"Wait just a little longer. I'll finish this... Don't worry. Leave everything to me..."

Sachrist, Aniik, Ramael and Yonuro all have exited the Holy Shrine of the West and are about to commence Sachrist's plan.

They need to gather up the Lingering World's forces, the remaining two Angels, Kallian and Yulim, and get ready for battle. After uniting the New World's last line of defence, they will all launch an attack at the Demonic Organization's headquarters, the Demonic Coucil.

Without them, says Sachrist, the Faith Organization won't be able to continue fighting, and they will resort back to their old ideals and standards. They will keep controlling the masses without force, but silently from underneath.

Sachrist- Let's begin.

Ramael has a smile on her face and utters "Yes, Sachrist!" Aniik follows Sachrist's orders but she isn't paying much attention to his plan, apparently.

Aniik- Where to again?

Sachrist- Did you already forget? Yonuro and Ramael will use the pendant's teleportation ability to travel to the Holy Shrine of the South, and you Aniik will travel to the Holy Shrine of the East.

Afterwards, you'll both send the Angels, Yulim and Kallian, these two letters in which I explain the situation and our plan. In the end, we'll all meet in Saintdom and initiate our attack from there.

Yonuro seems a bit troubled and restless.

Yonuro- And you, Sachrist? What are you gonna do? Just wait?!

Ramael- Yonuro, that's rude...

Sachrist- Haha, it's okay Ramael. I wasn't as clear as I thought, apparently. I have an important job to do back in my Holy Shrine. When I'm done, we will all arrive in Saintdom and we'll wait for Yulim and Kallian to get there with the Hyperboop system. Am I understood?

Ramael- I'll talk to Yonuro on the way, Sachrist, don't worry.

Sachrist- I always knew I could rely on you, Ramael. Thank you.

Yonuro- (...)

Aniik looks left and right and scracthes her cheek. She knows that something is off but she can't tell what it is.

Sachrist gives a letter to each girl and says the following before leaving the scene.

Sachrist- We'll meet again, you three. I believe in you.

With his back turned against them, Sachrist goodbyes the girls by simply raising his right hand. He then starts walking away, heading back to his shrine.

The others exchange looks among themselves and remain silent for a bit. Then Ramael asks them.

Ramael- Shall we?

Aniik and Yonuro slightly nod and get ready for the next stage of Sachrist's plan.

Aniik- You ready, Yonu?

Yonuro says a hesistant "yes" and waves at Aniik. Aniik returns the gesture with a smile on her face. Yonuro can't help but smile back, with her heart rate increasing.

Yonuro- We'll talk again soon, Aniik. See ya!

Aniik- Of course, later!

Ramael- Bye, bye!

Yonuro and Aniik silmutaneously teleport to their assigned locations. Aniik finds herself close to the Shrine of the East, where Kallian resides, whereas Yonuro and Ramael arrive to the Southern Region of the Lingering World, near Yulim's Shrine.

Both areas have been lightly hit by the earthquake and the shockwave, just like the western region. It comes without saying that the general public has not realized what's going on and they have already moved on with their lives, being more active than ever.

Especially the area next Yulim's shrine is massively crowded. Yulim is widely known for her great accomplishements in the past war with the Demons. Legend has it that she devastated a significant portion of their army with a single snap, that manifested a catastrophic, blinding beam of holy energy. Many followers of Yulim, praise her as the most important Angel, giving the title of "Archangel" to her instead of Sachrist.

On the contrary, Kallian is regarded as the most insignificant Angel and isn't given much praise. She in fact, didn't participated in this long war 410 years, which ruined her image in the heads of the Demon-hating Believers at the time.

Since then, she hasn't been given much recognition and the Eastern region of the Lingering World is the least crowded of all of them. That's surprisingly convenient, since Aniik despises crowded places, so that should make her more comfortable to do her job.

Even that, Sachrist has thought about.

Yonuro- Excuse me, let me through. Excuse me.

The crowd doesn't realize it at first glance. A few seconds later, though, things change.

Many people stop walking and gossip about Yonuro.

???- Is this the new Angel, Yonuro Tokiyama?

???- She's a human, isn't she?

The voices multiply. They keep on getting louder, the more Yonuro moves through the crowd.

Ramael- We can't let them know of what's going on. It will rise up chaos and confusion. Just keep going.

Yonuro's silence keeps dropping her reputation... Yonuro sighs and keeps on walking, without given it further thought.

Yonuro- Whatever...

Yonuro finally finds the building, where the mail box is located. This specific mail transporter is only used from higher-ups to inform the Angels about a state of crisis. After stating her duty, that she has orders from Sachrist, Yonuro is given permission to send the letter.

Yonuro slowly reaches the mechanism's opening and is about to throw Sachrist's letter in. At that moment, though, she feels uncertain. Countless thoughts pass through her head. She gulps. She's becoming more and more hesitant, as she approaches.

Ramael- What's wrong, Yonuro? Are you not feeling okay?

Yonuro averts her gaze from Ramael and says "That's not it..."

Ramael- What is it then? You can always talk to me, you know.

Yonuro- I hate lying, so I'll just be honest with it, okay?

Ramael shows a clear sign of understanding and lets her friend talk it out.

Yonuro- Something just feels off to me...

Ramael- About what?

Yonuro- This whole thing. I don't know how to explain it, I just have a hunch. Sachrist is hiding something...

Ramael- I don't really get it. Yeah, he's always been the mysterious type, but why are you so concerned?

Yonuro- Some things don't add up. For instance, the dream I had earlier, before the New World.

Ramael thinks about it logically and doubts it's something worrisome.

Ramael- It was just a dream, Yonuro, why are you so preoccupied with it?

Yonuro- No, you don't understand. It was not just some dream. I've had one before and it was a scene from the future. It's not something to laugh about. And here's my top concern. Why didn't Sachrist say anything about it? He should know I am really confused by it and constantly seeking an explanation. He is omniscient, so he could even give us more insight, couldn't he? But he knowingly kept his mouth shut.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

And a lot of other things seem weird. His beliefs about the Demons seem prejudiced to say the least. Not to mention his "other job" that he needs to complete... Doesn't this all seem awry to you?

Ramael depserately sighs and confronts Yonuro seriously.

Ramael- Are you for real, Yonuro? Can't you tell how much Sachrist has done for us? He's trying his best to restore the Barrier in time and you're judging him? He probably went back to his Shrine to have the Barrier ready for a restart, once we defeat our enemies, in order to save time.

Yes, time... We don't have time to grow doubt among ourselves... Friends need to trust each other, that's what you taught me...

Yonuro has a pensive expression. She's still not pursuaded, but Ramael has put her heart onto these words. Yonuro can't ignore the impact her heartfelt response holds.

Yonuro- I'm sorry, you're right. I'm probably just being paranoid.

Ramael smiles and touches Yonuro's right hand.

Ramael- On the count of 3. One, two, three!

Yonuro and Ramael throw the letter inside the automated mail machine and inform the Mighty Angel, Yulim, that they have only 5 days left, before the New World devastates everything forever...

——————————————————

Aniik- Is this the mail thingy? Oh perfect! There's almost nobody here. What a bliss!

"For good measure, however, I'll go in with invisibility on."

Aniik- Zanir!

Aniik becomes invisible and steps in the building.

Contrary to Yonuro, she sends the letter without nearly as much hesitation and then takes a look around the place since she finished her task so quickly.

*Whistling*

Aniik- Woah, what's that?

Aniik finds a newspaper from a pile of magazines and other books located nearby.

Aniik- They still use newspapers, those Lingerians? I had them for more advanced. Anyway, let's see...

Aniik quickly goes over the headlines of the newspaper. A certain headline catches her eye. "Multiple Accursed assults devastate the Head of Government"

Aniik reads the article in its entirety and finds out that the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and more importantly the Head of the Government have all been bombarded by Accursed groups. As a result, the Lingering World is now in the grey area between anarchy and order.

"What the hell...?" murmurs Aniik after throwing the newspaper away.

Aniik- We're really being pushed into a corner here. Shit... Whoever's behind this, they sure know the dire situation we're in, and capitalizes on it.

Aniik decides to teleport to Saintdom and meet with the others.

—————————————————

Aniik and Yonuro teleport to the next stopping point of their journey, the Lingering World's capital, Saintdom. They both arrive in Saintdom's most magnificent square, the Lingering World's central point, surprisingly at the exact same time.

Aniik- Wow, what?! We got in here at the same time!

Yonuro- What are the odds?! Hahah! Say, Aniik, what were you doing? I thought we were the ones late.

Aniik- Nothing, I was just looking at some random articles. You?

Yonuro- I had a serious conversation with Ramael about Sachrist, but I don't wanna get into it to be honest. I'm just a bit paranoid, that's the gist of it...

Aniik understands and nods. She, herself, didn't want to get into detail about the lost order of the Lingering World, so she gets where she's coming from.

Since it took them some time to go there and return, the sun is now going down. Nighttime is just around the corner and it is starting to get dark. As a result, the girls don't see him coming.

Behind their backs, slowly approaches the man Yonuro was just talking about, Sachrist.

Sachrist rythmically claps a few times and congratulates the girls on their successful efforts.

Sachrist- Well done, well done, everyone! Everything is going according to plan. Splendid!

Aniik is startled by his sudden appearance and shouts the following.

Aniik- Jeez! You scared the shit out of me, Sachrist!

Sachrist- Apologies. Hehe...

Yonuro- (...)

Ramael's eyes glimmer with excitement the moment she sees him again.

Ramael- Sachrist! I'm so glad everything you thought about is coming together!

Sachrist- Ah, you're gonna make me blush... I don't deserve the praise you're giving me. Props to my Angelic Veil of Omniscience!

Sachrist slightly grins and Ramael is fixated on him. She just can't look away from his charming eyes. She laughs together with him and when he stops, she stops.

Sachrist- I'm really greatful for your cooperation, everyone. Now, let's get into the next and inargueably most critical stage of our plan. In this part, we will all put our lives on the line. We're going to fight the evil Demonic Organization head on!

They all pay attention to what he's got to say. In a demonstrative way, Sachrist passionly starts another monologue.

Sachrist- First, we're gonna wait for Kallian and Yulim to join us, which will take about a day due to some riots that are gonna happen. Then we will unite our forces and prepare our ambush to assult the Demonic Council!

Sachrist clenches his right hand into a fist and brings it close to his chest.

Sachrist- How are we going to do that? That's your part, Aniik and Yonuro. I'll show you how to create a medium sized portal with the Dark Essence you can use. Because the Barrier is broken, we can even create it from here, Saintdom. The other side of the portal will send us all right to the heart of the Demonic Council. This perfect ambush will be the defining factor that will allow us to bring the Demonic Organization down!

They are all amazed by his plan. It makes a lot of sense on paper and if it works out and they win the battle, then surely that so called "Demonic Organization" should fall.

Sachrist- And for the final part of our plan, after we defeat the Demonic Organization, we will reactivate the mechanism to restore the Barrier and all go back to our posts. In the end, the worlds will separate once more and we will prevent the second and final phase of the New World, that leads to utter annihilation...

Sachrist looks up in the sky and takes in a deep breath. He then looks down on his pawns and waits for their answers.

They all agree. Ramael to the fullest, Aniik purely out of logical thinking and Yonuro, although she slightly feels forced, she does agree.

Sachrist knows how Yonuro feels. To ensure that she is 100% on his side, he offers a handshake only to her. With a smile on his face he asks her.

Sachrist- What do you say, Yonuro?

Yonuro smiles back and slowly approaches her hand toward his to accept the handshake.

Just before she can do that however, I decide to take matters into my own hands. My human heart tells me to do this... I know what happens next... I won't let this story end this way!

*He's lying, Yonuro.*

Yonuro- Huh? Who said that?!

*Sachrist is not to be trusted...*

Sachrist takes his hand back and grins.

Sachrist- Hah... Funny...

Ramael- Yonuro! Why didn't you shake his hand?

Yonuro is in absolute shock. She feels a chill run down her spine. She is motionless. She doesn't know what to do or say.

Yonuro- I– I–

Sachrist- It's okay. I know you're all tired and need some rest. It's been a rough ride. That's why I've booked a luxurious hotel for us to stay in over there. Let's all calm down and spend our time there, while waiting for Yulim and Kallian, shall we?

Everyone agrees to follow Sachrist. But there's also someone who says they need some time by themselves first.

Yonuro- I'll join you all in a minute. I need to sort out some things in my head for a bit. Hahah...

Yonuro hands Ramael over to Aniik and asks her to take care of her for a while. She really needs some time completely by herself. The hotel is close by, so the Angelic Bond won't be damaged by the distance between Angel and Veil.

Aniik is really sad to see Yonuro troubled like this...

Yonuro- Don't worry, Aniik. Go on. I'll catch up with you guys before you realise it.

And so they do. They all follow Sachrist on his way to the hotel. Yonuro can be seen staring at her trembling hands while agonizing over what she was previously told.

"Who said that?!" "Is it true?!" "Sachrist can't be trusted?!"

Yonuro presses her right hand against her chest and says "What should I do?!" She then closes her eyes and embraces herself...

While she's not looking, a certain man a few meters up ahead turns his head and gives Yonuro the side-eye of the century. Sachrist then faces forwards again and ponders "I knew this would happen, but... I thought it was impossible..."

"Hah... Change of plans..."

Sachrist now has an extremely serious facial expression, which he has never showed before. Aniik tries to ask him something, but instantly regrets that decision. She averts her gaze and keeps her mouth shut while walking.

"He's.. scary..." she murmurs.

Sachrist and Aniik-Ramael enter the hotel. Sachrist then shows them to their rooms and talks in a dead serious tone of voice.

Sachrist- This is my room, this is yours, Aniik, and this is Yonuro's for when and if she decides to join us. Ramael will accompany either you or Yonuro. Any questions...?

Aniik pretends to smile and says "No, everything's fine!". Sachrist then says he's going to relax in his room and leaves the others alone.

Aniik- Yonuro... I hope she's okay...

Ramael- Me too...

After clearing her internal conflicts to some extent, Yonuro decides to go meet the others. She wipes her teary eyes, gets up and looks at the hotel. Although scared and hesitant, Yonuro starts walking towards the building with slow, shaky, uncertain steps...

The moment they see her, Ramael jumps on Yonuro's shoulder and asks her if she's okay. Aniik does the same. (Without the jump-on-shoulder part)

Aniik- Hey... You seem really worn out... What happened?

Yonuro- Sorry, you two. I'm not feeling well and I can't really talk about it. Maybe if I get some sleep, I'll be able to forget this and move on...

Yonuro drops on her bed and utters the most lifeless "Good night" to Ramael and Aniik. Ramael says a genuine "sweet dreams" directly to Yonuro's mind via the Angelic Bond. Aniik closes the lights, then the door and calmly wishes Yonuro "Good night" before going to her room.

With a somber, pensive expression, Yonuro closes her eyes and forces herself to a long, dreadful, nightmarish sleep...