“The Black God.”

The mention of the name alone made Rinaldo shudder. He'd heard of the Black God before, but heard no one say it aloud. Names held power, and the Black God's name invoked a sense of dread. It sounded as if it might unleash something terrible.

He hadn't forgotten his encounter with the Black God's faceless worshippers. It was what probably happened in bad dreams, but he remembered it vividly. That encounter still haunted him, and he knew his mother had noticed.

“Rinaldo…” His mother looked at his troubled expression. “Are you alright?”

Rinaldo looked up. He tried to reassure her. “I'm fine.”

The worshippers had unsettled him. They'd had these blank masks that had nothing human inside them, only the cold emptiness of the void. The void was a terrible thing—it was emptiness, darkness, and it had no personality. It was perfect because it had no flaws, no nothing, and it was something all should fear.

“You say that, but you don't look it.”

He sighed and rubbed his temple. “It's just… well, I've been thinking of the Black God.”

“You have?” His mother sounded genuinely surprised. “What about him?”

He wondered if the Black God was the same as the worshippers. They had looked so human from a distance, but up close, they'd seemed more alien than anything else. They were like phantoms—repulsive, shapeless, and there one moment and gone the next. He wasn't sure he'd want to know.

The Black God was perfect, and all he wanted was for everyone and everything to be like him. The thought made his stomach churn, but he couldn't shake it. It was disturbing, and he didn't want to think about it.

“His own version of perfection was horrible.”

“Indeed.” His mother nodded and left. “I have to go. I'll see you later.”

“Wait!” Rinaldo called. His mother turned around. “What are you going to do with the Flamberg replica?”

The room was still. The sun was bright, but her light seemed cold and unwelcoming. Rinaldo shivered, although it had nothing to do with the temperature. His mother seemed tired and distracted. She didn't respond, instead staring blankly ahead as if thinking of something else.

“I'll just give it to the Black Sun.” Her eyes flicked to his. “They want it.”

“What?” Rinaldo winced. “Why would the Black Sun want it?”

“They need the blood of ten spirit kings to free their god. Flamberg has the blood of Nebiros.”

Rinaldo's jaw clenched. He'd heard of Nebiros before. Nebiros, the King of Blue Flames, was a mighty warrior and the greatest of the spirit kings who led his siblings to victory against the Black God. It was he who gave humanity the gift of fire and the gift of lightning.

If Rinaldo knew anything about the god's history, it was that Nebiros was always around when people needed him. Flamberg, the holy sword of flames that Nebiros created, would have made its way to a hero's hands during moments of crisis.

The replica wouldn't do anything. It lacked the enchantment of the original. The Black Sun couldn't use it to break the seal. Rinaldo hoped the Black Sun wouldn't notice it was a replica until it was too late for them.

“If you do this, will the cultists stop attacking?”

“Yes, they will.” His mother smiled. “Also, the Count placed a tracking device inside the replica, so we can find where they're hiding.”

He looked at his mother with a new appreciation for what she had done for the city's people. “Mother, I think you are pretty awesome.”

“I know I'm awesome.” She giggled, and Rinaldo got another ear full of her giggling before she settled back down to her normal tone. “It's nice to hear that my little boy thinks so, too.”

“Do you need me to help you?”

“No, I'm fine. You go meet with the marshal. He's already downstairs, so get going.”

“Alright, thanks for letting me know.”

Rinaldo was eager to see what the marshal wanted and what sort of questions he might have, as long as it had nothing to do with his daughter. He left the room, leaving behind an exhausted and happy mother. At the bottom of the stairs, he saw the marshal waiting for him.

The marshal was a muscular man with short black hair and a sturdy set to his jawline. He was about Rinaldo's height, but wore his long coat with a sense of authority. He stood with one hand on the wall, leaning forward as if he were giving a speech.

He felt a sense of respect and awe as he saw the man's physique and his aura of power. Rinaldo knew the man had seen a lot of action before receiving the title of marshal. It showed in his eyes and in the way he commanded attention.

The marshal gave Rinaldo a nod when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Rinaldo returned the nod and walked down the corridor towards him. The marshal walked in front of him as they walked down the corridor.

“Esteemed Marshal, it's been a while. It is an honour to meet you again.”

“Good to see you too, Rinaldo.”

Rinaldo nodded, and they walked in silence for a while as they headed towards the great hall. Once they reached their destination, Rinaldo saw Olivia sitting at the table. She looked a little different, but he wasn't sure why.

There was something different about her eyes, and her smile seemed wider. Her blonde hair seemed more defined. It was longer, and she wore it with a little of a wave. She wore a dress that appeared elegant, and Rinaldo saw she had on a ring that looked to be made of platinum.

Rinaldo walked closer. “You look different.”

She looked at Rinaldo and then down at herself in confusion. “Oh… I guess I am different. I had my hair cut. That's about it.”

Her response confused Rinaldo. He walked closer. “Can I see your face?”

“Yes, sure.” She pulled her hair down, and Rinaldo saw her face.

His eyes widened. This person wasn't Olivia. She looked similar, but definitely not identical.

Rinaldo felt terrible for thinking she was Olivia. “Sorry, I thought you were… someone else.”

Her eyes were the same blue as Olivia's, but there was something off about them, something that was… wrong. He noticed her eyes as they looked into his, and something clicked. There was no fear in them, and it looked like she was looking at him with interest.

“Rinaldo?” Olivia's voice shook him out of his confused trance. “What's wrong?”

He turned around to see his Olivia—the real one behind him. Rinaldo was too shocked to speak. His eyes went back to her face and the woman's face.

“Nothing. I'm fine. Is that your sister?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, she is my mother.”

Rinaldo looked over at Olivia's mother. “You're Olivia's mother?”

“Yes, of course I am. You can call me Sophia.”

“I'm sorry. I thought you were your daughter. I'm delighted to meet you.”

“I'm glad to meet you, too.”

He watched the woman. She looked nice, but that didn't mean he could let his guard down. The look in her eyes told him that if she wanted to hurt him, she could. Few people could do that, but apparently, this woman was.

Sophia pointed to the seat next to her. “Well, you're welcome to sit down if you want.”

“Thank you. I will.”

They spent a while talking, and the marshal explained how he was helping with the cult's attacks. It seemed like Viennetta wasn't the only target of the attack. Nine other cities across the continent also suffered from the cult's attacks.

The emperor, however, didn't send the marshal to this city for that reason alone. He was also here as a deterrent to make sure the Oeste Kingdom wouldn't think to use the opportunity to invade. The marshal had already made a name for himself on the Western Continent as a one-man army.

“What about you?” Rinaldo turned to Olivia's mother. “Did Charlie send you here, too?”

“I just want to see my daughter. She hadn't visited for a while.”

Olivia looked guilty. “I'm sorry, mom. I have been busy lately.”

“I understand, sweetie.”

“Well, I'd better get going.” The marshal rose from his seat. “Sorry for imposing. I didn't mean to interrupt your visit.”

“It's fine, Gilbert. I'll see you again.”

Rinaldo noticed the woman was on first-name terms with the marshal. His intuition told him this woman was more than she appeared to be. She was hiding something. He'd have to monitor her for the time being.

The marshal turned around and walked away from the table. Sophia was about to leave as well, but her daughter spoke to her before she could leave. “Mom?”

The woman titled her head. “Yes?”

“Are you sure you should be walking around on your own? What if someone attacks you?”

She shrugged. “Guess I'd die.”

He watched her as she talked to her daughter and saw how she was talking. Olivia's mother kept looking at her strangely. She seemed to care about her daughter, but there was something else.

She got up and walked away with her daughter, and Rinaldo sat in the chair she had been in. He sat there for a few seconds, thinking about her. However, he wasn't the only person to notice something was off with the woman. He could see a maid letting out a sigh of relief when she exited the room.

The maid, who introduced herself as Clarissa, looked as if death had warmed over. Her face was almost completely white, her skin ashen. The girl's eyes were open and looked unseeing, her breathing laboured and slow. He decided he should talk to her about her odd behaviour.

Clarissa was nothing special. She was young and pretty, but lacked that certain beauty that most of her peers had. The maid tied her blonde hair up, revealing two blue eyes that looked into the room where the young woman sat.

He got up and walked over to the maid. “Clarissa?”

“Yes, sir?” Her voice quivered, almost as if she was shaking on the inside.

“Are you alright?”

The maid didn't look alright. “Oh… yes, sir, I'm just fine.”

Rinaldo looked at her, and he felt there was something he needed to know. He got her up and sat in a chair, asking her how she was. She told him she was fine, but he wasn't buying it.

“Are you sure? You look awful. Your colour isn't right at all.”

“Sir, what do you mean?”

He frowned at her. “What I mean is that you are pale white. I don't remember seeing you like this last time I was here. Why are you not feeling well?”

The maid had that look about her, suggesting she knew something he didn't. She forced a smile he felt she forced very well. It looked as if her face was going to crack at any moment.

“Oh, it's nothing, sir. Just a passing illness, I guess.”

“A passing illness, huh?” Rinaldo's eyes narrowed. “I see.”

“There, sir. I promise you it's nothing. Just the flu that has been going around the city.” She forced another smile, but this time her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Rinaldo thought to himself that she was lying. But why was she lying?

He wanted to believe her, but she seemed nervous and shifty. “If that's true, why haven't you taken some time off?”

“It's just that I can't afford to take time off.”

Rinaldo gave her a stern look. He knew she was being dishonest and probably trying to throw him off, but he wanted to know the truth. “You're lying to me.”

Clarissa's eyes went wide, like two marbles bouncing off the side of a shoe. “I'm sorry, sir. But you won't believe me if I told the truth.”

He could see she was on the verge of breaking down and felt sorry for her. “Why did you lie? You really don't want to tell me, do you?”

Clarissa was silent for a minute, and Rinaldo wanted to scream at her to answer his question. However, he was curious if the woman was about to talk. It was almost like she was mentally blocking herself from the truth. He could feel it coming from her like the weight of a large rock on his chest.

“What is it?”

“I can't tell you.” She walked away. “You really don't want to know.”

Rinaldo reached out to stop her. “Clarissa!”

She closed her eyes for a moment, as if her body was telling her to release the information. Her breathing was still hard, as if she had been struggling to take a few breaths since they had talked. The maid was getting herself ready to spill the truth.

“That woman is not an ordinary woman. She has been touched by angels.”