They were finally back; after a very long time of absence Lina and Validar finally returned to the mountains and the little girl was very content, that they made it home. The temperature was no longer insanely high, and there was a lot of green everywhere around them. After that whole journey Lina really started to appreciate the nature, and the climate here… It was so nice in compare to the unendurable atmospheric conditions of the desert, and Lina was finally able to take a breath without feeling the taste of sand on her mouths. But on the other hand it was hard for the girl to leave Tormus town…
It was especially difficult for Lina to part ways with Miss Adel. The girl got very sad when she realized that she will probably never see the woman again, and she was even sniffing a little when she was saying her goodbye to Adel. But the woman started to cheer Lina up immediately, when she saw the small tears forming on her eyes, and she also assured her that she will never tell her secret to anyone, and for that Lina was very grateful.
The little one was trying to find that merchant Anna too… She concluded that the name 'Lina' is appearing in her visions a lot, and it was bothering her. She wanted to find out if the woman from her dreams and the 'legendary hero' that Anna was talking about, might be the same person.
After a few long hours of searching Lina finally found Anna. She found all three of them, when they were about to leave the burned town.
The girl asked the merchant if she could still buy the book which Anna was offering to her when they first met, but the woman just shook her head with a depressed look of her face, and then she told Lina that all her belongings were gone in flames during the attack… It was a very, disappointing information.
Lina got angry at herself when she realized that she had that old and precious book in her hands and she missed the unrepeatable opportunity to read some of it… It was a great lose, but there was nothing she could do about it, so Lina just left Anna and her sisters alone, with her mood very bad…
"Lina, watch where you're going." Validar told his daughter, while grabbing her hand, and dragging her away from the tree which she nearly hit, when she was lost in a deep reverie.
"You're pondering again." The man said, irritated by her behavior. "Try to focus on the path for a little while longer, we're almost there."
"Yes, father… Yes, I'm sorry." Lina mumbled a little embarrassed. It was already the third time when Validar had to stop her from colliding with something on their way. "I was just thinking about everything and…"
"I know child." The Great Priest raised his hand to cut off her words. "You were explaining yourself enough times. I can see that you're still worried but you really don't have to, you've made the right choice."
"Yeah… I hope so…" The girl whispered without any enthusiasm. "I hope that you're right."
When Lina was still speaking, she noticed that the area around them is turning strangely… white, and she felt shivers on her back when she remembered what this unnatural whiteness means.
"They noticed us." Validar spoke Lina's thoughts aloud, as if he was reading her mind. "Finally… It took them longer than I expected."
Just a while later the group of men dressed in red robes come forth the fog and they encircled Lina and Validar. But this time the 'Angels of Death' were not trying to attack them; to Lina's surprise they just bowed their heads in a gesture of respect.
"Welcome home, master Validar." The purple haired man, which Lina recognized as the same one who stopped them when they were leaving the city, spoke up.
His name was… Caius or something. – The girl remembered.
"How was your journey?" Caius asked dully.
"It was hard, but it ended well. And my dear… apprentice made a lot of progresses." Validar answered him after a moment of consideration.
"It's good to hear it, my Lord…" The man stated, with an unmoved expression, as if his face was made of stone. "Please allow us to escort you and your companion back to the temple." Caius asked, looking directly at Lina.
Validar's daughter gulped unwillingly when she looked back at that man, and she saw his dull black eyes. The first time when they met, Lina was a bit disorientated, and she had no time to look closely at Caius, but now she was feeling very uncomfortable with the awareness that he's observing her.
The small girl was not exactly sure how to put it in words, but there was something wrong with Caius. He was even more creepy then Validar; he had no any particular expression on his face, but still he was staring at Lina tenaciously, as if he was trying to kill her by his gaze. And he has these scary big and round dark eyes, without any spark of live in them… That man was just so empty…
That's right, 'empty'… it was the best term to describe Caius in just one word. He was looking, and acting more like a soulless doll, that like a normal human being.
"This is actually a good idea Caius." Validar nodded. "Led the way, and watch over her, especially." The Great Priest ordered, pointing his finger on Lina. "She's absent-minded very often, and as a result, sometimes she's swerving from the road."
"Of course, my Lord." Caius bowed his head again, and then he approached Lina very closely, to fulfill his master's order.
Lina gritted her teeth in discomfort when the creepy man got so, very near to her. The girl didn't like the fact that a professional killer is going to guard her, but she also didn't say any word of protest. After all, Caius had no any intention to kill her… Right…?
Lina gulped again in hope that Caius didn't hear that sound; he shouldn't know that she's afraid of him.
Meanwhile the rest of the men formed a conduct, encircling Validar and Lina tightly, to protect them if it would be necessary, and then they all went back to the Mediuth city.
They crossed the main gates, and they entered the city without any complications. The guardians of the gates, let them enter at once, when they saw Validar together with his 'guardians', and everything went quick. The real commotion started when they were already inside of the city…
The people on the streets were stopping all their occupations, and staring at the conduct with a mix of curiosity and fear on their eyes. Lina could feel their gazes pointed directly on her, and she cannot help but feel very uncomfortable with that… Lina always liked to be in the center of attention when she was living with her mother, but the girl changed since she found out that she's the vessel, and now she wanted nothing more than to just disappear from all these men's sight.
Do they know who I am? – The little one started to wonder, brushing away her hair from the face. – Or maybe it's something else? – She was thinking, and then she set her eyes on one of her cowlicks. She frowned, and she quickly pulled a hood on her head.
I have a weird hair color… - Lina thought to herself. – Maybe that's why everyone are staring at me so blatantly. They might even think, that I'm from Ylisse. – Lina continued her considerations, and that thought annoyed her. She didn't want to be associated with that barbaric, and ruthless nation.
"Something wrong?" Lina heard Caius's voice, right behind her, and it surprised her so much that she nearly jumped out of her skin. "You seem very fraught, young Lady."
"No, I…" The girl stuttered. "I just… don't like crowds…"
Unfortunately the mass of people around them was getting bigger and bigger. There were even some priests of Grima who were greeting Validar, and welcoming him back. The Great Priest was just silently nodding towards them, but with his gaze rather emotionless.
It wasn't any better when they reached to the temple. The doorman opened the doors before their conduct, and when they entered, the priests of Grima immediately spotted them.
They besets Validar and they started to ask him many questions, it was obvious that they were disturbed by his long absence. Some people were staring curiously at Lina too, but she was doing everything what she possibly could, to avoid the eyes contact with them.
Validar was answering all the questions aimed at him very calmly, and sedately but to be honest he was a little annoyed. He didn't want the Grimleal to reorganize Lina, not yet; not under such chaotic circumstances. They should orchestrate the special ceremony to officially welcome the vessel of Grima in the temple, and then perform all the necessary rituals with her attendance… The priests shouldn't bother his daughter until then, after all Lina is formally not here, yet…
The Great Priest, called Caius by a slight gesture of his hand. The man quickly understood his master's intention, and he approached Validar with Lina still by his side.
"Take this girl to Xerxes." Validar ordered him, pointing at Lina again. "My brother will take care of her for now. I would go with you, but it looks like I have to stay here for a little while longer."
"Yes, master." Caius confirmed, and he wanted to immediately leave, but Lina was still hesitating, she was actually freaked out by her father's words.
"Father, no…" She whispered into his ear very quietly, so nobody else could hear what she's saying. "Don't leave me alone with this man." The little girl begged, pointing her eyes directly on Caius.
"Why not?" Validar was surprised. "He's one of my best men."
"But…" Lina was trying to protest and she made a very sad face. "Just look at him, he's absolutely creepy."
"Wait…" Validar smiled strangely when he realized what Lina's problem is. "Are you afraid of him?"
The little girl didn't say anything in response, she didn't want to admit her fear aloud, but Validar already knew that his assumptions are right, just by looking at his daughter's terrified face.
"Don't worry Lina." Her father said slowly. "Imagine that Caius is just a dog; a big, ugly but well-trained dog, who will protect you from danger."
"I can't…" The little girl was still not convinced. "He's a human, he's a killer and he's armed."
"It doesn't matter." The Great Priest said firmly. "I ordered Caius to take you to Xerxes, so he will do it. He's always fulfilling all my orders, perfectly and without fail."
"But I…"
"Just go already." Validar growled at her. "A few more moments and all these priests will recognize you. They will sense the power of Grima in you, if you will stay with them for too long. You don't want it, do you?"
Lina sent the people around a worried look. She concluded that it's better to walked away from them even despite her concerns. She approached Caius very reluctantly, and she followed after him, with a somber expression.
Validar was right, the priests of Grima might sense her power indeed… It turned out like this with Sir Helmut; at first the old recluse didn't know who she is, but when he started to peer at her, he uncovered her real identity with ease. Lina didn't want to come out in the open like this, it's true that she decided to serve Grima as his vessel and fulfill her destiny, but she was still a little afraid of exposing herself before the Fell Dragon's worshipers.
The little girl left her father, and everyone else behind, but she still had that strange feeling that somebody is staring at her. Lina turned around a bit nervously, and she caught a sight of a familiar face.
The doorman of the temple was looking at her from the darkest corner of the room, with his arms crossed on the chest, and with his eyes shining strangely. But what surprised Lina the most he also had his head bandaged tightly.
He probably has some serious injury on his head. - The girl thought to herself. – I wonder what happened to him… I hope it's nothing too serious…
The doorman bowed deeply before Lina, but she just quickly shook her head in response and she put a finger over her mouths. She was trying to tip off the man, that he should stay silent for now. The doorman understood, and he just sighed sadly, without saying any word. Lina sent him a look full of sympathy and she smiled at him weakly. After that she finally went after Caius, to not lose the sight of him.
The professional assassin was moving quickly, without making any sounds during walking. It was somehow impressive for Lina and it the same time it was disturbing. The little girl had no idea how Caius can move like that, and she wanted to find out, but she was afraid to ask him any question.
Lina was just looking at him surreptitiously but she was turning her eyes away every time when he was looking back at her. They were going in silence for a dozen or so minutes, through the long labyrinth of corridors before Caius finally stopped in front of some door, and he knocked.
"Come in!" Lina heard Xerxes's voice from within the room, and she let go of a breath that she was holding during her way here.
She was simply content that she wouldn't have to be alone with that killer anymore… And now, even if Caius would try to hurt her or something like that, then her uncle will surely protect her.
Caius pushed the door-handle, he entered the room, and Lina followed after him.
The little girl, looked around the big chamber curiously and she cannot help but smile. There was so many books… even more than in her own room. Every wall in Xerxes's room was completely covered by bookshelves, and these bookshelves were utterly filled with books. Lina's uncle was living in a big private library.
I like this chamber… - She thought to herself. – I wonder if Lord Uncle will borrow some of his books to me, if I'll ask him.
Xerxes was sitting over his desk, and he was reading some documents attentively, but when he noticed Lina entering his room, he stood up from his place, and he frowned in confusion. For a few seconds the man was just watching his unexpected guests in silence, as if he was not sure what he should do. He was really surprised by their presence; especially by Lina's presence.
Meanwhile Caius made a strange gesture by his hand, it was a bit similar to a salute, but it was a little too sloppy.
"Master Xerxes…" He addressed the other man dully. "Master Validar ordered me to brought this girl to you, so I did."
"Validar…?" Xerxes repeated, approaching them slowly in the same time. "So he's back…"
"Yes, my lord." Caius confirmed with his emotionless voice. "We escorted him safety back to the temple."
"I see." Xerxes nodded a little indifferently. "You did well." He stated, and then he focused his whole attention on his second guest.
"It's good to see you again, Lina." Xerxes addressed his niece, bowing his head a little.
"You too, Lord Uncle." The little girl returned the bow with grace. "I'm glad that I'm finally back."
When Caius heard that innocent exchange of words between them, his eyes immediately went wide. He added two and two together and an expression of shock appeared on his stony face for just a short second.
He obviously knew about Lady Lina, he knew about the Great Priest's daughter, but he had never seen her up close before. The Angel of Death come back to his senses quickly, and he got rid of his little shock, but he cannot help but still gaze at the girl.
Xerxes took notice of that, and he sent the man a stern look.
"What are you staring at Caius?" The high priest reprimanded him. "Shoo, get out of here, you're dismissed." Xerxes waved his head blankly. "Return to your position, or to whatever you were doing before you came here."
"Understood…" Caius nodded grimly.
The assassin slowly backed away; he turned towards the door and he left the room without any other word.
Lina was feeling much better without the creepy man's company, and her whole body relaxed when she finally parted ways with him. She sighed loudly in relief, and then she set her eyes back at her uncle.
"How could you order that man around like that?" The girl mumbled. "He's so scary…"
"Who? Caius?" Xerxes questioned her, rising his brows in surprise. "He's not scary at all… No, Caius is rather like a loyal dog, that can perform tricks. He will do anything if you would just give him the right command."
"Father said something similar…" Lina whispered in reverie, but she had a feeling that such way of thinking isn't right.
Caius was not an animal, he was obviously a human being, even despite all his creepiness. Why both Xerxes and Validar were comparing an assassin to a dog was beyond Lina's comprehensions.
"Don't bother yourself with him." Xerxes exclaimed suddenly, grinning at Lina for some reason.
"Come on, I will host you." The man said, grabbing Lina by hand, and lading her towards his desk.
He quickly took away all the documents from it, and then he sat Lina down on the chair.
"Do you want something?" The man asked politely. "I have a few apples inside of this." He said pointing at the basket, laying on the desk close to Lina. "And I have a lot of wine." Xerxes stated with a smirk on his face. "The wine might be a bit too strong for you, but if I would water it down, then you could…"
"No, thank you…" Lina simply cut him off. "I don't really like the diluted wine that much… but I will gladly take an apple if I could."
"Go ahead." Xerxes said, giving her the fruit.
Lina bite the apple and she started to chew it fervently, it was tasty, and besides the girl got hungry during their long way back.
In the end, Lina eat the apple together with the core, and then she immediately reach for the next one.
"I see that you have a lot of books here, Lord Uncle…" Lina addressed the man, to break the strange silence in the room. "There are so many, that I feel dizzy just by looking at all these bookshelves."
"Well, of course." Xerxes replied, running a hand through his hair. "I'm an ambitious scientist Lina, I'm searching for the new knowledge every day. I'm especially fascinated in medicine, but I'm interested in the other brunches of science too; no matter if it comes to astronomy, mathematics, magic or alchemy."
"Really?" Lina asked, when she swallowed the last piece of the apple. "Then we have something in common." The girl exclaimed, with a weak smile on her face.
Xerxes looked at her strangely because her statement was a bit out of blue, so she decided to explain herself.
"I mean, I like books too and I love learning new things!" Lina said in excitement. "I know the positions of all the constellations, and I love history, and magic spells, and animals; especially worms and bugs, they are so cool!"
Lina started to jabber about many different things to him, and Xerxes cannot help but smile.
Kids… - He was thinking in amusement. – They can got so excited over anything.
Lina's behavior was reminding him about his own little son; Rainer was getting excited over every small thing too, and he was so lively and loud…
But I shouldn't be surprised… - Xerxes was thinking. – After all, Lina is just a few weeks older than Rainer. They are both children, and children are acting childish sometimes…
"Hey, Lord Uncle?" Lina's voce brought the man back to reality.
"What…?" He asked, dully.
"Could I read some of your books, from time to time?"
"Why, yes." Xerxes answered her, a little surprised by her question. "But I'm not sure if you will understand them. These are not some simple fairy-tales, you know? They are hard to read and complicated."
"I do know." Lina said, now absolutely serious. "That's why I want to read them, to learn these complicated things."
Her uncle just chuckled under his breath. "That's admirable as for someone of your age… I've heard that you're incredibly clever, so if you want to read some of my volumes, then go ahead." Xerxes said proudly, looking at his library collections. "In fact I can't even forbid you to take my books. I can't forbid you anything, since you are the vessel of Grima… You are my boss."
He started to laugh a little over that fact, but Lina was not amused at all, just the opposite… She frowned, and her face turned sad.
"Speaking of which…" Xerxes decided to continue that topic. "Did you already come to terms with who you are? Did something change? You were gone for quite some time and I'm curious to know more about your voyages, and what you've learnt during them."
Lina just sighed very heavily in response and she closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was trying to remember something.
"First of all, I want to apologize to you, Lord Uncle…" She said after a long pause.
"Apologize?" Xerxes repeated quietly, a little confused. "For what?"
"You were trying to warn me, and you even told me that the world is a terrible place, but I ignored your words… I didn't believe you; I was carless and stupid, and I'm sorry for that. You were correct all along."
Xerxes was dumbfounded when Lina's apology finally came down to his mind, but then he just smiled widely, and he started to laugh discreetly again.
"I must be dreaming." The man said, pinching his own arm. "I would never think that you will admit your mistake so openly…" He continued when he made certain that he is not asleep. "Lina as I said before you are my boss, and therefore I'm your inferior. Don't you have any pride?" Xerxes asked her seriously. "Don't detract yourself. You don't have to apologize to your inferiors, or to anyone else…"
"But I want to." Lina said firmly. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm infallible, I was wrong and you were right. The world is dangerous and ruthless." The girl stated with her voice a bit sad.
"…I nearly died, you know?" She spoke up again, when Xerxes said nothing in response. "I was very close to death, twice." Lina mumbled quietly.
"I knew it would be like this…" Xerxes sighed loudly, hearing her statement. "I told Validar that it's a bad idea to take you outside of the city, but was he listening to me…?" The man muttered to himself. "No, of course not! He's never listening to my advices!" Xerxes exclaimed in irritation, and Lina was just staring at him, strangely. She started to suspect that her father and uncle are not getting along too well.
When the other man noticed that Lina is looking at him, with a puzzled face, he quickly refrained himself from manifesting his anger.
"I'm sorry Lina." Xerxes said, clearing his troth in embarrassment. "My personal grudges are not important right now… You better tell me, did something happened to you? Is your body damaged? Do you have any scares?"
"No, I don't." Lina denied. "I'm fine, now."
"But you just told me that you nearly died." Xerxes said, a little confused. "You have to tell me what happened."
"Well…" The girl replied a bit hesitantly. "First, the desert's sun burned my entire body, and I had so high fever that my live was in danger. But father found some very kind healers and I was cured. And then the next day… there was an attack." Lina said slowly. "The Ylisse army attacked the town where we were staying."
"WHAT?!" Xerxes shouted out in shock.
He placed his both hands on Lina's shoulders, and he started to shake them in his panic. "The Ylisseans destroyed the town while you were there!? And you're still alive!?" He exclaimed loudly. "It's a miracle that you survived something like that! How did you escape? And…" He paused for a moment to calm down, and pull himself together.
"They didn't know anything about you, did they? Lina please, tell me they didn't!"
Lina was silent for a long while, her uncle reacted so impulsively that she didn't even know what to say. She was well aware that Xerxes will be fret over the fact that she and her father were both in a great danger, but she wasn't expecting such an outburst from him… After all, they are here now, save and sound. In the end nothing too serious happened to neither of them.
"No…" Lina answered him, as calmly as she could. "They were unaware of anything. You don't have to worry about these barbarians at all Lord Uncle, I've killed all of them."
Xerxes froze for a moment in astonishment, and he blinked a few times when he finally realized what Lina just told him.
"Come again?" He mumbled, now completely disorientated.
"I've killed them." Lina repeated. "They were burning my father alive, so…" The girl stuttered a little. "So I went crazy, and I annihilated them."
"Wait, Lina." Xerxes addressed her again, rising his hand to hold her words. "Wait just a moment, because I'm a bit lost, can you start from the beginning?"
Lina took a deep breath, and then she told Xerxes everything what she could remember about that sudden attack. She told him about the fire everywhere, she told him about the people dying, and how she was saved by the archers from the town. She described to him how Validar found her, and how he protected her from the dark flier's attack by taking the whole blow at himself. And then she told him about how she went crazy, and about the magical storm she caused…
The man was listening to her attentively. Xerxes was nodding from time to time, to somehow encourage Lina to continue, and sometimes he was interrupting her to ask something, but it was evident that he's focused on her every word.
"And then I lost consciousness…" Lina finished her story. "Father told me, that I was out for the whole three days, but everything ended well… That is, the Ylisseans retreated, and the inhabitants of the town were saved."
Lina was feeling better after telling Xerxes about that whole catastrophe. She had a strong desire to speak about it with somebody else then Validar, because her father got very excited since they left Tormus town, and he was practically rushing back home. When Lina was trying to speak with him, about everything what happened during the attack, he was just trivializing it, as if it was nothing and he was endlessly telling her that she shouldn't worry about that anymore. But the little girl was somehow unable to let it go… It was a traumatic experience for her, despite everything.
Xerxes started to walk around the room; he was a bit outraged by everything what he just heard.
Validar is an idiot… - The man was thinking in anger. – To expose the vessel's life to danger like that, he's so irresponsible sometimes… It was a close call, and Lina would be dead. Without her, master Grima would never be able to return to the world, and what would we do in that case…? This Validar, I'll brawl him out for being so reckless.
"Lord Uncle…" Lina addressed him with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"
"Ah, of course." Xerxes affirmed her, suddenly stopping his little stroll around his own room. "I'm just a little unsettled after everything what you told me, and that's all." He approached the girl, and he looked directly into her eyes. His gaze was a bit stern.
"Lina…" Her uncle said slowly. "You should never experience, any of that. You are too important to our cult, to expose yourself to danger. It's our duty to protect you and keep you save, so please…" Xerxes purposely stressed the last word. "…never do such an escapade again, it's simply too risky for you."
Lina just nodded at that. "I know Lord Uncle I've already learned my lesson and I made up my mind, so don't worry. I'm going to do what everyone are expecting of me… I'm going to become one with Grima."
Xerxes was a little surprised by Lina's sudden declaration, but then he just smiled at her widely.
"Finally." He said, petting her shoulder in a gesture of approbation. "So you come to terms with it, after all. Maybe you are not as stubborn as I thought you are."
"Hey! What that supposed to mean? I'm not stubborn…" Lina mumbled as if she was not sure of her own words.
"Of course not." Xerxes replied her, with his voice full of irony. "You are not stubborn at all!"
He started to chuckle a little again, but Lina's expression was still very serious.
"But you know, Lord Uncle…?" She said to him, with her voice a little hesitant. "There is still a lot of things bothering me… And also there is something about father that I just can't understand…"
"And what might it be?" Xerxes questioned her, curiously.
"That is… I…" Lina stuttered, a little lost in her own thoughts. "I saw father dying…" She muttered, avoiding Xerxes's eyes, as if she was ashamed about something. "He was burning right in front of my eyes, and I was sure that he's dead… But then, when I woke up three days later, he was just fine. He didn't have any wound on his body, as if nothing happened to him."
"Well, of course." The man nodded in response. "Validar's body can regenerate in a blink of an eye, he never told you about that ability?"
"He mentioned something…" Lina replied. "But nothing too specific, I wanted to know more about his self-healing skills, but he was avoiding that subject when I was trying to ask…" The girl continued slowly. "I just don't understand how is it possible… For me, it was as if he came back from dead… I've never heard about the self-regeneration skill, and I would like to find out more, but father refuses to answer my questions."
"That's because, it is very hard topic for him to talk about..." Xerxes said in reverie. "Today, Validar is calling his healing skills 'a blessing' but the truth is, that he received these abilities unexpectedly, and against his own will."
"How so?" Lina asked immediately, but Xerxes appear to not listen to her anymore. An old memory that he would prefer to not remember at all, suddenly afflicted him.
Xerxes remembered how his father's servants were dragging Validar towards the altar, and how desperately his little brother was trying to break free from their grip… But Validar was just a small kid back then; he had no chance to escape, and yet he was trying.
He was also yelling for help; he was bawling by all his might, and he was begging the priests around, to save him from that terrible fate. But the worshippers of Grima did nothing to stop that madness; after all they were just fulfilling master Faust's orders, and the Great Priest's orders are absolute…
They put Validar down on the altar, and they chained him tightly, so that he wouldn't try to run away.
Then, Faust started to perform the ritual, and the dark energy appeared close to Validar… to consume his entire body in the next moment.
"Lord Uncle! Hey, Uncle!" Lina's worried voice brought Xerxes back to the present. "What's wrong?" She asked, disturbed by his little drift off.
"Oh… Lina." Xerxes said focusing his eyesight back on the girl. "It's nothing serious. I just had a flashback of something very unpleasant, but don't bother yourself with it; my bad memories are unworthy of your attention..."
He's a weirdo, after all… - Lina thought to herself.
"Are you alright, then?" The little girl asked looking shifty at him. "You suddenly stopped paying attention to anything."
"I beg your pardon…" The man muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm a little tired… Please, allow me to take you back to your room." He said, carefully taking Lina's hand, to help her stand up.
"Was I such a bother to you?" Lina asked, to mock her uncle a little.
"No, no." Xerxes denied quickly. "It was my pleasure to spend time with you, but I'm really tired, I've had everything on my shoulders since you and Validar left. My days were long and hard, and now I need some rest."
"But…" Lina said a bit hesitantly. "You still didn't tell me about father's healing powers." The girl pointed out, whereupon Xerxes just sighed very loudly.
"Listen, dear…" He started calmly. "If Validar didn't tell you the story about how he obtained his power, then I'm not going to do this on his stead." Xerxes stated firmly. "It is a hard subject also for me."
"But…"
"But don't worry." The man interrupted her. "I'm sure that your father will explain everything to you soon, when he will be ready to speak about his past. You just have to wait until then."
"Why…?" Lina asked, but she gave up when she realized that Xerxes is clearly determined to not tell her anything else…
The girl just sighed under her breath, and she allowed Xerxes to led her back to her personal chamber.
Lina was staring at the mirror for a long while, and then she took a deep breath to somehow calm her nerves. She was about to attend the official ceremony to finally reveal herself before the rest of the Grimleal and take over her position as one of the cult's 'leader'. Her father told her that from this day forward she would have to take care of some special duties due to the fact that she's the vessel of Grima, and also that from now on, her full, official title will be: 'Lady Lina, the Great Hierophant of Grima's Cult.'
When Lina heard that information for the first time she cannot help but just roll her eyes in annoyance. Not only this whole title sounds too exalted and stupid, but it is also way too long to use it normally… But at least it explains one thing; Lina finally understood why the people around are calling her 'Your Greatness'. It sounds a bit silly too, but it is much easier to call her that way, instead of 'Lady Great Hierophant' or something like that…
The little girl noticed some white dust, on her perfectly black ritual clothes, and she quickly brushed it off, with her hand shaking. She was a nervous wreck in general; Lina was so disturbed since the day they returned to the temple, that she could barely sleep and she was unable to sit down on one place for longer than just a few minutes.
Lina was well aware that she's taking a great responsibility on her shoulders. In a few moments she will be officially hailed as the vessel of Grima, as the future 'god' of this world, and it was simply overwhelming. It was easy to say 'I will become one with Grima' when she was still far away from this whole cult… But right now when she was with all these priests, it was terrifying… These people were expecting so much of her…
When Validar officially confirmed that Lina is indeed inside of the temple, and that she's ready to start her training to at last fulfill her destiny, the worshipers of the Fell Dragon went into ecstasy. They were endlessly coming at her room's door in hope that they could see her or even speak to her.
The great mass of people was assembling before Lina's chamber every day, but the girl had not enough courage to face all these priests. She was even afraid that they could accidentally trample her, or tear her apart if she will come out to meet all of them.
The servants of Grima were sometimes ready to wait in front of her room for the whole day, in hope that maybe they could caught a sight of their Great Hierophant.
They were praying to the Fell Dragon during their wait, and exclaiming some encouraging words to make Lina to come out, but their enthusiasm was only resulting, that the little girl was more and more scared. She started to question herself; she was not sure if she will be able to fulfill these people's expectations…
After two days of that strange situation, Validar decided that, that's enough of their foolishness and he sets a few guards in front of Lina's room. It turned out to be a good idea. The priests were a bit afraid of the Angels of Death, and to the girl's great relief they stopped coming, to bother her.
After some long and hard preparations, the official ceremony was ready to conduct, and everyone were waiting only for Lina now.
In fact, she was technically ready to attend the ceremony. Many servants came here tonight purposely to prepare Lina for this occasion, and they were doing their best to help her in all the preparations.
The little girl was already clean enough to enter the altar, and she had her ritual clothes on, but she just couldn't force herself to leave her save room.
Lina dismissed all her servants a while ago; she told them to go ahead, she told them that she will join them in a moment but… she was afraid to go. She was shaking at the very thought about her future as the Great Hierophant. She was not sure if she's worthy enough to carry that title, and an idea of retire flashed through her mind for a brief moment, but the little girl knew that it is too late to resign, and there is no turning back anymore.
Lina started to nervously walk in circles, and she was glancing at the door from time to time, but she didn't even approached it. She was only going round like some undecided idiot, unable to make any move.
"Your Greatness, are you there?" Lina suddenly heard some familiar feminine voice calling for her.
"I… Yes." The girl answered involuntarily.
The door to Lina's room scrunched quietly, and then one of the priestess dressed in the special dark robe entered the chamber. She had her hair combed into a bun this time, and she had a strong make up on her face, but Lina recognized her almost immediately.
"You're… Maura, correct?" Lina asked when she remembered the priestess's name.
The woman smiled weakly in response. "That's me, just a humble attendant at your service, milady." She bowed a little, still standing at the entrance. "Is there something I could help you with?"
"No…" Lina said dully. "I don't need anything else, I'm… ready." She whispered, shaking a little.
"In that case, why are you still here, Your Greatness?" Maura was surprised by Lina's statement. "Please come on, it is five minutes past midnight, and we already have a delay, the time is running out."
Maura approached Lina, rather slowly, and the little girl noticed something worrisome in her way of moving.
"You are hobbling…" Lina stated, with her voice full of honest concern. "What happened?"
The woman froze, and she gasped when she heard that question. It was a topic that she didn't really want to talk about, with the vessel of Grima. After all, what Maura should say in response for such question? That Lina's own father ordered his Angels of Death to torture her? That they were maltreating her for five days, and they pushed her down from the stairs on purpose, when they were leading her towards the torture room? No… Maura was just couldn't tell Lady Lina that brutal truth…
"I… fell over from the stairs and I twisted my ankle." The priestess finally replied. "It's nothing, Your Greatness."
"I see…" Lina nodded with a thoughtful expression. "I hope that you will get better soon."
"Thank you, milady." The woman bowed her head in a gesture of gratitude. "I am honored by your concern, but you really don't have to worry about me, I'll be alright."
Maura just said that, but she was not exactly sure if it will turn out to be true. A few weeks has passed since she was released from that torture room, and her foot was still aching terribly. She was asking Verna for help, but her sister was helpless on that matter. She said that there is no any visible wound that she could take care of, so she had no idea what to do about Maura's pain…
The priestess even went to the real healer to ask for some advice, but to her surprise, he also turned out to be unhelpful. He proclaimed that one of Maura's bones is in fact distorted, and that's why she feels such pain during walking, and in that case a normal staff won't be enough to heal her.
The physician said that to cure Maura properly, he have to perform quite complicated surgery first, to get into her damaged bone and heal it with a staff after that… Maura freaked out when the healer proposed that option, and she run away from his infirmary as quickly as she possibly could on her damaged foot. She was afraid of that 'surgery' thing even more than she was afraid of master Validar. It was well known that such practices were very often ending with a dangerous infection at best, and with the patient's death at worst. Healers were alright for as long as they were curing people with their magic, but when they had to perform a surgery, they were not so good anymore… Maura prefers to hobble for the rest of her live, rather than to die because of an infection or something like that.
The woman started to rub her temples in irritation; she didn't want to think about her health problems anymore, after all, today is the big day for all the worshippers of Grima… Today Lady Lina will finally and officially accept her fate, and she will start her training. The priestess decided that she won't be bothering herself with her personal dilemmas anymore, instead she just passed her hand towards Lina in waiting.
"Let's go Your Greatness…" Maura addressed the girl with an encouraging smile on her face. "All the priests are waiting for you."
"Yeah…" Lina nodded, shaking a little.
She didn't know anymore, if she's shaking more because of fear or excitement, but it was probably a mixture of the both feelings at once.
Lina took Maura's hand, and they went together towards the altar.
The girl submerged herself in all her worries again, and before she even realized it, they were in front of the altar's gates. The servants were waiting for Lina there, and when they saw her coming together with Maura they all bowed their heads a little.
"There you are Your Greatness." One of the servants said, smiling weakly towards the girl. "We started to worry about you. Is everything okay?"
Lina just nodded silently at that. She was feeling a bit silly, because she didn't know what that servant's name is. When Lina arrived at the temple a few weeks ago, she had her three well-known servants with her, but Validar assigned a new group of people to watch over her, and Lina wasn't familiar with any of them yet.
The girl had no idea why her father decided to give her new people to order around, since her old servants were good enough, and she had nothing against them, but Validar insisted on that, so she finally agreed.
"Open the doors before Lady Lina!" Maura ordered the altar's guardians and they fulfilled her command without any hesitation.
Lina noticed that the guardians are looking a bit different then when she had seen them for the first time… For some reason they both had scares on their faces.
There was a bald man who had a terribly-looking scare running through his (very big) nose. The second guardian was also damaged; he had a burn mark on his chin and on his lips.
What is going on with these guys? – Lina started to wonder. – Why all the people that I can recognize are wounded in some way?
That question was bothering Lina a lot, but she had no more time to think about it. The gates to the altar were now open, so all her thoughts quickly center back on the ceremony she was about to attend.
"Go first milady…" Maura addressed the girl, to encourage her. "I'll be right behind you."
Lina took the first step very slowly and tentatively but the next one was a bit easier for her to make. She had a resolve; she knew what she had to do, and she was determined to fulfill her first duty as the vessel of Grima.
The little girl passed through the gates with her head high and she went via the long, dark corridor pretty quick. Yet, Lina stopped suddenly when she saw the massive monument of Grima in the distance; of course it was not as big as the real Fell Dragon, but there were strong resembles to that black creature all the same. In fact that giant figure was shining, as if someone polished it before the ceremony, and Lina was feeling even more overwhelmed when she set her eyes on it.
"Why did you stop, Lady Lina?" Maura whispered into the girl's ear. She was really right behind her back, and that awareness was somehow comforting for Lina.
"Just… give me one last moment…" The vessel of Grima, answered, taking yet another deep breath to calm herself.
Lina was doing her best to somehow still her worried mind, and after some time of breathing in and exhale, the little girl decided that that's enough, and there is no point on dragging away the ceremony any longer.
"Alright." Lina said firmly, to encourage herself. "Now I'm ready."
"Are you sure milady?" Maura questioned her with a concerned face.
"Yes, Maura." Lina confirmed. "I don't want to repeat myself."
The priestess of Grima was staring shifty at her Lady. In her opinion the girl was still a bit too nervous, but she decided to not formulate her worries aloud this time. She shouldn't talk too much… after all, it was always ending badly for her.
"In that case, I'll announce you, Your Greatness." Maura proposed, and without waiting for any answer from Lina, she entered the altar, and then she intimated loudly.
"Lady Lina von Mediuth, the Great Hierophant of the Grimleal, has arrived!"
The little girl gulped loudly, when she heard Maura's announcement, but she entered the altar anyway.
All the priests around immediately fell to their knees when they saw the vessel coming. Lina was feeling really strange seeing their behavior, but she didn't slow down her march towards the main altar. Just the opposite, she was getting more, and more confident, and her firm footsteps were echoing in the whole chamber. The girl was strutting around to her destination; to the throne where she should sit upon.
Validar, Xerxes and even Ruth were already expecting Lina; they were all standing near the stony table, and waiting for her to approach them. When the girl was already very close to her family members, she suddenly stopped and then she exclaimed loudly.
"I'm back!"
It was all part of that official ceremony, Validar clearly explained to his daughter what she should do during that welcoming ritual, and now she was just following his instructions.
"Welcome back, epitome of the Fell Dragon!" Xerxes shouted happily in response, and then he also fell to his knees.
"Welcome back, vessel of Grima!" Ruth said, with her tone sounding strangely irritated, and then she followed her husband's example.
"Welcome back, Great Hierophant!" Validar exclaimed with his voice clearly proud, but as opposed to his brother and sister in law he did not kneel before Lina. Instead he passed his hand towards her, and when the girl took it, he led her to the throne where she sat down.
"Welcome back, epitome of the Fell Dragon!"
"Welcome back, vessel of Grima!"
"Welcome back, Great Hierophant!"
The rest of the people assembled in the great altar repeated all the greetings like an echo.
There was a short while of silence after that, then Validar stood in front of Lina, and he kneeled before her just like everyone else did.
"My master…" Her father started to speak. "Welcome back in your temple. It is a great pleasure to me, to welcome you in your true home. During the days of your infancy you were unfortunately separated from your worshipers, but now it is finally time to reunite with your followers. I hope that now, when you grow up enough to understand and accept your destiny, you will stay with us forever."
"I will… Great Priest…" Lina answered dully, and the Grimleal started to cheer loudly, hearing her assurance.
"In that case…" Validar continued, finally standing up from his knees. "…take everything what rightfully belongs to you; your godhood, the tittle of the Great Hierophant and us, your servants. Allow us to serve you for the rest of our existence."
"Yes Your Greatness, let us serve you for the rest of our lives!" The rest of the priests shouted, bowing their heads even more.
"I am taking everything, including you. Serve me the best way you could!" Lina answered them, with her voice raised.
The girl was following the prearranged earlier scenario. It was all like an act in theater, where Lina had to say her speech in front of the audience. Her role was to play the vessel of Grima, and the altar was her stage.
Validar turned around, and he stood on the right side of Lina's throne, while Xerxes and Ruth stood on the left side. When they did that, there was yet another moment of silence, but this one was very long and somehow tense. Lina knew that her father is preparing to give a speech to the Fell Dragon's worshippers, and he's probably collecting his thoughts right now.
Validar suddenly placed his hand on Lina's shoulder, and then he looked directly at the 'audience' he had on the altar.
"Do you see this girl?" He addressed the priests who were now listening to him attentively. "This is the person we were waiting for, for the last hundred years! This is the vessel of Grima, Lady Lina herself!"
Validar made a short pause on his speech, and then he continued.
"We always knew that the person chosen by the Fell Dragon will be great, and powerful, but Lady Lina is more than just that, she's a pure perfection!" He shouted out enthusiastically, turning his head at Lina now. "I've already seen what she's capable of and it suppressed all my expectations; her magic powers are greater than I could ever imagine, her mind is genial, and her will is stronger than anything I've ever encountered!"
The little girl tensed up when she heard her father's words, and when she met the Grimleal's delighted and excited gazes. Lina would never call herself a 'pure perfection'… She knew that in reality she has a lot of flews… For example, Lina was getting irritated very easily, she was cynical sometimes, and she was crying too often. But Validar's intention was not to lessen his daughter on the Grimleal's eyes but just the opposite, to elevate her above everyone else… and he was doing it great.
The priests started to cheer, and chant Lina's name loudly when the Great Priest stopped talking for a moment.
"We are just a step away from achieving our goal!" Lina's father continued. "The new era will soon begin! the war will end, the Haildom of Ylisse will be destroyed, and Naga will be forgotten forever! The humanity will pay for all their sins, and the new world will be created by Grima and his vessel Lady Lina!"
The Grimleal whopped in ravishment when the Great Priest ended his speech, but soon complete silence fell in the great altar. Everyone were staring at Lina in anticipation; they were waiting for her to say something too.
"It's your turn." Validar whispered into his daughter's ear. "Go and talk to your worshipers."
"Yeah… I will…" Lina answered him, completely pale on the face.
She was very, very nervous in that moment. Lina was never giving any speech to anyone, so now she was shaking out of fear, like a leaf blown by the wind. Her father foreworn Lina that she would have to orate during the ceremony, so she prepared something… just a few words… a few sentences to portray her most important objectives to the Grimleal, and also to promise them something…
The little girl stood up from her throne, and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again her iris had dark-red color. Some of the dark priests noticed that, and the gasp of excitement spread around the crowd.
"It's just as my father said…" Lina started hesitantly. "I'm going to punish the sinners for all their crimes… especially Ylisseans!" The girl shouted out a bit angry, and she heard the mutters of approbation from the people around her.
"I've seen the war, I've seen how the people of Plegia are suffering because of Ylisseans. I've heard about how the priests of Grima are getting killed because of their faith, and I've seen the towns and the temples burned, and ruined to the ground!" Lina was talking quicker, with her voice more and more outraged and full of hatred, as if it was somebody else speaking through her mouths. "But that's enough! The war between Plegia and Ylisse is lasting for too long, so I will end it! I will ruin the Haildom to the ground, and I will get rid of its Exalt!"
The priests whooped again hearing her words, while Lina took a deep breath to continue.
"And…" She said a bit calmer. "I promise to you that when I'll become one with Grima I will do everything in my power to change this world. I swear before you all, that I will change the world into a better place, no matter what it takes!"
By these words Lina finished her speech, and she sat down on her throne again. The Grimleal in turn, started to cheer, and chant her name in delight.
"Long live to the Great Hierophant!" Somebody from the crowd exclaimed.
"Lady Lina is great!" Someone else shouted out with enthusiasm.
"All hail vessel of Grima!" Another voice cried loudly.
Lina sighed deeply hearing this all. She was still not feeling worthy of all these titles, and she still had some doubts, but she was determined to try, and fulfill all these things she announced… It doesn't matter that she had no idea how to achieve all these goals yet… but someday she will find a way.
The girl suddenly felt somebody petting her hand in a gesture of approval, and when she looked up, she saw Validar staring at her with the sparks of proudness in his eyes. Xerxes was grinning at her widely, and Ruth was trying to avoid Lina's eyes for some reason, but it was obvious that she's impressed.
"Your speech was better than I expected." Validar admitted, smirking a little. "Good work, daughter."
"Thank you, father." Lina nodded towards him.
"All hail vessel of the Fell Dragon!" The little girl heard the cheer again, and she reverie for a moment.
That's right… - She was thinking.- I am the vessel of the Fell Dragon, and I will fulfill my destiny. This is the way, I chose for myself…
The end of chapter 21
Thanks for reading!