Chapter 14: The Devil’s Bargain

Click.

Seraphina really pulled the trigger.

But the pistol did not fire.

A faint mechanical click of a reset sounded in place of the expected roar of discharged energy.

The humming of the charge quickly waned and the rotor cut out.

Mili had completely shut down.

Her whole face went ashen, tear tracks streaking down; her wide blue eyes stared blankly as she knelt there, unmoving for a long time.

Her frail body hung like a puppet whose soul had been sucked away, head bowed, hands limp on her knees, her gaze so vacant it was as if she had died once already.

Tiny sobs squeezed out of her throat in fits and starts, hoarse and intermittent like a leaky bellows.

Seraphina put the pistol away and clipped it back to her waist, then stood up from beside the girl.

She lowered her eyes to the pitiful sight; a complex expression flickered across her gaze.

The woman understood how difficult this sort of thing was.

To make a plot of soil, heavily polluted by gray mist and almost entirely bereft of life, suddenly bloom and sprout the moment a seed is planted…

That sort of thing was indeed a fairy tale — an impossible task.

Still, even if the rumors were exaggerated…

She truly hoped the “Bountiful Saint” possessed such power — that would be a world-changing weapon.

Eisenburg would instantly become the preeminent power on the whole continent, without rival.

Even if not, she needed to know Mili’s limits.

“Evelyn.” She called without turning.

“At your command, Your Majesty.” The silver-armored adjutant stepped forward and bowed.

“Take her to the medbay. Clean her wounds, dress them, and care for her.” Seraphina’s tone was flat, as if the person who had just levelled a death threat had not been her. “Have the medical team perform a full physical exam, with a particular assessment of her mental state.”

“And compile all the monitoring data from just now for me.”

“Yes.” Evelyn answered, then signalled two female guards to come forward.

They carefully helped Mili to her feet. The girl was like a broken marionette; her legs were weak, barely able to support her. Her toes left two faint lines in the dirt as they half-dragged, half-carried her away.

Seraphina did not follow. She stayed where she was, watching that unresponsive test patch of earth.

Could she have been wrong?

Or had the stimulus been applied incorrectly?

She raised a brow, shook her head slightly and stopped wasting thought; her gaze landed on the portable holo-screen Evelyn handed over.

“Your Majesty, these are the physiological readings from moments ago:”

“Resting heart rate seventy-three beats per minute, peak maximum one hundred ninety-seven — nearly two hundred;”

“Cortisol levels highly abnormal, 3.3 times the normal value;”

“Adrenaline surged explosively, lasting three minutes and thirty-two seconds…”

As the adjutant reported, Seraphina’s long finger swiped across the screen, carefully comparing these figures to Mili’s earlier behavior in the abandoned storage yard.

“All her indicators were pushed close to physiological limits — this—” Evelyn hesitated, then added in a low voice, “this could easily cause mental disorientation or madness. The medical division suggests you avoid using such methods, Your Majesty.”

“And the previous monitoring from the waste site?” Seraphina tapped her chin with her finger and handed the screen back.

“No anomalies.” Evelyn replied, head bowed. “The detection team used every available device, including but not limited to metal detectors, electromagnetic scans, radiation checks…”

“—and three follow-up carpet sweeps afterward found no hidden compartments or leftover materials.”

“We can be one hundred percent certain: whatever occurred, Miss Mili ‘produced’ it out of thin air… there is only that explanation.”

“No matter the mechanism, Miss Mili’s ability already exceeds Eisenburg’s current detection capabilities.”

“How strange… how exactly did she do it?” the woman murmured, pacing with her hands folded behind her back.

The sun remained fierce; the soil lay lifeless and dull.

“First replenish the plot with fertilizer and water, seal it and keep watch.” She ordered a nearby guard. “Record the soil every hour — don’t miss the smallest change.”

She stared at the gray-black earth for a few more seconds.

Although Seraphina didn’t put much stock in her own hypothesis.

But what if she was right?

…

Oasis — the ruins.

Night had fallen; campfires flickered between tattered tents.

The wounded moaned now and then; the campsite was thick with pain and grief.

Mephisia sat with an air of elegance on a flat stone; her dark purple robe shimmered in the firelight.

Linlan leaned against a tent pole, bloodshot eyes, left arm still swollen; dried blood had long since darkened through the bandage.

“Tell me your plan.” Her voice was hoarse, sanded down.

The girl smiled faintly and closed the tome in her hands. “Simple. We each take what we need.”

“You—what do you want?” Linlan kicked a stone to her feet. “Don’t give me that ‘purify the world’ nonsense.”

“I like your bluntness.” Mephisia folded her hands and smiled at her. The purple of her eyes reflected the warm glow of the fire.

“Let me be frank then.”

“I am interested in that girl called Mili.”

“The special ability she carries highly matches the ‘divine elect gifts’ recorded in the Sanctum’s doctrines.”

Linlan’s fists tightened behind her; the knuckles creaked.

“But,” Mephisia’s tone shifted, “I won’t treat her as rudely as Seraphina would. The Sanctum believes a true miracle must bloom under the guidance of the holy light.”

“Speak plainly.” Linlan ground her teeth.

“I need her to willingly serve the Sanctum.” Mephisia’s smile brightened. “And you are the key to making her willing.”

“Why me? Give me a concrete reason—your reason.”

“There’s interest within the Sanctum to compete for candidates for the ‘Great Purifier.’ I want a trump card to put on the table.”

Silence.

“So I said earlier that I suspected the Sanctum had a hand in the Oasis attack; I apologize for that implication.” Mephisia’s words carefully conveyed that the destruction of Oasis had been collateral damage from internal factional strife…

Linlan scowled and stared at her, waiting for more.

“My intelligence says that the girl is deeply dependent and trusting of you. If you personally invite her into the Sanctum, she will accept.” The girl extended a slender finger and caressed the leather cover of the ancient book on her lap. “Of course, first we have to snatch her back from the White Night Queen.”

“How do you intend to do that?”

“Simple.” Mephisia reached into her wide sleeve and produced a roll of parchment, spreading it over her knees.

“This is the detailed deployment map of Eisenburg. The Sanctum has inside men there.”

Linlan rose from the post and stepped over. She glanced at the map, which was densely annotated with symbols and routes. The level of detail startled her; her pupils contracted slightly.

“Earlier today the convoy the Golden Wanderers lured out was ambushed and annihilated by Seraphina personally — they used up a lot of shells, but failed to draw the artillery out;” Mephisia traced the plan on the map. “Still, it brought things forward — three nights from now, Eisenburg’s supply convoy will travel the northern route.”

“In the wasteland beyond artillery range, raider vanguards, mercenary bands, a second ambush by the Wanderers, other Sanctum agents and the Wanderers will all take part in the interception…”

“I’ve bought off a number of people; they’ll do their utmost to force Seraphina out of the castle.”

“Our inside agents will create chaos at that time…”

“And you—will infiltrate the core area and rescue your little angel.”