Soon after the party escaped from the Acolyte, they followed traces of combat Aten left to find the exit. Still, they proceeded with caution, sneaking past patrols of Tower monsters.

“Will he be alright?” Yixy asked.

“We have no choice but to leave it to Sir Aten’s hands.” Priqet answered. “The enemy is a monster in its own right and I believe Sir Aten is the only most capable person I know to hold it back.”

The insectoids created a perimeter around Lily as they made their escape from the enemy. Meanwhile, Lily carefully moved Kihet to the best of her ability, walking up a steep slope to the way out of the dungeon.

She looked at the crest located on the back of her hand and wondered if it was for decoration. You would think as a Hero, she would’ve gained an ability like the Oracle’s fire. In reality, nothing changed except for her status as one of few to accompany Kihet on his journey. She knew Kihet was supposed to recruit more Heroes and guide them to win against the Acolytes. It pained her to think she couldn’t do more than she wanted against the Headsman.

Loud explosion echoed behind and introduced a rush of wind pushing on their backs. Lily’s eyes caught some dust as she stopped in the middle of the climb to rub them.

“Tomoe, are you okay?”

“Not know.” Tomoe, Lily, still not fluent in Vivirian, but her sentences had enough context for them to understand.

“Don’t worry. The Queen is sure to give the Oracle the highest medical treatment. They’ll put his arm back on. Just a bit further and we’re out.”

“En.”

They climbed and climbed and eventually, spotted light. It wasn’t sunlight, but from a group of scouts shining their torches. They carried the badge of the Queen, much like badges Priqet and Yixy showed before.

“They’re over here! Quickly, bring them to the surface and have them treated!”

Medics brought a stretcher for Kihet while the others ran beside as they moved up. Outside, there was a barricade set in front of the cavern. While Lily did not sustain any heavy injuries, Priqet and Yixy were escorted to check for damages on their exoskeletons.

All alone, she ran up to one of the healers, asking if she could help Kihet in any way.

“You’ve done enough. For now, you deserve some rest.”

There was a crown on the head of the person snaking towards her. It was the ruler of Vivrus. If it wasn’t for hundreds of legs on the sides of her long body, Lily might’ve mistaken the figure for a Scalemen.

“Queen Elarinya? Why are you…”

“I mobilized soldiers after Aten notified me. Based off the information I gathered, I assumed the Oracle had guaranteed success to conquer the dungeon, but it seems I was wrong. What have you found?”

“An Acolyte is there.”

“Acolyte?”

“En. It was stronger than any Shadows Kihet and I faced. Kihet’s powers were useless against it. The enemy could heal itself. I think it’s immortal. Aten’s still fighting down there and after covering me, Kihet, he-!”

“I will not offer you sympathy.” Elarinya declared. “If it is strength you seek, you must work for it. Others can influence you, but everything is ultimately your decision to make changes for yourself.”

After Queen Elarinya said that, a terrible tremor rocked the earth. Seconds later, a hill bulged out of the ground with lightning piercing through the cracks. The surface above the cavern exploded with a pillar of light bursting from below.

Lily saw a black dot surrounded by a ring of black mist in the sky. The dot expanded into a web in every direction, pulling scattered pieces together to remake Aten. She looked at the center of the crater and spotted the Headsman heave its guillotine axe over its shoulders, facing towards the army.

“Queen Elarinya, it’s that!” Lily pointed to the Headsman at the bottom of the crater.

“Soldiers, to arms! In my name, we must drive this foul creature back where it came from!”

“No, wait! You won’t be able to do anything against it!”

“Is that something a hero would say?” She immediately questioned Lily. “Again, I will not offer you sympathy, but I will offer support so long as you are an ally and willing to lend us aid. As the leader of this country, I have an obligation to protect Vivrus from threats like these.”

“But-!”

“You may be a Hero in name however, Vivrus has yet recognized you as one. You have completed the investigation I have asked and are free to do as you please. Now if you’ll excuse me, there are damages I must contain.”

She tossed Lily a bag of coins into her hands and a despicable glare as she slithered to battle. It was cold, filled with disappointment, pity, and disgust. That expression reminded Lily of the people who gave her the same look long time ago when she and Martha were on the run from village to village.

Ever since Kihet rescued her when Lily was little, she worked hard as the Priestess back in Xu to avoid seeing those faces. After seeing that look for the first time in a decade, she felt distraught. She lost all courage to lift her head. Her shoulders slumped as she couldn’t do anything but watch the curtains where operations to reattach Kihet’s arm took place.

-Kihet, what should I do? I don’t know how to help them.-

She then heard murmuring.

“She’s crying. Shouldn’t we give her some space?”

“Aren’t we? By the by, that’s a lot of blood the Oracle lost.”

“Be a little more sensitive, could you? What if she hears you?”

“Well, why don’t you be a bit more considerate to me? Your wings couldn’t stop twitching. We only came here because you wanted to know if she’s okay.”

“Are you trying to argue with me at a time like this?”

“Hey, I lost two arms.”

“They just attached new ones on you.”

“The treatment made me cranky.”

The voices belonged to Yixy and Priqet. They hid behind a tent, but Lily spotted their antennas. When she pulled the curtain off, they froze up like she had caught them in an act. Lily greeted them while rubbing her eyes, trying to hide the tears.

“I…, fine. How you?”

“We got treatment. My new wings aren’t as pretty as I’d like them to be, but I’m okay.”

“As for me, it’s going to take a few days to get use to my arms. I swear, can’t they choose something closer to what I had? Anyways, you’re having a bad time. Are you really alright?”

“Hey, Priqet!” Yixy whispered. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Hey now, she’s obviously sad. There are times you can hide it, but it isn’t healthy for the mind. Sometimes you have to vent a little, let it out. Talking about it is another issue, but we already know she’s sad.”

“He right.” Lily nodded. “I, not know.”

“Guess we should tell her?” Priqet turned to Yixy.

“It might make the Queen mad at us, but here goes.” Yixy sighed. “Tomoe, since you and the Oracle introduced yourselves to the Queen, she never doubted the Oracle. She doubted you.”

“Me?”

“That’s right. The fact the Oracle was able to help Xu was enough proof. We received orders to keep an eye on you, specifically. You, as a Hero, are supposed to have the power to fight the Towers. I have to say, you’re crazy good with your bow, probably the best in Vivrus, but-.”

“We’d like to offer an apology,” Priqet bowed. “We reported everything to the Queen a moment ago. Despite our best to convince her you were more than capable… you did not meet the Queen’s requirements.”

-I know. She was disappointed.-

She couldn’t look them in the face and wrap her arms tighter around the bag of coins. She was utterly speechless.

“Now that the job’s finished, this is where we part. I bid farewell to yourself and the Oracle.”

The insectoids turned their back, heaving their weapons over their shoulders as they marched towards the battlefield.

“You, fight?”

“Queen’s our employer after all. We gotta keep our jobs. On a serious note, if we don’t fight then who will? That monster will cause more damages if we let it rampage. Even before her majesty became the Queen, we took on the role to be her extended eyes and arms, we swore featly to the Queen and everything she stood for… before she was the Queen anyways…”

“Didn’t you do something similar when you became a hero? Like, for a reason?” Yixy asked.

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“I…-.”

“Yixy, they’re calling for us.”

“Sorry, gotta go. Wish us luck, Tomoe!”

The two of them were called onto the frontlines before Lily thought of a reply.

-A reason. Why did I become a Hero if I can’t even stop a Shadow myself without Kihet’s help? No one else had access to the Oracle’s powers other than Kihet. The Shadows have a layer of protection against everything but the fire he summoned. If he’s the only one in the world with the power to fight them, isn’t that unfair to Kihet?-

More stretchers moved in front. There was one soldier whose lower half was blown off, still breathing but not for long. When the healers stopped tending the patient for a moment and turned back, the injured insectoid passed away.

This must be what Kihet felt when everyone was looking for the Oracle. She asked herself if she was chosen out of desperation to save him when she found him hiding from the rest of the world.

“Ouch!”

Lily tucked her arm in when something hot pinched her hand. It came from the hero’s crest, and it was burning in silver flames that gave it a glow. Then she noticed a dim light in front of her.

Floating before her were a trio of white orbs. She had seen them previously when hunting Mantises and during the initial confrontation against the Headsman. Curious, she gave it a poke only to find the tip of her finger sticking out of the other orb.

“So, this is what caused my arrows to move so strangely.”

“You only figured that out?”

A girl in white suddenly appeared before her. Her figure popped in and out of existence, struggling to keep its form. Moment’s later, white shards shed off its body, revealing a duplicate of Lily.

“Whew, to think I could use a heroes’ crest as a medium to see the material world. Lily, right? Please to meet you, I am-.”

“A doppelgänger!”

“Why are you and the Oracle like this?!”

“Huh?” Lily’s ear twitched and slowly lowered her weapon. Confused, she furrowed her eyebrows and stared suspiciously at the ghost. “You know Kihet? Who are you? Why did you copy my appearance?”

“My, so many questions. I guess this role will have me repeat my introduction many times.” The ghost muttered. “I am Elenora. I’ve spoken to the Oracle in his dreams, and he has informed me of you.”

“Why turn into me?”

“To calm his trauma, I borrowed your form to talk to him.”

“Borrowed.” Lily narrowed her eyes and shot a doubtful look.

“Yup!” Elenora played with her hair, smiling. “I must say, I’m quite fond of your hair. It’s smooth and silky. You also have nice skin.”

“Don’t tell me you were seducing him using my looks?!”

“Unfortunately for you, I have someone else I like.” She made an X with her arms.

“What are you?”

“What is kind of rude. You can say I’m like a mentor, or a guide for the Oracle. All in all, I am- was the Saint chosen by the Creator to unite a band of heroes in my past life.”

Hearing this, Lily’s ears perked up. “Those heroes… are they the Acolytes Kihet and I have to defeat?”

“You’re very attentive. I feel ashamed to admit, but they are.”

“Then there’s one out there right now! Tell me its weakness!” Lily demanded. “No matter how much damage we do, it doesn’t react to it! Are all Acolytes immortal?”

“I cannot say I know any of their weaknesses. They kept those to themselves.” Elenora said grimly. “I think you drew the short end of the stick. ••••• has the curse of the mist. No matter how much you split and tear, ••••• will come back from the brink of death. Geez, after I warned the Oracle so many times to not take the request.”

“What request?”

“The one to explore the dungeon.”

“And Kihet still took it?”

“He wanted to help your country no matter what. You must have done something for him to care this much about you.”

“We could’ve found another way. Why didn’t he say anything?”

“That’s because he still doesn’t believe me. I only started speaking to him since one of the Altars were purified.”

“The one in Xu…” Lily muttered. “Can’t you do something? Anything?”

“As I already said, I cannot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. You’re a hero.”

That was when Lily grasped the Heroes’ crest on her hand tightly.

“But I can’t. I don’t have the same powers as Kihet does. I can’t make other people’s weapon do anything against the Shadows.”

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t drive back the Shadows yourself. To give people strength and hope is the Oracle’s duty. The heroes are to defeat greater threats the Oracle cannot contain.”

“But that thing-.”

“Is not invincible. You just need to hone your skills and strengthen the power. The current you should be enough to give it a fright.”

“Me? An archer against a that?”

“I can sense your fear, but you’re the only one who can fight. You can’t rely on the Oracle forever. There might be a time where you two are forced to separate.”

Now holding her bow, Lily set her eyes towards the battlefield where she felt the tremors and explosive impacts.

“Those insectoids out there could use your help.” Elenora said as one last attempt. “Your answer?”

“I’m scared, but I’ll do it.”

Lily checked the rigidity of her bow and sprinted through the camp. She snatched some arrows from the supply depot, preparing to jump into the fray against the Headsman. When she heaved the quiver onto her back, she noticed a third orb absorbed the arrows and perched itself onto her shoulder where she could draw her them. The other two white orbs floated around her.

She had no idea how to use her newfound powers, but nonetheless, she had no time to waste. The Headsman continued its rampage and must be stopped.

That’s what Elenora assumed Lily thought as she watched Lily race towards the frontlines.

“I hope that was enough. She’s a good girl. Maybe I was wrong about her.” A voice popped into Elenora’s head and she frowned a bit. “Hm? I know. Not as good as her? Can’t you stop complaining for a second? You know, you’re making me jealous. She’s not even in this world. I’m working on it. How about your side of things?”

----------------------------------------

Once Lily found a cliff she could snipe from, she took a knee and drew her bow. She observed bowmen laying cover fire for the soldiers. She watched Aten exchanging swift strikes only to be swatted down again and again, crushed, and diced up by the guillotine, but brought back to life by his curse.

The Headsman flipped its guillotine blade like a switchblade, cutting down the most durable shields from the army. When it thrust its palm forward, branches of lightning shredded groups of archers and mages.

It was a slaughter, but Lily wasn’t a vanguard. Her role as an Archer was to kill her foe with one arrow or provide supressing fire.

Until the time was right, the arrow fletched with an Ikaga’s feather moved back at a rate slower than snail’s pace. The white orbs snuck down into the crater to position themselves. Apparently, they moved by Lily telepathically ordering them to.

She needed this shot to get as powerful as she could get. The arcs of the bow creaked like they were on the verge of snapping, but she kept pulling being mindful to not past the bow’s breaking point. A bit of wind blew from her left. Target clear in sight. The battlefield was then crowded. After that, too many projectiles flew at it, forcing the Headsman to slam its weapon into the floor, terraforming the ground into a maze of debris and forced her to relocate.

So, she waited.

When the Headsman’s back was exposed to one of the orbs, Lily loosened a projectile. The arrow moved through one orb, shooting out from the other and struck the Headsman’s back. It created an opening for swift warriors to land hits on it.

The Headsman threw a bolt of lightning behind only to notice there were no enemies. However, Aten noticed it was Lily’s handiwork.

He exchanged nods to her then prowled on all six. As soon as his wings slightly twitched, he kicked up a cloud of dust then vanished. Aten reappeared in front of the enemy, forcing it shift its attention towards him and was held down. Aten turned his head to Lily’s direction which was the signal for release.

Lily jerked her bow forward, giving her second arrow an extra push. Her arrow penetrated through the Headsman’s left shoulder and the arrow’s tip pierced into its wrist. There was a loud sound of metal rending as the Headsman’s weapon fell out of its hands.

The result boosted the insectoids’ morale. Unfortunately, her ambush made her the center of attention. The Headsman peeled Aten off and reeled a rock for a toss. Lily rolled off the ledge seconds before it was launched only to witness a large crater instantly carved into the cliff.

Suddenly, it was in the air heading towards her. She saw it make a fist while she was falling deeper into the crater with no stable footing she could use to jump away.

“Furl, Ulos, Ruo, Val, Nalus, Cirl, Ashent!”

The Headsman fist swung short as a powerful vacuum created by wind magic dragged it an inch back.

“We knew you’d join the fight!”

A Grasshopper leapt beside the Shadow, kicking it away. He helped Lily up the crater where Queen Elarinya suddenly emerged and gave her a helping hand.

“Good work, Hero. It seems I must retract about my statement of you being spineless.”

Elarinya shot Lily a small smile and aimed her sword at the center of the crater. A mass of black dots flew into the sky, rose to its peak and showered the Headsman. The first barrage of arrows kicked up a cloud of dust as a second wave rained on it for good measure.

The curtain of dust dispersed and revealed the Headsman withstanding hundreds of arrows stuck at its frontside. It even survived projectiles from numerous ballista and catapults constructed from nearby trees. There was a twitch, then it slowly bent forward as the veil of miasma corroded every foreign object on it. The corrosion rate was slow which gave allies the chance to regroup.

“What a monster. It really is invincible against weapons without the Oracle’s power.” Priqet commented.

“Worry not. Even if we do not have the Oracle’s power, our main objective is to drive it back.” Queen Elarinya replied. “Send a message to Lancers and prepare to close in. We must press our advantage. Any mages available, ready your magic for support!”

-Could this be a stalemate? Vrurus has enough numbers to stop it, but not enough to drive it back. Wait a second. A ballista should have more power than my shot. How did my arrow get past the miasma?-

As Lily intended to draw out multiple arrows out of the orb perched on her shoulder, she noticed she drew something unusual. It was larger than ordinary, almost like a war dart as a bolt of light from the tip enveloped the shaft and fletching. An arrow of pure light was drawn instead of a fiery arrow like she imagined when Kihet would enchant her projectiles.

-It’s not like Kihet’s flames. Could this be…?-

“Queen Elarinya, I need an opening!”

Lily realized the more enchanted arrows she intended to draw from the orb at once, the more powerful her projectiles would become. She stuffed her hand into the orb and prepared to draw the weight of all the arrows stashed away.

“Granted! Do what you must, Hero. We will create an opportunity for you.” A large smile appeared on the Queen’s face and soon sprung her long body into the air, diving headfirst at the Headsman along with others. “Lancers, attack in waves, do not let it recover! Rangers, as soon as Lancers have cleared out, pin it down! Don’t let it move an inch from that spot! We must create an opening for the hero!”

Her presence gave her soldiers quite the scare. She led the charge at the Headsman. The sound of a horn echoed. Following Elarinya’s lead was a swarm of quick flying Vivirians. They took the skies and swooped down at the Headsman. Her Lancers clashed against its blade first, bringing numerous violent rebound of metal echoing through the air. The aftershock staggered it briefly then it gathered enough strength to deflect everything else.

The Headsman reassumed a defensive posture as Elarinya’s sword and sharp legs stretched out like a sawblade slithering past it and showering sparks as they collide with its weapon. After she passed the Headsman and withdrew safely, archers and siege equipment took aim on top of the cliffs, releasing a third barrage of projectiles.

Of course, it’s oversized weapon covered its entire body, tanking the wave. It felt overconfident, dropping its guard for a second. Suddenly, it spotted a bright flash of light as Lily aimed an energy arrow at it.

The Headsman immediately transformed its weapon and prepared to intercept the attack with magic. It stopped, confused when Lily prematurely shot her ultimate attack into the air and charged at it with several other insectoids joining her.

Were they fools or were they desperate? The Headsman was aware they wouldn’t be able to win against it in a head on fight.

After it braced itself, it saw the spear of light above it. Just as it was about to jump out of the way, Aten plunged three javelins at its back then backed off. Other insectoids rushed at it and began dog piling to hold it down.

Then the spear of light crashed down onto them, and the insectoids were thrown back.

“YaaaaAAAAHHHHHH!”

That was not the end, but it was checkmate for the Headsman after enduring endless waves of attack. It staggered onto its feet, its strength fading as it powerlessly watched as Lily drove the length of her still enchanted blade into its chest. The light quickly opened a hole and worked their cleansing magic against the shadow on it.

“Urk…”

Underneath the cloak of miasma was person with short ears, human like. The face was unclear as dust and mist mixed and covered most of its facial features.

“Not, me… But, tower… destroy Sanctums, help Master… Erk!”

The miasma quickly ate away the ring of light exposing its appearance and repossessed it. The Headsman shoved Lily away, held onto its injuries and sank into its shadow, quickly vanishing. Its guillotine axe that was left behind dematerialized and vanished into blackened ashes.

The battle was won, but questions were formed.

What are Sanctums? Who was its master?