Iris was special.
“Oh my god….”
“The wound… healed.”
It wasn’t a sudden realization. She knew there was something special about her, just like she didn’t have to learn how to breathe or drink water. From the first time she saw someone’s wounds, she knew she could do something about it. The first person she treated was a child her age who had fallen while playing with her.
“That child is special. Did you mention her name is Iris? As you have seen, her magic is very similar to holy power, even though she hasn’t undergone any special training. It’s like she’s been chosen by God.”
Word spread very quickly. A priest was sent directly from the Holy Land, claiming she was the chosen one and begging to be entrusted with her education. A large reward, a quality education, and the ability to see her regularly. There was no reason for Iris’ parents not to let her go.
“Iris, what did you think when you saw the wounded man?”
Iris didn’t take long to adapt to her life in the Holy Land. The man who taught her was Father Andrei, a time before he became the Bishop. Iris answered him with a twinkle in her blue eyes and a bright voice.
“I thought I’d help!”
Said the tongue-in-cheek child. The priest smiled and bent down to be at eye level with her. She saw the priest’s look of approval, and her smile grew even brighter.
“Good. In the future, your powers can help and heal many more people. Iris, do you want to be that person who helps others?”
“Yes! I want to heal people who are sick.”
Iris nodded eagerly. Andrei’s hand gently stroked her hair.
“That’s a good idea, a perfect wish. You would make a fine adult.”
‘I want to heal sick people. Why had I forgotten that?’
Iris’ magic met fierce resistance. Flesh and tentacles clawed at her. The holy power refused to converge and kept scattering. ‘I need to focus. I must somehow break through and channel my power into him.’
Iris closed her eyes as she focused, pouring her magic.
***
“There’s a ruckus outside.”
Georg said, frowning. I was sensing the commotion myself. It had been about twenty minutes since Iris had begun her treatment. We should still have some time, but things don’t always work out how you expect them to. While I couldn’t imagine anything terrible happening to the other group, anything could happen.
I glanced at the cot in the corner. Beads of sweat were dripping from Iris’ forehead. Thump. There was the sound of something banging and breaking outside. Doors slam open and shut, buckets kicked, water spilled, and the shouts and footsteps of angry people. The sounds were coming from far away and getting closer.
“If they’re going to be here soon anyway, I might as well go out and see what happens before….”
There was an uneven knock on the door of the house. It was the password we had agreed upon. I quickly ran to the door and opened it, my eyes widening in agitation at the sight of the person standing in the doorway.
“Marianne?”
Marianne glanced behind her, then back at me. A commotion came in through the open doorway. Marianne grabbed my wrist urgently. Apparently, the option of staying inside and waiting with bated breath didn’t exist. I turned to Daphne.
“Daphne, do you think you could cast a protective spell around this house, like a barrier?”
Daphne nodded.
“Yes, I could… but keeping it up for more than half an hour would be hard.”
“Okay. Then, as soon as you think they’ve found this house, put up a barrier.”
I picked up my hood. Daphne looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“What are you trying to do, Elroy?”
“Trying to draw attention.”
I picked up the cloak and tossed it to Georg, who frowned and took it from me, wrapping it around himself.
“I see. I might as well join you in distracting them. There’s no guarantee that all eyes will be on you. The three of us have a good chance of pulling their attention.”
Georg grumbled something about being unable to run, and I smiled bitterly and headed out the door. Marianne looked at me and Georg in our hoods and nodded slightly.
“Let’s go.”
We walked down the narrow alley, no light in all the commotion. People were blind with rage. Smashing, lifting, breaking, throwing everything they could find. There was kicking and punching. Houses made of boards crumbled into nothingness. Residents who hadn’t yet joined the hordes of doomsday worshippers ran out into the streets, shaking with fear.
“Damn the kingdom, you bastards! How far do you think you’re going to take it?”
“You took away our homes, land, and families, and now you’re going to take away the place where we rest our hearts!”
The people were howling and spewing out their anger. I doubt they would hesitate to hit the Saintess who once healed them. Georg shook his head in disbelief and climbed up onto the roof, making a show of it. A group of people shouted and started running after him.
“I’ll go to the alley and get their attention.”
Marianne said and took off running. I watched Marianne’s back as she ran away. I waited until she was out of sight. This time, the shouting started coming from the other side of the alley. I took a long breath and exited onto the main street.
I could see people running around, smashing up houses and things. Sensing my presence, one of them turned to me and shouted, his face contorted into a grimace.
“There’s another one over there!”
“Get him!”
‘Is this enough?’ I let them close to me, but then I stopped in my tracks when I heard someone shout.
“I feel a strong magic power over there! That’s where they’re hiding!”
Crazy. There were some evil worshippers mixed in with the general population. They stopped chasing me and started running toward the man’s house. Daphne’s protective spell kicked in, creating a shield of blue mana. The people didn’t seem to mind, throwing stones and hurling themselves at it.
“It’s their magic! Smash it!”
The cultist screamed. I could see mana writhing in his body, and each time it collided with Daphne’s barrier, it shook violently. At this rate, it would break before I could count to ten. I turned on my heel and lunged behind the cultist.
“Take out the ones hiding inside….”
I kicked the cultist into the air. I jumped up to chase after him and grabbed him by the throat. His frightened eyes glared at me.
“What are you….”
I plowed straight down toward the boulevard. He let out a pained scream as I drove him to the ground. He gurgled and spat blackened blood from its mouth. He raised his power to strike back. I moved my fist into his chest before it could manifest.
“Kuh-!”
“You haven’t even strengthened your body.”
With that, I slammed him to the ground. The crowd was half looking at me in surprise, half pounding on the barrier, still dazed. The cultist had frenzied the people, and I knew Daphne would not be able to hold it for long. I gritted my teeth and watched the spectacle.
“You… you’re dangerous, but you’re not an Inquisitor….”
He was still conscious. I glared down at the cultist. The barrier was shattering; the shouting was getting louder. Stones, planks of wood, and tin buckets were flying into the defenses. Daphne seemed to be trying to repair the barrier by forcing more magic into it, but it was already beginning to crumble, and it was impossible to stabilize it fully.
“But… did you think you could stop that raging horde alone… I don’t know who the bastard inside is, but with that much magic power, they must be important within the Holy Land.”
The worshipper choked back a laugh.
“My life is probably irrelevant. All I need to do is kill the most important person….”
I took off my hood. With a flicker of light, a halo floated above my head. The cultist was speechless, and one by one, the villagers began to turn to me.
“…Hero.”
Someone murmured, the words falling heavily into the silence.
***
Iris’ body bounced and flew. She let out a small scream as she hit the wall on the other side of the bed. Her hands shook as she tried to heal herself. Her right arm, the one that circulated her power, was burning. But her magic had not yet penetrated the thick flesh.
“…Saintess.”
The man watching her from the side called out in concern. Iris shook her head, signaling him not to worry. Again, she drew on her magic.
I want to help the sick. I want to save everyone.
Those childhood wishes had been overshadowed by her status as a Saintess and her mission to save the world. The Saints of the past must have wanted to help the people, so how could I have forgotten it?
Light returned to her hands. Iris staggered and raised her hands to the child’s body. She tried not to think about how much mana she had left. She would continue to heal, even if it meant falling unconscious or suffering heart-wrenching pain.
“So let’s say you bring the Kraken on land, tie its body to the shore, and defeat the Disaster. But what about the rest of us? Will you take responsibility for all the lives and damage of bringing it on land?”
“I’m sorry.”
Sin is something you have to live with for the rest of your life. Faced with the truth, Iris refused to look away.
Just as the Hero who had defeated the Fourth Disaster had moved on without her and Arjen. She, too, must move on. She didn’t have time to regret all the mistakes she made. People were still suffering.
“Save us.”
You can blame me for what happened to Bactins. So, please, let him live.
The holy power began to glow with increasing intensity. The resistance of the flesh gre fiercer. Iris poured in more than her magic. Her right hand began to burn even hotter, but she felt no pain. She had one thought alone: Let this boy live.
Blood-curdling shouts broke through Daphne’s shields.
“Come out, you filthy kingdom and Puritans scum! Now you’re going to drive us out too!”
“What have you done for this land but kick us off of it, tell us to pray, and now you’re going to take us away?”
I’m sorry.
Iris gritted her teeth again, feeling the man’s gaze on her back as he watched his son desperately.
It had nothing to do with her status as the Saintess. This was her earnest wish.
The light shone brighter. Iris opened her eyes and raised her left hand over her right.
“I won’t run away anymore.”
A ball of light shone as brightly as the sun, then exploded and spread out. The light bathed the room in gold, like an embrace. Then, like feathers falling, the dust of divine power settled over the child. Slowly, the clinging flesh and tentacles began to dissipate.
“Ah… Aah…!”
The man cried, falling to his knees. Then, fumbling, he grabbed his son. A new arm sprouted from his severed right arm. The color returned to his face, and I could hear him breathing softly in his sleep.
“Thank you… Thank you so much….”
The man hugged his child and sobbed. Iris exhaled as she looked at the child she’d been able to heal, even in her exhaustion. Relief overtook her joy. She pushed herself up and sighed when she realized the child was unharmed.
“I don’t have much I could give you….”
The man said, and Iris quickly shook her head. This wasn’t a favor. The man looked at her determined expression and nodded, then turned back to check on his son.
She returned to the next room, only to find Daphne waiting. She looked at Iris, her complexion pale.
“Saintess… why has everything turned quiet outside?”
Iris took Daphne’s hand and pushed the door open, stepping outside. Iris felt no sense of accomplishment at her newfound power, no joy at finally being able to save someone. Her chest felt strangely tight. Daphne looked exhausted as if she’d used up most of her power, but she staggered along, following her lead.
The commotion.
The street leading out of the narrow alley was noisy. Iris quickened her pace, hoping to distract the people outside.
A group of people were shouting at someone in the street. She ran frantically toward them, but they didn’t recognize her.
“Why….”
And surrounded by this crowd was Elroy, standing still with a stony expression.
“Why! We’re not supposed to be like this!”
An impassioned cry was heard, followed by something being thrown.
The stone hit Elroy, who stood unmoving.
