CHAPTER 15
"The last time, the gods appeared because no one could suppress the Great Destroyer. The heroes all died back then. But the gods only appeared a few hundred years later when the human race was on the brink of extermination."
"Yes. It also stated in the book that even the Great Saintess and the gods were injured during the fight."
"Now that I remember, a sudden ominous aura swept away the world yesterday. Was it possible that it belonged to the Great Destroyer?"
"It was possible. The book says that the soul of the Great Destroyer was sealed by the gods. However, someone took the vassal and it disappeared since then. It seems that the Great Destroyer was freed."
"Yeah. Just like what the oracle stated. The shackles crumbled and destroyed..."
Silence filled the hall and the priests looked helpless.
"What will we do, His Holiness?" the priests all look at the pope. They realized the pope hadn't spoken a word.
The pope sighed and said, "I'm also helpless at this moment. This was so sudden and we were not prepared. If the Great Saintess was still alive, she would appear if we asked for help."
"Spread the word that we are looking for the Great Saintess and tell the people to calm down first."
"Yes, His Holiness!"
After a while, the meeting adjourned and the priests quickly do their jobs.
The pope remained in his seat with his face darkened solemnly. When the priests scurried out of the room, the pope stood up while looking around and then clicked some mechanism in the corner. It was meticulously hidden and no one noticed it.
Suddenly, a door opened and the pope entered. A long spiral stairway appeared and the pope stepped down with candlelight in his hand.
The pope took a long time to arrive at the last step and another double door appeared.
He pressed something on the door and it made a creaking sound. Then the double door opened and the pope entered inside. A huge pathway was revealed.
Then the lamps on each side of the hall light up one by one.
At the end of the corridor, there's a huge cross hanging above a majestic gold casket.
The pope slowly approached the casket with a solemn expression.
He looked down and couldn't help but marvel at the fairy inside the casket.
A fairy-like figure of a woman was sleeping inside the casket like a corpse.
This woman is Meira Latona, the missing Great Saintess. She exhausted her power during the suppression of the Great Destroyer ten thousand years ago and recuperated inside the Holy Temple.
However, the Great Saintess has remained asleep since then. They thought she was dead but she wasn't because of the glow around her body that protected or preserved her.
The reason why the Great Saintess fell into this state was still unknown.
The pope's ancestor kept this secret for a long time and he is the only one who knew that the Great Saintess was inside the Holy Temple all along.
The pope kneeled and clasped his hand together while holding a rosary.
"The Great Saintess, please wake up and heed our prayers. The world needs you again... We are waiting for you, Great Saintess..."
The pope stood up after the prayer and left the secret room.
Not long after the pope left, the casket let out an immense golden glow and an ethereal figure suspended in the air like a goddess. The figure was wrapped in a golden light like a cocoon.
In her hand was a beautiful staff that also emitted a golden glow.
A few minutes later, the golden light disappeared and the figure slowly landed in the ground.
Her long white hair cascaded her back beautifully and the woman fluttered her eyes open.
Her yellowish-green eyes as bright as the sun scan the room with a confused expression.
"Where am I?" her angelic voice echoed in the space.
She looked at the empty casket and found some writings.
"Meira Latona?"
"Is that... my name?"
She looks puzzled as she doesn't remember anything.
She shook her head and furrowed her brows.
Meira looks around to find an exit. When she took one step, something clicked and a mechanism rumbled. A huge magic circle appeared.
She was stunned and it was too late for her to react because the ground on her feet suddenly lit up and she disappeared into the room.
Meanwhile, in the Palace where the ruler of the Albania Kingdom lived, the high-ranking officials of the kingdom all gathered in the conference room.
A majestic figure sat on the majestic throne, looking at the bunch of people with an air of authority. It's King William Warwood.
"Your Majesty, the five heroes disappeared in the town of Crowest after the war. The news said that Demon General Alton with one hundred thousands of army suddenly attacked the town but failed in their conquest.
An S+ Rank adventurer named Cruella is said to be the one who defeated the Demon General." Duke Quarfield reported.
"An S+ Rank Adventurer in that small town?" the King was surprised.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Where is that adventurer now?" the King asked.
"Oddly, the friend of that woman disappeared after the war and they said the woman was looking for her."
King William nodded and pondered for a moment.
"Your Majesty, is it true that the Great Destroyer is back?" Marquess Dione asked.
King William cleared his throat and said, "We still don't know. There's no witness at all. We still need a few leads to conclude whether it's the Great Destroyer or not."
"Your Majesty, people from the other towns were seeking protection and wished to enter the capital. However, there were too many of them and we couldn't cater to them all. They all scamper in the gate." Count Lionel voiced out his worries.
King William frowned. "This is a serious matter. We need to calm down the people first."
"However, Your Majesty, what if the Great Destroyer will also attack the capital next?" Duke Quarfield said.
King William even frowned deeply and rubbed his temples. "Summon the Pope. We need to ask about the Great Saintess," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Then the officials discussed what to do to appease the people first. It's a serious matter so they need to solve this problem first thing first or the capital will descend into chaos. Panic will make people impulsive and unreasonable when their safety is threatened all of a sudden.
Thus, they were all busy solving the matter.
...
On the other side, Cruella with Lucy and Sera was resting near the river. They didn't even know that the entire world was on edge because of Sera's sudden appearance.
The trio looked as if they were on a trip.
At this moment, Cruella was asking about Lucy's parents.
Lucy suddenly felt sad. "I don't know my parents. An aunt took me from the orphanage and put me in the basement. Then she makes me clean the house every day. She will beat me up and starve me for a few days if I didn't do a good job."
Cruella and Sera were stunned. They both see themselves in the child.
In her previous life, Cruella grew up in the orphanage as well while Sera also became an orphan when her mother died.
Cruella hugged Lucy and said, "From now on, we'll be family. You can call me big sister."
"Really?" Lucy's face lit up with excitement and hugged Cruella tightly.
"Of course."
Lucy was overjoyed and teared up.
"You are so kind, big sister!" Lucy said with a sweet smile.
Cruella felt warm in her heart and marveled at the nice feeling. Then she patted Lucy's head dotingly like a true sister would.
From the moment she took Lucy with her, she already considered her a family.
In this life, Cruella made a vow to find a family that will not betray her and will love her for who she is. In return, she will protect them with all her life.
Sera envied the close relationship between Cruella and Lucy. She pouted her lips while wishing she also had a sister like Cruella.
Cruella saw her pitiful expression.
With a smile, she asked, "Sera, if you don't mind, can you tell us your story?"
It took a long time for Sera to respond as she hesitated. No one has ever known about her story as she keeps it to herself. Everyone only knew her for being evil and sending terror to the world.
Sera had a look of melancholy and ends up reminiscing about the miserable past that she buried long ago. Tears streamed down her face but she still narrated her story as Cruella and little Lucy listened silently.
"My mother raised me alone when my father left us. Mother poured her love into me and gave everything she had. She pampered me and made sure I didn't go hungry. She worked her butt off just to serve me my favorite food. It goes on until I turned twelve years old."
"One night, I saw my mother being beaten up by bad guys. The people around just watched them torture my mother to death without mercy. They look like a devil in human skin. I couldn't forget those hideous faces that haunt me every night in my sleep."