The last chance.

Fernanda had a blank look as the moon shined on her face through the window. Her barrier had long been dissolved. Althought she was alive and well. Not a single thing made sense to her.

Her Sister had been imprisoned by the church after one of their raids in the world of Mirage. She lamented and managed to infiltrate the human land, only to be seduced by vampires and end up as one of their puppets

She was of a special lineage of dark elf and they chose her to steal a drop of blood from this supposed holy man. Something clicked on her mind and she remembered her sister she delayed the mission and tried to frighten him to ger answers, Only to be bested and have a sliver of her spirt taken away.

She could feel the divine energy moving in his body while he slept; mending every bone he broke when he dashed to grab her face. He's a high priest, he should heal chopped off arms in less than a second, yet it's been one hour and his bones were barely healed

'He acted with everything he got.' She concluded. others might think of it as bravery but she knew what it truly was;---despair.

The despair of the cornered who sees a small chance to run.

She learned it from her father. 'Always let a way out for your enemies, be it a true way out or an illusory one. Even a chicken will fly into your neck if you corner it.'

The rough words repeated on her mind making the vow of the high-priest repeat on her mind.

After he vowed, she found herself calmer and inwardly compliant.

"That was him leaving a way out for me...a ray of light at the end of the tunnel..so I'll also have a reason for my own interest to follow his orders"

"Hahaha-"

She laughed at herself.

She was a hundred years older than the human priest, yet she fell to the vampire's schemes as quickly as the priest secured his chance to get out of whatever is chaining him.

'It's said that humans are the weakest of all races but also the most treacherous.'

She looked at the sleeping man, "Thanks to you, I got to witness why."

She braced herself for the future as the minutes passed.

*****

Piriri! Piriri! Piriri!

The cellphone's alarm rung.

Leonard's eyes snapped open and he raised his upper body swiftly. Adrenaline immediately flowed through him.

With a stern complexion, he started to prepare for the ceremony that would start at the peak of the Halloween, he went to numerous of the kind, every time a knight would be promoted his spirit must be showered with blessings. It's his first time doing it for a Saint knight promotion.

"Can you follow me stealthily into a place filled with priests?" He asked aloud.

There was nobody in the room. But a voice found it's way to his ear.

"Normally not, but today is Haloween."

He nodded heavily. They would eventually deal with him. So why not deal with the first blow? He thought and felt his blood flow stronger in his crippled body.

Before going, he visited his mother on her bed. Her eyes were wide open. He frowned, then smiled.

"Mother, if everything goes right, you'll be walking within a month." He kissed her forehead and gently closed her eyes.

Underneath her eyelids, his eyes trembled. But he didn't see it. When he got up to leave a hand latched on his arm.

He looked and saw his mother with open eyes holding his arm. Her weak hands were pale from the strength she was mustering.

He got a glimpse of her feelings and he felt his world shatter. But today was the start of a war. Seeing her moving only made him more aware of the possibility of winning and having everything. He wouldn't have his dream back, but his mother would surely be alive and walking again.

What he didn't realize, however, was that his unnatural aging hurt her more than being unable to move.

He sent a healing blessing into her, together with a calming spell inducing sleep;

Maria was looking at him from the carer's single bed in the corner of the room. He nodded at her with the same amiable smile and walked off.

Maria got up from the bed and waltzed to the side of Eleonore's bed. She took up her cellphone and sent a message.

[He's on the move and seems he used a lot of his spirit. He aged at least ten years.]

She then looked down at Elonore who opened her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, I only follow the will of the great one."

Eleonore's eyes got red. Her neck moved stiffly. and she managed to glare right into Maria's eyes.

"If there's a demon against your god, I'de sell my soul in a second."

Her voice was faint and dry. Her eyes shone red contrasting with her pale white wrinkled skin.

Maria never felt such fear before!

"B-Blasphemy!" She said in a panic: "Even if your movements are back, it's too late, you and your son won't be here tomorrow."

*****

Leonard walked through the silent streets with Arrieta by his side. She was waiting for him in front of his house. ortunely she remained silent all the way to the church.

Only candles were lit on the church's hallways, there was no sound of people around only their steps echoing. they walked to the main altar. Arrieta stood in front and chanted a spell. it opened, showing stairs that led to the underground.

She looked back at Leonard with a smile and went on.

She was a fifth tier knight, even if the priest wanted to runaway she could catch and drag him inside in mere two steps so she didn' t mind leading the way.

Leonard looked at his shadow. as if answering his silent question it rippled like a pebble on a pond. It was the dark elf's innate ability to adhere to a shadow. He walked forward.

Underneath the church was an old dungeon, it was one of the firsts to explode with innumerable monsters and attack the city. it's been two hundred years since the catastrophe struck, but humanity persevered and managed to not only manage the monsters but also found ways to establish a stable connection with Mirage a different realm. before a world of peril, but no, a world of hope and new technological advance.

There is an entrance to Mirage in all countries, they are public for all to adventure, you only need to register yourself. Common civilians who saw an opportunity for prosperity and bold men and woman who wanted to gain their life exploring a new world did not waste time to develop cities and go on adventures.

The beauty of Mirage caught the eyes of all and Leonard was one of them.

As he walked down the stairs his childish desire to become a successful adventurer like in the novels came to his mind, causing a nostalgic feeling to blossom on him. unwittingly a since smile appeared on his mouth. But it was fone as they reached the bottom.

A handsome man clad in golden armor was seated cross-legged in the middle of a circle meditating.

Slightly far from him, the common priest's talked with three women, all commonly known as knight Ricardo's women.

Leonard was too lazy to try and remember who was the legitimate wife and who was the lover.

Momentarily the common priests and other servants stopped talking and looked at Leonard.

The knight who seemed not to bother with any other opened his green eyes and spoke.

"You're late. Don't let it happen again."

His tone casual and arrogant. As if others following his orders are the only thing that'd happen after he spoke.

"You didn't even finish your promotion ceremony but is already using your authority? One can see that you have control issues, did an uncle touched your special place when you were young?"

Leonard spoke with the usual amiable smile, the people froze. They all thought the same but who'd dare to insult a soon to be Saint knight?

The knight smiled, "You overestimate your value to this church, it'd be wiser to just do as you're told."

"Stop." A sudden voice reverberated through the cave. All bowed, with the exception of Ricardo and Leonard.

Wearing robes with gold in its entirety, the Supreme-priest entered with a gentle smile.

He saw Leonard's state of age but didn't speak about it.

"It's almost three, begin."

With his words, came rushing winds with howling ghosts, hundreds of o spirits danced around the middle of the circle as Ricardo closed his eyes and started to release his Qi.

The priests entered in action while Leonard waited, after the Common priest comes to the High-priests, lastly, the Supreme-priest.

They all showered the howling ghosts and Ricardo's spirit with blessings and prayers, by enriching his spirit he'll become a saint knight rather a common 6 level knight. He'll be able to use spells that match his level and will not rely solely on his physical strength and ability as a knight.

A common sixth level knight will not stand a chance against him.

It was time or the high-priests to enter the fray. Leonard stepped up with liveliness on his eyes. The supreme priest noticed, and so did others, even Ricardo who was concentrated felt an overly excited mood.

But it was not time to talk so the procedure continued.

The wind and howling ghosts tempered by the common priests slowly seeped into Ricardo's Dantian while the high priests' blessing came showering from upwards.

The Supreme priest also acted and threw in his own blessing. The ones form the common priest slowly seeped in, but from the hight-priest and supreme needed to be swallowed in one go.

Leonard's insides clenched and a vicious light shone in his eyes.

That was his only chance to finally being able to speak and walk freely, his only chance to live again.