Aria hadn’t been satisfied with Eli’s responses, even though Walden seemed to have accepted them at face-value. But that was to be expected.

  Because the archbishop was only under the impression that the young boy had saved his own life. Walden hadn’t been made aware that Eli had saved Aria from the assassin as well. And that was because the Lady of Light had neglected to mention that fact to the elderly man.

  Aria knew that Walden would ask questions if he found out that Eli had somehow known that the assassin was actually after her. Because who wouldn’t ask questions?

  The Lady of Light herself wanted some answers from the young boy. But she didn’t want to get those answers from him in front of Walden.

  Because even though the archbishop raised her, he had also deceived her. He had lied to her. He was keeping secrets from her.

  There were many questions she wanted to ask Walden herself, but she had to wait until she had enough information before she could do that. And that was why she wanted to gather information.

  That was why she wanted to question Eli further— to figure out how exactly he knew about the assassin’s intentions to kill her.

  So Aria led Eli away from the Basilica of Lux. If she stayed around the premises of the building, she knew that Archbishop Walden could somehow overhear their conversation. That was why she brought him to the only place where she knew she had true privacy, while still within the safety of Lux.

  Perhaps the Lady of Light could have brought them outside of the city. But Hyperius could have always had another assassin waiting around, ready to strike at any moment. And if they took Eli hostage, then Aria would be in a lot of trouble.

  That was why she chose to bring Eli with her to the Holy Archives.

  Far beneath the Grand Temple of Light.

  Where nobody would go, and nobody could overhear their conversation.

  ***

  I followed Aria as she led me down the dark and dank stairwell.

  “Nobody will listen in on us down here,” she said simply as she led the way.

  I glanced around at the black brickstone that composed the walls surrounding us. Even though they were evidently ancient— thousands of years old— they weren’t even close to decaying. I ran a hand over their surface, and I knew the reason why.

  These walls were intertwined with magic. But it was not an ordinary enchantment that was easily carved onto its outer layer. No— it was lined with the spellwork to their very core. Even if I chipped a piece off the center of the brickstone, it would still be protected by the enchantment that was bound onto its surface.

  “The Holy Archives is protected by runes and spells that prevent any kind of scrying spell from peering in. Even a true [Archmage] would find it nearly impossible to spy on us down here.”

  The Lady of Light explained as we reached the bottom of the stairs. Waiting for us down there was a dwarf sitting behind a small wooden table. He blinked and looked up, before smiling as he saw Aria.

  “Ah, back already, Lady Aria?” the dwarf greeted her, before pausing when he saw me. “And who’s this?”

  “Apologies for intruding once again, Jaxon. This is… someone important to the future of the Church of Life.” Aria nodded at me, and I just waved apprehensively. “I need to speak with him in private, and this was the only place I could think of where I could do that.”

  “Oh?” The dwarf— Jaxon— blinked when he heard that. He rose to his feet and gestured for us to follow. “To think such a young child would be this important, huh? Of course, of course, come on in.”

  Jaxon brought the both of us to a massive vault-like door, undoing its enchantments for a brief moment and opening it. He ushered us in as we stepped into a dusty, old library. Well, to call it a library was even a stretch. It reminded me more of an abandoned cellar filled with rats or a crypt that would be crawling with undead.

  It was here where Aria and I were supposed to have our conversation. Hardly a fitting location to have any kind of conversation of import, but I had no say in the matter. All I could do was follow along and hope I didn’t get myself killed.

  Aria turned back to face the dwarf right before he began to close the vault-like door behind us.

  “By the way—” she started, drawing Jaxon’s attention. “If Archbishop Walden comes down here, don’t let him through.”

  “Why not?” The dwarf tilted his head curiously.

  I also couldn’t help but raise a brow at the request. But the Lady of Light just shook her head and spoke insistently.

  “It’s complicated. But… please, just do me this favor.”

  “I can’t promise I’ll be able to stop him, Lady Aria. But I will try my best to delay him and give you ample time to resolve this matter.” Jaxon nodded back at her with a wink.

  “Thank you, Jaxon,” Aria said as she smiled back at him.

  And with that, the dwarf closed the door behind us, leaving only myself and the Lady of Light.

  The [Hero] who killed me in my past life.

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  What was I even supposed to say at this moment? I didn’t know— I didn’t even know why she wanted to speak with me in private.

  Was she simply curious about how I knew about the assassin’s intentions to kill her instead of Walden? If that was the case, why didn’t she question me there and then in front of Walden?

  So if that was not it, was she onto me? Did she think I was the Death God?

  Or was she told by someone from the Church that I was the next [Hero]— that I was supposed to be her successor?

  I didn’t know. So all I could do was prod the Lady of Light, see what she knew, before going off from there. I looked back towards Aria as she met my gaze. Even though it had been about fifty years since we first met each other, she looked like she had barely aged since then. Her golden blonde hair was a little bit longer than before, and her pearl-blue eyes were now tired and weary, no longer carrying the same idealistic beliefs she did back then.

  It was almost a familiar scene— the both of us, meeting in private to work together. Even though we were supposed to be enemies.

  I snapped out my stupor as I reminded myself of the situation I was in. Right now, I’m Eli. Nox is dead, and as far as I am aware that she is aware, I am just a student of the Holy Academy…

  “Lady Aria,” I said, my voice seemingly also breaking the former [Hero] out of her thoughts. “May I ask why have you brought me here?”

  The Lady of Light hesitated for a moment as she stared at me, before she shook her head. “You know the reason why, Eli of Velmond— you knew that assassin was after me, not Walden. How?”

  It was a simple question. The first one I expected her to ask me as soon as we were alone. In fact, I was prepared to answer this question back in the interrogation room with Walden.

  “Well, I have a Skill that lets me sense if someone has any immediate dangerous intent towards another person,” I explained as I placed a hand on my chest. It’s like [Dangersense], but for others. It’s called [Danger Detection].”

  “I’ve never heard of such a Skill before,” Aria said flatly as she crossed her arms.

  “It exists,” I said with a shrug. “I’m not sure what else to say.”

  And it was true. This was a Skill that one of my closest subordinates— Krad the Shadow— had, which helped thwart many assassination attempts at my life. It was extremely rare, though. So I understood the Lady of Light’s skepticism.

  Which was unfortunate for me, since she refused to let up.

  “I find it quite convenient that you have just the right Skills to detect this assassin and deduce his true target,” Aria said as she raised a brow at me. “Even if what you’re telling is the truth, wouldn’t you agree that it is quite odd?”

  “Why, yes, it is very convenient,” I replied as I looked up in the air. “But the Goddess of Life works in mysterious ways. It is only thanks to her blessing that I was able to help out how I could.”

  I paused as the Lady of Light continued to eye me dubiously. I cleared my throat, realizing that this method of giving her a clear and concise explanation for how I managed to intervene was not working. So I decided to go down a different route…

  “Honestly,” I said as I tapped a finger on my chin, “I would’ve thought you’d be more grateful, considering that thanks to my help, you’re still alive.”

  Aria frowned when she heard that. I sighed wistfully, feigning a disappointed look on my face.

  “Seriously, I have always looked up to you, Lady Aria. But I guess what they say is true— never meet your heroes…”

  My remarks evidently flustered the [Hero]. She opened her mouth in protest, before catching herself. Steeling herself, she straightened and spoke in a calmer voice.

  “Look, I have just had an attempt made at my life. If not for your intervention, I would be dead. And I am grateful to you for that, Eli of Velmond. I also apologize for my tone and my demeanor. But you must understand that considering the circumstances surrounding this assassination attempt, I will be suspicious of a child who was somehow capable of thwarting it in a room filled with some of the most powerful people in the world.”

  She just sighed as she turned to me once again. I nodded at her in agreement.

  “I, myself, am quite surprised by this turn of events too. That was quite the terrible security breach. I do wonder if it could’ve been an inside job?” I placed a hand on my chin in thought.

  But in reality, I knew it wasn’t an inside job— I knew that it was orchestrated by Hyperius. And with his puppets and power, nearly anything was possible. So this wasn’t surprising to me in the slightest.

  “Perhaps… but—” Aria nodded, before she gave me a scrutinizing look. “For such a young child, you sure are taking this entire situation in stride, aren’t you?”

  I pursed my lips, hearing that. Back at these accusations again…

  I wasn't sure how to counter her skepticism other than by deflecting. So that was what I did.

  “Perhaps I am, but what did I do wrong, Lady Aria?” I asked, placing a hand on my chest defensively. “What crime did I commit? All I did was save your life!”

  And in response, Aria just sighed exasperatedly and shook her head.

  “I don’t know, Eli of Velmond. That is why I wanted to speak with you in private. Because I just know that you are lying to me— I know that there’s more to your story than you are letting on.”

  “That’s…” I opened my mouth to protest.

  Then I stopped myself. I looked at the Lady of Light, seeing the frustration evident on her face. Not only that, but I saw something in her eyes that I had seen only once before.

  Back during the destruction of Servithra.

  When she had thought that I was the one to betray her.

  It was— distrust.

  An uncertainty about those around her. Almost like she was viewing the world in a cynical light. Without any of the naivety and hope she had carried once before.

  But Aria was the Lady of Light. She was the beacon of hope for all of Parvos. The [Hero] ordained by the Goddess of Life.

  This was not how she was supposed to be— it was just wrong. And I didn’t know why she was behaving this way. I didn’t know why she seemed so… lost.

  When I saw this, I opened my mouth and spoke without thinking.

  “Aria—” I started, before catching myself.

  The Lady of Light paused when she heard that. She squinted at me, watching me shuffle my feet uncomfortably in hesitation.

  “Is there something you’re hiding from me, Eli of Velmond?” she asked, tilting her head.

  I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I didn’t know what to say at this moment. If I kept dancing around the topic, I could probably eventually get away with it— after all, it wasn’t like Aria could hold me here indefinitely without any probable proof of any kind of malicious intent.

  But that was not what I cared about at this moment. Instead, I recalled the look on her face back during the destruction of Servithra. And I thought of the air of distrust she carried right now.

  I didn’t like it. I didn’t know why, but this was not how she was supposed to be.

  And so, I made a decision. Perhaps a hasty one. Maybe an incorrect one. But I made it anyway.

  “I will tell you the answer to that question—” I said as I stepped forward. I opened my eyes, wondering if I was going to regret this decision. But I followed through with it anyway. “But first, I need you to answer one question of my own.”

  The Lady of Light just gave me a quizzical look. “And that is?”

  What I did next was simple— I held out a hand and met the gaze of the [Hero] who took my life yet once so trusted.

  “Would you like to break the cycle of fate with me?”