Soul Orchid (8)
After watching Beril's sobs continue for a while, I realized I could delay no longer. I had to check on the Soul Orchid and the remnants of the Absolute.
"Ascaros."
Ascaros lifted his head at my voice.
"Stay here by Beril's side."
"...Understood."
Leaving them behind, I stepped deeper into the cave, and Frost Flower's voice, brimming with curiosity, reached me.
'Child, how on earth did you do that just now?'
"What are you referring to?"
'Healing Beril. Healing with black magic... I've never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.'
There was genuine awe in Frost Flower's voice.
How did I do it...
I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
It wasn't healing in the conventional sense. I'd simply stored the life force absorbed through Life Plunder and transferred it back.
'If I had to name it... Life Transfer, perhaps?'
Of course, Life Transfer had clear limitations.
First, it required absorbed life force to begin with. And more crucially...
'Roughly, out of 10 transferred, only about 7 makes it through.'
The loss during transfer was significant.
The destructive nature of black magic power seemed to interfere with perfectly preserving the life force.
Like carrying water in a cracked vessel—some was inevitably lost.
"It's less healing and more like storage and redistribution."
After hearing my full explanation, Frost Flower was even more impressed.
'Easy to say. But the fact that no black mage has ever done this before means your black magic is undoubtedly special. Looks like there's a reason that one chose you as his partner.'
'A reason...'
Did I draw his power through the gacha, or did he choose me? Honestly, I still didn't know.
'One thing's certain: as I gather the remnants of the Absolute, the truth will come out in the end. Then I can return to reality.'
Before I knew it, we'd reached our destination while chatting with Frost Flower.
Just as Beril had described, the flower was blooming, and behind it lay a stone slab engraved with ancient runes.
But Frost Flower sighed in disappointment the moment she saw the flower.
'This is bad. The Soul Orchid hasn't fully bloomed yet.'
"What do you mean?"
'The Soul Orchid blooms by feeding on souls. But it looks like the souls all went to Beril, so it didn't get enough nutrients to fully open. That's why it's stuck half-bloomed.'
Worry laced Frost Flower's voice.
'This is trouble. We can't just wait for another demon to fall into the canyon.'
A heavy silence enveloped the cave.
The Soul Orchid's faintly glowing, incomplete form only amplified our impasse.
Then Frost Flower cautiously spoke up.
'But... is Life Transfer only possible on living beings?'
"Hold on..."
'Strictly speaking, the Soul Orchid is a living entity too. If you can grant it life force...'
I stopped at her suggestion and thought it over.
'Ha... how did I not think of something so simple? The Soul Orchid grows by feeding on souls anyway. The life force derived from those souls should work just fine.'
I slowly approached the Soul Orchid and cautiously placed my hand on its black petals.
'Life Transfer.'
With my will, red light flowed from my hand and seeped into the flower.
The black petals trembled faintly as they absorbed the life force.
But...
"The efficiency is abysmal, as expected."
Compared to the life force I poured in, the amount the flower absorbed was ridiculously small.
Like pouring water into a bottomless jar, the Soul Orchid endlessly craved more, but the change was minimal.
'I might have to use up all the absorbed life force.'
* * *
"In the name of the holy Luminaris... may light drive out darkness, truth banish falsehood..."
Pope Celestius was conducting the regular service with the priests as usual.
With hundreds of devotees filling the grand cathedral, his voice resonated sacredly.
Then, suddenly...
"Hm? What is this..."
Celestius's eyes glazed over, and he began staring blankly into space as if entranced by something.
His hands halted mid-ritual, and his lips murmured unintelligible words.
The surrounding priests exchanged panicked glances.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you alright, Your Holiness?"
"Could it be that Luminaris..."
Moments later, Celestius snapped back to his senses.
He looked around before abruptly ending the service with a grave expression.
"The service ends here today."
His voice carried an urgency unlike his usual calm.
"Only cardinals and higher clergy remain... Ah, and Sera too. Everyone else, leave."
Murmurs rippled through the devotees, but the pope's command was absolute.
People began filing out of the cathedral in orderly fashion.
Celestius's gaze slowly swept the interior.
The glorious mural of Luminaris on the high ceiling, the sacred patterns cast by light through the stained glass—all came into view.
'The end of the world...'
The vision he'd just seen was too vivid.
A burning sky, crumbling earth, screams echoing from the darkness...
"Did you receive a revelation, Your Holiness?"
One of the remaining cardinals asked cautiously.
Celestius nodded slowly.
"Yes. Luminaris showed me a revelation."
Awe mingled with anxiety flashed across the cardinals' faces.
Even for the pope, direct revelations were exceedingly rare.
Especially one striking so suddenly mid-service—his urgent demeanor made it clear this was no trivial matter.
While the six cardinals wore grave expressions, the young priestess Sera couldn't hide her confusion.
'Why on earth am I still here?'
Sera was the youngest priestess, barely past twenty.
It had been less than a year since she'd received Luminaris's teachings.
Surrounded by white-haired elders, she felt utterly out of place.
'This is awkward... I just want to go home.'
As if reading her mind, Celestius turned to her and said,
"You're wondering why I kept you here."
Sera glanced at the cardinals before replying cautiously.
"Y-Yes, Your Holiness. I've only been a priestess for a short time, and it's been even less since I received Luminaris's teachings... I wasn't sure if I should hear something this important..."
The cardinals nodded in agreement.
They shared the same doubt.
In such a grave situation, why keep the rookie priestess?
"I understand it feels uncomfortable for you, Sera. But..."
Celestius's eyes deepened.
"The revelation I saw contained something you absolutely needed to hear."
"I see..."
Sera's voice remained unsteady, but the pope's earnest expression left no room for objection.
"Then I suppose it's time to tell you what I saw."
Celestius drew a deep breath and continued slowly.
"What I saw... was the end of the world."
A heavy silence descended on the cathedral.
The cardinals paled, and Sera swallowed hard, staring at the pope.
"Beneath a burning sky, the earth split open, and the seas boiled. And then..."
Celestius paused, closing his eyes.
"Countless corpses blanketed the land, men, women, children—all life perishing without distinction."
Cardinal Mars asked in a trembling voice,
"Your Holiness, was that truly a revelation from Luminaris?"
"I felt it clearly. Her light, her sorrow."
Sera unconsciously traced the holy sign and murmured,
"Luminaris..."
"But the revelation didn't end there."
Celestius's gaze fixed on Sera.
"Amid the ruins, a single ray of light appeared. And within that light..."
The pope stopped, staring piercingly at Sera.
An inexplicable emotion filled his eyes.
"There you were, Sera."
"P-Pardon...?"
Sera's eyes widened.
The cardinals exchanged stunned looks.
"No, more precisely..."
Celestius's voice lowered.
"You and four nameless others were standing against the legion of death that would destroy the world. Desperately, fiercely."
"M-Me...?"
Sera's voice shook, her legs trembling.
'No way... I'm just a rookie priestess who still stumbles over prayers. How could I...'
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's certain."
Celestius stated firmly.
"And Luminaris said you must go to the Elterion Kingdom. There will likely be another hero like you there, Sera."
"A hero...? Me?"
"Yes, Sera. You possess the qualities of a hero."
The pope's resolute voice echoed through the cathedral.
The Elterion Kingdom lay to the west, renowned as the "Kingdom of Gastronomy" for its advanced culinary culture.
"So... do I really have to go there?"
Fear still tinged Sera's voice.
She had grown up in the "Cradle of Light Orphanage" in the holy city of Luminas.
Raised by priests without knowing her parents, the cathedral and holy city were her entire world.
In twenty years, she'd never once stepped beyond the city gates.
'What's the outside world like...? What if something scary happens?'
"Yes. My cardinals and I will devise other plans based on the revelation."
Celestius smiled gently, sensing her anxiety.
"Depart at dawn tomorrow with the first light. Don't worry about safety. I'll assign my elite holy knights as your escort."
"The holy knights? For someone like me?"
"For the one who will become a hero, Sera."
There was no hesitation in the pope's words. The cardinals nodded solemnly.
In that moment, the fate of Sera—the orphan girl from the Cradle of Light and the youngest priestess—changed completely.