Searching for Clues

A small, golden hue emanating from a flickering fire illuminated a small section of the library. Though it was dim, the books were visible enough for the small girl to read.

Aisle "Q"

Aisle "R"

Aisle "S"

Lumi wandered into Aisle "S", where shelves towering over her presided. The shelves were filled with books containing various genres subdivided into different categories.

"Sabers, Sacred Texts, Safety Regulations for Magic… ah!"

Lumi then reached for the book that piqued her interest.

[Saint Chloe Hibton: Guidance of the North]

The book had a golden embellishment and was undoubtedly used only a few times as implied by its minimal creases. As Lumi opened the book, she saw that within its inner covering were the names of those who rented the tome, with the year they borrowed correspondingly.

{Thaddeus McLenny, year 840}

{Eliza Lauren, year 840}

{Luis Cosain, year 843}

{Abaddon, year 845}

As Lumi flipped the pages, she was able to see an illustration of the Saintess.

She had pale blond hair and gentle, emerald eyes. Her smile was serene, and in her hand was a wooden staff draped with vines and daisies. She also wore a flower crown, hair adorned with small blooms complementing her white dress patterned with delicate laces.

The next pages described her achievements, her biography, and then…

The details of her death.

[Saintess Chloe Hibton was 18 when she died in Year 840, when she fearlessly defended the north by sealing thousands of monsters into the Depths, or the underground sphere (an artificially generated chasm where monsters are left to be imprisoned indefinitely).

The monsters, which are classified under [The Undead] were spontaneously spawned in Year 840. Wraiths, Gravesnares, and Morphed Mutants attacked all three nations deep within the winter night of December 21st. The total number of mortalities reached over a thousand. It is only when the Saintess sealed the monsters to the Depths that the three nations were able to deliver a counterattack. The act of sealing thousands of monsters all at once cost the Saintess her life but at the same time, was also able to save a million more.]

Lumi continued to read the passage, skimming through different pages to search for more clues.

[The Life of Chloe Hibton]

[The life of Chloe Hibton, the name the Saintess had gone by for 15 years, was filled with humble beginnings. She was a poor farmer's daughter engaged to her childhood sweetheart. However, on her wedding day, her divine power suddenly awakened. Strong divinity was sensed by priests all over the North. The pope even said that this was the awakening of the Empyrean Goddess' messenger.]

[Chloe Hibton's Childhood]

[Chloe was a peculiar child even before. She was said to talk to herself, perhaps talking to the Fey and Spirits. This may have been due to the divine power that was within her, waiting to be released.]

Lumi continued to flip to the pages, searching for things she doesn't already know. By far, everything she has read in this book had been taught by the temple.

"Ah," Lumi then read the passage that caught her eye. "[The Saintess in Aclaria]…"

[The Saintess was born and lived in Aclaria until Year 840 when the tragedy befell her. Witnesses saw her body fall in front of the palace as she sealed a thousand monsters who attacked the North. (Note. There are also numerous sightings in different nations about where the Saintess plummeted as she sealed the monsters; this was just one of the countless claims regarding the whereabouts of the Saintess).]

"In front of the palace…" Lumi read.

Lumi stared at the book.

"Note. This is just one of the countless claims regarding the whereabouts of the Saintess…"

"Then, it must mean it could either be true or just another claim…"

'So far, the details in the book were lacking and vague at most,' Lumi said to herself as she skimmed the contents once more.

Years of education at the temple led Lumi to have a broad knowledge of things that surrounded the Saintess.

However, there is no such thing as the Saintess' body falling in front of the castle in the books she has read in Estela.

Like the stories of her teachers, the Saintess defeated an army of the Undead. Though there were adventurers, guards, and knights who came to defend their kingdoms from the ambush, it was the saint who put an end to the farce.

Lumi then shuffled through several more pages, hoping to find more clues; however, none seemed to give her the answer she had hoped for.

Though, she wasn't exactly leaving empty-handed.

"If the Saintess' body fell in front of the palace, then…"

Several more pages, until finally, the priestess was able to reach the last page of the book.

[The Saintess was born in Aclaria and also died in Aclaria, by Don, AB.

Note. This is a subjective opinion of this book's author. Please read with discretion.

I am one of those who believe that the Saintess fell in front of the Aclarian Palace; in fact, I interviewed the one who witnessed it. Even so, I wrote the book with sheer objectivity and thus evaded bias. However, in this last section of the book, I want you to hear my thoughts.]

Lumi then skipped several paragraphs, then finally her eyes fell to the single phrase that was all she needed to find.

———!

Upon lifting her head in jolt from the brusque malevolent presence, Lumi grew alert as she looked around, roaming her eyes into the pitch-black surroundings with only the guidance of a tiny flickering light.

Her lamp wavered to die as the fire grew even dimmer.

Whispers grew louder as a strong breeze blew, finally killing her only guide into the grim night.

Vigilantly she steadied herself, aware that there was something out there. The air grew frigid, and whispers continued to linger in the library's silence.

The murmurs weren't making any words but simply barely audible vibrations that dawdle further and further away. It was too dark for Lumi and conjuring divine power to generate light might increase the risk of discovery, given that the templars might be going high and low to find her.

And so, Lumi did her best to walk in sheer darkness.

As she reached the end of the aisle, another breeze blew from the side. She then followed the peculiar gust of wind.

It was unnervingly silent.

The more she walked, all the more she felt goosebumps.

She then reached one of the aisles where the wind was coming from.

Cautiously, she stood in front of the aisle. This was the "H" section of the books. She readied her mind, set to use her power.

Then, she stopped.

"Gnaw… ngmgh… gulp,"

Noises like chewing and swallowing led Lumi to a halt.

She then began to walk closer, until she neared the middle of the aisle, it sluggishly came visible.

In the middle of scattered books was a man encircled with a wet, wrinkled, deformed creature. Its head was enlarged, hairless, and had an appendage on top that had spiderlike claws on its end. It also had atrophied legs, too small for its deformed and limbless body. The creature also drooled and oozed, secreting a pungent ichor as its scrawny extremities wrapped and sucked Siegren's skin. Its flesh looked like it was breathing; the creature bulged and grew, creating a babbling sound.

Lumi instinctively knew what it was.

An infernopest!

"Siegren!" Lumi then lifted her hand. The infernopest then took notice of Lumi, but it was too slow to respond to the sudden shot of divine power shot from her hands.

The monster then detached itself from Siegren, landing on the bookshelf on the side. Lumi rushed towards Siegren and then used her ability to heal him. His eyes were shut tight, and his complexion was pale. It also looked like more than half of his mana was drained.

Golden light emanated from Lumi's hands as she held Siegren in her arms.

Grey eyes slowly opened as blood mixed with the pest's ichor dripped out of his mouth. Then, he began coughing incessantly as he vomited the ichor out.

Much to their oblivion,

The infernopest had already slithered away.