The march towards the Aurelian Capital was a total slog. It was a gruelling experience. During the day they would march and at night they would be assaulted by terrors. There was no respite at all. The progress was very slow and there were talks of desertion in the peasant army. At least for now, the General was keeping the army together. If not for the presence of the Inquisition the men would have routed long time ago.
Any villages or towns they had encountered were completely abandoned; it was very eerie. The army rations kept getting poisoned, the nights were infested with terrors, and the terrors themselves were invulnerable to swords and spears. If anything, the peasant levy seemed to be useless, but the Inquisition wouldn’t be able to take the capital on its own, especially not without the reinforcement from the local populace which they couldn’t get now. So, there was that.
The mood was very dreary.
To lift her weighted spirit the Radiant Sword was praying in her tent.
“Oh, Holy Light, is this a test? Or have you forsaken us?” She craved for answers. “Or is this a punishment for our weakness?” She looked at the almost empty bottle she was grasping tightly in her hand. “For my weakness…”
She understood that such prayers would never be replied to directly. Holy Light didn’t speak in words; it sent its messages through signs, or such was the teaching. But ever since she stepped on this tainted land, she couldn’t see or read any such signs.
A shrill shout ended the tranquillity of the night and the peace of her prayer.
“And so, it begins.” She said it with a sigh. “So, it is a test…” She looked again at the bottle and finished its contents.
[You have been afflicted Error[System_Override]!], [You have gained access to the Monster System], and so she became a Lesser Angel.
“I’ll purge the evil. For the Holy Light!” She ran out of her tent.
Her Holy Presence broke the Terror the men were afflicted with. The Angelic Heal restored the vigour of the Drained. The Holy Retribution imbued her attacks with the Light magic. And the Last Stand enabled her to fight throughout the night without feeling tired. The perks were extremely powerful, and they were only available in the Monster System. And these weren’t your standard Light magic, at least not in the repertoire of the Paladin class. A few of her colleague inquisitors raised their brows at seeing her use unknown magic, but no one challenged her. And she was extremely lucky that they didn’t have a funny idea to read her status; such action would reveal the real source of her power.
Despite such dangers, she fought the shadows like a hero. Her body was glowing in dim light giving that illusion of holiness. The name Radiant did suit her well.
“Radiant!”, “Radiant!”, “Radiant!”, the warriors were chanting.
With a *Pop* she killed yet another monster. As if afraid of her radiant light the shadows retreated into the darkness and the night returned to its tranquil state.
She was done sooner than expected, but once the shadows were repelled, they wouldn't attack for a second time. So it seemed safe to dispel her Last Stand. The tiredness which wasn’t there moments ago assaulted her like a flash flood. She wobbled on her feet back towards her tent.
“I need sleep.” She said the obvious. “But also…” She needed to pray and thank for success. Tonight no one had died.
She looked at the now empty bottle. She had packed enough, or she had thought she did, but the march was taking longer than expected. The liquid blessing that granted her divine power was all but gone.
“Holy Light, give me strength to pull through this. Just a few more days.” She put her hands together deciding to recite one of many prayers. “Oh, Holy Light, please guide our path. Bestow us with strength and wisdom to last through times of darkness. Grant us salvation and purity of both body and mind. Oh, Holy Light, listen to my prayer and send me a sign.”
Suddenly a chilling breeze swept through the tent extinguishing the candle. The air was filled with an overbearing aura. She felt something similar when meeting the Holy Emperor for the first time, but the current presence felt many times stronger, also it was completely different. Less cold and murderous, no, it was the opposite of that.
Regardless, her heart skipped a beat as she sensed that she was no longer alone in her tent. She turned around to face the presence.
“I can sense you. Who are you?”
From the darkest corner of the tent emerged a figure, cloaked in shadows, with glowing yellow eyes that pierced through the veil of night. It was the source of the aura. The being in front of her, even if obfuscated by the shadows, possessed an undeniable allure. The aura they were emitting, while strong and overbearing, felt warm and fuzzy. She couldn’t help but feel… relaxed.
“Ah, Elisabeth, how delightful to finally meet you in person. Johny had told me so much about you.” The voice was deep and strong, betraying the masculine gender of the cloaked figure.
She almost yelped in surprise. There was no way for him to know her birth name. She had abandoned that long ago, way before she even joined the Holy Orden as a sister. In her younger days, as an orphaned street urchin, she called herself Ella, then later, she was just another sister, and now she was the Radiant Sword of the Holy Inquisition.
“Johny?” She looked for that name hard in her memory. “Is he one of the angels?” She guessed.
Yes, if this Johny was an angel it would make sense that he knew the name given by her mother just before she died.
“She’s a hero and a precious friend, but an Angel? I wouldn’t go that far.” He inched closer. “But let’s not get distracted here.”
Her already tired knees gave out at that moment forcing her to kneel and bask in an overbearing aura. “Are you here to take me away? To take me to the heavens?” She couldn’t help but think such thoughts.
“Huh? How did you know?” The entity sounded surprised for a moment. “I guess I could give you a tour… But first, will you listen to what I have to say?”
She nodded vigorously putting her together as if she was praying.
“Hear me out, Elisabeth. The world is not as simple as you believe. The Holy Light you so fervently serve is but one side of the eternal balance. For balance, you need all three: Light, Dark and even Chaos. Let’s say someone embraced darkness instead of light, but if they bring balance to the world, such a person isn’t necessarily evil. Embracing the darkness doesn’t mean forsaking your principles, but rather finding strength in both”.
While listening she kept nodding memorising each line, it sounded important.
“You know who I speak of, right? Can you forgive him?”
That question took her out of the religious fervour. “Are you speaking about Aurelius II? But he’s a monster…” With those words, she found the strength to stand up. “He’s evil! He’s corrupted by darkness! A Corrupted Human!”
He inched even closer. “I can see your faith is strong, my dear inquisitor, but perhaps your convictions are misguided. Evil and darkness aren’t synonymous. Just as the light can cast shadows, the darkness can grant power and wisdom. And the ever-outlier chaos can bring the much-needed breath of fresh change. Imagine the potential within you, amplified by the forbidden knowledge you fear.”
She gasped turning to look at the empty bottle she discarded to the corner not too long ago.
“The choice is yours, Elisabeth. Continue to serve the light blindly, or unlock your true potential and embrace the chaos.”
She collapsed back to her knees clutching the bottle to her chest as if it was the dearest thing in her world.
“Is this another test? A trial I must complete before I ascend?”
Her mind swirled with conflicting thoughts. She didn’t know the right choice. At first, she thought the cloaked entity was a messenger sent from the heavens, but now she started to consider the opposite.
“I don’t have the answers. It’s you who makes the choices and bears the responsibility. But think about what I have just told you and consider this: if you promise to turn back and leave the Aurelian Kingdom, I will Evolve you. That is what you want the most, yes?“
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She was slightly confused about the word ‘evolve’. “Do you mean I will ascend, become an Angel?”
“Yes, I have the power to grant you that.” He inched closer.
They were only a few feet apart, but even then, she couldn’t see past his cloak of shadows. The words were sweet and irresistible, just like the jelly she had been consuming. If the entity in front of her embodied evil, then it wouldn’t have the power to make her an Angel. Yes, maybe the entity spoke true. Darkness was not equal to evil. Maybe even angels in the eyes of the System were monsters and so there must be good monsters too. In other words, there was no reason for her not to ascend to higher form.
“So, what is your choice? Peace and prosperity, or war and blood.” The cloaked figure asked in a serious tone.
“Peace, of course, I will pick peace.” She said without much thought.
“Then give me your word that you won’t attack Aurelian people again.”
“I give you, my word.”
“Then I will grant you my blessing. But please, recall my lecture, don’t be blinded by righteousness. The world needs its shades of grey, and even black.” His hand reached for her chest. “[Evolve].”
The hand was veiled in a layer of tar-like shadowy mass, but the touch felt warm and loving.
[Do you want to change your race to Angelic? Warning: the changes are permanent.]
She didn’t need any more proof to know that she passed the divine test, she accepted the ascension with all her might.
“Urgh!” The entity groaned as If in pain.
She was enveloped by divine purple light. Her entire body felt fuzzy and weightless. She could feel an immense amount of magic filling her insides. To put it simply, it was ecstasy!
The light dimmed and she was still standing with his hand on her chest.
“[Inspect].” He chanted an unfamiliar phrase.
She had an inkling of what it did, so she did much the same. “[Status].”
Monster Race: Angelic
Variant: Radiant Angel
Magic Affinity: Light
📿
📿🙏📿
📿
HP:250
MP:300
STA:250
Active Perks
[Holy Retribution], [Holy Smite], [Last Stand], [Angelic Heal]
Passive Perks
[Radiant], [Holy Presence], [Divine Shield], [Celestial Wings]
Resistances
[Dark Weakness: Medium]
The changes were also physical. There on the back, she could feel a new set of appendages – wings. The feeling was natural as if they always belonged there. She touched her back trying to feel them. While doing so, she noticed that all of her scars were gone, and the wings felt feathery and fluffy.
Unconsciously, she stretched her wings out filling the confines of the tent. She was extremely happy.
“I have ascended.” She smiled at the cloaked figure. “Messenger. Please tell me your name.”
He sighed. “I feel that would only cause further misunderstanding”.
She wasn’t buying that. And also, a certain perk became available to her. It might be rude to the divine messenger but… “[Inspect].” She invoked.
Target: Spider King
Monster: Moster King
Magic Affinity: Dark
🕸️🕸️🕸️
🕸️🕷️🕸️
🕸️🕸️🕸️
HP:1050
MP:-500/4500
STA:500
Active Perks
[Summon Darkness], [Call Familiar], [Expert Milking Technique], [Transformation: Spider], […]
Passive Perks
[Language Comprehension], [Enhanced Poison Immunity], [Enhanced Nutrient Processing], [Chaos Blessed], [Resurrect +1], […]
Resistances
[Light Weakness: Lesser], [Physical Resistance: Lesser], [Charm Resistance: Medium]
Status Effects
[Negative Mana]
She went through the table again and again. It just didn’t make much sense. This was the divine messenger who granted her the ascension, but apparently, it was a monster named Monster King. And the perks were beyond bizarre.
“[Expert Milking Technique]…” She spoke out loud with disbelief.
“I guess the cat is out of the bag…”
“The Cat?” She didn’t understand. “Is it someone like Angel Johny?”
The still-cloaked figure sighed deeply. “I wanted to keep things mysterious and disappear after evolving you, it would have been so much cooler! Who was this enigmatic stranger? What did just happen? Wow, he was so strong and wise… But it seems I’ve slipped up.”
“Huh?” She struggled to follow.
The shadowy cloak hiding the man disappeared as if it had never been there. It was still dark in the tent, but the silhouette was much clearer. The previous undeniable allure and the aura of warmth and friendliness didn’t go anywhere, actually, the man in front of her was even more charming, even despite a set of horns on his head.
“You know, I rather do this somewhere else than a dark and musky tent. You should come aboard my ship, I’ll give you that tour I’ve promised, yes. Discreetly of course. I have it parked just above your camp. [Magic Inventory]” The alluring man retrieved a potion from thin air and drank its contents.
“Huh?” She inched closer drawn by his allure, but also, sensing that he might leave abruptly.
“I mean, you have wings now, just fly up. Oh, it’s dark now so you might miss it. I’ll leave a lantern on the deck. Yeah. I’ll see you there.”
“But…” She stretched her arm towards him.
“[Shadow Walk].” He disappeared.
Radiant rushed towards her table to light the candle. The light illuminated the cramped space. There was no man there, the flap of the tent was shut tightly preventing the harsh wind of the night from entering. She was all alone.
“Was this even real?” She wondered for a moment. Towards the end, it had gotten slightly delirious. After all, she was very tired, so maybe she passed out and dreamt the whole thing up. She reached for her back. “No, It was real.” The wings were there, a permanent modification to her body.
“He said to fly up…” She recalled. But the ship part still confused her.
She stepped out of her tent and spread her wings flapping them. It took effort but soon her legs left the ground and she flew up towards the clouds. The nearby guards had noticed her and were pointing and shouting something. She didn’t care about them. She didn’t care about being seen. They were mortal men and she was now ascended. She was an angel!
“Embracing the darkness.” The words echoed in her mind while she was flying in the night sky. “Light, Dark and even Chaos. Balance…” There was a lot to think about. Such words were plain heresy in the eyes of the Holy Light, but somehow, she understood that they rang true. It wasn’t heresy, it was divine wisdom! And she was there to witness it.
“I have so many questions.” She flew higher looking for the promised light. “There it is.” She spotted a tiny source of light just below the cloud. She felt drawn to it like a moth to the flame. “I’ll have my answers.”
After all, at this point, her entire world was turned upside down. She no longer had the conviction that her blind faith in the Holy Light was right. There was a strong sense of disillusionment, a feeling that her ways might have been misguided. But even so, she was still faithful. She still believed in a higher power. Namely in the power which gave her wings. “I’m flying! I… am… flying…” It was so surreal.