[Melas] Chapter 121: Estia IV - The Cult (Patreon)

The girl crept through the cave, the tapping of her small feet muffled by the patter of the rain outside. She was a curious one, always so inquisitive. Mother knew that about her. It was one of her best traits, apparently.

But the girl was warned to stay away from the deeper depths of the cavern. Especially when mother herself ventured into it for days on end. The girl was explicitly told to never follow after.

However, she had grown too excitable. Her curiosity got the better of her, and now she was silently stalking deeper into the cave, in search of mother. She giggled. Surely mother would be surprised to see me, she thought. Never once did it cross her mind that this was not the right thing to do.

She poked her head into the next chamber, her single horn sticking out like a sore thumb. Two figures stood in the room. One of them was clearly mother, with her dark cloak and her two horns. The other was smaller figure. A child of roughly her age. Although she didn’t get a good view of them as mother suddenly appeared by her side.

“Elysia, what are you doing here?” Elara asked in a panicked voice. “I told you to wait for me to return.”

Mother’s reaction surprised the girl. Elysia thought she’d be happy to see her. “W-what…?” The girl stared at Elara, trying to muster up her words. “I-I was…”

“Is something the matter?” the child asked, walking up behind Elara. He tilted his head to the side, his white hair nearly glowing in the dark. He stared at her with golden eyes, almost lifeless. “Oh, Elysia is here?”

“I… am?” The girl glanced between Elara and the boy. Mother wore a strange look on her face, almost as if she was worried. “What’s going on, mother? Who is this? How does he know me? Why are you speaking with him?” It was a lot of questions at once, but she was a curious child. So, that was fine right?

Elara opened her mouth, but the boy cut her off. “My, my, Elara. I’m surprised you never introduced us even after two decades passed.”

“Introduced… us?”

“You mean you don’t know?” He cocked a brow. Then a smile spread across his face as her eyes grew wide. “I am Xander, Elysia. I am your father.”

Estia jerked awake as the words rang in her head. A shudder ran through her body as she threw the blanket off her. “Where—” She glanced around the room. There was no one there. “He’s not here.” Sighing, she rubbed her temples. Then the events of the previous day flashed in her mind. “Mother.”

Elara was here in Jahar’taw. Not only that, she was protecting the little girl that was apparently the daughter of the Fiend. Estia should’ve expected it— the Fiend must have been working with the Cult all along. Why else would she have betrayed the Shadow’s Evangelium, and refused to join the Dark Crusaders?

Estia stormed out of her room, looking at the milling Goblins— Dark Crusaders, but not even Dark Acolytes— standing around the factory hall.

“Where is Karna? Mahir? Abbad?”

They exchanged confused glances. One of them spoke out. “Karna and Mahir are in the meeting room. Abbad is…”

“Dead. Of course.” Scoffing, Estia headed straight for where the other two Disciples were residing. “Typical. This is why they’re not Apostles.”

She threw the enchanted double door open, finding both Goblins standing in the center of a crowd. They were giving a speech. She interrupted it.

“Karna, Mahir. I need both of your help.”

The pair paused. Estia glared at the perplexed Goblins surrounding them. They were giving a speech. Many losses had been suffered from the battle with the Holy Knights and the guards of Jahar’taw. With how low of a profile the Dark Crusaders have been keeping here, it was the first time many of them experienced such a large-scale battle. As such, it was also the first time they have experienced loss.

A speech was necessary to alleviate that heavy feeling. But Estia’s focus was not on that right now.

“Now.”

They weren’t happy about it. Karna, specifically, was upset about it. Mahir was more carefree, although he did still have the rather prideful personality of a Goblin.

“What did you need of us, Apostle Esta?” Mahir asked, his voice cool.

“Those under us will not be pleased unless there is a proper justification,” Karna said, not hiding his annoyance with her.

“It is justified.” Estia came to a stop before her own room. The drawings of a spell circle was made on the brick floor out of chalk and ink. “I need to speak with my mentor.” She gestured at the incomplete ritual. “I require the aid of your magic to cast the spell.”

Mahir’s chest puffed up a little. “Ah, of course. That is no issue whatsoever.”

Karna narrowed his eyes, but he said nothing.

“The ritual circle has three spots for a spellcaster to stand in,” she explained. “There, you’ll place both your hands on the floor and pour your mana into it to activate its effects.”

They did as they were told, no complaint from either hand. With a deep breath, Estia glanced between the two Goblins. Powerful spellcasters— at least on the level of a Disciple— were required to carry out this ritual. That was why she sought them out the instant she woke up. Estia had spent the whole night preparing it. All that was left was to push the button and it was ready.

“Now.” She spoke simply, and there was an outpouring of mana. A surplus of magic in the air. Then it all vanished in an instant.

Karna and Mahir drew back, panting, exhausted from what it drained of them. The ambient mana was gone briefly, a void that lasted for a mere moment before the surrounding mana rushed in to fill it.

A hole opened up in the air. It was like staring through a window. A black perimeter surrounded the hole, powerful space magic that kept it stable.

“Is this… it?” Karna stared at the abyss, and nothing stared back.

“It will inform my mentor that I wish to speak with him. Whether or not he answers— I’ll have to wait and see.”

“Heh,” Mahir grunted, stepping back. “That was easy work.”

“What did you need to speak with him about?” Karna asked, frowning. “If it is a matter to discuss with Herald Kores, it has to be important, no?”

“It is,” Estia said with a nod. “Unfortunately, it is not a matter I am allowed to speak to you about.”

Karna paused. He eyed her with scorn. “You cannot just leave us in the dark, Apostle Estia.”

“It is not something Disciples are aware of, Karna.” She met his gaze. The Goblin didn’t break away.

“Let’s just… go, Disciple Karna.” Mahir tried to bring Karna away from the room, but the other Goblin stood his ground.

“If this is about the events of yesterday—”

“Yes.” Estia sighed. She didn’t want to tell them more than they needed to know. But Karna was invested in this. After all, he was apparently one of the Goblin’s under Victor’s group when Melas betrayed the Dark Crusaders. “It’s about the girl from yesterday.”

“Melas?” Karna raised a brow.

“After what happened with the Disciple Victorianius Valens, she has been placed in the radar of the higher ups. Those, such as Kores, would like to be made aware of her and her movements. Especially knowing that she’s in Jaahar’taw and—” Estia paused. Would that be enough to satiate his thirst for knowledge? No, she had to throw a bone. Rabid dogs needed more than a bit of meat. “And that other Demon is with her. That is all I can say.”

Karna considered this. This was all Estia was willing to offer up. She didn’t want to, but Kores had emphasized how she had to learn how to work with others. And this was a compromise, right?

The Goblin eventually nodded, acquiescing as he stalked out of the room. “I see.” The door was shut behind him, and the enchantments soon activated.

Estia closed her eyes, sitting in a meditative position as she waited for the spell to respond. There would be a reaction soon. Kores knew that this missive from her was always important. And just as she expected, the hole flickered and light shone in from the other side.

“Estia. Is something the matter? How goes your mission in Jahar’taw?” His voice came out clear as day. This was magic. It wasn’t like the radio transmitters used to communicate over long distances where static murked the voice. And far superior to those merely audio communication devices, Estia could see Kores.

It was as if the other Demon was standing right before her.

“A lot of things have happened, Kores. I haven’t fought the Saintess yet, but other things have occurred. I.... she’s here.” Estia felt her hands tighten into fists.

Kores was perplexed. “She?” He paused, tilting his head back. “Ah, I have heard some reports about this. It seems that the daughter of the Fiend has made an appearance in Jahar’taw, yes?”

“That’s not it.” She shook her head, feeling her frustration grow. Why couldn’t she just say it? She felt like a child again. So helpless. Unable to act against her mother. But she changed. She was many decades older than when she last saw Elara. She had even shed the Human name she had been given as a child. “My mother. She’s here. And she’s with Melas.”

Kores, her mentor, one of the very few Heralds of the Dark Crusaders, was taken aback. “The Demon King’s daughter is in Jahar’taw?”

“Yes,” Estia said simply. “I saw her. I fought her. She fled.” It was a better and more succinct description than ‘I flew into a rage and attacked her before she escaped’.

“And she’s with Melas?”

“They are on the same side as far as I can tell.”

Kores did not speak. He rubbed a hand over his chin, his obsidian black skin a shade darker than Estia’s. That was because he was a true Demon. Just like Elara. One of the last few left in the world.

He was centuries old. A Demon that survived the Final Holy War simply because he did not side with the Demon King. That was almost treasonous— but at that point, the Demon King no longer cared to battle. Those who stayed with him simply awaited their destruction.

There were already very few Demons left at that point. And Kores was one of these last ones who chose to flee— perhaps because he was younger or because he was a fool who thought the extinction of their kind could be avoided— instead of staying and dying.

“If what you’re saying is true—”

Estia nodded. “Then the Cult is working with Melas.”

The Dark Crusaders were not a unified group, contrary to the belief of the Church. They thought that they conspired together, that they planned all their actions together, but no. That kind of a hierarchical structure was maintained by the Shadow’s Evangelium. The Dark Sages who formed the Dark Crusader sought to avoid falling into the same pit as they did.

Personally, Estia didn’t see a problem with it. They claimed it was to prevent the idolization of a single figure as the leader and proponent of the group, rather than the general idea which they sought to pursue: the destruction of the Church and a new world order where magic was permitted.

But even that was not the only focus of the Dark Crusaders— a side effect of its decentralized nature. For example, Estia’s faction was a small subset of the Dark Crusaders which were invested in the Cult and its activities.

“The Cult,” Kores said, his voice heavy. “When you first spoke to me about them, I refused to believe you. I did not think such a group could’ve possibly existed. But when I consulted Jasmin the Voodoo herself corroborated your story, I knew you were telling the truth. That you truly were the granddaughter of the Demon King. And the daughter of the Great Hero Xander himself.”

A wry smile spread across Estia’s face. She remembered when she was nearly cast out of the Dark Crusaders for being mad. She was glad that Jasmin validated her. “Everyone believed that the Great Hero Xander was dead. Of course you didn’t believe me.”

“Instead, Xander faked his death to pursue his experiments. The ones which borne the very Abominations which now wrought chaos and death throughout the world. The ones that threaten the very empire he built.” Kores sounded more puzzled than anything. He tilted his head back. “But why?”

“I don’t know,” Estia said. She was there when it happened— when the very first Abomination was spawned into the world. Just remembering the wretched and horrific experiments Xander conducted made her sick. “But what we do know is that this Melas is part of the Cult. The very same one with my mother, and led by Xander himself. And the girl is not some weak spellcaster— she’s barely a decade old, and her magic rivals that of a weaker Apostle. In around two years, she went from being equal to a Disciple to an Apostle, Kores. We can’t just ignore this.”

Even if the Holy Xan Empire painted the Dark Crusaders as the evil terrorist group that threatened to destroy the world— that wasn’t what anyone in the Infernalis wanted. They lived in this world. The world held them with scorn and contempt. But they understood that they couldn’t just destroy it all.

No, that was never the goal of the Dark Crusaders. The liberation of spellcasters? The tearing down of the old world order which oppressed spellcasters and threatened them with death? That was the only thing the Dark Crusaders wished to eradicate.

The same couldn’t be said for the Cult. Because Estia had spoken to Xander. She knew what he wanted. She knew what the Cult wanted. It was a simple goal— one that could be summed up in a single sentence.

They wanted to kill the Goddess of Light.

And that would spell doom for the world as they knew it.

“You’re right, Estia. You have new orders, ones that hold priority over dealing with the Church.” With a deep breath, Kores spoke out. “Find Melas, the daughter of the Fiend, and bring her to me. She is still a child, so perhaps she may be reasoned with. But if she does not cooperate?”

Estia’s eyes flickered. “Kill her, I know.”

Author's Notes:

I know people tend to skim these 'side pov' chaps, but most of the time they're full of plot-important information. We're back to Melas next chap. I tried to cram everything into one chap so we weren't away for too long. Sorry for the late release. I wrote very slow today. 4 hours for 2k words...