Chapter 83: A Whisper in the Dark
The quiet hum of magic buzzed through the dimly lit chamber as Jeanne and Siegfried stood alone, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows against the stone walls.
They had just returned from their latest mission—one that had brought them face to face with stray Devils hiding within the Church's borders. Their mission was complete, but now, something else had caught their attention.
An envelope—sealed, and with no insignia, just a cryptic message written on its surface. No name, no sender, just a series of encoded symbols.
Jeanne's fingers hesitated as she broke the seal, feeling a strange weight in the air. Something was different about this.
Her hand trembled slightly as she unfurled the parchment and read the words. The message was simple, but it carried a depth that both unsettled and intrigued her:
"When your faith is tested, seek the one who watches, not the one who commands."
She read it again, her brows furrowing. It made no sense, and yet, a part of her could feel the implications beneath the surface.
When your faith is tested…
Was this a warning? A call to something greater? Or perhaps a trick—another manipulation? She felt a twinge of unease in her chest as her thoughts raced.
"Who could have sent this?" Jeanne murmured, eyes narrowing in suspicion. The message felt... personal. As if someone knew her better than she knew herself.
She looked at Siegfried, who stood a few paces away, his eyes darkened with thought. His grip tightened around his sword, the hilt creaking under the pressure.
He'd been quiet for too long, lost in the same unsettling thoughts she herself had been struggling with.
"There's no way this is a coincidence," Siegfried muttered.
"Someone's watching us." His voice was low, dangerous. "I'll find the hand behind this."
Jeanne watched him, conflicted. His resolve was strong—she could see that in the tight set of his jaw, the way his body shifted, ready for action.
But there was something in his eyes now, something that hadn't been there before. Doubt, perhaps? She couldn't say for certain, but she could feel it. And it scared her.
Siegfried's loyalty had always been to the Church. That was the foundation of everything he had ever fought for. But now? Now, there was something more in his gaze. He wasn't just a warrior anymore.
He was searching for answers, for something that went beyond the mission, beyond the ideals that had been drummed into him.
Jeanne swallowed hard, her thoughts turning inward. A hidden ally? Or a dangerous manipulator? The words from the message reverberated in her mind.
If there was someone watching them, someone who knew their struggles, their uncertainties—what did that mean for them? What kind of person would step into their lives in such a covert way?
Her gaze flicked to the letter again, but this time, she saw something different: a subtle hint, almost imperceptible. There was a symbol at the bottom of the page, a crest she hadn't recognized before.
The same one that was etched on the surface of the ring Volundr had given her, when they had first met. She had dismissed it as an oddity at the time, but now... the realization hit her like a stone dropped into still water, rippling through her senses.
Volundr.
She didn't want to admit it, but the connection seemed undeniable. The message had all the hallmarks of something he would orchestrate—hidden, clever, calculated. Was he the one pulling the strings behind this cryptic note?
Meanwhile, from a vantage point far removed from the scene, Volundr sat silently in his study, observing through the shadows of his scrying magic.
His hand rested lightly on his chin, his expression one of quiet amusement. The seeds had been planted, but the true test had just begun.
The first seed is planted.
He'd known this day would come—the day when they would begin to question. When their convictions would be tested. And now, the doubt he had so carefully nurtured in them had finally borne fruit.
It was only a matter of time before they would both feel the pull of their choices, the quiet but undeniable beckoning to something greater, something more real than the faith they had placed in the Church.
He watched them with a level of interest that few would ever comprehend. Jeanne's heart was pure, noble in its intentions, but there was a fire in her soul that would not be extinguished by mere doctrine. Siegfried, too, was a creature of strength, though his loyalty to the Church was still a thread holding him in place. But threads, even those as strong as iron, could be cut.
Volundr allowed himself a small smile, one that was barely perceptible. The game had just begun, but the players were already making their moves.
He had placed the right words at the right moment. Now, all that remained was to see which way they would turn.
Back in the Church's headquarters, the room where Siegfried and Jeanne stood now seemed colder. The weight of the unknown hung in the air, thick and oppressive. Jeanne took a slow, steady breath as she looked up at Siegfried.
"We need to be careful," she said quietly.
"If this is what I think it is, if the person behind this is someone we both know…" She trailed off, uncertainty in her eyes.
Siegfried gave a grim nod.
"We'll handle it. I'll find the one behind this. And when I do..."
He trailed off, his eyes hardening.
"They'll regret getting involved."
Jeanne didn't speak for a moment. Her heart was heavy, her mind racing. Whoever had sent this message, they were far more dangerous than she had initially considered.
And yet, a part of her felt a strange tug in her chest, the allure of that unknown hand that had been reaching out to her from the shadows.
The future has already begun to unravel.
End of Chapter 83.