Suin looked at the dry lands before her in frustration, but before she could do anything, a whisper-like voice called to her.
Come.
Please, Arianell, come.
I'm waiting for you.
It was like a breeze, the wind that tickled her ears.
"Do you hear it?" She turned to the knight for confirmation, but before he could say anything, her mind went blank. Like a lightning bolt that struck down from the sky, the pain pierced her head apart and she blacked out.
"Nella! Miss Nella!" Luan's voice was filled with worries, as he ran to her and caught her before she hit the ground, his hand protecting the back of her head. Before losing consciousness completely, she would swear to hear him calling the name he wasn't supposed to know.
"Arianell!"
Suin wasn't sure, what happened, but by the time the pain subsided, she found herself in an unknown space.
"What the hell…" she opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the shining lights again. Her surroundings changed drastically but somehow, she wasn't even bothered by it. She couldn't see the floor. It was like she was floating in the middle of nowhere.
"S…uin…" The whisper-like breeze resonated around her. She tried to pinpoint the direction of the speaker but without avail. Like it was coming from her mind, rather than somewhere around.
"W-who are you? How do you know me? Can you show yourself?"
"The time… is not right… Your soul is still damaged." The voice was deep like coming from something enormous, She had a chill all over, but at the same time realized, that there was no hostility in the air. Whoever was speaking to her meant no harm.
"I don't understand! Please show yourself!"
The invisible floor started to shake, like when a horde of elephants passed through the landscape. Suin still has her eyes half-closed, protecting her sight from the blinding lights with a hand, when two eyes shining like a purple suns appeared before her.
"What in the world…!"
Suin was flabbergasted. In her past life, she liked to read novels with a fantasy setting the most. She thought she wouldn't be surprised by anything and was fully prepared to accept the existence of dragons, gnomes, ogres and more.
But the creature before her… What is THAT?!
There was no shape, just a foggy image with two purple plates in the middle…
"Your soul… needs more time. We will… see… each other again."
"Again? When?"
"When… you are ready. What you need, is hidden in the south. Now, go back… He is waiting for you…"
"Who? Where? I don't understand…?"
"Good… bye… Su..in… No, Ari..anell…?"
"No, wait…! Don't go yet…!" The girl protested but it was too late. The unknown force threw her body backwards and she was flung out from the space. Her body shook strongly, and she started falling into the darkness with nothing around her.
"Are you awake, miss?"
A gentle voice full of compassion asked her.
She was laying on the bed of thin blankets and the exceptionally handsome man looked down on her. His expression was genuinely bright, and he had a light smile. He looked about 25 years old and wore attire similar to priests.
His milky white skin in combination with his ash-like hair made him appear to be pure and holy. The veridian green eyes suited well to his gentle personality and calming smile. She couldn't imagine a better male lead to a saintess heroine.
But her personal preference was blue, not green.
'What's with this uselessly handsome face,' Suin thought inwardly. 'There is no one better than Luan thought…"
As expected, her accompanying knight was still the best.
But where was he now?
"Careful… You shouldn't stand up so quickly," the stranger held her down. She was unconscious and could get dizzy upon getting up.
"Who are you, mister?" She asked suspiciously.
"Please call me Kemal, miss…"
"Missus, you shall thank Father Kemal here, he used a lot of divine power on you," one of the older women sitting in the same tent told her. They were quiet until now but spoke as soon she woke up.
Father? So, he was a priest, after all. What a shame to waste such beauty on something untouchable. But at the same time, the church must be very popular with women if someone like him was to lead the masses.
The world she was currently residing in had few supernatural phenomena. One of them was magic, the essential power that was not limited to humans, but also to demons and magical beasts. The monsters' race was strong and in terms of physical strength, they were superior to humans. Their blood was poisonous and could curse, causing diseases and eventually deaths to the affected.
The opposite power to them was white magic – the only mystic power natural to humans. The white magicians were usually priests with the power of healing, or the paladins, who focused on protection. They were essential in the fights against demons, so a lot of them gathered on the battlefield.
To have a healer travelling with them, the group must be either rich or lucky.
"Thank you, Father…"
"Ah, please just call me Kemal, I'm not officially appointed yet…"
"But it's the same thing, right?" One of the women chipped on again. "I have never seen someone with better divine power than you, Father."
"Haha, you are overpraising me…"
"Excuse me… But where am I right now?" Suin asked.
"This is the merchant's group heading to Deneb. Your companion brought us last night when you were unconscious. Don't worry, he should be tending to the horses outside…"
"Luan…!"
"Careful!" The healer would like to see her resting a bit more, but he could tell she was restless to wake up among the strangers. He helped her get up and show her the direction outside the tent.
Suin ran out and ignored the people and the surroundings. Her heart was beating fast, as she was worried. So far, she has caused Luan so much trouble already and an apology should naturally be given.