A Saint's Revelation

From the moment Maria climbed the last flight of stairs, something had changed. The air stood still, and only the distant, pained echoes from the city fought the silence.

Maria caught her breath. The ascent had seemed endless.

A large corridor continued ahead past stained-glass windows where multicolored rays of sunlight filtered through. She held a hand to her chest before proceeding. A subtle warmth grew within, one she had been sure she’d lost for good.

A small smile crept up her face. Pope Adrian was right…

The corridor opened into an enormous ceremonial hall with stone arches. Her head craned, looking at the ceiling that almost seemed to reach the heavens.

It was a monumental masterpiece. An expansive, interconnected mural with vibrant colors. Painted scenes of the gods with immaculate detail. Maria questioned how such depth was possible on a flat surface. It carried a weight and movement that almost made the heavenly work come alive.

At the far end, a grand balcony overlooked almost the entire Holy Capital. Vane’s figure leaned against the stone railing. His immaculate burgundy vestments fluttered in the cool breeze that flowed through.

His back remained turned, watching the vista ahead. The calmness was almost unnerving.

As Maria had ascended, the tower had descended into chaos. Guards abandoned their posts. Clergy members fled through winding halls, while others stood frozen at the sight and sound of the Holy Capital’s destruction.

Here, it truly felt as if they’d reached the heavens. A false one.

Maria’s steps echoed on the pristine marble floors as she approached. Vane turned. Seemingly unsurprised.

“So, you’ve come after all.”

“I have,” Maria said. “I don’t know what you’ve done… But it has to stop.”

Vane chuckled. “You mean, what you have done.” He motioned her forward, keeping a distance as he stepped back from the balcony.

Maria froze in front of the railing. Her eyes watered.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he called out from behind.

There was no hiding from the sight. The Holy Capital stretched beneath her, falling apart. Masses of people fled through monster-infested streets, where beasts tore through flesh of women, children, and men alike. Guards struggled to evacuate homes while soldiers fought a losing battle.

A strange, subtle glow shone beneath the entire capital, leading out from the roots of the Grand Cathedral. When Maria connected all the points where unnatural sigils formed, she understood.

“The ritual… a wide-scale magic circle…” she muttered.

An eerie shape morphed within those points where large glowing sigils burned the ground beneath. It distorted ‌space itself, tearing it open into a circled abyss where countless creatures continued flooding through. Even from a distance, Maria could tell, just as with the Hollow Hound they faced in the ancient dungeon. Those things didn’t belong to the natural order.

Aberrations…

She turned to Vane. “You… You used me.”

“I did… Thought not out of some nonsensical spite. You just so happened to possess the last piece that was needed to activate the spell. Divine magic.”

Maria’s eyes filled with horror.

“It's like two halves of the same coin. Your powerful divine magic brings the world closer to its natural order… All that was left to do was invert it,” Vane said.

Maria clutched her mouth, but she forced her hand aside to speak.

“But… why?” her voice trembled.

“Why?” Valen scoffed. “Humans are erratic, dangerous. Full of foolish emotional impulses that only lead to the fall of entire civilizations. I’ve seen it myself countless times,” he muttered.

“Even with your misguided views, did you not seek the betterment of mankind?”

“I do seek betterment, but not of mankind… Of my kind.”

Maria’s amber eyes went wide. “Wait… you’re not—”

“Humans are fragile, short-sighted creatures driven by blinding sentiment.”

Maria struggled drawing a breath as Vane continued.

“I’ve been known by many names throughout my life; ‘Vane’ was merely one—an identity I’ve held for a few brief decades.” The man offered an elegant bow. “Allow me to formally introduce myself, Sister. I am Demon General Malakor.”

Since childhood, Maria had heard the old tales every soul knew to be true. Demons were beings of cold, predatory logic, wired with a moral compass incompatible with humanity. And where continued miasmic exposure sickened and warped ordinary people, demons naturally tolerated it; some were even said to wield the foreign corruption as magic.

Many believed the light of the gods never graced their kind.

“Sister, do you know what makes divine magic so rare?” Malakor asked with unblinking eyes.

Maria answered with silence.

“It’s not because it’s some uncommon, precious gift of the gods… It’s because it’s a threat to our kind,” Malakor said. “Throughout history, there have been‌ many who possessed such gifts. Others still linger with such aptitude today. But most are weak... as they should be.”

“So then…” Her words trailed while her eyes wandered in thought. She understood what Malakor implied.

“When word first reached me of a nun performing impossible miracles in some remote village, I panicked,” Malakor admitted. “Divine mana is like poison to us. But most importantly, your presence put my plan in jeopardy.”

Malakor paced back and forth as he spoke, but he kept a healthy distance ‌from Maria.

“Humans always assume that an enemy must strike from the outside with roaring armies, not understanding that the most efficient way to dismantle a growing threat—like this kingdom—is to become part of its beating heart.”

Maria glared at him, but Malakor paid it no mind.

“Decades ago, I walked into the Holy Capital, assumed the identity of a cleric named Vane, and quietly infiltrated the Orthodoxy. Over time, it wasn’t difficult to manipulate its sacred institutions from within. I cultivated paranoia, teaching the clergy that unregulated magic was a dangerous heresy.”

“That’s cruel…” Maria said.

“It’s reality. Just like the reality I had to face when your existence came to light.” Malakor held her gaze with cold eyes. “If you had joined the Church hierarchy, you would have exposed me. If you had remained in the village, your light would eventually have sparked a holy awakening across the continent.”

His heavy steps echoed as he forced himself forward.

“So I bypassed the King, the Pope, and the paladins out of my reach. I hired an assassin to take your head before you ever reached the Capital.”

“Kaelan…” Maria muttered with a downcast gaze.

“But the assassin failed because he was weak. And the others weren’t enough,” Malakor said.

“He is not weak.”

Malakor shrugged.

“I will give him credit; his failure granted me an even greater gift. The plan that I had been building for decades? I could finish it…” He pointed at Maria, “with you.”

Maria remained frozen in place. She listened to his words while trying to drown out the horrific shrieks that echoed behind her.

“But not without risk,” Malakor continued. “I needed to prepare decades of culminating work before your arrival. Isolating the Crown was a challenge, but growing word of your feats throughout the kingdom worked to my advantage. It only needed some reframing within the Holy Capital.”

“You mean lies.”

“Call it what you will. Deceit is not inherently a vice. With the right use, it can guide others to a greater truth,” Malakor said. “You could see this with the King who soon hid within his Royal Citadel.”

“And Pope Adrian…” Maria muttered.

“Ah, another thorn in my side.” Malakor sighed. “He questioned the reach of my Inquisition, so I put him in a cell and told the world he retired into holy prayer. The people obeyed me because I spent decades making them believe. They saw a simple shepherd who can keep them safe from the dark.”

“They obeyed because you lead in fear. It won’t last.”

“Believe me, Sister, it lasts much longer than you could imagine,” he replied. “But it matters not.”

He gestured toward the burning city below, where miasmic veins bled through the streets.

“The grand ritual etched across this city required an unquantifiable divine mana to activate. But such a thing would not be possible with a Saint who resists.”

Malakor smiled. It held no malice, none Maria could recognize.

“I needed you broken,” he said. The words stung.

Images of Maria's loved ones within the chapel, of her companions, flashed before her. A heat raged in her chest, and her clenched fists trembled more than her voice.

She stepped forward with an unflinching glare while specks of gold sparked out, disturbing the surrounding air.

Malakor hesitated in stepping back, but forced himself to remain in place.

“Feel free to abandon your useless mercy, girl. That would be a true blessing in my eyes,” he spat. “You can obliterate me to the ground, along with everything that surrounds. It will only prove my point; even a great Saint is no different from any other beast,” he scoffed. “And it won’t erase the truth: you surrendered to me willingly. Their blood is on your hands because of your foolish ideals.”

Maria paused. The words pierced her heart. Even coming from a deceitful man, she knew they were true. The city fell because of her power. Her companions suffered in her stead. And how could she forget? The chapel, Mother Martha, and the children were dead; everything because of her.

She shut her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her holy power sputtered violently. How foolish to have given hope another chance. Maria briefly glanced ‌over the edge.

From such a dreadful height… how long would the fall take?

If there were any risk that she might lose control of her power, maybe it’d be for the best.

But the thought was fleeting.

A deafening roar tore through the clouds overhead, while a gale swept off her veil, leaving Maria’s honey hair waving.

Malakor’s composed expression shattered as he staggered back. A massive beast—a dragon—descended. Maria recognized it while it hovered at the edge.

“Elisheba…”

She glanced at a dark figure that rode on its back. His dark hair was wild in the wind. Tears didn’t stop rolling down Maria’s eyes, but no longer were they of pain and frustration.

A wide smile filled her.

“Kaelan!”

He called out from the dragon’s back.

“They live!”

Even after everything that had transpired, Maria didn’t doubt his words, and she didn’t need further explanation. Kaelan returned with her precious promise fulfilled and instantly lifted the suffocating weight from her chest.

Finally, she could fully breathe again.