Everything about the beginning of the universal superpower known as the Empire was shrouded in darkness. For as long as people remembered, the Empire was already the only form of ultimate power and authority. The Emperor, the one standing at the top, never had to prove anything as to why he was at the pinnacle of this Empire.
Indeed, those who tried to dig up what was buried in the past might have existed at some point, but no one even heard about them. They never existed as far as those who lived present were concerned.
However, one of the reasons why the Empire could continue to tighten its control over the world was undoubtedly the existence of the Holy Church. A religious organization that had billions of believers.
The Holy Mother, the first saint, the messenger of God, the bridge between the mortal world and the unseen, was the most important individual among the believers as far as the Holy Church was concerned. The only thing that the believers didn't do was refer to her as a God, but she was no different than a God in their minds.
Nor the Emperor, nor the Holy Mother had to prove anything to the world. They were just there as if it was an undeniable truth. Those who were born in this universe would certainly learn about the existence of these two beings and be forced to acknowledge them. There was no room for debate.
*****
The Saints were chosen amongst the most devoted believers and given the privilege to serve directly under the Holy Mother. They had the most sacred duty if the Holy Mother herself was not taken into account.
Nonetheless, no one knew how the Holy Mother choose a new Saint. No mortal knew, or so it was said because it was the only God who made the decision.
Neige was chosen to be a Saint, and even though she thought that her training would be extremely hard, she was surprised to see that all she needed to do was to kneel for 4 hours in front of a stone-like throne. She was told that she would hear the voice of a God, and the Holy One would tell her when her training was done. But no matter how long she waited, such a thing never happened.
That said, there was something that made Neige feel uneasy. The Saints appeared to be devoted to the Holy Mother as if they lost everything that made them different from each other. All of the Saints felt like they were the same person.
Neige could somehow differentiate the stares of the people that looked at her. However, the Saints' looked like they starred at something which didn't exist.
She wondered if she would become like that too once she become a Saint. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs, or so she concluded. After all, it felt like they were serving the Holy Mother and not the one they called God.
*****
Neige tensed up as soon as she heard Fineas's voice. She made sure that no one was following her just a while ago but even so, the man who was also known as the Saint Fineas had already found her.
Still, Neige couldn't let Fineas find Amelia. Therefore, she tried to make it seems like she was searching for something else. "Sorry, but could you go back first? I am still searching for something in this place," said Neige in her usual flat-sounding voice.
She tried to be calm and not let any hint of emotions slip out of her voice. She knew that the man below would immediately notice any form of hesitation coming from her.
"Searching for something, you say, your highness? Then, I shall lend you my assistance," Fineas said, and his voice sounded kind, devoid of any ill intent.
"I appreciate your kindness, but this is something that I must do alone." Neige continued to buy some time. She gestured for Amelia and the two girls to be quiet, and then they purposely tried to make noise by turning the room upside down as if searching for something, covering Amelia and the girl with more fabric.
Fineas, still not showing any kind of ill intent, came up, joining Neige inside the dusty room. "What is the object that you are searching for, your highness?"
"It's not here. I will stop searching for today," Neige said, turning around and facing Fineas. She tried to make it seem like she didn't find what she was looking for.
"Please excuse my curiosity, but is the death of these soldiers your doing?" Fineas had suddenly asked Neige a question as if he waited for her to look at him.
"I did what I thought to be correct, according to the teaching of the Holy One," Neige answered, not looking disturbed by the situation and Fineas' question.
"Indeed. I will trust your judgment.' Fineas still talked in a gentle tone.
Seeing this, Neige thought that he didn't suspect anything. She already knew that he had already killed Barned from the way he asked that question. Nonetheless, he also didn't feel like there what Neige did was wrong. At least, that was Neige's impression.
Fineas' real thoughts were unreadable, and Neige didn't even try to guess them. She just needed to make sure that he wouldn't find Amelia.
"However, lying isn't a good thing. A saint should never lie. Isn't that so, your highness?"
As soon as Fineas said these words, the mood had suddenly become tense. Neige immediately understood what these words implied, and she couldn't deny it.
"What do you mean?" Nonetheless, Neige tried to work her way out of the situation by talking until the very end.
However, Fineas didn't answer Neige's question and just continued to look at her with an unwavering smile. His expression was so unsettling that it gave Neige goosebumps.
After all, this situation implied that Fineas knew exactly what Neige was thinking, or at least, he knew that he was searching for Amelia and found her. It seemed like the Holy Mother had sent Fineas to capture Amelia.
In that case, Neige didn't have a choice. She couldn't afford to let Fineas take Amelia away. She wasn't sure why they only tried to make use of Amelia now. It would have been easier if they just kidnapped her. Or was it because of Adam's existence? Did Adam protect her somehow? Neige didn't know, but she knew what she needed to do to find the answers to these questions. She needed to take down Fineas.
"What are you doing, your highness? The Holy Mother would be not pleased to hear about this," Fineas remarked, seeing that Neige had begun to use her ability.
"She can go to hell!" Neige said, this time with a voice full of determination.
"..." Fineas didn't say anything, but his expression was no longer as kind as how it was a second ago.
Neige's gift was light, but even among the people who possessed the same gift, her ability was special. She couldn't be classified with the normal level attributed to normal people. It was as if her gift was already an authority since the beginning.
Rather than controlling the particles of light, her body itself could become light particles. Unlike the other people who possessed the same gift as her, she didn't night a source of light to use her power.
"You are about to betray the Holy Mother and the Empire. Are you sure that this will be worth it? It's still not too late," Fineas said, but Neige had already made up her mind.
But for some reason, Fineas didn't appear in the least terrified. He didn't even look like he saw Neige as a threat.
Swoosh! Neige's movement was not visible to the human eye. She was not yet able to travel at the speed of light, but she was fast enough to kill someone in a fraction of a second.
She aimed at Fineas neck, trying to take him down with one hit when he was still not yet prepared to fight.
Neige was strong, and she knew what she was capable of. However, she also knew that there were people who possessed insane abilities, like Adam and surely, her father.
She had never seen Fineas fight seriously before because there was no need for him to fight until then. But he couldn't be as powerful as Adam, or so Neige thought.
Slash! Indeed, Fineas didn't even react to Neige's attack. He was neatly beheaded without even having the chance to draw his sword.
Fineas' head rolled on the ground, and with a big thump, his body collapsed. Blood bursted out from the place where his head used to be attached and begin to cover his surrounding.
Neige looked at Finea's head who still had a calm expression with his eyes open. For some reason, his face made Neige feel uncertain.
"Hey, let's go! We need to get out of here!" Neige's character has suddenly changed, and so did her tone. As if she didn't try to act like a princess anymore.
She pulled away the fabrics that covered Amelia and the two sisters, then asked them to stand up. The girls were terrified but there was no time.
"What? Don't look at me like that. Do you want to die or what?" Neige said, feeling a little bit annoyed by the girls' reaction. However, the girls wasn't looking at her and shrieked away.
Seeing this, Neige felt like she needed to look behind her. However, she also felt she shouldn't. But when she did, there was something grotesque there.
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