[Help, Riley Hell.]
Emilia, the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.
A young girl imbued with pure innocence and radiance, yet her eyes carried a depth untouched by naivety.
Ever since she had understood the true aning of the light that dwells inside people, ignorance was no longer a luxury she could afford.
Her steps were soft against the cobblestone streets of the academy's comrcial district, her mind distant despite the lively surroundings.
Around her, students lingered in droves, their conversations mixing into an indistinct buzz that carried the day's excitent.
"...Shit, we're having Astro Magic exams tomorrow? I thought it was about Concept Magic?" "Dude, were you even awake in class?"
The streets teed with energy despite the lateness of the hour.
rchants hustled to sell their wares, their shouts blending with the clatter of coins and bargaining voices.
Food stalls and restaurants brimd with students hungry after a long day of training, and the glow of lanterns illuminated clusters of friends laughing and sharing stories.
To Emilia, it was a startlingly vivid scene. It reminded her how the academy wasn't just a place of learning; it was a thriving ecosystem.
A city in its own right, complete with comrce, culture, and life flowing seamlessly.
Yet, her attention wasn't on the bustling environnt.
"Saint-I an, Miss Enna... are you alright?"
The voice of her trusted confidante and personal guard, Ana, broke through Emilia's wandering thoughts.
Ana's tone was concerned, her gaze sharp as she observed her ward.
|| ||
Emilia didn't answer imdiately.
Her golden eyes wavered as she looked at the encroaching darkness seeping into the edges of the academy.
It wasn't the natural shadow of nightfall; it was sothing deeper, more sinister, crawling at the edges of her perception like a lurking predator.
"The academy is in danger..."
Her words caused Ana and Amon, another loyal guardian by her side, to snap to attention.
Their previously casual expressions vanished, replaced with the seriousness befitting protectors of the Saintess.
"What do you an, my lady?" Amon's voice was low, edged with caution.
Emilia's gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the faintest flicker of malevolent energy pulsed beneath the veil of night.
It was subtle-so subtle that only soone as attuned to the essence of light and dark as she was could sense it.
She had always hoped-prayed, that her path would be free of the taint of evil and darkness once she was inside the academy.
Yet, as she well knew, fate had never been inclined to heed the wishes of re mortals.
Her encounter with Riley was proof enough of that.
Her slender fingers tightened around the rosary in her right hand, the cool tal pressing into her palm as if to anchor her thoughts.
The mory of that dream, vivid and haunting, surfaced unbidden in her mind.
The voice of the goddess had been like a celestial lody, slow and majestic, yet carrying a
weight that seed to echo through her very soul.
[...My blessed son is close my dear daughter...]
[Trust and help each other.]
[Rid him of darkness.]
[Only the two of you can prevent the great disaster.]
It had been only four sentences-short, almost cryptic-but they carried a gravity that shook Emilia to her core.
She was no stranger to the divine; as the Saintess of the Holy Church, she was regarded as the closest being to the goddess herself, her mortal vessel on earth.
So even whispered that she was the goddess reborn, her very existence an extension of divinity.
Emilia, however, disagreed with such notions.
She might be blessed, might serve as the goddess's representative in the mortal realm, but she was no deity.
She was still human, bound by the sa emotions, doubts, and fears as anyone else.
Yet the goddess's blessing was undeniable, and her words left no room for misinterpretation.
Emilia was chosen, her path set upon a divine course she could not stray from.
At first, the goddess's warning had confused her.
Who was this blessed son?
What darkness clouded him, and what great disaster lood on the horizon?
The cryptic nature of the ssage gnawed at her, its aning just out of reach.
It hadn't taken long for Emilia to piece together the truth.
The threads of destiny had begun weaving the mont she t Riley.
His enigmatic aura, the inexplicable pull she felt toward him, and the undeniable mark of divine purpose surrounding him—it all fit perfectly with the goddess's cryptic words.
Blessed son.
There was only one person who ca to mind.
Soone whose light bore the sa unique purity as hers. Soone who shared a divine blessing unlike anything she'd ever encountered.
Riley Hell.
The na echoed in her thoughts like a hymn.
He was the only person the goddess had ever directly nad.
The mory was vivid, the voice of divinity cutting through her prayers with an urgency that
left no room for doubt.
That day, the goddess had urged her to save him-not just from expulsion, but from the darkness that clung to him, threatening to consu the light that radiated so unnaturally
around him.
She hadn't wanted to believe it at first.
The idea seed absurd-a person sohow bathed in light yet sohow was also shrouded
in darkness?
But the truth had struck her during that pivotal mont.
Trying to save Riley that day had been a test of faith, a confirmation of everything she had
dreamt.
Though she had tried to downplay its significance, telling herself that Riley was rely caught up in the attention of others, the undeniable truth remained.
Her gift, the ability to perceive the essence of light, didn't lie.
She had seen it clearly-the goddess's divinity existed within him.
The revelation weighed heavily on her, more than she cared to admit.
Riley wasn't just soone fated to cross her path; he was central to her destiny.
He was the other half of the divine purpose the goddess had entrusted to her. Her grip on the rosary tightened, and she exhaled softly, steadying her resolve. Her quiet whisper carried a hint of longing, but it was underpinned by unyielding determination.
"Senior Riley... I need his help..."
'I don't know how the darkness has clung onto him again... but senior needs my help as well!'
Anna and Amon, her trusted companions, exchanged a glance.
There was sothing strange in their expressions-a mixture of worry and unease.
...
Flam stirred, her eyelids fluttering open, still caught in the haze of sleep.
Her vision was slightly blurry, and she groaned softly as she tried to sit up, only to feel a dull
ache in her knees.
Blinking, she glanced down and sighed, realizing the source of her discomfort-a small army
of her fire spirits was curled up on her lap, their tiny ember-like forms glowing faintly as they
slumbered peacefully.
"I told you guys to stop sleeping on ..." she muttered, her tone more resigned than
annoyed.
Of course, she didn't really expect them to listen.
They never did. Instead, they nuzzled closer to her warmth, a few of them letting out soft
crackling sounds, as if dreaming.
Flam chuckled quietly. It was hard to stay mad at them-they were too adorable, even
when they were the reason her knees were sore.
With a sigh of surrender, she stretched her arms over her head, feeling the satisfying pull in
her muscles as the sun bathed her in its golden light.
Her grey hair glimred in the sunlight, and the breeze that swept across the rooftop felt
crisp and refreshing against her skin.
Her gaze shifted forward, taking in the breathtaking view from her perch. The sprawling academy lay below, frad by the vibrant hues of the dawn sky.
"Sleeping on the roof is always the best~" she humd, a content smile gracing her lips.
The towering structure of Killian Hall, with its castle-like spires and intricate architecture, was her chosen sleeping spot for the night.
It wasn't the first ti, and it wouldn't be the last.
For Flam, there was sothing magical about dozing off under the open sky, the cool breeze caressing her skin, and the faint hum of mana in the air lulling her to sleep.
If she were to rate her favorite places to sleep, this rooftop was easily a 9.5 out of 10.
It even surpassed the roof of her personal magic tower back in the empire, which, while luxurious and quiet, only scored a respectable 9.3 on her scale.
She took a deep breath, relishing the blend of the sun's warmth and the crisp morning air.
The fire spirits that surrounded her added their own comforting heat, making the night chill
irrelevant.
Flam smiled to herself, her spirits beginning to stir as well, their tiny forms flitting around her like living sparks. She leaned back on her hands, letting the mont sink in.
"Perfect weather, perfect view... maybe I'll make this my permanent spot," [Master... Great news!]
The sudden, high-pitched voice jolted Flam from her quiet musings.
She turned her head and spotted a small, whimsical figure floating nearby a wind spirit
shaped like an impossibly adorable bunny, its body a swirl of translucent air with faint glowing outlines.
Its little ears perked up, and its sparkling eyes looked at her with barely contained excitent. Flam raised an eyebrow. Amusent and curiosity were always her guiding stars, but even she had her limits. Lately, most of the "news" her spirits brought was as trivial as students
bickering over crushes or dueling over petty squabbles.
"What is it this ti?" she asked lazily, waving a hand. "If it's just another case of so random students fighting over a girl, I'm really not interested."
[Hn! No no, Master, it's not like that! This is very important! Very, very amazing news!]
The bunny spirit shook its tiny head furiously, its energy making it bob up and down mid-air like a balloon caught in the wind.
"Hm?" Flam tilted her head, her curiosity finally catching up to her apathy. The spirit's
excitent felt genuine, and it was rare for it to act this animated about anything. Usually, it
only brought her news that amused it personally.
[Master, that person is gone... gone!]
"Gone?" Flam repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What are you babbling about?"
[Riley Hell! He's been taken! He's gone!]
At the sound of that na, Flam's crimson eyes lit up, a mischievous spark flickering to
life. She crossed her arms, an intrigued smirk spreading across her lips. "Oh? What do you an by 'gone'?"
[Shadow people!] the bunny spirit exclaid, its tiny voice rising with excitent. [They
ca in the night inform sothing, then took him this noon! They're heading straight to the
empire!]
For a mont, Flam just stared at the spirit, then burst out laughing, her voice echoing
across the rooftop.
"Oh, this is delicious! A night of perfect sleep and now this? Truly, dear goddess, you spoil your genius servant far too much!"
She sprang to her feet, the fire spirits around her scattering as her energy seed to renew
itself.
She began hopping lightly on her toes, doing stretches to wake up her muscles.
Her grey hair danced in the sunlight, and a wide grin refused to leave her face. "Neru!" she called, her voice sharp and commanding.
The air shifted as a massive, water-like dragon erged from thin air.
Its translucent, rippling body shimred as though carved from liquid crystal, and its
glowing eyes were as large as Flam herself.
The dragon gazed down at her with a mix of exasperation and resignation.
"We're heading straight to the empire!" Flam declared, her tone brimming with
excitent.
Neru let out a deep, rumbling sigh.
....
I had expected to et the Emperor imdiately after being dragged here, blindfolded and
carefully placed inside this room.
The tension had been mounting, and I was bracing myself for the imposing presence of the
ruler of the Empire. But instead...
"It's been a while, son... or rather, a short while, should I say?"
That smooth, deep voice froze in place.
"Yes..." I managed to respond, forcing a nervous smile as my eyes settled on the figure before
.
Luther Heavens.
The head of the illustrious and ever-dominant Heavens family. The Grand Duke of the
Empire. The strongest swordsman in the world.
And my father-in-law.
The words sounded even more surreal in my head than they did aloud.
Fuck.
Why is he here?
'Seriously, what the fuck did other Riley do?'
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