Despite the warm dusk light falling onto Iris, only chills coursed beneath her skin. The Cathedral of Deliverance cast its shadow upon her, blocking, towering, suffocating her minuscule presence. She glanced around but found no visitors nor priests. Only the desolate world remained by her side, not as a friend but as an ever-watching judge. If she ever decided to flee, she was sure an invisible end would befall her.

To survive, she must stride forward, meet the Goddesses of Seven Virtues, and show her determination to the Saintess.

Steeling her heart, Iris walked toward the holy entrance. The carriage behind her gradually rolled out of her perception and vanished, taking with it the grinding noises of the wheels. She paid no attention to the broken silence and stepped through the enormous double gates.

The vast, solemn hall, filled with the air of holiness, welcomed her. The chandeliers, hanging from the elevated ceiling, greeted her with their gentle, cranky sways. Against this ceremonious reception, Iris kept her head lowered and her legs moving onward. Her sight passed the rows of pews, landing at the end of the hall.

In front of the statue of the goddess, a maiden in a pale dress knelt on the rosy carpet. Her hands formed a prayer gesture near her chest. Her head hung low, and her eyes closed shut, seeing not with her sight but with her mind. She was aware of everything within the cathedral, but she gave them no importance.

Her goddess was her everything.

Engulfed by a sense of solemnity, Iris maintained her silence as she walked past the unoccupied pews. She chose a seat near the statue yet not too close to the kneeling maiden, not to disturb her prayer. While waiting, Iris closed her eyes and leaned her head on her shoulder, controlling her shivering Faith.

Soft, gentle whispers emerged from the tranquil atmosphere and hovered around her. They massaged her mind, relaxed her heart, and stirred her belief. She slowly raised her head. A ray of holy light shone upon her. If accepted, she would be allowed to walk on the path of light.

Unfortunately, I am a being of darkness. Iris sighed. My tainted soul will only scatter in the presence of light.

When Iris opened her eyes, the kneeling maiden also moved. She rose from her feet; the rim of her dress waved with her movement. Its fine fabric shimmered under the yellow candlelight, revealing her delicate appearance. She turned to Iris and, with a step, traversed through all things. She manifested beside Iris, sitting.

“You have finally returned, Iris,” the maiden said. “What guidance do you seek?”

“You forced me.” Iris’s heart shook, but the pain in her soul was much greater than the pain in her body. “Under such a crude method, only hatred and indignance will foster.”

“Your heart compelled you.” The maiden raised her right hand. An orb of light manifested in her palm. “I’ve given you a chance to feel the divine grace, one which I’ve felt at the darkest moment of my life.”

“I didn’t ask for the miracle you spoke of.”

“What I present to you is a chance, a choice. If you care not, you may leave. Only those who wish for salvation may attain it.”

Iris resisted blurting out her decision. Her eyes locked on the Saintess, scanning that gentle, resolute expression. In front of her was a fanatic, a Saintess. If she violently rejected her chance, she would not walk out of the cathedral alive.

“Even with all the chances, my calling may never reveal itself.”

The Saintess smiled. “So long as you keep on trying, her divine benevolence will surely reach you.”

“No matter what happens, I won’t give up.”

“I pray for your success, my Dear.”

The Saintess looked up to the statue of the goddess, bowed, and vanished. Only a hint of her earthly fragrance lingered in the cathedral. Its quality soothed the anxious, calmed the nervous, and healed the injured.

Comfort visited Iris. She clasped her hands and tilted her head groundward. Though she didn’t pray to the Goddess of Seven Virtues, she prayed to herself, to the goddess she aimed to be. As her heartfelt murmurs intensified, her heart sank into a trance.

Her Faith flickered, exuding an endless warmth, fusing with her delicate soul. It danced with her Corruption Power, morphing both into something of otherworldly quality. Under the purification, her mind didn’t fade but it also slowly changed.

Unlike the first time, Iris was now familiar with her newfound power. She trod the fragile balance with her mind, immersing in the two extremities with her heart. Her silhouette shimmered from angelic to demonic before distorting into one strange wholeness.

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She was Corrupted but also Pure, mortal but also divine, a peculiar state of existence.

“Pallorn . . . I call for you.”

. . .

Pallorn knocked on the door thrice, waited for a second, and barged inside. Sitting on her bed, reading an encyclopedia, Iris slowly turned to Pallorn and furrowed her brows.

“It’s still evening,” Iris said. “Please don’t ruin my schedule.”

Pallorn merely smiled and closed the door and locked it. Her eyes gleamed with a flicker of light that Iris did not, could not, miss. Still, Iris didn’t resist, for her heart had gone numb, her mind complacent.

It pained her to admit that she had accepted her need, though her reluctance mercifully endured.

As she got up from her bed, she closed her book and swiped her hand. The dark curtains shifted their positions, covering the bright window, sheathing the bedroom with dim, anticipating shades. Around the room, scented candles lit up, providing suggestive glitters as well as tempting fragrances.

“How romantic.” Pallorn chuckled. “You rarely take the initiative, but when you do, it’s always special.”

“You’ve changed me, all of you.” Iris closed her eyes. “It is . . . difficult to remain lucid in the world where thrills are a norm. I’ve endured too much and enjoyed too little. Maybe it’s time to let loose, or I might break.”

“When you became one of us, you were already broken.”

“No. I’ve always been broken.” Iris opened her pitiful embrace. “Will you make me feel whole again?”

Pallorn clenched her fists. Her wings wavered, and their black feathers swamped the room. “You’re too smart. Can you not at least pretend to play along? We could have had fun, much, much fun. Am I not enough?”

“We can drown ourselves in pleasure, but we know, within our hearts, we are mere princesses trapped in an ivory tower.”

“Indeed. I, too, feel shy when they peep at us. But the shame is sometimes stimulating.”

“I can give you something better, something special.” Iris lay on the bed, her right hand on her forehead, her left hand on her abdomen. Her misty breaths clouded her expression. “Confide your secrets with me, and I shall grant you my taste.”

“Gladly, my Goddess.” Pallorn reached forward. Her arms wrapped around Iris. “Please forgive my avarice.”

“So long as you keep your promise.” Iris rose. Her mouth caressed Pallorn’s. Their moist lips merged, exchanging heat, chill, and emotions.

Under the hazy curtains, they exposed their naked carnality and descended mindlessly into the lustful depth. Their bodies, vessels for their ruptured craving, became one, looking out for their partner, experiencing both innocence and decadence. Their breaths synced with their moans, filling, draining, straining each other until they reached their limits and collapsed under their bliss.

An eternity passed; the two separated, but within them contained a bond inseparable.

A Fallen Angel for a Fallen Goddess.

When Pallorn regained her vitality, she got up from the bed. “Your main body called for me. This time, she said only one word: Beware.”

Panting, Iris grabbed a blanket and covered her pinkish body. “Is her tone of urgency or monotony?”

“She expressed not one hint of alarm, but she is a master of trickery.”

“She is here, listening.” Iris glared at Pallorn but was too tired to do anything else. “It is bad, quite bad.”

“How so, my Goddess?” Pallorn leaned to Iris and covered her with the soft, black wings. “Her message is too cryptic for even me. It means too little, its implication endless.”

“It’s designed to mean little, to give out merely the barest, to be solvable only by me and me alone.”

“But why . . .” Pallorn frowned. “Such an implication, it’s too terrible.”

“I am hers, and such basis is a perfect foundation for our assumption.” Iris raised her right hand. Her fingernails glowed in neon lights, leaving traces in the air as she moved them around. “Main Body would never send a trivial message. Nonetheless, she still sent a mere one-word message. If we require more context, she would have sent more, and if her power were inadequate, she wouldn’t have forcefully sent it.”

“Unless she is forced to.”

“Then there will be a clue.”

“But we have no way of knowing.”

“Because there is no way of knowing, it can’t be true.” Iris smiled. “If she left a clue, she would make sure I find it. We are of one soul. She would do anything to forward our plan, and I would do so the same.”

“Your confidence is too close to conceit, my Goddess. If, in the worst case, your main body got compromised—”

“You can sense her with your belief, while I can sense her with our connected soul.” Iris’s eyes dimmed. “And in the case of external circumstance, she would never allow herself to bring down all of us.”

If forced, I would end myself before I could ruin our goal. Losing half our soul is better than losing all of you.

Pallorn gently hugged Iris. “Iris, please don’t force yourself too much. Sometimes, that quality of yours can be a nuisance to your happiness.”

“This stubbornness is what led me to you, Pallorn. Without it, there is no me. Without it, there is no us.” Iris shook her head. “My main body spoke only one word, to allow only me to decipher the answer. There exists a possibility that someone, something could observe our way of communication.”

“A transcendent . . . is watching?”

Iris nodded. “Not just any transcendent, but one far-reaching enough to have the mean to influence us from across the continents.”

“Which . . . Deity did we offend?”

My guess is all of them. I am a Foreign Existence, one that should be sealed in the abyss like Gulia, or scattered across the world like Lilith. I am their bane, their eternal nemesis. Iris sighed. “I have no idea.”

“How do we proceed from this?”

“We shall not inform anyone, for we would only increase their worry. Our lives will continue the same so long as we stay under the protection of the Broken Empire.” Iris kissed Pallorn’s cheek. “She wouldn’t abandon us. I wouldn’t abandon you.”

“That was . . . unnecessary.” Pallorn turned her face away. Her snowy skin reddened. “Since when have I lost my faith in you, my Goddess?”

“Do you not want the kiss?” Iris smirked and got up. “Release the concealment. We’ve been inside for quite some time. Others will get suspicious.”

“More like jealous.” Pallorn giggled. “I’m your favourite, Iris.”

Iris laughed. I’m sorry Pallorn. The other reason for the cryptic message . . . is to keep you in the dark. There is another Deity who could surveillance us, one that could threaten us despite the vast protection of the Broken Empire.

Main Body, what did you discover? Why did you tell me to beware of Lady Lilith?

As the black feathers dissolved into the shadow, Iris grabbed the door’s handle and opened it. There was a Monster Girl in a sleek butler uniform waiting for her.

“Lady Iris, Her Highness the Second Princess invites you to the upcoming meeting.” The Monster Girl bowed deeply.