Five minutes had passed, and Valorth had heard not a peep from the insides of Saint Lucy's Church. Fearful of what might be taking place inside, he pushed open the door and crept in.
It took him a while to find the trapdoor leading the lower section of the church, and once he did, he swiftly made his way down into the darkness.
The sound of soft groans drew him towards the furthest door to the left. He turned the corners prepared to activate the eye of remembrance, and do whatever was necessary to find a protect Dante. But when he found the young man, he was no longer in a state that needed protecting.
With his back up against the wall, blood dripping down his face, Dante lay. His clothes had been torn and he seemed to hover between a state of unconsciousness. His chest rose slowly, but there was hardly any life left in him.
No.
Valorth rushed over to the young boy, instantly falling to his knees and running a hand across his face gently.
"No, no, no!" He cried in fear.
Dante's eyes opened, and his dark eyes looked up Valorth, who now has tears streaming down his face. The young boy wore a faint smile on his face, filled with the innocence of youth.
"Are you proud of me, Valorth..." Dante croaked quietly. "I killed the priest."
Valorth was brought to pause at the young boys words. There was no sign of the priest, but he had hardly even thought about that. Instead, he was filled with sadness for his new friend. He feared that he would lose him due to a foolish decision made at his own decree.
But as Dante's breaths steadied, he realised that that wouldn't be the case. The boy was not so easily defeated, and his strength allowed him to carry on.
Valorth allowed a smile to curl at his lips, as he lifted to his feet, baring all of his weight for him as he aided him with every movement.
"Don't worry Dante, I'll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere that you will be safe, and can heal."
The pair wobbled over to the door, but before leaving the room, Dante croaked again. "Are you proud of me, Valorth?"
"Yes... Proud like you were my own little brother." Valorth responded with his whole heart. Dante let out a chuckle.
Worried that the boy was gradually losing his energy, Valorth sped up his steps and took more of the boys weight from his feet.
He had planned to stay behind and attempt to exorcise the priests spirit, hopefully preventing him awakening again. However, from the previous sight he had seen within the dream of Dante, and how the strange monster had devoured his father, he believed that the priest had met a similar fate.
He could only pray to Kacel, the Angel of Melodies, in hopes that his death was permanent.
"Wait!"
Dante's voice suddenly cut through the air as they went to ascend the staircase back to the church. Valorth stopped and looked down at the boy who now only had a singular eye.
"In the other rooms... The priest mentioned a woman... Said that there were others..."
A woman?
Valorth looked back at the corridor, only now paying attention to the three other rooms down in the underground area. With Dante's arm still around him, he hobbled over to the other doors and opened them one by one.
The first two were empty and void of any decoration or furniture. As he unlocked the last door, he was met with a similar interior.
Except there was someone laying down, asleep on the hard stone surface.
From the distance, Valorth could tell instantly that the woman was some sort of noble. She wore a green and black dress cut from elegant fabrics, however it had been dirtied in various places. She was faced towards the door, giving him sight of her face. She seemed to only slightly younger than Valorth, with blonde hair and glasses over her freckled face, giving her a distinguished look.
As they opened the door, her green eyes opened, staring at the two young men that had entered. Valorth and Dante stood there, bewildered as she pushed herself to a seated position. Her body seemed stiff as a dolls.
"You... You are not Priest Yadon?" She spoke with disbelief in her delicate voice.
"Yadon is dead." Valorth spat, before even contemplating whether it was a good idea. There was still chance that she was some sort of ally of his. After all, she wasn't chained up in anyway, only locked in the room from the outside.
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However, from the wide smile on her face, and the smile reaching her lips, Valorth guessed that wasn't the case. The woman clasped her hands together and prostrated her head to the ground.
"By the angels, my prayers have been answered." She sung.
Dante laughed quietly and looked up at Valorth with his good eye. "I didn't know I was an angel."
Ignoring them both, Valorth started to turn from the room. "You're free now. Please forget that you ever saw us. It could cause a lot of troubles."
"Wait!" She cried before she could leave, stopping Valorth in his tracks once again. He sighed and turned around to face her.
The woman had now pushed herself to her feet. She was slightly shorter than Valorth, and despite being dirty and bruised, she still carried an air of nobility with her.
"How did you know the priests plans?" She then asked, confusing Valorth even further.
"His plans?"
Valorth noticed that Dante didn't seem surprised at the ladies words. It seemed that more was going on that he had been aware of. After all, his main plans were to bring Dante back to safety, which so far, he had failed to do so.
In response, the lady clutched at her dress and displayed a look of anger on her face. Not directed at them, but rather a distant thought. She took a step closer and clasped her hands together pleadingly.
"Please, I don't know who either of you are, but you are good enough men to take down the priest and set me free. I don't know who sent you to save me, but I have information to repay you with. Information regarding a conspiracy that will change the world as we know it for the worse!" Her words grew increasingly troubled as she continued to speak.
She has it completely wrong. We didn't come here for you, nor did we even know that the priest had a prisoner.
But a conspiracy...
"Do you know how to treat wounds?" Valorth sighed.
The lady tipped her glasses and glanced over at Dante, who had long since stabilised, yet still needed his eye treated. Afterwards, she nodded her head aggressively.
"It's a requirement for every lady of arms to know first aid, so of course. But it would be better for you to visit my home. There I can treat you properly."
---
As it was night time, the trio were able to avoid peculiar looks and questions from the other civilians of the city. That didn't change that it was an incredibly strange experience for the three of them. They exchanged hardly any words as they walked, with Valorth carrying Dante as they followed the lady who led the way.
Luckily she lived close to the church. Her house wasn't the largest of noble houses they had seen in the city, but it was by far much more grand than the other standard houses of the city. It stood tall with wide windows and a neat row of steps leading up to the front door, where shiny brass knockers and a pair of gas lamps gave it an air of quiet importance.
It was a stark contrast to the lifestyle that Valorth had led his whole life, and for a moment, he felt like he was stepping into a place that he shouldn't be.
Yet still, the lady opened her door, and look back at the two young men before entering. "Please keep the noise down. My family are asleep and I would prefer if they didn't know I was back yet."
Valorth and Dante both raised a brow with confusion as they followed her into the house.
Is it normal for a noble led not to want her parents to know about her safety. Perhaps there's some sort of infighting in the family?
Also there were no lights on, the interior of the house was beautiful, but didn't take Valorth by surprise. Having spent years in the Uradesh Palace, he was no stranger to luxury, and this was just on a smaller scale.
The lady led them down the corridors of the first floor and into what seemed to be a small library, or study room. The smell of wood clung to the air as towering bookshelfs surrounding a small round table at the center.
She gestured for the young men to sit down before heading back out of the room and returning minutes later holding a tray of bandages, antiseptics and many other resources used for medical care.
Dante looked at her with his singular wary eye. The other has long since been sealed by dry blood.
"Alright then." She said, grabbing hold of the water and a cloth. "Let's get this sorted out first then."
With delicate hands, the young noble lady got to work. She seemed to be telling the truth about having experience in the medical fields, as she moved with careful efficiency.
As Valorth sat on the sidelines, watching the scene, he finally decided to ask. "What's your name? There are so many nobles in Uradesh that I struggle to keep tabs on them all."
The lady didn't chuckle at his joke and simply continued working.
"Lucia Windelle." She said through pursed lips. "Just another noble as you said."
"Interesting. I don't know any noble ladies that end up kidnapped under the basements of churches." Valorth replied, resting his chin on his palm.
Lucia ignored the young man's retort as she finishes wrapping the bandage around Dante's eye. The young boy now looked like a pirate who had seen a rough time out at sea, but he seemed much happier now that he had been treated.
Lucia let out a deep breathe as she took a seat opposite the two men, twirling her fingers nervously and constantly adjusting the strands of her curly blonde hair.
"Priest Yadon is a friend of the family, and an even closer friend to me." She finally began with a tone that hinted at sadness. "He used to tell me tales about our patron angel, and he was an angel worth worshipping. He taught me many things that my father didn't.
That doesn't sound anything like the man me and Dante met.
"Until, the first descent of the angel." She quivered. "When the angel came down from the heavens and landed in our city palace, everything about the priest changed. He stopped inviting me to the church, even though we would meet every night to speak of religion."
"So, this morning before the church service, I decided to visit the church anyway. It's owned by my family after all, so I'm granted access whenever I like."
That caught Valorth off guard.
Is Saint Lucy her ancestor? She has the blonde hair and freckles to match after all.
Dante simply sat there, listening closely.
"That was when he told me about the heart."
Her voice suddenly went grave, as though she had been forced to relieve her worst memory. Valorth noticed her hands start to shake.
"He told me that he had a heart prepared for me, and that I must eat it. When I refused, telling him that it was not only a crime, but a sin..." Her eyes wandered to the ground.
"He locked you in the basement, and planned to force you to eat it?" Dante finished for her. Lucia nodded her head.
"And as he did, he mumbled all sorts of things." She continued, regathering her bearings. "About how it was for the greater good, and that Olon has a plan for us all."
Hearing the name, Valorth and Dante looked over at each other. The young boy shrugged his shoulders and pouted his lips.
Ulon? Who the hell is Olon?