The voice of Emperor Aurelius was like thunder barely contained within human form.

  “Adam Broek and company. You may raise your heads.”

  Adam struggled to oblige due to the repressive force on his psyche, but managed to strain himself to look up. At the end of the room 50 meters away sat the most imposing figure he had ever seen, though he couldn’t put his finger on why this was the case. The emperor had blonde sideburns and thick blonde hair, with green eyes that were deep and lush like a primeveal forest. He was adorned in a simple golden robe, similar to that which a priest would wear, and had white silk pants underneath. He wasn’t wearing any crown, and he didn’t have any rings. If Adam had walked into a simple church and found this gentleman preaching there to a congregation of a half dozen villagers, he wouldn’t have been surprised.

  But Adam couldn’t shake the oppressive sense of authority that emanated from this figure. He gulped, steeling himself for introductions.

  “Your holy eminence… It is an honor to meet you. I, uh…cough… My name is Adam. This is Hannah Flos, Gusto Laut and Jezebel Eremit, your Holiness.”

  Adam winced. Though he had managed to avoid stammering like a child, the long pauses in between his words were nearly as informal! Thankfully, the figure seated before him didn’t seem to mind.

  The emperor took a glance at Hannah. She was still being supported by the two guards from earlier. Her eyes still lacked their usual luster. With a booming voice he intoned once again.

  “I do not appreciate seeing a wounded subject.”

  With such simple words, Adam saw the swirling purples and whites in the “windows” around the room brighten and coalesce. The obsidian underneath where Hannah was being propped up flared with a dim glow, and suddenly her body instantly gained strength.

  It was a night and day shift from her previous state. Over the course of less than two seconds, Hannah could fully stand on her own, and by the third second, her eyes had regained their former brightness. When she realized where she was, she hurriedly bowed.

  “Y-your Holiness, it is an honor, t-thank you for saving me!” Hannah’s nervousness and shock was clearly shown through her words and posture. It was odd to see her so nervous, but over the course of the past couple of hours, Adam had seen plenty of examples similar to this.

  The emperor shook his head, his voice becoming slightly softer. “I did nothing of the sort. If it was not for that young man besides you, I believe your group would not be here.” Hannah glanced towards Adam, pure confusion and concern in her eyes. He smiled awkwardly, glancing away when he felt his cheeks flush.

  Hannah quickly recovered. “Your Holiness, we were originally supposed to meet you alongside my uncle after the parade today… Given the abrupt cancellation of the parade and the lack of news about my uncle…”

  The emperor smiled. “Vice Admiral Bruenor Flos is quite alright, though I suppose he is indisposed with the cleanup duties I have assigned for him. I wished to meet your group without his, shall I call it…overbearing personality in the way.”

  With this, the emperor laughed heartily, as if an attack on the capital city during the biggest festival of the year mere streets from his residence by the cult of a major Devil was of minor concern.

  “Bruenor has already informed me of your situation. Hannah Flos, Adam Broek, step forwards towards the throne.”

  Adam felt incredibly nervous upon hearing such a command. He couldn’t refuse the emperor, but what if He saw something with Adam that He didn’t want to see? It was entirely possible for the emperor to make him disappear from even the memories of his friends should it suit Him, it was simply impossible to think of all the powers at a demigod’s disposal in such a scenario.

  Hannah unknowingly started to fidget with her hair as the pair approached the throne, stopping a mere three meters from the emperor’s seat. Up close, they could see that the throne itself was carved directly out of the obsidian-like material that the floor consisted of as opposed to being its own structure. The emperor, meanwhile, actually exuded an air of familiarity and warmth this close, as if welcoming the pair. His eyes lay upon Adam for slightly longer than Hannah.

  “Hannah Flos, Adam Broek, do you both swear to me, Emperor Vendos Aurelius, ruling sovereign of the Diell Empire and Partial Divinity, to protect until your deaths the populace of the Physical World from all threats, including that of Passengers, Chosen, Monsters, Divinities, and anything else which may harm those without the means to protect themselves?”

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  They answered in unison. “Yes.”

  “Do you both understand and acknowledge that at some points in time, the charge of being a Passenger will require you to endure hellish suffering with no monetary reward?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you both understand that by misharmonizing with a Realm, even once, that you will both lose your souls?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you both understand that as Passengers, you shall not, and cannot, have any allegiance to any organization or entity that wishes harm upon the mortal populace of the Physical World, even if that includes myself, each other, your respective faiths, or those that you trust, so as to uphold the protection of the populace?”

  “Yes.”

  The emperor’s voice boomed out across the room. Were it not for the strange spiritual walls, Adam was sure the sound would have echoed. “Then with my authority as a Partial Divinity, and acting within my duties as the sovereign of the Diell Empire, after having conferred with Vice Admiral Bruenor Flos, a Chosen, as well as the Red Oni, a Cherubim who speaks with the authority of the Imperial Ruler Above the Sky, a Partial Divinity and a recognized Divinity of the Accepted Pantheon, I, Emperor Vendos Aurelius, pronounce Hannah Flos and Adam Broek to be licensed Passengers in service to humankind.”

  Though the proclamation was merely words before them, Adam and Hannah both felt a spiritual surge of energy become directed towards their bodies. The obsidian underneath them brightened until the entire floor was as white as quartz, and the shifting purples and whites in the spiritual structure seemed to blossom in a dizzying array of shapes and patterns. They felt reinforced, as if their connections to the Physical World were just made anew.

  The pair returned to their spaces near the back of the room as the Emperor smiled once again. This time, he looked at Jezebel.

  “Jezebel Eremit, this is a unique opportunity for you to break the shackles of mortal existence. Do you wish to become a Passenger?”

  Jezebel was startled, she was a mere maid, being asked a question by the emperor Himself! Her face flushed red as she instinctively glanced at Gusto, who smiled and nodded at her. She took a deep breath and looked the demigod in the eye.

  “Your Holiness, I cannot possibly express how much this offer means to me. With that said…”

  She glanced again at Gusto, whose face was slowly morphing into one of utter shock.

  “I must decline. That is… I do not wish to do anything which would potentially cause me to bring harm to others. The possibility of misharmonization is not something I believe I can handle.”

  She bowed low as she diverted her eyes to the floor, afraid to look at Gusto’s reaction.

  “Then I shall give you something of equivalent worth. Ezel, upon Jezebel leaving the residence, you shall present to her a total of 10,000 Gold Heads. That should be sufficient to allow for her to live a life equivalent to an upper class woman for her remaining natural lifespan.”

  Ezel was not nearly as shocked as Jezebel at this proclamation, who was trembling. Even a thousand Heads would be enough to live a middle class life until she died. Her current salary, already generous in the extreme thanks to Hannah, was just 10!

  The Emperor didn’t wait for her to say anything more. In a similar manner to how Bruenor would instantly move from one topic to the next, he rallied his booming voice once again.

  “However, given the recent events in the capital, I will be instructing the military to work closely with the Passengers in service to the Many Winged Angel, as well as the other Accepted Pantheon churches so as to create a joint task force.”

  The emperor looked Adam in the eyes for a moment.

  “I would like to assign the group of you, including Hellig, to work underneath a personal friend of mine in service to the Many Winged Angel.”

  Hellig’s face didn’t betray his shock at receiving a change of assignment from the emperor, but Adam and Hannah both drew air in sharply.

  “To be clear, this mission will require you to work as a group and report to a supervisor, you will not be required to permanently relocate. Think of it as a part time job.”

  Adam and Hannah glanced at each other before looking behind at Gusto, Hellig and Jezebel. Their minds made up, the group bowed low.

  “We accept.”

  With a nod, the emperor dismissed them.

  After the group left, He called Ezel, the red haired captain of the royal guards, to Him. Giving Ezel a sealed envelope, His face was solemn.

  “Make sure that Juhend knows to give Adam Broek the best possible education and training. Keep him in the eyes of at least one of the churches at all times.”

  Ezel did not question what was within the envelope, instead bowing briefly before stepping back.