“To touch upon the borderlands in which material and immaterial collide is an act of folly in and of itself. Think of the different types of mana as like different parts of a sea. The material plane’s mana is like the top layer of the ocean, clear, easy to access. Then there is the immaterial world; dark, dangerous, and practically impossible to access and approaching our understandings as very much the limit of arcane energy. Then there is the border. The region that separates the two which is murky, foreboding, and acts as a filter for those worthy of passing through.”


    - Magos Klaudia Wittman, Mage Circle of The Pale Star, “Treatise On Arcane Processes and Formulas - Section: Types of Mana and Arcane Energies”


    <hr><hr>


    Ruined Village, Snowfields


    Sophie sat atop a piece of fallen stonework, staring into the white abyss beyond. Most of the church had long since been destroyed or fallen from time’s tireless hands. But the priest''s quarters at least had parts of a roof and some walls over it. Though it did little to prevent her from shivering or to block out the cold. At least the wind isn’t trying to send me flying.


    Here, under the shadow of the fallen church, she found a few timeworn remnants that still littered the area. From the head priest’s sword cruelly embedded near the steps of the church as a sign. To the collapsed rubble and pieces of rotted wardrobe that a far younger Mila had hidden under as her family was slain.


    She still remembered their faces as they died. The fear, the courage, the pain. Emotions that she felt far more often than she’d liked. Yet she had done little to disturb the silent peace that now lingered upon this land. For she could barely separate a construct of the false God’s mind or memories of her own that had been distorted.


    She did wonder about why Mila had been the focal point for the Entity’s limbo world. Why she had been pulled back to his place so often. She could at least hazard a guess and suspect that Mila will eventually become one of the Goddess’s high pantheon’s chosen champions. At least with someone like Eva, the connection was pretty clear. Her mistress was an outlander and one who could see fragments of the Entity always lingering about Sophie. Fragments that she couldn’t even see herself.


    Though she supposed that at the end of the day, both Mila and her mistress were likely destined for greater things. After all, Eva was busy leading saints whilst Mila had become one of the youngest inquisitors in the church. A child of the court and a child of the Goddess.


    Sophie could feel her eyes drooping a little as the cold continued to seize what little warmth she had gained. She watched her breath fade into a steamy nothingness. Her muscles twitched with tiredness as the snow continued unabated. She rubbed her hands against her shoulder, the motion doing little beyond making her more tired.


    She wanted to keep searching. To continue pushing deeper into the village. But with the constant buzzing of Arantos in her head and the deepening snow, there was little focus to be had. Alongside the fatigue she felt, all she could do was let out a sigh.


    But what’s Arantos hoping to find here? She mused. He certainly thinks there’s something here. But… what?


    Another part of her wanted to just stop and surrender the whole idea entirely. To simply sit here until the cold finally took her. After all, if she did find something of note, she was more than certain Arantos would figure it out no matter how well she tried to keep it to herself. She needed to rid herself of a God, but the question was how to do that. She could barely see anything beyond snow in the ruined town and wasn’t quite desperate enough to dig through the snow just yet.


    Think, fool, think.


    <hr><hr>


    Krenonian Arena, Arteria


    The devastation within the arena was complete. Mila felt deeply uneasy. Demons were killers, the bodies of the dead used to feed their fodder and lower ranked brethern. For something of this scale to have punched through the arena, she suspected something more malevolent going on.


    It didn’t help that she had walked through these very halls with Sophie and Hanabi mere hours ago. Even the former saintess looked a little sickly at the implications that this disaster brought with them. The only other emotion that Mila could sense from her companion was a simmering rage that was slowly building up. One that she very much shared. First the demons will be purged. Then whatever bastards caused this.


    A small commotion up ahead dragged her out of her thoughts. Hanabi readied her fists and Mila her blade, the two alongside the squadron of soldiers beside them ready for a fight. The two traded a glance before they caught sight of one of the templars beckoning them over. Moving forward, they found themselves at an intersection between a few of the arena’s corridors, joined with Knight Commander Rosenfeld and Witch Hunter Dunley’s contingent.


    Seeing them, Mila felt a small sense of relief. As a large group, they would prove to be more than a match for most demons. Her relief however, was soon shattered as she noticed a more rag-tag looking group beside them. A familiar face from her time spent at the Adventurers Guild alongside Sophie.


    “Praise the Goddess! That’s most of everyone I believe.” Arnold grinned.


    “That’d mean we have about as much as we started with, though we still have no idea where Lord Cross’s group is.” Rosenfeld answers the adventurer.


    “Good news then, that is.” He acknowledged the templar before turning towards Mila, “Good to see you again. Though this is markedly different from just being an adventurer.”


    She scowled, her face tightening as she clicked her tongue, “Save the glibness for after we’re done. Though I don’t mind the help. Why are you here?”


    “I was the one who warned Sophie and passed a message to one of the bishops. Though given how much we all seem to be scrambling, I suppose they must’ve dismissed it, huh?”


    That made Mila feel even more uneasy. He knew?!


    “Now, now. Whatever it is can probably wait. The demon’s stuck in the arena pit and some of your people are already fighting. We just wanted to wait for help for now. Wait for professionals, so to speak.” He carefully enunciated his words.


    “And we appreciate it. But now that we have a sizable force, I believe we should assist as soon as possible. No sense waiting around while people are fighting with their lives on the line.” Rosenfeld urged the group.


    Seeing the sensibility of the proposition, Mila nodded and glanced at Arnold, “Lead the way.”


    Thirty odd soldiers and templars followed a dozen or so adventurers through the arena. They made their way past more obvious signs of combat. The halls decorated with the corpses of unholy things cut into pieces and partially incinerated by a previous combat party. Add to that the lack of human bodies and already dried blood, it was almost exceedingly good news on a day like this. It meant the monsters died before the adventurers got here, and that whoever killed them suffered no casualties before moving onwards. I’d bet that was Sophie and the other Inquisitor’s group.


    A thunderous explosion shook the arena, shaking loose a layer of dust and pebbles that coated the ceiling. The group collectively ducked for a moment, shield bearing templars raising their shields to cover whomever they could in case of a collapse. Mila held her breath as Hanabi also waited beside her.


    “That comes from where we’re heading, come on!” Arnold shouted with a renewed sense of urgency.


    Seeing his genial facade slip, Mila hurriedly got the people around her up. He’s being serious.


    “Let’s move it! Move!” Rosenfeld called out from somewhere.


    The group resumed their march forward, their pace picking up at the thought of their being survivors needing a rescue. It also meant that the demon was likely still alive somewhere. A foe that Mila was not keen on encountering.


    Reaching the last set of doors to the arena’s pit, they could clearly hear the sounds of yelling and spells being thrown at something. Having ducked inside the arena, the strike force also found two heavily injured legionnaires. One having been badly wounded and the other tending to his own wounds.


    Seeing their approach, the mostly concious one merely nodded before glancing at the doorway.


    “Big fucker.”


    Was all he said. But it was enough.


    “Templars. When we enter, we surrounded and eliminate whatever threats there are. Cast spells when needed, and stay next to your battle brothers. Together, we shall bring the light of the Goddess to her accursed foe.” Rosenfeld rallied his men.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    “For the Goddess.”


    The templars echoed. Though this time, it was far more muted, less emotional. Whatever fight lay ahead would be a challenge given the trail of destruction they’d already seen. The templars were under no illusion about an easy foe.


    The remaining city guards divided themselves between Mila and Dunley. The witch hunter passed out a few enchanted bolts to the guardsmen armed with crossbows. While Mila stotically stared at her contingent. They would join the templars in the melee, keeping the lesser foes off their silver brethern. But given their likely inexperience fighting horrors or demons, Mila wasn’t willing to fool them with false hopes of glory. It would likely be a bloody fight, that much she knew. And as someone who had led many to their deaths, a burden that she would have to bear once more.


    Hanabi and the adventurers were perhaps the most relaxed of the group. For Arnold and his hired help, whatever was happening seemed at least in accordance to some yet unrevealed plan of theirs, that much she could feel. Thankfully for her own sanity, the ex-saintess seemed surprisingly calm, unlike her own mental state. She admired how calm Hanabi was, given the shock they had all faced during the initial mana bomb explosion.


    With a few more furtive nods and glances, the strike force pushed open the doors and surged forth.


    Mila’s eyes instantly landed upon the demon. It was a monstrosity whose apperance tapped far too deeply into her mind. Mishapen heads, body parts, and hideous claw-like appendages dashing about the place. Perhaps the only comfort she found in seeing the creature was the half a dozen or so holes that had been seared through it, likely the result of magical spells and the explosion that had shaken the arena.


    Beneath and around it, a swirling maelstrom of unsettling purplish fog gathered, within which dozens if not hundreds of demonically corrupted beings battered against a quickly failing divine shield. The glowing dome housed what looked to be the last survivors of the first scout force including the errant inquisitor currently maintaing the protective bubble. Inside, a few guards and a templar cut at whatever approached, their wild swings giving off a hint of desperation from bodies reaching sheer exhaustion.


    “By the hells.” One of the nearby soldiers muttered.


    “Templars! Today, an evil plagues Arteria! One which will face the judgement of our Goddess and in which we shall be the executors of her will. Forward! Cleanse the unclean! Purge the demons! In the name of the Stars!” Rosenfeld roared.


    “For the heavens and the stars!” The templars chanted in return.


    “Dunley, Lyudmila. Relieve the survivors. We’ll try to fell the beast and if not, buy all of us some more time. Go!” The knight commander ordered.


    “On it.”


    “Understood.”


    The two replied as they watched the knight commander charge alongside his men.


    Like a small boulder made of silver, the templars crashed into the horde of corrupted and had begun cleaving their way through them. The sheer weight of the templar assault seemed to make the entire horde recoil when they coiled. Even the demonic entities assaulting the divine shield paused in their attacks, the flickering of the dome growing more infrequent. The demon itself let out a monstrous roar and reached for the sky, as if yearning for all of the sky above it.


    “Dunley, supporting fire from here. Cover both flanks!” Mila yelled, “Sergeant! On me! For the Goddess! For Arteria!”


    She turned to the guards around her and raised her blade, pointing it forward before leading the charge.


    “For Arteria!” The bluecloaks and legionnaires cried out as they joined her. Unike the templars, her group pushed alongside the flanks, aiming directly to relieve the beleaguered survivors currently holding out. Hanabi rushed forward alongside her, the girl evidently having taken hygiene and the possibility of demonic corruption more seriously, opting to use a bladed weapon besides simply punching her enemy.


    With a ferocious swing, she hacked into the first corrupted she saw. The creature’s twisted humanoid form gave out and simply collapsed as she cut into the head until it was lopped off. Another tried to pounce at her but Hanabi’s timely jab stopped it in its tracks. It was another reminder of the differences between those born within the world and outlanders. In that one jab, Hanabi barely looked like she was exerting herself as she practically carved a hole out of the corrupted’s chest.


    The guards around her descended upon the creatures in their way and the melee begun in earnest. Swords and pikes sliced and stabbed into the horde, roughly cutting their way towards the survivors.


    “Besdiore Omuille Heinaotus Helaotux.” Mila chanted.


    From around her, a brilliant divine shield around her erupted. But as it began to form she could feel the demonic taint in the air. It tried to choke her spell out and she gasped out loud at the sudden resistance she felt.


    “Hold tight.” Hanabi whispered beside her. The ex-saintess held onto Mila’s arm while fending off the corrupted with her sword arm.


    For a split second Mila saw a twinkle of someone else. A reminder of the sacrifices made so long ago. Her chest tightened and she almost let out a small, child-like squeak. Karelia.


    “Mam! Over there!” One of the bluecloaks pointed at a widening gap in the horde.


    With responsibility dragging her back to focus. Mila rallied herself and gave Hanabi an appreciative squeeze on the shoulder.


    “Alright! Move! Move! Get a perimeter around the survivors! Stay close to my shield as well!” She called out to whoever could hear her.


    The guards formed a shieldwall of sorts. Keeping it in a semicircle around the front of the divine dome as Mila directed all her efforts in maintaining the barrier. Hanabi kept a close eye on Mila while the few legionnaires accompanying the strike force watched the flanks and warded off any of the corrupted from breaching the formation.


    As a unit, their armored thrust punched a hole through the corrupted, getting close enough that those within the other inquisitor’s shield now rushed forth to bridge the distance. A small battlecry erupted from the half dozen survivors that then led to a cheer from her men, then the templars below. Invigorated by the effort, the guards redoubled their assault and feverantly cut through the remaining masses.


    “Forward!” Mila croaked out loud, her voice disappearing against the din of battle and the struggle to maintain her own barrier.


    “Forward! One last push!” Hanabi took up her call, the outlander’s voice cut through the distractions.


    “Forward!” The guards joined the call.


    A bright flash nearly blinded them as a ray of fire scythed through a row of the corrupted. Mila winced and braced herself until she realized it had come from the other inquisitor, or rather, the fire spitting device by his side. That’s…


    “Hurry now, we don’t have all day. Could’ve brought more mages with you.” Korvin welcomed them Though his words sounded sarcastic, his mannerisms appeared far too serious for sarcasm. With him, Mila never knew.


    “Captain Urden, organize a defensive line. It seems we have the capabilities to hold them back now.” The inquisitor spoke again.


    “Yes, my lord.” A legionnaire saluted briefly as he emerged from the survivors.


    His armour was bloodied. Covered in the blood of the slain corrupted and more than enough blackened splotches of pus to show signs of having directly engaged the monster. He hacked his way through the last of the corrupted between the two groups and searched amongst the relief force to meet Mila’s eyes. He offered a hasty salute.


    “My lady, if you don’t mind.” He asked, far more respectful than Korvin’s abrupt greeting.


    Mila nodded, happy to pawn off the responsibility of managing lives to someone else. Command was something she did not enjoy.


    “Name and rank.” The captain barked at what seemed to be a ranking guard.


    “Sergeant Ashur, 10th Defensive Brigade of the Repub-” The sergeant tried to respond.


    “Good enough. Sergeant Ashur, you are no under my temporary command. Take charge of this half,” The captain pointed out a dividing line with his sword, “Set up a defensive formation right there. The rest of you, form up on me.”


    As the guards quickly fell into line. Mila felt another set of eyes having found hers. She had little dealings with Senior Inquisitor Korvin. Only knowing that he was primarily responsible for the creation of experimental weapons as part of the church’s initative to prepare for oncoming crises. I didn’t know that he’d been assigned to Arteria’s southern sector. I always thought it was someone else. He motioned for her to get closer.


    Given a small opportunity to take a break from maintaining the shield, Mila let out a soft gasp as she let it drop. The tendrils of corruption that pricked at her receding the moment the concentrated use of mana dissipated. She ached terribly, but she was no longer actively being prodded, and that, she supposed, felt good enough for now.


    “Inquisitor Lyudmila. I thought you were on temporary leave.”


    “I am. But I’m working in an adventuring group. Alongside a certain elf.” Mila scowled. I do remember Sophie said she had worked with him on the mana battery project with the Calnodel siblings. But how deep does his connection go? Why is he here?


    “Ah. The brave and utterly foolish one. I have good news and bad in regards to her and the situation at hand.”


    Mila nodded, gesturing for him to go on as she eyed the flame belcher next to him. It was a small device that seemed powered by tiny mana crystals. I guess that’s why it only shot a single ray of fire instead of a continuous beam. Limited scale.


    “Good news. She has located the demon’s mana core and is capable of stopping it. The bad news is that one; the demon has a minor portal, hence the abominations assailing us. And two; she is currently right there.” He pointed directly at the demon.


    Mila followed his gaze, but it was Hanabi who spoke first.


    “Huh?” The outlander queried.


    Korvin nodded before motioning for both of them to come closer. Cautious but with no real reason to deny him, Mila obliged, Hanabi following in her footsteps.


    “I take it you both know of the elf’s nullification abilities?” Korvin whispered.


    They both nodded very slowly, wary of where this might go.


    He paused, looking between the two of them before shaking his head and sighing, “No time for explanations so this will do. The mana released far too much mana. The demon is using that to power its portal, that is, as we speak, growing bigger. However, the oversaturation of mana, while empowering the wretched beast, continues to be disruptive. Hence why only smaller combat forms have crawled through. With me so far?”


    “Go on.” Mila urged.


    “It needs a stabilizer, or perhaps wants something from her. Whatever the case, your elf friend is currently right there, inside the demon.”


    “She…”


    “What?” Hanabi exclaimed out loud, her surprise mirroring Mila’s.


    “Quite right. Our objective is now twofold, get her out of there and ascertain her condition. And more importantly, shatter the mana core and shut down that portal.”