Rebirth Of A Saintess
Chapter 1
Holy Temple, Capital city of Gamora
I heard the clamoring outside, the sound of thousands of voices singing and praying to the heavens that had once filled me with joy, now grates my ears like a hateful cacophony.
I wish they would all disappear
The sound of footsteps interrupts my inner musing, heavy doors are pushed open to reveal a petite figure. With silver hair and eyes, High priestess Alura stood in stark contrast to the rest of her escorts clad in dark long robes, making her the center of attraction. Alura reaches out to me with a gentle smile but I don't accept it
Oracle Alura
Saintess Ava, It is time.
Ava
I...l... have given it some thought a...a...nd maybe your vision was wrong...
I hate that my voice is so weak, so timid. I want to sound certain but I'm terrified
Oracle Alura
I am never wrong
Ava
Then perhaps it was misinterpreted...
Unknown priest
Impossible!!
I jump from the unexpected shout from one of Alura's escorts, her voice is surprisingly loud for such an old woman. I also realise that I don't know her, I've lived in the temple ever since I was a child and knew practically every one in the temple, but I've never met this person before. Quickly, I scan the faces of the others, their expressions grim and determined. The golden trinkets hanging on their necks identified them as high ranking priests but I do not recognise any of them.
I don't ask questions, I'm not allowed to. Despite serving at the temple for forty years, I was still in the dark about the inner workings of the sacred order. I wasn't really one of them, my saintess position had been granted to me because of my divine powers not because I passed the holy rituals.
Ava
Y...you cannot ask this of me *whisper*
I turned to Alura, the woman who had raised her in the temple after my own mother had passed away. Perhaps that bond would outweigh her duty as the spiritual leader of Gamora, at least for this one time
Alura's gentle smile disappeared
Oracle Alura
The miasma has inflicted our people with an incurable disease and attracted demonic monsters that attack us relentlessly. If we fail to act now, the Gamora empire will fall. Do you wish to see that happen?
Ava
Absolutely not! But there has to be another way... we haven't even tried other options yet
Oracle Alura
There are no other options. Heaven chose you to save Gamora, you should be honoured to have the chance to perform such a noble act-
Ava
I don't want to die!!!
My scream cuts Alura off mid sentence and temporarily drowns out the noise from the crowd outside.
Oracle Alura
Please be reasonable, this is your duty as the Saintess. It is your fate
Fear has made me bold and for the first time, I refuse Alura. My defiance sparked mummers among the priests, panic evident in their faces. They glare at me, Alura's eyes are icy cold. I shivered beneath their gaze and looked down in shame, very aware that I had failed them all. But a small part of me was also relieved, I had voiced my truth for the first time in years.
Unknown priest
How could she defy heaven!
Unknown priest
Disgraceful!
Unknown priest
What do we to tell the people!
Oracle Alura
The ceremony will proceed as planned
Alura's voice rings out, silencing the rest.
Unknown priest
How will that happen?? The Saintess has forsaken us!
Oracle Alura
The Saintess will complete the ritual and cleanse Gamora
I stare at her in disbelief. Even though it was Alura's vision that doomed me to this fate, it was not up to her or anyone else to decide my fate.
Ava
The choice is mine and I refuse to accept your divination. I believe I can find another way to save Gamora
Oracle Alura
That is no longer your decision to make
My heart began to pound as fear and doubt threatened to overwhelm me
Ava
W...what does that mean?
Unknown priest
You must save us...
Unknown priest
You are the only hope...
Unknown priest
Don't blame us...
The priests began to chant, their eyes shone with madness and I started to feel threatened. Which was ridiculous. They couldn't force me, that was against the doctrine of light and they were all holy priests. But why do I feel cornered?
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