Pathfinder: Sacred Order - Chapter 85

Angelia awoke to a head splitting headache. Her body still felt weak as she was in the process of recovering her mana. But the room she found herself in was not her own.

Instead, she was in a small wooden room with a candle on the small desk next to the bed that was lit.

Her eyes wandered around the room until it fell onto a silver statue handing on the wall. The longer she stared at it, the more her head hurt. It got to the point that she had to hold her head in her hand.

That statue… it was familiar.

A faint image reappeared inside her mind.

‘They are the same?’

Angelia asked herself with confusion plastered across her face.

No wonder the figure of the statue reminded her of something. She saw the person himself during her battle with that creature.

Speaking of which, where was it? Better yet, where was she.

As she was about to get up she winced in pain. Her entire body was sore. Angelia already knew she was in mental pain, but did not realize she was physically injured as well.

Taking a glance down at her body she noticed she was bandaged. It was just her left arm, but still, it was an injury.

A moment later the door creaked open as a veiled figure enter the room. It was a woman based on the outline of the clothing.

In her arms was a tray with a bowl of water and a white cloth.

“You are awake!”

The veiled woman said as she was surprised by Angelia.

“I remember you, the young priest woman. Although, I never got your name. What am I doing here?”

That was something she was good at. Remembering people based off their voice. She only needed to hear someone speak a few times before she would be able to recognize them again later on.

“Amelia, Lady. You were brought in by your knight, both of you were wounded. You more so than him.”

Amelia answered Angelia. She already knew who she was as this was her second time meeting the young lady. Not to mention she took a mental note that this was Jacob’s fiancee.

Rubbing her temple, Angelia tried to recall the previous events. Instead of remembering, all she received was pain.

“Right. Where is he?”

Amelia set the tray down on the ground as she knelt by Angelia’s bedside.

“May I?”

Amelia asked before she did anything.

Angelia gave a slight nod of approval and Amelia examined Angelia’s body.

“He is in the room next to yours, I believe he is resting his eyes.”

Amelia said as she began to wipe Angelia’s body with the white cloth. The injury to Angelia’s arm did not need to be tended to. It would heal in due time.

“And the others? There should have been more than just him.”

Pausing in her motion, Amelia looked up at Angelia for a second. From the moment the knight arrived with Angelia, Amelia had only noticed those two no more. She was afraid to say that the others Angelia was speaking of no longer existed.

Frankly, this entire scenario reminded her of Lord Lezhalt and Jack.

It seemed to her that Angelia and Lord Lezhalt had very little in common, but now that could be proven wrong. Given how they both arrived at the temple in a similar fashion.

“When you both arrived no one else was with you I’m afraid. You would need to ask your knight about it.”

“I was already planning on it”

Silence loomed over the room for a minute as neither one of the girls spoke to each other for a minute.

“Who is that?”

Angelia broke the awkward silence after Amelia finished wiping down her body.

Looking in the direction Angelia was pointing, Amelia saw the silver statue that was hung on the wall.

She was a bit taken back by this, as a lot of people recognized the twelve saints. Still, she would not question Angelia, someone who was ranked above her in the empire.

“That is Saint Michael, one of the twelve templars that descended upon this world with the Holy Mother herself. This temple was built in his honor, we have a wide variety of books based on what he has passed down. If you would lik-”

“Descended?”

Angelia interrupted Amelia as she was focused on this one word.

Amelia urgently nodded her head.

“Yes, descended. Are you not familiar with the teachings lady?”

“No, I am not.”

“Then you do not know the story of Mother Nessa and her children?”

“Elaborate.”

Amelia thought for a moment before she spoke. It was not her place to teach Angelia the history of this land and religion, but if she did her standing in this place would surely go up. It was disappointing that a noble did not know, nor was in tune with her spiritual side. Amelia could only wonder what nobles actually doing in their spare time.

“After the creation of the world, a heavenly warrior descended along with her twelve knights. The warrior is who we know as Mother Nessa, she was an omniscient being. Capable of creating miracles with just a thought. Together with her knights, she gave birth to all of which we know. Magic and knowledge were passed down to us through her. She taught us how to be human and how to survive. All that she asks in return is that we stay loyal to her.”

“So you are saying that she gave birth to all of us? Or at least the first few humans.”

“This is the part a lot of us are still looking into. Some have found information claiming that she created us all from nothing, while others believe that the twelve knights – her children – were the ones who gave birth to us. Considering we each take after them in some form or fashion.”

Angelia kept her thoughts to herself about what Amelia just told her.

She knew who Mother Nessa was, but she herself was not much of a religious person. There was something about it that always seemed off to her, and she had a feeling she knew why.

From what she saw from her vision, to just know what she was told. It did not add up correctly.

In her mind, she saw Saint Michael, and he did not ‘descend’ in the form that Amelia made it seem. Instead, he arrived here, on a ship of some sort. He was not the only one either. If she who she saw were really the twelve templars and Mother Nessa, then they all arrived here the same way.

By ship.

Yet, it was odd. The church taught one thing, but she saw another. Her visions were never really wrong, but who could say this could not be the first.

Questioning was one thing, but to act on those questions was something else entirely. Angelia would keep her thoughts to herself as if they ever got out the church would not just let her off with a warning.

This was something she knew, even if she was not religious.

“If you would like, I can fetch you some books that dives more into detail about it. Or, you could ask the bishop.”

“Bishop? I thought you did not have one.”

Amelia nodded.

“We did not. And still do not. But with your arrival, things have changed and it seems Leah will be crowned sooner rather than later.”

When she heard that, Angelia already had a feeling as to what was going on. The daughter of Lord Frost, a prominent noble in the city arrived at the temple injured and in need of care. Leah, the one who would soon be in charge took this chance to help her but also use her to catapult herself into a higher rank.

“I will have to take you up on that offer. I do have some questions for the bishop.”