"Cassandra…"
Eli stood in front of her missing friend. The face she remembers three years ago remains the same. Yet, she also felt something had changed.
Her eyes, which sparkled every time they would talk about things, even how trivial and random those things are, were always full of vibrancy and enthusiasm; but now were laced with nothing but a dull expression.
Even the momentary shock upon seeing her that registered in those lifeless eyes immediately disappeared. As if their unexpected reunion was no longer worthy of another shocking thought.
Eli observed the quiet woman in front of her. The usual strong aura she always felt on her cannot be found. The immense divine power she always admired in her friend and confidante was nowhere. She grabbed her, hands trembling at the realization of why Mona told her those words.
Just see for yourself.
Suppressing her voice to yell at the situation, Eli managed to utter the words she wanted, with a quiver, "…w-what…happened…?"
She was shocked beyond words. There were not even half of her mana remains. Cassandra's mana was weak; weaker than the lowest officials in the temple. What had happened to her in that span of three years, that she lost almost all her divine powers?
At last, Sandra rested her hands on the top of Eli's, and answered, "Your Holiness."
Eli flinched at the somber voice of her old friend. Gone was the liveliness that always brightened her mood.
"It's been a long time, how have you been?" A subtle smile broke on her lips. The calmness and the clarity of her voice made Eli conscious of her surroundings again. She was still the Saintess. And there's an image she needs to maintain.
Though there was no need to pretend in Mona and Sandra's presence, she remembered another person was standing by the messy table.
She freed Sandra's shoulders from her grasp but took her hands instead.
"Let's talk."
She pulled Sandra towards the door, but Mona blocked it before they could even pass.
"You'll gather attention if you talk outside. Just talk here. We will leave." Said Mona and glanced at Shelly's way.
Which the latter answered with an annoyed face and spiteful voice, "Excuse me?"
Mona came to her and grabbed her arm before dragging her to the door. "Yeah, we're excusing ourselves. Come on."
"W-Wait…! Why do I need to…this is my room!"
"You need a break, Miss Head Mage. Try getting a bit of sunlight at least, hm?"
The door closed behind the two, but they could still the bickering on the inside. Looking over the room, she could tell the owner was a mage; mages are quite prickly when it comes to their laboratory. So, she made a note to thank Mona once they were done.
She could have easily taken Sandra to another room, but thinking further, the knights that came with Mona to the capital have probably seen her face at the lake. She could get recognized.
Though it didn't really matter to her, when her gaze returned to her old friend again, she realized why Mona chose to leave instead.
Sandra ran away. And had been hiding the fact that she has a connection with the Holy Nation.
Three years ago, a week before the declaration of the new Saintess, she disappeared. Eli was sure back then, that the temple and the high priests would hail her friend as the Saintess. It shocked her greatly to hear that she, rather than claim the position and live abundantly inside the temple, ran away instead.
She tried to find her. Asked her parents for help to locate her, which they gladly granted as a gift for becoming the new Saintess. They didn't even know that the one she was trying to find was the one deserving of that position.
Now that person is standing before her, completely lacking and changed.
"I'll ask again." Eli enunciates the words with conviction, hoping to be answered. "What happened to you? Why did you vanish?"
Sandra went to bed and sat.
Eli remained standing. She just watched her move, waiting for a reply.
Sandra opened her lips and began to talk, "I was punished. I committed a crime and paid the price. With that, I can no longer stay inside the temple or the nation. So, I ran away."
She speaks in light as if just telling a casual little story she encountered on the street once. Her eyes don't even hold any vile emotion towards the land that strips off her right to remain.
A crime that receives banishment.
"What crime is that?" Asked Eli. "What crime did you commit to be banished that quickly."
She was mad, but she didn't know where to point her anger at all. Was it the nation who convicted her? To her friend who did wrong? Or to herself, who had no idea all along?
The turmoil in her mind was swept away when she heard a light laughter.
"I wasn't banished. I just simply ran away." Sandra answered, flashing a more relaxed smile at her. "I know I was wrong. I disappeared on you, without telling anything or saying goodbye at all. And after all the things you've done to me. I should have, at least, showed up…"
She lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hands. "Back then, I discovered the door leading to the Ancient Library."
Eli flinched at what she heard. Knowing that, she finally had an idea of what crime her friend committed.
"I was tempted. You know how I always want to know who my parents are, right? I took that opportunity and entered even though it was forbidden. Inside…my quest was answered. Yet it was in exchange for something valuable I have. I have nothing but my divine powers, so I gave it."
"…did you find your parents?"
"Mm."
"Where are they?"
"…dead."
Eli trembled at her words. She sat there, looking at the floor with nothing but a blank face.
"You could have asked for my help to find them, instead of throwing away your…!" She stopped midway when she saw anger flicker in her eyes, which also disappeared quickly.
Sandra averted her gaze and settled them on the curtains blown by the wind. "Have you forgotten? You already helped me before, but it was in vain. Though the Holy Nation's population is small compared to other countries, it is not surprising that finding a single person is difficult."
Why did she feel a bit of irony in her voice?
"When it was taken from me, I saw no need to stay at the temple. And I chose to leave the nation."
"So, you just left…like that." Eli failed to hide her disappointment and hurt in her voice. She can understand that finding her parents' death might be excruciating, enough to forget everything for a while. But she could have come back and informed her of her plans.
She spent months looking for her while carrying the guilt of taking the position she should have. Until now, she felt it didn't really belong to her. She kept thinking she was just the second choice.
Sandra inhaled a bunch of air and exhaled it loudly, then she turned her gaze to her again. Unlike her blank face, there was a shadow in her eyes, and after smiling faintly at her, she spoke with sincerity.
"I'm sorry." She stood and walked up to her. "I left you alone in that stringent and boring place. Were you lonely?"
Eli lifted her arms and embraced her long-lost friend. She was right. The temple was strict and boring, and she was indeed lonely when she disappeared. But then, a year after, a very annoying person came, and she forgot her loneliness for a while. It was replaced with longing instead.