The knight captain was shocked.
As were the other guards on the wall when they realized whom the hooded figures accompanying border patrol were.
The Aura Wielders of northern Imperium were a secretive and mysterious brotherhood who rarely left their temple in the frozen tundra. Though they were bound by oath to serve the monarch, even Queen Matilda knew better than to call on them unless absolutely necessary.
No amount of her military might could stand against their magical prowess.
The people of Imperium held Aurors in high regard and believed they were blessed by the gods.
Up until 400 years ago, very little was known about them apart from the fact that they possessed the ability to draw magic out of their souls and used it to fight off demonic forces.
The last time they had been in Elysium had been to deal with an infestation that had overwhelmed the Pope and resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians, including Saintess Joan.
They had also been the ones to inform the Cromwell family of the changed nature of the lake near the mountainous border where both the Demon Lord and the Saintess had died.
It was a hotbed of magical instability and as such Aurors routinely journeyed there to purify it of black magic on an annual basis. Though they were unsuccessful in purifying the waters fully.
Consequently, the area was monitored by knights from both kingdoms.
-------
The palace knights granted the party entrance and led them inside.
Fears had already risen high in the capital city and probably across Elysium by now.
The prior day, Saintess Helena had announced the rise of a demonic entity and witches during the ceremony where she had showcased her acquisition of the Holy Sword.
What was meant to be a day of celebration had effectively turned into disaster after another earthquake had shaken the central cathedral.
That, combined with the sudden disappearance of the Pope and now the arrival of Aurors at the imperial palace only confirmed that the threat was upon them.
Not hidden and soon to come, but here now.
Why was the Pope missing?
What was the Saintess intending to do?
Gossip quickly spread amongst the palace servants as the Aurors were led into the throne room where the king had yet to arrive as he had not yet been informed. However, some of the members of his council were already present and greeted the Imperium guests with shock.
Unlike the royal guard, they recognized the insignia upon the hoods of the priests at once.
Before any questions arose, the king arrived at a hurried pace with his entourage. His eyes too widened in alarm when he realized who was in his throne room.
It had not been his secretary who had come to his chamber to inform him, but rather one of the guards.
And he didn't convey the message in a way that did anything other than alarm King Robert. All he had heard was that a demonic entity had been traced at Lake Joan and that Aura Wielders had arrived at his doorstep seeking his audience.
What the hell was happening?!
Hadn't Saintess Helena informed them that the new threat was under her control?
But the girl had appeared quite helpless and ignorant when he had interrogated her at the church after the earthquake. It appeared she did not know anything and had only said what the Pope had instructed her.
But now the man himself was missing!
Where had he gone?
Now the Imperium Aurors were here?
For the first time in 400 years!?
"Your Majesty!"
All the knights, Aurors, councilmen and servants fell to their knees upon spotting King Robert enter the room.
Robert took his seat upon the throne and raised a hand. "Rise and speak! Tell me why you are in my palace!"
The brotherhood remained kneeling, only the one in front stood back up and lowered his hood to address the king. "Your highness, King Robert, our liege, Queen Matilda has a powerful Oracle in her service who aids her queenship directly. A week ago, we received a missive from our Queen informing us that her Oracle had a vision of a clash between demonic and holy power unfolding near Lake Joan."
"When my brothers and I arrived there, what we saw was indeed the aftermath of such an exchange. The air was heavy with black magic and three people of suspicion vanished before we could interrogate them. A dark entity had been summoned---"
The man halted his words when the king raised a hand.
"Our Saintess has already informed us of the reemergence of a demonic entity and witches in Elysium. Lake Joan is already being monitored by my soldiers. As it has been for hundreds of years. I'm fully aware that my sister has her men patrolling the area as well." King Robert intoned. "How could something like this have unfolded? Aren't the brotherhood from the Adul Temple purifying the area every year? Matilda said as much."
The leader nodded. "Yes, your majesty, we are, but we have been unsuccessful in the recent years. Up until two decades ago we were able to bring the residue of black magic down to a level that would not cause harm, but now something has drastically shifted in the water. The holy magic within it has been dwindling and the demonic mark has grown stronger."
"The holy magic? Is that from the deceased Saintess? Saintess Joan?" King Robert asked.
"Yes, sire. The fight that unfolded there 400 years ago caused a tear in the fabric between this world and the underworld. Saintess Joan's sacrifice prevents the tear from enlarging. The brotherhood have been able to do no more than diminish the dark magic that leaks out of it."
"What happened in the last two decades that made the situation worse?" One of the councilmen asked.
"And the three individuals that vanished, who, were they witches? The ones Saintess Helena spoke of yesterday?" Another asked.
The leader paused for a moment. "We do not believe so. The magic that was left in their wake was holy. We believe they fought and destroyed a lesser demonic entity. A monster that took the form of a massive serpent. A larger threat still remains, we can sense it in the air."
"A massive serpent!?" A council member gasped. "So there is a dead monster laying near Lake Joan?"
"No, it turned into ash after it was slayed. Beasts summoned by black magic do not have corporeal forms once killed."
The soldiers from border patrol looked grim as they contemplated.
Had they almost had to face off against a monster? If they had arrived sooner?
They could still recall the echoes of the beast that had driven them to investigate. At the time, they had no idea what kind of creature would roar like that.
So it had been a demonic snake beast.
A murmur rose.
King Robert rubbed at his chin, his eyes narrowing. "Three individuals who displayed holy power. That can only mean they were saints as well."
Had the Goddess blessed others apart from the Pope and Helena?
"They did not display holy power, your highness, they left traces of it in the air. We also saw an infinity symbol. That is Goddess Kartara's mark."
"What are you saying?" The king asked.
"There were two men and one woman. We do not know if all three possessed magical prowess, but we did see what we believe was the Holy Sword among them! It was in the hands of one of the men."
"A man? The Goddess's sword is in the possession of our Saintess! How could it be in the hands of another man? Are you certain about this?"
The leader nodded. "We are certain. The infinity symbol is etched upon the Holy Sword. This is something documented in our religious scrolls and we saw it firsthand on the sword the man carried. It glowed brightly before he and his companions disappeared."
The king rubbed his temple. "This is not making sense. The Holy Sword is with Saintess Helena. She alone was able to retrieve it, not any man. It had been embedded in stone for thousands of years until she pulled it out. That is what Pope Matthew told us all."
The leader gestured for his brethren to all stand up. "If I may, your majesty, but we would like to go to the Goddess's temple and speak to both the Pope and the Saintess. That would be the best way to clear up the confusion."
The king shook his head. "The Pope is missing and the Saintess is...she has the sword but she does not know anything."
"The Pope is missing?" The council men were as confused as the Aurors.
"We heard that there have been two earthquake at the temple." The leader stated. "That is not a coincidence. Whatever is happening at the border must be connected to what is happening at your temple. We must go at once, your highness."
King Robert nodded. He looked to his knights. "Escort them there immediately!"
The entire hall was abuzz.
Many people had arrived to eavesdrop.
The fear was palpable.
Suddenly, Crown Prince Constantine, Second Prince Florentine and Young Marquis Liam appeared.
One of the Auror's pointed a finger. "You! You were there!"
--------
Hundreds of miles away, and situated in the northern region of the continent...
Inside the royal palace of the kingdom of Imperium, the Oracle of Queen Matilda suddenly collapsed to her knees and clutched her head.
Her eyes grew cloudy as her mind filled with images of a bloodbath.
"Killings! Killings! There has been another killing! Children! Babies! Over a hundred lives lost!"