“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!”
“Huh?! Anne!”
Anne’s scream jolted Mary awake. They were in Mary’s private quarters inside the main church of Yumuen, deep within the Lunarian Orthodox Papal Domain.
“Nooo! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Anne, pull yourself together! It’s all right! You’re safe!”
Mary held the trembling girl tight as Anne sobbed and apologized to people who weren’t there.
After the death of Fuuga Haan, the man she’d served, the political strife within the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State broke Anne completely. During Fuuga’s life, his faction had ruled the church with absolute authority, persecuting all who opposed him as heretics. Anne, known as the Saint of the Tiger, had stood at the head of his supporters. Though she herself had served Fuuga faithfully and sincerely, others in his faction had used her name and authority to justify their purges. Anne had accepted that burden as part of her duty as a saint.
But when Fuuga fell to a rebellion led by his own vassals, everything changed. The anti-Fuuga faction rose to power and took revenge on those who had once condemned them. Anne was captured and thrown into a tower; her allies were burned at the stake—the same cruel fate they had once inflicted on their enemies. Deprived of food and left in isolation, Anne could only watch through the bars of her cell as the flames consumed her followers, their dying screams searing themselves into her memory. For a girl not yet twenty, it was more than enough to shatter her heart.
She remained imprisoned until Souji and Mary arrived to restore order within the Orthodox State. Mary herself freed Anne from the tower, but the trauma had left deep scars. Since then, Anne had suffered from the same recurring nightmare. She would walk through darkness towards a faint light, only for it to fade, leaving her surrounded by bones. The dead would rise, seize her, and stare with countless accusing eyes.
Fearing for her well-being, Mary began sleeping beside her. Whenever Anne awoke in panic, Mary would be there to hold her and soothe her trembling heart.
“The eyes... The eyes are watching me! Those eyes—the eyes of the dead! They’re watching!”
“Calm down, Anne. It was only a dream. There are no eyes here, no one blaming you.”
“No! No, that’s not true! I—I sent them to their deaths... They’ll never forgive me! Big Sister... I don’t deserve to live... They must be wishing for me to burn in hell... Ohh...”
“Don’t let delusions take hold of you,” Mary said gently. “No one will use you anymore. No one will torment you again.”
“Big Sister...”
Anne had come to call Mary that—Big Sister. It was her way of escaping the pain, of clinging to something warm and safe. Mary understood and allowed it, knowing how fragile the girl’s heart had become.
Mary stroked Anne’s back as she wept. Eventually, Anne’s sobs quieted, and she drifted back into uneasy sleep as Mary watched her with eyes full of pity.
The next day, Mary reported to the grand bishop’s office to tell Souji what had happened the night before.
“The scars in Anne’s heart show no sign of healing,” she said quietly. “We keep people watching over her at all times, myself included, but...if she were ever left alone, there’s no telling when she might harm herself. At worst, she could try to end her own life.”
“Time heals all wounds... But I suppose we can’t afford to take that chance,” Souji murmured, letting out a sigh. His face showed clear signs of exhaustion.
The Lunarian Orthodox Church was in the midst of sweeping reforms. Years of political infighting, inquisitions, and bloodshed had left the institution in complete disarray. With the head of the Kingdom Orthodoxy—known for its tolerance—now serving as the new pontiff, order had begun to return, but the embers of discord still smoldered beneath the surface.
Any spark could set off another conflict.
Their careful protection of Anne served not only as an act of compassion but also as a symbol of the church’s new path towards tolerance. There was too much at stake, and too little margin for error. Even Souji, once notorious for his indolence, had been forced to take his duties seriously—a clear sign of how precarious things remained.
“When you get down to it, it’s all because of filthy adults cornering a young girl like that,” Souji said, resting his cheek in his palm with a long sigh. “They gather up orphans and outcasts, teach them to please the powerful, then dress them up as ‘saints’ to use as pawns. It’s disgusting. You and the others managed to escape, but that Anne girl...she was buried in it up to her neck.”
“I can’t treat Anne’s suffering like someone else’s problem,” Mary said, her voice pained. “The only reason I escaped was luck. The only difference between us is that I had a chance...and she didn’t.”
Souji rose from his chair and walked over to her. He placed a gentle hand on her head.
“Luck and circumstance do matter,” he said softly, “but the real difference is courage—the courage to take that first step when the chance appears.”
“Your Holiness...”
“You and the other saint candidates had that courage. You chose to change your fate. Anne had the same chance once, didn’t she? When you reached out your hand, she chose not to take it.”
“That’s...true, but still— Hey! What are you doing?!”
Mary scowled as Souji ruffled her hair with the same hand. He snickered, amused by her reaction.
“It’s all well and good to worry about Anne, but if you let it eat at you, you’ll wear yourself out. Her troubles aren’t yours to shoulder alone. We’ll be calling King Souma soon to examine the Lunalith anyway. He knows all sorts of people—maybe he can offer advice, or put us in touch with someone who can truly help.”
“Ah! That’s right! The Kingdom of Friedonia has so many skilled doctors. Maybe one of them could treat Anne,” Mary said, her eyes lighting up.
It was only a faint hope, but a hope nonetheless, and it softened her expression. Souji, seeming pleased to see her spirits lift, finally released her head from his hand.
“Let’s send a messenger kui to King Souma right away. Here’s hoping he brings a good solution with him as a gift.”
“Hee hee... Yes, let’s,” Mary replied with a small nod, her heart feeling just a little lighter.