1.20 : The Graceful Saint

A few years had passed after the Duke's death. Just like the time when he was alive, nobody cared for him when he was alive, and nobody cared for him after his death. Only those in the slum and orphanage missed his figure so much.

The Duke had passed all his wealth to the orphanage to be managed, Saint Michael personally became the overseer of the Duke's wealth. He didn't let go of anyone who dared to steal the Duke's money.

Saint Michael couldn't put an honourable title for the Duke, because he firmly stayed faithless until his death, and the only one who could be given honorary title was the believer of the church. When Michael wanted to change the law, his father, the king refused firmly. His father advised Michael to subdue his feeling:

"My son, you are the saint now. I know that you fell in love with that Duke, but if you change the law recklessly, you will change the constitution of our country and you will anger everyone, including the people."

"You are now the saint, you should know how to control your emotion, be a good saint."

Be a good saint.

That was the last words of the Duke for him. At first, after the Duke's death, he really wished that everyone would die, every little thing on this planet should die. There was no reason for his vengeful nature, he just hated everyone. Because they could live happily with all their disgusting sins, but his pure hearted Duke died in front of his eyes.

But whenever he wanted to smite them all, he remembered about his promise with the Duke. He would be a good saint.

After almost ten years since the Duke's death, Saint Michael was given grace from god. The grace made him able to heal any wound and illness as long as the one being healed didn't have grievous sins in their heart. Saint Michael was also graced with pacifying aura, wherever he went, every person around him would be pacified from anger and hatred.

Because of his presence, Holy Kingdom Rianel came to its true golden age. Saint Michael was given the title of 'True Saint' and everyone should address him as 'The graceful Saint Michael.'

Michael's presence pacified everyone from hatred, but Michael felt that it was ridiculous. Because hatred was stacking in his heart. He hated everyone in this world, and at some point, he also hated God, because God had taken his beloved Duke away.

He blamed God for giving him a late foresight, so he couldn't save the Duke.

He even blamed the late Saintess because her blood was used by the Head Priest to kill the Duke.

He hated everyone, he hated himself because he indirectly caused the Duke's death. He regretted creating that holy light screen and trapped the Duke inside. Because his protection caused the Duke to be trapped with the Head Priest.

Speaking of Head Priest, after the Duke killed him, Michael took the Head Priest's body and showed it in front of everyone in the city hall. Michael called upon the holy light and the holy light judged the Head Priest.

Magically, a voice was heard from the Head Priest's body, it was Head Priest's tortured soul in hell, he confessed everything he did when he was alive, and it came as a shock for everyone. Michael warned every ministers, even his king father in the city hall:

"This is the tortured soul of the Head Priest. He is the devout follower of my God's religion, but he becomes the coal of hell. And the Duke, although he is faithless, he never sinned, and he is now in a good place, in heaven."

"If you want to be accepted in heaven, the most important thing is your heart, whether you are in my religion or faithless, God will only judge your heart."

After Saint Michael said that, there was a huge influx of faithless in the Holy Kingdom Rianel. At first, everyone protested because they thought that the faithless were all sinful. But Michael ignored them, after a few years, they were slowly accepted within the society.

***

Twenty Years had passed since the Duke's death, Michael was now forty. He was still the Graceful Saint that everybody worshipped and loved. But nowadays, Michael slept a lot, he was already forty, and he hadn't dreamed of the Duke once.

He dreamed of the Saintess many times, like a mother figure, she often patted his head and said that Michael did a good job as a saint. But the Duke never came to his dream.

'Duke, you died as a saint, just like Saintess. Why can't you appear in my dream, at least once…'

'It feels so empty. My life is so empty. I become the Graceful Saint of the Holy Kingdom Rianel. I become the beacon of hope in Rianel and probably in the whole world. But I'm not happy.'

'I can't be happy, because you're not here.'

'Duke, when I return to heaven, I hope I can reunite with you. I hope you can embrace me and give me your smile, because all the holy things are not comparable with you.'

***

A year later, when Saint Michael was forty one years old, he called his disciple. A young priestess called Mary. She was eighteen years old, gentle and studious. She took all Saint Michael's teachings in heart.

"Your Grace is summoning me?" Mary came to Michael's room. She saw that Michael was still on his bed, although he was not sick. Michael turned his head towards Mary and smiled.

Michael was already forty one years old, but the trace of his handsome youth was still there. As if, time stuck for him and he didn't age at all. Mary always thought that this was one of Saint Michael's grace.

But Michael knew that it was not, Michael put a spell on himself, so he always looked young. Because he was afraid that the Duke would not like him if he turned old when they met again, since the Duke was a Vampire and stayed late twenty forever.

Michael smiled at Mary and asked, "Mary, do you think I'm a good saint?"

"Definitely! Your Grace is the best Saint that ever came to our land! I don't think the next saint will be able to be as good as you!" Mary praised the Saint sincerely.

"That means, I've fulfilled my duty as a Saint. I will meet him again with pride, because I've fulfilled my promise for him," Saint Michael said.

Mary frowned, "Who is Your Grace referring to?"

"My loved one," Michael said with deep, complex emotion in his eyes. He took out the white rosary from his drawer and showed it to Mary, "This white rosary is yours, it was owned by saints and saintesses before me, including my loved one."

Mary was dumbfounded, she accepted the white rosary and held it carefully, afraid that it would break anytime, "Y—Your Grace, I—"

"Mary, you will be the next saintess after me," Michael said, "I hope you can be a good saintess."

Michael closed his eyes, with a smile lingered in his face, he breathed his last breath. Saint Michael's body dissolved into light particles that disappeared one by one. And the new Saintess ascended

***

Michael was wide awake, he looked around and found that he was trapped in a crystal sphere with a mysterious man staring at him from outside the sphere. He looked around and saw nothing but a bunch of numbers floating around in a seemingly infinite space.

The mysterious man wore a black and golden robe, he had long, jet black hair, and his facial features were exquisite, in fact, out of this world. Michael never saw someone as handsome as him, but Michael could also sense the familiarity in him. Maybe it was only in Michael's wild imagination, but he felt that the mysterious man was himself, only in a different form.

"Are you… god?" Michael asked.

"More or less," the man replied. "You are part of me, and you've been purified by the Duke."

"D—Duke?! Where is him? I want to meet him!" Michael asked anxiously. He really wanted to see the Duke again, it was his only wish.

"The Duke you fell in love with has a different identity. His real name is Bai Yunyu, and he is going to another world to purify part of my soul. You are the first one," the mysterious man said.

"Bai Yunyu…" Michael was stunned silly for a moment. Because that name felt so familiar for him, even though this was the first time he heard it. Michael said, "I want to meet him, if he is the Duke that fall in love with, I want to meet him again."

"We can meet him, after he purified all corrupted souls of mine, we can meet him again… as one. Because you are part of my soul," the mysterious man offered, "Surrender yourself to me, we will reunite with him."

"… If I give my soul to you, will he know that I am also a part of you?" Michael tried to reason with the man, he didn't want to disappear completely without ever talking with his loved one.

"Yunyu will know, he will know about all of us," the man said.

Michael stared at the man for a moment, he had the feeling that this was the only way to meet the Duke again. As long as he could meet the Duke, everything was trivial, "I trust you, take my soul, as long as I can meet him again, it is worth it."

The mysterious man nodded, he waved his sleeve and Michael's sphere turned into a small gemstone. The mysterious man swallowed the gemstone and he closed his eyes.

"Bai Yunyu, this is the first soul that you've destroyed and purified. I will wait until you've purified all the souls of mine that you've destroyed before. Since you dared to save me, I will never let you off. We will meet again, Bai Yunyu."

He went into deep sleep once more, he would wait until Yunyu had purified all his souls in each world, then he would return back with his full power once more.