Cathedral de San Martin, Kingdom of Castile
"Your Dome will be confined in this courtyard seventh sister. The time is only slowed down in this square but everywhere else, it will run along with the time of the Human Realm. Your task right now is to ensure that the interloper will not gain power. The castle has been drenched in dark energy and purifying it is going to be challenging. I guess that would be the base of the Interloper. Your strength is not on par with him so avoid direct confrontation. The other sisters and I will search for a new third member. Only summon us through the sprites only if you cannot hold on anymore. We need to limit our stay in this realm so that the rift between the worlds won't open another channel. Farewell my sister, until we meet again." said their first sister.
The last message of her first sister is etched in Lumina's mind. She watched them enter the portal one by one through her site. Her cottage sat beside the oak tree that served as the portal to her Dome.
As the figure of her Sixth Sister vanished, Lumina motioned for Tomas to follow her. "Take me to the Queen," she commanded.
They left the inner square where time was magnified and went to the Priest's residence. Although this was also part of her Dome, it sat in the human realm, outside the pocket of space where her first sister controlled the time.
When they made their move, the enchantment vanished and time resumed. No one paid attention to Lumina and Tomas. The people passed by them as if they were not there at all. They took the flight of stairs that would lead them to the Priest's chambers.
Before they could knock, the Cardinal opened the door and welcomed Tomas with a warm hug. He also gave Lumina the same treatment before telling them "Thank you for heeding my call Sister."
"Rodrigo, this fight is not ours alone, it's the fight for all of humanity," Lumina replied.
"Now let me take a look at the Queen." Said Lumina.
The Cardinal gave way and led Lumina to the bed.
"I need privacy, but I need someone to assist me, preferably a female servant. If not, the King would do." Lumina told them.
The King chose to assist her and when the room emptied beside her and the King, she turned to him and said, "Help me open her drawers, I want her chest exposed."
He didn't question her motive and just did what she told him to do. She then closely looked at her chest, muttering something unintelligible under her breath while smearing some sweet-smelling oil on the part where the Queen's heart is.
The King was shocked when a black tattoo-like mark appeared. It was a solid bold straight line. He looked at Lumina, gauging her reaction.
"Hmm.. It seems like the taint was suppressed. Help me tie her to the bed." she commanded.
The King, just like a puppet, followed Lumina's every instruction. "Be warned, the next step will be hard for you to bear. Do not attack me nor do not lose faith in me or in the God Almighty." Lumina told him in a grave tone.
"Whatever you see, whatever you hear, it's all part of the devil's deception." She added.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, the King just gulped and steeled himself. He saw Lumina chanting in Latin, anointing his wife in the sweet-smelling oil that she used to smear his wife's chest.
She then took out a vial with glowing golden-green liquid, clamped the Queen's nose and poured it all into her mouth, forced it all down her throat. The King then saw the most horrifying thing in his life.
Although he had been to countless battlefields and was long accustomed to the gore, the sight and stench before him made him want to heave. His beautiful wife levitated, her stomach grotesquely swelling as if something monstrous was growing inside. Her once radiant face grew gaunt, her eyes turning pure black before narrowing into sinister slits. The oil smeared on her exposed chest now revealed a searing burn, the skin blistering and peeling away, adding to the horrific tableau.
Scratch marks appeared on her belly, deep and jagged as if something or someone was desperately trying to claw its way out. Her body contorted in unnatural ways, each movement more horrifying than the last. She let out a blood-curdling scream, a sound that seemed to pierce the very air around them, before collapsing onto the bed. Her body convulsed violently, black blood oozing from her eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and even her womb, staining the sheets with a dark, viscous fluid.
He stood frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from the gruesome scene. The room was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid smell of burning flesh. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run, but he was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by a mixture of fear and helplessness. The love of his life was being torn apart before his very eyes, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The King could only grit his teeth and looked on helplessly at the sight before him. Lumina then waved a staff made of twisted vines and shouted "Begone!" before a flash of golden light bathed the room.
The Queen calmed down, her body slowly descending on the bed, her skin and eyes were returning to normal, and her stomach receded.
"Is it over?" The King asked Lumina.
"For now, it is. The Queen's soul is still vulnerable, as is the babe in her belly. She needs to be thoroughly purified." Lumina told him.
"The interloper's seed is gone, as well as the demon inside her. Ask someone to clean her up. If you have any questions, you can ask Rodrigo to find me." She added.
She calmly walked out of the room like nothing happened. The King still trembling in shock and fear ordered the servants to clean the Queen.
Her stained clothes and bedding were burned as well as the bed she used. Lumina told everyone that everything in that room needed to be burned as it may still carry traces of the taint.
After a long day, she wearily returned to her cottage, along with the sprites and her garden to accompany her.
Tomas and the Cardinal did not talk, both of them retreated to their side of the room and fell into deep slumber.