Chapter 74 - The Kidnapping

“Shut up!” Claud brandished his sword. I instinctively flinched and shut my eyes, but I opened them again when I didn’t feel any pain in my body. I saw him gazing at me with his sword in mid-air, and our eyes met. “Are you scared?” I wasn’t sure if my fear excited him, but he had a smile on his face. “Ahaha, even the Saintess is scared of this supreme power!” He was going insane. I stepped to the side and saw Kais lying on the ground. 

“Kais!” I tried to run towards him, but Claud grabbed my arm. “Let go!” 

“Do you think you’ll be able to do anything even if you go to him?” Kais’s eyes were unfocused and he looked like a hollow doll. I knew exactly what condition he was in. He was being controlled. Someone had taken control of his body!

Perhaps the crazy magician was here to take Kais back. At the thought of this, I felt goosebumps all over my body. I felt asphyxiated by the fact that I couldn’t free Kais from his fate. I bit my lip until it bled and glared at Claud. “If your real target is me, then why did you kidnap Kais?” 

“He’s my prize. To help me get my revenge.”

If the magician was nearby, I didn’t know of a way to defeat him. I needed to do anything I could to escape with Kais. “You want to take revenge on me? Why? Were you that upset to get hit by a child?” 

“Shut up!”

“Ugh.” his grip on my arm was painful. “Because of you, my perfect life was ruined! Because of you!” The aura around his body grew darker. His resentment, anger, and pain were prickling my skin. He was the perfect specimen for a berserker. If Claud exploded, then half of the palace would be gone. I needed to stop him, but how? My divine power was breaking apart thanks to the barrier. If this continued, I wouldn’t be able to heal Kais. 

“Are you scared? Terrified? Can you feel my power?” His sarcastic whispers in my ear made it hard to concentrate. Luckily, he wasn’t thinking about killing me right away. ‘If I try to buy time, someone will save us.’

“No one will save you,” said Claud, as if reading my mind, “You’re going to hell today.” The hand that held my arm permeated dark energy and tied me down. I instinctively brought up my divine power to protect myself, but it disappeared the moment it came into contact with the dark aura. 

“There’s…no…such thing…as hell.” 

“Really? Are you sure?” There’s no way that such a metaphysical entity could exist. 

“No, hell does exist.” My mind grew weak at his firm voice. My body trembled from the cold and ominous energy that he was releasing. A wave of energy washed over me and I felt excruciating pain. I had to endure it, but my young body could only take so much. 

“What will your hell look like?” I couldn’t let myself faint like this, but the pain was too much to bear. My vision went dark… 

***

Claud’s grin grew wide as Amelia’s small body doubled over in pain, “This is the power of the Master!” A strength that could even overpower a saintess blessed by God. “I have such great power!” Just as his eyes started glazing over in madness, Amelia raised her head.

“How..how is this possible?” Claud asked in disbelief as an expressionless Amelia grabbed his arm. Crash!

Claud stumbled backward at the white light that blinded his vision. The darkness in the area was illuminated by the bright light. “Argh!” he screamed in a beast-like voice. Amelia watched him as he writhed in pain. She walked to Kais, whose eyes were still glazed over. When she put her hand on his forehead, Kais’s body went limp like a marionette with its strings cut. 

“How…how could this…?” Two voices were coming out of Claud’s body. A small being inside Claud’s body twitched and disappeared. Amelia stood still while watching everything unfold before her. 

“N…no!” A bright light resembling the rays of the sun illuminated and purified the area. The barrier of the darkness disappeared, and everything went back to normal. Claud had been purified and pulverized into dust. The area was cleared of everything, and Amelia gazed down at Kais’s unmoving body on the ground. 

A small, white finger traced Kais’s cheek. “Kais…” her eyes filled up with tears as if they were going to spill over.

“Saintess!” the echoes of Luciana’s footsteps filled the air. She came running over as soon as the barrier disappeared. She was going to reassure Amelia that everything was alright, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw the saintess. At the sight of Amelia’s hollow gaze, Luciana instinctively knew that she had become a different person. Amelia saw Luciana with her guard up and smiled briefly before her small body crumpled to the ground.