Clank!
With a heavy metallic sound, two gates opened, letting the young lady step inside.
"Desire Ashborn will be here soon. Until then, you can wait here," said the guard after bringing Olivia into the sanctuary and into one of the many praying halls.
It is said that the praying hall always has the gaze of the divine God cast upon it, so the sanctuary believes that under His gaze, none would be able to harm any of their kin. And although the sanctuary knew that the one who came to see Desire was his blood-related sister, they still acted cautiously.
"Thank you," said Olivia, awkwardly walking into the room like a shy girl.
"Don't be afraid. This is the place of the holy God; none would harass you for anything. Even an ant is treated equally in this place," the knight said, his heart melting at the sight of the young and innocent girl's shyness.
"Okay," she said, looking around to familiarize herself with the place.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the same sanctuary of the holy God—
Hyah!
With quick steps, Desire moved forward and landed a swift strike with his sword. On the other side, Giben struck back directly at Desire's sword, and with a spark of fire, the two swords clashed, pressing against each other.
Desire tightened his grip on the sword and took a step forward, but before his foot could fully land, Giben attempted to advance as well, matching his movements.
"Put more faith in your sword," echoed the loud voice of Aliyah as she observed the battle between the two.
At her words, the two holy candidates' eyes became more focused. A warm energy flowed through Desire's body unknowingly, and as if granted a sudden surge of strength, he easily pushed Giben back.
Ah!
Giben exclaimed as he was forced back a few steps, but he skillfully managed to hold his ground without falling.
Tak! Tak!
With a few claps, Aliyah walked up to them.
"Excellent, Giben, Your willpower is something else. Desire is already popular for his intense bursts of sudden strength he gain pwhenever he is in pure determination, but being able to hold your ground against him in that situation is a feat even an adept-rank knight would struggle with. Yet you were able to do that, which means you're already at the level of a holy knight," she said, looking at Giben.
"And Desire, you need to control all your powers more deeply. I see great potential in you, and whether you want to harness it to the fullest depends on your own effort."
Hearing her, Desire lowered his head. He was aware of his own situation, but lately, he had been consumed by thoughts of seeing his sister again. This time, those thoughts couldn't simply be buried under all the others.
"Well…"
Getting closer to him, she patted his head.
"I'm also aware of your distress, and fortunately, just a few moments ago, I got the answer you've been seeking."
Lifting his head, Desire gazed at her in confusion.
"Go and see who is in prayer room seven."
The prayer room of the sanctuary where Olivia was staying was not just a place for prayers; it was also a special room built to hold unwelcome or suspicious guests. Because of that, there were many security measures in place, one of which was the stone statues of praying soldiers. Every time Olivia moved, they turned their heads in her direction, observing all of her actions.
She held her robe in her hand—a long brown robe that reached down to her knees and covered everything up to that point on her body. Her face was fair, and her eyes were slightly closed as she walked awkwardly back and forth over the few steps she had grown familiar with during her time in this place.
She only stopped when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from outside the prayer room.
Clank!
As she turned, the door to the prayer room opened, and the one who pushed it was none other than her brother, Desire.
"Sister..."
Desire cried and leaped into her arms in one huge jump.
Olivia extended her hands and hugged her brother with both of her arms.
Tears fell from Desire as he cried in her arms, asking whether she was real or if this was just another dream. Olivia kept assuring him that she was real and that he wouldn't need to worry about being alone again.
It was a touching moment, and Aliyah and Gibbion, who had followed behind Desire, halted their steps at the prayer room door.
"You two siblings must have a lot to talk about. Please, take all the time you need," said Aliyah as she closed the door and stepped out.
Turning to Giben, she said, "Well, it seems that was the answer for Desire. Since your partner is currently absent, you get some time off from training. Take a break for yourself."
With that, she left toward the main hall of the sanctuary.
Standing outside the prayer room, Giben glanced at the door with a deep, thoughtful look on his face.