Chapter 205: The Light Beneath the Shadows

Elias slowly sat up and held Natasha’s face with his hand, offering her a calm smile as he gently brushed his thumb across her cheek.

[You do not have to force yourself to tell me anything you are not ready to share,] he reassured her.

Natasha stared into his black eyes for a while before lowering her head, her golden eyes trembling slightly as she gathered her thoughts.

[I want to tell you,] she replied.

[All right,] Elias said, shifting beside her before patting his thighs. [Come.]

Natasha blinked twice, seemingly surprised by his invitation, but a warm smile soon appeared on her face as she lowered her head onto his thighs.

Elias gently brushed her hair away from her forehead, allowing her to settle comfortably before she finally began speaking.

[I am not from the Dracarian Kingdom...]

His hand gradually slowed until it nearly stopped moving, and he stared down at her with a surprised look.

[What?] he muttered.

Natasha closed her eyes and continued, her voice carrying a hint of sorrow as memories from her distant past resurfaced.

[I am from Jorn. Fifteen years ago, my parents and I lived in the city closest to the eastern border of the Dracarian Kingdom. Then the war happened, and the city came under Dracarian rule.]

---

"Why...?" the nine-year-old Natasha mumbled as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Clutching a small wooden toy against her chest, she struggled to remain standing while staring at the two people lying motionless before her. They rested on a thin blanket that had served as their mattress for years, and their faces had grown so pale that she could barely recognize the warmth she had once associated with them.

"Why did you lie to me...?" she whispered again, her trembling voice barely escaping her throat.

The two people lying before her were none other than her parents, the ones who had given her life and everything she had ever wanted.

The war had left her father unable to earn a living, and although her parents had struggled to provide for their little family, they had always insisted that everything was fine whenever she asked about their circumstances. Too young to understand the truth, Natasha had believed them without question, trusting their reassuring smiles whenever they told her not to worry.

However, as the months passed, she gradually began noticing the changes in their lives. Her parents fell sick more frequently, their bodies grew thinner, and their faces became increasingly pale, yet they continued pretending that nothing was wrong whenever she was around.

What Natasha had never realized was that the full meals she received each day came at the expense of her parents’ own nourishment, as they repeatedly gave up their portions to ensure their daughter would never have to go hungry.

Unfortunately, love and care alone could not sustain a body forever, and eventually, the consequences of their sacrifices caught up with them. One night, after enduring far more than their weakened bodies could bear, they closed their eyes and never woke up again.

At the age of nine, Natasha had become an orphan, and in her childish understanding of the world, she could think of only one reason for what had happened.

It was her fault.

She remembered clutching her parents’ bodies as though refusing to let them go could somehow bring them back, and she remembered slamming her fists against the ground until blood seeped through her skin. She screamed until her voice disappeared, then continued crying until exhaustion finally overwhelmed her and dragged her into unconsciousness.

Yet, when she eventually opened her eyes again, she found herself in a place she could hardly recognize.

Instead of the old wooden house, with its broken walls and rotten boards, she lay on a soft bed with a thick mattress beneath her. Her injured fists had been carefully wrapped in bandages, and someone had changed her dirty clothes into a pristine white dress that seemed far too pure for a girl who believed she had caused her parents’ deaths.

That was the day she met the woman who would change her life and give her a new purpose.

Priest Sarina Lois.

Sarina was a beautiful woman, not merely because of her appearance but also because of the warmth and compassion that seemed to accompany everything she did.

At first, Natasha remained cautious around her, frightened that this unfamiliar woman might hurt her or abandon her once she discovered how troublesome she was. However, Sarina never raised her voice at the little girl or demanded that she explain herself, instead giving her time to recover while patiently looking after her needs.

Then, one evening, Sarina took Natasha to a garden behind the church.

Beneath a young tree, Natasha discovered two freshly made graves.

She recognized the names engraved upon them immediately, and her small hands began trembling as she slowly approached the graves of her parents.

Sarina stood beside her for a while before gently resting a hand on her shoulder, allowing the little girl to grieve before she finally spoke.

"This young tree is you, Natasha."

"At the moment, it is simply one of many young trees growing in this world, but one day, it will grow big and strong, providing shade, fruits, and even the breath of life to those around it," the priestess explained with a gentle smile.

Natasha lifted her tearful eyes toward the woman, uncertain what she meant, but Sarina continued without losing her warmth.

"One day, you, too, will grow big and strong and change the world for the better."

"That is why your parents nurtured you until their last breath, and now they are nurturing this young tree as well, because they believe both of you have what it takes to make this world a better place."

Those words remained etched into Natasha’s heart, becoming a small light she could cling to whenever the memories of her parents threatened to overwhelm her.

From that day onward, Sarina cared for her like a mother, bathing her, feeding her, teaching her to read and write, and telling her stories about the world beyond the small city.

Slowly, the frightened little girl began to trust the priestess, and the warmth she had lost with her parents gradually returned to her life.

One afternoon, when Natasha was ten years old, she walked beside Sarina after they had finished their visit to the church.

"Why did you come to this... vile place?" she asked, glancing at the impoverished streets surrounding them.

Sarina paused for a moment before smiling and lifting the little girl into her arms, carrying her as they continued along the road.

"There is no vile place in this world, Natasha, only vile people," she replied. "Adults who lack compassion for anyone who is not theirs or who is not similar to them are the ones who cause suffering to the weak and the common folk."

Natasha listened quietly, resting her head against Sarina’s shoulder as the priestess continued.

"We already have more than enough darkness in this world, and what we need is to come together and create a light so bright that darkness simply cannot exist beneath it."

Those words became another lesson Natasha carried with her as the years passed, shaping her understanding of kindness, compassion, and the responsibility that came with possessing the strength to help others.

For the next two years, Natasha continued living under Sarina’s care, and both of them eagerly awaited the day she would turn twelve and undergo the awakening ceremony that would determine whether she could become a spiritualist.

Neither of them doubted that Natasha possessed the necessary talent, but the Sun Church required proof of her awakening before she could officially enter its ranks. They needed something undeniable, something that would demonstrate that the little girl Sarina had taken under her wing was worthy of becoming a spiritualist.

And when the day finally arrived, the proof they received surpassed even their expectations.

The twelve-year-old Natasha knelt before a grand depiction of the Sun, her small hands cupped before her mouth as she awaited the beginning of the ceremony.

Sarina stood directly before her, holding a glass jug filled with a shimmering silver liquid known as the Dew of Spirit.

Sarina raised the jug and began chanting the names of the Old Gods, her voice echoing throughout the sacred chamber as she carefully poured the liquid over Natasha’s cupped hands.

"The Dragon of Dawn, the Mistress of Death, the Messiah of Light, the Monarch of Night, the Slaughterer of Winter, the Wolf of Moon and Sun, and the Spider of Old Woods."

The silver liquid flowed between Natasha’s fingers, and as a single drop of dew slid down her throat, her eyes suddenly snapped open.

A blinding golden light erupted from them, illuminating the chamber with such brilliance that everyone present instinctively shielded their faces. The light spread across the walls and ceiling, bathing the entire sanctuary in a radiance unlike anything the gathered clergy had ever witnessed.

It was a spectacle without precedent, an awakening so extraordinary that even Sarina stood frozen in astonishment as she watched the golden brilliance pouring from the little girl before her.

Yet, as the light reached its brightest point, someone else became aware of Natasha’s presence.

For the brighter the sun shone, the darker the shadows became.

Somewhere else on the continent, a different group became aware of the awakening. They were known not for their compassion or devotion to any doctrine, but for their cruelty and overwhelming strength.

A calm voice spread through a chamber shrouded in darkness, carrying a certainty that left no room for doubt.

"They are here."

The darkness seemed to deepen around the unseen speaker as the voice continued, its words filled with quiet anticipation.

"It is time for demons to rise once more... Go, my little pawns, go find this world’s new ruler."

"Bring them to the Night Shade!"