In a battle-ready stance, Solen stared at Lilathra, who had just fallen unconscious at his feet. His luminous blue eyes quickly scanned the charging threat. "This demon isn't anywhere near high-class... its surreal appearance must have overwhelmed her senses."
ROAAAAAARRRRR!!!!
The Minotaur charged at Solen with raging speed, its massive body shaking the very ground of the ancient temple. Solen casually sidestepped, letting the momentum carry the beast past him.
Swing!
The Minotaur's colossal axe, imbued with dark energy, casually destroyed a huge, ancient pillar, sending stone fragments showering across the chamber. It continued to swing wildly, hoping to land a hit on the nimble Saint.
"This could be a good time to test my new techniques," Solen mused, effortlessly weaving through the devastating, yet slow, arcs of the axe.
Kick!
A casual, high-speed kick from Solen's holy-armored boot struck the Minotaur's side. Despite its immense size and physique, the blow sent the demon crashing into the temple wall, leaving a massive crater.
The Minotaur roared, its red eyes blazing, and charged again with its massive horns lowered. Solen countered, his movements a blur.
"Lux Primum!"
The technique sent his fist, radiating pure light, striking the Minotaur at the speed of light. It landed a clean jab directly on its face. The impact bruised the demon's visage badly, sending it crashing backward, ultimately destroying two nearby ruined pillars.
Solen once again changed his stance, striking a preparatory high-speed movement pose. "Cursum Lucis!" He burst into a massively hypersonic dash, appearing at multiple spots around the Minotaur, creating afterimages that disoriented the beast.
"Seraphine Luxora!" The attack came crashing down from above, a focused beam of holy energy that completely eradicated the demon, turning it into dissipating particles of dark energy.
Solen stood amidst the fading dust. "I've grown quite stronger since the first time I joined the Sanctuary," he affirmed, clenching his fist. A wave of satisfaction washed over him, quickly followed by pragmatic self-assessment. "I'll still have to find a way to properly combo those techniques, because against a high-class demon like Argares, all those would have been futile...".
A Helping Hand, A Fluttering Heart
Solen carried Lilathra out of the ruin. As the fresh air hit her, she slowly regained consciousness.
"What happened earlier?" she questioned, her blue eyes blinking in confusion.
"She doesn't remember what happened back then..."* Solen thought, quickly forming a plausible explanation. "Nothing really... I think you passed out due to fatigue or shock from the ruins' atmosphere."
"I see then..." Lilathra began to sob softly, her shoulders shaking.
"H-h-hey... what are you getting all teary about?" Solen questioned, feeling a pang of concern.
"Well... I did get so close to finally solving the final puzzle of my existence... and I messed it up," she sulked.
"It's not your fault you don't understand those inscriptions. Come on... don't be hard on yourself!" he replied, his voice gentle. "Nonetheless... I have a friend who could know something about it. I'll try getting him to help us out!" Solen assured her.
"R-really? Thank you so much!" Lilathra yelled, briefly hugging Solen tightly out of pure excitement. She pulled back quickly, a slight blush on her cheeks. "S-so sorry about that..."
"I-it's fine, really..." Solen stammered, his own cheeks warming. "Let's talk more about ourselves, huh?"
"Well, sure... the day is still quite young, and I brought a lot of refreshments to keep us company," Lilathra said with a heartwarming smile.
Solen's heart beat faster again. "This feeling again... why can't I get my attention off you..." he thought, admiringly staring at Lilathra as she spoke, captivated by her charm.
It was already evening when they returned from the ruins. "Your story about becoming an Absolute Guardian is truly inspiring... I hope you achieve it someday," Lilathra said, her voice soft as she bid him goodnight and went into her room.
The Truth of a Stray
Solen tried to sneak back into his room, but the undying gaze of Pollux was already awaiting him. His partner sat cross-legged on the floor, arms folded, an aggressive scowl on his face.
"Is that how it is, Solen? Have you finally lost your sense of duty?!" Pollux questioned, his voice sharp.
Solen let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry about today, Pollux. I just had to do something really important."
"More important than the Almighty's work? More important than your goals and the Sanctuary?" Pollux continued, his tone cutting. "You have no idea the privileges you enjoy, being a Saint and not having to go through any formal exam or disciplinary training. And now it's badly affecting your performance and sense of duty!"
"I already apologized, so can you leave me be?!" Solen said, his voice laced with remorse.
"Accept it or not, this only proved one thing! The fact that the qualities of a stray still run deep within you!" Pollux yelled, his voice rising to a crescendo.
"I KNOW!!!!!" Solen screamed, his voice raw. A sudden, deafening silence befell Pollux.
"I know I'm not good enough... I know I'm a stray... I know I'll never meet expectations... I know I'm not strong enough... I know all these things too well, but I still carry on..." Solen continued, uncontrollable tears streaming down his eyes. "I know I don't have a place of belonging in this world... that's why I'd give anything to know my true origins."
His voice dropped to a low, subtle whisper, choked with emotion. "I recently met a girl about my age who is embarking on a journey to find a relic that could retrieve her memories. Being drawn by our similarities, I desperately wanted to know my origins as well." More visible tears streamed down his face. "We're so close to finding this relic, but please, we'll need your help to make the final breakthrough." Solen knelt down, his head touching the ground, as he pleaded with Pollux.
Pollux sighed, the anger draining from his face, replaced by a quiet contemplation. He sat on the ground, legs crossed, his arms still folded.
"Sometimes, we're better off living with no knowledge of our past and creating a safe future ahead instead," Pollux spoke, his voice surprisingly gentle as he reached out and raised Solen's head from the ground. "The Phallanx family... known for raising Holy Warriors with earth-splitting strength... I, Phallanx Pollux... was a defect."
Solen looked up in shock, completely hooked. "A defect?"
"Yeah... due to my slender physique, I had little to no childhood privileges at all. I faced a lot of pressure to get stronger and more muscular like my brother, Castor... so much pressure that I almost gave it all up one day," Pollux said, a rare vulnerability in his voice. "And then a new sense of determination sparked within me... 'I'll surprise them all... I'll surprise my dad, the clan leader, and the whole clan by becoming one of the strongest Saints to ever exist! A Knight of Wonder!'" Pollux's voice echoed with an unyielding determination.
Solen stared in awe and admiration, having just seen a new, deeply human side of his calculating partner.
"All that being said... I'll help you get that relic," Pollux declared. "But if it's an unholy relic, promise me we'd have nothing to do with it!"
"I-I promise! Thank you so much!" Solen replied, his voice filled with relief.
"Make talking with me more often a habit... I don't bite, you know?" Pollux added, a faint smirk touching his lips. "By the way, I was able to run an investigation and get the nature of demons in Lucenford's forbidden cave... so today still somewhat turned out well." He stood up. "We should go to bed now... tomorrow is a long day." Pollux lay on his bed, pulling a thick blanket over himself.
Solen went to bed as well, switching off the night lights and giving himself a good night's rest.
The Forbidden Relic
The next day, Lilathra, Solen, and Pollux were already navigating the ruin. They reached the door with the ancient inscriptions again, and this time, Pollux was able to translate it and solve the hidden puzzle to open the massive door.
C... c... creak!!!!
The door burst open, revealing a massive, ancient chamber with a pulsating, golden orb floating at its center.
Suddenly, a huge, mid-class demon with the features of a werewolf approached them, its body radiating dark energy. It was the guardian of the orb. Pollux gently tapped Lilathra's forehead with his finger, and she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, safe from the coming battle.
On the demon's chest was a brightly glowing red orb, signifying the core of its weakness. It growled violently as Solen and Pollux materialized their divine weapons.
"I'll assume this is another reason you wanted me here, right? In case something like this showed up," Pollux questioned, readying his bow.
"Indeed... my fears were right," Solen answered, his gauntlets shimmering.
The demon dashed forward with blinding speed, its metal claws slicing through the air in its path.
BOOM!
Its brute force was met with a powerful counter from Solen, a clash that caused a small-scale destruction to the surrounding debris.
"Velux Telum!" A purple projectile quickly emerged from Pollux's harrow & swift bow, piercing through the demon's skin.
The demon screamed violently as steam emerged from where the wound was situated, sealing it up.
"It regenerates, too? I see..." Pollux calmly calculated, already preparing his next shot.
The werewolf tried to violently close the distance on Pollux, but it was interrupted by Solen's lightspeed jab. "Lux Primum!" The werewolf was sent flying many meters backward.
"No time to waste!" Pollux's divine weapon was already aimed at the werewolf. "Phantom Starfall!" Thousands of green arrow beams, coated with holy energy, massacred the demon, destroying its regenerating form and completely eradicating it.
"Way to go!" Solen cheered Pollux on.
As they approached the golden orb, they felt a strong, unsettling dark energy emerge from it. Both Saints instantly recoiled, rejecting the thought of using such a tainted relic.
In an instant, Lilathra, who had been sleeping, ran past them. Before either could react, she touched the orb. It was absorbed into her body at once.
"When did she..." Pollux wondered, unable to believe he hadn't even felt her presence as she moved.
"Thank you guys so much! I finally feel whole again! All my memories are back," Lilathra said, her blue eyes shining with newfound clarity.
"Such an artifact shouldn't have been wielded by a human... hope she'll be safe," Pollux thought, a flicker of concern in his usually calm demeanor.
"W-well... you're welcome..." Solen replied, still reeling from the sudden turn of events.
They escorted her out of the ruin before embarking on their own journey into the cave, with what little time they had left.
The Succubus's Pact
It was already evening, and Lilathra stared at Solen and Pollux returning from their journey. A shadowy figure, its presence unsettlingly familiar, now stood beside her.
"You'll have to finish it, Lilathra," the figure whispered, its voice like dry leaves scraping together.
"The energy within that orb shouldn't be absorbed by you, but by him rather... but knowing he'd kick against the use of the orb, you absorbed it into your own body to store it, waiting to send it back to him when the time is right," the figure added. "And I'd like to believe that the only way to do that now is with a kiss... a pact of transfer."
"I know all this fully well," she spoke, her voice now devoid of its former innocence. The moonlight caressed her blue hair and her now subtly seductive body, revealing a predatory grace.
"The heart of men has been my toy for ages... and it would make no difference now."
"I'm Lilathra, the Succubus, after all..."