Chapter 74: New Mission
After the squads dispersed to inspect the fortress, Xingluo told her teammates that she wanted to look around alone for a while.
They agreed without questioning her, reminding her to keep the communicator active in case anyone discovered something important.
She left the battlements and followed one of the broad streets into the settlement. Before long, she found a tavern near the inner district and stepped inside.
The place was crowded with soldiers eating their final meals before returning to their posts.
Servants hurried between the tables with bread and steaming bowls of food, while anxious conversations about the approaching siege filled the room.
Xingluo chose a quiet corner away from the noise and sat down. Wuxia settled into the seat opposite her; his attention still fixed upon everything they had witnessed in the central square.
"This is a really bad situation," he said.
"Yeah, I noticed." Xingluo pouted as she leaned back in her chair. "We still know almost nothing about the army attacking this place, and now those Church bastards are hiding somewhere inside the fortress."
She paused before lowering her voice. "Did you see that warrior beside the Inner Sanctum? The one who looked exactly like Varkheriel?"
Wuxia nodded. "I saw him. I also noticed Yue, the first Guardian we encountered, she and that warrior are likely the same as the other ancient residents here."
"The same in what way?"
"They are Wills left behind by the original defenders of this sanctuary," Wuxia explained. "The legacy realm has given those Wills temporary bodies so they can recreate this historical event and select a new successor."
His gaze settled upon Xingluo. "At this point, that successor appears to be you, whatever this legacy truly is, you are inheriting something that once had an entire sanctuary and much more filled with worshippers."
Xingluo’s eyes immediately brightened. "When you say it like that, it does sound impressive."
Her excitement lasted only a moment before she glanced around the tavern and shrugged.
"Still, being chosen by some forgotten god will not help much if the fortress falls or the Church reaches the relic first."
Before Wuxia could answer, the token beneath Xingluo’s chestplate suddenly began trembling again, this time, it shook far more violently than before, striking repeatedly against her armour.
Xingluo immediately pressed one hand against it and a notification rang inside her mind.
[Meet the dying Saintess and give her the token.]
She stared at the message in confusion until it slowly disappeared.
"What is it?" Wuxia asked.
"The token gave me another instruction." Xingluo removed it from beneath her chestplate and placed it on the table. "It wants me to meet the dying Saintess and give this to her."
Wuxia’s expression changed the moment he heard her. "I knew it, I wasn’t wrong."
Xingluo narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"
"Everything around us the soldiers, the residents, and even the siege that is about to happen is a recreated historical event," Wuxia said. "These people are impressions formed from the Wills and memories left inside the realm."
"You already told me that."
"The Saintess is different," he continued. "She is not merely another impression created for the trial. The remnant we met at the altar carried the presence of a genuine soul."
Xingluo’s expression gradually became serious.
"It is weak and incomplete, but it belongs to the original Saintess," Wuxia said. "A fragment of her soul must have remained inside this realm after whatever happened during the siege."
"That is why the token recognizes her as someone who is still dying rather than someone who died long ago."
Xingluo looked down at the trembling token before her eyes widened. "Damn,so this thing wants me to go and meet a ghost?"
Wuxia gave her a sideways look. "That is a really bad way of describing it."
"But I’m not wrong."
"But you are already travelling with a ghost," Wuxia added.
Xingluo opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She stared at him for several seconds before clicking her tongue and looking away.
"Ha." Wuxia allowed himself a brief, satisfied smile.
"Just because I cannot argue with that does not make it funny."
She returned the trembling token beneath her chestplate and left the tavern. Wuxia followed beside her as she stepped back into the crowded streets of the fortress.
Xingluo asked several passing soldiers and temple attendants where the Saintess had gone after addressing the people.
Most were too occupied with the siege preparations to answer properly, but an elderly attendant eventually pointed toward the enormous cathedral at the centre of the fortress.
"Her Holiness returned there to pray," the woman explained. "She will remain inside until the commanders require her presence."
Xingluo thanked her and continued toward the inner district, the roads became increasingly crowded as she approached the cathedral.
Soldiers pushed carts loaded with arrows and formation crystals toward the walls, while priests carried medicines and supplies into the surrounding infirmaries.
No one paid much attention to Xingluo as she passed among them.
The cathedral stood beyond the central square, separated from the surrounding buildings by a broad staircase.
Its pale stone walls rose above the nearby towers, while enormous metal doors covered in unfamiliar divine symbols sealed the entrance.
The token began trembling again as Xingluo climbed the steps. Each movement was stronger than the last, almost as if something inside the cathedral were answering it.
Two temple guards lowered their halberds across the entrance before she could reach the doors.
"Stop there," one of them ordered. "No one is permitted to enter the cathedral."
"I need to meet the Saintess."
"Her Holiness is praying; she has ordered that no one disturb her before the siege."
Xingluo pressed one hand against the token beneath her armour. "What if it is urgent?"
"Then report it to your commander, if he considers the matter important, he will bring it before Her Holiness."
"That will take too long, I only need to speak with her for a moment."
The second guard stepped forward. "The order applies to everyone, now leave or wait until Her Holiness comes out."
Xingluo hesitated. She could not explain the token without exposing everything connected to the legacy, but forcing her way inside was impossible.
The guards were both stronger than ordinary soldiers and attacking them would only turn the entire cathedral against her.
Before she could decide what to do, the token convulsed violently against her chest and a heavy pulse passed through the cathedral doors.
Deep inside the vast prayer hall, the Saintess knelt alone before an empty altar. Her staff rested upon the stone beside her, while her pale-gold hair fell across her shoulders and concealed part of her face.
There were no rows of seats within the cathedral, just empty crystal coffins lined both sides of the central aisle instead, their transparent surfaces reflecting the pale flames of hundreds of suspended lamps.
The Saintess remained motionless with her hands clasped before her forehead. Faint tears marked her cheeks as she continued praying to the god whose final sanctuary was about to be attacked.
Then the pulse reached her and it passed through her entire body like a single powerful heartbeat.
The Saintess slowly raised her head as another pulse travelled through the cathedral. Her eyes widened, and fresh tears gathered within them as she sensed the familiar presence waiting beyond the entrance.
"Oh, my Lord..." Her trembling voice crossed the empty hall. "So You have finally returned."
She wiped the tears from her face and took hold of her staff before rising, her steps echoed through the silent cathedral as she walked between the rows of empty crystal coffins.
Outside, the guards had begun ordering Xingluo to step away when the sealed doors suddenly moved behind them.
The divine symbols across their surfaces shone with pale light. Both guards immediately turned as the enormous doors opened, revealing the Saintess standing within the cathedral.
"Your Holiness?"
The Saintess did not answer them. Her gaze passed between the guards and settled directly upon Xingluo.
"Let the child in."