Purification

Morning arrived quickly with no manners. The sound of men running training drills woke Sophia. It was distant to hear, but it broke through nature so sharply that she couldn’t help but pull out of sleep. She didn’t stay up late with the carriage ride being exhausting enough. Though she had to lay on her side or stomach, as uncomfortable as that was, to keep her butt from hurting too much.

Time mended much, though there was still some raw soreness in her body lingering. She didn’t look forward to the return trip back to the Capital.

However, she had to put such thoughts on hold as their breakfast pushed into the marshaling of all the men. Out in the courtyard of the mansion, Prince Henri had the knights he brought with him uniformly lined up in a five by four array. The knights were dwarfed by the hundred or more brought by Duke Balirst.

Sophia didn’t know how the training differed between them. The Kalendirn trained soldiers were highly spoken of from her understanding. And even the royal knights would receive training from the family. She wondered if one knight did out weigh five or more of the Duke’s men. The coming fighting would certainly prove that out.

Once the Duke finished bellowing out his orders to the men, she was able to relax a little. ‘He’s really scary. He wasn’t anything like this during dinner. It’s as though he’s two different men. And how can I hear him so clearly from across the courtyard? He wasn’t even yelling. Ust. Hui. I need to mind my words. He’ll kill me without a thought. Ust!’ Despite being stoic, there wasn’t a coldness to him like the Prince, rather he was deeply full of life and passion, but it was sharpened to an edge. Like his words could cut just as well as his sword. ‘Could Prince Henri paranoia be? He looks loyal, but he is really powerful. I wouldn’t survive. What would be his goal if it was true?’

“Your Highness, Prince Henri!” boomed the Duke once more. “We’re ready to move out!”

Much like his men, the knights were prepared as well. The Prince turned to face the large man “Understood. Begin the mission.” His voice couldn’t compete with the Duke, though she doubted that he was even trying to do so. It didn’t even lift in volume slightly. But it was still enough to reach.

With thunderous stomps, the feet of hundreds of men began. The uniformity of each step took her off balance for a moment. It was nothing like being in a crowded market. There was almost the attempt to sound like one person it seemed, even if they couldn’t quite do it. It almost felt like she was ruining the march with her irregular steps. She thought someone might look at her, but none did. Tolen and Noan stayed at her side as the two groups began to form.

The Duke took to the vanguard with his men while the Prince watched the rear with his knights. She remained in the center with her two guards. It almost felt like they were all for her and in a manner they were. They needed her to purify the den, but it would be on them to do the fighting and clear a way. Most of the monsters shouldn’t even have an interest in her, at least that was how Prince Henri tried to reassure her.

As they left the safety of the fortress and entered the deep forests, it became clear that they wouldn’t be able to as easily protect her as she thought. The trees broke up the ordered march splitting into smaller bands. Tolen and Noan stayed at her side and the Prince nearby, but everyone else carefully navigated the dense wilderness. Deeper in it only seemed to be getting worse as if the forest itself wanted to stop them from advancing.

And then with a step, she felt a squeezing hand on her heart. It was like a terrible cold that she had when she was thirteen. Heat flashed through her and her balance became awkward. ‘What is this feeling? I feel ill, but this is no sickness. Can’t breathe. I feel so heavy. Ust. Hui. What’s wrong with my body?’ This only increased for her as took another step. Something in the forest was attacking. “It hurts…”

Tolen came up beside her with support. “The air’s thick with lunar magic.”

Lunar magic was one of the ten elements of magic that she had read about in Mister Jolsi’s lessons. It was an aspect like any other element, but it was also what gave birth and evolution to monsters. ‘Lunar magic, Mister Jolsi warned me about it. It’s so heavy here. I didn’t appreciate how severe it would be. There are so many powerful monsters in this forest. It’s run wild.’

If the Church was to be believed monsters came from the sapphire moon Elistheria while animals the opposing force came from the sun Glenneria in solar magic. Though no studies had confirmed any such thing to be the case. The only accurate statement was that monsters were possessed of lunar magic.

Lunar magic alone wasn’t a problem and didn’t have any inherent negative qualities about it. ‘Magic sickness, just as his books described. Unnatural formations causing magic to stagnant in the air. Any living being takes it in. Too much and magic sickness. It really is like having a bad cold. Mister Jolsi said it can be so severe it alters the body. Am I safe? Even though I’m the Saint? Ust. Hui. Please protect me! I don’t want to just disappear.’ Short term exposure wasn’t supposed to be a problem, but it was apparently common in other regions of the continent for people to come down with magic diseases, the worst of which was where magic literally transformed the person’s body into the element. Some people could just disappear into the air if terminally ill with a wind magic. It wasn’t something well understood in Eulire with the lack of magic presence.

Yet despite that, monsters still seemed to spawn just as they did anywhere else in the vast lands. And with that came the fogs of magic that choked the pockets of the land. It was why it was important for the Saint or local military to keep the monster threat in check. But this had become as dangerous as the reports described it.

Sophia looked around to the men even as Tolen helped her forward. ‘They’re trying to hide it, but I can see it on their faces. Everyone’s feeling the magic sickness. They are all hurting. I should do something. I need help to them. They need to be able to fight! What can I do? I’m the Saint. I need to protect them. That’s what Prince Henri told me I’m to do!’ Mister Jolsi said thanks to her status as the Saint, she would have resistance to magic effects like monster dens. “Everyone’s hurting even more…”

She thought about her lessons and book reading. ‘He never taught me how to counter magic sickness! How can I relieve the magic pressure? There must be something I can do. Ust. Hui.’ Her hands tightened together looking around the forest. “I need to be useful.” Her spells were limited. Their training hadn’t advanced far. ‘Mister Jolsi taught me the barrier spell for when the fighting started. But I can’t use that. Not the way he showed me.’

There were different forms of barriers as it was explained to her. The one that she was taught to use was creating a personal barrier. And thanks to her status as Saint, she could use her vast magic reserves to multi-cast it, applying it to everyone in the expedition. ‘The first spell he had me try was the Wall spell. I think because it has a physical presence unlike the Barrier spell, it can push out the stagnant magic. I just have to adapt my formula.’ It couldn’t be used with monsters because they couldn’t enter, forcing the men to leave the protection to fight.

“Visualize the formula…alter the array…” She had only practiced the basics of rewriting magical formulas. Mister Jolsi said she had an excellent understanding of their foundation. The structure and order just sort of made sense to her. There was a logic that she could follow. Unfortunately, she hadn’t tried to rework a spell under pressure. If she failed it could explode, just like when she destroyed Mister Jolsi’s room. “Everyone…” Sophia could picture the expedition team around her. ‘I have to protect everyone!’

With the spell complete, she released it just as Tolen tried to ask what she was doing. It was too late for anyone to stop her. By the time Prince Henri rushed to reach her the barrier jumped from her center to extend well past all of the marching soldiers. Everyone came to a stop trying to understand what just happened, none of it was planned.

Sophia breathed out as the spell completed and she realized that it succeeded. She could finally take in some clean air as the iron grip on her body let up. ‘The heaviness is gone. If it’s working on me, then everyone else should be…’

“What are you doing?” boomed that loud deep bass of a voice once more that didn’t have any of the politeness or delicacy for the fact that she was the Saint. Ust. Hui. The Duke had stomped through his men back to stand before Sophia.

‘Ust. Hui. Is he even taller?’ She staggered back not even noticing him until it was too late. “He’s really scary.”

“Answer me, Saint Sophia!”

“He’s really intense. Does he know how scary he is?”

“Saint Sopha,” a calm cold voice from behind her came up.

She jumped realizing what happened. ‘Ust. Hui. Ust! It’s not helping! He’s so scary. If I say anything else he’s going to kill me! But he wants an answer! Ust.’ The intensity of his eyes felt like a magic spell. “I just wanted to protect everyone from the stagnate magic in the air. It was affecting everyone.”

“That was not part of the plan, Saint Sophia.”

“But your men were suffering.”

“My men are used to dealing with the severity of magic poisoning. Don’t take actions that are not part of the plan without orders. If you want to do something, get permission before acting.”

“If I waited, something bad could have happened.”

“There is a chain of command, Saint Sophia. One that even you must follow. Break it and order is lost. Don’t act on your own, it will only create confusion, especially in the middle of a battle. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” She had trouble turning away even though he was so scary. It was as though he was holding her even though the only hand on her was Tolen. But the Duke finally turned away. She took a sigh of relief. “Do I have to ask for permission to save him when he gets injured?”

The forest fell silent. Behind her she heard a pained groan. And she slapped her hands over her mouth. She couldn’t crawl away if she wanted. But Duke Balirst kept walking away. The stillness of the air didn’t lift. She felt that she was under watch by everyone. “I screwed up really badly. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t think he’ll hold it against you,” Prince Henri said, before resuming the march with the rest of the men. “Probably.”

Sophia looked back at Tolen before towards the Prince, already getting out of reach. She took a couple steps towards him. “What do you mean? Is he going to?” There was no further answer, just the steady progress forward. She rushed after to catch up. “Prince Henri!”

Her protective barrier around the whole expedition aided in a far smoother advance to the den. The Duke never looked back, but even in his quiet stoic stomping, he appreciated the ease. The thick forest was always a trying area to traverse with it, almost fighting against the humans like they were invaders as much as the monsters. Some citizens in Kalendirn even had the superstitions that the trees were creations of the monsters themselves to fight their efforts to silence the taint.

The heart of the forest eventually came upon them. With so many men part of the hunt, they all packed in thick along the boundary. For as much as Sophia would have preferred they sheltered her from these aspects, she had to be near the frontline.

Where they stood was the last part of the forest before it turned into a corrupted waste caused by the poisoning of an abundance of lunar magic. Bark turned dark as if a shadow was wrapped around it. Each bend of the branches sounded like the howling voice of a laughing child. They weren’t alive in the sense of the monsters, but it ceased to be natural. Magic might have been a natural element as well, but it had a logic all its own. One that for as much as spellcraft made sense to her, the chaotic side felt almost random. A trying thing to grasp when she had divine power running through her.

Deeper in where the heart of the den laid, the lunar magic manifested so strongly that it altered the sky into night. Low light remained in contrast to the sunlight trying to break through. And all around there were pairs of purple dots in the darkness. They moved with unnerving motions. Most seemed to be unaware of their presence, but Sophia caught a few that looked to be staring straight at them. ‘I shouldn’t be here! We shouldn’t. This is so completely unnatural! Ust. Hui! I’m just a researcher, not an errand girl for the dumb goddess!’

Ust. Hui. Feur.

‘Protect. Support. Ust. That’s all I need to do. Remember that Sophia. You’re getting close to the monsters. Protect!’ Through the unnatural night, the purple dots darted around in eerie movements. Each time it felt like they pierce through her body. “I really don’t belong here.”

“Just focus on the task assigned to you,” the Prince said, “You don’t need to do anything else.”

“I know, but…”

“Being scared is natural, the proof is that you can still act.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Thank you.” They were still a cold Prince, but it did seem genuine when he said it. There was a small hint of warmth to be found.

The Duke looked back at her. It seemed that he finished with the preparation. ‘They’re ready. The fighting’s going to start. That means I’m going to feel sick again. But I need to support them. This is my job. My responsibility. What I need to do as the Saint.’ Sophia canceled the protective bubble around them. She was immediately hit with a strong wave of nausea and heat. It was far worse than before. “I’m not ready for this.” She tried to pull herself back together. Ust. Hui. Feur. It had been a while since she coughed, it was surprisingly welcome when she noticed that it was gone. “I just have to fight through it. Everyone is.”

It took more focus than she expected to begin forming the formula. They drilled in the practice for it. So once it began, it had more of a life of its own. She just followed the flow that she started. It pulled her along with ease. Each member of the expedition became visualized in her mind. Finding and bringing everyone into the spell took longer than she expected. The magic fog kept distracting her. Sophia was glad they forced her to test on all of the knights in the castle or else she would have collapsed under the pressure of reaching out to a hundred people individually.

Mister Jolsi continued to remark on her talents. She would have thought him having taught the previous Saint that he would be immune or less impressed by her feats. But the gulf between them reminded her how different she was. The stories and records never reflected well on the strengths of the Saints. They would describe the achievements with such flourishes that once she was an adult she stopped taking them so seriously. Thanks to the Prince, it was clear there was a degree of exaggeration the Church did to promote the Saint.

How much of a tale would they spin of her? She didn’t want to become just another piece to prop up the faith and a terrible Goddess.

With the last of the men found, she exhaled the toxic air. Just living in her body for a few moments was like having nails in her throat. It had been a few months since she felt this sick. She didn’t miss it. “It’s done,” Sophia said as clearly as she could.

The Duke looked back at her for a moment. The severe expression that always seemed to be carved into his rugged features made it difficult to know if he was still upset about her actions earlier. Yet he said nothing to her and just quietly nodded before stepping out with his massive spear in his right hand and a shield on his left.

From a picture book image, he didn’t really fit her idea of a knight or soldier nobly charging against beasts in defense of the kingdom. Sword glowing in the right hand and a shield as bulwark to save the innocent in the left. She knew her image was too fanciful and narrow, but his command and presence wanted for nothing.

He stopped hiding his presence and the monsters were already turning to confront the arriving threat. The Duke’s advance signalled to the rest to charge out. Seeing only those in front of her, she hadn’t realized how spread out the men were. But it made sense. Each monster with this much lunar magic present would be more than a match for a man. Flanking and surrounding would be the only way to protect their fellow soldiers and start to hobble the strength advantage of the enhanced beasts.

Loud clashes of man and monster boomed through the forest gripping Sophia. She braced her hand against the darkened tree. Tolen and Noan remained at her side even as Prince Henri stood with the knights. It was easy for her to forget that he was assigned as the Commander of the knights, even with the Captain present.

She only had glimpsed a few times between lessons to see the Prince on the training grounds. ‘A Prince and he’s a master swordsman. He’s too perfect. But he’s also mean. So maybe not perfect, but too close. Focus. I need to be ready.’ The Prince stood bravely with the men almost like a hero from the books of her childhood, silver white hair flowing as he swung each sword. He truly was unfairly beautiful.

Amongst the mass of silver and green of the Eulire armor, she could finally see the monsters peeling back the fog. No longer purple eyes that glowed like hot coals, now shining gems wrapped in thick muscle and fur. They hadn’t prepared her for what sort of beasts would be in the den, but it was more than just one type. A few began to rise over the heights of the men, long horns and tendrils to channel lunar magic.

‘Please hold. I wish I had anything else to offer than the Barrier. If the goddess is real, she’s cruel, forcing them to fight without magic against monsters powered by it.’ Flashes of dark purple-blue splashed over the men. The blue-white of the barrier shimmered under the repeated assault, but seemed to hold for now.

Roars of felled beasts with battlecries of the men filled in the void of dark forest. It was hard for Sophia to even know the difference anymore. “Are we winning?” She took an uncertain step forward trying to understand the battle. It was complete chaos. There was no elegance anymore or nobility in what she saw.

It was ugly and bloody, a disgusting sight that churned her stomach as the air killed her lungs. “I have to keep watching this each time.” This was her duty. Because she was so strong, she had to watch and wait on the frontlines. Her power made a difference, but it was nothing that her eyes should have to witness.

But with minutes piling on top of each other and even the air feeling some fatigue, it no longer looked like a stalemate. The men were cutting down monsters in groups with the numbers reduced. Large deer-like beasts dropped into fading pools of lunar magic alongside a massive bear crossed with a boar creature with tendrils twice the length of its body. A severed limb flew through the air crashing heavily against the nearby tree.

A deep roar came from the center of the mass. It had to be the master. But it turned into a voice. “Make way!” The Duke commanded his men. “The heart is exposed!”

Sophia sucked in air holding back her shaking. ‘That’s the signal for me. Ust. Hui. I can’t fail! I need to do this! I’m going to die! Save me!’ Fighting was still continuing and would so long as the heart of the den remained. It would take time to spawn monsters, but unchecked it could interrupt her work.

She looked to Tolen and Noan. They pushed out while staying close with their sword and shields prepared. She followed slowly after them. Each thud against a shield in the mass or squelching of blood hurried her step. ‘So many voices. I hear them all! Ust. Hui. They’re fighting and getting hurt because of me! I have to hurry. Ust. I need to succeed! They’re dying! I have to be the Saint!’

A divide in the men formed with their approach at the Duke’s orders. Being her first time with the purification, she was warned that being closer would be the fastest way to purify the forest. If she was more experienced it might have been possible to do it at a distance, but she was a long way from that possibility.

Tolen suddenly was shoved back in her path. She stopped to see a massive head of fang and fur trying to dig into his shield arm. The barrier flashing rapidly under the pressure. With his sword he was able to bring the blade down on the neck and cut it horrifically through creating sounds that she didn’t even know existed. And now would live forever in her mind. She didn't need such memories.

“Mister Tolen!”

“I’m fine, Saint Sophia. No need to worry yourself on me.” He voice sounded a little rough from the effort, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. Her spell saved him. Her knight gave Sophia a brief look before resuming his duty on protecting her.

‘I need to act quickly. I can’t let any more be hurt because of me!’

Each step felt heavier than the last. The lunar magic almost felt like it had hands trying to strangle her. Sophia coughed harsher with each movement. Her body revolted against the poisons. ‘It hurts so much. This isn’t like a cold! It’s far worse. I can’t breathe. I have to stop. Ust. Hui. No, I need to keep walking forward. I’m the Saint. I must do my duty. My responsibility. I can’t fail.’

The air pulsed with life now. She looked forward into the almost pitch darkness of the fog. She could only see the backs of her knights. Wet throbbing and heavy deep bases pumped through the air. It surrounded them.

They had arrived.

She couldn’t see it, but this feeling was unmistakable. It was the source of everything. And the unnatural build up of magic. It wanted to crush her into the dirt. Even breathing was difficult, it was no longer trying to claw out her lungs. And yet Tolen and Noan stood with her. ‘How can they stand so firm? I have magic resistance and it hurts so badly. Could they not be affected? Is that possible? Is it just me? Because I’m the Saint?’ Sophia braced herself as her feet pushed onward.

“I need to hurry.” Even if they were fine, she could already feel her body break. ‘Is this how every purification is? Is this what the stupid goddess punishes me for not believing in her anymore?’

Unlike with the barrier, purification was a different manner of using magic. It wasn’t even truly the casting of a spell or crafting a formula. Because it was a clot in the magic of the earth, she had to project her mana into the tainted source and break down the excess until it could naturally return to nature.

Mister Jolsi described the heart as a natural phenomenon within the world, much like that of a body. And sometimes too much built up in one place unable to be cleared by the system their world functions on. It was up to external means to clear it. The Church had a differing and opposite view as the sin of humanity calling down from the celestial until lunar magic overflowed. It was the chosen honor of the Saint to cleanse the evil so that man could be clean once more.

Sophia liked Mister Jolsi's view far more. And what she felt now as she began channeling her mana into the heart made sense. His explanation was logical to what she felt. A mass of mana caught in a dot of a space, dense and immovable. It wanted to be free, but couldn’t push it out. It just needed a little nudge.

Though the idea of using a nudge was vastly simplifying it as she kept pouring in her magic and she only just felt it become equalized. This growth had become wildly out of control. But perhaps without a Saint for twenties this was what happened.

The strain on her body was nothing like any of her training. They tried to test her limits, but it eventually proved a fruitless effort. Though Mister Jolsi theorized she didn’t know a powerful enough spell that needed high quantities of mana that it would drain her. This finally was feeling like it was emptying her. “How powerful is this?” Her body coughed feeling the magic attacking her even more sharply now. Was it resisting her?

Their magical battle spread light out from the heart into the forest. Cutting around trees and men, the light filled all blinding anyone in sight. Confused shouts came out even as more monsters roared in pain. The fighting stalled as the pressure changed.

A warmth filled the space chasing out the clinging darkness. Finally, the ash purple trees became visible as the artificial night sky faded away. The sun cracked through hurting the lunar aspected monsters. With light returned and sight restored, the tide of the battle fully changed. The men became an ocean wave crashing upon the remaining monsters. The monster's sustaining source was crushed. While still strong, they were no longer enhanced with the ambient energies. Spears and swords came down in thunderous fury.

Cries of triumph rose as the last of the beasts laid slain. Everywhere around them twisted corpses of beasts laid. A sight of joy, but a future of dread. The bodies needed to be carefully disposed of or the lunar magic within them would collect once more. The mass of the slain monsters would easily give birth to a new heart.

Sophia coughed up once more, it came from deep inside almost like part of her life was leaving. It tore through her body, but with it came relief in its passing. ‘It’s over. It’s over! I did it!’ She placed a hand on her chest finally surrounded by fresh air and no magic.

She looked over to Tolen and Noan, both who were stained in a purple-blue ichor. They must have been fighting while she was focused away. But they seemed unharmed at least from a glance. They gave her grateful smiles as she started to look around. Cheers were going up from the men.

The Duke met with his men as he began to arrange a scouting of the forest. He remained on alert even with the monsters defeated. It seemed paranoid, but he was a soldier. Sophia just walked away to find the knights and Prince. ‘Is he unharmed? How are the knights? Did anyone need healing?’ She hurried a little, starting to outpace her guards.

Through the dividing men, she finally saw Prince Henri, even more blood soaked than her guards. It was almost like he fell into a pool of dye. ‘Is he injured? I can’t see through all the monster blood. I hope he’s okay. I should heal him just to be sure. He’s the Prince. He needs to be safe. Where do I heal? He’s all purple and blue.’ The silvered haired handsome Prince had become a blueberry. “He still looks pretty good…” Once she saw that he turned to catch her gaze, she waved to him. Hopefully, she could get a sense of his wellness from his reaction.

He didn’t give nearly as energetic a reply, but for a frigid man, it was hardly surprising. But she still hurried.

A lingering surge of lunar magic hit her senses. Sophia stopped and frantically looked around her. “Where is it? What’s the source?” Tolen and Noan went on alert seeing her reaction. They took up positions on her sides even as she scanned the forest. ‘I can barely feel it. There’s still magic in the air.’ Then sharply her attention came from further in the forest. It was charging around trees locked onto the men. Only she noticed so far. No, it wasn’t the men. “The Prince!” He was working to help the knights after he confirmed her safety, completely unaware. “Prince Henri!”

Sophia could see there was no one near enough, only the knights. And they were recovering, guard down. The Duke and his men were too far away. They wouldn’t reach it in time. “No one’s close.”

Without further thought, her mind raced. A blast of dirt sprayed up staggering her guards as Sophia was gone. She moved with speed like she had never known and faster than any knight. Stunned eyes watched her streaking motion through the forest to reach the Prince in time. “Get down! Prince Henri!”

In quick flashes, Sophia arrived out in front of the knights. No thoughts, only action. She cast the personal barrier on herself as the bear-like monster barreled at everyone. There was a spear half stuck in its back already. Pained bellows came from it. It collided with Sophia, her barrier flashed, but still sent her tumbling back.

Prince Henri finally reached her as she slammed into him knocking them both down. The knights charged the flailing beast to finally put it down.

He lifted her up in his arms. “Sophia! Sophia answer me!” He shook her even as everything seemed faint around her.

“What’s happening?” her voice didn’t come out strong. Words mumbled out of her lips almost running together with one thought finishing the last. “My head feels fuzzy. Why does the Prince sound so distressed? He’s never emotional.”

“Sophia, focus on me! Sophia!”

She looked up hearing the shouting panicked voice. “So strange.” Her hand reached up to his face. “You never sound like that.”

He moved a hand, noticing a frightening reality. It was crimson. “Stay with me, Sophia!”

“Prince Henri…” Everything was getting fuzzier for her.

“You’re so stupid. Why did you do that? You’re too important!”

“I just moved. I wanted to protect you.”

Shock came over him at her words as Sophia passed out in his arms. “Sophia!”