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nNyla Sheritz knew she was being resurrected from death. As a Temple Maiden assigned to the Silver Alliance, being reborn continuously was both her privilege and a burden.

nThe sensation of resurrection was one that she could never get used to, Nyla suspected that no one could ever become used to it. Death was supposed to be final, there was a sense of completion that came to the mind the moment death arrived, and no matter the pain or burden in the heart, at that moment, at the threshold, there was peace.

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nResurrection was Conflict. It tugs at the mind and spirit without mercy, it does not care if it caused any damage, for resurrection could heal any wound it caused, this makes it cruel.

nThe creator of the Citadel wanted an undying army, and in times of war, comfort and stability were not even in the terms of agreement, only necessity was king. It was why the experience was always different, death was darkness, finality… Resurrection was light, new beginnings, and the truth was every time Resurrection took from the dark, it left something of itself behind.

nUnlike any other Explorers, a Temple Maiden was charged to strip off a portion of their Core Aura every decade, to ensure that they had an ample supply of their Core Aura in as many Citadels as possible. The first of their order had made a solemn vow that every Temple Maiden would see this war to its end, no matter the result that end might bring.

nTheir Ascendant Techniques made it impossible for them to run mad from splitting their Core Aura so frequently, but it did not aid them against the pain. They had learned to scream in silence because they knew that others may one day find rest in death, but their vow had forbidden them from this peace.

nA Temple Maiden was a unique resource in the war effort. Their duty was to be the eyes and ears of the Council of Nine, and although Nyla knew that her fate was a grim one, it was a duty she faced without shrinking back, and the last death she faced was not the most painful but was surely one of the strangest.

nTill this moment she hardly understood what had happened, except for the flames and the feeling of death digging into her soul with hungry claws and a lustful grin. Has she been corrupted? Surely the manner of her death warranted corruption, and this was also under the gaze of Calamity.

nEvery Temple Maid was unified in their creed and this was why when Nyla awakened it did not take her long to become furious, for she had died under the light of the Calamity Suns and that meant that she should have been given at least a century for any taint in her Aura to be cleansed before she was resurrected, but from her internal clock she noticed that barely fifteen days had passed, that meant that her resurrection procedure was enacted almost immediately.

nThis went against their creed. Temple Maidens were always resurrected, but under from their Temple Mothers, and the earliest a Temple Mother would ever agree to was a year.

nNo one else except a Temple Mother truly understood the burden every Temple Maiden carried, and they would always allow them the peace of death for as long as necessary, knowing that in return, the Maidens would fight against the madness until the end of everything.

nShe touched the cover over her exclusive Resurrection Pod and it dematerialized, allowing her to rise from the healing gel, and a long silver robe materialized around her body, she hovered in the air for a while, turning towards the second Resurrection Pod where her Temple sister should lie and smiled in relief that it was still closed.

nAt least her Temple Sister was still at peace, but whoever was responsible for waking her from her slumber would suffer the wrath of her entire Order. Her legs touched the ground and she yelped, nearly stumbling when she discovered that her Spirit was extremely weakened.

nNo, it went even beyond her Spirit, it was as if a greater portion of her soul was gone! This was impossible, even the darkness could not touch the soul of a Deific Explorer, their core had become seeped in its light, granting them the possibility of resurrection and immortality. If the news of what happened to her was to spread, it would destabilize the entire world.

nOpening her eyes wide in astonishment and fear, a thought reached her spirit and she hurriedly checked her six Natal treasures and her face went pale. Nyla summoned them in shock to confirm what she had just discovered because it seemed so unreal that something like that could happen… was happening, she corrected herself.

nIt was in this way that the ruler of Stone Reach came to find her, staring at six rusted blades, and it appeared that she had been looking at her Natal Treasures for hours because he had been waiting outside the door for that long and finally had to enter because his superiors had given him an order, and common sense took hold of him over the fear of the Temple Maiden.

nHe looked again at her Natal Treasure that soon vanished in a flash of blue sparks and a chill crawled down his spine, the last regret for resurrecting a Temple Maiden was stripped from him, for whatever could destroy a Natal Treasure to the extent that it affected them even after resurrection spoke of a truly diabolical force.

nThe Temple Maiden looked at him, eyes filled with terror and madness and he swallowed. There was something in those eyes—that he had seen nothing but confidence inside for the last century of knowing her—terrified him to the core. He was struck in silence forgetting the purpose for which he had been sent, that is until she whispered,

n“Why did you bring me back from death so quickly?”

nIt was hard for him to respond, even as a Deific Ranked Explorer, the eyes of the Temple Maiden held the weight of countless years and an equal amount of pain, but he forced himself to reply,

n“The Divine Ascendant requested it, too many Explorers were lost in the dead continent, and we needed to know the reason.”

nThe Temple Maiden was silent for a while before she asked, “You went in without first hearing my report? How many died?”

n“Too many.”

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