-emperor and emperor couldn't come from the same family. This created an enduring legacy of rulers capable of ruling such a massive nation.

Many groaned at Aoricus as the empire was still unliked by many. The years of evil were still remembered by many. Some older men remembered as they had fought against the evil empire. Some had lost their fathers during the war. Scars such as that wouldn't heal quickly.

"I will have no ill words toward our guest. The reason I have asked him here is important," Rufus proclaimed.

"I thank you for the words and your deeds and actions. After the evil our almost forgotten grandfather caused years back, neither you nor your allied forces decided to take revenge on our people or us. This magnanimous action shall never be forgotten, and the empire will be forever in your service," Aoricus said with his head put down.

Rufus stepped forward and placed his hand on the shoulder of the co-emperor.

"None is to blame for the sins of their fathers, but their sons have to try and mend the damage they have done," Rufus said to him.

Rufus started to explain the reforms he and Doreen came up with. The nobles and tribal leaders would choose among their families people a Primaris who would lead them. They would turn their monarchy into an autocracy, with the Primaris being the steward of the Fairfax kingdom for as long as Rufus was away. He would be assisted by the other nobles and tribal leaders to run such a powerful and prestigious kingdom.

"What, is then reason the co-emperor was invited to listen to this?" one of the tribal leaders asked.

"I will not see the world of Aesis head to ruin after my absence. We need to work with people who once were our adversaries," Rufus manifested.

The Heian empire was given the duty of protecting the people. This meant that the empire was given permission from Rufus to make war to bring peace. The Heian empire still had a strong army and capable logistics. It could maneuver its troops to quell civil wars easier than the Fairfax kingdom.

The emperor and co-emperor were also given a third party to govern their massive nation. This institution was named the Reiknassus, a grouping of people who voted and determined when an intervention was the correct choice. Reiknassus would compromise people of any nationality, and any person with qualification could enter. The emperor and Primaris would watch over the Reiknassus in case of corruption.