'That's it for today,' I gasped, struggling to catch my breath, utterly exhausted.
I went to the dinner table, where the maids had already prepared the food. Of course, maintaining a proper diet is essential for staying healthy and building strength, especially after training.
I finished all the food that was served and even ordered more to fully satisfy myself. Once I was done, I went back to my chamber to rest, as it was already quite late.
While I was getting ready to change into my pajamas.
My eyes darted towards a part of my neck in the mirror, along with my fingers.
And just right above my collarbone, in the crook of my neck where the neck and the shoulder connected…
Was a tattoo.
A tattoo of an inverted rosemary cross.
As I looked at it, it suddenly shone in azure light, burning against my neck.
My face twitched against the pain but my eyes didn't leave the mark.
After a moment, the light dimmed down, returning the tattoo back to its abyssal black colour
But my shock had not disappeared.
"What the hell?" I exposed even more of my neck, looking at the mark with panicked eyes.
The mark…
It wasn't supposed to be like this.it wasn't supposed to be inverted…
It was supposed to be a straight rosemary cross.
The cross mark on my neck was something people would die to get in this world.
In this world, including me, only 8 people had this mark, also known as a Stigmata.
In this world, there were 7 main churches, one for each main magic element.
Each church was ruled by one person.A person who had been blessed with the Stigmata.
The Stigmata was a tattoo, a symbol that granted the owner limitless potential in that respective element.
There was no limit to their growth in that element.
And those who possessed this mark were called Dominiques.
There was no age limit on who could get the stigmata.
It could be randomly blessed on any person chosen by the gods, whether young or old.
And the ones that were blessed with it were instantly granted the highest amount of luxury from the kingdom.
The stigmata was a symbol that eliminated all sorts of discrimination towards you from the kingdom as well.
Your looks and race didn't matter, as long as you had that mark, the kingdom would instantly look after you.
Naturally, having one, I could just show this mark to the kingdom and live my whole life in peace.
However…
As I just said, including me, there were only 8 people in the world with stigmata.
But there were only 7 main churches.
Yeah, there was no church for my element.
The element of Oaths, Otharis.
— — — — — [Essentia] — — — — —
•[Otharis]
¬?
•[Astralis]
¬Master
•[Pyro]
¬Herald
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Suddenly, a window popped up in front of him.
— — — — — [Oath XXX] — — — — —
•Condition: ^[%${€*[>|*€[$
[Penalty]
•Death
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
[Holy Temple Of Otharis Hasn't Been Discovered]
[Unable to display conditions of Oath XXX]
What the hell?
It wasn't that I was unfamiliar with my power—Otharis, the power of oaths. Some may argue that it isn't a true element, but personally, if you ask me?
I don't care whether it is or not. It was never something I relied on, never a force I wielded with any sense of pride or purpose. In fact, I never used it at all—except that one time.
***
— — — — [Oath Prostatévo] — — — —
•Condition: Protect Astrid
[Penalty]
•Loss of Taste
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Astrid was a childhood friend of mine, always by my side when we were kids. We would spend hours playing together, lost in our little world.
But as we grew older, she started becoming more clingy, always finding reasons to be around me.
My friends never let it go unnoticed, constantly teasing me with, "C'mon, bro, how do you not get the hints she's giving you?"
I always brushed them off, refusing to read too much into it. She didn't like me like that… right?
Since we were very close, I jokingly made an Oath, declaring that I would protect Astrid.
The interference displayed that if I ever failed, I would lose my ability to taste. I brushed it off at the time, thinking it was nothing more than empty words.
Then we entered the academy, and in my first year, everything went downhill. That year, all first-years were assigned a mission to fight low-level Jinns.
Jinns are a race of unseen beings born from smokeless fire, existing in a parallel world to mankind. But don't get it twisted—they are in no way equal to humans, either in strength or intellect.
Most of the first-years treated the mission like a walk in the park. But oh god, were they wrong.
A girl who looked around nineteen was relentlessly stabbing at a creature that bore an eerie resemblance to a ghost or spirit.
Her blonde hair flowed through the air, complementing the elegance she naturally exuded.
Piercing blood-red eyes scanned the Jinn, searching for its weakness.
Her squad consisted of four members—two boys and two girls—but despite their numbers, they were struggling.
She maintained a cold and emotionless expression, yet deep down, panic gnawed at her. They had been fighting for hours, exhausting themselves over a single monster.
And in that moment, she realized this was more than just a battle—it was a lesson. A harsh, unforgiving lesson never to underestimate the Jinn.
Of course, with her intelligence, she had never been foolish enough to take an enemy lightly.
But even she hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected the Jinn to overpower them. Destroy them. Dominate them.
Within this shithole of a situation, the only thing clouding her mind was a single person—her world. Lucifer Hellson.
She stole a glance behind her, watching as he fought off the relentless attacks the Jinn hurled at them.
His movements were slower now, his exhaustion evident in every step as he sluggishly made his way toward her.
"At this point, we'll be annihilated," he gasped, barely catching his breath. His entire body was drenched in sweat, blood smeared across his skin.
Yet even in this battered state, Astrid couldn't help but think—how handsome.
Her childhood friend, the one she had secretly harboured feelings for, for as long as she could remember.
Astrid sighed before speaking. "Lucy, I've got a confession to make. I know I shouldn't at a time like this..."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I like you. I've always had, but I never had the courage to confess."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking toward the Jinn. "Lucy, this is my parting gift. Take care of yourself,"
She said with a smile.And then, the next thing I remember was a blinding white light—like a flashbang—erasing everything in an instant.