7-1. The Girl in Rags
It was a bright and beautiful morning in the Sanctuary. Solen stepped out of his chambers just as a group of Saints carried a new girl in, wrapped in rough rags. She had a striking, unnervingly calm look, and her gaze, when it met Solen's, struck a deep sense of familiarity within his soul.
"They found her unconscious at the gates of the Sanctuary this morning," Orin said, quietly coming to Solen's side. "She hasn't said a word since then."
"Why are they taking her toward the Purification Center?" Solen questioned, watching the procession.
"The Sanctuary is just being cautious, ensuring she isn't a breach by dark forces," Orin answered.
Solen opened his spiritual eyes. "She doesn't seem to have Vice or any notable dark energy, though… she could be like Viktor was before, masking her contamination. I see why the Sanctuary is being cautious."
"Let's go check it out," Orin said, grabbing Solen's hand and sprinting toward the Center.
7-2. The Crossveil Clash
When they arrived at the room, several Purification Saints were already performing holy rituals and sprinkling the girl with holy water. Lucen stood nearby, waiting patiently for the purification to complete so he could begin the interrogation.
Then, the door opened and Lucian walked in, clad in an immaculate version of the Senior Saint Regalia.
"That's Lucen's brother!" Orin whispered loudly to Solen.
"Lucian?" Solen replied, recalling the details Maxi and Kayla had shared.
"You already know his name? Ah well… things might get ugly in here," Orin shrieked, pulling Solen behind a support pillar.
The two brothers were similar in features, but Lucian looked notably more muscular and imposing, with sharp, intense eyes that screamed of his character.
"I'm the one leading the interrogation. Stand back, Lucen," Lucian said, accompanying the order with a sharp, side-long gaze.
Lucen stepped aside without argument, simply folding his arms and watching the scene unfold.
Lucian circled the unknown girl suspiciously, immediately drawing his holy blade, Durandal, and pointing the tip threateningly at her neck. "Who are you?! Are you some kind of demon masking your evil energy?!" he bellowed.
Solen muffled a small laugh. Who'd answer such a question?
Orin chuckled slightly beside him.
Lucian side-eyed them but ultimately ignored the juniors. "Speak up!" he yelled at the girl.
The girl simply stared back at Lucian, her eyes dead, her mouth shut.
Lucen stepped in and placed a hand firmly on Lucian's shoulder. "You're going too far."
Lucian sheathed his blade, shaking off Lucen's hand. "I don't know who or what gave you the right to approach me so formally, monkey." Lucian replied, then turned to leave. As he passed Solen and Orin, they briefly mimicked his rigid walk behind his back, but the moment he turned his head, they instantly composed themselves.
"A loser training losers… typical," Lucian said with a dismissive shrug as he left the scene.
Orin and Solen walked in to meet Lucen inside the room.
"She still won't say a word," Lucen said calmly, though his jaw was tight. "I wonder what she has been through."
Suddenly, the girl cast a sharp, knowing gaze at Solen. Her voice pierced directly into his consciousness.
"Hey… can you hear me?"
"She just talked!" Solen yelled, startled, as Orin and Lucen stared at him in confusion.
"Hey… are you hearing things?" Orin questioned, stepping back.
"No, no… she's speaking to me, but it's almost as though she's talking to my soul…" Solen replied, closing his eyes to enter full meditation and connect with her.
7-3. The Astral Messenger
Solen found himself in a pure white void where the astral figure of the unknown girl stood before him.
"Hey… I know you," she said, a faint smile touching her lips.
"Huh?… You do?" Solen replied, curious.
"You visited my world some days ago," the girl confirmed.
I see… she's the one from that dream! Solen thought, the pieces clicking into place. "Your world? What are you doing here, though?"
"I don't know what divine spirit led me, but something told me I had to flee," the girl explained. "I know it's impossible for anyone to leave, but that's when you came in. The power I sapped from you somehow made me able to break the bounds of impossibility and leave that evil space. I still don't know how I did it, but I think I came here because your lingering power drew me to you!"
"Tell me more about that world you came from," Solen urged.
"It's suffering as a world. Two suns in the morning, two moons in the night—it's all we see there," she began, her tone somber. "I once read a forbidden book that spoke of another world created by an Almighty, and the description was simply divine. It's why I was bound by another faith of the unknown—it's what always gave me hope!"
Her expression turned to one of pure terror. "Seraphius Corvun, the Broken Angel, is the one who supersedes that world, as inherited by the ones before him. He bound the laws of the world to absolute suffering and opted death as the only way out. For years I cried… for years I hoped for help to come from anywhere…" she added, sobbing.
"Help has finally come! What's your name!" Solen said with a big smile, touching her astral shoulder.
"C-Celeste," the girl replied, wiping her eyes and letting out a genuine smile. "I saw it in a forbidden ancient text one time. Most names from that world drew meaning from suffering and strife."
"Thank you!" Celeste said, before the astral communication broke off.
7-4. The Legementon of Chains
Lucen and Orin were staring in shock when Solen finally came back to reality.
"So? How did it go?" Lucen asked hesitantly.
"I need to see Father Lucent!" Solen said, sprinting out of the room.
Solen explained his entire encounter to Father Lucent, with Orin and Lucen present.
"I see… I see…" Father Lucent replied, his hand rubbing his chin rapidly as he processed the information.
"By the way… the grimoire from your dream… does it look something like this?" Father Lucent questioned, quickly pulling out an old parchment scroll and pointing to a diagram.
"Yeah! That's it!" Solen yelled.
Father Lucent looked in pure horror, every tone of playfulness instantly disappearing from his face.
"W-w-what?! You saw the Legementon of Chains, containing the 72 seals of the Ars Goetia?!" Father Lucent shrieked, clutching his robe. "This has taken another turn. The balance would finally be flipped over if we don't take actions NOW!"
A Junior Saint burst into the room, panting. "Father Lucent! That girl we brought in just ran out of the Sanctuary, chanting the words: Argares has called…" he gasped.
Father Lucent sank into his chair, a look of mild hypertension washing over him.
"It's already upon us… the age of doom."