The Holy Spirit's Test (pt.2)

But how could he save Vian?

Alastor knew that refusing to do the tests by then was nothing but stupidity. If he did nothing, Vian most likely was going to be suffering alone.

'However, if I was able to succeed, I can save her.'

The decision to take these tests was a double-edged sword. He could end up either making her suffer worse or somehow managing to save her.

But after a second thought, Alastor did not immediately accept any tests. Instead, he ended up thinking about it for a few more minutes.

'Failure is undoubtedly unacceptable. One mistake means Vian is going to be in more danger. Staying here is also meaningless.'

If he stayed here for a long time, Vian may get severely hurt, or worse, killed.

'I suppose my choices are limited then. I need to accept these tests and pass them as well.'

"Very well, I am going to choose one of the tests, what will happen then?"

[You are going to leave here and move to another place. There, you are going to know more.]

The Holy Spirit was secretly anticipating the answer. They did not know what exactly they were expecting to see.

They just wanted a surprise.

A cold gust of wind blew their robe away. The Holy Spirit grunted once they fell, the cold, smooth tiles showed their reflection.

The boy with a beautiful pair of crystallized irises stared back at the Holy Spirit, making him heave a soft sigh.

'I didn't see myself like this in a long time.'

The Holy Spirit preferred to cover himself in his robe. His appearance had only given him bad memories of the past.

Alastor did not give the Holy Spirit much time to indulge in his thoughts about the past. He had already made up his mind and reached to touch the Moon symbol.

The Holy Spirit blinked.

[Are you sure of your choice?]

"Yes, I have no reason to not be."

'Not like hesitation can help me.'

[Then, hear me out. The Moon test you are about to take is simple. You just need to retrieve the Moonstone from the place you are going to.]

'A Moon Stone? That seems too easy…'

Regular Moonstones were scattered around the world. They were rare, but nothing so special. They had no brilliant strength or any traits. In addition, they were not small in size or anything.

The Holy Spirit noticed Alastor's expression and explained a bit further.

[The Moonstone you are required to retrieve is not a regular one. It is a blessed Moonstone that can allow the owner of it to have the Affinity of the Moon.]

"The affinity of the moon?"

[It will help you to receive the grace of the Moon God.]

After the Holy Spirit said that, Alastor saw a familiar text appearing in front of him. Narrowing his eyes, Alastor read it carefully.

It was another side mission.

[Hello again! Another Side Mission for you, Alastor~!]

['Receive the Graces of the Gods']

[Goals: Finish the four tests provided by the Holy Spirit of the Temple of Despair and gather the items that will allow you to receive the gods' grace.]

[Reward: The Blessing of the Holy Spirit.]

[Failure: Death of Vian.]

[Difficulty: S+]

'Ha!'

Alastor almost snorted out loud. The system that was silent for the entire time after being burnt by him finally spoke.

This temple- the Holy Spirit of this temple, they both were made of despair.

'Now everything makes sense!'

Despair.

The skeleton scattered across the corridors, the poisonous gas, the trails around, and simply everything.

This place was a lair of despair.

'No wonder the Holy Spirit didn't want to lie to me, ignorance can surely be even worse than knowing. The desperation it can bring is immeasurable.'

On the other hand, there was this system. It was even giving him a special task of some sort. How amazing, Alastor forced the corners of his lips down.

'Why is the system so eager to take me there?'

And not just for one test, but for the four of them. Something was off. The reward was great, tempting Alastor. And the punishment of failure was something severe.

'The system is trying to push me to take those tests, heh. How admirable of it.'

It never intended to let Alastor off the hook, that was certain.

"Fine, I'm going to take it. Are there any more instructions I need to follow?"

[None. Go ahead, may Despair not visit you soon.]

"Heh. Funny that the Holy Spirit of despair says that."

The Holy Spirit fell silent. Once more, he was thankful that no one could see him. He bit his lip and gave a short sigh. How did Alastor know?

More importantly, was there anything else Alastor knew?

Subconsciously, the Holy Spirit clutches his waist. A faint pain seemed to be resurfacing.

'Don't think about it,' the Holy Spirit chided himself, 'You are fine the way you are.'

He knew he was trying to convince himself with that. To escape the painful memory of the past. The Alastor he was observing reminded him of that distant memory.

'Humans are oddly similar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.'

[Irony, is that what you humans call it?]

"Heh. I'm glad that you know that at least."

Ignoring the sarcastic comment Alastor threw at him, the Holy Spirit raised his hand, commanding the Moon symbol to move.

The Moon symbol moved toward Alastor who reluctantly held it in his palm. It shone, illuminating the already-lit room.

"Ugh."

The blinding light soon engulfed Alastor, moving him to somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit smiled a bit as he looked at another room. The ceiling of that room was filled with sharp iron rods, their pointy ends were sharp enough to break bones.

'The young woman called him Alastor,' the Holy Spirit mused.

His eyes narrowed, and they glinted with a sharp light. His focus shifted alongside his gaze to Vian who was thrashing around while staring at the ceiling which was falling towards her.

"No, no, no! I can't move!"

Vian felt like crying.

She was not some weakling who could not take care of herself. This made her think she could escape from her situation earlier. However, instead of being able to free herself, some parts of the ceiling fell.

She tried to escape. Thankfully, only her leg was injured. But the pain was crazy. Vian cried in pain as silently as she could, afraid of triggering some hidden trap.

But soon enough, she could not focus on the pain anymore.

Without prior warning, the ceiling started to tremble. And just a few moments later, the ceiling was getting closer and closer to her.

Vian tried to escape. But aside from the immense pressure on her, she was also suffering from her leg injury.

Alexander was not with her to help as well.

As the ceiling was almost halfway reaching her, only one thought was in her head while she tried her best to crawl toward the open hole in the wall.

'Alastor… I, I will survive… Please just wait for me.'

Alas, the next thing Vian felt was the iron rods penetrating her body, which made her let out a blood-curdling scream before losing consciousness.