The Holy City

The wind gusts through the wasteland—formerly known as Mico. The beautiful cityscape Haruki and Louisa shared their date exploring is a deserted land. The clouds overhead mask the sun's light and invite darkness to roam the land. The barren land quakes as two evil entities meet.

"..."

"Have you made a decision, Elisabeth?" asks a man. The shadows mask him. His voice, deep, causes the earth to rumble.

Elisabeth, leader of the Illuminati, stares at the man from under a veil. Everything about her, from her white dress to her golden hair and blue eyes radiate light. "Yes," she says, "I have. And I decided not to."

"Despite witnessing my grand victory over Grand Order, you still defy me? Know, Elisabeth, that your measly organisation is like an insignificant bug to mine. And I despise bugs. They only know how to buzz around your ear. Do you know what I do to bugs like that, Elisabeth?"

"Let me guess. You crush them, yes?"

"Yes. With all my might."

"Should I take your words as a threat?"

"Think of it as friendly advice."

"I see. Well, let me offer some wisdom to you as a friend. My organisation is not to be touched. If this advice is not taken to heart, we can settle our differences right here."

"..."

"I thought so. I will take my leave if you have nothing else to discuss."

Elisabeth disappears into thin air and the man laughs.

"Was it wise to just let her leave?"

"My dear Louisa, everything I do is wise. There exists a handful of people who can best me in battle—Elisabeth Faith is one of those people. She's a true beast. But soon, another beast, a True God, will encounter Elisabeth. How will he fair against—"

"Sir?"

"It seems we have some unwanted company."

Louisa walks in front of the man and stares at the guest. "Who are you?"

"Louisa," says the man, "get out of my way."

"S-Sorry, Sir."

"Hafiz, what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting an old friend. How fares your wound?"

"It aches every time I see your revolting face."

"That's great to hear. Anyway, how about we get down to business?"

 ***************************

The train is silent. It has been for the past five days. Niklaus' head has been down ever since Raizo's order.

"Haruki," he says, finally speaking. "Raizo's ordering a retreat. Does he believe we can't defeat whoever it was that attacked Mico?"

"I defeated Raizo before. However, that does not mean he is weak. If Raizo was defeated, that could only mean his opponent was someone beyond our imagination."

He remains quiet for a while.

"Hey guys," says Selina, breaking the silence. "We're here."

The Holy City, Glabaskhan. I remember Jinx saying she was heading here. Does that mean the leader of the Illuminati, Elisabeth Faith, is here? If she is, I might get some answers. But finding her might prove difficult.

The train stops. We get out and are met by two young boys wearing white wolf masks.

"Welcome, Haruki Ryu," they say in unison. "Lady Elisabeth Faith awaits your arrival."

The surrounding citizens start to whisper.

"Me?" I ask, ignoring the rambling of the populace.

"Yes, we are to escort you to the chapel, where Lady Elisabeth resides," says the boy with green markings on his mask.

I guess finding her is not as difficult as I thought it would be.

They start leading us to the capital. "My name is Emihiko," says the one with green markings on his mask. "And he is Yukio," he says, hinting at the boy with blue markings on his mask. "Yukio and I are twin brothers."

"I never asked."

"But you were thinking it. You can ask us anything. We were ordered to serve you."

"By Elisabeth?"

"By Lady Elisabeth, yes."

"Why?"

"Lady Elisabeth needs no reason for an audience with anyone. She does what interests her and everyone should just follow her. For some reason, Lady Elisabeth has taken a liking to you and wants you to have an audience with her."

"Taken a liking? What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. Lady Elisabeth fell head over heels for you. She's in love."

I pause. "She's... what?"

"In love."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"I see." Actually, I don't 'see' anything. What is this boy spouting? She's in love? Elisabeth Faith?

"I know it may be hard to believe. Believe me, I am still wrapping my head around it. But this is Lady Elisabeth's wish. And whatever she decides is law."

Emihiko and Yukio continue leading me towards the church. When we arrive, they take me into the building. The church is desolate. The only person here is a nun in a white dress, praying before a statue. The statue is of a man wielding a large sword. The fine details make it appear real.

The woman stands up. "Welcome, Haruki," she says, as she turns around. "I've been awaiting your arrival."

She's beautiful—A woman in her early thirties with long golden hair and mellow skin. The thought crosses my mind but I shake my head, confused. What was that? For a brief second, I felt a wave of attraction for this woman. Did she do something to me like...? Hmm? That's weird. I feel as though something is missing.

"Is something the matter?"

I shake my head. "It's nothing."

"Good, then—"

"Why did you invite us to your church?"

"'Us'? Who are you talking about, Haruki?"

Us? Why did I just say that? "Sorry," I say, grabbing my head, "I don't know—"

"Don't concern yourself with the small matters, Haruki. We all have off days every now and then. As for your question... I invited you with no ill intent. I only want to spend some time together with you."

"Spend time... together? Are you crazy? I'm... I'm..." Huh? That's weird. Why am I so dismissive of her?

"Haruki, the sun will set soon. Why don't you join me for dinner tonight?"

"I think... that's a wonderful idea."

"You will! That's wonderful. Emihiko, Yukio, you may leave. I want to spend some time with Haruki in private."

"As you wish, Lady Elisabeth."

After Elisabeth finishes her duties in the church, she leads me to a small cottage on the outskirts of the town. "Is something the matter?" she asks after I pause when I see the house.

"This house..." I mumble. It looks so much like the house I lived in with Grandpa. Like it's an exact copy. "Sorry," I say, "I was taken aback, that's all."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

I was so dismissive of Elisabeth's hospitality—I wonder why that is? She's so kind and thoughtful. But... I can't shake this feeling that I may be forgetting something.

 *******************************************

"...And that's all I wanted to say. Let's pray this is the last time we bump into each other. Because the next time we do, it won't be over friendly discussions." Hafiz takes his leave. Louisa turns to the man, shocked.

"Sir, is what he said true?"

"Don't dwell on his words. Anyway, I wanted to finish off what we were discussing."

"Elisabeth Faith, right? Why do you call her a beast? Is she that powerful?"

"Yes, and no. Elisabeth is powerful, yes. But that's not what makes her so fearsome. What frightens me, and every person who opposes her, is her magic."

"Her magic?"

"Something you'd imagine is quite weak—A magic whose only use is to gather information. But Elisabeth has mastered this magic to an extent that makes her fearsome."

"What is her magic?"

"I think that's enough talking for today. Wouldn't want to reveal too much information," he says laughing. "Let's just see how this plays out. I'm interested in how the True God will overcome this trial."