“Positive,” Iris nodded slowly. “I hate to admit it, but while I waited for Saya and the others to return from the forest, I would regularly visit Ilo’s manor for updates. I became rather familiar with the feel of the demon’s mana during that time.”

“That is quite suspicious,” Honey frowned. “It also reminds me. When we visited, the only demon there was Noire.”

“I recall Xenia saying the same thing,” Saya copied Honey’s frown. “What could have happened to them? I believe Noire said something about them getting moved.”

“Well,” Iris sighed. “I’m not sure what else Xenia discovered or told you, but the research was done with the church’s blessing,” she explained, the other’s eyes widening as they looked to each other, Honey alone grimacing at the memory of the lab. “I think you’re all seeing what I’m getting at. By the time you all arrived, Ilo had already sent off his most recent…,” she gulped, “group of test subjects. A group of demons he had successfully bounded,” she whimpered, curling into herself.

“Iris,” Saya’s voice sank.

“I didn’t do anything to stop them,” Iris cried. “I could’ve helped them. I could’ve freed them. But I… I…” she wept.

“There, there,” Honey held Iris, Saya and Lillia moving to contribute their own support. “You made some terrible mistakes, but we’ve been given the chance to fix them,” Honey pet her soft locks.

“Y-yeah,” Iris nodded.

“We should look into where they were sent then,” Nerivi crossed her arms as her face eased into contemplation. “Do you two have any ideas where to start on that?”

“Not really,” Saya looked off to the side with regret. “The presence was rather diffused. It was as if it were a rolling mist that crept in around us. It could have come from anywhere. Although, something tells me it may be coming from the cathedral.”

“It’s hard to be certain though,” Iris agreed. “It seems to be all over town too,” she frowned. “We noticed it come and go throughout the day, which makes it difficult to know where it came from.”

“What about you Honey?” Nerivi turned to the buna.

“I didn’t feel it in the library, and if it was there while we were in the streets, it was too diffused for me to notice.”

“Then we’ll have to hold off on that one until we know more,” Aria shrugged. “We’ll have to figure that out before we can decide what to do about it.”

“True,” Nerivi sighed.

“That aside, I do have a question,” Aria commented, looking to Iris. “You mentioned you felt the demons at Ilo’s manor, right?” Iris nodded. “But how? You weren’t… well you yet, right?”

Iris tried to speak and then blinked confusedly. “That’s… a good question…”

“For that matter, your magic came to you a lot quicker than the others too,” Aria continued.

“I actually have a hypothesis about that,” Honey commented. “Given everything that happened, I think at some point, Iris managed to damage her seal. It allowed her to partially awaken and become more aware of mana and grow as a result, but its effects prevented them from becoming fully realized.”

“That… makes sense,” Lillia said in awe. “Do you all remember? Back when sister’s experiment changed her hair. Father was furious with her over it.”

“That would make sense,” Iris nodded. “At the time I thought it just gave me some more insight, but thinking about it, I think that was when I felt more aware of the flow of mana.”

“So, Iris’s experiment helped her grow as a witch before she awakened? Empowering her before when she awakened, and then accelerating her growth after she had?” Nerivi attempted to summarize. “That combined with her unique approach due to working with magitech must be why she’s so strong.”

Iris blushed. “I’m strong?” she asked.

“In many ways,” Saya said, hugging her from the side, Iris smirking giddily.

“Thank you, Saya,” she nuzzled up to Saya.

“I believe that covers everything for us, what about on your end?” Saya asked looking to Lillia. “Have you learned anything about our eldest, the Cathedral, or anything else of interest?”

“We did,” Lillia nodded.

“We were rather fortunate,” Nerivi chuckled. “Lillia came across a fellow priestess and they got to talking.”

“Talking?” Aria asked.

“Yes,” Lillia giggled. “Her name was Penelope, and she is a close friend to Zerv.”

“That is quite fortunate,” Saya eagerly smiled.

“Fortunate and suspicious,” Iris frowned.

“Yes, it does seem rather convenient,” Honey frowned.

“You think she may be trying to lure us into a trap?” Aria asked.

“I suppose that’s possible,” Lillia frowned. “She seemed nice enough, but we are talking about the church here.”

“I think it’s a risk worth taking though,” Nerivi commented.

“Really?” Iris tilted her head. “What if she was sent by the church to capture us.”

“That’s possible, but if they have the foresight to orchestrate that, then I would suspect that we’d already be in chains,” she grimaced. “Besides, we need information, and working with her may be our best way to get that information.”

“That’s true,” Honey agreed. “We should be cautious, but we should probably look into her proposal.”

“Proposal?” Saya asked.

“That’s right,” Lillia answered. “Penelope offered to take me on a tour of the Cathedral. I can ask her about Zerv during the trip too.”

“Just you?” Aria asked concernedly.

“Is that a problem?” Lillia blinked.

“We did just finish talking about how it could be a trap,” Nerivi scratched her head. “If it is one, then it could easily result in you getting captured.”

“You don’t have much faith in me, do you?” Lillia pouted

“Apologies sister,” Saya shook her head, “but you do not have the same ways to protect yourself as the rest of us. Aria and Nerivi are trained knights, and Honey, Iris, and I can use our magic.”

“But I still have my own spells I learned from the church,” Lillia countered.

“Yes, and the church knows those spells inside and out,” Nerivi responded. “You’d still be incredibly vulnerable.”

“Regardless, that’s missing the point,” Aria shrugged. “Sending in any single person is dangerous. Sure, the rest of us could arguably put up more of a fight, but if we’re alone, that puts us at a disadvantage.”

“Then we simply must send her with someone else,” Honey smiled.

“Someone else?” Lillia questioned. “That would be a good idea,” she considered aloud. “In that case, I would like either Nerivi or Aria, since they are knights.”

“That’s a pretty good choice,” Iris nodded.

“Hmm,” Nerivi hummed. “I think that Aria would be the better choice, as she was trained to be a knight for your kingdom. Besides, I would like to do some other things while you tour the Cathedral.”

“That’s fine by me,” Aria answered.

“I would like you to take Saya as well,” Honey added. “If you stumble upon any of that miasma Saya and Iris encountered, having one of the two to identify it would be useful. And no offense Iris, but I do not think you would fare well in there.”

“What do you mean?” Iris pouted.

“I’m just afraid what would happen if you met someone responsible for what has happened to your mother,” Honey frowned.

Iris trembled slightly and then looked down with a tearful look. “Yeah, you may be right,” her voice fell to a hush as she pulled at her left arm. “Aria,” she looked up to the knight.

“What is it, Iris?” she cocked her head curiously.

“Please watch over my sisters,” she frowned. “I don’t want to lose them,” she whimpered.

Aria chuckled and approached Itis. She placed her hand on the woman’s waving lavender hair. “I won’t let anything hurt them, I promise,” she smiled, Iris smiling back.

“Then we’re all decided,” Lillia looked to the others. “Saya, Aria, and I will go meet with Penelope tomorrow and tour the Cathedral,” everyone nodded.

* * *

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Penelope giggled as they walked down the street. “So, you said these two are your childhood friends?”

“Y-yes,” Saya nodded.

“We’ve all known each other since kids, yeah,” Aria grinned. “We all used to play around as kids, in the castle courtyard.”

“Those were good times,” Lillia giggled. “I remember making flower crowns with Saya.”

“Yeah,” Saya blushed. “It was a lot of fun. Especially since it was… a nice escape,” her voice quieted.

“I take it your family life was a little stressful then?” Penelope frowned.

“You could say that,” Aria nodded. “Although, things have gotten a lot better for her lately.”

“They really have,” Saya smiled.

“I’m glad,” Penelope smiled. “You all seem like good girls. You deserve happiness,” she chuckled. “Although, may I ask what happened to your other two companions?”

“Uh well…” Lillia scrambled for an answer.

“Well, the two of us went shopping yesterday, and they got a little jealous and wanted to shop themselves,” Aria explained.

“That’s understandable,” Penelope giggled. “We have some of the loveliest seamstresses around. Just thinking about them makes me kind of jealous too.”

“They were pretty nice,” Lillia admitted, passing Aria a thankful nod.

“Well, without further ado, we’re here,” she announced, opening her arms wide to demonstrate the cathedral’s steps behind her.

“It’s so massive,” Lillia gawked as she looked up to the sky-scraping steeple.

“It may be taller than even the castle,” Saya said in awe.

“No wonder you can see it from so far away,” Aria chuckled.

“That’s right,” Penelope nodded. “This is the great Luminence Cathedral. It is the sister Cathedral to the sacred Temple of Light that rests in the center of the continent,” Penelope explained as they climbed the stairs. “According to ancient records, the cathedral was built from an ancient temple that revered God long ago. Some scholars believe it is one of the oldest temples in the world, with several ancient relics that are still being researched to this day. Much of the ancient temple resides beneath the façade we see everyday in Avtalia, and its deepest reaches are still being explored by our most elite paladins and priests,” she explained.

“Still being explored?” Aria questioned. “Like catacombs?”

“Not exactly. The public isn’t let in very deep into them, but they’re closer to a natural cave system. They’re a rather strange place in all honesty,” Penelope chuckled.

“You’ve seen it?” Lillia asked.

“Only a little bit, but enough to understand why the researchers are so befuddled by them. They seem so natural, yet they also feel artificial. It is a strange place,” Penelope commented. “At any rate, welcome,” she said was she led them inside the entrance. The vast open space within was striking. Rows of pew benches stretched on for many aisles before leading into a wide space before the altar, small piles of white laying in the empty space.

“It is positively beautiful,” Saya gasped. “I wish I had my painting supplies. It would be so wonderful to try painting it.”

“Yeah,” Aria nodded. “It’s so shiny and beautiful in here. No wonder people talk about it so fondly.”

“I must wonder how much it all costed though,” Lillia wondered aloud. This craftsmanship must have been dreadfully expensive.

“According to records, they spent much of the reserves of the time to commission the new Cathedral,” Penelope explained. “Of course, it’s rather old now, so the church has more than recovered from the expenses. Although the upkeep is rather expensive itself. When they have people running around and climbing the walls to do repairs, it only reminds you how impressive it is, in and of itself,” she giggled. “But if I had to choose my favorite feature,” she led them toward the altar,” it would have to be the open ceiling here. Seeing sunbeams come down or hearing the drops of rain is mesmerizing.”

“Wait, does that mean that white stuff is…” Aria looked back toward the space before the altar.

“Snow, yes,” Penelope laughed. “You should have seen it earlier. There was enough of it that the children would come and climb around it.

“How lovely,” Saya smiled.

“Now, let’s move further in,” Penelope led them to a door to the right side of the altar. “This space is normally reserved for the Cathedral staff, but sometimes we let people further in.”

“I appreciate you showing us all of this,” Lillia gave a simple smile.

They came to a set of stairs, parallel to the altar, descending it into the basement, another staircase meeting them at the bottom. “Where does that go?” Aria wondered.

“Just to the other side of the altar,” Penelope noted. “More importantly,” she turned the corner. The staircase came to a platform with another set of stairs to each side, emptying out into a lavish red chamber below them, hallways rested in each corner. Across from them stood another platform with another final hallway leading further back The others stared in shock as they comprehended the true size of the cathedral. It looked immense from the outside, yet it seemed even larger from the inside.

“It reminds me of the castle,” Aria said in awe, eyeing the vibrant red carpet.

“Even father would be envious of this,” Lillia gawked at the brightly lit marble walls.

“It is simply gorgeous,” Saya agreed, beholding the elegant displays of flowers and statues of varying saints and angels lining the walls.

“We priestesses and priests gather here everyday to pray, not just to god, but the particular saints and angels the rule over our specific roles,” Penelope explained. “You may recognize Saint Lumina over in the corner,” she pointed. Saya quietly cringed, gripping her hand as she recalled the cruel appropriation of the so-called saint. She was a witch, one who led Luxur against the church in long gone days. And the church stole her visage and erased her message to manipulate the country she so loved. It was all so cruel. But she could not voice her disdain, not here of all places. “Over there, toward the center, is the one I pray to, the Holy Mother.” Saya quietly wondered to herself. If Lumina’s sainthood was based on lies, could the others be similarly born of lies? Did the likes of the Holy Mother truly side with the church? Or did they take her from her culture too? “Is something wrong?” she looked concernedly at Saya.

“Don’t worry about her,” Lillia giggled. “Saya often gets stuck in her head about beautiful artwork, isn’t that right Aria?”

“Certainly, your highness,” Aria nodded.

“Apologies,” Saya gave a small bow.

“No problem,” Penelope giggled. “As I was saying though. Each of those four hallways in the corner go to specific facilities. One goes to the underground ruins I mentioned earlier, another goes to a vault full of sacred relics that are being studied. The third is used for specific spellcasting, including complex seals. And the fourth one is a lab of sorts. Unfortunately, I can’t exactly take you into any of them since only specific members of the church are allowed into each of them.”

“What of that other hall across from us?” Aria asked.

“That’s where the head members of the Cathedral conduct their particular business. There’s some other stuff back there, including really dangerous relics,” Penelope explained.

“I see,” Aria held her chin.

“Do you have any other questions so far?” Penelope looked to them expectantly.

“Yes, actually,” Lillia nodded. “I have one,” Penelope looked to her curiously. “I have heard that our mother is here right now. Is that true?”

“Our?” Saya and Aria stiffened as Penelope repeated the word, realization crashing through them of Lillia’s mistake, as Lillia herself attempted to remain calm.

“Um, yes, I mean me and…” Lillia scrambled.

“Oh, right, you and Zerv,” Penelope chuckled as the others relaxed. “I believe so, yes.”

“You haven’t shown us where she normally is yet. Would it be possible to see her?” Lillia asked.

“Well,” Penelope scowled as she began leading them towards another hallway. “I can try, I guess.”

“Try?” Lillia repeated as the followed the priestess.

“Well,” Penelope sighed. “I think it would be easier to see for yourself what I mean.”

They climbed the parallel stairs and entered the hallway. The passage seemed to stretch on forever, the brilliant halls dimming with each step as they seemed to near the Cathedral’s depths. The bright flames among the ceiling seemed to drift further away as they neared a shadowed wall. Within the wall was a large ominous door. Saya looked around concernedly as she tried to comprehend the thickening atmosphere imposing itself upon them. She began to grow confused as she watched the torches. They remained the same height and as plentiful as before, yet their luminous flames, while remaining intense and fiery, seemed to be but small matches in the looming darkness.

“What is happening?” Saya quivered.

“It’s the chamber we’re approaching,” Penelope’s voice fell to a hush. “There,” she pointed to the ominous doors.

“Mother is within that dark presence?” Lillia questioned.

“Why would they place her in there?” Aria crossed her arms.

“I’m not privy to the whole situation,” Penelope sighed. “But this is the Restricted Sanctum. Only the highest members of the church are allowed in there. They say dark ancient relics lie beyond these doors, which is the origin of this dark presence. The relics are so powerful that their presence swallows all light within it, or so they say. According to legend the dark presence was what caused the last temple to fall, some dark force corrupting it and those relics so thoroughly that they have to be kept in check. And beyond that is the Chamber of Purification.”

“The Chamber of Purification?” Aria repeated. “For what? And why is the Queen in there?”

“I’m not certain, but from what I have heard, they attempt to purify the darkness of those artifacts every so often to keep it from overflowing. Whenever the Great Priestess arrives, she is always brought here, apparently to help with some important ritual. Most assume it’s that purification ritual I mentioned, but some people suspect that’s not really true.”

“I see,” Aria frowned. “It all seems a little…” her voice trailed off as she looked to Saya, noticing her wobble. “Saya? Is something wrong?”

“I…” Saya gasped. “Something does not feel right.”

“Saya?” Lillia rushed to her side.

“She doesn’t seem to be doing well,” Penelope frowned. “How about we head back?”

“Sounds good,” Lillia nodded.

“B-but,” Saya shook.

“It’s okay Saya,” Aria smiled. “We’ll visit the Queen later,” she tried to calm her. “But for now…”

Aria’s voice fell quiet as the large doors opened. Aria cringed as a foul stench seemed to seep out of the space beyond the doors, as a pair of people began to emerge from the Restricted Sanctum.

“Oh, Mother Risia. Father Tromell. Greetings,” Penelope bowed, Lillia, Aria, and Saya quickly following suit.

“Hmm? What are you doing here, sister?” the woman asked as the man closed the door behind them.

“Oh, I was just showing our guests around. I was simply guiding them on a tour is all,” Penelope explained.

“And you chose to bring them to Restricted Sanctum?” the woman’s eyes narrowed unenthusiastically.

“Please, do not be harsh on her, Mother,” Lillia interjected. “I was curious about this area is all. I am a visiting Priestess myself,” she said, her voice remaining calm and gentle in tone. “I apologize. I can be overeager in my curiosity at times. But I wished to know more about the Grand Priestess. She’s a great inspiration to me after all, so Sister Penelope brought us here to explain her whereabouts.”

“I see,” the woman chuckled. “Grand Priestess Elesa is a great inspiration to us all. However, I ask that you wait to see her until after she accomplishes her duties. They are quite important after all, and rather urgent.”

“I understand, and I apologize for my eagerness,” Lillia bowed.

“Very good. Be sure to show them to some refreshments, Sister,” she gave a soft, yet uneasy smile.

“Of course, ma’am,” Penelope bowed.

“Come, Father Tromell,” the woman instructed her compatriot, who gave a solemn bow before following his peer.

“So, that was Mother Risia and Father Tromell,” Lillia sighed as they vanished into the distance. “They seem so gentle, and yet…”

“Yeah, they’re rather intimidating, aren’t they?” Penelope chuckled.

“Also, apologies if I overstepped, but I would rather they not know that I am her daughter for now,” Lillia frowned.

“I understand,” Penelope nodded. “I imagine you’ve got your reasons,” Lillia nodded thankfully. “At any rate, we should…” she continued, turning her attention to Saya. “Are you alright?”

“Saya?” Lillia looked to her as she gasped.

“She’s been getting worse ever since that door opened,” Aria commented.

“S-something’s wrong,” Saya chocked. “Why is it…? That mana is…” her voice faded as she thought about the overpowering energy, the voices of her sister and friends fading into the encroaching darkness.