Upon receiving the reports concerning the calamity at the capital walls, the Dagnall Temple was swiftly vacated.

    The servants were dismissed under the pretense of attending to their families, to see if they survived the attack. The priests, who ministered on behalf of the Saintum, were dispatched to the front lines to provide whatever assistance they could. The number of knights and guards safeguarding the Dagnall Temple was reduced to a mere dozen. The reason being that the former Saintum, Krone Dagnall, sought to curtail both risk and witnesses to the discussion about to transpire.

    The old man, his once-dark eyes greying with the pallor of advancing years, fixed a penetrating gaze upon the body before him. The girl, Ariea, was held tenderly in the arms of Elisabeth, who was inconsolable as silent tears traced sorrowful paths down her cheeks. Although it was clear that the girl had not survived the beam that erupted from her body, Krone observed a faint color returning to her skin.

    He then surveyed the remaining family members gathered in the chamber.

    His wife, Marionette, hugging their two granddaughters as if to shield them from the distressing scene.

    His eldest grandson, Ripley who was watching the events unfold with wide eyes and a horrified expression.

    His second grandson, Ryver, struggled to gain composure as he looked very close to being ill.

    And lastly, his son, Cyrus, visibly agitated and unable to assume any form of command. He stood trembling in shock. A Solus had perished under his care. How was he to explain to the emperor that he, a Saintum himself, allowed a Solus, a child of the empire, to die. How will this look? What will the people say? What will the other Saintums say? 

    Those thoughts must have surely been coursing through his mind.

    Krone drew in a deeply troubled breath as he turned and closed the grand portrait of the Nine Divine Gods, which concealed a hidden passageway they were to use as a means to escape. Then he faced his family once more and sighed.

    None of his descendants had ever witnessed a person die before their eyes. They were blessed with being born in an era of peace, and Krone began to wonder to what extent will they suffer mental trauma because of this. Should he comfort them? Soothe them with words of consolation? No, now was not the time to think of such things. He needed to take charge of the situation at hand.

    "I-i-is she dead?" Ryver, inquired with a tremulous voice, breaking the silence.

    Krone did not respond, for he himself was uncertain. Ariea was pale and her chest no longer rose and fell, yet a faint pinkish hue blushed her skin. It was as though she were frozen in a state of stillness, neither dead nor alive. But Krone did not want to say this out loud for then it would invite further questions he could not answer.

    "What happened here is not to leave these chambers." Krone stated, his voice low and calm. "Marionette."

    His wife glanced up as if to complain, but the expression on his face discouraged her. She quietly guided their granddaughters, who themselves did not make a fuss, towards the loveseat. Ryver moved to another sofa and collapsed on the soft cushioning, but Ripley remained standing. Whether or not he heard the command, he continued to stare at the girl in the arms of his crying mother.

    Krone cleared his voice and Ripley snapped out of the daze. "Lock the door," he ordered.

    Ripley immediately moved to close the door, bolting it to ensure no uninvited guests could enter.

    Now it was just the eight of them, and the Solus lying almost lifeless. Krone closed his eyes tightly, hoping the headache forming in his temples would subside as he seated himself at his desk. He took the report and briefly skimmed through it before looking down at the girl.

    "Cyrus."

    Cyrus looked up at his father, his eyes trembling. "Yes, father?"

    "The capital walls have been breached." Krone began, reading from a letter that accompanied the report.

    "What?" Instantly, Cyrus was alert, his eyes fixing upon his father. "Was it not an attack on the outskirts."

    "They destroyed the four gates simultaneously. Casualties are unknown, but the numbers are high. Of the knight's division, the Oldunal Order fought them off under the command of the Imperial Crown Princess. However—"

    Krone paused at this section of the reports, frowning deeply before looking at the girl in Elisabeth's arms. The events of the past hour were peculiar, but nothing prepared him for the rest of the letter from the emperor's aide. He could not even explain it himself, nor could his mind fathom.

    "Husband?"

    Krone continued staring at the girl, attempting to make sense of it all.

    "Husband!" Marionette said, snapping him back to reality.

    Krone's eyes fell on the letter once more. "However, the enemy seemingly retreated after a beam of dark light shot into the sky. The source of the beam remains unknown and its location was difficult to pinpoint for it appeared for no more than five seconds."

    "A... dark light?" Cyrus, too, glanced down at Ariea.

    "All Saintums are to report to the star of the six cardinal points to enforce a barrier of protection while the walls are being reconstructed." Krone concluded, looking up. "You are to leave now."

    "I... I cannot. Not when there is a dark cloud hanging over our family. This girl—" Cyrus pointed down at Ariea. "—cannot stay, father. She is dangerous."

    "You cannot disobey an order from the emperor himself."

    "But father—"

    "Cyrus." Krone's voice was threateningly calm.

    Cyrus shut his mouth as his stomach churned at the thought of going to the city walls. The current Saintum retreated deep into his mind as he formulated plans.

    "She must see a priest, father." Cyrus said quietly. "We do not know what that was, but it must be connected to the attack on the capitol."

    "Yes—yes, grandfather," Ripley said, finally speaking. "Did you not see the state she was in when she entered these chambers? Something was definitely wrong with her."

    "We do not know what danger she could pose." Cyrus continued.

    "What do you suppose we do then?" Krone asked.

    Cyrus knew he was treading on dangerous waters, but risk it he shall. Even having her was a danger. The only reason she was taken in by the Dagnall family in the first place, was because—no, even that reason would not be enough to curb the growing threat she posed. It was time he finally rid himself of her. He concluded. She was a sacrifice to be made.

    "We give her to the emperor. Explain that she has no affiliation with the Dagnall Saintum other than as a maid." Cyrus's dark eyes turned bright as he spoke. "Protect our family first, father."

    Krone fell silent as it appeared the rest of his family agreed with Cyrus. The problem was, Ariea was not just some maid. He knew her true relations to the Dagnalls. Giving her up, without a doubt, was an unwise decision, not only because of what she might tell the emperor, but because they did not understand the truest extent of her condition. It would put them at a disadvantage. They already had enemies, and plenty would use this as an opportunity to weaken their position in society.

    But most importantly, Krone's own pride would not let him give up his own blood, no matter how tainted.

    "I will go to the palace with her. She will be a prisoner—a criminal. A terrorist abetting the enemy. We are innocent, father."

    "Are you? Truly?" Elisabeth, whose tears stopped falling, spoke from the floor, still cradling Ariea's fragile body. "Will that soothe the guilt corroding your heart?"

    Cyrus was taken aback by her sudden words. But it only occurred to him at that point that Elisabeth was cradling the child as if she were her own. Had he not explicitly demanded she is to stay away from the girl? When had she defied him? For how long had she been playing mother to the Solus?

    "I ask you again, dear husband, do you think the Emperor fool enough to believe your fabrications?"

    "Mother!"

    "Mother how—"

    "Mother!"

    "Elisabeth—"

    The voices of her children and mother-in-law were raised as they were appalled at her insinuation but they were cut off by the withering glare of her bloodshot, tear-stained eyes.

    "Your Grace, even should we deliver... Ariea to the palace, how shall we explain the condition of her body?" Elisabeth's voice, harsh and coarse, carried an edge of reason. "She is a Solus, a daughter of the Empire, do you think the Emperor would take kindly to the sight of her?"

    "Be quiet!"

    "We can report to the Emperor that the light came from our territory, but we are investigating the source." she said, before looking down at Ariea's face. "While we wait for her to awaken, for she has not passed. I can feel it."

    "Have you gone mad mother!" Ryver bellowed, leaping to his feet. "She is dead!"

    "She is trash, mother, look what she has done to our family!" Eloisa said, sneering at Ariea's face with fervent disdain. "Ever since she arrived she has borught nothing but trouble, disturbing the peace of our home. Our temple! Were it not for her, I—"

    Eloisa bit her tongue as her twin sister, Eriss, shot her a deathly look. She was very close to revealing their secret. It was a small mistake of words but Krone picked up on it, however, he but resolved it was a matter for another time.

    "Husband, please. Our son must be right. We do not know what happened with that evil girl." Marionette said. "For all we know, she might have been practicing the dark magik in secret and this was her punishment."

    "Your Grace!" Elisabeth's desperation grew. "We all felt it. When Ariea drew her breath, we felt it...we all felt that gentle presence. Would an unholy possess such an aura?"

    “Mother—”

    “You speak of her condition, my son, but who rendered her this way?” She asked, looking at Ripley with forlorn eyes.

    He felt an uncomfortable feeling crawl up his spine as he lowered his head. He knew that she was right, but the disappointment in her voice wounded him. Was she truly going to take that girl’s side, over their family?

    "Mother, why do you speak in her favor?" Eriss screamed. Her eyes hardening with rage. “Why! Why!”

    “Because this is all I can do for her.”

    The gentle regret in her voice quietened them. Her words revealed what the entire Saintum temple had long suspected: Sanctus Elisabeth harbored cared more for this girl than what she left all to believe. Even after the command of Cyrus to ignore the girl's existence, Elisabeth cared for the child.

    As this revelation dawned onto them, it all finally made sense. Despite being starved on consistent occasion, Ariea appeared remarkably healthy. And despite her duties to clean the temple, she maintained a perpetual cleanliness and freshness. 

    Some even began to believe that Ariea was hiding a secret home, someone she would run to every time she was to be punished. Unless Cyrus delivered physical punishment himself, Ariea looked well taken care of.

    But now they understood who was taking care of her all this time.

    A tumult of emotions surged through them, but beneath the anger and confusion, a deep-seated jealousy festered. How could a Solus receive the affections of the most beloved Sanctus when she was so clearly underserving? Elisabeth's children, in particular, felt especially bitter as they stared at Ariea lying peacefully in their mother's arms.

    When was the last time she held them like that?

    Before tensions could escalate further, Krone intervened one last time. "There will be time to fully discuss these matters, but right now, Cyrus, go to the star of the six cardinal points—"

    "Father—"

    "Marionette, you are to take the children away from the main temple, remain in the annex. Elisabeth and I shall attend to the matters regarding the Solus."

    Just as Cyrus was about to object again, the room darkened ominously. Remnants as the previous keeper of Darkness, seeped from Krone's pores, his skin covered in threicae. Cyrus felt an unfamiliar feeling of being overwhelmed as Krone rose for desk.

    "Do not neglect your duties for trivial household matters. I will attend to the Solus girl."

    Cyrus bowed his head in reluctant submission before turning on his heel and marching out. As he reached the door, he shot a ferocious glare at Elisabeth, causing her to tremble slightly. Then he unbolted the door and left.

    Krone listened to the receding footsteps before turning to face the rest. Though he strove to remain impartial towards internal family relations, his heart waver. If it were for even a small moment, the old patriarch could not help but feel a twinge of regret as he stared at the dead girl in Elisabeth's arms, her words echoing through his mind. Was this truly all that could've been done for her? Despite the circumstances of her birth, in all the years he knew of her existence, had he done enough?

    The regret gnawed at him persistently, as a voice whispered in the depths of his heart.

    Was it truly all?