"I can't. As a fallen angel, do you expect me to still have divine powers? What a joke."
The smile I wore slowly faded into a frown as my eyes landed on the injured bird lying motionless on the table.
They could've just killed it. What a waste.
That was all I thought as I stared at it. Why let it linger if it's going to die anyway? It's just troublesome to clean its blood off the table—and the floor.
I shifted my gaze from the bird to the dripping blood. Then I stepped closer, lowering myself to my knees to observe it.
At least it's beautiful to look at.
"Lady Lilith."
The old man's voice echoed through the hall, making my spine shiver.
"What?" I replied, glancing up at him sharply. Slowly, I rose to my feet.
Every human in the hall stared at me—everyone except the commander. His gaze was locked onto the emperor.
"Holy Father," the priest called out, "prepare for the Lumen Ruinae ritual."
"B–But we cannot break the will of the gods!" The Holy Father stammered. "No one in this kingdom is unaware of the gods' strict decree! That ritual is cursed—"
"Enough. Do as you're told, Holy Father."
The emperor's cold voice cut through the air like a blade.
"As you wish... Your Majesty."
Before I could even process it, two men grabbed my arms. A woman, barely older than me, stepped forward and locked shackles onto my wrists—tight, cold, unyielding.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
A laugh slipped from my lips—sharp, unsettling. The sound made everyone in the room flinch.
How fun. Their fear replaced my annoyance with joy.
A man and a woman stepped forward from either side of me, each holding a bowl of strange liquid. They poured it out at my feet.
"Is that water?"
"Not quite," the Holy Priest replied. "It's called Aetherdew. It reveals. Nothing more, nothing less."
The ones who shackled me forced me to my knees, right into the center of the circle drawn in candlelight.
The hall plunged into darkness. Only the candles forming a massive circle around me remained, flickering like they were nervous to be here.
I closed my eyes with a tired sigh—but snapped them open as the sharp scent of blood hit me.
My blood.
I looked down at the strange water pooled beneath me, now tinged red. How was I bleeding?
My gaze flicked to my right leg—the one that had been aching ever since I jumped from the second floor back at school. Blood dripped steadily from a fresh wound.
New.
I scanned the room, but no one seemed to have done it. No one held weapons—aside from me. Yet my swords were still resting neatly on my waist, exactly where I'd left them.
And no one's clothes or shoes were even wet from the so called Aetherdew.
To be continued...