**The Crown of a Hero (3)**
The corridors were made of marble, with tall white columns and openings to the beautiful garden that was illuminated by the afternoon sunlight. The excitement of the capital with the recently returned soldiers and the victory cries of the citizens of Enya didn't matter here; the Basilica of Ecclesia remained as silent as ever.
Sasha walked down the corridor, trying to escape the crowd of nobles and people wanting to associate with war heroes like her. She didn't even consider herself a hero. As she looked at her hands, she thought:
"How many died under my care?"
Sasha had long lost count of how many times she saw people arrive in terrible conditions and die before her eyes. No matter how much power she had, she couldn't save everyone. She sighed and leaned against one of the marble columns in the corridor, gazing at the beautiful garden—the pride of the basilica, the empire, and the Sulidas family.
The Eidel family had always told her not to get involved with the Sulidas or any of the three families in power. Even though the barons had taken her in, they always feared something might happen if she became too involved with those families. She never understood that.
"What is Sister Sasha doing here alone?"
The voice was soft and still quite childlike, but it was hard not to recognize, as Sasha had practically seen that child grow up.
Gracefully, Sasha stepped away from the column, turned toward the voice, grabbed a part of her dress, placed her other hand over her chest, and lowered her head, bowing gracefully as she said:
"Good afternoon, Your Grace, Lady Xenia of the House of Sulidas," she said formally to the younger girl.
Xenia was much younger than Sasha, but one could say she had far more power than a hero, whether politically or through the Divine Gift. She was, in every way, a Sulidas.
"Sister, there's no need for formalities right now. Grandfather and Father aren't around," Xenia explained nervously.
Sasha stood up, but she kept her head lowered, knowing that eyes could still be watching. However, it seemed that Xenia didn't care much about that. She ran to Sasha and hugged her right arm, seeming very comfortable.
"Sister, I'm so glad you returned alive. I thought we'd never see each other again," Xenia said sadly as the two started walking.
Sasha smiled and ruffled Xenia's pale hair.
When the war began, Xenia was only seven, and as the only daughter of the Pope, she had been sent to stay with her mother's family in the north, as it was considered safe enough since the demons did not reach the cold northern lands. The farewell had been tearful. Little Xenia was very attached to some people from the church, like Sasha, but even at the young age of seven, she knew not everyone would return.
"I'm strong enough for that, of course I wasn't going to die, Lady Xenia," Sasha replied.
The twelve-year-old girl smiled brightly, her happiness immense, especially after seeing Sasha again.
"You're still studying hard, right? I've heard from the letters that you'll be the next leader."
"Grandfather is old, and Father can't take his place due to the law. Besides, no one else can inherit right now, only me," the younger girl explained.
During the war and the events leading up to it, the Sulidas family had been heavily affected, with half of its members being wiped out, and the current leader nearly killed. Xenia was born during this crisis and had been trained from a young age to inherit the family.
"But you, Sister, you're going to be the next in place of my father, aren't you?" Xenia's question surprised Sasha.
"Why do you say that, my lady? I wasn't even born into a noble family to begin with," Sasha replied, astonished.
"Father says that whoever leads Ecclesia should be someone with kindness and a strong blessing from the Mother Goddess. It has nothing to do with noble or common blood," Xenia said firmly. "When I become leader, I'll help you, Sister."
Sasha had to admit, Xenia had grown a lot. She smiled because of that. Even though Xenia was still a young regent in some matters, she didn't hold much power in the church—at least, not yet.
"Don't kill your father before his time," Sasha warned, playfully flicking Xenia's forehead.
Xenia could only agree with that, knowing that, in her eyes, Sasha always spoke the truth.