"So this is the mirror than can help us? I can indeed feel the smallest hints of divinity coming from inside it, but are you sure it is enough to make sure it is not fraud?"
No matter how Eve looked at the mirror, it seemed nothing more than an ordinary mirror to her. She did not understand what all this fuss was about.
"You are feeling like this because you cannot see the real power of the mirror without activating it. To do that, a sacrifice is needed. Unfortunately, none of us match the type of energy needed to activate this mirror."
Noctis did not even sound sorry when he said that. He spoke it like everyday life.
The silence that followed after that admission was tense and no one even tried to breathe. They could feel that the atmosphere was not to their liking.
Especially Lucas Dirac looked ready to kill someone currently. And no one wanted to go against him and challenge him.
"Then find someone whose energy matches this mirror as fast as possible. I don't care how you do it but you need to get someone with matching powers here."
Lucas Dirac had ordered and everyone else fell to silence.
Finally, it was Eve who opened her mouth. She looked hesitant to even speak up but a 'go ahead' from Noctis finally caused her to speak up.
"I think I know someone who matches this energy signature. I-I could be wrong here since I only ever felt it is used once but I am pretty sure Head Priest Yohan's energy matches this mirror."
Eve had not even finished speaking when both Adam and Lucas tried to stand up and head out. No one had to even guess where they were going at this point.
Fortunately, the others around them were much more reserved and knew when they had to stop someone from doing something foolish.
"Both of you, calm down. I know that you are excited to get Elysia back but think of the consequences of your actions. Can you even afford to have your head priest missing at this time when people are dependent on him? What would it mean for your supporters."
Enma was right and the other two knew it. But they just did not care enough to hold their feelings in.
"Supporters? They do not matter to me and I am sure everyone else feels the same-"
"But Elysia would not feel the same if you lose your standing in the court. Do you want her to do something foolish again?"
Adam and Lucas fell silent once again. They also calmed down once Eve had finished speaking. And it was right in time for Lexus to suggest something.
"Hey, if it is not too much burden on you, then we can be the ones to bring the Head Priest to you. We are not from this world so it won't matter."
Lexus's suggestion was not bad but it was not a welcoming one either. Especially since it had the option of being an inter-world conflict.
Eve wanted to point out all the harm it could do when Adam was the one who decided to approve of this plan.
"It could work. After all, no one but us knows the real threat and how it is related to the other world. As long as we do not release this news to the public, no one would be the wiser."
There was so much that could go wrong but in the end, no one tried to stop Adam. The only one who was opposed to this was Eve but even she was losing her enthusiasm by then.
It was clear that the Head Priest would be killed off in the end and that thought hurt to think about. But Eve found that it did not hurt as much as she thought it would. She had gone astray and drifted apart from the head priest some time ago.
And even she had not realized how far away she had drifted until this moment came for her.
'I guess I was not as loyal as a daughter as I thought I was. But surprisingly enough, it no longer matters to me.'
Eve was not going to make herself suffer by thinking unnecessary thoughts anymore. Her work was to support Elysia and make sure she came back home. That was all she was going to focus on for now.
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"Axia is this really alright? I followed what you asked me to do but this world is still suffering. The monsters keep on increasing and the people are dying. The prophecy is nowhere close to being fulfilled."
Head Priest Yohan looked at the desolate land from his window. The world looked black and destroyed. It felt like the end of the world had come for real.
Head Preist Yohan knew how bad it was going to be once the end came since it was necessary for the birth of a new world. But he had never expected things to be this deadly in the end.
"Don't worry. All this is necessary for the birth of a new world. Nothing good would come if the world is stagnant and no progress can take place if we do not destroy what exists."
Axia's words sounded wise but Head Preist doubted them. What use was it to destroy a perfectly good world to give birth to one that may or may not live up to one's expectations?
The world was already turning a shade of grey no one wanted to live in and death was everywhere.
"Head Preist Yohan, there are some guests for you out here. The nobles have come to meet you."
Head Priest Yohan scoffed as soon as he heard those words. Nobility was a social constraint that people had taken as a privilege. The nobles seemed to think of themselves as the superior race even when they were dependent on other people to keep themselves alive.
And the worst part was - all nobles were the same. There was no outliner in them.
"I understand. I will be there shortly."
But still, despite knowing and hating every second of what was happening, Head Priest Yohan knew he had no choice but to show himself outside and please these pretenders.
He was the biggest scum of everyone in this world. He knew his ideals better than anyone else but he was not ready to abide by them. He was a hypocrite bigger than anyone else.
"Head Preist Yohan, since you have been such a good follower of mine, I will give you a piece of advice. You should be careful from here on out. Do not let people see you doubting yourself and do not think that you are ever safe. Otherwise, you will find yourself in danger."
Axia had a smile when he said those words. As ever, he was blank and not ready to explain himself. Just looking at him was enough to make the Head Preist feel bad.
But still, Aixa was someone who had led him this far and the Head Preist could not start to doubt him now. He had to hold on until the end.
Head Preist Yohan did not see the blow coming his way. He did not even feel the magical energy that collided with him as he lost consciousness. And it was because the person who attacked him was not from this world at all.
The qi that had caused Yohan to fall unconscious was exclusive and it was potent. There would have been no way for Yohan to avoid it without having any prior knowledge.
"I told him to be careful but it seems like this is the end for Head Priest Yohan. May he have a pain-free future, however long he had left."
Axia watched it all happen but he could not interfere in the world's happenings. As much as he wanted to stop this death, he could not tell the people to let the Head Priest go.
'Huh, I feel sorry for that man. I wonder if I considered him a friend or not. But I cannot think about it anymore or I will never be able to get out of the clutches of disport.'
There was a reason people like him did not have any lingering attachments left in this world and it was because they often lost their reasons once they faced harsh conditions.
In that way, Axia was not any different either. He had not lost his bearing yet because he had not allowed that side of himself to flourish. He had broken himself once but it did not mean he was ready to break again.
"Head Priest Yohan, good luck for the future you may or may not have. I wish I could have helped you out more but even my hands are bound."
In the end, Elysia Dirac was the only one who was left with the authority to change things. What a twisted turn of events this turned out to be.