I sat on the floor, praying to the God of Numen. The winds that once blew through the room dialed down as the bell rang once more, marking sundown. Having the world disappear, I was back in the abyss.
"You called out for me this time." She said in a snarky tone.
Stars shot through the sky, and water rippled at my feet as the altar stood feet away from me.
I didn't say anything; instead, I walked up to the altar.
"Are you here to make a pact?" She asked.
I looked at the altar, then up at the sky. "I want to ask something first."
Upon saying this, I heard her hum. Realizing the situation, I knelled. For a while, I thought she was just a voice in my head, or a fake god, and because of this, I treated her rashly. The thought of her being a real god didn't occur to me.
"You may ask." She replied upon seeing this.
I could hear the world hum as I gathered my thoughts, "Why didn't you tell me my mother died?"
"How was I supposed to tell you something that didn't happen yet?"
"Huh?"
"Time inside the veil and outside are different. While you all have been in there, years have passed."
"How many?" I asked. She didn't answer. "How many years have passed?!" I raised my voice.
An intense force fell upon me, and I clenched my jaw, trying to bear it. "Careful," she said.
When the force calmed down, I recomposed myself. "How many years?"
"That's not important right now." She replied.
I clenched my fist, 'How could that not be important. Too much was happening, and she wasn't willing to answer that simple question.' I took a deep breath, 'I need to focus on what's important right now.'
I looked up to the sky. "Can you at least answer this? Why did my mother have to die? Why do innocent people have to die every day?"
She lingered for a bit, "because it is what the world wanted." Hearing this left a bitter taste in my mouth. "The gods can guide you and try to help, but in the end, it is what the world wanted. It is what you people have created."
I looked at the altar and the star on the side, "Well, the world is wrong."
"Then what do you plan to do about it?" For the first time, the water stopped, the star didn't shoot through the sky, and the world went silent.
"I plan to change it." I got up from the floor and looked at the words engraved into the altar.
I could hear her laugh at my remark, "That's one powerful ambition you have there." She took a minute to calm herself. When she did, she noticed me biting my thumb. "Is that what you plan to offer."
As the blood from my thumb dripped onto the floor, I paused, "Yes."
"Then say it with your chest, tell me what you offer." She rang.
I poured the blood on the altar, "I offer my will. To change the world, to bring peace to it, for it is my soul's purpose in this life."
When I said this, the stars shot faster than ever before, the ripples in the water became waves crashing into each other, and I could hear her laugh with amusement. Upon hearing this, I could feel my body burn with an intense heat, pain running through it. Collapsing onto the floor, I hold onto the altar, sitting on my knees.
"What is this!?" I yelled.
"Calm down, it's just a part of the process."
After a few more seconds, my vision started to grow hazy—I wanted to pass out.
"Your body is opening your channels for harnessing numen. It's a painful process, but bear with it."
Feeling the pain become worse, I collapsed completely, screaming from the pain. Tears rolled down my face. It felt like I was dying ten times over. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist, but nothing helped.
'How much longer!' I thought as I was feeling as if this pain was lasting a lifetime.
The stars shot by faster and faster, becoming lines in the sky as the excruciating pain became worse.
Then, a few more seconds passed, and the stars that were shooting across the sky returned to normal, as did everything else.
"You accomplished forging the pact." She rang as I tried to catch my breath on the floor next to the altar. Looking up to the sky, Fey said something, "Your class: knight. Title: Lightbringer."
"Huh?" I said, confused, still lying on the floor, letting out deep breaths. I took a minute to recover, but when I did, I grabbed onto the altar to help me up. Finally getting on my two feet again, I see a book on the altar.
"What is this?" I questioned.
"Take a look and see." When she says this, the pages flip open until I am met with strange-looking text.
Rank: Servant
Class: Knight
Titled: Light bringer
Attributes: [Loved]
Miracle: Can use and control light at will.
Minor Miracle: Can absorb light and heal over time
Class Abilities: Light's Edge
Will: To bring peace upon the world.
"Those are your stats, as your people like to call them." She said. "Miracles are unique to each person, while class abilities are akin to your class."
As I looked at them, I then turned and stared at my hand, "I can use light?"
"Seems like it." She chuckled. "I have no control over what you get. I am just as surprised as you are."
I laughed at the sight of this all, 'it's like those fairy tale books we used to read when I was were younger.'
"So this is how you bring down the veil..."
---
As my eyes opened, leaving the sanctuary, I could feel my body feel different than before. It felt as if I was in a body that wasn't my own. As the moon shone on me, I could feel a sense of warmth.
'Is this the light absorption in the works?'
I looked down at my wounds; they were still bad, but they were healing. It felt as if my body was working twice its normal capacity, but it wasn't just that. Around me, I could feel something new in the air. It was numen.
I smiled, 'This is crazy, this was all crazy.' I looked down at my hand forming some light. Closing my fist, I got up from the floor.
'Sheesh, I'm covered in sweat.' I tried to sniff myself, but was repulsed at the smell.
Taking in the fresh air once more, I could hear some voices in the corridor. It was Ael and Amiel, but I heard a feminine voice along with them.
'Eira?' I questioned.
The door slid open. Ael stood at the foot of the door while Eira and Amiel were behind them.
"You're back," I stated.
'How long was I in the sanctuary?' I thought.
"Yeah..." He replied, "And you're out of bed." He looked at me, curious.
"Yeah," Looking away, I looked towards the window.
As Ael stepped in, he walked closer to me. "You okay?"
"I made a pact with her." I couldn't see him, but I could hear him as he stopped walking. "Why?" The other behind him don't say anything.
"And I found something out recently. If we want to all leave, then we all have to make a pact with her."
"What?" Amiel said, confused, in the back.
"When I talked to the God of Numen, she told me how to bring down the veil, but in doing so, a huge outburst of Numen will be sent out, thus corrupting people who aren't akin to it. If you want to leave here alive, we all are going to have to make a pact."
"W-what did you offer?" Ael spoke, afraid of what my next words might be.
"To bring peace to the world."
They go silent. Breaking the silence, Ael said something, "Are you insane!?" He walked up, grabbing my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. When he does, he sees determination in my eyes.
"I made up my mind, this world is just an endless cycle of fighting and killing. My whole life, I ran away from it, thinking I could get away, but I was wrong." Amiel and Eira in the back stared at me, stunned. "So I am going to end the cycle. I am going to end the war."