There was a heavy silence in the room save for the soft weeping of Lucia. “How's he holding up?” Adrien's voice pierced the quiet, his focus fixed on the unconscious boy.

One of the two healers turned away from the boy, addressing the group. “He's been poisoned. Those arrows were laced with a nasty paralysing potion, but that's just the start of our troubles,” he explained, retrieving a bottle from his kit and taking a gulp of the blue liquid. “One of those arrows is still lodged in him, scraping against his heart. We’re stemming the bleeding and keeping him in a stable condition, but if we yank it out now, he won't make it.”

Lucia rose unsteadily from her chair, tears streaming down her cheeks as she approached her uncle. With trembling hands, she clutched his clothes, her voice choked with emotion. “Uncle, please,” she pleaded between sobs. “We have to save him.”

Adrien pulled her into a tight embrace, murmuring soothing words of reassurance. He turned to the healer “Just tell me what you need, and we'll do whatever it takes,”

“For starters, we need more mana potions, we’re running out,” the healer said with a slightly trembling voice as he shook the empty bottle he had just drunk from. “The only chance for him would be if a tier three healer were to arrive here. Otherwise, I don't see how we can guarantee that the boy will make it.”

Adrien released his niece from his embrace and turned to the attendant standing by the door. “Quickly gather mana and stamina potions,” he commanded urgently. The attendant nodded and hurried out of the room.

Next, Adrien retrieved a metal plate bearing his name and the stamp of the Amberleaf family from inside his suit jacket. He handed it to his butler, who stood by his side. “Berth, take a squad of guards and go to the church and tell the bishop that I'll owe him a favour if he helps us out. Hand him this,” he instructed.

“Consider it done,” Berth replied promptly before swiftly exiting the room, followed closely by the guards stationed in the hallway.

Adrien gently lifted his niece and carried her out of the room, despite her protests. “You need to let the healers do their work,” he urged gently yet firmly. As they stepped out, he turned to the attending healers. “If you need anything else, just let the attendants know; they will get it for you,”

….

After locking his niece in her room, he turned to the guard who stood outside the door. “She begged me to give you a new chance over the last few days Ethan,” he said firmly. “Don't let her out of the room until the bishop is here. Maids will arrive soon to attend to her.”

Ethan gave a quick bow. 'Thank you, sir!' Adrien simply replied with a quick nod before he turned around and left for his office.

Once he arrived, he walked to the bookcase on the wall and pulled a book. A section of the bookcase receded into the wall, revealing a stairway. He made his way down the dark stairway.

….

Adrien stood in the middle of a circular room, encircled by 66 figures in dark red robes, each bearing a white-threaded dagger stitched on their back. “Go to the Crow Quarter in the south and surveil the mansion on Beak Opener Street. Wait until I arrive.”

The figures melted into the shadows and disappeared as Adrien made his way to the doorway opposite the one he entered. Inside there hung a long dark red sword and a shorter bright blue one. He approached them with a solemn expression, whispering softly as he grabbed the handles, “I promised not to use you two anymore, but they left me no choice.”

….

The bishop arrived after an hour, draped in long, immaculate white robes adorned with intricate golden stitches. Resting upon his head was a mitre crafted from soft white velvet, embellished with golden threads depicting scenes from the holy book of Surya, the goddess of the sun and health.

“Adrien,” he began while walking past him at the entrance of the room, his voice resounding with religious authority, “it is not often that we extend our aid to heretics, but the circumstances demand it.” He walked over to the bed, murmuring to himself as he grasped Daniel's wrist before turning to face Adrien. “Even demons can repent, it seems,”

Adrien met the bishop's gaze squarely, his tone calm yet tinged with bitterness. “We are not so different, Bishop Gregorius. At least we're open about our deeds and our greed for money, the church does it through hiding behind the holy book and voluntary donations.”

The bishop's expression briefly flashed with anger. “Silence,” he commanded, “We can't be compared to heathens who commit grave sins for monetary gains. We live by the words of the most holy.”

Adrien's gaze remained unwavering as he listened to the bishop's response. “Yet your coffers overflow with the wealth of your followers, and let's not even begin about the purges,”

The bishop's features tightened, a flicker of frustration passing over his face. “We serve a higher purpose,” he insisted, his voice tinged with defensiveness. “Our wealth is but a means to uphold the sanctity of our faith and spread the light of our goddess. And the cleansings are necessary when demonic heathens attempt to spread their seeds amongst the herd.”

The bishop continued before Adrien could reply. “Let's focus on the task at hand.” He gestured toward the healers. “You two, keep the young lamb on his belly. And prepare the following: water, rags, and an arrowhead remover.”

As the healers moved to comply, the bishop's gaze turned back to Daniel, his expression filled with compassion. “When I begin the sacred chant, you must proceed with caution. Slowly, gently, extract the arrowhead. Do not disturb the divine rite, or I might lose control of the divine power and it will rage through the body, damaging or even possibly killing him.”

Lucia entered the room, accompanied by Ethan, just as the preparations were completed. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, her eyes red from crying. She moved with unsteady steps towards a chair and sank into it, her fingers twisting and clasping together in a desperate grip.

Her gaze locked onto Gregorius as he began his chant. His lips moved, but to her, they were silent amidst the deafening tick-tock of the wall clock. It reverberated through her being, drowning out all else, she felt like a mere observer in her own body.

Tick. Tock.

Golden light radiated from the hands of the holy man, its gentle glow diffusing slowly across Daniel's body.

Tick. Tock.

One of the healers grabbed the tool and inserted it gently into the wound.

Tick. Tock.

Sweat beads formed on the healer's face as he carefully pushed the tool deeper into Daniel’s body. “There's no way it's that deep,” she thought to herself.

Tick. Tock.

Greogorius's lips began moving faster and faster and noticeable streams of sweat began to run down his face as the golden light intensified.

Tick. Tock.

As the healer closed the clamp of the tool, his lips began to move, at first slowly, then faster and faster. His eyes widened in panic as they frantically darted between the other healer and the bishop.

Tick. Tock.

A stream of blood flowed out of the wound, in the corner of her vision she could see her uncle point towards Daniel’s body, his lips moving frantically. The bishop began to shake slightly, a frown creasing his forehead as his lips moved rapidly.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Tick. Tock.

The healer's hands trembled as he extracted the arrowhead the bleeding intensified. Lucia's head span, her vision blurring at the edges.

Tick. Tock.

The glow from the bishop's hands intensified, momentarily blinding her.

Tick.

When her vision returned she saw the holy man looking down with a sad expression, the healers shook their heads and covered Daniel’s body with a sheet.

Tock.

She collapsed from the chair onto her knees, a silent scream trapped in her throat. Her hands instinctively flew to cover her face as tears streamed down, wetting her knees.

Tick.

A soft glow began to shine underneath the sheet as Daniel’s body began to float. Time seemed to freeze as everyone stared in disbelief.

Tock.

Suddenly, a bright flash blinded everyone.

Tick.

As her vision returned she saw the bishop frowning as he stared at the floating body, his lips moving rapidly while he made signs with his hands. Then the body dropped down onto the bed.

Tock.

….

“So, are you going to tell me what that was?” Gregorius's voice carried a glint of anger as he fixed his gaze on Adrien, who sat opposite him in the office of Adrien.

Adrien chuckled with a slight smile before he replied, “Never seen an artefact holy man? maybe get out of your stuffy church and go out in the world”

“You haven’t seen half the things I have seen, merchant”, he replied before taking a sip from his tea. “Hmm, I have to say, this is wonderful tea.” After finishing another sip, Gregorius's expression shifted to a more sinister tone. “His heart stopped. Even most artefacts from the paladin orders can’t bring someone back when their heart stops.”

“Just because they’re rare doesn't mean there are none.”

“My divine energy couldn't save him, me, one of the 25 bishops of the church in the kingdom. And you’re saying an artefact that the boy has can? He's lucky that I didn't sense any demonic energy from the strange energy that it emitted. If a priest or anyone else below the third tier in the church had been here, they wouldn't have been able to tell it wasn't demonic energy, and they would have had his head on a spike and his body laid out in the sun as an offering to the most holy, together with everyone else in this building.” the bishop spoke with a serious expression.

Adrien rumbled as memories of the reports he had read about the purges conducted by the churches flooded his mind. Not even babies were spared; they eradicated anything that even came near the cultists. He spoke up with gritted teeth, “The boy is attending the Astral Academy. Do you think that old monster would allow a cultist to attend his academy? There's a bigger chance of him overthrowing the kingdom than him allowing one cultist to ruin his academy.”

The eyes of the holy man widened at the words of the man before him, and after a moment, he shook his head. With a slight smile on his face, he replied, “I wasn’t informed he was attending the academy of that monster.” He took another sip and sat in silence for a while.

“I want to call in that favour you owe me immediately.” The pope then grabbed a stack of papers from inside his robes. “Here’s information about an organization we suspect of aiding cultists. After the recent cultist attack on Emberkeep, our forces have been reassigned to reinforce security in the region. While our defences are sufficient, we currently face a shortage of personnel to conduct thorough investigations. If you find proof, report it to the church or eradicate them with the blessing of the goddess and receive a worthwhile reward.”

He accepted the papers and began skimming through them, as he continued to read his left eyebrow raised and began to chuckle. He looked the bishop in the eyes and spoke up “Consider them gone at the end of the night”

….

He stood alone in the wide alleyway as the sun sank below the horizon. “According to the church report, there should be two third-tier combatants remaining, a knight and a mage,” he murmured.

As he spoke, a swarm of shadows materialized within the alley. “Fifth and sixth squad, encircle the mansion perimeter. Ensure no one escapes,” he commanded. The rest await my arrival at the gate. Search and destroy at my signal. The mage must be killed first. Keep the leader and the knight alive if it's feasible. Cut off his limbs if you must.”

With a flick of his fingers, the shadows surged forth from the alleyway.

Alone in the alley, he watched the sun dip low, murmuring to himself, “Sorry, sweetheart, have to break my promise again.”

With a sigh, he stepped forward towards the mansion.

….

His colleague nudged him in the side with his elbow. “Ay, Jack, do you see that lad approaching?”

Jack sighed. He'd been on guard duty with Finid for the past few weeks, and frankly, the man was starting to annoy him. “Yeah, if he comes too close, we'll just tell him to sod off.”

He watched as the man got closer, his eyebrow raised as he noticed the numerous bags under his eyes, the man looked like a walking zombie.

“Excuse me, gentlemen, I'm looking for one-armed Jacque, my acquaintance told me I might be able to find him here,” the man asked while holding his hands behind his back.

“Aye, get lost. You'll only find us here” Finid snapped. Jack felt an unfamiliar unease creeping in as he noticed a glint of amusement in the man's eyes.

Blinded by a sudden flash, he blinked to clear his vision. Confusion swept over him as he noticed the sword in the man's hand. “When did he get a sword?” he wondered aloud. His surroundings spun as he staggered, the ground rushing up to meet him. “Did I trip?” His head thudded against the ground, and he glimpsed Finid’s head beside him “Finid!” his vision rolled around and he noticed a pair of feet. “Wait, are those mine?” As his vision slowly darkened he could hear the man speak. “Seems your mother failed to teach you manners in time.”

Adrien sighed as he glanced at the bodies. “You know, I would have spared you if you had any manners.” With a swift motion, he slashed his sword forward, cleaving the gate in half. Shadows began to stir and moved into the compound, and moments later, distant screams echoed through the air, joined by the ringing of an alarm bell.

He moved towards the main entrance, the pathway lined with the corpses of guards dressed in leather armour each of them had their neck slit and their heart pierced, their faces etched with the terror of their final moments. The scent of blood lingered in the air making him recall unwelcome memories. He stood still before the entrance he could sense a large amount of mana being gathered in the garden on the left side of the building.

“Tsk I told them to target the mage first” Before he finished his sentence he dashed forward to the location of the mana.

….

As he drew closer, his eyes caught sight of a short but stout mage wearing green robes, leaning against the wall, exhausted. A sturdy staff was clutched in his grasp, its length extending beyond his height. He was encircled by a team of shadowguards, while above him, numerous orbs of fire floated, ready to be flung at anyone who dared to approach.

“Let me go! I'll pay you guys if you let me go!”

The squad split in the middle as Adrien stepped forward. “Sadly, we don't want gold. Your boss touched the one person close to me he shouldn't have.”

“Then die!” As he finished his words, the mage unleashed the fireballs towards the group.

Adrien slashed his sword, cleaving the fireballs in half. The mage was frozen in shock, a look of fear appeared on his face as blood slowly started pouring from his body in a vertical line. His body split in half and dropped to the ground.

“I thought I told you to deal with the mage first! I'll send you to the dark forest in the south for training.” Adrien's words made the shadows kneel and start to shake slightly.

….

He sat on the couch in the main living room of the mansion as his subordinates dragged in one-armed Jacque and the knight. Jacque’s arms were tied behind his back, while the knight, missing his arms from below his shoulders, had his feet bound together.

“Speak, who gave you the request to harm my niece Lucia Amberleaf?”

Jacque began trembling as Adrien's eyes seemingly began to poke holes into his soul. “I-I-I don’t know they were hiding their identity. They offered an upfront payment of ten thousand gold and a Fire Lotus!”

Adrien's gaze sharpened, his mind lost in deep contemplation. Not many could offer a herb as rare as that for such a task. Not only would the herb strengthen the body and mana pathway, but it also gave greater fire resistance. And whispers among mages hinted at its ability to help with understanding fire spells.

“Gather everything of note, files, gold, anything and everything. When you’re done, torch the place. Deliver the storage ring of the mage, knight and Jacque to my office”

“Master, we found slaves in the basement. What do you want us to do with them?” a kneeling shadow spoke up.

Adrien’s face hardened, and he drew his sword. With a swift slash, Jacque’s left arm fell to the ground. The man screamed out, “This is what you get for illegal slavery, no-handed Jacque.”

“Deliver them together with these two to the church of Surya. Tell them that Gergorius's request has been fulfilled.” He left the mansion and headed toward the company.