The dirt and dust that settled on the stone floors was so thick, one could see footprints clearly even if they were days old. I examined the tracks on the floor, frowning deeply as I tried to distinguish the crystal pumps from an unending list of other tracks as Glast Heim's populace grew. Though it was useful for keeping out of Baphomet's way early, it was annoying and frustrating.
I straightened up once I saw marks of a lady's shoe from the myriad of other marks. I followed it intently, deeper and deeper into the castle. The monsters I passed only gave vague acknowledgement of my presence – what authority I had in the Prison was nearly nothing here.
The tracks ended here. My face was contorted into a small frown as I lingered on the spot, hand cupping my chin, thinking. Alice might've been teleporting around the castle, looking for some 'dirty' corner to clean.
That was when I heard footsteps. An adventurer. For some strange reason, I didn't feel the usual tension when I was around humans. There was ease, a strange ease that I had never felt in the months that I've been here…
Her figure was illuminated by the lone torch in the corner. She had pink hair, a beautiful yet sad face, and… her eyes. Her eyes were so beautiful. I've seen them before, but I just can't remember where…
She aimed a silver arrow at me. I smiled, my confusion replaced by amusement. The sniper was alone. "Now, what would a sniper be doing all alone in Glast Heim Castle?" I wondered out aloud.
For some strange reason she lowered her bow. I took the opportunity to get a closer look at her.
"Silvie?" She called out to me, her voice shaking with emotion. The torches shone on her eyes – they were starting to water. "I-is that you?"
Silvie. She called me Silvie.
She started to cry. "Silvie, it IS you," she said, tears freely flowing down her face. My arm twitched, but it stayed at my side. I wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes, to hug her, to say that everything was going to be fine. But…
With every step she took, I stepped back. Does she realize that she had just destabilized the equilibrium this life had given me? "What's wrong?" She asked. "Don't you recognize me? It's me… Shara."
Shara. I looked at her face again, memories of a huntress flooding my mind as I did so. Before I knew it, she was standing right in front me, her hand caressing my cheek.
"What have they done to you?"
I slapped her hand away from my face. I had stopped longing for warmth long ago. She didn't have to remind me what it felt like to be warm, happy, alive…
Why, Shara? Why does it have to be this way…?
"No, this can't be true…" she said in horrified realization. "You… you're dead?"
My throat felt so dry, and I clenched my hand so tightly that it would've probably bled if I had more blood circulating in my system. Her eyes were unblinking, looking at me with dread. It hurt to see her that way, to see her looking at me like a monster.
Well, isn't that what I am now?
"I am neither alive nor dead, Shara." I replied coolly, as I took a few paces toward her. She had to get out... "They have corrupted me… and turned me into what I am today… a dark priest."
"Come with me," she pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears again. I clenched my fists. "I'm sure the priests of the Prontera Church could---"
"No," I cut in sharply. "I am beyond healing, Shara… I can't go back… I can't be with you anymore… I'm sorry." I turned. Prolonging the conversation would worsen things… "Just go back… and forget about me."
It took a lot of nerve to take the first step to walk away. I could hardly hear anything else, my legs felt like lead…
"I can't do that!" She shouted, without care that she was drawing monsters toward her.
Drawing monsters toward her. I stopped abruptly, sensing a demonic aura too close for comfort – and wondering why I only felt it right now. She had to get away quickly. "You know I can't because I…"
Before I could warn her, before I could throw caution to the winds, I heard the sound of the oridecon scythe cutting air as it was swung. There was no time to register shock – I muttered a series of spells under my breath.
The first was Magnus Exorcismus. Baphomet gave a roar as the holy magic pushed him back several meters – a safe distance. But there was more magic in the air. He was going to retaliate with magic sooner or later…
The second was Snap. My skin sizzled under my robes as I entered holy ground, but I didn't care. I grabbed her bow and quiver, and caught her by the waist before she fell to the ground, unconscious.
"I will have your head for this, boy," the goat hissed at me. "You are merely the Dark Lord's –"
The third was Teleportation. The rest of his words were drowned in light as Shara and I vanished, to reappear almost instantly at a safe corner of Glast Heim Abbey. Her blood stained her clothing crimson, and if he didn't do anything, they'd be bathing in her blood…
I managed to stem the bleeding for a while, my body racked with pain from using too much holy magic. My panting was sure to echo throughout the whole Abbey, I thought as I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
Then she started bleeding again. She groaned, as I sent another wave of healing magic to her body, wincing and cursing under my breath as the pain rose in a crescendo. Why? Why can't I –
With dread, I remembered that I was unable to use my life force to heal her because I had none. I looked around frantically for another human, anyone who I can use…
"Don't move," he said softly, looking at what else was left of the light in her eyes. I did my best to ease her pain, even though I knew that it was all going to be futile in the end…
She is going to die.
"S-Silvie…" she stammered. "S-stop…"
Her hand reached up, touching my cheek. The pain ebbed away at her touch, but I felt so pathetic, so useless, so helpless in relieving her of pain…
"For how long… I have waited… for you… to come back…" she said.
"Hush, don't speak." I said softly still, my hand still placed over her wound, even though it was futile… but I still had to try.
But what was left to try?
"S-Silvie…" She called out, her voice dangerously weak. My hand on her stomach reached for her free hand, caressing it gently. She smiled wearily up at me, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I just… want… to tell you… that…"
My grip tightened.
"I love you."
My own tears fell. She came all the way from Prontera just to see if I was truly… dead. She died because of my carelessness. I hugged her, feeling what was left of the warmth of her body and more tears fell. Silence… the Evil Druids circled me, probably wondering why I was in tears.
The Dark Priest did not cry. But now, I was no dark priest, I was no powerful figure in the bowels of Glast Heim…
I am Silverius Orethlain, exorcist extraordinaire. In another blast of light, we reappeared outside Glast Heim, by the small lake by the southwest corner of the old kingdom. Her bow and quiver was slung around my shoulder as I waded into the water, her body in my arms.
The water was now waist deep. I lowered her body onto the smooth bottom, making sure that she was fully submerged. Pulling out one blue gemstone and removing her bow from my body, I made it as though she was clutching the bow with both hands, and the blue gemstone underneath her bow.
I took her quiver out and counted the arrows. More than a hundred left. Breathing heavily, I took the first arrow and thrust it at the soft ground, the nock not visible from the surface.
It was a grueling process. The arrows were blessed with Agua Benedicta and were made of silver and that made it ideal for my little ploy; the problem was that it stung when I touch it. Soon, the waters were also blessed with the holy magic that the arrows possessed. The pain increased steadily, but I had to make sure that I made a perfect circle with the arrows. The outer circle cost around seventy arrows. Now, to the inner circle…
I clambered out of the water, panting heavily. Now that the outer and inner circle done and the gemstones placed where they should be, it was ready for one final blast of holy magic. I would probably be stopped from casting anymore spells for the rest of the week…
Magnus Exorcismus!
The waters glowed eerily, the light coming from five distinct points around the circle – at the four directions, and at the middle, forming a cross. It would provide her protection for a while… until another magically capable person comes across this lake and takes her back to her sister and friends.
I caught a glimpse of my face in the water, and thought that… I looked oddly less pale and more flesh. But that had only been a fraction of a second, and I turned once again to my gray visage.
And before I knew it, I was falling backward, the world dissolved in a mishmash of color…