-HER-

The following day, I woke up in the shrine miraculously. For once, it felt as if I hadn't left the place in the first place, as if all of it was just a mere dream, as if... he was a dream. However, the gem under my pillow told a different story.

I raked my brain, scouring for the memory in which I had acquired that red glowing gem, but I couldn't find anything. The only thing I remembered was asking Nico to give it to me. In return, he had asked me to tell him about something... but about what? I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember if I had told him something.

I wasn't sure how I got back to the shrine.

Only two things mattered at that moment-- first, I was back in the shrine and second, I had done the unthinkable with Nico. I shuddered. If someone ever found out, the consequences would be terrible for me... unthinkably terrible.

I got dressed and went to the dining hall. Nuncia already had a seat reserved for me beside her. I could tell she was dying to hear where I'd been this time.

"You were gone again," She noted as I dropped beside her. I hummed, pouring myself a cup of tea as she continued, "Arke found out it was us that day,"

"What is she going to do about that?" I asked, scanning the row before us until my eyes fell on that troll for a woman with her eyes fixed on me, burning with a fierce glare that should have turned me into ashes. Too bad, Vittoria's glares had immunised me.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't dare to be seen anywhere near her if I were you," she told me, pushing the fruit basked towards me.

"Well, you aren't me, so you don't have to," I muttered, biting into the apple and glaring back at Arke. Nuncia sighed deeply beside me.

"I wonder where were you gone this time?" She changed the topic, "somewhere to celebrate your new priestess title?" She guessed.

"Something like that," I muttered, looking away and pretending to be busy with a piece of bread when Matriarch entered the room. As she walked past my table, I felt her pitch-black, bottomless eyes lingering on me. A shiver ran down my spine.

She knew. Nothing was ever hidden from her.

I should be alright if I don't find myself alone with her. Though after breakfast, we had to meet with the Matriarch. Today she was going to assign us our roles from one of three— the witches, the warriors or the smiths.

The witches' roles primarily required magic— teaching, disguising, alchemy, etc. I knew already that I would be anything but a witch. I wasn't good at casting spells. I wouldn't be a smith, either. I was tall and had a good build but was too lean to become a smith—the only option that remained— a warrior.

In the recent past, there had been very few warriors in the shrine because we didn't need them. For a while now, the council has been considering replacing the warriors with a new role of scholars. Usually, the scholars were a sub-role under the witches, but there has been a demand from them to make a separate role.

Given the current situation, I don't think Vittoria would be that shortsighted to sabotage the warriors who had played deciding roles in securing the shrine in the past.

I felt the Matriarch's eyes on me as I sat under the holy tree with the other newly graduated priestesses, ready to receive our roles in the shrine. I had to sit right beside Arke, right at the back of the class. Nuncia wasn't here because she was already a witch.

"I'm surprised you're sitting here," Arke muttered under her breath, loud enough for only me to hear her. In front of the class, under the tree, the Matriarch called the girls' names and assigned them their roles. "I'm sure they let you pass this time because teaching you was becoming a pain in their asses,"

"Sounds like you have good experience with pain in your ass," I muttered back and heard the sound of knuckles cracking.

"You know, I'm glad you're a priestess now. I can officially challenge you for a duel. No one could stop me from beating you to death then," She gritted, making me chuckle.

"I didn't know you were such a dreamer, Arke. I have to give it to you to keep your spirits high after getting beaten by me numerous times. If someone else were in your place, they'd have given up. I'm starting to think you like getting beaten up by me. I think you're quite into it—"

"THERESA!" I straightened up at the sudden call of my name. Our heads snapped to the front of the crowd where the Matriarch was standing with two other senior priestesses, all their eyes on me. I got up and walked to the front; my eyes fixed on Matriarch's feet to ensure I didn't have to look into her creepy eyes.

"Theresa," the Matriarch spoke when I reached the front. "You're the first person to be assigned the role of a warrior this year," she declared, shocking everyone. "I hope you use your anger productively," She muttered while handing me the scroll. I took it from her and walked back to my place, bumping Arke midway, who was called next.

"We have another warrior this year," The Matriarch declared.

~

I tried to ignore her while we waited for our new instructor in the small training place at the back of the shrine. It was my first time there since the site was out of bounds to non-warriors.

"Isn't it funny?" Arke laughed.

"You getting the role of the warrior? Quite funny if you ask me," I replied, instantly receiving a growl from her.

"You know what? Since we're here, let's get the scores settled," She gritted, rising from her seat and cracking her knuckles, "I've been waiting to get you alone for a long time now,"

"Alright then," I replied, rising from my seat and brushing my clothes. "I'd love to show the senior priestesses that they made a mistake assigning you this role," I shrugged.

"You fvcking bitch—" she screamed and leapt at me, throwing a punch to my face, catching me off guard. I staggered back due to the impact, instantly feeling a stinging on my face. I touched my nose to find some blood on my fingers. "Who do you think you are?" She was about to punch me again, but I kicked at her stomach, throwing her back.

Suddenly, I saw red. As Arke struggled to stand up, the only thing that flashed in my head was to finish her. I didn't give her a chance to recover from my previous blow. I leapt at her, pinning her down to the ground before throwing punches at her face. She was screaming until she managed to flip me back and started raining punches on me.

I reached for her hair and pulled as hard as possible, and she did the same. Both of us were screaming at the top of our lungs as we tugged each other's hair more and more. She let go of my hair and bit my arm. I punched her with the other hand, flipping us until I was on top of her. Then, I went for her neck, clutching it as hard as I could.

She did the same, but she couldn't apply as much pressure. I could see the blood draining from her face, but I continued choking her.

"STOP!" A growl interrupted the two of us, snapping us out of our murderous rage. The priestess warrior who was supposed to be our new instructor was finally here, glaring murderously at the two of us. Instantly, we let go of each other and stood up with our eyes at our feet. "You'll see the Matriarch, Theresa!" The priestess growled.

"She's the one who started it!" I protested. Arke snickered.

"I will deal with her,"

~

The thing I had been trying to avoid the most happened— I was alone with the Matriarch. I sat in her study with my eyes burning on the table, and the room plunged into a deathly silence. The sound of the Matriarch pouring tea in a cup broke the silence only briefly.

Her hollow, black eyes lingered on me, but I didn't dare look back at her. I thanked her when she pushed a teacup toward me. However, she didn't speak a word yet. I felt increasingly uncomfortable as the silence grew louder.

"I'm sorry," I spoke up, "But Arke had provoked me,"

"Theresa...," she spoke, dragging my name out of her lips, "You and I both know that you aren't here for that,"

Her words made my heart shudder.

She knew about it... well, of course, she would. She was the Matriarch.

"I— It was—I didn't, no, I—" I was suddenly at a loss of words.

"I know you liked it," she breathed. I stilled completely, fearing to breathe. "I know..." her words got lost in a whisper. The silence grew heavier on me until I cracked.

"I'm sorry," I cried, "I didn't want to do it—"

"But you did," she snapped.

"I'm sorry... please. Please don't do this to me. I'm truly sorry," I pleaded.

"You took after your mother," she spoke abruptly. It was the first time that I looked up at her.

"What?" I asked.

"You're like your mother," she told me.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked grimly.

Was she attempting to tarnish my mother's character?

"I meant, you remind me of my dead niece," She spoke, puzzling me. Seeing the clueless look on my face, she explained, "You're my dead sister's granddaughter,"

"So... we're related?" I asked, confused.

"In the materialistic world, yes. But here, no," She responded.

"I thought my grandmother never had any siblings," I told her.

"There were nine of us," she said, "the first seven died at birth. I lived, but I had to come here. Your grandmother was born after I came here,"

"So... what does it mean?" I asked, feeling more bewildered than ever. My question seemed to have turned her eyes even hollower.

I couldn't think why she was bringing this up now. Even though I was stunned at the revelation, the idea of us being related didn't please me. Instead, it terrified me somewhere deep down at a primitive level.

"It means I'm letting you go. For now. It would be best if you're more careful the next time. You never know whom you could be dealing with," She said darkly. "There are all sorts of people and creatures out there,"

_