Slasshhh!
The sound of a whip ripping through the air and landing upon bare flesh echoed in the dimly lit corridors of the dark, underground dungeon.
"Why won't you cry?!" A pink-haired girl gnashed her teeth as she once again brandished the barbed whip, hitting the defenseless young woman chained onto the wall. Her pure and innocent face, twisted and filled with malevolence.
"Still so unresponsive? Last time's torture session must have thoroughly drained her of all her will." A man garbed in fine clothing raised his brows, his arms folded in front of his chest as he nonchalantly leaned against the doorway of the cell. "But that's good too, it will be easier for us to dig out her source crystal once all her defenses are down."
"Tsk! How boring. How long do I have to wait?"
The girl tossed away the whip and started heading out of the dungeon, the man trailing behind her with a doting smile.
"Now, now. My love. Be patient. Once her source crystal is successfully dugged out of her body, we'll proceed with the operation. By then, people will only rejoice and celebrate the birth of a new Saintess. Who will still remember her, an unfortunate woman who died during an attack premeditated by those filthy creatures lurking in the dark?"
"Really?"
"Hmm. So don't fret yourself over it. What rightfully belongs to you shall belong to you in the end." The man coaxed the girl as they left the cell, unaware that behind them, the blood-covered woman chained on the wall slowly raised her head to stare at their departing backs, her once lifeless eyes gradually filling up with blatant mockery.
These two people...
One was her adopted younger sister whom she had picked up from the streets and raised with her own hands while the other, her very own guardian knight who had sworn an oath of loyalty to her with the goddess of light and countless priests and believers as witness.
To think that she once trusted them so much that she was even willing to sacrifice her life to save them...
All for such treatment!
The kindness she had given them repaid with a bloody betrayal that she had never seen coming.
At least, never from these two people.
Maia closed her eyes, trying to tamp down the raging hatred burning within.
Calm...
She must keep her calm, for anger will only cloud one's judgement and affect her concentration.
Taking a deep breath, Maia once again started working on the chains that bound her.
During these past three weeks she had been kept in captivity, she hadn't been idle, slowly eroding the spells cast on these chains with what little mana she had left after her divine power had been sealed away by those two people.
Click!
Click!
Click!
Katcha!
The chains came undone and her body fell to the ground.
Utterly exhausted, Maia slumped on the cold stone floor for a moment, trying to catch her breath as beads of sweat trailed down her haggard and scarred cheeks.
And with each labored breath she took in, her divine power which had been sealed away by the chains rushed into every single part of her broken body, nourishing every cell and healing all the wounds and scars inflicted by those two ungrateful wretches who lured her into a trap and kept her in captivity.
Time passed by and soon, she felt some of her strength return and her weak limbs regained their feeling.
Using the rough and cold stone wall as her support, Maia slowly got up on her feet and gritted her teeth.
"Why those two little bast..."
No!
She instantly trailed off and vehemently shook her head upon realizing what she was about to say.
The High Priest once told her, a Saintess shouldn't curse. They should not be easily swayed by emotions and should never have desire.
"Only a heart to accommodate the people and a wish to relieve all suffering..."
"Pffft! Hahahahaha!"
A deafening laughter suddenly sounded in the quiet underground cell, startling Maia as her body instantly shifted into a defensive position, scanning her surroundings with cautious eyes, only to find no one except for herself.
"Looking for me?" A voice filled with amusement sounded behind her, close to her ears.
Maia retreated in an instant, her eyes falling on her previous position where now stood a pale man in regal clothing, staring at her with interest as a smile bloomed on his bewitching red lips.
Feeling that dark aura churning beneath his beautiful form, Maia was alarmed.
Vampire!
And by the looks of it, a relatively high level one too.
Maia instantly became worried. In her current state, she stood no chance of winning against him.
However...
She wouldn't back down without a fight!
Casting a Purification Spell, she was about to throw it towards the uninvited guest when she suddenly felt her wrist being grabbed and her body was pressed onto the wall.
"Oh my! I thought I was here to save a damsel in distress. Never expected the beauty turned out to be a feisty one." The man chuckled as his lips trailed down her cheeks and very soon landed on her fragile neck.
"Y-you dare!" Maia gasped.
"Hmmm? So unwilling? Didn't you say you have a wish to relieve all suffering? Darling, just one bite. I'm so hungry right now."
The man laughed, obviously teasing her for what she said just now.
The Creed of a Saintess...
Maia's expression stiffened for a moment.
She didn't think it sounded strange before, but now that he put it that way...
It made her seem like a fool!
Enraged, Maia mustered all her strength to push him away and shot him a glare.
"So angry?" The man curled his lips and raised his hand in an attempt to pat her head, his crimson-coloured eyes carrying a look of doting and helplessness within them. As if gazing upon a rebellious child who refused to listen to advice.
Maia deftly avoided his hand and distanced herself, stopping only when she was already a few meters away from him.
Observing him for a while, she soon came to the conclusion that he didn't seem to want to cause her any harm.
At least for now.
Maia sighed in relief and started heading towards the stairs.
The man floated after her, portraying utmost relaxation as he laid sideways in the air with one hand supporting his head while the other, lying at rest on his side.
"Stop following me!" Maia hissed at him.
"But I'm lost and I have nowhere to go." The man nonchalantly replied and flew next to her, taking a whiff of her scent. "Milady smells so good so I'll follow you for now."
Maia clenched her fist upon hearing his words and decided to no longer pay any attention to this blood-sucking mosquito that was relentlessly trailing after her.
Walking further up, Maia frowned, feeling that something was wrong.
Utterly wrong.
This high concentration of light elements...
Maia lifted up her skirt and ran up in a fit of madness, her face getting paler with each passing second.
No! No!
It couldn't be...
The young woman's eyes turned bloodshot as tears fell down her cheeks.
How...
How dare they!!!