The massive confessional inside the Aria Church was shrouded in darkness. Saintess Seraphina stood in the centre of the room, her white robes illuminated only by a dim light emanating from an ancient-looking chandelier overhead. Waiting for her superiors to speak.
"The number of summoned heroes has dropped below 30," one voice murmured from the shadows.
"We'll need to summon new heroes to replenish our forces for the war with the Nether," added another; however, she wasn't as unemotional as the owner of the previous voice.
"I understand your concerns," The saintess nodded politely, her expression calm and kind. "I will take care of the summoning immediately."
Since their meetings usually lasted a minute or two, Seraphina expected it to be the end. However, as she turned to leave, a third voice interrupted, stopping her in the tracks.
"What about the boy? The one who wanted to unite every faction?"
Serphina's kind and calm demeanour shifted as sadness clouded her eyes. She slowly turned back, facing the unknown faces in the shadows. Despite trying to remain calm and unaffected, she couldn't help but shed a tear.
"As reported earlier, the hero Adrian hasn't reported back from his last known mission," Seraphina mumbled, wiping away the tear with the back of her hand. "It is unfortunate, but we have to move on and declare him dead."
"So, he's gone? No sign of him anywhere?"
Seraphina nodded, unable to speak, as she had always thought Adrian's blessing would find the path of victory for them. But with him gone, the path to victory against the Nether didn't seem so certain.
"Yes, after having looked for him everywhere, it is safe to say hero Adrian met an unfortunate end."
"That's unfortunate. We should commemorate and immortalise Adrian within the church like those before him."
The room fell silent as if everyone expected the others to say something. Soon, Seraphina was dismissed from the room when no one did, and as soon as she left, the shadows began to laugh.
While they didn't know who made their job easier, they were thankful to that person for getting rid of the nosy brat. Unlike the other heroes, who were ideal soldiers and didn't question the Aria Church, Adrian's [Analysis] skill and constant questions made the higher-ups realise that he would soon become a problem for them.
As such, the church had been looking for anything they could use against Adrian and either have him killed as a heretic or at least exiled as one.
Unfortunately for them, most of the remaining twenty-eight heroes had a favourable opinion of Adrian. They often credited him for their successful expedition, whether or not Adrian was a part of it.
Besides, it wasn't just the heroes who had a positive opinion of Adrian but the residents as well. Although he wasn't a well-known celebrity, quite a few people knew Adrian, and all thought highly of him.
Even Seraphina had a soft corner for him. Whenever she was around Adrian, she would show everyone a different side of her. Even though everyone knew she was kind and lovable, she was incredibly affectionate towards Adrian, which made it more difficult for the higher-ups to get rid of him.
A twisted smile played on their lips as one announced, "The problem we wanted to deal with has been taken care of by someone else."
"No need to get our hands dirty and the Aesir got what they wanted." another one said.
"Adrian's death ensures our path is clear. The church can now move forward without hindrance or worry about 'fate'."
"Still, we lost a hero," a feminine voice interrupted, trying to mask her true feelings.
"May he rest in peace," another added, playing along with the charade.
However, no matter how desperately they tried to hide their true feelings, they ended up laughing at Adrian's pre-determined passing, not knowing someone within their ranks was plotting something more sinister.
***
Hours later, enraged and with tears in her reddened eyes, Sophia rushed inside Seraphina's home office, holding a pamphlet.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" she yelled at the top of her lungs while shoving the piece of paper into Seraphina's face, who dodged her eyes. "Explain this nonsense!"
Unbeknownst to Sophia, Seraphina was dealing with urgent matters with one of the priestesses. However, seeing Sophia's condition, she urged the priestess to leave them alone.
As the hurried footsteps of the priestess echoed away, Seraphina turned her attention towards Adrian's beloved.
"I understand how you're feeling-"
"You don't understand shit!" Sophia continued yelling; anger and pain had clouded her judgment. "The church announced Adrian's death? Who are you to decide if he is dead or not!?"
"Sophia, please, let's talk about this calmly," Seraphina responded, trying to maintain composure. "Besides, we haven't found Adrian's corpse, Sophia. There's still a chance-"
"A chance?" Sophia cut her off, her tone escalating. "Why are you holding a funeral for him, then? Last time I checked, we only hold funerals for the dead!"
"Regardless of whether he is alive or not, the people deserve to mourn their hero," Seraphina sighed, her heart getting heavier with the passing moment.
She continued, "We both know Adrian wasn't someone to ditch his responsibilities like this! If he is missing, then something must have happened to him!"
Upon hearing those words, Sophia's anger morphed into despair, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"You're treating him as if he's already gone! Have you given up on him?" she blurted out.
"Sophia, I want to believe he's alive and well somewhere," Seraphina replied, offering Sophia some much-needed comfort in her arms. "But we must face the facts. Whether we find his corpse or not, Adrian is most likely gone."
Sophia, unable to contain her emotions any longer, broke down. She collapsed into Seraphina's arms. The grief was too much to bear for her for her. Seraphina held her close, knowing the intimate relationship she shared with Adrian.
"I don't want to believe it," Sophia whispered through her tears. "I can't accept that he's gone."
"I know..."
Lost in her grief, Sophia clung to Seraphina, allowing the tears to flow freely. The pain of losing Adrian gripped her heart. However, there were some who couldn't be more elated upon hearing the news of a funeral, and Vincent was one of them.