"I never wanted this to happen...I wanted her to live to-" Maximus stopped midsentence, when in a flash, Reinhardt was at his side with a blade perched on the old man’s throat. "LIES! You weren't surprised. I thought that when you opposed in retrieving the elixir...you wanted it for your personal use someday! But you weren't surprised at all when we showed you an apple! You never batted an eye, you knew! You knew that the elixir came from a tree that bore many apples! Tell me, WHY! If only… if only we got there earlier, we could've saved her!" His voice filled with pain, sorrow masked with hatred at the man in front of him.

Reinhardt was on the verge of committing murder at this point. Yet, the most Reinhardt could do was cause a small wound as the blade pricked the old man’s skin. The sword fell on the floor, the metal clanging as the weapon hit the marble floor. His hands dropped to his side, losing all the strength he had.

Reinhardt didn’t quite understand why the bishop had refused to offer support when they informed him of their findings. He had a suspicion that the old man was saving the elixir for himself or for some selfish reason he couldn’t fathom. It would’ve been better if that were the case. Shock was an understatement when he found out that the supposed elixir was actually one of the dozens, if not hundreds, of apples on a gargantuan age-old tree that could be used on a person that needed it. So he didn’t understand why the old man wouldn’t agree to letting Lumina have the cure.

"Because her death was necessary..." The old man intoned; despite the circumstances he remained calm. The words slashed through Reinhardt’s grief, his shoulders which rocked with unbearable pain stilled.

"Throughout my rein as the leader of the holy church, many oracles have passed away.  All those times, they served their purpose to uplift the faith and spirit of the citizens of Feria. With the attacks of the demons and the deaths caused by the plague weakening their faith, something had to be done. If we don’t take action, the influence and power of the church will weaken with each passing day!" The face of the bishop morphed, looking more grim and ominous.

As this transpired, his voice took on a feverous pitch, "Not only do they lose faith, but they start to question the teachings! But the Oracle! The symbol of hope! The guiding light of Feria becomes an instrument in preventing a revolt from happening! Her death causes grief which serves as a balm to the people’s weary hearts and the passing of the duty to another oracle renews their faith! You see it is neither my fault nor the church's, it's the fault of those wretched worms! It's their fault for going against the church! It's their fault for-Gwaaah!” Reinhardt's couldn’t stomach anymore of the demented bishop’s ramblings. Not bothering with the fact that the man was the highest ranking official in the church, his fist moved on its own. It connected with the bishop’s face and sent the old man flying across the room.

"You son of a bitch! You don't have any right! You're not in any position to say who dies and who gets to live!" It took every fiber of Reinhardt’s being, every ounce of self-control he had not to kill the old man.

‘So it all came to this?’ he thought dejectedly. The deaths of countless Oracles and especially of Lumina...of his Lumina were just a ruse to keep the church's hold on the people. Lumina’s efforts to unite, help, and to protect them from demon attacks were all in vain. It was a vicious cycle that had to be stopped. And he will do everything in his power to make sure it ended with Lumina's death.

"I'm taking her with me…" Reinhardt said with finality, still evidently suppressing his anger. He would give Lumina a proper send off, a proper burial. He owed her that much.

Before Reinhardt could reach her, purple lightning rained down on him, sending him to his knees. He didn’t even have time to react. Looking up, his eyes met with the bishops. Maximus stood straight, his staff pointed at him. As always, the old man's face remained calm but one look was all it took for Reinhardt to realize that there was a change in the man's demeanor. He could feel the ominous aura and the murderous intent directed at him. The two heard Kristov, Miranda, and Erina calling out from outside the room due to the commotion but neither paid any attention as they were focused on each other.

"I will not let you have her. You didn't have her in life! You will not have her in death!" Purplish light slowly appeared on the priest's body. His soft and warm voice replaced by a steely edge. "If only she agreed...she would've been alive up until now. I would have given her the cure, the cure that has been kept secret and passed down only to the grand bishops. She only needed a drop to keep herself from experiencing the deteriorating effects of using her powers!” The old man didn’t have the same look he had once before. A sagely old man with warm eyes exuding knowledge and wisdom now looked demented. Reinhardt saw only the shell of the man of who the bishop once was. Right now, the one standing in front of him had crazed eyes as he recounted the details of Lumina’s death.

“I offered her life and in exchange I-I wanted to have her...to stay with me. But she refused! She rejected me all because of you! You mindless scum! You took her from me! So if I can't have her, no one will!" The grand bishop's face twisted into an evil sneer. Tears and snot flowed freely down his face, yet he didn’t seem to care. Gone was the composed, warm and gentle façade only to be replaced by a monstrous persona. Anyone who saw him right now would doubt that he was the same man. Some may even go as far and say that he's been possessed by a demon of Nifleheim.

"Rise great serpent of Nifleheim,

devour those who hinder your path!

[Serpent of Despair, Ouroboros!]"

The purplish glow emanating from Maximus' body grew bigger reaching the ceiling of Lumina’s room. The edges of his spiritual energy started wriggling, as if growing long tentacles. The energy slowly grew in mass then materialized into a huge serpent like dragon. The moment it materialized it let out a screeching roar and flew towards Reinhardt who was taken by surprise. From his knowledge, a Mirage was a person's reflection deep inside.

‘So does this mean...that this was who Maximus was deep inside?‘ he wanted to smirk at the irony. A huge serpent to represent the grand bishop of the church was an outrage. ‘It fits him.’

If Reinhardt was going to die here and now, he'll make sure to take down the person responsible for all of this. He reached down and took the dagger hidden on the right side of his boot and threw it towards the bishop. The dagger sailed through the air towards the bishop while the dragon soared towards the air and tried to attack him. The dagger pierced through the bishop’s chest whereas Ouroboros was stopped when the air in front of Reinhardt blazed with blinding light and there appeared Reinhardt's own Mirage, Horus. "Go! I'll buy you some time!" The hooded figure shouted in an otherworldly voice as he met the serpent head on and held it back using only his bare hands.

Reinhardt understood what his Mirage wanted to do, he didn’t waste any time and ran towards Lumina's body and carried her. "Noooooooooo!" The old man screamed, the purple aura surrounding him intensifying and in response Ouroboros started growing even more. It forged through ahead with Horus still trying to intercept it.

Reinhardt barely escaped as he carried Lumina on his arms. He ran towards the veranda and jumped down without a moments hesitation. Moments later, Horus appeared right before them to break their fall.

"Don't let them get away! Destroy everything if you have to, just find them and bring Lumina's body back to me!" Despite the almost fatal wound, Maximus was able to unleash his power making Ouroboros grow exponentially bigger. The serpent's head looked back at the old man for a second before screeching out loud and flew towards the stained glass windows on the ceiling.

The door opened with a bang as Kristov, Miranda and Erina came in. "After him! He's gone mad! He tried to kill me in his anger! He took the Oracle's body and unleashed that villainous demon from Nifleheim! He's a traitor! I order you to kill him on sight! He can't have gone far without anyone noticing him!" The old man barked his orders to the shocked trio.

They looked at each other in disbelief before they went out one by one. No one even dared to ask why a dragon of that size could have belonged to Reinhardt. It was common knowledge to practitioners of Mirage magic that a person’s powers are multiplied when they get consumed by the darkness. When this happens the monster produced is even stronger than the original Mirage that the person possessed. There was a price to pay for this power boost however as a person’s soul is eroded and they lose control of their sanity.

Killing Reinhardt was not in Kristov, Miranda and Erina’s intention as they hurriedly went to the city to try and find him. They wanted to know what had happened and they all knew that it was a race against time. It was only a matter of time before a holy edict comes out ordering for a headhunt of Reinhardt.

~*~

"Ensure the safety of the citizens! Man your stations! Show the strength of the Holy Army of Feria!" The soldiers issued a battle cry. Everyone pumped up from the captain commander’s pep talk. The sky was as dark as coal, thunder roared from the heavens, rain poured and lightning slashed down towards the earth as if the gods were in a foul mood and wanted to take it out on their creations. Within the blackened thick clouds, a huge purple body moved all over as if mocking the puny humans who stood along its path. A gigantic head the size of a carriage peaked through the clouds and barreled down the path towards a group of soldiers who were setting up a canon.

"Runnnnnnnnnn! Gyaaaaaagh!" all they could do was scream as Ouroboros wiped them out by ramming them with it's gigantic head. "Attack!! Now's our chance while it hasn't hidden in the clouds!" The commander barked to the soldiers. In retaliation, they attacked the serpent that was careening down their way, or the right term would be they tried attacking as the swords, axes, and guns did nothing to it's hard scales. Annoyed by the attacks, the serpent stopped moving and looked at them with menacing eyes. It reared back and unleashed a garish black smoke from it's mouth. With a flourish of its lithe body, the smoke spread further and faster, reaching the soldiers. 

People screamed as they got hit with the concentrated smoke and fell down to the cold hard ground. They coughed and gasped for breath with eyes closed and in tears. The dragon roared and once again headed towards the heavens, every now and then coming down on the ground in a different location of the city and wrecking as much havoc it can. It Destroyed infrastructures and injured random citizens or soldiers unlucky enough to cross its path.

"Captain! Status report, twenty-four people have been fatally wounded and were rushed to the infirmary. They are now being tended by church healers. Forty-six have been injured but half of them insisted on still joining the battle.” One of the stout knights said without pause.

“Captain! Many of our soldiers are being injured, why haven't we dispatched the Templar Knights---I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds!" The private apologized after the captain gave him a pointed gaze.

Holy Knights of Feria [http://i67.tinypic.com/szeuqs.png]

The continent of Feria had its own military which served different purposes. The big organization was split into three. The Holy Army, the Holy Knights and the Templar Knights. The first dealt with international matters, while the second protected the citizens and the clergy within the cities and villages. The last one was a special unit dedicated for the protection of the Oracle. In terms of strength, the first and third could be said to be evenly matched. What the army lacked in power, they also made up with numbers. While the Templar Knights capitalized on quality over quantity. If it came to a caste system, the Holy Knights who served as the protectors of the citizens were considered to be on the lower end.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"The Templar Knights only answer to two people, the Oracle and the Templar Commander! The death of our oracle has lessened their morale and they are probably dealing with conflicts internally! Don't be afraid! Raise your heads! We are the Holy Knights of Feria! It is our sole duty to protect the capital and it's citizens!" Despite his old age, the captain held himself with authority, hiding the fact that he was at a loss as to how they could probably stop the rampaging Mirage which was causing chaos in the city.

~*~

On top of one of the tallest towers with bells, a lone girl stood. Her pink hair reaching up until her shoulder, her face covered in a fox mask while her neck had a unique muffler. She wore very light clothing. On her left waist were two round metallic blades with leather bound metallic grips in the middle. "Hmm…I think big brother needs my help in fixing this…" She sighed knowing the predicament that her brother must've gone through. It's been almost a month since she and Reinhardt met. Her brother paid her a visit to inform her that he would be gone on a quest to retrieve something important. He had asked her to keep a close watch on the Oracle. Being the “obedient” sister that she is, she ceded to his request.

That didn’t necessarily mean they got along well. In fact, it was quite different from when they first met almost six months ago. Ophelia sought him to enact her vengeance. She wanted to avenge her mother, to get revenge on the man that had stolen their honor. During that time, Ophelia wanted answers, answers to questions she just couldn’t figure out. Like why society had to dictate who was fit to be a ruler. Like how she was prejudged and deemed unworthy to take over the family estate just because she was a woman. It wasn’t her choice to be born as a woman. Circumstances such as these made her loathe society in itself. How the norms dictated how things should be instead of accepting what could be. Lacking any answers, she lashed out at the only person she could blame. The person who perpetuated the stigma and usurped her inheritance, her right as the next master of the Cromwell family.

It was truly an interesting first meeting. It was no big deal, she just tried to assassinate him really. The ensuing battle ended in a stalemate of course, but Lia had a hunch Rein was pulling his punches. And she hated him all the more. But he tried to reason with her, asked her to have a serious talk. Hesitantly, she retracted her claws and listened with apprehension. When Reinhardt was finished, Lia did not respond. She got up and left quietly. Finally understanding why Reinhardt was the heir. Well for now at least. She hasn’t entirely given up on becoming the heiress. A good strategist knows when to just take things slow, patiently wait until the perfect opportunity presents itself, then pounce and make sure to obliterate the opposition.

"Well...better help out as much as I can then!”

“Reaper from the Shadows, Patron of the Arts!

Beguile, Imprison thy witnesses!

[Child of Literature, Fumiko!]”

Lia took off her muffler and threw it in the air where another female clad in eastern clothing appeared after a puff of smoke. On her neck was the muffler that Lia had on previously. The word kunoichi1 comes to mind if you consider her overall appearance. "Fumiko...it's time for us to show how much we improved, get ready--"

The ninja who floated on air acted as if she never heard anything, "Hmp!" intoned the ninja, and with a flourish of her muffler, turned around midair and produced a book. The floating Mythic immersed itself in reading the book, not paying any mind to its master.

"Oy oy! Fumiko! This is not the time to ignore me! A lot of people are getting hurt down there! You have to help me stop that thing!" Lia stomped her feet in frustration to get the Mythic’s attention. The silent ninja sighed and looked down, staring at the dragon. Fumiko finally nodded, her pink hair swishing.

"Alright! Let’s do our worst and beat the crap out of that creature!" Lia reached down on her waist and took her chacrams on both hands. Fumiko on the other hand ripped paper from her book and fashioned a sword made out of it. With a nod at her Mythic, they both disappeared in thin air in a flash.

~*~

On a hill overlooking Phracea, an old man stared quietly at the ensuing chaos. A soldier ran towards him in haste "Status report general! Ouroboros, the serpent of despair appeared from Nifleheim. It is believed to be unleashed by the Templar Knight Reinhardt. Insiders have told me that he was in grief due to the Oracle's death, he went mad and attacked the grand bishop and is now being hunted! On a side note, an unknown awakened appeared with her mirage in tow. The awakening is working to take down the monster." The soldier bowed down once the commander acknowledged his report.

‘So it has come to this? Why...Reinhardt? I sensed that there was darkness hiding within you...but never in my imagination would you succumb to this...this will be my last lesson to you as your mentor!’ The old man stabbed his staff on the ground, a rumbling thud echoed throughout the hill. The air grew tense and the winds grew stronger while water surged from where the staff was embedded.

"Come oh great serpent of bounty!

Show your mercy and wash away the enemies' sins with your surging waves!

[Great Primordial Mother, Tiamat!]"

The old man chanted with conviction, his brows knitted as he focused all his energy in summoning his Divinity. Crashing waves sounded throughout the hill, mimicking the ferocious sounds made by angry waves. Contrary to when Ouroboros was summoned where roaring thunder and a high pitched screech was heard, a melodious sound reverberated all throughout Phracea. The dragon's wail so refined and enchanting that it could be called a song in itself. 

~*~

A number of footsteps resounded in the empty halls of the church as three people made their way to get outside the church. It was evident by their pace that they were hell bent on getting out as soon as they can. “Kristov! Stand down! I order you this instant as your Templar Commander!” Miranda’s authoritative voice echoed, slowing the steady pace of the three. Kristov was a few steps ahead of them, Miranda was a few steps behind him, while Erina, now with hands to her knees as she tried to regain her breath, followed on tow. By now, they were almost outside, with the big windows overlooking the city. From where they stood, they could see what was currently happening in the city.

Kristov slowly decelerated before finally stopping. “Listen here…captain! I may not know many things, and you can discipline me later for breaking the rules and for not following orders, but I’ll be damned if I’ll just listen to an edict telling me to kill my friend! I have to know…I- I have to hear it from him first hand!” his voice was low yet every part was punctuated as he made his feelings known.

“I won’t order you to kill Reinhardt! But at least listen to reason! Look all around you! Everyone is in a state of panic! The whole city is a mess and we’re under attack! Can’t you see that huge monster out there?! That is a calamity class monster! And it came from Nifleheim basing on the miasma it is releasing! Monsters like that don’t just appear. Whoever is controlling it possesses power that most of us can’t even imagine!” This was where she stopped and let it sink in. No one from the Templar Knights had that kind of power. ‘Except one!’ And yet she didn’t have the heart to point this out.

It wasn’t a secret that Reinhardt Cromwell’s name became known in the inner circle because of the fact that he summoned the strongest recorded Mirage in the history of the church. With that kind of Mirage, there was no reason to doubt that upon corruption, it could turn to something as massive as the monster wreaking havoc in the city.

“We need your help. That stubborn old fool is refusing to budge and wouldn’t let us handle the situation. Damn ego of his! Because of his foolish pride, we have no choice but to cover up for him. I don’t know how long before he realizes that he is over stepping his bounds. And so, I’ve already dispatched the other Templar Knights to help evacuate the citizens.” The captain commander of the holy army seemed to be under the impression that the special unit dedicated to protecting the Oracle is currently having internal strife. Instead of communicating with Miranda, he refused to listen and just pushed on in attacking the rampaging dragon.

“In any case, we are still soldiers of Feria! We are still honor bound in protecting the citizens! The Ora-Lumina… she wouldn’t want us to abandon those in need.” No one would deny what Miranda stated. Everyone knew that at the very least, Lumina wanted to protect Feria…the whole Infinitia. Not only from demon attacks but from calamities. She wanted to save lives even at the cost of her own. And as her friend, it was up to Miranda to honor that.

“I’m…sorry. I know. I know Lumina wouldn’t want me to do that. But I’m the only one Reinhardt has right now. Lumina wouldn’t want me to just ignore this and watch on the bylines while Rein gets hurt.” Kristov said while gritting his teeth. From the way his facial muscles were set, Miranda knew that it would be impossible to get through to him. Heaving a long and weary sigh, Miranda closed her eyes as she didn’t want to see him run off. It took a lot of will for Miranda to do this, especially since she upheld and valued her principles. This will be the only time she will turn a blind eye and ignore this infraction of the Templar Knights Code. If it were any other time, she would do what is right and follow the rules.

The orders of the grand bishop could not be completely ignored. Especially since the circumstantial evidence point towards Reinhardt. If it weren’t the case, it would be easy for Miranda to ignore the orders and instead challenge the words of the bishop. The code of the Templar Knights aren’t just a set of rules. It also protects the Templar Knight from outside influences. Whatever crime a member commits is dealt with internally. In cases such as these, the only thing that Miranda could do was to help capture Reinhardt alive. The trial that will decide his fate will have to come after.

It was just one of those situations wherein Miranda didn’t have any form of control. The powerlessness and helplessness gnawed at her. Before Lumina died, she asked…no, desperately wished would be the proper term, for Miranda and Erina to look after Reinhardt.

“I’m sorry Lumina…but this is the only thing I can do for you right now…” her voice barely a whisper while looking up. “Father…I wish-I wish you were here to help us…” and then her anxious expression melted and was replaced by determination. Nodding to Erina who now stood beside her, Erina ran again and went the same path Kristov took.

~*~

Kristov squinted his eyes as the light burst forth from the double doors he opened to reach outside. His eyes wandered around, looking at the chaos all around, while his mind tried to process what he had to do. First, he had to look for Reinhardt as soon as possible. And if heaven permits it, he had to find him first before the others do. He was just wasn’t comfortable knowing other soldiers and Templar Knights were also after his friend. Kristov dreaded that he would have to break up a fight or worst, put down one side just to help the other. When that time came, he didn’t know whether he’ll be able to go against Reinhardt especially since he owed him a lot.

“Come on Reinhardt…where are you?” Kristov muttered as he took off running to the side, leading off to a set of stairs that circled around and connected to a bridge that  one of the towers in the church. As he neared the entrance to the tower, a disctinct sound made Kristov slow down. He knew that sound, he knew that he has heard of it before. If his memory served him right, that sound came from the Mirage owned by the general of the holy army. It was the cry of Tiamat. ‘The general has returned?’ From what he could remember, the general was supposed to have been sent to the borders where news of international disputes were happening.

At least now Kristov had room to breathe. He can focus on his search knowing that someone far stronger than him will be able to help take down that monster. He was about to go when a scream made his head snap to his right. Since Kristov was standing on a higher ground, he could clearly see below the streets. On a corner of the street nearest to where he was, a kid sat on the sides. It was quite obvious that the little girl either got left alone during the ruckus, or got lost while trying to evacuate. His muscles tensed as he tried to suppress his instincts. ‘She’ll be alright…her parents must be looking for her. Yeah…they’d find her soon.’ He tried to comfort himself and yet he barely made another step when his feet pivoted.

“Damn it! Damn it all to hell!” He yelled before running back to the edge of the bridge and jumping off of the edge. Kristov focused on the tattoo that symbolized his mirage, willing all his spiritual energy to summon his spiritual partner.

“Lord of the Jungle, Purveyor of Light

Show thine courage! Be my might!

[Winged Lion, Regulus!]”

With a deafening roar and dazzling red-orange lights, a huge snow white lion erupted in the skies. It swooped along the heavens and caught Kristov before he went splat on the waters below. “Regulus! You know what to do!” Kristov just couldn’t help himself. Even if he wanted to turn around and go back to his original plan, he couldn’t bring himself to just abandon someone in need. The Mythic answered with a proud roar before flying towards the little girl.

“Reinhardt…don’t go and die on me!”