“...now go forth and praise the Goddess, so she may ever guide you with her light.”

  Aria watched as the crowd began to disperse from the temple. She waited at the back— behind the rows of pews— her face masked by the hooded cloak she wore. As the Lady of Light, she knew she would be swarmed by the worshipers who were gathered here for the congregation at the Basilica of Lux if they had seen her face.

  So she hid herself, waiting for them to leave as she eyed the man who had just finished his sermon.

  He was an elderly man dressed in simple robes. Garbs that befitted a low-ranking [Deacon]. And yet, he stood there, right before the altar, surrounded by the Seven Cardinals of the Virtues behind him, each of them dressed in their own luxurious robes, but their heads were kept low before him.

  The worshipers gathered around him too. They were here to see him. They cried tears of joy, dropping to their knees as they approached him. But he greeted them with a kind smile. He nodded patiently as he heard their woes. And finally, he urged them to raise their heads, even as he gave them his blessings.

  Here he was.

  Archbishop Walden.

  The Head of the Church of Life.

  The Supreme Sovereign of Lux.

  But most importantly, he was the man who raised Aria— who taught her everything she knew. He was like a father to her. Or rather, he was like how she imagined a father to be. After all, her very own father had left her on the side of a road for dead when she was a mere toddler, so she never knew what it meant to even have a father. It was only because she was found by a passing [Trader] that she even made it to the orphanage.

  And that was why she had come to Walden to seek out his wisdom. Because he always knew the answers, even when she was lost and confused and afraid. And right now, she was more lost than ever.

  All because of the Avatars of Death.

  Again and again and again, she had gone out to destroy these powerful creatures that seemed to be spawning out of thin air. But despite her best efforts, their sightings only became more and more frequent. And the destruction they wrought would only grow over time.

  After all, there were only so many villages, towns, and cities they could destroy. How many more cities the size of Avilos could be razed to the ground before there weren’t any cities left?

  There were only so many places she could be at the same time. And yet, even the support of the Inquisitors was not enough to bring down these Avatars of Death, as evinced by her most recent skirmish.

  So she knew that it wasn’t a matter of taking reactive action, rather they needed to get to the source of the Avatars of Death and put preventive measures in place. But how?

  That was exactly the question she hoped to ask Archbishop Walden.

  The crowd of worshipers began to clear out as the time of visitation came to an end, and Aria started down towards the front of the nave, walking past the rows and rows of empty pews. But as she reached the altar, she noticed an elderly woman was still kneeling before Walden.

  Even though the elderly woman was dressed in rags and looked sickly, the Archbishop offered her his hand. She raised her head weakly, whispering ‘thank you’ over and over again. And then her mouth suddenly snapped wide open as a golden viper shot out straight for the Supreme Sovereign of Lux.

  He recoiled as Aria’s eyes went wide.

  “An assassin?”

  The Lady of Light dashed forward and drew her blade as her cloak flew off her body. Archbishop Walden rushed to conjure up a barrier too, but the golden viper moved so quickly and with such intensity, it reached him before the barrier could form, striking him in the neck as he yelled out in pain.

  The Seven Cardinals of the Virtues moved, each one of them raising their hands as spell circles formed on their fingertips, aimed down at the elderly lady. But Aria was faster. She reached the assassin in the next second and sliced the golden viper in half.

  It began to disintegrate into ash as Aria pinned the elderly lady to the ground.

  “Who are you? Who sent you?” Aria yelled as she held her blade against the assassin’s neck.

  Behind her, the Seven Cardinals of the Virtues immediately rushed to Archbishop Walden’s side, casting their healing spells as he clutched onto his neck, lying on the ground.

  “Answer me!” Aria screamed, digging her weapon deeper into the elderly lady’s neck.

  In response, all the assassin did was bare her crooked and yellow teeth, cackling wildly. “Archbishop Walden shall suffer for his sins. Archbishop Walden shall suffer for his sins. Archbishop Walden shall suffer for his sins.”

  The elderly lady chanted in a trance as Aria pursed her lips. I’m not going to get anything out of her— the thought started to cross the Lady of Light’s mind.

  And then she heard a crack.

  Something broke open inside of the assassin’s mouth. Black blood began pouring from her lips as she just smiled wildly. Her eyes turned black, and her body convulsed. Aria realized what happened a moment too late.

  “Cardinal Severn!” Aria called out, turning to face the Cardinal of Charity. “The assassin, she’s—”

  “She’s already dead,” Severn said as he looked up and shook his head at the Lady of Light. He was still in the middle of healing Archbishop Walden as he spoke.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  And Aria blinked back down at the elderly lady, realizing what he said was true. “That’s…”

  The other cardinals began to help Archbishop Walden up as Severn sighed, keeping his healing up. “Now come on, we need to get Archbishop Walden to a [Healer]. The effects of this venom is… powerful.”

  ***

  “He should survive. Fortunately, thanks to his high [Vitality], he was able to resist the venom’s effects for long enough before Cardinal Severn got to him. Otherwise, he would be dead right now.”

  Leonelle the Sage of Restoration— one of the greatest [Healers] of the Sanctus Empire— spoke as she bowed her head at the Lady of Light. Glancing to the side, both women looked towards the bedridden archbishop.

  “The venom this assassin used… it belongs to a dawn serpent,” Leonelle continued. “I don’t know how they acquired it, but I’m sure you’ve heard of just how deadly their venom can be.”

  Aria nodded in response. “I’ve seen it in action myself. It’s able to bring down even an Emerald Rank [Paladin] if they don’t seek out the proper treatment in time.”

  “As expected of the Lady of Light.” Leonelle raised an amused brow, before she shook her head. “In any case, I’ve managed to remove the venom from Archbishop Walden’s system. So he should be fully recovered in a few days’ time.”

  “Perhaps more like a few weeks’ time,” Walden said from the side as he sat up in his bed. He coughed as the cardinals in the room rushed to his side, helping steady him where he sat. “I doubt I will be able to recover as quickly as you think, [Healer] Leonelle. It appears my age is finally catching up to me…”

  The archbishop looked down at himself. And sure enough, he was a shadow of his former self compared to even ten years ago. Right now, he looked older than ever, his skin covered in wrinkles, and his wispy white hair giving way to a bald spot on the very top of his head.

  “I still can’t believe this was allowed to happen. How did the Inquisitor Guards not catch that assassin at the gates of Lux?” Aria spoke through gritted teeth.

  But Walden just placed a hand on his chest. “I only have myself to blame for what happened. I’m much older than I used to be. If only I still had my past reflexes, I would’ve been able to save myself. Alas, I can only thank the Goddess that you were there, Aria. Otherwise, that assassin would have been able to finish me off while I was down.”

  Looking up, he smiled gratefully at the Lady of Light. But Aria just bit her lower lip. She was frustrated with herself— that she hadn’t been able to react in time to stop the attack.

  But the elderly lady had been fast. So incredibly quick, even despite her apparent age.

  That meant she had to have been extremely high-Ranked. And yet, when she died, Aria received only a notification informing her of killing a Bronze Rank. It just made no sense. Especially when considering that they weren’t able to find any information on where the elderly came from or who she was.

  “Who could’ve sent such a powerful assassin? And why would they want you dead?” the Lady of Light wondered aloud as she placed a hand on her chin.

  Walden just chuckled as he waved a hand dismissively at her. “I have made many enemies during my long tenure as the Head of the Church of Life. I am sure many folks want me dead. And they will eventually get their wish— but I can only hope that I can at least outlive them so that I get the last laugh.”

  The archbishop offered a weak smile. Aria opened her mouth.

  “But that doesn’t explain anything—” she started.

  “Perhaps not,” Walden said as he shook his head. “However, there is no point in speculating who could have done this, when we have no leads. Perhaps we can worry about it later, keeping an eye out for future attempts on my life when I am recovered. For now, let me rest.”

  “R-right…” Aria nodded as she drew back, leaving the room.

  Leonelle followed suit, leaving only the Seven Cardinals of the Virtues behind in the room. The door shut close behind her as a pair of Inquisitor Guards stood there, blocking the doorway. However, Aria wasn’t able to rest easy, despite their presence.

  If one assassin was able to slip by them, then another assassin would be able to do the same, Aria thought as she eyed the Inquisitor Guards, reaching the end of the hallway. She turned the corner, waving goodbye to Leonelle, before resolving herself. If they aren’t able to do their jobs, then I’ll have to do it for them.

  ***

  Later that night, as Archbishop Walden fell asleep, lying alone in his bed, Aria stood right outside the partially-open window, keeping watch for any potential assassins in the area. Even though she was standing by the ledge, out in the open, nobody could see her.

  No one could even detect her presence. After all, she had taken a Potion of Invisibility while wearing a Ring of Anti-Divination. The only way she could be noticed by anyone was if she made a loud enough noise. However, as the Lady of Light, she wouldn’t make such a simple mistake.

  So she just kept an eye open, ensuring that no assassin would be able to get to Walden. And for the most part, nothing happened throughout the night. That was, until, the stroke of midnight, when the door to the room swung open as Cardinal Severn stepped in.

  “Archbishop Walden.”

  And just like he had never been asleep, Walden sat up in his bed and faced the Cardinal of Charity with an expectant look.

  “Cardinal Severn. I trust that you have good news for me?”

  Aria raised a brow as she glanced back into the room, watching the two elderly men regard each other.

  “Indeed. Unfortunately, it is not the news you were hoping to hear.” Severn shook his head apologetically. “We have determined that the assassin sent to take your life today was a homunculus. Which means that it was very likely created by Hyperius himself.”

  A homunculus? Aria frowned as she heard that. But I’ve never seen a homunculus so… life-like before.

  And Aria had seen Laffyr the Body Horror’s terrible creations. But that was besides the point. The Lady of Light had known Walden for her entire life, and she had never once heard him mention this ‘Hyperius’ person before. Yet, both the archbishop and cardinal spoke about them with familiarity.

  “As expected, Hyperius is finally moving against me. However, it matters not.” Walden sighed, shaking his head. “All that matters is we need to get the next vessel ready—”

  Then he paused as his gaze came to a halt before the open window. His eyes narrowed, and Aria’s heart sank, thinking she had somehow been caught. But the archbishop just snapped at the cardinal.

  “What are you doing, you fool? Close the window, and set up an anti-scrying field. If somebody hears us…”

  “My apologies, Archbishop.” Severn bowed his head quickly, before rushing to the window. “I will rectify my mistake immediately.”

  Aria watched him slam it shut, before bringing two fingers up and whispering under his breath. The window flashed as a spell rippled over the room. And then the Lady of Light could no longer hear anything coming from within.

  All she could do was just watch as Cardinal Severn pulled down the blinds, before she drew her lips into a thin line, processing everything she had overheard.

  Who is this Hyperius? And what exactly does Archbishop Walden mean by a ‘vessel’?

  Aria’s mind raced with all these questions. But she didn’t know the answers. All she knew was that she was completely out of her depth. And she couldn’t help but wonder one final question.

  Why exactly is Archbishop Walden keeping this a secret from me?

  Unfortunately for Aria, even as she waited by the ledge until dawn, she found no answers, and she was left questioning the man who raised her as she returned back to her room.