(Varion Temple- The Inner Sanctum)
(Several Hours Later…)
Night had fallen and a full moon could be seen shining high above in the sky.
The temple was dimly lit by the numerous torches and holy relics placed throughout the building.
The pope's announcement at the grand assembly was still being widely discussed in hushed whispers but there was one place in the temple that remained silent.
The Inner Sanctum.
The residence of the saintess… no… the former saintess Elisa.
There was a side room connected to the Inner Sanctum which served as the saintess' personal bedroom.
Tonight, was going to be Elisa's last night in the place that had been her home for over five years.
Elisa sat up on the bed and took another look around her room. It was sparsely furnished as the saintess was supposed to be a being without worldly desires.
That was complete nonsense of course but Elisa was forced to maintain her appearance as a dedicated and loyal member of the church.
Cough! Cough!
Elisa huddled over in pain as a series of violent coughs ravaged her already thin body.
Her frail appearance wilted, and she seemed to be on the verge of death.
A shadow fell across the face of the former saintess as she stared at the flecks of blood that now stained the mattress.
This was nothing… she had endured worse…
There was still much work to be done.
Elisa closed her eyes and stretched out her right hand towards the nearest wall. Her palm rotated clockwise and then counterclockwise as she muttered a few inaudible words.
A beam of light burst out of the former saintess' right palm but instead of holy light this magic was dark and frightening.
It filled the room with an aura of death and decay.
If a mage had been in the room at that moment… his worldview would have completely shattered.
What was coming out of Elisa's palm was corrupted mana. Magic particles that had been infected with death energy.
"Nerium vontains eprer nrhe!" Elisa muttered quietly as she finished the chant. A portal made completely out of darkness appeared on the wall.
Three figures slowly walked out of the portal and dropped down on one knee respectfully.
They were members of a race long thought to be extinct.
Dark elves.
Pointed ears, beautiful appearances and faces that seemed to be untouched by the ravages of time.
They looked no different from regular elves apart from their light brown skin, muscular physiques and eyes that glowed red.
The two dark elves on the right and the left wore heavy plate armour and carried longswords on their hips.
The dark elf in the middle in contrast wore only a simple white robe and appeared to be significantly older than the other two with wrinkles present on her timeless face.
It was rare to see a dark elf with wrinkles as their powerful vitality usually prevented any traces of aging.
A piece of white fabric covered the middle dark elf's eyes, but it did not matter because she had been blind for the last two hundred years.
"We greet the princess," the dark elves spoke in unison as they made a strange gesture using their hands.
Elisa remained on the bed and stared at her subordinates with no emotion in her eyes. She allowed them to remain frozen in place for several minutes.
Despite her rude behaviour, none of the three elves in the room dared to even utter a single word of complaint.
Seeing her fellow dark elves made Elisa feel strangely nostalgic. It had been years since she left her home in the Merean Swamp.
But now was not the time for reminiscing.
"Get up from the ground," Elisa ordered expressionlessly.
The three dark elves rose up from the ground and stood at attention. The former saintess got up from the bed and slowly walked towards them.
"Soothsayer… it seems that your vision was only partially correct," Elisa coldly spoke as she approached the blindfolded dark elf.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ She gripped the elder woman by her chin and harshly pulled her face forward. Cruelty and sadistic glee gleamed in her eyes as she saw the prophet flinch.
"Soothsayer… soothsayer…" Elisa's unkind words echoed through the room.
"The real saintess has indeed appeared but… you said that the pope would keep me here for several more years."
"Instead, I now find myself exiled to the outer regions… tell me soothsayer… did you predict that this would happen?"
Elisa's harsh voice turned to a gentle whisper but her sweet tone was like a serpent wrapping around the neck of its prey,
"Soothsayer have you gone mute?"
"Or perhaps… is your ability not as great as you claim?"
Elisa's eyes briefly glowed red as she struggled to contain her killing intent.
The elderly dark elf trembled and shivered as she felt the cold scythe of the reaper hang above her head.
She needed to say something. The prophet was familiar with the cruelty of the princess and knew that her life could be easily lost.
"Princess… I… the future…it… it… it changes! I can see the overall picture but sometimes the finer details are off!" the prophet hastily explained.
"I still see it! The prophecy! You… you will be the one to end the human race and bring about a new era for our people!"
Elisa sneered mockingly and removed her hands from the prophet's chin. She walked to her dresser table and pulled out a rag.
The room was in complete silence as neither the prophet nor the two guards dared to make a single sound.
Elisa dipped the rag into a bowl of water and then scrubbed the palm that she had used to touch the prophet.
Once… twice… thrice…
She hated to touch other people… they were all dirty… unclean… filth…
Except for maybe…
Elisa shook her head and pushed the face that just appeared in her mind to the back of her thoughts.
A cold woman with short cropped blonde hair and sharp angular features. It was a face that she could not forget… no matter how hard she tried.
Claire Blanlyn was a noble paladin who had dedicated her life in service to the Lord of Light. She would be disgusted to discover that the one she protected was a dark elf.
A fake… an imposter… a fraud...
Only when her skin had been rubbed to the point where blood began to flow did the princess stop her movements.
She placed the bloody rag back on top of her dresser table and then turned towards her two bodyguards.
"How has the investigation been going?" Elisa asked calmly. The dark elf on the right reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment paper.
Elisa took the paper from his hands and read the contents on the page. Her face darkened and a terrible chill filled the room.
It was a list of names.
From wealthy merchants to high noble families and even certain upper rank members of the church.
There was one thing in common between the people whose names were on this list.
They owned dark elves as slaves.
Elisa's eyes narrowed in hatred, and she burned the names of every single person into her mind. She would never let them go… no matter the price.
If only she had more time….
According to the soothsayer, she should have been allowed to stay in the capitol for a few more years while the true saintess assumed her position as the next successor of the church.
That time could have been spent searching for more slave owners and uncovering the dirty underground slave market.
But now she no longer had the chance.
Elisa let out a heavy sigh and stared out the window at the stars that twinkled and shined in the night sky.
What had caused the future to change?
There was no use pondering that question now. Elisa rubbed her temples and focused on thinking about her next steps.
"Myrin take the soothsayer back to the sacred land for rest," Elisa spoke in a tired voice. The dark elf on the left nodded and then led the prophet back into the portal.
Maybe this could be a blessing in disguise.
The outer region was a chaotic place that was outside of the influence of both the royal family and the church.
Gathering her strength and recruiting new allies was possible. A sudden voice interrupted Elisa's musing as the remaining dark elf spoke up.
"Princess… it may be difficult to contact us with a paladin by your side…" Kharis whispered hoarsely.
"Do you want me to kill the holy knight that the pope has sent to guard you? It is possible to make it look like an accidental death."
Kill Claire?
Elisa's eyes flashed red and before she could react her hand had already gripped the throat of her clansman and was squeezing him to death.
"Do. Not. Touch. Her," Elisa growled as the pressure surrounding her body intensified.
The shadows beneath her feet wriggled and squirmed as if they were alive.
The dark elf held in her grip struggled to breathe as his windpipe was slowly crushed. He tried desperately to nod, and a trace of sanity returned in Elisa's eyes.
"I have my own plans for the paladin. Do not concern yourself with that matter," Elisa spoke calmly as if her outburst of madness had never occurred.
The dark elf on the floor gasped for breath as air finally returned to his lungs.
His hands could not stop trembling as he remembered the look in the princess' eyes.
He would never bring up that topic again.
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