Chapter 206: The Priestess

In the days that followed Natasha’s awakening, stories of the extraordinary golden light that had illuminated the sanctuary spread throughout the city, and her name quickly became known among the people.

Some praised her as a blessing from the Old Gods, while others believed her awakening signified the arrival of someone destined to change the world.

As her fame continued to grow, Sarina eventually received news from the Sun Church that an envoy would soon arrive to escort Natasha to the Ruler’s Cradle.

However, when the priestess first told her about the arrangement, Natasha immediately shook her head.

"I do not want to go," she mumbled, lowering her gaze as she clutched Sarina’s sleeve. "I want to stay here with you."

Sarina smiled gently before crouching to meet her eyes, then placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I understand, Natasha, but you cannot stay here forever," she explained. "You have a gift that could help countless people, and if you want to make the world a better place, then you must learn how to use it."

"But what about you?" Natasha asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Who will look after you if I leave?"

Sarina chuckled softly before pulling her into an embrace.

"I am a grown woman, sweetheart. I can take care of myself, so you do not have to worry about me."

Natasha remained silent for a while, but the priestess continued comforting her until she finally nodded reluctantly, agreeing to leave when the envoy arrived.

During this period, Natasha’s beauty also began attracting considerable attention, and the combination of her extraordinary awakening and striking appearance eventually earned her the title of the Divine Flower, making her the second woman to receive the designation.

For a time, everything seemed to be getting better.

Unfortunately, her growing fame also attracted the attention of Night Shade, and before the envoy could reach the city, the organization managed to track her down.

One night, Natasha sat alone in her room when she noticed a folded letter resting on her desk. A strange insignia had been stamped onto its surface, depicting a dagger whose curved tip touched the end of its handle.

Frowning, she picked up the letter and carefully unfolded it, but as her eyes moved across the words, her entire body began to tremble.

It told her to come to the southern part of the city and wait beside a well. If she failed to appear, everyone in the city would be killed.

"W-What?" Natasha whispered, clenching the letter so tightly that it crumpled between her fingers.

"Sarina!"

Clutching the letter, Natasha hurried out of her room and rushed through the house with a terrified expression, searching for the priestess. Yet, despite checking every room, she found no sign of her, and when she finally ran into the garden, the sight of the empty paths only deepened her panic.

"Sarina!" she called again, her voice growing increasingly desperate.

Natasha searched the garden and the surrounding rooms once more, but the priestess remained nowhere to be found.

Eventually, she could no longer ignore the dreadful possibility that the person who had left the letter had already taken Sarina away.

Unable to think of another explanation, she wiped her trembling hands against her dress before rushing out of the house and heading toward the southern part of the city.

She followed the streets as quickly as her small legs allowed, repeatedly glancing around in the hope of spotting someone who might help her, but the farther she travelled, the more deserted the streets became.

Eventually, Natasha reached the designated location and stopped beside an old well, breathing heavily as she searched the surrounding area.

However, there was no one waiting for her.

"Where are you?" she muttered, looking around nervously.

Before she could take another step, a purple flash crossed the darkness, and a man dressed entirely in black landed several steps in front of her. He held a dagger in each hand, and both blades gleamed with an ominous purple light.

"You actually came," he said, looking at her with mild amusement.

Natasha clenched her fists and glared at him, trying to suppress the fear rising inside her.

"Where is Sarina?" she demanded.

The man tilted his head in confusion before muttering, "Who?"

When Natasha continued staring at him, he seemed to remember something and gave a small nod.

"Ah! The priestess."

He shrugged carelessly before taking a step toward her.

"Who knows where she is? I only care about taking you with me."

Natasha stared at him, and her expression gradually changed.

"You do not know, huh..." she muttered.

Then, turning around, she began running as fast as she could.

However, the man did not attempt to chase her. Instead, he remained where he stood and called after her in an almost conversational tone.

"Do you not remember what leaving would lead to?"

Natasha shook her head and continued running, refusing to look back as she desperately tried to put distance between them.

The man watched her retreating figure for a moment before raising his fingers to his lips and letting out a sharp whistle.

A heartbeat later, screams erupted from the surrounding streets.

Natasha froze as the terrified cries reached her ears, and her heart seemed to stop when she heard another scream followed by the unmistakable sound of something collapsing.

"No..." she whispered.

She turned toward the direction of the screams, and when she saw flames beginning to rise above the rooftops, her entire body went cold.

The city was burning.

People screamed as they fled through the streets, while the orange glow of spreading fires illuminated the darkness and sent thick columns of smoke into the sky. Natasha stood frozen for a moment, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing, before the thought of Sarina finally broke through her terror.

"Sarina!"

She turned around and ran back toward the church, ignoring the screams that echoed through the streets and the flames consuming the houses around her. Her legs ached, her breathing grew ragged, and tears blurred her vision, but she refused to stop searching.

Eventually, she found the priestess.

"Sarina!"

A smile spread across Natasha’s face as she spotted the familiar figure ahead, and she hurried toward her with renewed hope.

However, just as she was about to reach the priestess, a purple flash swept past her, and the man dressed in black appeared only a few steps away from Sarina.

Natasha stopped abruptly, her smile disappearing as the man raised one of his daggers and pointed it toward the priestess.

"Come with us, Natasha," he ordered calmly. "Otherwise, I will kill her."

Her heart lurched as she stared at the blade hovering near Sarina, and for a moment, she could think of nothing except the possibility of losing the woman who had given her a home and taught her how to live.

"I..." she began, taking an uncertain step forward.

Before she could agree, however, Sarina scoffed and moved in front of Natasha.

"I would rather die than allow you to take Natasha away."

The man stared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"As you wish."

He immediately lunged toward the priestess, driving his dagger forward with a swift thrust aimed at her chest. Sarina reacted at once, gathering Spiritual Energy around herself and forming a translucent silver dome that enveloped her body.

The dagger, wrapped in purple light, slammed into the barrier with a sharp impact, sending ripples racing across its surface before the entire dome shattered into fragments.

Sarina staggered backward as the force of the attack pushed through her defenses, while the man withdrew his dagger and chuckled.

"So weak, yet so much bravado," he remarked mockingly.

Despite his words, Sarina quickly steadied herself and glanced toward Natasha, her expression filled with concern. She knew she could not defeat the man before her, but she had sent Natasha to safety.

The man turned his attention back to Natasha and extended his free hand toward her.

"Now, come with me," he said, his voice growing colder. "I will not ask again."

Natasha trembled as she looked between him and Sarina, struggling to decide what she should do, but before she could answer, the priestess stepped forward and gathered Spiritual Energy between her palms.

"O’ Light, bring forth thee!"

A brilliant radiance erupted from Sarina’s hands, flooding the surrounding area and blinding the man before he could react. As he raised his arm to shield his eyes, the priestess seized Natasha by the wrist and immediately began running away.

Once the light faded, the man lowered his arm and narrowed his eyes, searching the streets until he spotted Natasha and Sarina fleeing into the distance.

"How foolish," he muttered coldly.

He raised one of his daggers, and purple lightning crackled along its blade as he drew his arm back before hurling it toward the fleeing pair. The weapon cut through the air with a sharp whistle, its purple radiance trailing behind it as it rapidly closed the distance.

Natasha glanced over her shoulder and immediately spotted the approaching dagger. Her eyes widened in horror as she tried to pull Sarina out of its path, but she reacted too late to avoid the attack completely.

The dagger tore into Sarina’s waist, leaving a deep wound along her side, and her entire body trembled violently as blood began pouring from the injury.

"Sarina!" Natasha screamed, her face turning deathly pale as she watched the priestess stagger.

Sarina struggled to remain upright, but she managed to gently pat her head.

"Calm down, sweetheart," she whispered, trying to soothe the trembling girl.

Natasha could barely breathe as she clung to her, tears streaming down her cheeks while the man leisurely approached them.

Around the pair, the city continued burning, screams echoed through the streets, and the distant sounds of battle carried through the smoke-filled night.

"You monster!" Natasha shouted, glaring at him with hatred.

However, before the man could respond, Sarina slowly lowered herself onto her knees and drew Natasha closer. She leaned toward the girl’s ear and whispered with a faint smile, "Natasha, I have always wanted a daughter of my own, and to me, you have always been that daughter."

Natasha’s expression crumpled as she shook her head, clutching the priestess’s clothes.

"Please, stand up," she begged, trying to help Sarina rise. "We have to run. We can still get away!"

Sarina looked at the little girl she had raised and gently pulled her into an embrace, holding her as though she wished to remember every moment they had spent together.

"I am sorry," she whispered.

Then, closing her eyes, she uttered, "O’ Lord of Light, take me away."

Natasha froze in her arms.

"W-What?"

Before Sarina could answer, thin cracks began spreading across her skin, and golden light seeped through them, gradually illuminating her entire body.

"W-Why are you glowing?!" Natasha screamed, frantically gripping her clothes as though she could somehow stop what was happening. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

The man’s expression twisted with fury as he realized what Sarina intended to do.

"You bitch!"

He rushed toward them, his feet gleaming with purple lightning as he attempted to close the distance before she could complete the process.

However, Sarina’s body suddenly broke apart into countless particles of golden light, which swept around Natasha and enveloped her in a warm radiance. The light lifted the terrified girl from the ground and carried her upward before shooting toward the west, leaving the man reaching futilely into the empty air.

For a moment, Natasha could see nothing but golden brilliance, and then the world abruptly changed.

She found herself standing before a tavern, with the familiar streets of her city nowhere in sight. The golden particles continued drifting around her for a few seconds before gradually fading into the air.

Natasha stared at the space where the light had vanished, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then, as the truth slowly settled into her mind, she clutched the hem of her white dress with trembling fingers.

She took a few staggered steps before she crumbled to the ground and fell unconscious, her face heavy with grief.