Chapter 934: Alternate Timeline: The enemy side’s ally

Gideon drew a steadying breath.

"At first, it was only small things," he said. "A counterfeit coin may look genuine, but if one examines it closely, the weight feels wrong, the sound is wrong, and eventually the truth reveals itself."

He looked at Caleb.

"My uncle kept his distance from Mother. His policies were different. His behavior was different. He avoided bringing me to Lunaris City whenever possible. And most importantly, he showed far too much affection toward my cousin."

He clasped his hands together.

"One drop of rain means nothing. But when enough drops fall, even stone begins to erode. Once I became convinced that the man on the throne was my uncle, I began to wonder whether my father was alive."

His eyes lifted toward the broken stained-glass ceiling.

"Then, about six years ago, an envoy from the Church of Doom came to the royal court. While leaving, she secretly handed me a note."

The memory clearly still shook him.

"And it spoke of a prophecy."

Gideon turned to Kiara. "It said that a woman blessed by an ancient divine beast would come to our kingdom and change its fate. The first sign would be the return of the rightful king."

He gave a faint smile.

"I waited for years."

His smile faded.

"When nothing happened, I tried to rescue Father myself. I failed more than twenty times. Every spirit warrior I hired was killed. If Uncle Edward had not kept watch over my finances, I would have hired Exalt Realm experts from the northern empires."

He rose and bowed deeply to Kiara, taking off his hat.

"But now that I have seen my father with my own eyes, I know the prophecy was speaking of you, Miss Kiara. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Kiara listened carefully.

One conclusion became crystal clear.

The Church of Doom was far more dangerous than she had assumed.

Power alone was terrifying.

But they seemed to have forces that could prophesy the events.

That unsettled Kiara a lot.

Still, she pushed those thoughts aside and waved her hand with a small smile.

"Save your thanks for later, Your Highness."

She glanced toward Caleb.

"The task is not finished."

Her expression turned serious as she folded her arms.

"We still need to return His Majesty to the throne. And I doubt your mother and your uncle will surrender it peacefully."

Caleb’s eyes blazed with fury. "I will not forgive those traitors."

At that exact moment, space twisted.

A spiral portal bloomed in the center of the cathedral, rotating with a low humming sound that made the air vibrate. Wind rushed outward, stirring dust and tugging at cloaks.

Everyone sprang to their feet.

An elderly woman stepped through.

She wore pure white robes that seemed untouched by the dust of the world. In one hand, she held a wooden staff crowned by a glowing blue orb. In the other, she carried a crystal ball that shimmered with swirling mist.

Her feet touched the stone floor with a soft click.

She looked around calmly, first at Caleb, then at Kiara.

A faint smile touched her lips.

"It seems," she said, "that I have arrived at the right place after all."

Kiara’s muscles tightened, though she did not outwardly move.

She activated Sage Eyes at once.

Guinvere

Race: Human

Age: 39

Rank: 6-star (peak)

Spirit Path: Seer/Mage

Attribute: Space/Wind

Affiliation: Western Moon kingdom, Church of Doom.

Description: A talented spirit warrior who had an affinity with two attributes.

*

Kiara was startled for a moment, seeing her affiliation. She was prepared to attack, but at the same time, she realized that this woman was not powerful enough to threaten her directly. And neither is she strong enough to kill Caleb at the moment, as he has already retained his strength.

Still, her sudden arrival through a space portal was enough to keep every nerve alert.

Before Kiara could speak, Gideon rose abruptly, eyes wide with recognition.

He pointed at the woman.

"It is you..."

His voice shook with astonishment.

"The elder from the Church of Doom."

Only a moment ago, the Prince had been speaking in a low, grave voice about the elder from the Church of Doom who had helped him uncover the truth, and then, without warning and without so much as the sound of a footstep upon the cracked stone floor, the very person they had been discussing appeared before them.

Anyone who believed such timing was a coincidence was a fool.

After the Prince confirmed her identity, the woman made a slight motion with her fingers, and the staff in her hand dissolved into a stream of blue particles that drifted into the air like fireflies vanishing at dawn. Her weathered face remained calm, and her voice carried neither threat nor haste as she said, "Relax. I came in peace."

Then she turned toward King Caleb Crescent, placed her left hand upon her chest, and bowed with the measured dignity.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," she said, her voice smooth as still water over stone. "It pleases me to see that your health is sound and that your cultivation has returned to you. To be truthful, I did not expect such an outcome, considering that the seal upon you was cast by none other than Elder Hugo."

As her words settled, she lifted her head and turned toward Kiara.

Her aged eyes, though framed by wrinkles and silver brows, were sharp with curiosity.

"Forgive my bluntness," she said, "but are you the woman who broke the seal?"

Kiara’s brows drew together at once.

She did not answer immediately.

The dusty hem of her robe brushed lightly against her boots as she shifted her weight, and her eyes narrowed as she studied the woman before her.

She knew this person’s real age and true name through the system, but no one else here shared that knowledge.

More importantly, there was a strange air about the woman, as if she regarded everyone in the room as pieces on a board whose moves she had already seen.

And that confidence was curious.

Guinvere had not even stepped into the 7-star rank, yet she stood before a king, a prince, and several knights as though she had arrived among equals, or perhaps among people she considered less dangerous than they believed themselves to be.

Was it confidence born from knowledge?

Or confidence borrowed from a force standing behind her like a mountain behind a lone tree?

Kiara crossed her arms and replied, "For someone who appeared out of nowhere, you ask quite a few questions for a person who has not even introduced herself."

For the first time, the woman blinked as though reminded of a simple courtesy.

Then she inclined her head and said in an even tone, "You are right. I have allowed urgency to overtake manners."

She placed her hand upon her chest once more.

"My name is Guinvere, and I am an elder of the Church of Doom."

Kiara gave a small nod, though her gaze remained guarded.

"Good," she said. "Then let us proceed like sensible people. Tell us how you found us, and tell us what your intentions are. Once a traveler explains how she came to our door and why she knocked, conversation becomes much easier."

She spoke plainly, but her mind continued to turn.

The Church of Doom was not known for acts of charity. Yet this woman had assisted the Prince in secret, without informing her own organization, and now she had tracked them to a ruined church hidden from ordinary eyes.

A helping hand from the shadows was still a hand from the shadows.

One did not grasp it carelessly.

Guinvere seemed unsurprised by the question, as though she had seen it coming long before it was asked.

"I am a Seer," she said. "I foresaw where your path would lead, and I came because I wished to know whether the person mentioned in the prophecy is truly here."

Her gaze rested steadily upon Kiara.

"If you are that person, then I wish to speak with you in private. So I ask again. Are you the one who unsealed the King?"

Kiara regarded her in silence.

Thirty-nine years old, according to the system.

Yet she looked like a woman who had weathered seven decades beneath unforgiving skies.

Whatever Guinvere wanted, she had crossed a great distance to obtain it, and though caution whispered in Kiara’s mind, curiosity spoke just as loudly.

At the very least, there was no harm in hearing what she had to say.