In The Summer Silence • Private, Job [Lilium]

The months after the attack on Peace Village and subsequently, Black Rose have drained the holy mage quite a bit. In essence, the attack of Peace Village was pinned onto Black Rose as a whole and it hurt quite the reputation of the guild, however some members felt concerned. If the society had been that quick to blame the quiet guild, did they potentially know about their underground operation. Some members within Black Rose didn't appreciate the negative attention that the guild was warranting and even left. It was rather depressing. The Silver Moon Inn may have been slowly coming together in structure, but in actuality, it would never be the same again. Even though the main attacker had miraculously managed to avoid killing, there was another assailant, killing the innocent within all the chaos. Back then, Lilium had stepped up in order to protect her home and her main family. After all, mere weeks before the destruction of the Silver Moon Inn, Lilium had met up with her family, and boy, that sure was an ugly experience. Needless to say, the holy mage was awarded with an Ace position of her guild. While in theory, she should be honoured, she felt horrible that she got it. She felt as though she didn't deserve it. It was merely something that was mocking her. Most of her time spent in the guild was living under an alias that people knew her as. She even accepted the title of Rising Star under it. Hikari and Lilium felt like two completely different people and she knew that she didn't deserve to be praised under the actions that she had been doing as someone else. It was all a ruse. She was merely an actress on a stage. The part that she chose to play began her debut in this lie. When the final curtain fell, she didn't even know why she was acting as something she was not in the first place.

The rain didn't seem to let today. It had been sunny mere moments ago, but as of right now, it was pouring. Weather didn't really affect her anymore, although being specific, precipitation didn't really affect her whatsoever. Some enchant that Athena had given her had caused the precipitation to disregard her presence whenever it fell. It was rather convenient for times like this where she felt like flying instead of walking. She was visiting a haunted village, comfortably named Spooky Village. It was cute and all but the fact that people still lived there instead of just moving to somewhere, where literally everything around you won't kill you, was an enigma on it's own. Lilium usually came to this place whenever she needed quiet time and as of late, she was becoming a local. It was a nice place to visit and since she specialized in purifications, she always tried to help out where she could. An exorcism here, a curse removal there. The locals were really beginning to know her name. At least she could help out somewhere that no one knew who she was. She just wanted someone who didn't care about who she was in the past, or even who she was as Hikari, she just wanted someone who could see her for who she is now. However, her issues regarding trust make that hard for her as well. Landing in the small township, the former Rising Star would look at the surrounding area as her eyes shimmered gold as she heard a voice in her head, "You know this is technically a way for you to run from your problems. Don't you think you should get back to what you were doing before, like helping your guild rebuild? I'll help if you want." Lilium looked annoyed at the floor as her red hood stayed on her head, ominously remaining dry. People would notice it but because of her renown in the village, they didn't really question it. Nor did they question her talking to herself. Her glowing gold eyes were filled with annoyance as she stated, "Trust me. They really don't need me there. I don't even deserve to be there at all. Arthur was going to teleport from Arcadia to flick the girl in the forehead but he wanted to see what she would do without his interference. He wants to start trusting her to make smart decisions but at this point, he's watching over her like a hawk. He wants to give her some space.

Walking into a restaurant, the holy mage was greeted by a fair bit of the locals who had sought refuge from the storm as well. It was raining horribly actually. It seemed to get worse near the centre of town. Perhaps there was a reason for this. She could investigate but that came after getting food. Smiling as picked up a menu, she ordered dessert first. Not uncommon for her but she knew that doing this would get the Heroic Spirit she contracted to go mad. He felt like a mother with how he treated her, trying her to shelter her from all bad habits, although having someone her age nag her like that just made her want to rebel more. Not that anything he said held any warrant, after all she was the contractor out of the pair. But, as she watched the window, she would see a woman with white hair outside. Oh, that's quite an uncommon hair colour actually but when she saw her turn, she felt an immense magical presence. It was her. The one responsible for destroying her home. Her guild hall. It was Astrid Foss.

Using the mana in the air, the Ace would suppress her presence as the Wizard 'Saint' walked into the restaurant. Of all days, she chose to be here, it was today. It was annoying to know that Astrid came here often based on how familiar the man behind the counter greeted her. She must have come here often recently and as such, perhaps Lilium went at times where the elf woman had already gone back to who cares where. But the conversation got a spike in interest as she heard him mention Black Rose destroying Peace Village. She had been hearing that constantly as of late and right now, it was frankly pissing her off. Arthur was trying to manifest in Earthland but Lilium knew this. She put a lot of her effort in restraining his ability to appear. "Lili! Let me manifest now! You are gonna regret whatever you want to do in this moment." The nickname ran sour, as it just reminded the holy mage of what her father called her once upon a time. Clicking her tongue, her appearance would transform into something that she wore around the guild hall quite frequently nowadays but Astrid probably wouldn't recognize her as Hikari, which had her thankful for quite a few reasons. She doesn't want to deal with the added stress of explaining why she is Lilium now, and it would make it easier for her to vent. Stepping out from her table, the waiter who was serving her would place down her cake, and look at her questioningly. Her face had a sickeningly sweet smile as she prepared herself for one of her biggest performances yet.

Looking blankly at the kitchen and standing next to Astrid, the holy mage would remark in awe, "It is an awful shame that Black Rose happened to destroy Peace Village! Even though the footage was altered to a point in that appearances do deceive reality." Looking at Astrid, Lilium would smile as she glanced at Astrid for a brief moment before continuing, "You know though, I feel bad for Black Rose in all of this. They had their entire sanctuary, the safe space that they called home, destroyed by someone and even had innocent people die there that day." Stretching her arms above her head, Lilium would prop herself up on the counter as she looked at the rest of the restaurant, none of whom were actually paying attention to this conversation, "Witnesses said that it was a mage who wielded the powers of light who destroyed the guild hall. Don't you find it funny that even though she was a light slayer, elle n'a pas vu la lumière dans les ténèbres? C'est très drôle, n'est ce pas?" Lilium's eyes would narrow at the White Dragon Slayer as she finished with, "You probably had someone dear to you that was affected in the Peace Village attack. But the fact that you destroyed the only place that accepts me regardless of who I am and dragged our name through the dirt make me despise everything about you." Hopping off of the bar, she'd walk to her table and leave jewels for the cake before sending the pastry to Arcadia, she'd turn to Astrid saying, "Bet you don't even remember who you are talking to, do you? Well, I'll leave you with one thing you said to me before. It seems that fate keeps bringing us together. And with that, I hope to sever any ties fate has been using to keep us bonded. Au revoir, Mademoiselle Foss."

Walking out of the restaurant, Arthur would be waiting, impatiently tapping his foot. Lilium would look at him, slipping her hood back into a comfortable spot. "Too much?" Arthur would sigh as he flicked her in the head, "You probably know she isn't just going to take that sitting down. But yeah, a bit much. Looking towards the rainstorm's dark centre hovering above a part of the town, part of her wanted to investigate but part of her wanted to see what Astrid would do, in this setting. Looking at the door of the restaurant calmly, she'd stand in place with Arthur close behind.

Total: 1,639/10,000

The bowl of soup came very close to hitting the noble woman's face but she didn't flinch for a second. The heroic spirit summoned his sword to his side, and was ready to defend at all costs. He was ready to charge at the elf woman who had attempted to assault his contractor until Lilium put her hand out in front of his torso. Immediately, his head snapped to her in shock, wondering why she was refusing his aid now of all times. "If now's the time you want to be prideful, you can go and shove that pride up your-" Breathing in for a moment, Lilium would not make eye contact with Arthur as she spoke, "Arthur, enough." He moved her hand away from his torso as he started walking to the door of the restaurant again. Lilium would grab him by the collar and make him face her, "If I told you enough, I really fucking meant enough." The malice and anger with her words didn't cause him to wince even if he's never heard her be this angry before. Swearing was something that holy mage abstained from doing, but being in a guild environment where you are in a bar causes you to pick up a few terms that you otherwise would miss. Arthur's green eyes would sharpen as he looked at Lilium, whose eyes were still looking down. "If you are going to lecture me and stop me from doing the right thing, at least have decency to look me in the eye." Lilium's head snapped up, and with that, Arthur had a brief understanding as to why she was acting this way. Her eyes have turned red with all the mana that she was collecting in her body. She was far beyond enraged. She had no reason to be mad in Arthur's perspective because she was the one who verbally tore into this woman in public, it's more understandable that Astrid was mad, but he still needed to protect his master at all costs. "This is my business. You don't need to sacrifice yourself for this. She's quite strong as you can probably tell by now." Arthur's sword faded out in a golden flash of light before he tried to speak. Words didn't leave his mouth as Lilium quickly shushed him. "I appreciate this battle, but as a former noble, this is my own fight that I have to deal with. Arthur, dismissed." His eyes widened as he was sent back to Arcadia. He had never showed her how to formally dismiss her, but she was able to do it flawlessly? Turning her head towards the door of the restaurant again, Lilium would teleport back inside to face the anger that she had stirred within the White Dragon Slayer.

Lilium would take off her hood, revealing the black outfit that she was wearing. It was something she was commonly seen when she was repairing the guild hall, but she decided that it was a fitting time to wear it now. Her eyes were glowing red with some excess mana almost leaving a trailing effect as she moved her eyes. She listened to Astrid's words as calmly as she could muster, which took a lot of additional strength when she mentioned Santiais. Lilium's eyes narrowed at the mention of her family's name. "If I'm blind, then why keep silent about the truth. You seem to be hiding a lot from the public as a whole now." Lilium's eyes moved to the right as she watched the soup fall to the ground slowly. Her eyes trained forward, as she continued to listen to Astrid speak about the tragedies that happened that day. "My words may have been thrown at a scapegoat as you said, but as you said, I'm blind to whatever may have happened." Her mana control was rather lacking as of this moment in time, as sparks of crimson 'flames' were fluctuating around her palms. Breathing in for a moment to calm down the mana flow inside of her, Lilium looks coldly at Astrid. "I know that my words will not get us anywhere. I just wanted to see how acting on a whim without background information could be." Walking over back to her former spot, she'd sit down and summon the cake from Arcadia to appear. There was a small bite taken out of it and Lilium looked at it, rather annoyed. "You say there is a more menacing foe that is behind all of this. Then, why are you keeping it under wraps? You are strong enough, and probably know strong people who are capable of snuffing out this evil." Picking a bite up with her spoon as her red eyes gaze in Astrid's direction, she'd take a bite as she spoke, "Cutting ties with people is easier than you think. There is a reason I bear the Santiais name yet I'm not held up in that household. Appearances do not meet the reality as it may appear to be. But, you don't care for those details. Moving forward is terribly hard when everything is constantly ripped away from you when you care about them the most." Lilium would eat another bite of her cake and finished chewing before she spoke again, "You may have experience in loss, but trust me, I've dealt with a fair bit of it and the destruction of the Guild Hall was more icing on the cake above all else." An annoying little joke that she had to make in order to remain calm in this moment, as she picked away the frosting on the dessert she had in front of her. She wanted Astrid to know what suffering she had gone through, and why saying everything mattered. But, this White Dragon Slayer has always had the luxury of remaining ignorant to the world around her whenever they had met before. The thing that she felt most threatened by when Lilium was around was her grace. How the holy mage wishes that could be the most concerning thing in her life. When she finally dealt with immense grief and suffering, she acted on a whim and ruined something a part of Lilium's life. It's extremely aggravating seeing Astrid now because she doesn't understand the weight of what she had done to affect Lilium's life. At first, she was nothing more than a stranger she had met on the night of Elyx's concert. She seemed kind at first, but honestly at the moment, she felt as though Astrid was blissfully unaware at how cruel the world could potentially be. That could just be in her thoughts but Lilium didn't really see the way the world had molded her. Perhaps, she had dealt with the evils of the world around her but didn't let it consume her. The fact that she was able to do that already had Lilium jealous. She has already seen all the evils that the world could possibly bear against her and has yet to see when it can truly make her happy. The fact that Astrid took to what she said calmly spoke volume. It meant she had found peace. Found something to take solace in. And the fact that she found that so easily really pissed off the Santiais. She had never found something that can make her calm down about all the atrocities the world has committed against her and she feels like she's long overdue for even a sign that comfort can exist. Astrid finds it while doing her own thing and even after searching for it her entire life, Lilium has yet to find a clue about what can make her forget about the past so that she can focus on the future. Unfortunately for Astrid, the past was all she had because the future was looking dark. "It may have happened in the past, but sometimes, the only things that we can see in clear sight is everything that we have been harmed by and not what could come. Because with what could come, there is a chance that it will never happen at all. You probably have someone to go to. Someone who can be there for you. Mine was destroyed and even in the rebuilding, remains bitter fragments of what was lost that day."

It was basically pitch black night outside. The storm clouds had become opaque, completely blocking out any chance of sun peeking through to potentially brighten up the day in all honesty. Lilium's red eyes flickered as she finished her cake. The red colour would remain there as she turned her head coldly towards the White Dragon Slayer, smirking condescendingly, "You know who I am? Or, pardon me, who I once was. My soul may have stayed the same, but my mind is an entirely new person. You need to explain what even caused the attack on Peace Village. This is something I need to know. As a Black Rose member, and as a blind person." She didn't care for once that someone correctly identified that she was a member of the Santiais family, cause there was more pressing issues at hand but would Astrid even tell her? She wanted to show Lilium to focus on the true perpetrators behind this but she only alluded to who they were, never said who it was. "You have brought a new awareness to me, and you should already be telling the general public about what you may have suffered." Lilium would look towards the flower that covered the White Dragon Slayer's eye, but the former noble had a feeling it wasn't where it appears to be. Looking at the elf woman's hair, she'd be waiting on her response as she sat at the edge of her seat, preemptively preparing for whatever Astrid may do, not really thinking about the darkness consuming the outside.

Post: 1,647
Total: 3,286/10,000

Bending the fork that she held in her hand, Lilium felt her rage simmer as she heard Arthur teleport next to her again. Leave it to him to bypass her command and get past the initial shock of her force returning him. He wasn't going to flick her in anger like he usually did, but he looked at her rather annoyed as she turned her glance to face him, the red mana in eyes never fading for a moment. Clearing his throat, he'd look at her as he calmly stated, "I don't know what she did to you. I am a new person to you. But, what you just did really ticked me off. It's great that you were fighting your own battles and everything but bursting out in public wasn't really necessary. You know this." Placing down the bent fork, Lilium would glance at Arthur, flecks of her normal hazel eyes coming through before the red solidified itself again, "Do you understand how unfair this all is? That she is recovering from all this shock, and I keep getting pushed further down this god forsaken life that I was given? She has someone who can take care of her and I can tell with that shitty emotion that a lot of people seem to have except for me." Love. The emotion was love and both her and Arthur knew that she wasn't going to say the word out loud. Astrid seemed a lot more tranquil compared to the last time that they had met and Lilium has seen the effect that this emotion has caused on people, letting them grow and prosper and change. But, being void of that emotion her entire life, she has stunted her growth in that department until she actually experiences this emotion for herself. Arthur's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, "You know how childish you are acting and how much it holds you back from achieving greater things. It's this childish rage that consumes you and influences your thoughts. You try to approach things from a logical angle without considering people's feelings anymore." Lilium would pull her hood over her head as she looked at the ground next to her with complete spite, her red eyes flickering with mana in contempt. "You know how much I loathe that emotion. But she doesn't. I can see the effects of it on her and I hate every second of it. I'm graceful, she thought before. But now, she can see me for what I'm really like." Turning to face the half-elf woman, Lilium didn't know how long she had before she completely broke. This conversation with someone who has people who that love and care for her must live a nice life if she thinks she can change her ways.

Sure, Arthur had faith. But he didn't overstep his boundaries and that's the kind of person she liked having near her. Those were the people that didn't know much about you and would appreciate you at face value. She had deep rooted trust issues and can't deal with people if she would grow too attached to them. Most of the time, people she remains civil with she is trying her best to simply put up a front in order to calm herself down and not to worry about what this person could use against her in the future. Some people saw through this act and she avoided them. She was kind of stuck with Arthur so she simply put up with how he was because unless she wanted to completely use access to her magic, she needed to. The bond between summon and master in this case was completely platonic, but he put up with her antics when he needed to. Or, at least that's how she presumed it. She didn't really see it in any other way. Looking at the silver haired woman as she spoke regarding how someone will be there to catch her in the future. She glanced at Arthur before breathing in a shaky breath and saying calmly, "I'd rather not rely on people because they never stay around me for that long." Glancing at Arthur, she'd watch him shift a little as he stood up and looked at her, his piercing emerald eyes making her wince for a second as she looked towards the ground, her red gaze softening as she looked towards the ground. She was probably offending him deeply and as much as she didn't mean it with him because of obligation and that overall he was different compared to other people. She was saying a lot of things that didn't have much meaning behind them but she didn't like the fact that she was being swayed by the words by the one who destroyed her sanctuary. When Astrid spoke about how she cannot release this information, Lilium looked at her with a rather fierce glance before stating, "What's a little more chaos in my life. It's all I've ever known after all." Sure another war wasn't quite needed but when all in your life was complete discord, it took a while to adjust to harmony. She didn't have harmony that often but when she did, it horrified her. She was always running from something that was completely out of her control so at the time in her life where she was free, she was already preparing for the worst. She didn't want the peace the world could offer because she was already on a mission to exterminate all the world's evils. Why would she waste the peace times on herself when she is trying to achieve this constant peace for the world around her? She felt like she was wasting her time when the world was at peace. The world could give it's peace to people who genuinely needed it. She wasn't one of those people.

Walking to her seat again, Arthur would look at her with anger glazing over his emerald eyes. Unrelenting, her red gaze wouldn't fade as she looked at him while he spoke, "I'm gonna leave, am I?" Hearing the hurt in his voice, the holy mage winced backwards as he continued his glare and said, "You know full well that I cannot do that. And if you have that little faith in me, when I've put my complete trust and faith in you, it stings more than you can imagine. But, I'll put up with it." Lilium bit the inside of her cheek as she looked towards the back of the seat that they were on. If anything else happened and she ended up crying, she didn't know what she would do in all honesty. It was only the afternoon yet it has already proven to be a rather emotionally charged day. The darkness was actually creeping into the restaurant as within the small window of the shop, there was a rather ominous white cat that seemed to be glowing contrasting completely with the black of the world outside of the restaurant. Most of the time, black cats were a cause of unease and wariness because they just had that associated with them. But if one were to look at the cat, the same feelings would apply. Lilium held her palms in her lap as she avoided Arthur's gaze, her red eyes completely burning out as they became gold while she spoke to him, You know I didn't mean that. I'm stubborn. Promise me that you won't go though. It's just a confirmation. Nothing else. Looking away from him, she'd hold out her pinky as his gaze completely softened as he looked at her trembling hand. She was such a bad liar. Grabbing her pinky with his own, he'd kneel in front of her as he spoke, "As a knight of my word, I promise to never leave your side. Ever." He looked towards Astrid with a softened expression as he smiled, "My apologies as to how she acted earlier. It's been... a bad couple of months for her." His eyes would match her eyes as he spoke to her mentally. Should you want to do anything, like talk to her or shun her, I'd tell her now. Preferably, I'd prefer if you chatted with her. She needs someone to talk to that hasn't been dead for hundreds of years. Sitting down in the seat next to her, Arthur would sit down beside her as he patted her head, "My hopeless master." Lilium would pull her hood to cover her face as she sat in silence, mainly in regret for her outburst earlier. The social anxiety was catching up as she considered what the other people in the restaurant had thought about this. Neglecting the fact that the darkness had completely shrouded everything in the restaurant aside from her, Arthur, and Astrid.

Post: 1,471
WC: 4,757/10,000

Lilium would breathe in a shaky breath as her eyes rested at their natural chestnut colour again. Today had been an eventful day to say the least and she wanted to calm down but the stress of the situation seemed to be getting to her. Looking at the floor, she'd think about the surroundings. How many people had seen how she had acted today? How many people would think negatively of her because of what she did? With all the bad attention Black Rose had been getting in the past week, would her outburst today reflect poorly on the guild? They really did not need the negative publicity at the moment and as an Ace, she really should not have blown up in public as she did. Next time, she should consider taking someone to Arcadia and yelling at them there. At least then she could break down due to her emotions and not have to think about what those in public will say. Arthur would glance at the girl who seemed to have a whirlwind of thoughts in her head as he watched Astrid approach the pair with a hand out stretched. Very kind and graceful of the wizard saint to react so calmly in this situation to be completely honest. If he had been in her place, he probably would have already began to fight Lilium. He isn't known for being a patient person so the fact that the white haired elf was acting very calmly and rationally was very respectable in his eyes. Nudging the girl, she would glance up at Astrid as she spoke. As if she needed another reminder about how she had burst out without really thinking in public. She did mean that she had a strong dislike of Astrid but she didn't really mean to say hate. Although in all honesty, the more she considered how many people Astrid had in her life that she could rely on, the more annoyed she got. At the moment, there was only really Arthur that the holy mage could rely on. He had shown up in her life when she was at her lowest point and has remained by her side since. Granted, that 'since' only has been a couple of months but it was still more than most people she had in the past. She would always be grateful for him showing up as she needed him but the wariness couldn't be shaken off with Astrid's offer. Sure, she was kind beyond her own self, not quite considering the consequences on herself potentially but that's a trait the both of them had. The silver haired woman is a rather straight forward person and as such, Lilium could live with having one more person in her life.

The kind ones are the ones who make it hurt the most when they eventually stab you in the back.

Lilium's eyes looked towards the ground as this thought echoed in her mind. The caring nature that Astrid had felt familiar in the end and the former Rising Star recognized it as something. It was exactly like her mother's. It was kind and gentle on the surface, but if you did something that displeased her, hell would be revealed. These were the kinds of people that Lilium, for lack of a better term, completely feared. She couldn't get herself to trust her parents so meeting someone with a similar personality to her mother who didn't have the safety net of being related to caused a shiver down the holy mage's spine. Glancing at Arthur, she'd grab his cape and grip it tightly within her hand. He glanced at his master and then towards Astrid, before speaking with a straight face, "...I don't think that's the way she pictured this going in all honesty. Let's just leave whether we meet again up to fate, shall we?" Arthur would smile sadly as Lilium sat in silence. However, both were alarmed as Astrid fell to one knee, clutching her stomach as if her life depended on it. Lilium looked to her in shock as she spoke, "Astrid! Are you oka- Ngh!" A dull pain in the Ace's head would erupt into a full cluster headache as she almost screamed in pain. Biting her tongue to stop herself from yelling, she did this to try to be courteous towards the other patrons at the restaurant. She's bugged them enough today. Weakly lifting her head to look around, her eyes would be met with nothing but a void as darkness had completely surrounded them, making things like the tables and bar harder to see, but the complete lack of people altogether had stunned the noble woman. Trying to gasp for air hurt, the inhalation triggered the pain in her head and caused it to intensify once more and exhales were short due to barely getting enough air to begin with.

The voice from above caused Lilium to wince as now she was more sensitive to the noises and sounds no matter how faint they were. At this point, she couldn't even look up because the pain was too much to bear and moving made it worse. Arthur would glance with his emerald glare as he listened to this spirit complain about the entire setting of what happened. As he looked around and viewed the surrounding area, he glanced at the door, seeing a cat spirit that began to wander into the restaurant. As it walked closer, Lilium clutched her head tighter, indicating the pain was getting worse. Arthur would block the popcorn from landing on them and act somewhat annoyed that he didn't have any. It was always the things that you couldn't have that bugged you instead of all the countless things he did have. Although, having his sword would be nice too but that's another issue. The ailments that this cat was causing didn't really affect Arthur as he was just a spirit although he felt somewhat drawn to the cat's master but Lilium being in pain had overpowered that effect. Leaping towards the cat, it would dodge with ease as it hopped to the side. Ah, of course, it's fast too. Great. Flashing out in a golden light, Arthur would teleport to Arcadia. He had intentionally made the flash large to throw off the cat and with his calculations, it should work out in his favour. Teleporting back to the restaurant, Arthur would hold the cat in his palms as it struggled to break his iron grip. His hands threateningly glowing gold with magic aura, he'd glance towards the ghost girl as he calmly spoke, "Do you really think that this was boring? I had a blast watching to be honest. I like most drama as long as it doesn't involve me, so some of this was pretty boring, I guess. But you were never involved other than... this troublemaker I'm holding here. I'd fancy a guess that you know him" Glancing at Lilium who was beginning to recover from the head pains, Arthur would look at the cause of the headache which was in his hands, "Although, you know what would be even more interesting? Blowing this little nuisance to smithereens. It honestly would work out quite well for me. I guarantee that you'll enjoy this if not, I guess you can have your money back. Arthur prepared to teleport away in case this ghost woman didn't appreciate what he was about to do to her cat.

Post: 1,247
Total: 6,004/10,000

The mind-numbing headache from before was beginning to die down as the holy mage was able to draw in proper breaths again. Usually, she took how easy it was to breath for granted but after what just happened, she was honestly feeling light headed. It was hard to breath when each breath hurt more than the last but at least the pain was subsiding now. Lilium would let out a sigh as she heard a cat meowing and hissing in another direction. All sounds were rather irritating at the moment but at least, the sensitivity to sound was beginning to fade. Lilium would look at Arthur as he gave her a thumbs up as best as he could with the flailing cat in his hands. He would look at Astrid as Lilium turned her glance to face the silver haired elf. Hopefully, she had gotten over the trauma from before as it was very worrying how quickly they both succumbed to the pain. The cause of this pain was seemingly the cat upon further analysis. It was a spirit, similar to Arthur but in the end, it was a vengeful spirit unlike him. The cat had been able to project the feelings of sickness and apply it to those who were nearby. It was a real threat and the longer she analyzed it, the more grateful she was that Arthur managed to capture it. Who knows what would have happened, especially with her supposed master throwing a tantrum above them. Lilium would get to her feet, albeit somewhat wobbly due to the light headed feeling from earlier, but maintained a proper stance as she placed her palm on the pommel of Solais. Lilium would maintain her regal pose at the moment as her eyes narrowed at the girl who was yelling at Arthur. The aforementioned Heroic Spirit smirked, "Oh come on! You said you wanted a show. And I didn't say I was going to kill your cat kid. Sheesh! The blow to smithereens could have been fireworks. You never know with magic." Lilium gave Arthur a dead panning glance as she watched the vengeful spirit above them tantrum. It was kind of sad. This spirit probably had died young and had only had her in the cat for a very long time. It was something that the holy mage could unfortunately relate with. Being alone was hard, even with a spirit companion. But if Arthur couldn't talk? She'd probably act the same as her. It was kind of eye-opening. Even if the holy mage would refuse to admit it.

Astrid's words didn't really reach Lilium because she was a little bit preoccupied in thinking of what her life could have been like if she died instead of running away successfully. Would she be a spirit, simply seeking for someone to free her from whatever she was doing? It had the holy mage empathizing with the spirit a little in all honesty. But, a crack of thunder in the distance broke her train of thought. She snapped back to reality, and looked at the ghost girl as she pointed at Astrid. Her stubborn attitude drew away any sympathy for the ghost that was present before. She hated kids already, and even more so when they act like this. Kids were a nuisance, nothing more and nothing less. It was rather tiring to hear this 'they want to get rid of me' vibe when she doesn't even try to comprehend the situation she is causing. Despite her killing people as of recent reports from the Haunted Village had said, the townspeople only want for her to be at rest, and not destroyed. They were incredibly kind to this girl and she didn't even know. Lilium's eyes narrowed as she said that this 'Lilith' person was the only one she had. First of all, the fact that she said Lili added on to Lilium's already sour mood. It was a name she heard two times too many today. And second, this child's nature was getting to her. As a child, she would never even be allowed to think about acting this way and seeing a literal brat act this way towards Astrid as she is trying to be courteous, pissed her off. Lilium's eyes would glow yellow as she spoke to Arthur, "Go to the Vault and keep that cat there. I'll supply extra mana and tell you when I want you to come." Seemed that the holy mage had a plan in mind and the former king nodded in agreement as he faded in a gold light, taking the cat with him. The ghost girl would scream as a bolt of lightning launched directly at Lilium and Astrid. Her eyes sharpening acting on reflex, the former noblewoman would draw a cross shape as she stood in front of the point of impact.

The lightning was more of a tingle than anything else as her shields absorbed the attack just fine. Lilium snapped her head in the direction of the unnamed ghost. Her shoes making noise against the wooden planks, her eyes would turn the same red that they were earlier as two red wings appeared on the heels of both of her feet. Creating a platform, the holy mage would launch herself at a blitzing fast speed as she nearly instantaneously appearead in front of the ghost. Breathing in and speaking calmly, Lilium would say with an intense facial expression, "Okay. Quite frankly, I want to destroy your spirit. But, you don't understand how this town wanted to make sure you passed on peacefully. I don't know who this Lilith is, but my name is Lilium and if you really desire, I can help you pass on." Grabbing the girl's hand and dragging her to the floor, Lilium would offer a half smirk as she said, "I'm not going to hurt your cat. I know what it's like to be alone with no one else with you. Only having another spirit to keep you company. But, if you want, I can have it so that you don't have to be alone. Arthur is showing your cat what passing on looks like and if you agree, I'll bring him back here and we can send you to the afterlife together. I can sense that Chichi is sleeping as he waits for you. I want to help you. Mages aren't all bad." Lilium would stretch her pointer finger and middle finger as the ends pulsated with magic. The magic radiating off it was incredibly pure holy mage, meant for purification. If need be, she could draw a circle with it or the same cross shield from before depending on what the ghost were to do. Lilium's eyes would close as she managed to speak with Astrid for a moment. "Be prepared for anything. I suppose." Arthur sighed as the cat was lying down in his arms. It had fallen asleep within the peace of Arcadia and he was stroking it's fur as he watched Lilium talk to the ghost that the cat had informed him was named Milala. It was kind of sad for Arthur to watch Lilium go through all this sappy emotional stuff with the ghost. It was a girl that the wielder of Arcadia could have become if one thing had gone horribly wrong. She had enough vengeance in her to endlessly dwell the world as a spirit and it was irritating that she was willing to give all this kind gestures and offerings to someone while she didn't accept any offers to help her with what she has been going through. She kept it all bundled up until it explodes like it had today and it's what had her worried. If the ghost didn't like adults, she'd probably like Lilium because she was essentially a child with how she acts. A child that acts nice to everyone but doesn't tell anyone when they are hurting. Sighing, Arthur would hope that this would play out well. Nothing was really working well today for anyone now was it?

WC: 1,347
Total: 7,351/10,000

Arthur would relax a little as the white cat that sat atop his head purred as it began to sleep for a moment. Odds are, that this cat had been out and about for a while now and had been facing the effects of a long day. As long as he didn't start fading away, it was fine. Lilium looked at Astrid as she spoke about the effects that the spell that Milala was doing. Apparently, this darkness that was enveloping them wasn't as simple as shadows. This void, dark energy, no matter what you called it, it was her soul. This soul was completely empty, upon first glance that was. Glancing into the darkness further, Lilium would see faint recollections of what Milala experienced in life. There wasn't much considering she died rather young but there was enough to make out a couple of memories here and there. Thankfully, the silver haired elf took in upon herself to explain the ghost's motives for trapping people. She had only heard of this Lilith girl on the news actually. There were running segments about a string of murders and how in the end the petite girl was captured in the end, despite being so small, she was capable of so much magic potential, it was a shame that it went to waste with murdering innocents. The denying nature of the ghost irritated her just a bit but there wasn't really anything she could do about it. She acted like a child because she was a child. A child that was aware she died at a tragic young age and didn't get the life she probably deserved. Listening to Astrid retell Milala's story when she was alive was rather depressing. She had no idea that she was destined to die. She only heard warnings about the well but never heeded them as she probably thought she was smart enough to not fall in. But, fate is but a cruel mistress.

Hearing how much the child had descended into anger during the story really hurt the noble to hear. It was almost similar to what she doing with herself. She was letting her anger control her actions but couldn't think clearly due to it. She wouldn't have done what she did today towards Astrid but she was completely blinded in rage. Hearing Astrid say a little quip about facing your fears almost caused a reaction within the holy mage. First of all because that was an incredibly cliche line to use. Leave it up to the Wizard Saint to work morals into the mix and try to give this ghost a lesson before she passed on. Thanks Astrid. Now, her final memory is going to be completely wondering why some elf was telling her to face her fears. Granted, the fear that she had was tremendous and she probably did need some words of encouragement but she could have worded it at least a little different so it didn't sound like the end of one of those teen drama movies. Second, the corny message that Astrid had said was relevant to her too and she hated it. The holy mage was always good at giving advice but when it came time to take others advice and follow what she says, she avoided it like the plague. She was very stubborn and didn't like to change her ways, so facing fears was more out of the question for her at the moment. However, the holy mage would simply smile and nod as she looked at Milala, not really inclined to disagree with Astrid's advice. She wouldn't state her problems with the phrasing but she also would keep quiet about her views on it, as she is supposed to be helping the ghost, not scaring her more.

As they landed, Milala turned to face Astrid and apologize for all her wrongdoings. While listening to the ghost girl sob, Lilium would deny any emotion threatening to creep out of her, whether it be annoyance or sadness. Whichever of the two came out first. Her eyes would glow gold for a minute as she heard Arthur speak, "Oh! What's this? Could it be that you are feeling emotion and not being such an edgy teenager?" Lilium didn't react in her facial expression as she pondered a thought, "I wonder if I could purify him and make him pass on?" She heard Arthur chuckle nervously, but trying to remove any fear in his voice as he spoke, "You wish! You're stuck with me for a while." It was a rather obvious bluff but now wasn't really the time for her to call him out on his dumb antics. Apparently, Astrid was one of the mages who had taken Lilith to prison. She didn't really understand the fact as to why the Magic Council didn't inform the world of the mages who stopped the murderous child but mainly kept it a secret. It was an intriguing thought, one that would require a little more investigation later as Lilium turned to the sound of Milala's voice. Hearing that she was ready, Lilium would give her a soft smile as Arthur rematerialized in a soft gold light behind her. In his arms, the sleeping form of Chichi would be cradled gently in his arms as he walked over to Milala and placed the peaceful cat within her arm. Lilium would feel the magic in her hand pulsating a little more as Arthur spoke, "The little guy can't wait to rest that he got a head start." Chuckling at his own joke, Lilium would give him something akin to a look of pure disgust as she asked him, "You can sense she is a grand spirit right? You need to help me with this." Arthur simply mumbled an okay as he got in position to help with the purification ritual.

Opening his palm, a string of light would emerge itself from the ground as it fluttered into his fingers, intertwining them as he hopped over Milala and Chichi and landed on the ground behind them. Feeling the magic circle begin to form with life, Lilium would draw a circle with her hand emphasizing the glow of the circle. The thread of light would release itself from Arthur's grip as it spun around Milala and Chichi, never getting smaller but making a circle that was the perfect distance between Arthur and Lilium. Spinning faster and faster, the holy string would stop as it materialized into a much larger and more solid circle. Upon closer inspection, one would be able to see all the thread that went into the circle, similar to seeing a knitted sweater on closer inspection. The thread made it's way to Arthur back around his palms but even if it didn't seem to have an end, it just looked shorter than it had been. That meant the first circle was actually placed successfully. Lilium would nod towards Arthur as she moved to the next step. But before that, her eyes would begin to glow a constant gold as she glanced at Milala and gave a small smirk before saying, "You know, I hate kids. But, for you, I guess I can make an exception. You have been through a lot so, take this as your one blessing from me." Arthur would roll his eyes as he mimicked her action of drawing circles as more magic circles layered themselves onto the original one causing them to form something akin to a pillar. The thread would be stretched upon multiple levels as it twirled similar in fashion to the first circle. It was rather hypnotizing to look at as each magic circle came consistently after the last one had appeared. Arthur's green eyes would turn gold as he nodded to Lilium as the circles slowly faded out their field of vision. The gold in Lilium's eyes would intensify as she spoke with an echoing voice, "Sins are fatal in the idea of this world but within the fields of Arcadia, all is forgiven in their willing name. Please, take this haunted soul and purify it, giving her eternal rest and warmth forever in your arms. As the current keeper of Paradise, I solemnly pledge responsibilities for the acts the purified has committed while under duress unto my body. I will carry out their final duties on Earthland and all I ask is for their forgiveness. With that, laissez briller votre lumière." As Arthur layered a final magic circle, Lilium would raise the hand that was pulsating with light towards the sky as the thread of light began to fall down from wherever it had went while Lilium was chanting. The thread of light shot down through the center of the pillar as it went through Milala. It wasn't a painful ritual. The more magic circles one added, the less they would feel the impact of the thread. Due to the amount of pity that Lilium felt for the girl, she had Arthur help her add circles as she was doing the chant. The thread would feel like nothing but air as it tied around the girl's wrist and the cat's paw. The ground underneath Milala would crackle with light as it erupted into a pillar of a brilliant gold light. It wasn't bright enough to hurt your eyes but on the contrary, it was rather comfortable to look at. It would slowly begin to fill up the entire radius of the magic circles as the pillar of light shone through, reaching the top of the soul barrier. The barrier would slowly get absorbed down into Milala as that was the soul that needed purification after all. The light pillar would not hurt at all. In fact, it would feel rather warm and comforting, similar to a hug from a loved one. Lilium was focusing all her concentration within maintaining the energy level that the pillar was currently at. She hasn't done purifications on such a grand scale before so it was better to be safe. Although, if Milala or Astrid said anything, she would respond as the hard part was now over, being the setting of the magic circles. Continually denying any emotions potentially stirring within the girl at the moment, she'd focus on the ritual, unsure when to conclude as Milala had a rather strong soul and she didn't know when the purification would be completed.

Post: 1,735
Total: 9,086/10,000

The pillar of light intensified but the smile never left the spirit's face. Chichi had passed on before her and it was already sad enough as is. The emotions and the sins that Lilium saw as her prayer had reached Arcadia and she was now feeling the weight of what Milala had done. It was tragic knowing that child had committed all these crimes but as a result, at least she could finally be at peace. Who knows what would have happened if some other mages had found her. They probably would not have showed the ghost girl the same mercy that she and Astrid were showing her right now.  The holy mage glanced at the white dragon slayer's face as she turned her head quickly to face Milala again because she saw moments where Astrid was also becoming moved with emotion and wanting to cry upon seeing all the emotions surrounding her might affect the performance of the ritual in the end, even if it was nearing it's closure and it was impossible to fail at this point. She was much too prideful to cry in front of Astrid so she had to at least maintain this farce until they were out of the public eye. Lilium felt her heart crumble a little as she watched Milala smile as the light completely consumed and purify her. Maybe the intensity of the ceremony had been a bit much for a slightly weaker spirit, but the more potent on a weaker spirit, the quicker she was able to pass on and the more painless it would be. The spirit faded into light and Lilium bit her lip as Arthur glanced at her. A softer, more sisterly side of the holy mage's personality began to show. It was a rare part of personality that didn't show up all that often but it was still prevalent when she was under intense emotion. Generally, she tried to only show this side of her personality to those who were close to her but there wasn't many people like that in her life. The caring nature that she showed despite she said something about hating children was something the heroic spirit found extremely ironic. Laughing as the pillar of light slowly collapsed in a golden shimmer, he'd try make eye contact with her as she looked directly at the sky. Ah, her eyes were shiny. Teleporting behind her, Arthur would place her hood over her head in order to stop her emotional breakdown that could potentially come through at this very moment. It had been an emotionally heated day and this could have been the event that caused her to break. The holy mage felt her eyes well up with tears as she thought about the ghost's final smile when she received a pat on the head from her Heroic Spirit. Letting out a shaky breath, she'd mumble, "Man, I really hate kids." Lilium let out a dry laugh as Arthur rubbed her head. He'd indulge her stubbornness just this once as he let out a sigh saying, "Okay, sure you do. Ah, the spirit barrier is gone now." Lilium let out a sigh of a relief as the sunlight was completely surrounding them as opposed to the shadows that completely enveloped them before. Never was she more grateful to see the sunlight from the outside, as much as it hurt her eyes, it still was rather pleasing to be surrounded by light as opposed the completely and utter void that she and Astrid were just in. Lilium let out a shaky breath that she did not know she was holding in. Perhaps this experience had her realize that she was slightly claustrophobic. She never really considered the option that she was actually irked by tight spaces until she felt her anxiety and tension completely disappear as she viewed the brilliant blue sky.

It also appeared that time has simply not passed at all. The onion soup on the wall was still freshly thrown and dripping onto the ground as the waiter in between them, tried to break a tension that had ceased a long time ago. Chuckling as Astrid laughed, Lilium would debate mentioning the spirit that they had just purified and saved before shaking her head. Waving her hand in front of her face, the holy mage would smile as she casually said, "My apologies, I think you might have me confused with the wrong person." Arthur let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples. When was this girl going to learn? Is it really that hard to admit to someone that you are friends? Lilium would snap her fingers, placing an additional pouch of jewels within the grasp of the blond waiter as she smiled, "I already paid for my cake but here's a little extra for whatever those people may have caused." Lilium glanced at Astrid as she spoke about the threads of fate. Clenching her fist in mild annoyance as she continued her cliche monologue, Lilium's eyes narrowed somewhat. If she left after this with a cruddy line, she'd probably attempt to murder her. And, just like predicted, the exit was on a corny line. How funny to call her by what she called her before she was Lilium. Ha ha. So clever and witty. Lilium let out a sigh as she mumbled, "Gods, I hate that bi-" Arthur would teleport them back to Arcadia in a golden flash, successfully leaving the scene in time to save her from embarassing herself in front of all the strangers present and censoring her just in time. After all, she couldn't swear twice in the day. There had to be boundaries set and good thing Arthur was there to set them.

Post: 958
Total: 10,044/10,000