A Tiny Fragment of Her Past

Her dark psyche slowly returns to normal. It's like all evil in her soul is drawn out. That comforting light from the old woman's touch calms her nerves. Gradually, that sense of fear in her mind, heart, and soul is fading. No longer she sees the world glitching, pixelating in black and white eroded with the shadow mist.

"Ah…"

"It turns out my feelings were right," Mrs. Poly then spoke. "Seeing unknown people shook you."

"I'm, I'm sorry…"

In Mrs. Poly's arms, she buried her face to the old lady's chest. She refuses to look at her surroundings. Her heart pumping fast is felt by the sturdy granny. Noticing this, she decides to take a detour.

"Good grief. I guess going to the market is a no-no for you, eh?"

"S-Sorry… I didn't m-mean to be a burden… but, um…"

"Keh-heh-heh. Don't worry, Oria. It seems it's a bit too much for you," the old woman said as she goes to a different direction.

"(Her reaction before… it's kind of familiar. I just naturally used my magic to calm her down because of that. Not only that… but when Dux first brought her, she's in a terrible look, she's shy, and her mental state looked unstable. Moreover… that tentacle guy told me to not ask about her past. All that leads to several possibilities. Oria, don't tell me you're…)"

She paused her thoughts for a moment as she treks over the road. Granny Poly has some ideas of her origins. And it's not a comfortable thought at all. But, without proof, she shakes her head, saying to herself in her mind, "(No, it can't be.)"

"Are we… heading home…?" Oria asked.

Chuckling, the old lady denies, "Keh-heh. No, my dear. I want to introduce you to someone I know. I think we might be able to do something about your fears."

"O-Oh… s-sorry for troubling you, Granny…"

"Peh. No need to worry about it. You need help, and I'm here for you."

Her kind words comfort her. Even so, she still doesn't want to look around her. Every time she hears people talking, she covers her ears. She just cowers while the bespectacled old woman kindly carries her in her arms.

After minutes of walking in the small community, Mrs. Poly finally reach her destination. In front of her is a small chapel, a place of worship for the inhabitants of Fred Village. The cross sign on top of the church's roof emphasizes that.

"We're here, Oria."

"H-Huh…?"

Oria reluctantly opens her eyes to discover a simple church built from timber. It is located quite far from the masses. Some houses are also built near the chapel, but it is nowhere near as crowded as the market. There's a blacksmith by the edge near the forest border, and there's a general store tucked between two simple houses.

The atmosphere around the chapel is serene, much like the boutique shop.

Granny brings her inside the chapel, where she meets a young, sky blue-haired priestess.

"Ah, good morning, Rosine," she greeted her first.

"Goddess blesses you, Mrs. Poly. It is good to see you."

"Heheh, good to see you, too."

"Is Miss Katze in good condition?"

"Yeah. Certainly, she still rambles like a raging bonfire."

Unlike the elderly lady, the beautiful priestess speaks in such serenity, almost every word coming from her lips can comfort anyone who hears them. She has a peaceful stare. Those alluring pair of eyes that share the peaceful color of the blue sky is untainted by darkness of the world.

"What can I do for you today?" she asked politely.

Unlike the serene woman, the old woman spoke casually to her, "You're not, err… busy, right? The kids haven't started their lesson, yet?"

Rosine shakes her head, "I'm afraid not. It seems everyone is busy preparing for the upcoming festival. Bishop Arun is yet to come, too. But I do believe the children will come to train."

"I see."

"Who is this child, if I may ask?"

"Ah, she's uhh… my friend's foster child. He entrusted her to me while he's away on a business trip."

Oria thinks in her mind, "(F-Foster child…?)"

"She's quite the cutie, isn't she? It's not every day you can find a silver-haired human. Truly, she is blessed by the Goddess."

"Keh-heh-heh. I happen to ask myself that."

"Heehee. That being said, I believe you came here not to brag about her, right?"

The old woman's smile melts to a serious expression. "…Yeah. Rosine, there's something I wish to consult about."

Mrs. Poly explains to her of what just happened at the market regarding Oria.

"Good Goddess… that certainly is worrisome. Please come to the health room. I will see what I can do."

"I appreciate that."

They go to the room to the right. There are ten beds in there, but all is empty. There's a nun currently sweeping the floor. When Priestess Rosine entered the room, the nun bows to her, greeting her. The young woman instructs her, and immediately, she prepares a bed to use.

The priestess is treated like a noblewoman, but she does not share the look of one. Her humbleness and her calm attitude shatter any ideas of her being a noble.

"Thank you."

"It is a pleasure to help. Well, then. I'll excuse myself, Priestess."

With that, the priestess tells Granny Poly to lie Oria on the bed while she gets something from a drawer.

"Umm…"

"It's okay, dear. Granny's here. Just hold my hand if you feel scared."

"O-Oh… r-right…"

When the priestess returns, she brings prayer beads in her hand. With that, she comes near Oria.

Seeing the priestess's face, Oria's trauma suddenly kicks in. "A-Ah…!" Her hand immediately reaches the old woman's, holding it tightly. In a gentle response, Mrs. Poly uses her magic to calm her down again.

"It's okay. Everything is gonna be okay," the old woman said while stroking her hair. "She is not a bad person. She'll help you."

Seeing the child reaction, the young priestess remarks, "Oh, Goddess… it seems her trauma is worse than I thought."

Rosine sits on a stool beside Mrs. Poly. Oria is scared to look at her. She closed her eyes as tight as possible. The priestess then chants, praising the Goddess. After that, she calmly looks at her cute face, and then she asks her.

"What is your name, little one?"

"U-Umm… O-Oria… Oria Argentora…"

"Oria, is it? What a pretty name. Oria, I will be performing a check up on you. Please, be at ease. It will not hurt. It may tickle a little."

"H-Hm."

With that, the priestess begins. Clasping her hands along with the prayer beads, she prays to Goddess Altria, "Oh, Goddess, I beg thy kindness and mercy, bless upon this poor child a power to withstand against all evils in her pure mind…"

The priestess's body is emanating blue light, a calm, rising shine. Her long hair flows upwards a bit, following the trace of light. Mrs. Poly closes her eyes and just lets her do her work.

"…remove all negative thoughts from her, lift all accursed, bewitching darkness that enveloped her soul! Open a gate to her scarred heart, allow mine vision to see the hidden foul in her."

The radiance from her shines brighter. She then calmly says, "Peace be upon you… Oria Argentora."

The little child still dares not to open her eyes. But she can slowly feel comfort flowing to her mind. Her breath that was panting, almost like suffocating, now feels clear and easy to let the air in and out. Her little heart that was racing uncontrollably now pounds in a normal rate. Soon, Oria falls asleep.

As the priestess stops praying, she turned silent. She still clasps her hands, her eyes closed, concentrating.

A few seconds later, she gently opens her eyes and the light that envelops her entire body fades.

"How… how did it go, Rosine?" the grandma asked eagerly.

The priestess shows expression of horror for a second, as if she just stared into the depths of Gehenna. Though, a moment later, she softens her nerves and returns to her serene expression. Her graceful smile followed.

Calmly, she discloses, "For now, her mental state will remain stable, Mrs. Poly. I've put her to sleep so that her body can regulate the magic I use to her."

The old woman breathes relief, followed by a smile. She strokes Oria's hair, "I guess it's the right choice to bring her to you, keh-heh."

"But please keep in mind that this is temporary."

"What?"

"What I did was only stabilizing a broken part in her psyche. If we are to save her completely, a long-term treatment is required."

The old woman sighingly replies, "…I see."

"But I believe I understand her situation, Mrs. Poly."

"O-Oh, you do?"

"Yes. Oria… the poor child is undoubtedly suffering from psychological breakdown. It's almost like the case I dealt with my acquaintance's son, who was one of the victims from a major kidnapping crime four years ago."

Trembling in her seat, Mrs. Poly realizes that what she concluded before was right. "That devilish crime!? You don't mean to say… Oria is…!"

"A victim too. That much I believe," the priestess confirmed. "But from what I saw in her memories… is rather odd."

"What do you mean? Is there something else?!" the old woman nearly stood up.

"…I'm afraid I can't say. Please don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't want to disclose this information to you, Mrs. Poly. It's because that I wasn't sure at what I'm seeing in her mind."

Even so, the bespectacled woman presses her to speak, "Please tell me, Rosine. What did you see, exactly?"

Her serene face melts into horror. Her forehead is visibly sweating just by remembering it. She gazes upon the old woman's eyes, exposing what she truly saw in Oria's memories.

"In all cases where I checked someone's memories… I usually see everything that had happened in their lives like a straight flowing line.

But when I peeked into Oria's memories…

…that line snapped."