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There will be an art release for Krystallo and her new form with the next chapter :P

Early Evening - Mid Summer : Voldukirk | The Holy Kingdom

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- Astren Ravenna ~

"Astren,"

*FWIP* Stopping the thin blade of my sword just off the surface of my sparring partner's neck, I waited for them to spread their arms in surrender before turning toward the voice.

"Yes?" Using a rag laid over my shoulders to wipe the sweat off my face, I found myself staring at an incredibly heavily armored knight standing with his sword formally stuck into the ground.

"You have been summoned." His voice was deep and gravelly, but so clear it was as if he wasn't actually wearing a helmet.

Quickly looking down at his sword, I looked for an insignia, but couldn't find one. "May I ask who-"

"The High Church."

-Shit...- My stomach instantly churned with anxiety. "Okay, one moment please." Flipping my sword and catching the blade, I handed it to a nearby assistant before heading toward the side of the arena to change my attire. -What do they want now...-

Quickly changing out of my training clothes and putting on a tight white garb, I clamped my armor around my arms and legs before having an assistant help with the pieces around my chest.

It was a new set of armor that was only recently made, using a blend of white, black, and gold metals made for my official debut as an apostle expected to take place in a few weeks.

But while it was only intended to be worn in training until the debut, this meeting was something far more important.

*Clank* Gently adjusting the armor around my forearm, I finally put on my gloves before sheathing my bright silver sword on my hip and making my way toward the simply towering knight.

As I approached, I could feel his gaze following me, but it wasn't until I got to his side that he spoke.

"It's good to see you understand the situation.

" *Shink* Pulling his massive two-handed blade out of the ground, he lifted and pointed it straight into the sky before lowering his head in prayer and sheathing it on his back. "Let us be on our way then."

He was so massive he handled the massive blade like a short sword, moving it so smoothly it looked as if it couldn't weigh more than a feather.

But, something else was off about him. As we walked through the church and out into the courtyard, he never made a sound, not a clack of armor nor a crunch of gravel ever sounded.

But, he wasn't completely invisible. Somehow, with every step, you could feel the air in the entire room shift, as if uniformly disturbed; a pressure change that was too rhythmic to come from anything but him.

As we finally got to the carriage and he opened the door for me with a bow, I tried not to think about it, after all, I must have just been overthinking things. -He is a knight of the High Church.. it makes sense for him to be super skilled...- In order to serve under Odin, he had to be.

But, the longer the carriage ride went, the more oddities I seemed to notice. Whether it was other carriages or citizens, no one seemed to recognize that we even existed.

It was like we were invisible; continuing up to the main church without so much as a glance from those outside.

When we got there though, and the gates opened to let us in, that changed.

The moment we got inside the walls around the unfathomably massive, palace-like church, the gazes of nearly every priest and worshipper in the vicinity snapped to us, before promptly lowering themselves into a grovel or deep bow.

Even the high priest at the entrance to the church bowed below his waist. "We welcome back the Holy Land's Guardian."

-GUARDIAN?!- My entire body jolted in an instant. He was the embodiment of the church, a living myth rumored to become the next god to be welcomed into the Aesir, and the strongest living human known to exist by the Holy Kingdom. -HE'S THAT GUARDIAN?!-

Nearly shitting a brick remembering how I made him wait, I corrected my posture and broke into a cold sweat. -You have to be kidding...-

He was known for being extremely eccentric, never leaving the capital for any reason, and was actually rumored to be the secret apostle of the higher gods. -So why was he the one to deliver the summons...-

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Looking out the carriage window, trying to figure out where exactly we were going, I found us traveling straight down the unbelievably huge main hall of the church before suddenly coming toward what looked like a wall without slowing down. -Don't tell me...-

*Vwoom* The moment we passed through the wall, it felt as if the space around me expanded before we finally came into a space so huge it could comfortably fit dozens of the largest dragons I had ever seen.

It was the Hall of Odin; a place even I, an Apostle of the Church of Balance could never enter. -W..why am I here...-

Feeling the carriage finally come to a stop, I quickly sat back down before once again, the guardian opened the door.

Unable to say anything without being rude, I tried to walk out while making sure I had steady steps. I wanted to try and look confident despite my heart racing and hands shaking.

But that facade didn't last long.

"It appears the new armor suits you quite well."

Hearing the unfamiliar voice of a woman coming from all directions, I was quick to turn toward the massive statue at the center of the hall and bow without even lifting my gaze. "Apostle of Eir, Astren Ravenna greets thou."

"Hoho~, how formal. The Church must have taught you well." Her voice was mature, smooth, and confident. "But I didn't call you here for your greeting. Please lift your head."

Somewhat cautiously lifting my gaze, I instantly found myself looking upon a nearly three-hundred-meter tall statue of an incredibly muscular, old bearded man brandishing a damaged spear while a crow rested on his knuckles before lowering my gaze to see a middle-aged woman staring at me with a rather judgemental look.

She was a woman I recognized instantly; the eldest apostle of Frigg.

"To think your eyes would be so clear...

I expected you to be more..." *Vwoom* Taking one step forward, the space between us closed completely.

"..afraid..." Gently lifting my chin with her knuckle, she forced me to look her in the eyes before my body lost strength.

. wishing to kneel. "To think you're still standing as well.

.. Lady Eir must really have an eye for people. .."

Finally turning and stepping away, the weakness in my body eased.

"Anyway, I summoned you here to talk." Nonchalantly waving off the knights who came in with the carriage, all but the Guardian left.

"Recently, when you were summoned to discuss the disappearance of Elizabeth, you mentioned that she changed after speaking with one of the Ancient Fenrir.

In that discussion, it was never mentioned whether you had any interactions with him.

" Glancing back at me, she paused to see if I'd answer the question before she asked.

"I did. But it was limited."

"Hm... So did he ever say anything that could have been why Elizabeth changed.. or perhaps why Katherine is missing?"

I instantly jolted. "As I said before.. the only thing I can think of was him recognizing Elizabeth, and getting his name..."

"Right, right..." Turning back toward the statue, she quickly fell silent. "The issue with that is I don't recall ever hearing from you that he recognized Katherine as well.. and now that Katherine is missing..." *WOOM* Appearing in front of me again, her smile was nowhere to be found.

Unable to find the courage to look her in the eye, I spoke as clearly as I could. "He did recognize her name, but there was nothing beyond that... I offered to bring him here to meet her, but he said it wasn't 'the right time'."

*Pat* Grabbing my hair and pulling it back, she forced me to look up at her. "And you thought that wasn't worth bringing up?!"

"Forellri..." Hearing the Guardian's gravelly voice, I finally looked up to see his gauntlet wrapped around her wrist. "That isn't what we agreed to bring her here for."

"You seriously think we should reward this brat even though we know she's hiding something?!"

*Crack* Closing his grip slightly, the Guardian fractured her arm with next to no effort. "You best stop speaking like that." *Woom* The air turned stiff in an instant. "You too are a guest in someone else's home."

"Tch..." Clicking her tongue she finally let go, quickly grabbing her wrist as a bruise formed.

"Whatever..." Looking back at me, this time with a look of distaste, she snickered.

"The gods wish to reward you for coming back with the information you did, regardless of your attempt at deceit, so tell me. . what do you want..."

-Ah.. right...- Thinking back a few days, I quickly remembered Lady Eir speaking to me about being given a reward, supposedly to some of the other Asgardian gods the information I brought back was invaluable, and we discussed what I was going to ask for.

But at that moment, as I gently rubbed my head, I wanted to change my wish.

Purely. Out. Of. Spite.

"I wish to take an item from the Holy Vault."

Forellri's expression instantly darkened. It was a request that was nearly completely outside the bounds of what I could ask for, even in the eyes of Eir.

But before she could say anything, the Guardian gently pat his hand on my shoulder. "Good choice." Speaking through a smile, I felt as if I could see a gleam of pride inside the darkness of his helmet.

"Good choice?" Forellri wasn't having it though. "What do you mean 'good choice'? You think she has any chance of actually getting that grant-" *VWOOM* Almost immediately, her words were cut short.

*Pat* *Pat* "Don't worry, kid. I'll make sure it happens. A messenger will come with a carriage when the date arrives. For now, you may return. The carriage is waiting outside."