WARNING: This chapter contains disturbing events, will trigger traumas that contain violence and abuse. Kindly skip some parts.

Chapter 7- Terror

It’s been days since Alicia left the orphanage. She received letters from time to time but the content just said how she's doing well at the Forbe estate. Elise is on her guard starting the day Alicia leaves. She doesn’t smile like innocent now. She dedicated her life to studying magic and divine power.

Divine power is like a manifestation of spiritual power coming from god. It can heal injuries and illness. Giving a person a divine power by healing can give a spiritual peacefulness. It is also a source of light and life. A person who has divine power can't die from magic. It's too powerful to control one's energy surrounding them but as they use divine power, a Saint will have to bleed if uses a strong divine power.

The blood of a saint can be an elixir. It was one of the secrets that Elise read from the book “The Lazy Lucky Princes”. It was forbidden because using this method can weaken the saint’s body and cause death.

But a dying person can be as healthy as one if they have the spiritual blood in them and that's the reason why Alicia the Saint continues to be in danger. She can heal anyone or anything in the kingdom and won't die by magic. Feels like an eternal life but actually didn’t.

Magic is the illusion of power. You need mana that come from natural resources to perform magic. Some people used magic stones that can be found by mining in this world, as they used magic or the blood is covered by the magic stones. It's still complicated for Elise because she does not have books to read about magic and magic stones. That's why the mana of a magician is limited. they can die of exhaustion. But some people have higher mana installed in their body.

Elise went back to her bed after doing chores. Sarah was adopted last summer on her eleven birthday. A kind couple took her because she looked like their daughter who died from an overdose of mana. Elise thinks of her as a replacement but Sarah is a wise child. She knows her boundaries and can save herself once she's in danger.

Beth is the only girl who refuses to be adopted. Elise knows that Beth loves this place and plans to be independent once she reaches the age. Martha on the other hand married a viscount after attending the coming of age. So Elise's curiosity got answered after that. Every lady in the empire will attend a coming of age ceremony.

--

Elise woke up by the noise outside. People are panicking and some of the orphans are screaming. Elise put her guard up and went near the door.

"Shhhhh"

Beth is crying in her bed covered with blankets. Elise wanted to check outside but she's afraid that she will be seen.

"Get all the children fifteen years of age!"

A man in a black suit shouted out loud and dragged a kid and placed them with others at the center hall. The children cried loudly as they witnessed some men trespassing in the middle of the night.

Elise sees everything at the small opened door from their room.

"Who's that man?"

Elise couldn't recognize the man running havoc. She can't clearly see him because her position was at the back of the center hall. She can only hear and have a glimpse of them.

The children are dragged from the room across the center hall. Their faces were full of terror as they continued to be dragged outside of the entrance. Cold wind spread wide from the open door, the heavy snow kept pouring and the sky appeared darker.

Elise hurriedly hid near the window and watched them outside. The children are horrified. They were shivering from the cold and their faces were full of tears.

"The precognition of the Saint will appear. The white land will be replaced by red blood as a symbol of light. A soul will have the divine power chosen by God."

A man loudly announces the riddles. The six children wearing only their pajamas can't afford to feel the cold but are forced to the horrifying reality of death.

Elise wanted to go outside to stop the man from killing orphans. The Director of the La Papillonne is not present. The guards at the gate are already dead. The children who witness the brutality keep crying and asking for help.

"P-Please don’t kill me..."

Where are the knights?! Elise thought of them. How these people just trespassed at night killing people?!

Beth loudly cries after hearing the sound of other orphans getting killed. The sound of the bones cracked and the heads rolled on the ground.  Face of terror by the orphans after getting killed remained.

The white ground is now covered by blood. There are twenty men surrounding the corpse of the children. They are wearing black uniforms and a mask just like for bandits.

A man wearing a black suit whispered a spell and one by one the corpse started to burn. The sound of burning corpses is loud just like the heartbeat of the children witnessed the brutality.

Elise froze after seeing everything. She can't breathe. The air is suffocating and the pain in her heart is excruciating.

She did not cry but once again, she was reminded.

Why she hated the book “The Lazy Lucky Princess”.

"Hell."

That night terror begins.

END OF CHAPTER 7…