"He has now awakened," Raia snarls, glaring at the two Outcasts. "I should have released him sooner before he regretted something."

The coachman's dull eyes fall on them, staring at the bright-orange souls flickering in their chests. Then he tilts his head to one side, as if perplexed.

A tainted Outcast is unaware of the existence of an Elysian unless told by a vengeful spirit.

The woman Outcast's mouth moves as she tells the coachman something, and with a sudden spring, she leaps toward them and swings her foot into Raia's stomach.

"Raia!" Raiden yells as Raia slams into a brick house, causing the wall to shatter.

"The tainted!" she roars, glaring at Raiden as she pulls herself up from the debris.

Raiden clenches his teeth and looks away from her. He grips the hilt of his sword as the coachman raises a hand, a spherical light flickering in his palm.

"Darn it!" Raiden swears through clenched teeth and lunges at him. It takes a few seconds for the tainted coachman to drag himself away from him, still summoning a ball of light, but he's too slow. Raiden closes the distance between them and thrusts the sword into his chest.

The blade passes through him as if it were an intangible object, ignoring his physical body and causing no harm to it. Despite this, the coachman screams in agony. His soul, which is shrouded in darkness, slips from him, and his lifeless body slumps to the ground.

Raiden grips the hilt of his broadsword with both hands and holds the blade up to his face. He shuts his eyes and casts the Cleansing Spell. "Cypress, pour thyself with Absideon and destroy the darkness thy blade touches. Purify the tainted soul and deliver it to Elysium!"

Multitudes of vines sprout from the rain-guard of his sword, covering the tainted soul hovering in front of him.

"Cypress, free him. Vines of purification!" The vines that surround the soul emit a momentary burst of light before dissipating. As he stares at the white soul, his expression softens. "May the light be with you."

Raia lands next to him on the ground. The soul flickers before dissipating into thin air. Raiden then clenches his fists as the coachman's body slowly dissolves into light particles like little fireflies before fading away into nothingness as if he never existed.

The fate of the tainted is worse than that of the possessed.

When Raiden looks up at the dark sky, Raia frowns at him. A sad expression flashes across his face.

"I'm sorry," he utters in a soft voice.

"Raiden!" Raia hisses. She lowers herself into a crouch and leaps into the air. Then she swings her flaming longsword as she lands on the roof where the Outcast is.

The woman jumps from the roof and lands with a thud on the ground. She raises her hands and conjures a spherical light.

Raia looks down at Raiden from the roof and yells at the top of her lungs. "Now!"

"Alright!" Raiden responds with a hard expression on his face before charging at the Outcast with his sword raised. When he delivers a diagonal cut, the Outcast jumps backward and points her hands at the small crowd. When the demon unleashes light bullets, the disciple's face pales. With horror in his eyes, he chases after them.

"What a trouble," Raia murmurs as the people flee for cover with cries of fear and surprise, but Raiden blocks the lights with his broadsword before they can taint someone.

Raia tightens her grip on her sword's hilt and pushes her feet off the stone tiles. She holds her sword in both hands and looms behind the Outcast, her dark-purple hair and cloak fluttering in the breeze. The crescent moon shines in the sky behind her, as if it was placed there on purpose to guide the disciple of light through the darkness.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Raiden and the crowd look at Raia in awe, as if a light has emerged from the darkness, like a savior who has come to deliver a sinner from the error of his ways.

"Raphael!" Raia bellows as she descends, driving the flaming sword through the Outcast's body, causing no harm except to the lost spirit within.

The Outcast screams in agony before collapsing to the ground. The lost spirit floats in the air.

Raia lands on the stone cobbles with a soft thump and raises her sword blade to her face. She closes her eyes and chants.

"Raphael, pour thyself with Absideon and destroy the darkness thy blade touches. Purify the tainted soul and send it to the Elysium!"

She leaps up. The flame around her blade flares up and turns purple, illuminating the area like a massive torch.

"Flame of purification!" she shouts as she delivers the final blow to the lost spirit.

The purple fire devours the lost spirit, consuming every drop of darkness that surrounds it. The fire then burns out, leaving embers fluttering around before melting away. Raia lands on the ground, her gaze raised to the purified soul hovering in the air in front of her.

"Rest in peace," she whispers, and the soul flickers like a flame before dissipating.

"That was a nice move," Raiden says as he approaches her, his arms hanging limp at his sides. "Your master is Apostle Simon, am I right?"

Raia frowns, remembering the face of her master. "Yeah."

Raiden scratches the back of his neck with a smile. Raia grabs his arm when he opens his mouth to speak again.

"Show me your arm," she orders.

Raiden creases his brow and averts his gaze. He then begins unbuttoning his coat, revealing a double-breasted grey vest and an open-collar white dress. He sighs and rolls his right sleeve up.

Raia's face turns as white as a sheet as she stares horrified at the black mark that covers half of his arm. "You're tainted."

Raiden blinks, perplexed by her sudden display of concern, and then lets out a short laugh. "You're such a sharp individual. And you can also fight with such skill. You're truly an apprentice of Apostle Simon. That man worries a lot too."

Raia scowls. "Don't put me in the likes of him." She clutches her silver cross pendant and whispers, "Answer my call, Raphael."

Raiden's eyes widen as Raia's necklace transforms into a longsword. When she points the flaming blade at his face with a fixed gaze, he looks at her in befuddlement. He blanches and takes a step backward. "W-what do you think you're doing?"

Raia frowns. "Now, tell me where the Order's headquarters is before I stop your change."

"What?" Raiden blurts out in a ridiculous tone, appearing to be confused.

Raia has never met any disciples before apart from her master, and so she has never come across an Elysian being tainted. A mere thought of a holy individual being tainted and corrupted by the darkness puts her in uneasiness. A sudden sense of disappointment floods her inside. For someone holy to suddenly becoming a sinner, what a tragic turn of events.

Raia won't let him cause trouble and become a hindrance.

Since she doesn't know him, she doesn't mind killing him. At the very least, his soul will be saved, and he will be set free before committing a sin. Better get things done quickly before they become a hindrance.

Raia closes her eyes. "May the Light forgive this fallen warrior -"

"Stop!" Raiden hisses, grabbing her arm and keeping a safe distance from the flaming blade. "What are you even talking about? Didn't you know about our immunity?"

Raia frowns. "Immunity?"

Raiden sighs and shakes his head in disbelief. "Yeah. Since we're Elysians, our souls are special and we are immune to the darkness. Look." When he touches his right arm, the black stain fades away. He smiles as he looks at Raia. "We will not be tainted. However, receiving too much can weaken us."

Raia narrows her eyes, and her sword transforms back into a silver cross necklace. That is something she has never heard of before. Simon, her master, never mentioned anything about an Elysian being immune to the attacks of an Outcast.

"Well, it's a good thing then," Raia mumbles in a toneless voice. "But, if that's the case, why do you appear so terrified when you know perfectly well that my Blessing will not harm you?"

Raiden gives her a funny look. "What scared me was the fact that you looked so determined to do it." He heaves a deep sigh and shakes his head.

Ignoring him, Raia sweeps her gaze over the cowering crowd and sighs. Leaving these people befuddled and terrified could lead to further complications, so it's best to reassure them before they continue on their journey. She can't afford to waste any more time dealing with another problem. She needs to get to the headquarters as soon as possible to become an Aragon.

"Jeez. Crazy woman," Raiden mutters under his breath. "Didn't even think twice about killing me."

Raia says nothing as if she doesn't hear him. She tucks her hair behind her cloak and pulls on the hood.

Raiden shakes his head again. "How could Apostle Simon fail to inform you of this? So you've been fighting Outcasts without being hit by their lights?" He stares at her in awe.

Raia merely shrugs. "Maybe he doesn't want me to depend on such luck."

Raiden's lips curve into a soft smile as he puts on his coat. "He's really a great man, isn't he?"

"No."

Raiden's brow furrows in response to the curt tone in her voice. When he opens his mouth to say something, Raia cuts him off.

"Let's not waste any more time, and you should do something about those people. I'll handle the woman." Raia walks up to the unconscious woman lying on the ground.

Raiden sighs. "Yeah, and I have to get you to the headquarters as soon as possible to be branded."