Inside a quiet, serene office in the Moonspire of Luna temple. High Priestess Selia sat at her desk, busy with the huge stack of paperwork in front of her.
She did not look the part of a divine figure. She was a middle-aged woman with streaks of grey in her tied-back ash-blonde hair and gentle lines on her face, the kind carved not by hardship but by quiet smiles and patient years.
Her robes were simple, no crown, no jewels or gems. Her ordinary appearance had an air of elegance to it that was unmatched.
At this moment, a knock suddenly came from the door.
"Come in." She said as her gentle, warm yet elegant voice echoed in the office.
Saintess Elaria opened the door and stepped in at this moment, greeting her as she walked over.
"I pay my respects to the High Priestess." Elaria said as she bowed.
A frown appeared on Selia's face as she looked at her without responding, clearly unhappy.
"High Priestess?" Elaria spoke again.
Upon closer look, one similarity between Elaria and Selia could be seen, clear as day. They both had ash-blonde hair, although Selia's hair had strands of grey, it was still of similar color to Elaria's.
Seeing that Selia didn't respond, Elaria couldn't help but sigh before speaking again.
"Haa... Greetings mother."
"Oh my! What brings my lovely daughter here so late at night." Selia said as she beamed into a radiant smile.
"Haa... You're the High Priestess and I'm the Saintess, shouldn't we use formal speech all the time, mother?" Elaria said as she held her forehead in frustration.
"What's the point of formal speech between a mother and her daughter when no one's around. It's just the two of us here anyway."
High Priestess Selia was Elaria's biological mother. She used to be an ordinary priestess of the church, until she fell in love with the Paladin Commander, Sir Draven Miren and got married.
Her status rose after that and her potential and talent as a High Priestess were recognised by the church. Years later, they had Elaria, who was given the title of Saintess upon her birth as she was blessed by the Goddess of the Moon.
Although Selia was always formal when in public or surrounded by people, she dropped all the formalities when it was just her and her daughter or husband.
"Haa... Forget it. I've come to ask for your help with a new prophesy the Goddess has showed me." Elaria continued as she walked over to take a sit on a couch next to Selia.
About 15 minutes later, she was done explaining her visions to Selia.
"I see. This is truly an issue. If the church were to learn of this prophecy, they would definitely hunt her down and kill her." Selia replied as a frown appeared on her face, at this moment, she was no longer sitting at her desk. But was laying on Elaria's lap as she played with her hair.
Elaria: "..."
Other than her and her father, no knew that High Priestess Selia could be an oddball at times, just like she was being right now.
"Ahem! Mother, can you take this seriously! I have to go to her before she dies from her injuries."
"Ah... Don't worry, I can help you sneak out the temple at midnight. Just stay here with me until then." Selia said as she slept on Elaria's lap.
Elaria: "..."
This was the reason why she did not visit her mother often. She was always clingy with her every time no one was around. Wanting to spend time with her daughter.
So, Elaria had no choice but to surrender for now and wait for midnight to come.
...
...
...
Somewhere in the slums of the City of Lunareth, 2 figures dressed in black cloaks met in a dark alley. One a tall man and the other a woman, their crimson red eyes shining in the dark.
"Is the plan ready yet?" The man asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, but we need a core to proceed any further. None of the children we've abducted so far are suitable to act as one." The woman replied.
"Can't we just proceed without the core?"
"No. The temple still has the Saintess and the High Priestess. Without the core, we won't stand a chance against them. Not to mention we still have to send our strongest men to stall the Paladin Commander until the ritual ends."
"Then what should we do?"
"We have to keep looking. If we can't find a child we can use in the city, then we'll have to look in the nearby villages." The woman said as she fell into deep thought.
"The revered one has also given us some hints." She continued.
"Hm? What hints?"
"He told us to look for a child with unique features, a girl, she's supposed to be around 10 years old. He said we'll know it's her the moment we see her."
"Hmm. That narrows it down then, it should be easier to find her now that we have some clues. When will the plan proceed?"
"8 months from now, so don't slack off and find her before then."
"Alright!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The 2 figures suddenly disappeared from the alley.
...
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...
Meanwhile, outside the city. In the hidden cave Drellis had met up with Torvaal in order to hand over "Talia." He sat in front of a campfire, enjoying roasted meat.
After handing over Talia. He decided to rest for one day here, before taking his leave at midnight under the cover of night. As he sat in front of the fire, he was in deep thought.
'I wonder how Tor-... I mean Talia is doing. Heh...! Given Lord Torvaal's style. He must have already started tormenting her by now. It's a shame I can't be there to watch her suffer the same way she abused her victims.'
An hour later, at midnight, Drellis put out the fire and put on his straw hat as he prepared to leave. When he got to the entrance of the cave, he saw a figure wearing a white cloak walking towards the cave.
He immediately took on a fighting stance with his hand on his sword, his body becoming tense.
"Don't come closer!"
The figure stopped. Moonlight shining over her in brilliance.
"I'm not here to stop you." Her voice was calm but firm.
"Who are you?"
The figure pulled the hood of her cloak back. Revealing her ash-blonde hair, pale coloured lavender eyes and stunning appearance. It was her, the Saintess favored by the Goddess of the Moon, Elaria Miren.
Bang!
Drellis dropped to the ground as he bowed to her. He knew the person in front of him although he had never met her. Her portraits were all over the Veilborne Empire, even in the desolate village he had come from.
"This humble one pays his respects to the Saintess!"
"Ah... No need to be so polite, I have a few questions to ask you."
Although Drellis had many questions at this time, he held back the urge to ask and immediately agreed.
"I wonder what the Saintess wants to know?"
"I'm looking for someone. A child with black hair and black eyes, have you seen her? If you have, can you take me to her?"
Drellis was shocked and panicked internally upon hearing this question. There was only one person he knew that fit the description, the new village chief and his new master, Nolan.
As he was conflicted internally over how to answer, Elaria's voice came again.
"Do not worry. I do not intend to hurt the child; however, time is of the essence. The longer we wait, the closer she is to death's door."
"What?! That's impossible, the little lady is so powerful! How could she be in danger?!" Drellis was shocked.
"Oh? So, you know her then?" Elaria replied with a smile.
'Damnit! She tricked me!' Drellis thought to himself as he realized he had just been tricked into admitting he had a connection to Nolan.
"There's no need for you to worry, but what I said just now is true. If I do not go to her soon, she might really die."
Drellis felt conflicted, should he really bring Elaria back to the village with him? What if this was a plot to take or kill Nolan? What if the church wanted her?
During his time as a mercenary, he had seen all kinds of schemes and plots made by the church. Many promising young talents who tried to defy the church always ended up dead or as the church's slaves.
The church was truly a gathering of greedy and cruel people. Hiding under the pretense of "Following God's will." Many had fallen victim to their schemes, even some noble families had fallen because of the church.
Thinking of this, he suddenly thought of Nolan. He didn't know of her background or origin, but for such a talented and beautiful little girl. It was safe to assume that she had an extraordinary background.
Perhaps she was running away from the church? Or maybe she was a survivor from a fallen noble family destroyed by the church?
After thinking about it some more, Drellis felt that wasn't the case. If the church wanted to kill or take Nolan, why would they send the Saintess?
Wouldn't they send the holy knights instead? Or maybe mobilized the noble families' knights under them? Not to mention, why would Nolan choose to settle at the desolate village, a place close to the city of Lunareth where the church had more influence and could easily reach the nearby villages.
Besides, Saintess Elaria was also known for defying the church and acting on her own sometimes. And looking at her divine appearance in front of him as the moonlight shined on her. He felt like maybe this was the Moon Goddess's will.
"Alright. I'll take you back to the village with me. As long as you swear on the Moon Goddess's name that you really don't have any ulterior motives."
"Oh? Such a loyal guard. Fine, I swear on the Moon Goddess's name that I, Elaria Miren have no intension of causing harm or any ulterior motives for meeting your master." Elaria made a vow.
Feeling reassured, Drellis decided to believe Elaria. Afterwards, 2 figures departed from the entrance of the hidden cave. One a man wearing a straw hat, the other a woman wearing a white cloak. Both making their way to a desolate small village under the cover of night.
A figure standing from afar watched them as they left. It was High Priestess Selia, she watched until Elaria and Drellis walked further and further out of her line of vision, then turned back and walked away with a sigh.
Instead of going straight back to the temple, she walked into the city. Although it was around midnight, there were still a lot of people on the streets since the city of Lunareth had another nickname, "The city that never sleeps." That's what people called it.
She wore a cloak as she walked on the streets, covering her face so no one would notice her. As she looked around, the "Night Life" of the city was truly in full swing.
Market stalls, shuttered by day, reopened with hushed chatter and secretive glances—selling rare herbs, enchanted trinkets, and whispered favors beneath hanging silk awnings. Shadowy alleys echoed with low music from hidden taverns where traveling bards played haunting melodies and masked patrons shared wine laced with stardust.
The devout walked barefoot across the marble bridges toward the Sanctum of Lirae, drawn by midnight sermons and silver-masked priestesses who sang hymns that echoed like water over stone. Further from the light, beggars and thieves moved under the watchful eye of city guards and knights, some in uniform, others cloaked and unseen.
And above it all, the moon watched silently, framed by the spires of old cathedrals and enchanted glass towers nearby. In Lunareth, night was not a time to rest.
It was a time to remember secrets. To trade in truth. To pray, to sin, or simply to vanish.
Selia was solemn as she walked through, it truly seemed like a world forsaken by the Gods. But at this moment she knew better than anyone that there was hope. The one chosen by Luna herself. Could she offer them salvation? Or would she fall to disgrace like the heroes? Only time would tell.
"I hope the prophecy comes true." She muttered to herself as she headed back to the temple.