Essentia Caelestiss

The sunlight struck my face, waking me up. I slowly opened my eyes, trying to remember what had happened last night. When I finally opened them completely, I recalled the nun and how she had knocked me out with a single blow—one I had been unable to react to in any way.

I assumed everything had happened the night before, as I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. While thinking about it, I lifted the upper part of my body.

At that moment, a wave of pain coursed through my entire being, and I realized that the damage inflicted by that damn nun was severe. I also noticed that my body was bandaged and that I was wearing a white dress. A sense of helplessness washed over me as I became aware of how vulnerable I had been and the state I was in... but there were more important things to worry about.

I immediately inspected my surroundings for any information that might tell me something about where I was.

It looked like an old room, with a window near the bed I was sitting on. Through it, I could see a beautiful meadow stretching as far as the eye could see, seemingly enclosed by trees at the horizon.

After looking away from the window, I tried to find any sign of the lunatic nun's whereabouts. I thought that she had probably brought me here, though I couldn't find a reason why—after all, she was the one responsible for my condition.

Without further delay, I summoned the sword and channeled it with the intention of restoring my body. To my surprise, no matter how much I tried to heal using the stored vitality within the sword, it failed to mend my wounds. Confusion took hold of me as I failed to understand what was preventing my regeneration.

As I struggled to find an explanation, the door to the room suddenly burst open. Ignoring the pain and my injuries, I swiftly grabbed my sword and took a defensive stance against the person entering. As they were about to fully step through the doorway, I swung my sword in their direction—and just as I was about to cut them in two, I managed to stop it with all my strength, mere inches from their face.

Then, I watched as what appeared to be a five-year-old boy slowly collapsed, as if his legs had lost all their strength. He fell onto his back, his face pale and his hair disheveled by the wind generated by my attack.

Looking at him closely, I noticed that he had wet his pants.

Just as I was about to ask him if he knew where we were or if he had seen a black-haired nun with a psychotic smile, the boy burst into tears.

I panicked, unsure of what to do to calm him down. As my first reaction, I threw my sword out the window, hoping he would realize that I was unarmed and wouldn't hurt him.

"Uhh… kid, I'm not going to hurt you, so how about you stop crying and do me a little favor…? Okay?"

The boy looked at me for a moment and immediately started crying even louder.

I had no idea what else to do. I was sure that if I approached him recklessly, I would only scare him more. While I searched for another way to calm him down, someone else entered the room.

"Oh, dear, you're awake. And why are you making little Ray cry?" asked a voice, clearly confused.

The boy ran to hide behind her and clung to the hem of her skirt.

It was the crazy nun from last night.

I immediately stepped back, summoned my sword again, and split it into two parts. I took a defensive stance, ready to release up to four of my seals without limitations. I wouldn't hesitate for even a second; the moment she moved toward me, I would act.

"Relax, sweetheart, I don't want to hurt you. I mean, if I did, I would have done it while you were unconscious," the crazy nun said with a sigh.

"I still can't be sure of that. You might have another purpose or some reason to keep me alive. Maybe you need me for something else… Besides, I'm sure you did something to my body while I was asleep," I replied as I took one half of the sword in my right hand, positioning it in front of me, and the other in my left, placing it behind me, lowering my stance—ready to strike if the psychotic nun made a sudden move.

"Hmm… Oh, are you talking about the reason why you can't regenerate?" she exclaimed, clapping her palm with her fist, as if suddenly realizing something.

"See? I knew it. You did something to my body! What did you do?" I asked, my tone carrying a subtle aggression.

I didn't have much hope that the demonic nun would answer. Maybe I was taking too much of a risk by not attacking her immediately, but I needed information. This was the first time I couldn't regenerate with the sword's help, and any clue would be useful.

To prepare a countermeasure in case I ever found myself in a similar situation again.

The crazy nun placed her index finger on her lower lip while tilting her head, as if deep in thought. Little by little, the tension within me grew. Was she just playing with me? Had I lost my chance to escape?

"If I explain it to you, will you trust me?" she asked with a doubtful tone.

"I'll consider it depending on the information you provide," I replied, keeping my expression calm and my guard up.

The nun let out a long sigh.

"You're quite a complicated girl, it seems," she said with a resigned expression. Then, she let her arms fall to her sides and slowly left the room, taking Ray's hand and leading him away with her.

"I'll tell you after breakfast… and after cleaning up the mess you made by scaring Ray."

"Oh, and try not to move too much, since you're still not fully healed," she added, poking her head through the door before leaving for good.

I was visibly confused by the demonic nun's behavior. I sat back on the bed and sighed, reflecting on everything that had happened the night before. I couldn't stay in this place for too long, but I needed the information that lunatic possessed.

I stopped to think about her appearance. She had a slender figure and a thin build, which made it hard to believe how strong she was. Her face was beautiful, and she always kept her eyes closed. I didn't know why. Was she blind? But that led to another question: how did she manage to see, then? Was she like a bat? Or maybe… was she a vampire? That would explain her pale skin…

Do vampires have black hair? If so… does that mean she's a grandma? Can she fly too?

Is she a crazy demonic nun grandma?

I thought that was the most fitting description for her.

After a while, the door to the room slowly creaked open, and through the small gap, a little girl with blonde hair and red eyes peeked in.

Are the kids vampires too? How old are they? Do they want to turn me into one of them?

As I got lost in my thoughts, the girl spoke in a timid voice:

"Uhh… Mama said you should come to the dining room for breakfast."

"Mama…?" I murmured in confusion.

Was she referring to the crazy nun?

"Uh, little one… who is your mama?" I asked with a smile.

The girl ran off, so I got out of bed and left the room. As I did, I realized I was in a large building, which led me to assume I wasn't in a house—or at least, not a normal one.

As I walked down the hallway, I noticed a painting of a stunning, almost divine woman at its center. She had a blindfold over her eyes, held a scale in one hand, and gripped a sword in the other.

I wondered who she was and why she carried a scale. As I remained absorbed in the painting, the crazy nun called out to me from the end of the hallway.

"Mmm, dear, follow me. We don't want breakfast to get cold," she said with a smile, raising her hand and waving it in the air.

I looked into her eyes and, once again, questioned how she could see if both of them were shut.

"I'm coming," I replied.

I walked toward her. There was no point in staying on guard the entire time, though I would remain alert and, in case of an emergency, use my last resort.

"Mmm, dear, what's your name, if I may ask?" the crazy nun inquired, smiling gently as she walked beside me.

"You can call me Steel Reaper. I heard that's what they call me in some places," I responded with a shrug.

"Mmm, I can't call such a lovely young lady that," she said with a laugh.

"I'm not little; I'm fifteen. If you don't want to call me that, you can call me Airoku," I replied indifferently.

"I see, Airoku… That's a beautiful name," she said with a soft smile.

At that moment, I stopped in my tracks upon seeing her. Her smile was filled with warmth—a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. My heart tightened, sadness began to flood my mind, and a whirlwind of emotions erupted inside me. The voices in my head grew louder and louder, and an unbearable pain spread through my skull, as if it were about to split in two. My vision began to darken.

I fell to one knee, keeping my head down, trying to calm my thoughts and emotions. I couldn't lose control. Not now.

I focused and managed to suppress my emotions with surprising ease. At the same time, a sensation of warmth settled in my chest.

With a sigh, I lifted my head and saw the crazy nun with a worried expression on her face. A white light emerged from her palms and seeped into my body.

"Are you okay, Airoku?" she asked as she helped me up.

"Yeah, don't worry."

I stood up, a question lingering in my mind.

"Crazy nun… kujum—" I coughed, realizing I was about to insult her.

"My name is Tamara," she interrupted with a smile.

"Kujum… Tamara, what exactly did you just do, if I may ask?"

"Are you referring to the prayer I cast on you?"

"Uh… if by 'prayer' you mean the light that came out of your hands, then yes. What is this prayer you're talking about?"

Tamara let out a laugh and covered her mouth with her right hand.

"Hahaha, you're so funny, my little Airoku."

Again, I felt a pressure in my chest, but I managed to suppress it before it grew stronger.

"So, are you going to tell me what you did?" I asked with a doubtful expression, opening my hands to make it clear that I wanted answers.

"Alright, I'll tell you," she replied, turning around and continuing to walk down the hallway.

I quickly caught up to her and walked by her side, listening carefully to her words.

"You should know that I'm not an ordinary nun."

"Of course, I know that," I thought. I didn't think all nuns could grotesquely transform their arms and possess overwhelming strength. For a moment, I imagined all nuns being like that, and a shiver ran down my spine.

"I'm someone similar to you in a certain sense," she continued, placing her index finger under her lip.

"Similar to me?" I asked, confused.

"That's right. That sword you carry belongs to some god, though I couldn't tell you exactly which one. What I do know is that it's a powerful god, based on the karma residing in the sword," she said with a worried expression.

At that moment, my mind filled with questions. However, at the same time, I received an answer I had been searching for a long time—and it came from an unexpected source.

"So the one I've been searching for all this time… is a god," I thought, feeling a surge of anger take over me for a moment. But I suppressed it by taking a deep breath.

Tamara pretended not to notice what had just happened and continued speaking.

"What I did was similar to what you do with your sword to regenerate your wounds, though the fuel we use is different."

"Fuel?" I asked. "Is she referring to the life span I store in my sword?"

"But unlike you, I can use it on someone other than myself. In this case, you," she explained, pointing at me.

I pushed her finger away and asked, "So, what exactly does that prayer do?"

"It stabilizes the mind and soul," she answered, placing her right fist over her chest.

Hearing this, I understood why I had felt that warmth and why I was able to calm my emotions so easily.

"So, can you heal me with those prayers?"

As I asked that question, we arrived at the dining hall. Tamara sat down and looked at me.

"I'll tell you after breakfast. Now, sit down."

I sat in silence, obeying her words. Just as I was about to eat, I noticed that Tamara and the two children at the table had their eyes closed and their palms pressed together in prayer. I waited for them to finish before starting to eat.

After breakfast, I stepped outside the building and took a better look at it. I realized it was an old chapel, though it seemed to have been modified. Looking around, I took in more details of the meadow I was in: it was beautiful, with scattered flowers, completely surrounded by trees forming a perfect circle, as if it were a natural fence.

At that moment, I saw Tamara stepping out of the chapel and walking toward me.

"Hello, little Airoku. How are you?"

I sighed and decided not to correct her for calling me "little." After all, I knew she wouldn't listen, so it would just be a waste of time.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"I just came out for some fresh air and to admire the scenery," I said while looking at the meadow.

"You should let go of the idea of searching for the owner of that sword. I don't know why you're looking for them, but it's dangerous. Gods are not something you should be playing with," she said, looking at me with concern.

I looked at her as exasperation filled me. What did she know about my situation? What did she know about what I had been through? For starters, she had no reason to meddle in my life; after all, we were just two strangers. We hadn't even spent a full day together—why would she care about me? In fact, the night before, she had almost killed me, and now she was worried? What a joke.

Anger slowly crept over me.

"I don't want to upset you, and maybe it's not my place, but you've suffered so much. You deserve to be happy. You've made mistakes, but there's a lot of kindness within you. You just need to keep moving forward on the right path. I want you to live a fulfilling life," said the crazy nun, giving me a sad smile.

That damn face again. I didn't know why, but every time I saw that smile of hers, my chest felt empty, as if my heart had been ripped out, and an overwhelming loneliness washed over me.

I had to control my emotions—I had to. But there were so many swirling inside me: happiness because someone cared about me, sadness for a reason I couldn't understand, anger because she was trying to interfere with my path, and confusion because I couldn't make sense of this damn nun's behavior.

What does she want from me? Why didn't she kill me? Why does she seem to care about me? What makes her say those words?

These and many more questions haunted my mind at that moment.

I could see the nun still talking to me, but I could no longer hear anything she was saying.

Suddenly, my vision went black, and panic and despair took hold of me as I realized I had made yet another mistake—one I would regret later.