Chapter 3:
Saints
THE NÁV KINGDOM was my home, and it was one of two great powers on the continent. This kingdom was founded by the Great Saint, and the royal family was said to be descended directly from her.
The legends told that the Great Saint and a brave hero worked to seal away a demon lord who terrorized the world. In time, the two married. Their descendants would rule the kingdom peacefully for generations.
The legends were lies.
Saints are women with the power to heal. Whether it’s healing a wound instantaneously, regrowing limbs, even curing illness—all of those things were once easily within the power of a saint. But over the centuries, the power and number of saints dwindled. Once numerous, the saints became a rarity.
The royal family and the nobles noticed and did anything they could to marry saints and pass down their powers to the next generations—saint powers were more likely to be passed down to the next generation than most forms of magic. The kingdom had been founded through the grace of the saints, after all, and its continual peace relied on their existence.
Healing magic was vital in battle, of course, and the power of a saint could make all the difference between victory and defeat. Sure, you could use a healing potion…but those took time to work, requiring a momentary retreat from the front. Saints were much faster than any potion.
Saints alone could use that incredible power…and still, their numbers kept on dwindling. People kept being born with attack magic, but those with healing magic petered out. The kingdom took custody of any newborn saints. All girls underwent mandatory testing at a young age to check for that power. Any saints discovered were immediately taken to the church, where they were taught how to use their power. Those girls were then married off to nobles at a young age, which sometimes let those of common birth rise in station.
All saints spent their days working for the kingdom, making healing potions and assisting knights on expeditions. In turn, those knights protected and served them. A saint acting as an adventurer would be, of course, out of the question.
The saints came to be worshiped throughout the kingdom, given the highest honor and best treatment. Their age didn’t matter, nor did their origin. And so, worshiped by all, the saints themselves grew conceited.
They began to believe themselves to be the chosen ones.