Work Text:
With the ban of Soul Magic and the exile of Ophiuchus from the Kingdoms, Aries took a step in front of everyone else and proceeded to enact their own bans. Anyone who practiced various exceptional elements--such as psyche, null, dark, and light--inside the kingdom would be persecuted. The current ruler didn't believe that such magic was natural, and paid off various groups in order to push the ideology that these magics were something to be ashamed of knowing. If found, users of these magics would be taken to the castle, locked in high-security prison for some time, tortured for their crimes, and then released under one of two conditions: Either they would leave the Kingdom of Aries, or they would never use magic of any kind again. Should they be found to break whichever condition they take, they would be re-captured, executed, and taken to what would eventually be named "Bloodlust Lake," for the amount of corpses that would be spilled into the persistant lava lake.
This practice put many non-traditional mages into hiding, unwilling to cease their use of magic but also unwilling to leave the kingdom. Soon, a small group of such mages formed, including those who had made to never practice their magic again, and they proceeded to seek out others like them so that they wouldn't be subjected to torture or exile. This group, though they were harmless at first, eventually sought after some form of revenge. They knew that they could not coup the Queen, but they could strike back at the infrustructure that held the kingdom together, and continue the practice of outlawed magic in resistance to the Queen's policies.
After the Queen's death, the mages in hiding--who would come to name themselves "The Lunar Signs"--took the chance to get some of their people into the Kingdom's capital during the rise of a new ruler. Though after the death of the Queen, the next royal figure dismissed the law that banned the use of psyche, null, dark, and light magic. Despite this, The Lunar Signs still resented the Aries royalty for their previous Queen's actions, and believed the royal position to be easily corrupted by the head's own personal gain. Especially angered that the ban of soul magic went unchallenged--believing that all magic should be freely practiced--The Lunar Signs sought to put their cult members in positions of power close to the Aries royalty, and one day gain the favour and ability to manipulate the royalty of Aries. From there, they planned to have the Aries royalty lift the ban of Soul Magic inside Aries, break from the ties of Libra, and strike at any Kingdom who continued to support them.
To this day, The Lunar Signs are but a myth to the citizens of Aries, but the royal family of Aries knows of them. They know that they exist and seek power, and actively search for the cult members, but there's not much that they can do. Especially considering that members of The Lunar Signs exist within the Aries castle, slowly gaining trust and power, waiting for their chance to gain the favour and begin their manipulation of the Young Queen of Aries, Mesa Vasilissa.
