“Are you certain three Anikas entered the prayer room today?” Sang-je furrowed his brow.
“Without a doubt, Your Holiness,” the priest confird. “My own eyes witnessed it.”
Before Sang-je could inquire about their nas, a subtle shift in Pides’ presence caught his attention. Pides, who received seeds more frequently than any other knight, allowing Sang-je to sense his movents with exceptional clarity, hadn’t budged from the hidden prison in over a month. Regular reports detailed Pides’ diligent execution of his duties, slowly building a sliver of trust within Sang-je.
Is the teleportation magic failing? he thought. Pides, when reporting, would co to the Holy Palace. Yet, the current movent indicated a departure.
Sang-je summoned a priest with a sense of urgency. “Go to the hidden sanctuary imdiately. Find out what’s happening.”
As the priest scurried out of the Holy Palace, Flora was trapped inside the carriage. Panic clawed at her throat as her frantic knocks on the walls t only silence. Unlike carriages for nobility, this priest’s transport lacked windows. A single, unopenable one graced the ceiling, offering a sliver of light against the oppressive darkness. The door handle remained stubbornly unyielding.
Fear morphed into a storm of questions. ‘Why is Sir Pides… is that even him driving? Did the devil’s minions trick ? Does His Holiness know? Is this punishnt for defying God’s will?’ Flora’s mind reeled. Clasping her hands, she muttered, “What should I do?”
A sudden deceleration jolted her. She peeked out, then cautiously knocked on the wall again. “Sir Pides?” No response. Her voice sharpened with urgency as she pounded and shouted, “Sir Pides! Are you there?”
Pides, slumped in the driver’s seat, buried his face deeper into his hands with a heavy sigh. Despite the frantic knocking and calls from behind, he remained motionless.
Confined in the remote prison, days bled into monotonous weeks, his despair deepening with each sunrise. Cut off from the world, he only learned, after a month of excruciating silence, that the assembled kings outside the Holy City had proven powerless against the city’s defenses. Hope, once a flicker, had been extinguished.
Flora’s sudden arrival shattered the oppressive monotony. A maelstrom of emotions – fear, anger, a gnawing sense of betrayal – churned within him. Witnessing the priests welcoming her stoked the inferno in his heart. If Sang-je had deployed such a force to protect the sacred art and await her arrival, her significance to the Holy See was undeniable. In a rash move, fueled by desperation, Pides had whisked her away, unable to bear the thought of Sang-je wielding this potential weapon.
Reckless actions, however, breed consequences. The weight of his blunder slamd into him with brutal clarity. He was trapped, with nowhere to run from Sang-je’s inevitable pursuit.
A hollow echo resonated in the stillness: “What can I do now?” Pides swiveled his head, his eyes dark and hollow, reflecting the bleakness of his situation.
Flora’s desperate cries of “Is anyone there? Help !” echoed in the confined space. A sudden thump from outside startled her into silence. “There’s no point in shouting,” a familiar voice responded from beyond the carriage. “Save your energy.”
Flora strained to hear. “Sir Pides? Is that truly you?”
“It is,” ca the gruff reply.
“What’s going on? Where are you taking ?” Flora demanded.
Pides cast his gaze towards the steep incline before them. They were on a rarely used back road, a path leading to the lone, imposing stone mountain within the Holy City. The area was deserted, especially now with stricter movent controls in place. Here, they were unlikely to encounter anyone.
“We don’t have ti for explanations, His Holiness will be upon us soon. Anika Flora, you cannot return to the Holy Palace. But I know, my words will fall on deaf ears.”
There was a chilling undercurrent to Pides’ subdued tone that sent shivers down Flora’s spine. Instinctively, she pressed herself against the far wall, as far from the opening door as possible. It creaked open, revealing Pides standing in the doorway. Backlit by the sun, his figure was a nacing silhouette. The cramped carriage ant a slight bend from him was all it took to easily reach her position.
Flora instinctively used the kings as a shield, shouting, “If you harm , the kings won’t leave you alone!” If Pides was loyal to Sang-je, she would be confessing betrayal in front of the enemy. However, Pides had seed different ever since he was called a holy knight. The Pides she knew was a devout knight, not soone who sought glory. He was frustratingly unassuming and lacked ambition.
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