Bro, I'm not an Undead!

(A/N: Please read to the very end. Major plot details ahead)

A gorgeous sky blue carriage with four wings planted at its sides moved along while being pulled by four powerful horses.

Despite the ragged ground, it didn’t tumble and jumble along like a typical vehicle would but mystically maintained its smooth flow.

Within it, a lady with long cheery hair that flowered around her long ears and settled on her shoulders continuously sighed and grumbled in annoyance while leaning against the comfy seats.

She was Darwel, the third daughter of the Sif High family.

“So those two really sent me here just to suffer those fools in their stead? Unbelievable! I never imagined humans to be so careless. Yes man the lot of them! The books said that humans that hailed from royalty were supposed to be smart and strong. Those idiots barely look like royalty. If flaunting gold was all it took to be called a royal, then everyone with a thousand bags of coin would be an heir!” the woman complained, her crimson-gold eyes staring at her two guards, their faces hidden under veils displaying grimaces.

“Indeed, your Highness. Those humans did lack tact. However, please do remember that it was Her Majesty’s intention to appeal to the nation,” one the guards sitting opposite this lady said. “Besides, the tales of the olden humans were much stronger, bred by constant battle. As were we.”

“I’m aware, but wouldn’t allying ourselves with one of the stronger nations be to our benefit instead of playing this in such a roundabout fashion?”

“Her Majesty knows what she is doing, your Highness. Please be patient,” the second guard said.

The Darwel sighed in exasperation, simply letting the matter go for now.

“Shall we return to the Wonderfall Torrents, Your Highness?” asked her guard._.

“No. I’d like to see more of this nation. I’m upset with my parents right now, I’d rather not see them so soon or by Listafelle I’ll burn the entirety of the Wicker Forests. Take me to one of the larger cities.”

***

“I’m sorry,” Valis said as he sat on the chair, looking at Elita’s face which was partially hidden by her flowing hair which draped over her face as her head hung.

She sat on her bed in silence for a while as her mind churned, her thoughts banging against each other in a messy tangle.

Seriously?

Valis’ face showed nothing but deep pain as it grew harder with each second.

The silence was unbearable. He would much rather have Elita shout at him for failing to protect her friend than continue to wait for her to return from her state of shock.

“You know… when I found Revia, I told her that everything that had ever happened in her life was meant to happen. <Sigh>. Back then, I never considered the heavy burden those words could bring to me or her. I told a 16 year old girl that her mother, father and brother’s death were all so that she could work for old fogeys like me who go about teaching people about the doctrine of the Purity or in the most likely cases, teach nothing at all.”

Valis said as his gaze fell to the furnished floor. His own words collapsed on his chest, making it heavy, emotion stirring within him like a whirlpool.

“I’ve always regretted that decision. I thought her being deprived of a family would be a way for her to reach out to the Purity and treat it as her own family, grow within it and… find happiness but…”

“I saw how she was a hollow husk, left without a purpose even after I had tried my best to guide her but I didn’t act. I was convinced that I heard the voice of the Deities calling to her and that I was being used to draw her in…”

Valis stopped talking for a while as he recalled the scenes which he saw. That man who had abilities that he couldn’t fathom.

His cunning and unique attitude as he fought was enough to throw many off.

He had even called himself the leader of the Green Neolists.

Just what in the world was this old man supposed to believe anymore?

“You’re right,” Elita’s voice suddenly called as she raised her head, wiping away the tears from her face as she gazed intently at Valis with reddened eyes. “I’ve never been one to doubt in our doctrines. I have cherished them and taught them to people while hoping that I can make some semblance of a difference. And I still do. But…”

Elita sniffled.

The rage in her eyes was impossible to conceal and Valis could only look below, avoiding it entirely.

“You and all those High Order Priests are what have corrupted the Purity, leaving it in shambles. Have you any idea from which depths I had to drag Revia’s soul out of? The pain and the guilt she felt. You rendered it all meaningless by making her believe she was born to fight for a cause she never truly believed in! A cause YOU couldn’t make her believe it! I don’t doubt the Deities one bit, but I don’t think they would cast such a cruel fate on Revia, or on all of us.”

Valis took Elita’s words without retorting. He very much knew the ins and outs of the higher society in the Purity and couldn’t deny that not all were in favour of the doctrine.

“I kept my mouth shut even when I was stripped of my rank unjustly. When I did my utmost to save many lives and let an innocent man go. But I warned you all and told you take this seriously! Instead, you chose the cheaper way out and one of own suffered for it,” Elita said before she took a deep breath.

The old man grimaced.

“And well Valis, you can tell the higher ups that I refuse to be reinstated as a Paladin Knight. I won’t be used to replace Revia and cover up their mistakes. I’ll either sit here and wait or they’ll have to let me go,” she said before she sat on the other side of the bed, gazing away from Valis who only expected this response.

While some would take up the offer he had come with of her reinstatement as a Paladin Knight after announcing to Elita Revia’s defeat with an intense vigour, Valis knew Elita was different.

She was open-minded, mature and altruistic in nature.

For the greater good, was her motto.

She could be the most humble of all the Paladin Knights.

He was only a messenger but he never believed Elita would take up the offer anyway.

Seeing as Elita needed time to settle her emotions, the old man stood up from his seat.

“I… am glad you honour Revia even now. She is blessed to have someone like you. The higher ups said they will arrange for Revia to be found. Rest assured,” he said before turning to leave.

Elita heard the door close and grimaced, clutching her face.

Her heart beat faster and faster from both pain and rage.

The news had shattered her upon hearing it. She considered Revia a younger sister, that much was no secret. It broke her to see that the girl she had helped find her path was now lost again.

What had made this all worse was that she was only told of this several days after it had already happened, which meant that Valis had come to tell him of Revia’s fate of his own accord while also carrying a message from the higher ups that had probably coincided with his visit.

She was an afterthought to the higher ups and the more she thought about it, she almost broke down.

But…

She couldn’t afford to idle by while Revia could still be alive out there.

Her message for the higher ups which she passed to Valis was going to either be ignored or voided.

The higher ups would never let her go. They’d rather keep her imprisoned, which is why, she finally decided to take steps that she should have a long time ago.

“Guidance field,” she called, a light blue transparent screen appearing before her, showing lines of text that filled it to the borders. “Maximise.”

The light blue screen moved away from Elita and expanded to become as tall as the height of the space in the room!

“Switch to navigation map and pinpoint the targets I’ve marked.”

Over the blue transparent screen, a hazy grid with geographic icons and names of settlements appeared with a dark blue hue so as to distinguish them from the background.

Over the map, two dots of light could be seen in different directions, one being light blue and the other being gold.

Elita breathed out as she saw the distance between them.

She then turned away from the map, looking to be thinking deeply before she showed a look of resolution.

“Hidden Storage. Give it to me, I can’t put my petty ideals over my duty anymore. I’ll use it.”

With that, a bright flash of light shot from the blue screen for but a microsecond, something popping up simultaneously.

It landed in Elita’s hand.

A book with a dull red glow nested in the Champion’s grip, finally about to used after so many years of constant rejection.

A new Direction bloomed with this one action.