The audience chamber eventually emptied after nearly an hour of discussion.
Architectural plans were collected by the Luminars, donation records prepared and the guest chambers arranged for Anaqielle.
Several attendants nearly tripped over themselves trying to accommodate Anaqielle before she had even officially accepted residence within the sanctum.
Laliya endured every second of it in silence but the moment Anaqielle disappeared down the western corridor escorted by attendants and smiling holy maidens.
Laliya moved quickly.
The young maiden barely remembered bowing properly before entering the chamber.
Her white robes swept sharply behind her as she hurried through the sanctum halls, heartbeat pounding harder with every step.
She felt that what happened was wrong, it was dangerously wrong.
The sanctum had just welcomed a fallen angel into the holiest place in the city and no one understood how dangerous that was.
Laliya found the head luminar in one of the upper meditation halls overlooking the inner gardens.
Afternoon light poured through the crystal ceiling while incense smoke drifted lazily through the air.
Three elder luminars sat discussing renovation logistics when Laliya entered abruptly.
The oldest among them immediately looked up.
“Laliya?”
The holy maiden stopped several feet before them, trying to steady her breathing.
“We need to talk.”
Concern crossed their faces instantly.
The high luminar gestured gently.
“Come sit.”
Laliya remained standing.
“She cannot stay here,” she said sternly.
The room quieted.
One of the younger luminars frowned slightly.
“Lady Anaqielle you mean?”
“Yes.”
The high luminar tilted her head.
Since Laliya was her best maiden in training, she saw it best to hear her out.
“Why?”
‘Because she’s a Fallen Seren who slipped through divine wards without effort and she writes temptation like scripture in secret letters.
And when she looks at me, my balance fractures,’ she thought but dared not frame it like that.
Laliya swallowed hard.
“She…” Her voice lowered instinctively.
“Something about her feels wrong.”
The luminars exchanged glances.
It was not dismissive yet but simply confused.
They couldn’t understand where Laliya’s judgement of Anaqielle,a lady they all just met came from.
Since it was their first time meeting Anaqielle, they imagined it was Laliya’s first time too since Laliya rarely went out and when she did, she barely familiarized herself with people outside.
Laliya stepped closer.
“I also think the sanctum wards should be examined again.”
That caught their attention slightly.
The high luminar frowned.
“What are you trying to imply?”
Laliya hesitated only briefly.
She didn’t know the best way to make the truth known.
“I think she may be a Seren.”
Silence overwhelmed the room.
The luminars weren’t shocked, they looked genuinely worried.
The kind of look adults used when a child said something concerning.
One of the elder women sighed softly. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“My dear…”
Laliya’s chest tightened immediately.
She understood immediately that they didn’t believe her.
How could they?
She had no proof and Anaqielle bypassed the wards without causing any alarms to go off.
“She bypassed every protection around the sanctum even though she is corrupted,” Laliya pressed urgently.
“No outsider should have been able to enter those inner halls so easily. And that is why I think that the wards should be re-examined and reinforced.”
“Lady Anaqielle was invited in by us. She is human and not at all corrupted, sweet child.”
“You have been fooled by her.”
The high luminar rose slowly from her seat.
Her expression remained calm.
It was patient and far too calm for Laliya’s comfort.
“The sanctum is protected by thirteen layers of consecrated wards, Liya.”
“I know,” Laliya nodded.
“Wards personally strengthened by the high wardens of Solmire.”
Laliya clenched her hands.
“I know.”
Her accusation wasn’t just pointing to the wards being faulty but questioning the ability of the highest ranking wardens of Solmire city.
It was without saying that it sounded too absurd to anyone who didn’t know the truth that she knew.
“No fallen angel could enter the sanctum unnoticed,” the high luminar stated.
The certainty in her voice terrified Laliya more than doubt would have.
Another Luminar nodded.
“The barriers detect corruption instantly.”
“A ghost cannot cross them,” the youngest luminar added.
“A possessed soul cannot approach the inner sanctum.”
“Even demon influence weakens near these halls.”
Laliya looked between them desperately.
“But what if she…”
“My child,” the high luminar stepped closer and rested a gentle hand against Laliya’s shoulder.
The gesture nearly unraveled her composure entirely.
She knew that she had failed in warning them of the danger that had stepped into their home.
They didn’t believe her.
“You’ve been under immense pressure recently.”
Laliya froze.
“No, that’s not…”
“Your purification training has intensified. You barely rest,” she added in understanding.
The younger luminar stepped forward and let in, “Your responsibilities continue increasing with every passing day. It is only a given that you’ll be exhausted.”
Another Luminar smiled sympathetically.
“It is not uncommon for holy maidens to become spiritually overwhelmed.”
Laliya stared at them in disbelief.
They thought she was imagining this.
The realization hit like ice water.
“She is dangerous,” Laliya whispered.
“Believe me, I know because…” She couldn’t admit that she had seen Anaqielle in her true form in the prayer hall because she hadn’t reported it at the time, nor can she use the letter or the feather as proof because she had chosen to hide them.
The high luminar’s gaze softened further.
“Oh, precious child.”
Laliya hated that expression.
That gentle pity in her eyes.
It made her feel small, fragile and unstable.
Like there was something wrong with her while everyone else was sane.
“You are one of the brightest maiden we have ever seen,” the Elder woman said softly.
“But even the purest lights may flicker from exhaustion.”
“I am not hallucinating.”
“Of course not.” the luminar denied but the tone implied otherwise.
The elder luminar guided her gently toward one of the meditation cushions.
“Sit.”
Laliya obeyed automatically.
Years of training had conditioned obedience deeply into her bones.
The older woman knelt before her.
“When was the last time you slept properly?”
Laliya immediately thought of black feathers hidden beneath her pillow, the late night visits from Anaqielle, the letter tucked inside her sacred scripture, and the warm whispers against her ear.
Her silence answered enough.
She hadn’t slept well since the day that Anaqielle came into her life.
The elder luminar sighed knowingly.
“There it is.”
Laliya looked away.
Feeling guilty that her silence had given the Luminar a chance to dismiss her threat when the threat was real.
“You have been pushing yourself too hard.”
“No, the thing is…”
“Yes, you have,” the woman’s voice remained endlessly patient.
“You carry too much responsibility for someone so young.”
The other elders nodded in agreement.
“Your devotion is admirable, dear,” they chimed.
“But even devotion requires balance,” the youngest luminar said.
“You must meditate tonight.”
“No duties after evening prayer.”
“And absolutely no more stress,” the high luminar summed.
Laliya almost laughed from disbelief.
Stress?
A fallen seren was living inside the sanctum.
Watching and targetting her and they thought the solution she needed was rest.
The high luminar squeezed her shoulder gently.
“The Radiance protects this sanctum.”
Laliya’s stomach twisted.
She knew that despite the radiance present, Anaqielle had found a way inside.
“You are safe here.”
The words should have comforted her.
Instead they filled her with dread because Anaqielle had already proven otherwise and somewhere deep down, Laliya was beginning to realize something even more frightening.
The sanctum’s wards might truly be flawless.
Which meant the danger threatening her wasn’t entering from outside the light anymore, she came through the front door like she was being permitted by heaven.
One question remained in her mind, ‘If heaven forsakes her…
what was she to do?’