Chapter 12: The Accession Ceremony

The snow fell across the plains, the whole courtyard was covered in a sheet of white dust, and many knights stood watch in the frozen weather. They showed no sign of moving, if normal civilians have worn those armor, they would freeze to death in this climate.

Uriel stood high at the top of Edel Cathedral, she did a long incantation, forming a magic matrix in the sky. Within an instant, a beam of light ripped apart the clouds, revealing the sun that had been hidden from the town in days. I stood in awe at the scale of magic that Uriel had cast, I already knew she was an amazing spellcaster, but not to this degree.

“The snow will come back in a few hours, so let’s make this ceremony quick and one to remember!”

Uriel yelled from the top of the cathedral, the curious onlookers below followed her cheers and began shuffling through the snowy streets.

Bands of music were playing, the people performed along the road, stalls were set up to sell foods to celebrate the occasion. It was like a festival, given how dreary the town atmosphere felt when I arrived the evening before. Maybe this was something that they needed to lift their spirits.

“Lively isn’t it, I have my shop set up just down the street.”

It was Alfred, he stood right behind me holding a bag of bread.

“When will it be your time to shine, little Hainé?” Alfred asked, biting down a freshly baked roll of dough.

“It should be soon, Uriel was supposed to call for me but there she is enjoying herself,” I pointed to the woman on top of the tower waving at the crowds.

“My, for someone cute as you to be our savior, our realm truly is blessed.”

A woman said passionately, she stood next to Alfred, I had a guess who she could be.

“This is my wife, Violet, you had seen the pictures in my shop if you remembered,” Alfred introduced the blue-haired woman.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Violet,” I grabbed the helm of my robe and bowed.

“Wow, what a polite and dignified young lady,” Violet giggled.

“Lady Hainé, Uriel is calling for you!”

Lilia called to me across the street, I guess it was time. I waved goodbye to the married couple, Alfred gave me a thumbs up before I lost sight of them. I entered the cathedral, it was brightly lit inside. On the center was a podium that raised high to the ceiling. It was like mimicking the steps to heaven as written in the fairytale. I got excited just thinking about it.

I found Uriel to the side, Garrock was with her, and a familiar man I recognized.

“Mister Orland! You’re here today!” I gasped and I ran over to the party.

“I’m grateful you remembered me, yes, I had just arrived this morning,” Richel bowed to me, he was showing a different side to him compared to when we first met.

“Is His Grace not with you, where is Archbishop Gabriel?”

Richel brought up a good question, Gabriel was nowhere to be found all morning. He had promised he’ll be here but the ceremony was minutes from starting. Uriel tapped her foot, then motioned to me to stand next to her.

“It’s no matter, Archbishop Arthur will be the one to do the oath, we will continue as planned,” Uriel ordered.

The townspeople ushered into the mass room, with hundreds of seats lined up on either side. It was so crowded that many had to stand as they were not able to find a vacant seat. I was instructed to enter from the outside, make my way to the raised podium.

I stood at the center of the entrance, it had just hit me that there were thousands of eyes staring at me, I had butterflies in my stomach, felt like I was getting dizzy at the mountain of pressure. However, from nearby, grabbed a hold of my hand was Lilia, I felt her cool hand in my palm. Her purple eyes met with mine, she seemed to be as nervous as I am.

“Stay calm, milady, I’m with you all the way,” she smiled.

I felt my confidence coming back, and we marched together hand in hand. I saw Alfred in an aisle nearby with his wife Violet, they both waved to me as a way of sending good faith. That’s right, I had endured much trepidation to get to this point. Once this was all over, I would have more freedom as Uriel promised. I continued down the aisle, and stepped into the podium. I gaze up at the stained glass, I matched the maiden white attire with mine. Uriel had me wear a new ceremonial robe just for today, it felt embarrassing with my exposed shoulder and some of my leg could be seen on the side. The good thing was it was easy to move in unlike my regular robe I wore daily that made me tripped constantly.

The podium started moving, the platform started raising upward, before me was Archbishop Arthur standing on a platform connecting to mine. He raised his arm, in his hand he extended an edelweiss flower with right hand, in his left was a chalice filled with water. Uriel informed me this was a baptism exercise to cleanse the worshipper. He shook the water on my head before motioning me to accept the flower from his hand. I held the white flower gently in my hand and did a praying motion.

“Young Armiger, do you swear upon Eris’s name you will accept this oath, to guide the land, the seas, and the people.”

“I swear.”

“Do you align yourself with Eris’s teachings, her love, her children, that you will forever stand by her side.”

“I align.”

“Will you accept your role to devote yourself to protect this realm until death part your soul from your body to join Her side.”

“I accept.”

Everything was going as rehearsed back in the Basilicom, Uriel had drilled ceremony steps into me so many times I could recite it in my sleep. I looked at the elevated seats, Uriel looking satisfied as I was doing everything as she instructed me, next to her was a vacant seat, clearly meant for Gabriel. Other seats included some important looking people I don’t recognize, considering they sat on the same level as Gabriel, they must be someone known to this realm.

“Summon your blade, Young Armiger, and show us the miracles of the brand.”

I pictured the silver blade in my mind, forming a magic matrix before me.

“To me, Durandal!”

The silver blade shone brightly in the cathedral, the townspeople were awed by the sight. I turned to show the world the sword, this was the last step as rehearsed. Here it was over.

“Then by my name as Archbishop Arthur Holds, I command thee to tether to me,” Arthur recited.

I turned around in surprise, the archbishop was uttering something that was offscript. Uriel audibly stood up, her eyes wide with astonishment as written on her face.

“Arthur, what are you doing, Arthur!”

Her yells fell on deaf ears, the old man continued his incantation.

“With this contract of you as my familiar, you will heed my every command until your dying breath,” Arthur ended his incantation. A magic matrix appeared beneath me, light chains appeared completely immobilizing my movement. I struggled in confusion, unsure what the archbishop was doing.

Suddenly a beam of light fired at the archbishop, it grazed his shoulder, then he looked back in the direction where the light had fired. The tanned woman with her palm extended, her golden eyes glowing brightly, white wings sprouted on her back fluttering in the sky of the cathedral.

“That is not your authority, you have no rights to use that magic on her, I ordered you as per Testament decree, let her go,” Uriel ordered. My eyes wide at the sight. I had an inkling of suspicions, she was older than she looked as well as knowledgeable. She had seemed close to Gabriel as well as their names were similar, so it would make sense she was an angel as well.

Arthur let out a laugh, before coming to face me, his twisted face looked terrifying, it was a face no man of holiness should wear. The voice of the townspeople whispering below, the knights in the surrounding area also looked toward each other in confusion, unsure what to do.

“No authority, you’re right, right now I have no such thing,” Arthur muttered.

“But I can do this!”

The archbishop faced me, his hand winding up and thrusting toward me like a blade.

He aimed his right hand in the direction of my left chest. Within an instant, blood splashed in the air.

The world slowed down, I gathered my vision, right in front of me was a face I recognized. It belonged to the one who stood by my side the last six months, the one who sleeps with me every night, the one who held my hand when I felt lonely, the one who was loud, energetic, but also kind.

“Are you… okay, Lady Hainé?”

Lilia stood in between me and the old man, the archbishop hand had pierced through her chest, leaving a gaping hole. He retracted his hand and left the girl to fall. My mind went blank, the little girl coughed up blood as she fell over right before my feet.

“Lilia…? LILIA!!!”

I yelled on top of my lungs, summoned Durandal in the air and commanded it to cut all the chains that had tied me down. I rushed to the chestnut-haired girl's side, lifting her up by the neck.

“Lilia, please stay with me, please,” I cried, tears flooding out my eyes. The little girl’s breathing was heavy, she was losing blood too fast, it was pouring out of the gaping hole all over the platform.

“Arthur! What have you done!”

Uriel yelled, shooting another beam at the archbishop, blowing up parts of the platform.

“Even now, you can’t even punish me, you’re the same as back then,” Arthur muttered under his breath.

“It should have been me, Lilia was innocent!”

I screamed at the corrupted archbishop with my tears stained face.

“Arthur, I will never forgive you!”

“Forgiveness? I don’t need it from a brat like you, she’s just a mere servant, there are more just like her!”

Arthur roared, he grabbed a hold of my silver hair. I groaned in pain as I still held Lilia in my arms, not letting her go. He winded up his arm again, repeating the action as he did with Lilia.

Lilia didn’t deserve this, it should have been me!

Time slowed down, Arthur lunged at me with a nasty look on his face, and Uriel was flying down with her hand extending towards Lilia and I.

No, I don’t want this! I was supposed to become the Armiger. Then… Lilia. Lilia was supposed to be there by my side, we could have gone on an adventure together!

I fixed my teary eyes on Lilia, her body warmth slowly dwindling away, she had moments left.

Why…? Why is this happening? I did everything expected of me, I didn’t complain or did I deny the role of Armiger. I told myself to endure, so I can be free of this endeavor.

I’m tired of all this charade, if this is what Armiger has to go through, I don’t want it anymore. Without Lilia, there is no meaning in doing it!

I recalled the memory of the evening when Lilia and I were together sharing our story.

But now I have a dream, if you officially become an Armiger, we can travel the realm together and go on many adventures, I think that would be so much fun!

“Lilia… I’m so sorry, at the very least, we’ll go together.” I closed my eyes, bracing the impact as I held Lilia close to my chest.

Deep within my heart now was nothing but anger and despair, it felt like it was suffocating me, drowning my mind in its dark allure. I had given up, now I just awaited the killing blow that would send me where Lilia was going.

“You would give up everything here?” A voice resounded in my mind.

I opened my eyes, I was now in a big hall, I scanned around my surroundings, I was now in a castle I don’t recognize. It looked like there had been a big battle here, the walls looked like they had been punched through. Numerous slashes were imprinted on the ground that no normal sword could do. I looked to the center of the room, a beautifully crafted chair propped against the wall. It must’ve belonged to a king or someone of importance.

“Where’s Lilia?” I realized the wounded girl was no longer in my arms. Neither the archbishop or Uriel could be seen anywhere at all.

“You would give up everything, you worked your life the past half a year, almost died when you came across that brand, and now you choose to die like a dog,” a voice resounded around me. I looked at the ornate chair, a shadow was now manifesting into a recognizable figure.

“You Humes never fail to disappoint me,” the man's voice was now clearer, he sat upon the chair as his body became physical.

“Who are you, and where is this,” I asked nervously, I was on guard, the man was no human. He had horns on his head with a crown in between, and he wore a dark half robe that was embroidered in an unknown language. It was no mistake, the man sitting on the throne was a demon.

“You needn’t be on guard, my physical body perished in the realm, I cannot harm you even if I tried,” the demon explained.

“This space is just within your consciousness, or perhaps easier to say dream,” he added.

I pictured Durandal in my mind in an attempt to summon it, it was not coming to my call. I tried reciting a spell to attack the man, but my mana was in disarray, nothing was conjuring.

“My name is Kain, a Demon Lord hailing from Invidia, or was,” the demon snickered.

“What do you mean ‘was’, you died?” I mocked.

“In the most spectacular fashion! The band of heroes had successfully slayed me, and brought peace to the realm.”

Kain laughed, he stood up from his chair and charades his death in the most dramatic way.

“Now you might be thinking, how am I here, and why are you here speaking to a wandering ghost?”

Kain walked towards me, he pointed at me with his finger, a visible long nail was inches from poking my eyes.

“My pet found you, we demons aren’t so heartless that we turned blind eye to a child’s plight, especially when one of our own decided to betray his kin to contract with a Hume.”

Kain went back to his seat, now slouching over on his chair without a care in the world. I was still confused about his word, what did he mean his kin had contracted with a Hume, is Hume supposed to be another word for man?

“That archbishop that tried to kill you, he’s no longer human, he had merged his essence with a fiend, specifically a demon,” he paused, conjuring a mirage vision. Instantly, I recognized the demon he was displaying, it was the very same had tried to kill me six months ago.

“Falcie!” I gasped, covering my mouth.

“So you do recognize him. It’s unknown why he betrayed my brethren, there’s no way for me to ask them because I am dead of course,” the demon shrugged.

“Judging by the hostility, I surmised you two had a history, and is why it’s hellbent on killing you in the form of that man,” Kain explained.

“But nothing matters anymore, I don’t care, Lilia is dying in my arms, send me back, I want to spend my last few seconds with her.”

I truly felt nothing mattered, no matter what I planned to do, Arthur was in front of me dealing the killing blow. Nothing I do would change my fate.

“Even if I offered you the grace of saving her?”

My eyes lit up, he said a sentence I never thought I would have the luxury of hearing.

“What? How? Tell me!” I yelled as I glared at him in desperation.

“Caught your attention, have I,” Kain smirked.

“We have our ways, but it won’t be as holy as your chur–”

“I don’t care, anything to save Lilia,” I cut him off, my eyes filled with determination.

“Very well, I’m bored so you might as well entertain me little girl,” the demon snickered, he conjured a spell, then suddenly before me was a magic matrix.

An image of a serpent appeared in my mind, it looked like a snake, but its face was reptile-like like a lizard. On its eye were lines that resembled tears. I blinked for a moment then the serpent physically appeared right before my feet. It was small, it tilted its head. I thought for a moment it was strangely cute. However, it flew into the air before entering my chest.

I gasped for air, and fell on my knees. The burning sensation burned my lungs, then spread to my heart before eventually reaching my bones. It was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. The demon lord watched in delight, satisfied at my plight of suffering.

In my mind there was one thing to keep me from losing my consciousness, to save Lilia, I just have to endure this. Once more I will endure for Lilia.

“I hope you won’t come to regret this choice, little girl.”

Kain gazed at his illusion of a castle, then let out a quiet chuckle.

“I look forward to meeting you through her, Testarossa.”