《The Votary》 Perfect Score Focused. Precise. An incredibly valuable asset. The Votary smiled slightly as he read the report given to him by the overseers. Placement test overall score: 120/120. A perfect score. Finally. After years and years of training, here it was. A ticket to the best life a votary could have, marked by three simple numbers printed on parchment. The score wasn¡¯t even the best part about his report, but rather the notes scrawled alongside it. Perfect form, It said. I can¡¯t see a gap in his defense. The sword looks like it¡¯s a part of his body¡­ The praise seemed never ending. Even now, The Votary was surprised that he had done so well, despite training like hell. He flexed his fingers, watching the calluses and scars ripple in sync. The scars might as well have been a gift, seeing how they had paid off. ¡°I think,¡± he said to himself, the words breaking the silence in his chamber, ¡°That I deserve a new name.¡± Of course, this was a name just for him, since votaries weren¡¯t allowed to have names. Nevertheless, every now and then, The Votary would imagine new and exciting names for himself. His latest one had been the simple country name of ¡°Mika.¡± But now, Mika didn¡¯t suit him. It was too basic for a person who was ¡°focused¡± and ¡°precise.¡± The Votary chuckled to himself. No, it was time for an upgrade. The Votary scanned his report, trying to find a name that had caught his attention. He traced his finger along it, reading word by word slowly. He wasn¡¯t the best at reading since he had almost no time for learning, but he could get by with some time and effort. Suddenly, he found it. The perfect upgrade. It was in the fine print at the bottom of the report that proved it was real. ¡°Validity,¡± The Votary said the word quietly, letting it roll off his tongue. ¡°Validity.¡± The Votary had never seen the word before, but it was similar to other names he had heard before. Sure, it was hard to pronounce with his Kaitish accent, but it sounded fancy. And considering the fact that he had scored first out of the five hundred votaries in his unit, his life was about to get very, very fancy. Maybe he¡¯d even get a bed! Now that was the best part about the simple roll of parchment. A score like that meant that he was too valuable to be bought by any old noble. Plus, when you have something expensive, you take care of it and make sure it doesn¡¯t break right away. If a noble had maids to shine their trophies, surely they had beds to accommodate their votaries. Validity plopped onto the bamboo flooring of his chamber, scanning all of the words once more. For once in his life, it wasn¡¯t too good to be true. He¡¯d make sure to thank the Artifex before he went to bed. A knock at Validity¡¯s door interrupted his fantasies. ¡°Hey, 265, it¡¯s me, 907! Ya okay in there?¡± Validity sighed. It was his closest friend at the Constructory, a large institute in Aegnad that trained Votaries. Validity had lived there for most of his life. 907 was introduced to it at the age of twelve, so Validity first became friends with him to learn about the outside world. Aegnad¡¯s foreign colonies gave their sons to be votaries from birth, but sons from Aegish outcasts were often taken as well. After all, with the speed of advancement that the nobles demanded, hundreds of expendable hands were needed. Might as well not let any child go to waste, right? ¡°Ah can hear ya shufflin¡¯ n sighin¡¯ in there, 265. Are ya gonna open the door?¡± Validity got up to answer 907, quickly stuffing the report in his pocket. He opened it. 907¡¯s gangly body towered over him, a worried expression resting on his freckled face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Validity asked, gesturing for him to come inside the room. ¡°Well, Ah was comin¡¯ over ta compare scores n stuff, but Ah heard ya mutterin¡¯ like an ol¡¯ hag in there.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Validity averted his eyes. ¡°It was nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. 907 quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Are ya sure¡ª¡± There¡¯s no way I can explain my fake name to him! Validity thrust out his report to interrupt him. ¡°Let¡¯s uh¨C compare reports! What¡¯s your score?¡± 907¡¯s eyes lit up, and he took his own report out, puffing out his chest. ¡°105! Not too shabby, though Ah really need ta work on offense. It¡¯s ¡®nough ta land me a lesser position as a Votary ta some sorta noble, though. Ah¡¯m really excited for it, ta be honest.¡± 907 put his hand behind his head, scratching the back of his neck and smiling bashfully. ¡°Though, mah score prolly pales in comparison ta yours. What¡¯d ya get?¡± Validity suddenly felt a little embarrassed of his perfect score. ¡°Well, I¡­ I did really well actually.¡± He found himself frowning. Now that he thought about it, he was probably never going to see 907 again. When Validity got assigned to a noble, he probably wouldn¡¯t even be called by his serial number. Of course, 907 didn¡¯t have the drive that Validity did. He always stayed up far past curfew, perfecting his skills. He had swung his sword until he was too tired to breathe, spent hours with a knife in his leg to improve his pain tolerance, and had sparred with countless visitors from the outside world. It was hard, so Validity didn¡¯t blame 907 for sticking with the normal routines. He had earned his score. So why did he feel so guilty? 907 took Validity¡¯s report, his eyes falling to the bottom of the page and staying there. They lingered for a couple minutes before 907 spoke up. ¡°Man, that¡¯s¡­ amazing,¡± Despite the praise, his face was crestfallen. ¡°Ah guess these are our last days together, huh?¡± Validity nodded solemnly. ¡°Yeah.¡± He realized that he was going to miss that goofy country accent waking him up in the morning. ¡°Well,¡± 907 started, ¡°Ah guess we¡¯ll just have to spend it well, then. ¡®N Ah¡¯ll work hard, too! Maybe then Ah can see you again.¡± Validity felt a smile spread across his face. 907 was always the optimist, from the very start. Maybe that¡¯s why they were friends. They balanced eachother out. Even in this cramped room, Validity didn¡¯t feel the need to keep his guard up. It was nice. ¡°You¡¯ll catch up in no time¡­ And if my master lets me, I¡¯ll try to find you.¡± Validity said, trying to match 907¡¯s positivity. That probably wouldn¡¯t happen, but it was nice to dream. Sometimes he forgot that no matter the praise he got, it wasn¡¯t personal to him. The overseers probably attributed his performance to his lessons and teachers, not to his hard work. That¡¯s just how things were for votaries. They were akin to objects or weapons. Validity would be treated like a finely crafted sword¡ª something to respect, but ultimately a tool. He looked away from 907. If only they had been born normal. Then maybe they wouldn¡¯t have to part. A thick melancholy filled the room. 907 knew these facts as well. The pair sat in silence for a while, each of them thinking about the future. They thought about the past, too. About the experiences they had shared. When 907 had gotten in trouble for teaching his birth name to the other kids, Validity had slipped him extra bread through the bars of solitary confinement. And when Validity had gotten beaten by an overseer so hard he blacked out, 907 fended off the others so that he had some space. They had been there for each other for so long. They were¡­ best friends. And now, like two puppies being sold to different owners, they were being ripped apart. After letting out a heavy sigh, 907 broke the silence. ¡°Ah guess¡­ what really makes me sad is that ah¡¯ll never have a name again.¡± Validity shrugged. ¡°I get what you mean, but¡­ does a serial number even count as a name?¡± 907 leaned against the wall, getting a faraway look in his eyes. ¡°It does ta me,¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°Ah used ta have a real name¡­ and it hurt more than ah thought it would when ah lost it.¡± Another pang of guilt. ¡°907¡ª¡± The sound of heavy boots interrupted Validity¡¯s thoughts. Crap! Guards! They weren¡¯t banned from making friends with other votaries, but it was frowned upon. Being caught together could tank their score. 907 jumped up and sprinted over to a window, firmly grasping the rim and hoisting himself halfway out of it. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we see each¡¯ther tomorrow, 265!¡± he whispered. Validity waved, laughing a bit. 907 looked silly. ¡°Oh, Kine. Just get out of here, you idiot!¡± Validity pushed 907 out of the window, and he landed in the bushes below with a soft thud. Validity smiled at him and turned away, closing the shutter carefully behind him. A bell sounded right outside of Validity¡¯s door. That was the evening search bell. The nobles couldn¡¯t have their precious Votaries playing games or harboring potential weapons now, could they? The guards opened the door in response and shoved past Validity, sweeping through the room as quickly as possible. They were humans, of course, like most working class people. Their eyes seemed droopy and sunken in, probably because they had been doing this all day. After the search, Validity settled into his futon. I hope 907 doesn¡¯t get shipped off tomorrow¡­ that would be too soon. He turned over to stare at the wooden ceiling. He had stared at that same wooden ceiling every night for as long as he could remember. And now he would be leaving it behind along with everything else. When we finally part, I¡¯ll change my secret name to something that reminds me of him. That way, when I¡¯m all alone, I can remember that somewhere out there I have a friend. Validity closed his eyes and began to dream. Sarah ¡°Sarah! Sarah!¡± A woman with beautiful dark brown hair held up a small sunflower head to show Validity. ¡°Look, the petals match your hair!¡± Validity felt the flower brush his ear as his mother put it in. Oh, it¡¯s this dream again. He thought. Still as clear as ever¡­ Validity knew this dream very well. In fact, sometimes he had it twice a moon. It was the same every time: Mother sitting with him in an endless field of sunflowers, her smile brighter than the blue sky above. Was it a lost memory from his childhood? Validity didn¡¯t know. But he was thankful nonetheless. This place had become a safe space for him, a place where he could pretend he was normal again. What other dream could possibly beat these rolling green hills? The only part that Validity didn¡¯t like was that he wasn¡¯t actually himself. He was five again, and he still had the appearance of a young girl. When he was born, his parents tried to hide his gender. That probably didn¡¯t work very well though, because he was sent to the Constructory all the same. Validity found that he couldn¡¯t really connect with ¡°Sarah,¡± the innocent child he was before. And that wasn¡¯t just because his hair had grown darker and his skin had become scarred. This part of himself was faraway and foggy. It was like he was a cloud looking down at mist settling down on mountains below him. Perhaps he could somewhat connect with Sarah, but they weren¡¯t the same. At least, that¡¯s what he told himself to avoid thinking about his distant family. Now that I think about it, Validity pondered, falling back onto the soft grass to watch some birds go by, This dream is¡­ incredibly detailed. It feels realer than normal. He squinted, observing as his vision blurred in response. Something about this feels strange. As he sat back up again to look at the flower crown his mother was making, it hit him. Her face. Validity could see his mother¡¯s face. In all of his other dreams, her face was just an impression. A hazy impersonation of the woman he imagined her to be. But now, it was painted in striking detail. Long eyelashes framed fiery orange eyes that reminded him of fresh marmalade. Her nose was straight and delicate, just like his. It was as if he was looking at her in real life. She looked up to meet his eyes. ¡°I really wish we could stay here forever¡­¡± Validity did a double take. Huh? Did she just say something to me? His mother sighed, her soft eyes closing as a warm wind swept against her face. ¡°...or that I could save you from your fate.¡± Yes, she was definitely talking to Validity. Suddenly, his hands were his own, and he found himself taller than his mother. His hair was back to ear-length. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Instead, the words that he tried to form seemed to be carried away into the wind. Why can¡¯t I speak? ¡°I can¡¯t let you talk¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± The woman became a blurry image in front of Validity, and he realized his eyes were full of tears. Particles swam in his vision as he failed to wipe them away. Mother continued, ¡°There¡¯s no time for conversation, so listen very closely, dear.¡± Validity found that he could give a simple nod. He didn¡¯t understand¡ª her voice seemed so alive. Her words were fluid with a warm timbre, sharp and loud like real voices were. They didn¡¯t fade into the background as they often did when Validity dreamed. No, this was different. Mother leaned forward and brushed Validity¡¯s hair out of his face. ¡°The world is going to get pretty bad for a while,¡± she started, eyes filled with sadness. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry to say you¡¯re going to be caught right in the middle of it. But it has to happen.¡± His mother plunged her hand into the grass below, sifting through the petals and pulling out a small jewel embedded in a necklace. It was beautiful, luminescent spirals of light swirling inside its moon-white body. When she dropped it in Validity¡¯s hand, a shiver went down his spine. He desperately tried to ask her what it was, but every word was lost to the breeze. ¡°Take this, as a reminder of our blessing. You¡¯re about to be very important in Aegnad¡¯s future, my child.¡± She closed Validity¡¯s hands around the jewel, gazing at him with an unreadable expression. Validity couldn¡¯t believe it. Our blessing? What does that even mea¡ª Validity¡¯s thoughts were cut off by bright light, which cut through his mind. A numbing cold wrapped itself around him, and the dream started to shatter at the feel of its embrace. He held his arms out to try and grasp the last fragments of the dream, but it was no use. Sure enough, he was now back in his room, lying on the same old bamboo flooring. His body was sprawled across the floor, the thin futon tossed aside. Validity rolled over and held up an arm to shield him from the hot sunlight piercing through the window. What even was that dream? Holy Kine, Validity! You need to get yourself together. The shiver from the jewel still crawled over his back. Ugh¡­creepy. Why¡¯d my stupid imagination have to interrupt my dream? Validity slapped his face and hopped up from bed. He felt his cheeks flush red as he recalled what his mother had said. I¡¯m proud of you? How childish! He really needed to forget about his past life already. Votaries weren¡¯t allowed to have families, and Validity hadn¡¯t even seen his mother since he was very young. Now, fourteen years later, her image was completely gone from his memory. He didn¡¯t even know if the woman he saw in the dream was Mother. She may have been a servant, a caretaker, or even a friend¡¯s mother. He had no way of knowing. Despite this, Validity¡¯s heart hurt, and a dark cloud of uneasiness and dread followed him as he did his morning routine. Validity slipped on his plain black tunic, the one he wore every day and washed every night. Along with simple trousers and leather-heeled boots, the outfit was what every Votary wore. Though, after a dream where he had his own clothes, Validity realized how uncomfortable it was. The clothes he wore were never made for him¡ª they were made with an adjustable waist and a drawstring in the back. Validity didn¡¯t own anything, not even himself. Soon, he would belong to a noble, ready to be switched out the moment he died as if he was a pair of old shoes. This wasn¡¯t the first time he wrestled with the truth, but suddenly it was all too real. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. When he was done getting ready, he headed outside to the hallway. Each room was built directly next to each other, forming long columns of doors and lanterns that stretched for about a thousand paces on each side. The buildings were cut out of stone¡ªjust like the rest of the facility. Wooden support beams, bamboo flooring, and marble tiles were installed throughout the Constructory, but the foundation was completely cut out of a plateau. It was a wonder that the place even existed, since magic had been lost for a very long time. Validity assumed that it had been built before magic disappeared. Other votaries walked along as well, faces tense with anticipation. For those who scored low, life was about to get ugly. He quickly pushed down the anxiety that rose up when he saw those grave expressions. Validity solemnly let his feet take him out of the hallway and into the courtyard, which was adorned with a large spring in the center. Validity usually stopped to fetch a water skin, but not today. Roll call was happening earlier than usual to account for graduation. A couple of younger boys ran across the lot, one of them laughing at the other. It seemed that it was just yesterday that Validity was that small, but he couldn¡¯t ever remember being that happy. Was being a votary that normalized in the foreign colonies now? He imagined that it was probably an aspiration for some boys. Kine, I bet some of the older kids are even jealous of the ones that get taken, Validity thought with exasperation. The cutoff age is twelve, so it¡¯s entirely possible¡­ The thought made him want to throw up. At roll call, Validity took his place next to 264 and 266. They barely regarded him, as always, though somehow even less than usual. They probably knew Validity was going to be shipped off soon and replaced with a new 265. The pair looked solemn, and 264 had eyebags almost extending to his cheekbone. It was clear that their scores weren¡¯t up to snuff. Validity would¡¯ve felt guilty, but 264 and 266 didn¡¯t work hard like he did. He earned his score through constant training. Maybe some votaries aimed to be kicked out so that they could live a ¡°normal life.¡± But Validity had heard from 907 how drop-outs were treated when they came back to the city. Validity would rather have honor than half-baked freedom. After an overseer went down the line, checking to see if everyone was there, the Head of the Constructory stepped up. He was a tiny old man, thin as a pole, but it was said that he used to be a votary for the Great Emperor. How this pruny unhuman suck-up became the Head was beyond Validity. Regardless of his physical ability, though, his authority always went unquestioned. ¡°As you all know, today is Graduation Day, the one day in the year where we send fully trained votaries to their assigned posts. I hope those of you who are young will do your absolute best to be worthy of your future Graduation. Your life depends on it, after all.¡± The Head cleared his throat. ¡°On that note, let me announce our Graduating votaries for the year. When your number is called, please proceed to the courtyard. You will be given your shipping date and your assigned post, along with other information.¡± Drool trickled from the Head¡¯s lips as he spoke. Validity groaned inwardly. The Head went down the list. 667, 309¡­ oh, 907! 735¡­ All numbers I expected, Validity thought. When he was called up, he settled in line next to 907, giving him a weak smile. 907 nodded back subtly, running his hands through his bright red hair. Oh, he¡¯s nervous¡­ Honestly, I am too. The political landscape hasn¡¯t been looking too great lately. For all I know, I could die in battle as soon as I leave the Constructory. Remembering his dream, Validity shivered. The group walked out to the courtyard, where an overseer started to hand out scrolls. A large wooden mask obscured any emotion on the overseer¡¯s face, and their long black hair was tied into a bun. Most overseers looked like this, and Validity once thought it was because overseers had a rank similar to Votaries. He later learned that the real use of the masks was to prevent overseers from making friends with Votaries, though. Again, he felt a sinking feeling. How he wished to have at least been an overseer. It couldn¡¯t be helped, though. Validity received his scroll and reconvened with 907, arriving to see a worried expression on 907¡¯s face. He tapped his foot impatiently. ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± 907 mumbled. ¡°Aaaaahhh goootttt¡­¡± 907 opened his scroll, scanning the lines of text. ¡°¡­Regent Iodine.¡± Validity and 907 stared at each other in disbelief for a long moment. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± 907 began, ¡°¡­ Not very great, is it?¡± Validity swallowed hard. Regent Iodine was known for executing his Votaries, servants, and even his wives for the smallest inconvenience. Being assigned to him wasn¡¯t necessarily a death sentence, but it still wasn¡¯t optimal. Not that votaries got to choose their assignments. ¡°Ohhh,¡± 907 covered his mouth. ¡°Ah think ah¡¯m gonna be sick.¡± Validity had little comfort to give. He grimaced and shared a look with 907, moving his arm to pat the distraught redhead¡¯s back. 907 sighed, ¡°Ah think ah¡¯ll be happy if ya get some¡¯un good, at least,¡± 907 gestured to Validity¡¯s scroll. ¡°Go on.¡± Validity tentatively opened his scroll and glanced over the contents. I¡¯m being sent¡­ today? That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate. He pointed to that section of text on his scroll. 907 frowned. Then, the pair¡¯s eyes drifted down to Validity¡¯s assignment. ¡°Archduchess Althea? Who the hell is that?¡± Validity exclaimed, dumbfounded. ¡°Ah have no idea,¡± 907 replied, clearly as confused as Validity was. ¡°Ah thought the Emperor abolished that title ¡®long time ago!¡± ¡°Is it a misprint? It must be someone really old,¡± Validity thought aloud. That was the only explanation. Archdukes and archduchesses were demoted to simple dukes and duchesses for the sake of organization a while ago. What was it that their basic history lessons had said? Oh, yeah. ¡®Nobody was worthy of the title, which had authority above even some family members of the Emperor,¡¯ Validity remembered. How strange. ¡°If that¡¯s not it, Ah dunno what is,¡± 907 shrugged. He tilted his head, looking away from Validity. ¡°More importantly¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m leaving today.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± 907 gave him a strained smile. ¡°That means this is goodbye, huh? Ah can even see the carriage rollin¡¯ up from here,¡± he sighed, looking up at Validity. Despite his expression, his big green eyes were fraught with sorrow. Validity knew that this wasn¡¯t the first time that 907 had been left behind. Did 907 try to smile back then, when his parents sold him? Or did he hide his grief with a smile, like he did now? ¡°Don¡¯ forget me, OK, 265?¡± Of course I won¡¯t! Validity wanted to say, but he knew that the tightness in his throat would make the words come out in a croak. He gave 907 a tight nod instead. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®nough of that,¡± 907 chuckled, noticing 907¡¯s distraught expression. ¡°Go on then, ya big softie!¡± 907 shoved Validity toward the carriage, and Validity stumbled forward, boots scraping on the stone tile. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you when the Artifex aligns our paths!¡± Validity managed to shout behind his back as he hastened toward the carriage. 907 cupped his hands around his mouth and called back, ¡°When our sleep is everlasting!¡± It was a special goodbye, a prayer that even votaries had permission to use; a vow that the pair would meet somehow, someday, even if it was near impossible. Even if they had to die first to reunite.