Salvation

Morning sunlight lit up the whole world, and the gentle breeze woke the sleeping. It was as if the Feathered Serpent had bestowed light and wisdom, promising peace and prosperity to all things.

Xolotl knew that today was an auspicious day. According to the Aztec Calendar, today was the twelfth day of the first month of the new year. This day represented herbs and salvation; its symbol was medicinal herbs in a pelvis, and it fell within the divine domain of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent.

Xolotl rose very early. He wore formal Priest robes, and his feathered crown once more covered his forehead, this time adorned with blue, red, and green feathers.

The Feathered Serpent was one of the four most important gods: the God of Wind, the god of peace and prosperity, the god of light and wisdom, and lord of the west. On the first God Day of the new year, a sacrifice had to be held for him. In prosperous city-states, this sacrifice often developed into a New Year celebration.

Following the duties of a Priest, Xolotl erected a Divine Altar in the west. He then placed a golden disk one foot across at its center, to symbolize light. Around the golden disk, he arranged a neat circle of Turquoise, to symbolize wisdom.

Next, he placed silver bowls at the four corners of the Divine Altar, filling them with herbs to symbolize healing and salvation. Finally, beneath the golden disk, he set blue, red, and green feathers, symbolizing the incarnation of the Feathered Serpent.

Thus, a simple altar to the Feathered Serpent was complete.

Everything was kept simple in wartime; the city-states' sacrifices were far more magnificent. Xolotl had once attended Teotihuacan's New Year celebration. On that day, Moon Plaza would be covered in gold, silver, gems, and vivid feathers. Tens of thousands celebrated and danced together, men and women, young and old, singing songs of blessing. Everything had been so beautiful, so unforgettable.

Then the warriors gathered below the platform. They set down their weapons, removed their Leather Armor, and paid homage to the Feathered Serpent. They prayed for the wounded to recover and the dying to be saved.

Then Xolotl stepped onto the platform and began to chant the sacred hymn of sacrifice. His voice was stirring and clear, drifting into the distance like the waves of the Great Lake in the east:

". In the end, the Feathered Serpent left the weeping people,

He rode upon a raft of green serpents,

With devout Priests at his side,

And sailed into the endless Great Lake,

Toward the distant east.

With sorrow upon his face, he promised all:

The flowers of prosperity would return every spring,

Just as I, who blessed you, would return.

Farewell was but a brief withering;

I would return from the eastern waters,

Bringing back peace and prosperity,

Bringing back light and wisdom,

And saving you once more!

Only when it was over did the warriors turn east as one and kneel upon the ground. Facing the nameless Great Lake, they softly called the divine name "Quetzalcoatl," praying for the Feathered Serpent's return. Then the ceremony ended in silence.

Xolotl wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and drank some water. The ceremony had been peaceful as a whole, almost like a mass for peace.

The Feathered Serpent was one of the rare benevolent gods in Aztec mythology. He disliked seeing people bleed for him and explicitly opposed human sacrifice. Thus, the Mexica Warriors had not dragged out yesterday's Otomi Captives to offer directly to the god.

But in the eyes of Commander Totek, the fates of those Captives had long been decided. The Mexica Warriors had wandered through a tranquil, harmonious spiritual world for only one morning before immediately returning to the world of war, blood, and fire.

Totek first assembled the warriors into formation, keeping them ready for battle at any moment. Then he had a thousand warriors escort more than five hundred captured Otomi warriors to a point one arrow-shot outside Guamare City, where they executed the Captives one by one before the defenders. Wails and screams rose in the distance, and soon there was silence again.

Xolotl lowered his eyes. His principles had already retreated by a great deal. He could now accept the execution of enemy warriors without changing expression. As his father had said, once a warrior stepped onto the battlefield, life and death were left to fate.

Totek's expression was hard, and his brow furrowed slightly. Though the city walls had briefly fallen into panic, no enemy troops had emerged in the end. Since that was the case, the plan to lure out the enemy was over. Next came the destruction of every village.

The commander then ordered one thousand Jaguars and two thousand warriors to remain and guard the camp. He would personally lead these three thousand men in watching Guamare City.

Xolotl watched him settle into the command tent, coldly take out the wooden map marked with red circles, and divide the remaining five thousand warriors and two thousand Militia into seven camps. He pointed to seven locations on the map, and the warriors nodded grimly before leaving.

Time seemed to pass for a very long while. Then Xolotl saw thick smoke rising in the distance. No sound could be heard on the wind, and the world still seemed peaceful. After a very, very long time, the warriors returned one camp after another, their faces glistening faintly with sweat, as if they had merely gone out for a short run.

Their expressions were unchanged as they replaced the worn Obsidian blades on their War Clubs. Blood flowed from the gaps in their weapons.

From the moment the smoke rose to the moment the warriors returned, Xolotl did not see a single figure flee toward Guamare City this time. Everything was like a silent pantomime. Lives vanished behind smoke and flame without stirring the slightest ripple. In a single day, seven large villages had been slaughtered, and more than ten thousand Otomi People had been killed.

Totek drew red crosses over the seven red circles, exchanged a few words with the warriors, and glanced at the noon Sun through a gap in the command tent. Then he divided the seven thousand men into fourteen companies of five hundred, and the warriors scattered from the camp again, carrying slaughter farther afield.

Seeing all this, the young Priest finally could no longer sit still.

Xolotl gathered his courage and entered the command tent. Standing before the ruthless Totek, he gripped the commander's powerful arm. A pair of merciless, icy eyes turned toward him.

"What is it, Xolotl?"

Commander Totek turned to look at him. When he saw the young Priest, a faint smile appeared on his hard face.

"Today's sacrifice was done rather well!"

"Commander, today is the first God Day of the Feathered Serpent. On this auspicious day celebrating the new year, we should not create so much bloodshed!"

"Hm?"

At those words, Totek frowned.

"You mean leave the villages to be destroyed tomorrow? But we have already begun. If we delay until tomorrow, more people will escape."

"I mean we can show mercy. The warriors and grown men are potential threats, but we can spare the women and children."

Xolotl pressed his lips together and looked into Totek's eyes, his expression utterly serious.

"Let the Main God bear witness! The king's order is to kill all Otomi People. Regardless of men or women, old or young, whether fifty thousand or a hundred thousand, I only concern myself with killing!"

Commander Totek shook his head and answered without the slightest concern.

"Xolotl, do not indulge in childish notions. You are a Priest of the Main God; you must become accustomed to blood and preside over human sacrifices!"

Then, before Xolotl could say anything else, Totek seized his arm. Pointing toward distant Flat Mountain City, he asked impatiently,

"Can that Catapult of yours take down Guamare City?"

Xolotl looked toward the city and studied it for a moment before firmly shaking his head.

"No! The current Catapults are not powerful enough. Although they can reach this city high above, the damage they can inflict is limited."

Hearing that, Commander Totek nodded, his cold eyes full of indifference.

"Hm. We have no time to besiege the city either. Since we cannot take this city-state, we can only burn the villages and fields outside it and kill every living soul!"

As he spoke, he turned sideways and stared solemnly at the young Priest.

"Xolotl, the Otomi People are not worth pity. They are nothing but kindling and dogs! If you have time, hold more sacrificial ceremonies for the warriors, or study that Catapult properly."

Then he waved a hand and ordered the guards to escort Xolotl from the tent.

Death continued outside the city, and true slaughter was always soundless. Faint screams rang out in the distance, then quickly fell silent, as though nothing had happened. Xolotl paced a few steps outside the command tent. Suddenly recalling someone, he hurried away.

Entering a side tent, Xolotl saw Avet sitting cross-legged before an earthen platform, writing something on a wooden board. From time to time, messengers and scouts passed through the tent, reporting the latest military intelligence and leaving bloody footprints beneath their feet.

Xolotl leaned over to look and was startled. Neat, square Chinese Characters covered the wooden board.

"More than a hundred villages discovered along the route. Twenty-one expected to be burned today. At least fifty thousand Otomi People will be killed in total. The area can be cleared within ten days, and the mission completed before returning."

Seeing Xolotl, Avet smiled and proudly pointed at the wooden board.

"Well? My writing is not bad, is it?"

Xolotl pressed his lips together and nodded lightly. In only a few months, Avet had learned to write Chinese Characters without the slightest error. It truly was impressive.

Then Xolotl gritted his teeth and asked somewhat urgently,

"Avet, the commander wants to kill every Otomi Person! Can we... can we show mercy?"

At those words, Avet raised a brow and asked with a smile,

"Xolotl, do you not know that the Otomi People are our enemies? If Otomi Militia are allowed into the forests, the Mexica Warriors will suffer terrible losses."

Xolotl fell silent for a moment before nodding.

"I understand. I am not talking about Otomi men, but about the women and children."

"Oh! I understand."

Avet burst into laughter, his brows curving into two soaring arcs.

"After the new year, Xolotl, you will be thirteen. You are at the age when you yearn to become an adult."

"How about this? I will speak to Totek and have the warriors bring you a few Otomi girls. Haaha! Once they turn you from a boy into a man, you will not be so softhearted."

Listening to Avet's animated description, Xolotl's mouth went dry. This fellow really was capable of doing it.

"Look, although Priests cannot marry, that restriction applies only to low-ranking Priests. Xolotl, if you take these Otomi girls as concubines, they will be saved."

Avet smiled warmly and continued his patient persuasion.

"Great Montezuma I had several hundred concubines and fathered over a hundred God-descendant warriors! You can take in several hundred Otomi girls as well. Haaha!"

Xolotl froze for a moment, then stood there blankly calculating. A day of torment had reduced his intelligence to less than nothing. He began counting on his fingers and muttering to himself, considering exactly how many girls he ought to save.

When Avet saw Xolotl seriously indulging in such wild thoughts, he was briefly stunned, then became worried instead. He reached out and sharply flicked Xolotl's forehead.

"Xolotl, what are you thinking? We Mexica warriors are unlike those weak tribes. Warriors do not undergo their coming-of-age rites until after fifteen, and outstanding warriors wait even longer!"

Avet's smile vanished as he solemnly instructed him.

"My student, too much song and pleasure too early will gravely damage the body's strength, diminish the mind's wisdom, and drain away the vigor bestowed by the Sky God. Those famed Jaguar Warriors often tempered their bodies and restrained their desire for pleasure until they were twenty! Xolotl, I hope that before you are eighteen, you will not be drawn in by the pleasures of the opposite sex."

"Avet, I understand what you mean. But I truly want to save the women and children. They did not fight us; they should not be killed like this. Heads are not chives; once cut, they will not grow back. And tens of thousands of lives truly should not die like weeds, without meaning!"

Xolotl stubbornly met his gaze, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. His values from a later age had already been shaken to the brink of collapse, yet they still exerted their influence.

"Eh, what are chives? Weeds that grow very quickly? Haaha, ordinary commoners are weeds to begin with, much less these Wildmen from foreign lands!"

Avet laughed, utterly unconcerned.

"There are no innocent people in this world. Everyone has a reason to die. Women weave cloth and cultivate fields, raising children. Children grow up and take up weapons to kill."

Hearing the same view his grandfather held, Xolotl fell silent. He merely kept his eyes open and stubbornly met Avet's gaze.

"Fine, fine! Give me a reason, but do not use that nonsense you spoke of before—life, tolerance, and the like."

After staring at each other for a while, Avet spoke helplessly, his expression turning serious.

"As long as you can convince me, I will go convince Totek!"

Xolotl began to think calmly. After a long while, he answered,

"We can capture them and bring them back to the Alliance, increasing the Alliance's population!"

"We do not have enough food, nor do we have people to spare for guarding them. The land in the Valley of Mexica has already been largely developed. Before conquering new city-states, there is no need to relocate tribes."

"It would take more than a decade for these women and children to become a threat to us."

Xolotl thought for a moment and found another reason.

"True. What about after those ten-odd years?"

"At the Alliance's rate of growth, after ten-odd years, we will be strong enough! We will be able to thoroughly conquer the Otomi People and turn these ordinary commoners into subjects of the Alliance!"

As he spoke, Xolotl was full of confidence, his eyes shining.

Avet blinked and watched the confident Xolotl for a while. Then he nodded slightly and smiled.

"Perhaps. That counts as the first reason! But right now, I cannot see the benefit of sparing these people. Do you have any other reasons?"

"We can capture them and bring them beneath Guamare City to exchange them for food. The army lacks food right now."

Xolotl thought for a while, then continued.

"Haaha! What if the city-state refuses to exchange food for them?"

"Then we release them anyway, and the city-state will lose the people's hearts."

"Heh. What does the support of commoners amount to?"

Avet chuckled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Still, exchanging them for some food would not be bad. That barely counts as a second reason. But why should I help these commoners? Give me another reason—a reason concerning you!"

Smiling, Avet watched Xolotl's eyes as though waiting for something. He was Xolotl's elder, but also a teacher who pursued perfection. He hoped to shape with his own hands a student without weakness, a powerful royal descendant.

Xolotl considered it over and over. Only after a long time did he let out a faint sigh.

"Avet, this is what I feel in my heart! Cherishing life is not a law of heaven in this world, but it is my preference. It gives me inner satisfaction. Please help me!"

"Oh? Satisfy your inner pursuit? But we executed these people's husbands and fathers. They will not thank you."

". I do not need their gratitude. I only need peace and satisfaction in my heart. The Divine Tree shelters weeds and never cares whether the weeds are grateful. It is simply there, wanting to do so, and thus it does so."

Xolotl answered softly, yet it seemed to exhaust all his strength.

"Haaha, good, good! My student, my little Divine Tree, my child! So this is merely your preference, correct? It is not some heavenly law that you must obey. You are a true Divine Tree; you are utterly different from ordinary weeds! Remember, preferences must submit to the great cause, and they may be compromised when necessary!"

Avet guided him gently, his voice carrying a hypnotic charm.

"Yes, this is only my preference. It has nothing to do with the laws of heaven in this world! It submits to the great cause."

Xolotl lowered his head slightly and repeated the words with difficulty. At that moment, something lingering within him seemed to be gently killed once more.

"Good, very good! Cherishing life is Xolotl's preference! The lives of these tens of thousands of commoners are nothing more than ants. Even if they create obstacles, they are insignificant. How could they compare with my student's growth? This third reason is the one that truly moves me!"

Avet finally clapped his hands and laughed heartily, thoroughly delighted.

"Xolotl, remember what you said today! No matter what memories you inherited, life and tolerance are merely your preferences! Just as some people love lust, some love war, and some love wine, this is merely a kinder preference."

"When conditions allow, you may act according to your preferences. But preferences must submit to the great cause; they are not the bottom line!"

"A bottom line cannot be violated, and so it becomes a weakness. Weakness brings death. Unlike ordinary people, a great ruler must never have weaknesses. Therefore, Xolotl, whatever lies in your memories, forget the weak parts! You may act according to your preferences, but you must never be bound by them. You are destined to rise like a Divine Tree, looking down upon the masses like weeds! This is the most important lesson I am teaching you!"

Avet pressed hard on Xolotl's shoulders and stared at him resolutely. The teacher's gaze was full of expectation, as though he were watching his own nephew and successor walk onto the true path of a king.

"And as rulers, our sole cause is this nation, the future of the Mexica People, and the supreme power of this world!"

Avet lowered his voice and left him with those final words. Then he finally burst into loud laughter, his voice filled with deeply buried ambition and yearning.

His unrestrained laughter echoed through the camp for a long time before fading. Then Avet gave his student a tight embrace, turned, and strode away toward Totek's command tent.

Xolotl remained standing where he was. He had to take the first step toward becoming a great ruler—and it was also the hardest step. The road of kings was paved with corpses. From this day onward, he would tread through blood, stain both feet red, turn lives into symbols, and regard death as nothing.