"Archbishop Joanna, there's something concerning that you need to see at the tomb."
Joanna's eyebrows furrowed, and her cold grey eyes signalled the bishop to continue.
"After breaking the 20th formation, a Soul Form of a man wearing weird bronze armour and a funny helmet on his head appeared, but his aura…his aura was absolutely terrifying. It's like I was staring at the face of death itself."
"Did this Soul Form say anything?" From the description alone, Joanna's heart was sent racing.
"Absolutely nothing, Archbishop Joanna."
"Alright, let's go." Joanna turned to face Vasari next to her only to see Adele smothering him with cuddles.
"Ahem! I said let's go." Adele pouted and reluctantly let go of Vasari before standing up. Joanna placed her hand on Vasari's shoulder before vanishing from the spot with him in tow. Adele disappeared a moment later leaving only the bishop inside the mansion.
Bishop Brishan looked around before he left the mansion.
Outside of the castle's entrance, 2 women and a young male appeared in front of the crowd. Joanna and Adele looked at the ethereal figure guarding the door with solemn expressions.
The figure was tall, standing at over 200cm in length. A shiny bronze cuirass garbed his upper body with a crimson tunic worn over it.
Solid bronze leg cuirasses covered both his shins and brown sandals on his feet. An imposing bronze Corinthian helmet covered his entire head and neck, with a T-shaped opening for the eyes, mouth and nose. A crimson-red, crescent-shaped plume accessorised the top of the helmet. In the figure's right hand, a golden spear was wielded, and in his left hand was a bronze round shield. True to Bishop Brishan's words, the Soul Form had an intimidating aura, but to Joanna and Adele, it didn't have too much of an effect.
Although the Soul Forms aura did not affect her, its appearance most certainly did. The people around might not know, but the clear brown eyes, the spear and round shield, and the unique Corinthian helmet were the same that killed her husband 30 000 years ago. Her emotions fluctuated, but she tried her best to remain calm. A Soul Form was a rare technique that only those extremely talented and knowledgeable in the secrets of the Soul could learn and master. Soul forms were created from a tiny fragment of a cultivator's Soul. The process was complicated, immensely difficult to do, and excruciatingly painful. A cultivator literally had to sever a part of their Soul and it took tens of thousands of years to recover even 0.1% of a damaged soul without the use of expensive alchemic products.
Joanna knew this and the lack of life energies coming from the Soul Form confirmed it.
"I'm Archbishop Joanna Mota, allow us entry into your tomb, 12th General of the Great Spartan Army, Titus Rex."
The brown eyes of the Spartan General and the grey eyes of the Archbishop remained locked for a long time before the Spartan spoke slowly, grasping the attention of everyone around.
"Mota? You must be the wife of Archbishop Fazio Mota. A love story for the ages some would call your journey together. Two orphans raised in the same Orphanage, both talented and ambitious.
The Church of the made-up God recognises your talents and recruits both of you, whereby you slowly work your way up the hierarchy of the church together, going from mere followers to deacons, to priests and then to bishops.
But there was only one opening for the position of the Fifth Archbishop. You were both front runners for this position and perhaps you were slightly ahead of him in the race, but out of love and respect for Fazio, you backed out of the race and gave it to Fazio Mota. To express his feelings of gratitude and his love for you, he proposes and the rest is history.
A fairy tale story, really. Unfortunately, all stories come to an end. I must admit that he put up a good fight, his combat skills were decent, but he was no warrior. Before he died he prayed to his 'Almighty Prasufis' for strength so he could see his wife and children again. He begged and begged, but…just as you would expect from a made-up God…nothing happened. His head still dropped to the cold ground and his body feasted on by vultures in the end."
It was completely silent outside the castle. Nobody dared to even take a breath after hearing what the Soul Form said. It was like he was telling a bedtime story, his voice was deep and soothing, but the contents of the story made their blood run cold. If what he said was true, then Archbishop Joanna's late husband was killed by the owner of the Soul Form in front of them.
'What a coincidence!'
They all thought and wondered what their Archbishop would do now.
Joanna's eyes were frosty, but there was nothing she could do in this Soul Form right now. She already accepted her previous husband's death and moved on although it still hurt a little hearing it from the one who killed him and what his last moments were like.
"Anyways…you want to enter my castle? I'll allow it on one condition."
"What?" Joanna spat out causing the Ex-Spartan General to smile slightly. It was a smile that was similar yet completely different from a smile she had gotten accustomed to these last few weeks.
"I can see you have broken your marriage vows of 'being together even in death', finding a new man to replace Fazio Mota. I'll allow him entry and if he completes my trials that I have set up, then I will allow you and your followers of the made-up God to enter."
The ridicule in the Soul Forms' words was clear as day whenever he mentioned the made-up God and it was not well received by these people however their focus was stuck on the words of the figure before that.
Does Archbishop Joanna Mota have a new husband?!?! They all looked at the tall young man, the same height as the Soul Form, standing next to Joanna with wide eyes and thumping hearts.
"I refuse."
"Then no entry."
"What if I just blow this planet up?"
"My castle will still remain even without a planet."
"Why him?"
"He has the weakest cultivation out of everyone here so I think it will be more enjoyable like this. It can only be him."
The General and the Archbishop went back and forth, but there was nothing Joanna could do to change his mind.
She turned to face Vasari, who was just looking forward as if unaware of the situation.
Feeling Joanna's gaze on him, Vasari turned his head in her direction and his ever-present confident smile widened.
"Why don't I try these trials that this guy has set up? I'm a little excited about it."
"No way! Don't you know who that man is? He is a Spartan! A vile cultivator who only cares about killing and enslaving others! I'm not letting you go there!" It wasn't Joanna but Adele who voiced her discontent.
Although she wasn't alive during the Warring period, she heard plenty of stories from those who had and she hated the Spartans to the core.
"I will adjust my trials to his cultivation so you only need to worry if he is capable of completing them or not." The Spartan General added. He cared not for the words of someone who followed the teachings of 'Prasufis'. To him, they were all brainwashed idiots.
"Vasari, are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Joanna stared at Vasari with a myriad of emotions and thoughts swirling in her grey eyes. She too, didn't want Vasari going in there alone, but she had no other choice. Joanna had to trust his abilities and strength and if the trial was adjusted to his cultivation base then she was confident he could succeed. The same couldn't be said for Adele, however.
She refused to let Vasari go and Joanna had to use brute force to subdue her.
"I'll see you, girls, soon." Vasari gently kissed Joanna's forehead and Adele's forehead who was being held in a tight bear hug by Joanna.
"Good luck."
"Be careful!"
Vasari nodded and walked towards the castle entrance.
When he reached the Soul Form, he stopped and faced it.
"F-Follow me."
Nobody was able to notice the slighter stutter in the Ex-General's voice, not even Joanna. And even if they had, they would think they misheard since this whole time he was speaking so confidently and clearly, face to face with an Archbishop.
Vasari nodded and managed to follow along even though the Soul Form made no sound when it moved. When they got within 10 meters of the castle door, it slowly opened with a creaking noise, indicating how long ago these castle doors were last used.
The general didn't wait for the doors to fully open before going inside. Vasari didn't wait either and followed the Soul Form. Their silhouettes soon disappeared from everybody's sight.
Some brave souls tried to sneak into the castle now that the doors were open but they were all embarrassingly repelled back.
"I don't like this. Why did you agree to that stupid condition?" Adele complained after being put down.
"Because he wanted to do it and I trust him. Don't you?"
"It's that Spartan I don't trust. Who knows what he'll do to my baby."
"Your baby? I'm sure you're the one who said we should kill him or lock him up."
"I'm still of the opinion of locking him up but in the bedroom away from all the thirsty women. Did you see how they were staring at him?"
"Anyway…why don't we put some faith in him. He is our partner is he not?"
"Hmph fine. When he returns, we are not leaving the bedroom for at least a month."
–––––
Vasari followed the Soul Form for over 2 hours before they finally reached their destination. The soul form lead him into a room with a rocky ceiling held up by 10 pillars. The room was lit up by candles and a red narrow carpet spread down the centre of the room.
The Soul Form vanished when it entered the room, but Vasari was none the wiser and continued walking down the narrow carpet where a throne was built at the end.
Sitting on the throne was a figure identical to the Soul Form, except his bronze armour was worn out and his spear blunt. The figure opened its clear brown eyes and the first thing it saw was Vasari steadily walking towards him.
The figure hastily jumped off the throne and landed in front of Vasari, bending one knee and his head bowed down, not daring to look up.
Vasari was startled by the sudden noise of armour clinking and stopped walking forward. It was then that the man spoke in a deep, hoarse voice almost as if he had just woken up from a long sleep.
"Y-Your Majesty, I have been waiting a long time for your return."