Chapter XXXII

Hello dears, I've been advised to prepare a schedule for releases... I will try my best to come up with a solution that fits everyone's needs. I might release a Poll later today or tomorrow to gather your opinions on the matter. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 🐱‍🏍

“Where are we going now?” Lily squeezed out the muffled words between sobs. “Are you taking me away? Am I going to be left—"

“No,” Lucianus sighed, hugging his daughter tightly. “I don’t want you to be in the capital right now. It’s better—I think it’s best if you spend some time away. I have some friends in the countryside that might be able to help you.”

“Friends?”

…

Even with her father’s reassuring words, the guilt was still eating her up. She had used Death Magic, and something in the ritual had clearly stripped her not only of all her Light Magic, but also degraded most of her Mana-related skills.

Assuming she had been punished by the God of Light – something unusual but not impossible – it was still her fault.

As the carriage continued to climb, the scenery began to morph. Verdant hills rolled around them like a green, serene ocean dotted with the golden hues of ripening wheat. The air turned cooler and crisper, carrying the scent of earth and rain, a stark contrast to the heavy scent of the city. Occasionally, the soft clanging of sheep’s bells echoed in the distance.

Lily, drawn by the peacefulness, peered out the carriage window, her sobs gradually subsiding. Her eyes widened as she took in the imposing structure that had gradually come into view. Perched atop a hill, overlooking the vast expanse of the countryside, stood an enormous monastery. It was an edifice of solid stone of weirdly huge proportions.

Lucianus watched his daughter’s reaction closely. “Aurora, our family has many friends—many of them have died in the war, but I still have some trusted ones here and there,” he responded to the unasked question. “[Monks], to be precise.”
Lily remained silent for a moment before asking, “will they help me use Light Magic again?”

“If there’s anyone who can, it’s them. Especially—” Lucianus cut himself off, his eyes never leaving the towering structure. “I would help you myself, but I’ve been called to the front again. Even this little trip of ours has been…”

Lily saw a hint of hesitation on her father’s face and nudged his sleeve with one of her small hands.

“Dad?

“With how the war is going, I’m more comfortable with you here anyway. There have been talks of Undead [Rogues] breaching the perimeter and moving into the Citadel to kill high-value targets. Even if you were not to heal anyone again, if someone leaked information of your existence to the Necromonarchy, you’d be put on a kill list. Training together with the [Pope]’s son, potentially marrying him? The Papal Estate is a fortress, but it’s not impossible that the information has trickled out of it.”

As they approached, the carriage slowing before the grand entrance of the monastery, Lucianus could only hope that his decision would prove fruitful.

The monastery looked like a fortress up close, built of sturdy, weathered stone. Vines of ivy crawled across its aged facade, giving it life and vibrancy that softened its formidable countenance.

Its high, arched windows were filled with intricate stained-glass depictions of spiritual scenes, some of which, like the death of [Saint] Seraphina, Lily immediately recognized. Others were more ancient, with scenes she had never heard of. A massive bell tower rose from the center, housing an old iron bell that started to ring out as they approached.

At the entrance stood a pair of thick, wooden doors. They were massive, dwarfing any normal building.

As the carriage pulled to a stop, two monks appeared from the shadows of the entrance. They were behemoths, towering above the carriage Lucianus and his daughter were riding, with broad shoulders and muscular frames that contrasted with their gentle eyes and serene expressions.

Without uttering a word, the monks placed their hands on the door handles, which were carved into the shapes of golden lions’ heads, and together, they pushed. The doors groaned further as they slowly swung open all the way, revealing the inner sanctuary of the monastery.
…
“Marcus!” Lily’s father smiled at a giant of an old man, roughly three meters tall. Lucianus looked like a child next to him.

“Lucianus,” the other spoke with a deep, resounding voice, looking at the child. “It hasn’t even been a day yet. That you are here…”

Lily noticed a surprising lack of religious formulas around the two.

“You always wanted to meet my daughter, Aurora,” Lucianus said, putting a hand over her shoulder. When he saw the long glance he received in turn, he stretched his smile further. “I’ll explain later.”

“You will,” the giant man spoke, bending on his knees to look at Lily, who, fascinated by how gigantic these [Monks] were, had momentarily forgotten of her woes. “You must be Aurora Claudia, young lady.”

Lily nodded and, without knowing what to do, bowed. His hands were too big for her to shake comfortably, she reasoned.

“Good manners,” Marcus noted, straightening up and looking at the man in front of him. “And a… great outfit.”

There was a hint of displeasure in the giant’s words as he took in Lily’s robes.

“Aurora is to stay with you for a while, Marcus.”

The huge [Monk] squinted at Lucianus, “dear, your father and I have a few things to discuss first. You may call me Uncle Marcus—we’ll talk more later. Now, follow Arcadius.” Marcus pointed at another huge [Monk], the tallest one yet and probably the oldest, too. “He’ll show you to your quarters while your father and I catch up.”

…

Lucianus watched the thin figure of his daughter disappear into the monumental monastery.

“Lucianus,” Marcus sighed, passing a hand over his face. “For the naked thighs of [Saint] Seraphina, what did you do? Are we at war?”

Lily’s father bit his lip and cringed, “You don’t want to know the details.”

“I don’t,” Marcus jabbed the much smaller man’s shoulder lightly. “What’s the damage?”

“My daughter, inexplicably,” Lucianus put a lot of emphasis on the word, raising his eyebrows at the [Monk], “lost access to Light Magic.”

“Go figure, the God of Light must have finally seen through you.”

“If only it were that easy,” Lucianus sighed. “She’s lost access to Light Magic, and it appears to have damaged her Mana-related skills as well.”

“What about…?”

“I haven’t taught her that yet. I was planning on it, but the [Pope] decided my daughter was to marry into his family.”

“And you expect meto do it, don’t you?”

“Not you. Arcadius is much more proficient. By the way, is Hadrian…”

“A pain? Yes.”

“You know what I mean, Marcus.”

“He’s here. He’s safe. He isn’t reassured by your explanations, though, Lucianus. He won’t heed even to the Patriarch of the Gens Claudia. Wait, is your daughter’s problem related to…”

Lucianus looked pointedly at the man who didn’t finish his sentence.

“Ok, what’s the explanationfor her losing all those skills?”
“The [Pope] thinks the God of Light is involved.”

Lucianus didn’t say that he thought that, though. And that spoke volumes to Marcus.

“We should think of it as… a crack in her soul? It’s probably easier to explain that to the other [Monks].”

The giant facepalmed before bringing his two huge hands to the sides of his head, slowly massaging his temples, “that’s crap, isn’t it?”

“Utter bullshit,” Lucianus corrected him, adjusting his gold-framed glasses.

After Lucianus briefly explained some other plans related to the Gens Claudia’s affairs, the [Monk] decided to take the initiative to clear up what this was really about.

“So, what are we supposed to do here?” The giant spoke as they walked around the monastery.

“Train her.”

“Train a little girl to be a [Monk]?”

“You know what I mean, Marcus.”

“Do I?”

“You’re still angry about the tomb, aren’t you?” Lucianus smirked.

“What part? Walking through the desert without water and carrying you around because of your weak stats? Which is it, pray tell?” The [Monk] snorted. “You are possibly the worst friend I’ve ever had.”

“You too, friend: that’s why I brought my daughter here. I think she’ll need to look… inside herself, Marcus.”

“Do you know something I don’t, Lucianus? She’s barely been weaned off her mother, hasn’t she?”

“Aurora is… you’ll see. She doesn’t behave like a child her age. She was always different. She could articulate full sentences when she was barely one.”

“I guess I’ll have to trust another of your devious plans,” Marcus frowned before gently kicking his friend—but not gently enough not to make Lucianus smash his face to the ground. “I’ll try my best.”

“And about Hadrian…” Lucianus said, sitting on the ground.

“Do you want to see him? He’s in his stupid library.”

“No. Just… I’ll tell you later.”
…

“We train the body in the morning and the mind in the evening,” Arcadius explained. He looked much kinder than Marcus and older, too. “We’ll wake you up at dawn and start you on our physical routine. In the afternoon, after our prayers, we meditate and study.”

“Ok,” Lily muttered, her mind still on her lost skills.

“It does wonders for the tranquility of the soul,” Arcadius smiled back, showing Lily a small alcove where he couldn’t fit.

“This is your room. It’s barebone, but at least it’s the right size for you. There’s a bit of dust since we can’t really get inside. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I’ll clean it up—thank you, Arcadius.”

“It’s not every day that we have a child with us,” he smiled back. “Our life is about restrictions and… you’ll see. Let me go now. I’ll come pick you up for the prayers.”

“Thanks,” Lily smiled as the old [Monk] left.

She entered the small cavity in the wall, finding a room fully carved out of rock. You could still see the signs of fingers scooping the bedrock like clay.

“Huh,” Lily mouthed, sitting on the dusty bed sheets and looking around the room.
There was a small wardrobe and a desk with a chair. That was about the extent of the amenities in her room.

She laid down on the bed slowly, feeling her heart moving up to her throat.

She had lost everything she had worked so hard for.

She had been on the cusp of becoming not just one of the strongest [Healers] – like her mother had promised her – but wielding the Holy Flame and, perhaps, getting the legendary [Angel] class. And she had thrown it all away by trying to resurrect Elysium.

She had sinned. It had been a sin of hubris to try and play God with Elysium and not even have the courage to go through with it.

And now, what was she left with?

Nothing.

…

“Aurora,” Lucianus ducked inside the room, finding his daughter with tears streaking down her face. “Sweetie, I have to go. Marcus will take good care of you.”

“H-how long do I need to stay here?” Lily asked, feeling her heart clench as she sat back up.

“It might take… a long time. I’ll come visit whenever possible….”
Lucianus hugged his daughter to his chest, and Lily suddenly felt extremely guilty.
“Dad, what I did…”
Gently taking her arms and staring into her eyes, Lucianus nodded silently.
“You did what you thought you had to do; I trust it was in good faith. But it is not your fault.”

The man paused, adjusting the golden glasses on his face, a gentle frown framing his face.

“Aurora… You are much more than I could have ever hoped for in a daughter. You are smart, you are kind, and you care about things that we are not allowed to care about. I just hope you won’t hate me for this.”

“I won’t, dad,” she cried, buried into his chest.

“I must go now,” Lucianus gently extricated himself from the hug.

Lily was confused by her father not wanting to acknowledge or even know what she did. Did he already know what had happened?

“Dad, what I did was trying to r—”

“Aurora,” her father cut her off, shaking his head. “Don’t. I love you, sweetie.”

Lily had never felt this low, this loved, yet this desperate. She wanted to scream what she had done and what her real name was. She wanted to shout her real name so that she could be herself again. She wanted to tell him everything, but, in the end, she understood how that would be a problem.
Her father clearly knew something and was trying to protect her.

“I love you too, dad,” Lily went for another hug. She sobbed when her father left and until it was time to sleep, the sobs continuing even in her agitated dreams.