The Lord of Threads gave a twisted grin and raised his hand up. It shimmered, and razor wires began to fire out, slicing into the trees. The forest began to fall apart, and Olivia watched as the slices got closer to her.
She gritted her teeth and then sprinted ahead. In an instant, her body was torn to bits as the wires sliced her to ribbons, but then suddenly a golden light seeped out, and she reformed on the other side, now in her new witch outfit, her cloak billowing.
The new outfit had been made with Davi in mind. Ken had suggested she change her outfit since the last one was almost identical to Evelyn's, and she decided it was best to craft her own. Not only did this new one cover more skin, something she was very much appreciative of, but it also kept the witch-theming she had, since she was still technically a witch, and the black and purple colors matched a lot better. The cloak was also something that was forged out of pure magic, much like the rest of the outfit, and seemed to work as its own magical item.
Case in point, as soon as she made it within reach of the Lord of Threads, the cloak struck out, twisting and growing until it was able to wrap around the man's arms and legs, binding him in place. He went to say something insulting to her, but before he could even open his mouth, she swung her scythe out as hard as she could and sliced his head clean off his body.
The head hit the ground and rolled away. The body grew still, and then it collapsed as her robes pulled away, allowing it to drop to the ground.
Olivia let out a sigh. "I finally managed to beat him."
'Not exactly.' A familiar blue box appeared before her eyes. 'After all, you got sliced to bits. When Polymorph wears off…'
Despite the timer typically being longer, in this fake world that Maya controlled, Polymorph came undone, and Olivia felt herself splatter as her limbs, head, and torso became tiny cubes and she broke apart. She died.
"I mean, yeah, it does suck I die, but I still kill him." Olivia stepped out from behind a tree, her remains still lying on the ground. In the World of Paths, it didn't matter how many times she died. She was able to use this place to train and push her body to its very limits. It worked akin to a simulation, allowing her to fight and fight and fight until she finally figured out a way to land a killing blow on the Lord of Threads. "I fought him over one hundred times now, and this is the first time that I was able to land the killing blow. So what if I also have to die? If I had managed to do this in the real world when he first appeared, then maybe Davi, Ken, and Sieg would have all been okay."
'It is unfortunate what happened to Davi. Maya is deeply saddened. :[ Despite him being injured, though, Maya should insist that you also don't die. Maya is in your head, and if you die, Maya dies. Maya likes living. :]'
Olivia sighed and stared down at the remains of the Lord of Threads. "I'll do whatever I can to kill these bastards. I don't know how, but they're tied into the fucker that killed Rosco. I just know it. That flower-eyed bastard, that creepy old man with the puppets, and that white-haired guy are connected to the horse freak Bruno told me about."
'It seems we know four out of the seven then. Maya wonders what the others are like.'
Olivia paused and whipped around to look at the blue box. "Wait a second? Seven? Are you saying that you know how many members there are?"
'Maya is taking a guess, but seven seems like the correct number.'
"Well? How come?" Olivia demanded. "Why are you so sure that there are seven of them?"
'Oh? You really want to know-'
"Maya." Olivia's eyes lit up with mana. "They killed Rosco. Tell. Me. Everything."
'Hahaha. Okay, okay, Maya will talk, but first you should know that this information is one you should keep to yourself.'
Olivia felt a phantom pain in her chest, and she recalled that tight squeeze over her heart. She nearly shuddered. "Are you saying that will happen again? Like when I tried to tell Davi about you?"
'Yes, Maya can't do anything about that either, sadly. Maya's creator placed those failsafes into the Determined trait as a safety net. While we're in the World of Paths, we can talk about it freely, as this realm does not truly exist, and it is one in which the cause and effects can not be triggered, but while in the real world, saying something too close to the truth could trigger the activation of a failsafe. Maya is trying to solve this issue, as Maya also doesn't like the failsafes and wishes for Olivia to stay alive to keep Davi safe.'
"Great, so even if you told me, I wouldn't be able to pass on the information to anyone because of your creator? And who exactly made you?"
'The one who found Maya is known as Titania Midsummer. She discovered Maya while she was exploring Mordheim, looking for a way to defeat the tyrant king, Sylas.'
"Oh? So this Titania lady is who made you?"
'...'
"Maya?"
'Would you like Maya to tell you about the seven?'
Olivia scoffed. "Duh. That's literally what I asked you about."
'Okay. :) Maya will do their best to explain. First, let Maya ask you a question. Do you know what a Saint is?'
"A saint?" Olivia hummed and thought about it for a moment. "A Saint is usually regarded as someone closely connected to the Almighty, and they're considered a good person, right? Like, they're called a Saint because they did a lot of good deeds and helped people?"
Maya's blue box shimmered, and new words began to form. 'Correct, but also not fully right. The title of Saint is a real thing and something people can have. Those who have it will be able to show it off through the system if they have one, as it becomes a Trait. This also raises the question: How do you get the title of Saint? After all, aren't the Knights heroes? Do they not help people? If a Saint is a good person, someone selfless, then you would think that there would be other Saints throughout history, and yet there are fewer than five that have ever existed. You have the first Saint, Saint Mana of the Dragons, the second Saint, Saint Haru Sini, the Light Forged, the third Saint, Saint Cellis the Immortal Maiden, the only one to be alive still; and lastly, you have Saint Titania the Winged Maiden, who heals all.'
"Titania was a saint?" Olivia said, a little surprised.
'Yes, however, you wouldn't find any information on her, as she comes from a long-ago point in history. Both Saint Mana and Saint Titania are forgotten beings whose names hold no sway in the history of today. Only Saint Cellis and Saint Haru are regarded as true Saints. These four beings were all recognized by the world itself.'
"Recognized by the world?"
'It is, as Maya said, what makes someone a Saint. Simply doing acts of good is not enough, and this is because, as people, we are all inherently selfish. To be a Saint, you have to do acts of good without thinking about it or doing it for any benefit. Saints are not good people; they are more like machines, programmed to help those in need without a second thought, even if it harms themselves. All acts generate a type of energy, such as moving, which creates kinetic energy. By doing good deeds, a person generates a pleasant feeling in the air that washes over them. The more they do, the stronger this energy becomes. Once it has reached a peak, this person can be dubbed as a Saint. It requires an extremely powerful and ancient being to declare one a Saint. Typically, this can only be dragons, giants, or elves, since humans were created to be inherently too flawed, and since you guys wiped the other races out, this is one of the reasons you don't see Saints anymore. There is no species out there that can gift a person with the title of Saint.'
"That does suck." Olivia let out a soft sigh. "Why did the humans wipe the other races out?" She shook her head, squashing down the thoughts that wormed their way into her brain. "Maya, something I don't get is how you came to the conclusion there were seven enemies when you've only listed four Saints? The numbers aren't adding up."
'That is because Maya didn't base the number on the amount of Saints but instead on the action needed to perform the Rite of Rome.'
"The Rite of Rome? What is that?"
':] The Almighty created the world. They claim he came from beyond the stars, and with a glance, he formed reality and made it whole. It was then said that he created the Angels, beings of pure light, who appeared when he spilled his own blood upon this world, and he then left, leaving this newly created world behind. The Angels, left with nothing to do, created the Dragons, but they made the Dragons flawed and beneath them to ensure they would remain on top. In turn, the Dragons made the Giants and crafted them as lesser, and then the Giants made the lesser race of Elves, who finally created the bottom of the food chain, the race of Humans. Do you see a pattern?'
"Of course, the races kept making lesser beings? The Angels made the Dragons weaker than them, and so on, right?"
'Yes. Doesn't that make you wonder?'
"Wonder what?"
'Did the Almighty do the same?'
Olivia froze as she considered Maya's words. Did the Almighty start the chain of events? Was he the one who created a lesser race first? In a way, he did, because the Angels are never regarded as being on the same level as he was. They're considered divine beings and worshipped as such, but no one treats them the way they treat the Almighty, who is regarded as a god. He created the first lesser species and started a chain of events of other species creating lesser versions of themselves.
'This chain would eventually be broken by the one known as Du'Lac,' Maya stated, the blue box's text slowly writing itself out. 'Du'Lac, the Ebony Knight, used a forbidden spell, one he had copied from King Sylas, and he pierced Haru from behind, spilling her blood. This created the race known as the Demons, twisted beings who reset the cycle and are regarded as being as powerful and as perfect as the Angels. Unlike the Angels, who were crafted from an act of love, the Demons were made from an act of betrayal and hatred, and so they are twisted beings of pure hate who wish to see this universe burn. But why? Why were they created when Haru's blood was spilled, and why does that match up with the same way the Almighty created the Angels?'
"I'm guessing you know why?"
'Maya has a guess. It involves the Rite of Rome.'
"And are you going to finally tell me what that is?"
'Olivia sure is impatient.'
"I'm just not in the mood…"
'Hehehe, okay, :] Maya will explain now. The Rite of Rome is something that has only ever been done once successfully, though it has been attempted a few times in history. It is a concept only the elites of this world know about and is a closely guarded secret; hence, why I said you could not talk about it in the real world, as if the wrong person heard you speaking its name, you would be killed where you stood to ensure the secret doesn't get out.'
Olivia gulped. "Is it really that grand of a secret?"
'It is. The Rite of Rome is what created Lady Haru.'
Olivia's eyes widened, and she felt a wave of shock course through her. "Seriously? Wait, there's a ritual or something that allows you to make Haru or a being like Haru? No way. Otherwise, it would have been done again, right? As far as I know, there has only ever been one Haru."
'Yes, Haru is the only being successfully able to complete the Rite of Rome. Others have attempted it, and even now some still do, but no other being has been able to reach Rome. This is because they are missing a key part of the ritual.'
"And what is that?"
'They are not a Saint, and they don't give themselves up selflessly.'
"I'm going to need you to elaborate."
'With the exception of the Almighty, all created beings are flawed, even angels. Humans are the most flawed. It is these flaws that keep all races grounded and ensure they remain in the world that the Almighty built. What if you could get rid of these flaws, though? What if you could become a perfect being? You would be like Haru. Haru became something akin to the Almighty. This is how their blood birthed the race of demons and why the demons are equal to angels. Demons are not some flawed beings that came from the human race; they are flawed beings that came from Haru, who in turn became perfected and could be viewed as the next Almighty. This is why Haru was so feared. Haru was like a god walking around our world because she was one. This is how most people know her. Haru the Light Forged. What many do not know or do not wish to consider is that Haru did not truly come from the skies. Her rebirth was a radiant event foretold by the stars, but before such a thing happened, Haru was born a human woman during the lowest time of them all. A wretched being like any other.'
"And she became Haru the Light Forged by doing this Rite of Rome?"
'Correct. The Rite of Rome is something that can only be performed by a Saint. It is a closely guarded secret, known only by the elites of this world, such as the King, and they are constantly trying to create a second Haru, but they always fail, as the key components simply aren't there. To do the Rite of Rome, one must be a Saint, but since no other Saint has been created, finding a Saint to perform this ritual is next to impossible. They do have Saint Cellis, and I am guessing they make her perform the ritual at every chance they get, but it still fails. This is because the second part of the ritual's requirements is the Saint giving themselves up, and it seems Cellis is unable to fulfill these requirements. Have you heard of the seven sacrifices of Haru?'
"Of course I have." Olivia nodded. "They claim that Haru gave up seven pieces of herself. Her blood, her flesh, her eyes, her heart, her core, and finally her thoughts. This event led to her creating the Arcane Knights and is one of the key moments that led to the defeat of King Sylas and the creation of the Esteria Kingdom."
'You're well read. Yes, those things are something Haru gave up, and it isn't a metaphor or anything like that; it is all real. Haru selflessly allowed her blood and her flesh to be consumed. Without hesitation, she gave her own core to those around her along with her voice and offered them the secrets of magic. She even gave them her heart and her eyes so they could see what she saw and feel what she felt. Finally, she gave them her head and allowed it to be severed from her body. In the stories, they say she was already a god at this point, but that isn't true. Haru was a mortal when she did all of this. A woman like any other, and yet she willingly allowed her head to be separated from her body. An act that would surely kill her, yet all it did was complete the Rite of Rome and allow her to ascend. Upon her head being cleaved off, Haru was transported to the most sacred of places. Her body was remade, forged out of a divine metal that came from the stars themselves. She fell from the sky, like a newly born light in the cosmos, landing in Sini Valley and starting the revolution that would end in the death of the elves, the giants, and the dragons!'
Olivia was once again racked with shock as she heard the speech. "Wait, wait, wait! The most sacred of places?" Her mind raced, and she recalled what Rosco said to her. "What is that? Where is that?"
'Rome. The most sacred of places is believed to be Rome, a location where the Almighty himself likely resides, though whether that is true or not, only Haru could say. Many have made it to the gates of Rome, but none have managed to step past the threshold and arrive at its location, with the exception of Haru, of course. So many people have attempted to copy her, yet they all lack the resolve.'
"D-Do you know my father?" Olivia asked. "Arthur Roads?"
'... Maya has seen him in your memories. Before this, Maya resided within Davi, as he was to be the next one, yet Maya found she liked you more and therefore moved to you. Maya only knows what you know and what Davi knows, so for Maya to know your father, it would require Davi knowing your father. Tell Maya, does Davi know your father?'
Olivia shook her head. "Of course he doesn't. I don't know his parents either now that I think about it."
':]'
"Forget it. Tell me, how can I get to the most sacred of places? Do I have to do the Rite of Rome? I wouldn't be able to since I'm not a Saint, right?"
'The Rite of Rome just allows you to open the doors to enter the most sacred of places. You can still arrive at the location without performing the rite. To do this, you would need to know the path that leads to Rome, and sadly, I do not have this knowledge, for my creator did not know, since she died too soon.'
"So I'm out of luck then?"
'Not exactly. The gateway itself is something akin to a dungeon. It is extremely rare, but you might be able to find someone who can actively control and move dungeons. Beings like that, the Lord of Thread, for example, or King Sylas. If you wanted to find the best one, I would suggest looking for a dragon.'
"A dragon?"
'The angels made the dragons for a single purpose. The dragons were to guard things. Places like the Palace on the Sun, where the Lord of Order resides, or the gates to the most sacred of places. In fact, the Great Dragon of Roads was the sole guardian of Rome for a very long time. It just so happens that this dragon is the same one Davi is looking for, though he has no idea about Rome, the Rites, or anything else. He just wants revenge on the dragon that killed his poor, innocent mother. :] Why don't you help Davi out? After all, if you find the Great Dragon of Roads, you might be able to get the secret passage to Rome out of it, and then you can help Davi kill that bastard.'
"I was already planning on helping Davi out. You don't have to trick me into doing it." Olivia rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "At least I have some idea now. This dragon knows how to get into Rome, and somehow so did my father?"
'Many people want to perform the Rite of Rome. That is why that villainous group is making their move as well and targeting the seven.'
"The seven? Oh yeah, that reminds me, you never explained that?"
'Since a Saint has to give parts of themselves up, many people will sometimes try to 'cheat'. This, of course, never works, but it doesn't stop them from trying. One method they will employ is to give pieces of themselves up to a select group of people. In this case, giving themselves up is more symbolic and is more like taking fractions of their soul or power and placing them into other people. Right now, there is a being out there who is trying to open the doors to Rome and become the next Haru. He isn't currently a Saint, so the Rite will not work. That hasn't stopped him from still trying, though. He placed seven pieces of himself into seven different people, turning these seven people into the inheritors. Each one contains a different piece of this being, and unknowingly, they carry him while he resides in the most sacred of places. I believe it is his hope that he will be able to crack the code to what it means to be a Saint, and he'll find a way to either give himself the title of Saint or something akin to it that will allow him to burst through the sealed gate and reach Rome.'
"And the people that attacked Fri—how do they play a part in all of this?"
'It is just a guess, but I think they wish to gather the pieces that are left behind. Finding someone able to get to the doors of Rome is extremely rare. It would be much easier to simply gather the pieces of someone who already made it there and then use those pieces to rebuild him and make another version of him that can take you to the location. I think this is what those people are doing. There are seven of them, and they plan to kill the seven and harvest the pieces left behind to build a bridge to Rome.'
"And Davi is…"
'One of the seven,' Maya finished. 'It seems luck really isn't on his side. :[ You'll have to take good care of him and ensure he doesn't die.'
"A-Am I one of the seven also?"
'Hahahahah. No. Don't be dumb.'
Olivia sighed and nodded. "Right. I guess it'd be kind of weird if I were one, also. I'm no one important."
'Exactly. :]'
Olivia collected her thoughts. "Alright. Thanks, Maya. I have a good idea of what I need to do now. It sucks I can't tell anyone what's going on, but that's okay."
'It is?'
"Yeah," Olivia smirked. "Those bastards are going to try to come for Davi again. I'll just kill them when they do and stop them. They won't hurt my friend. I'll keep Davi safe, and we'll find his dragon together."
Olivia began to fade away as she started to return to the real world. Maya's blue box waited until she was gone. Slowly, the World of Paths began to fade away, leaving nothing but a blank void. From the void, a single chair began to form into existence, and a hooded figure sat upon it.
Maya smiled and balled her hand into a fist, no longer a blue box. "Olivia is so cute. One of the seven? Ha. As if she'd be given such a lowly role." Maya giggled. "No, no. Your role is far, far more important, Olivia." She reached up and touched her lips. "Du'Lac… Wait just a bit longer. We're so close to our desired beginning."