Chapter 36- Outreach & Sanctuary

They gathered under the shaded pavilion just outside the Trial Grounds, 125,000 strong.

Some were bruised. Others limped. A few had fresh bandages and hollow eyes. They weren't dead, but they weren't victorious either.

The ones who didn't pass.

Whispers swirled.

"I failed."

"I wasn't strong enough."

"I trained for years for this and still…"

The ache of rejection settled like smoke around them. Pride stung. Doubt crept in. And for a moment, it felt like they'd been cast aside.

Then the air shimmered.

Sasha appeared.

Not as a projection. Not a voice overhead.

In person.

The sleek AI system glowed with divine circuitry and radiant energy. Her hair fell in holographic waves of light, and her eyes pulsed gold as she stood on a hovering platform, arms crossed like a divine recruiter with zero tolerance for pity parties.

"Alright," she said, voice sharp and commanding. "Cut the self loathing. You're not failures, you're the backbone of this entire fucking kingdom."

Heads snapped up.

Murmurs died.

"You didn't pass a trial built for bloodthirsty maniacs and combat nerds," she went on. "Boo hoo. Guess what? We don't just need warriors. We need infrastructure. And you are the reason this kingdom will survive the war that's coming."

She waved her hand and a series of glowing charts exploded into the sky above them, each labeled with bold titles..

CLEANING CREW. COOKING CREW. CHILDCARE. FARMING. CONSTRUCTION. WEAPONS CRAFTING.

"You've been divided into crews of 1,400. Each crew will report daily to the barracks leadership and directly to me. You'll rotate through tasks, keep our forces running, and make sure every warrior is fed, armed, housed, and supported. You are the lifeblood of this army."

Scrolls flew through the air, landing in hands with crew assignments.

Tears turned into gasps. People started reading, then looking around. Finding their new crewmates. Faces lit up.

"I'm cooking?"

"I've always farmed. I know soil."

"I'm building homes? Gods, I can do that."

Sasha held up one final scroll, this one shimmering gold.

"And as for the remaining ten thousand of you…" she grinned.

A thousand large booklets descended into waiting hands. Full color, beautifully printed, stamped with the title...

"The Rise of the Kingdom: Join Us."

"These ten thousand will go out into the world," Sasha said. "To spread the word. FaeNet reaches far, but face to face reaches deeper. You'll travel to other realms, other cities, even the edges of forgotten kingdoms. Find the hopeless. The lost. The scared. Bring them here. Offer them a home. Offer them purpose. Offer them us."

Flyers zipped through the air, enchanted to stick perfectly into packs.

"Recruit. Rescue. Represent. You're no longer just citizens. You're the voice of a rising power."

The crowd erupted.

Cheers. Shouts. Laughs. People hugging. Weeping with joy. The shift from shame to pride hit like a divine wave.

And then…

Faenet exploded.

💬"RHIANNAN FOR FUCKING EVER."

💬"They're giving people MEANING. Not just blood. Not just glory. PURPOSE."

💬"I didn't even apply and I want to work there. Do they need meme lords?"

💬"My cousin failed the trial and just got promoted to recruiter. We're CRYING."

The royal seal began trending globally.

Merchants in distant cities were already asking where they could donate supplies.

Several refugee camps sent instant messages requesting emissary visits.

Rhiannans emerging kingdom had captured the hearts of the people.

It was no longer just a kingdom.

It was a movement.

The sun was dipping toward the horizon now, casting long shadows across the grounds. But the kingdom was far from quiet.

While warriors celebrated survival and leaders planned the next brutal round, 10,000 souls who hadn't made it through Trial One were beginning something else entirely.

Their own revolution.

A line of enchanted wagons stood ready at the castle's outer gates, each inscribed with Rhiannan's sigil and charmed with speed, stealth, and weather wards.

Backpacks stuffed. Scrolls of maps tucked into satchels. Armor polished. Hearts pounding.

They weren't going into battle, but their mission carried just as much weight.

Across the lot, a few freshly anointed emissaries exchanged nervous glances, then broke into excited chatter as Sasha's voice boomed across the platform.

"Outreach team, report destinations."

One by one, the assignments flickered into the air like stars being born.

Group One: The Ice Reaches – "Frozen tundras and abandoned mining towns. We've got refugees up north who think no one's coming. Let's prove them wrong."

Group Two: Firelands Rift Border – "Scorched land, rogue mages, and the ruins of an old order. Help them rebuild or bring them home."

Group Three: Fallen Tree Province – "Orphaned children. Witches in hiding. Forgotten fae. They need a safe place. You'll offer them one."

Group Four: The Echo Marsh – "Rumors of a cursed town that lost its voice. If they're still alive, bring them hope."

Group Five: Docks of Carriveth – "Broken fishers, shipwreck survivors, old pirate clans. See who's ready to leave it behind and start over."

Rhiannan's name was stamped across every pamphlet. The kingdom's crest gleamed on every wagon.

One young woman, maybe twenty, held a flyer close to her chest and whispered, "I didn't pass the trial. But this… this feels like my destiny."

Her partner, a half elf with a prosthetic arm...grinned at her. "Come on. We've got a world to wake up."

As the outreach teams departed, the remaining 115,000 eliminated participants were ushered through enchanted gates into a walled courtyard unlike anything they had seen.

The Obsidian Sanctuary was a sprawling masterpiece carved directly into the black rock cliffs behind the castle. Smooth reflective stone glistened under the moonlight, wrapped in softly glowing vines and protective wards.

It wasn't a prison.

It was a gift.

Wide balconies overlooked a lush central garden with a magical heated pool, glowing softly with runes that soothed aches and encouraged healing. A hot tub and massive bathhouse sparkled beside it, steam drifting into the twilight air.

Inside the complex, each apartment held two beds, warm lighting, enchanted cleaning stones, a small kitchen space, and wall to wall windows that opened into the stars.

Each person was assigned a roommate, chosen by compatibility spells and personality profiles.

And at the heart of it all?

A giant communal kitchen that felt more like a temple to food than a cafeteria. Long tables. Magical ovens. Endless ingredients. Already staffed by enchanted prep tools and real live chefs in training.

And surrounding that kitchen, dozens of stations for....

Weapon maintenance and forging

Childcare facilities with fae run day programs

Farming prep rooms with enchanted hydroponic gardens

Barracks laundry and gear cleaning stations

Logistics, transport, and ration storage

Sasha's voice guided everyone to their new roles.

And the tone?

Not commanding.

Welcoming.

"Welcome home," she said. "This sanctuary is yours now. You didn't fail. You pivoted. And from here, you'll help carry this kingdom."

Cheers echoed through the stone halls. Some cried. Others hugged strangers. A few dropped to their knees, overwhelmed by the fact that for once, they mattered.

Faenet caught every second of it.

💬 "They didn't just house them. They gave them pride."

💬"This is the future. This is what kingdoms should be."

💬"I'd rather serve soup in this kingdom than rule elsewhere."

The movement was no longer just trending.

It was spreading.

Rhiannans new kingdom was rising.

And no one, not one, was being left behind.