CHAPTER # 21

"Sorry? What did you say?" I asked as I couldn't catch what she said.

"Nothing. So you're saying you found it at the library" she said as I nodded.

"I was looking for the book I asked for but couldn't find it and I was about to leave but that book suddenly fell off the shelf which was weird" I explained.

"Did it show any reaction to your touch?" she asked with excitement.

"When I held that book it didn't show any type of reaction" I said, making her droop.

"What?" She asked, frowning.

"Yeah, but the interesting thing was, that it was not opening and the next day when I went to fetch that book to return it...guess what?" I said, making her curious.

"It was open!! That stupid book was open!" I said and she smiled listening to me.

"May I ask why are you calling that book stupid?" she asked.

"Oh don't remind me. That stupid book...electrified me!" I exclaimed, showing my dissatisfaction.

"Electrify?" She asked, confused.

"Oh right, you don't know. I mean it shocked me like...a book! literally a book! shocked me!" I said as the old lady giggled at the kid's cuteness.

"After that all the context of the book changed.....And the Oracle too!" I said.

"The Oracle? Can you recite it for me?" she asked as I nodded.

"I can. I learned it and it's like on the tip of my tongue." I said proudly, making her chuckle.

"So it said that, 'An Agnola will be born in the coming years but she will be unknown....and it's up to your deeds whether she will awaken or not.'" I started to tell her.

"I know this much..." She said, confused.

"Wait wait there's more" I said gesturing with my hand.

"There's more?" she asked and I nodded.

"The journey to find peace will not be facile, the God's chosen one's fragments will be segregated into two and need to arouse with the warmth of the spirit. The road to success will be full of toil and pain but the chosen one will conquer it" I completed it while she was just nodding. Suddenly she smiled and said,

"I knew it! The oracle was incomplete!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly a thought came to my mind!

"Miss Granny!" I exclaimed, making her chuckle.

"Miss Granny?" she asked.

"Haha...uh...I didn't know how to address you so I just...sorry" I said looking down.

"Oh no no, I liked it. Call me that from now on. Anyway you were saying something?" she asked.

"Okay! Oh yeah. You are 1576 years old right?" I asked and she nodded.

"So that means you might have met the last Agnola since she went extinct 500 years ago?!" I asked, curious. She was amazed by my sudden question.

"Well yes, I have met her. We were close." She said calmly.

"WHAT??!!" I shouted due to shock.

"*tch* I told you not to shout." she said, holding her ear.

"S-so can you tell me about her?" I asked. She wondered for a minute but then spoke,

"Well there is no point in not telling you so okay...." she said, placing her tea cup on the table.

I listened with full concentration and curiosity as she started to tell me about the last Agnola.

"So, her name was Isabelle. She was 20 when she had her second awakening. An Agnola has two awakenings. First one when she arouses her divine mana which is usually when she is born. An Agnola is recognized right after she is born due to their physical characteristics and overflowing mana. And the second awakening is when she cultivates and overcomes all the obstacles that come in between the cultivation which is definitely not easy. Some Agnola take around ten years, some took thirty years and some didn't even have their second awakening." She said,

"So if they don't have their second awakening then, are they useless?" I asked, making her laugh.

"Oh no, you got it wrong. When an Agnola faces her first awakening she is strong and divine enough and if they don't do their cultivation it's their choice. Some are happy with only one awakening and some want to become more powerful. It depends on your capability. There are not many Agnolas who had their second awakening because it is a very hard cultivation. Those who had their second cultivation can be counted on the tip of your fingers and they are very important figures as well.

Agnolas age like a normal human. They have the lifespan of an average human being and once an Agnola dies another is born on the same day. Now as for Isabelle, she was a very unfortunate kid. She was born on the day her mother died. Her mother was also an Agnola and it was the first ever time in the history of Divinity that an Agnola was born from another Agnola. Her father resented her and blamed her for her mother's death and the people also didn't give her the respect she deserved." She said,

"Wait, an Agnola can marry? I thought they remain single till the day they die?" I asked as Miss Granny giggled at the child's cluelessness.

"Yes they can marry but to the only one their heart belongs to" She cleared my doubts.

"So is the myth true that the man who Agnola gives herself to becomes immortal?" I asked as she made a sad expression.

'Well I know it's not true but what's wrong with double checking?' I thought.

"No, It's not true. But the one the Agnola submits her heart to does get prosperity and blessing from the God but the immortality stuff is all just nonsense and this nonsense thing made Isabelle's life no less than hell. A child who was resented by her own father, addressed as someone who ate up her own mother, not getting the respect and recognition she deserves, rejected by the society, came to me when she was at the edge of giving up.

She was an angel. I have met many Agnolas before her but she was something else. Even after so many sufferings, she had no hatred towards others. She started her cultivation when she was fifteen and she was the first ever Agnola in history to complete her cultivation in five years. It is a very short time compared to the previous awakenings. And just like that she had her second awakening.

She thought that after all this hardship maybe now people will accept her but...she was wrong. A dirty rumour spread that if you have the Agnola...all to yourself you will be...immortal. Anywhere she went, she only got lustful gazes of dirty men. She cried her eyes out every night in my embrace. I never felt pity for anyone before but that child was the synonym of pity...And one day...she lost..." Miss Granny paused as tears were visible in her eyes. After a break she spoke,

"She lost the fight. The fight with her destiny, the fight with all the rejection, the fight of her honour...she lost herself...she lost everything. But she didn't use her power to hurt anyone till the end...but the pain that those beasts gave her made the wrath inside her fume up and she cursed mankind which in my opinion was still very lenient of her. The punishment that those monsters deserve was beyond death. The people of that era were no less than beasts but I would say they were worse than them....

Even the God couldn't bear to watch the pain his beloved was in, so he relieved all her pain by freeing her from that hell hole and placed a curse over them. And for the next few years there was no Agnola, no peace, no happiness, no forgiveness. God took revenge...revenge for Isabelle....".

I felt a little wetness on my face and I touched it just to find...tears?

'I'm...crying?' I thought and my chest was also hurting and soon after I couldn't control and burst into tears.

"How...how can they do this??" I said between my sniffles. I looked up just to see Miss Granny smiling at me.

"Why are you crying?" She asked.

"I-...I don't know *sniff* I just feel very sad and it feels as if *sniff*...as if it happened to someone close to me...someone I'm related to" I said trying to control my tears.

"What if you are....." She said, making me confused. "Huh?" I said, looking at her confused.

"Agnola is someone who is connected to the heart of every kind and pure soul out there. It is a sign that you are a kind person whom God cherishes. Now calm down kiddo" She said and came to me and engulfed me in a hug. I hugged her back and something in that hug made me calm down.

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Currently, I was currently drinking strawberry milk which she brought by magic to calm me down.

"*slurp* It was delicious!" I said, amazed by the delicious taste it had. Miss Granny just giggled at her cuteness.

"So..." Miss Granny said, gaining my attention.

"You don't have to return?" she asked, raising her eyebrows making my eyes go wide.

"SHIT!!!!" I yelled when I realised that I have been here for three hours. Miss Granny just sighed as this was the seventh time she had to ask me not to shout.

"I should go!" I said as I stood up. Miss Granny giggled at my actions, making me confused.

"You're laughing? I will be dead! If Daddy finds out that I'm missing for the last three hours he must have turned the whole Paizi empire upside down by now and even worse...He will fire Fannie and Brother Ryan!!!!" I said when I realised what might happen.

"Calm down kiddo. We are in a different time dimension. Two hours there is fifteen minutes here....Since it's been three hours then it must have been half an hour maximum out there." Miss Granny said while chuckling, making me calm down.

"Still we agreed to meet after half an hour. I have to leave" I said as she nodded, "Then I'll be leaving. Goodbye." I bowed.

"Goodbye and remember you can always find me here. The gate will always be open for you. You are a lucky one because no normal human can enter here." she said, making me giggle. I nodded and went towards the door when I suddenly remembered the main thing I was here for.

"Oh! I forgot the main thing! What did you mean by peace will be here...soon?" I said turning back but there was no one there.

"Where did she go? *sigh* I didn't get the answer yet again....." I said and left from there.

"....You will know soon my child...Good luck" Miss Granny said appearing from mid-air.

I was going back to the place where we three agreed to meet after an hour. I was in my thoughts when a voice made me snap out of it.

"MISS!!!" Sir Ryan shouted and came running towards me and soon after Fannie also came running panting vigorously.

"Where *huff* were you *huff*?" Fannie said while panting.

'Were you running a marathon or something?' I questioned looking at her 'about to die' state.

"Um....I was at the other end so it took me a while to come here...." I said, smiling awkwardly.

"*phew* I thought we lost you. You are seven minutes late and we were getting worried so we left to find you but thank God you returned" Sir Ryan said as Fannie nodded.

"Don't worry. I'm fine" I reassured them,

"Did you find her?" Fannie asked.

"Who?" I asked back.

"The old lady you were looking for? Because we didn't." she stated.

"Yup! I did and we had a great conversation" I said.

"That's a relief. All the effort was not in vain" Fannie said, sighing.

'Now seriously, what type of marathon have you run to be this exhausted?' I thought again looking at Fannie.

"Now shall we return?" Sir Ryan asked and I nodded.

We returned home and I entered the mansion with Fannie just to find silence…

"Why is it so silent?" Fannie asked.

"Right? Where is everybody?" I asked, looking around.

"MY LADY!!!!!"

A voice startled us. It was Mr. Butler. He came running towards us while panting.

'Why is everybody running a marathon today?' I thought, looking at him.

"Mr. Butler are you ok-" "Lady Rosaline!" he cut me off and after hearing Aunt's name my heart dropped.

"Aunty? Aunty what?!!" I asked as anxiety and worry took over me.

"Lady Rosaline..." he said.

"LADY ROSALINE WHAT??" this time I shouted because of anxiety.

"She is on her deathbed." He said, making me freeze.

"What..."