"Miss, are you ready?"
Four people stood attentively around the enormous altar surrounded by pearls and sandalwood leaves, which exuded a pleasant fragrance.
The first to speak was her. Her elegant smile did not match the marks on her skin left by age, and her hair cascaded down in a pale shade.
She wore ceremonial violet robes, shining earrings, and rings spread across her fingers.
"Yes. I'm ready."
Emily answered.
"No, wait, Emily." Vice-commander Reivan interrupted. "We already used the critiques we have from the orthodox gods and still received no response. Using the general critic is not a good idea."
"Sir, your concern is valid, but if we wish to obtain an answer, at this moment our only option is to use the general criticism."
After Emily accepted becoming an official member of the SYNC mercenary squad, Reivan immediately proceeded with the arrangements previously prepared by the commander. Which mainly included performing a divine channeling ritual to discover Emily's Superior.
The squad possessed three critiques belonging to orthodox gods and two from non-orthodox divinities. At that moment, the priestess had already conducted three divine channel attempts using the orthodox gods' critiques, all without any response from the deities.
Reivan was uneasy. Even though he had received clear instructions from the commander to proceed with the ritual, he also knew the risks of attempting contact through the general critic and would certainly be held responsible if anything bad happened to the princess.
"Emily…"
he began.
"I think it would be better to stop here and wait for further instructions from the commander."
He turned, making eye contact with the golden-haired swordswoman wearing a blue overcoat over her uniform and carrying a sheathed sword at her waist.
"Fine by me. I'm hungry, actually. Sorry, that has nothing to do with the mission." Niora yawned, placing a hand in front of her mouth.
Emily's vibrant blue eyes stared at the squad's second-in-command while her eyelids became heavier and heavier, harder to keep open…
Her head tilted slightly to the side. Within seconds, her eyes fully closed and…
Paaah.
The swordsman Niora was the first to notice. Reivan, who had been facing her direction, was the last. As for the refined priestess, she subtly widened her eyes before walking toward the girl collapsed over the preparations for the next ritual.
"Emily?! Emily?!"
Reaching the princess quickly, Niora carefully lifted her head and brought an ear close to her nostrils.
"She's breathing! Her body's a little cold, but she's still breathing normally."
Carefully, Niora pressed the back of her fingers above the left side of the princess's chest, feeling the constant pounding of her heart.
"Heartbeat's normal too."
The vice-commander's racing heart managed to calm somewhat upon hearing that Emily apparently was not in danger.
"Miss Muzias, do you know what might've happened? I mean… Forgive me, I'm the one not being reasonable in a situation like this."
Muzias, the priestess responsible for conducting the ritual attempts, did not seem bothered by the brief complaint from the platinum-haired mercenary.
After looking around and confirming that both the sandalwood leaves and the precious stones and incense on the altar remained untouched, she simply stayed thoughtful while observing the swordswoman holding the princess.
"It isn't impossible, but it's highly unlikely that this is an activated divine channel. There's no active channel semicircle on the altar, much less a malicious presence fo—"
She interrupted herself when her deep brown eyes gained an intense violet coloration while staring at the unconscious princess.
At that moment, both vice-commander Reivan and the swordswoman Niora were incapable of seeing what the priestess saw.
"Her head."
"What did you say?"
Reivan asked, one arm crossed while the other hand rested against his forehead.
"The activity in her brain is extremely high."
Kneeling down on one knee, Muzias brushed part of Emily's blonde hair behind her ear. Finally, her eyes returned to their brown coloration.
"Do either of you have any idea what this could be?"
Reivan and Niora exchanged glances and remained silent for a few seconds before one of them finally answered.
"Dreams. She already reported having some power related to dreams."
The one who answered was the vice-commander.
"You think… she's dreaming right now?"
Muzias straightened her posture before answering:
"I don't just think so. I'm certain of it."
Reivan paced back and forth without any clear direction as the minutes passed.
The priestess even offered to bring them water while they waited, but both refused.
And Niora never once let go of or left the unconscious girl's side.
Since there was no nearby bed in the temple, they ultimately chose to wait there until Emily finally woke up.
"Uh… Muzias, is there any tradition or religion that worships a god related to dreams?"
Internally, Reivan bit down on his own gums.
Because of his role and work, the vice-commander knew a little about religion, divinities, and ascendents, but not enough to be considered a fervent devotee. He himself had no habit of attending temples or participating in masses. To him, it was more a matter of work than a way of life.
"Yes. I can mention, for example, the religion that praises the Hermit Angel, who they say grants peace and protection to the mind. There's also the Thinker. I don't know much beyond the fact that His followers seem to worship the absolute pursuit of knowledge."
"And of course, I cannot dismiss my own goddess. Lady of beauty, harvests, and all the strength that comes from the heart. The Violet Maiden."
Yeah… If the Violet Maiden really is Emily's Superior, that would solve an enormous problem. We wouldn't need to deal with an untrustworthy divinity.
Reivan silently nodded.
Gasp!
Inhaling a massive amount of air, the sleeping princess lifted her torso and opened her eyes.
Huff! Huff!
"Emily?"
Niora was the first to move even closer.
Reivan also approached but remained standing.
Meanwhile, the priestess kept a certain distance.
"Did you have another dream?"
Still breathing heavily, Emily nodded in response to Niora's question.
"My… huff! Superior… said for me to… huff! not seek Him out for now."
What?
Niora and Reivan thought exactly the same thing. She raised an eyebrow while he twisted his lips in disbelief.
The princess coughed, trying to disguise the urge to laugh at the reaction of her squad superiors.
"It's different… but we can only accept it."
The three turned their attention back to the priestess Muzias.
"If a certain god does not wish to be 'disturbed' at the moment, what could we mere mortals possibly do? Going against His or Her will does not seem like a good idea."
She smiled sarcastically.
"I can only say that this being seems somewhat… evasive. Perhaps there is some dispute among divinities, something beyond our understanding. I too am merely a servant of god, am I not?"
Muzias chose poetic words to end the matter.
"Okay… I think we can consider the situation resolved for now. But Emily, are you sure you're alright? Any strange sensation, discomfort?"
Reivan asked one last time.
"No, no. Everything's fine."
Emily denied any complications.
"Once we leave here, I'll write a message to the commander." The vice-commander whispered.
"And Miss Muzias… thank you very much for your help. Let us simply keep this moment confidential."
The middle-aged woman, adorned with numerous accessories, slightly bowed her head in acknowledgment.
"None of you were ever here."
…
Already close to seven o'clock, Tom rolled sleepily in bed.
He was covered, yet his body still trembled from the cold.
I need to go to the library. That way I can save more money.
But why the hell is it so cold?
C'mon… just five more minutes and I'll get up…
At that moment, Tom was also being… evasive.