The battle between evil and virtue has persisted for as long as one can remember.


    The world can be changed, but each one has one thing inmon, which is this unending struggle.


    Demons are referred to as the carriers of evil, and angels are seen as the carriers of virtue and truth, which is true but not universal.


    A being is prone to a particr nature due to three things:


    First, the way they are raised.


    Second, the environment in which they are raised.


    Third, the mindset they have raised.


    These three factors y a major role than one''s own race, but due to the presence of a drawback inside the known demonic energy, the bnce of evil always tilts in favor of demons.


    This drawback corrupts their minds.


    Even if they control it, the resulting aggression gradually erodes their sanity until they adapt to it and try to calm down their overall personality by directing it towards someone repulsive.


    So, demons, devils, and monsters are all aligned and seen as evil, but until one understands their fundamental workings, iming all of them as evil is a mistake.


    Just like angels, saints, or those who carry divinity, their divine energy emits an aura that paints their whole being in a color of purity, ignoring the malign hidden within them and giving birth to a drawback called Superiority.


    Just like demonic energy corrupted one''s mind, divine energy also inted one''s ego, leading its holder to pose themselves as gods.


    An amusing fact was that both demons and saints were aware of their energy''s drawback, but only a few really implemented countermeasures.


    Among those few, only a handful were truly able to maintain control of themselves, even during the catastrophic war that urred between demons and saints thousands of years ago, resulting in the decrease of more than half the poption on each side.


    This war led to the division of what was once called the Ascension Domain, now separated into several pieces, with half previously ruled by the Sanctum and the other half by the seventeen Demon Rulers.


    The energy that had separated the entirendmass scattered the masses over great distances, each surrounded by their archenemies.


    Some saints''nds were surrounded by demon continents, while some demonnds were surrounded by saints, each maintaining bnce due to the strength of demons.


    Unlike divinity, which purifies demonic energy, making it appear stronger inparison, the truth was simply the opposite.


    Demonic energy has remained far stronger, existing till this date with much more strength than that of the Divine Energy.


    The reason is simply because Demonic energy is like fire in a forest, it can be suppressed but can''t be extinguishedpletely without heavy rain.


    And that Rain is ''The Sanctum''.


    The highest floor where gods reside is just ten steps away from natives of this world.


    There are several floors, and each can be essed by the number of keys avable in this world, scattered around the continents, which allows anyone having the needed key to enter the Sanctum to propose an Artifact which then chooses it''s owner.


    And this is only ce which gives Saints advantage, since the most number of keys to the Sanctum is under their control.


    Causing the whole world to call the Divine Energy followers the members of Sanctum.


    Which technically isn''t a single ce but the derived name from the otherworldly existence which maintains the whole bnce between the strength of Demonic and Divinity.


    But very few people knew this, causing them to think of all Saint''s domains being called the Sanctum.


    Inside one of the separated pieces from what was once called the Ascension domain, existed a continent surrounding another expanse, scattered into four corners joined by a thinnd mass, appearing like a circle with four big beads.


    Both originated from the samend, yet the color of both appeared glowing white and abyssal ck.


    The glowing whitend expanse surrounding the ck one belonged to the Sanctum''s group, which worshipped the goddess F with a follower number of more than 35 million, making it the 4th most followed religion on the Blue star.


    Inside one of the glimmering expanses, bathed in white ethereal glow,


    The atmosphere inside thend expanse was much serene and filled with calmness, along with a soothing presence emanating from a huge dome-shaped building rising asrge as it can to im the whole sky underneath it, proving the strength of the goddess F with its marvelous architecture.


    tap tap


    A footstep sound reverberated inside the long hallway leading towards the center of this whole architecture, passing through a long hallway designated for the entry of only high-ranking priests.


    As the figure moved towards the direction, a few priests passing by bowed at the man.


    "Greetings, Higher Priest," one of the men wearing priestly attire greeted the man wearing a pope''s attire, though seemingly different from normal, appearing more divine.


    "May Goddess'' blessing be with you all," the man with long yet light purple hair lifted both hands and blessed the others before inquiring, "Is Saintess in the hall?"


    "Yes, Saintess Marianne is in deep prayer with Goddess," the man bowed before hearing the high priest move from that ce, leaving towards the direction he was moving moments ago.


    ...


    The high priest arrived at a white marble gate, appearing big enough to make his 6 feet height appear dwarfed.


    Stretching his hand and cing his palm on the gate''s intricate design.


    SWOOSH


    As if the gate recognized his eligibility, a white light stream filled with blue glow spread over all the gate''s design, covering every corner before a sound resonated in that ce.


    Krieeeek


    With a loud and sharp sound, the gate opened, revealing a blinding white light which slowly faded away before revealing the back of a sitting figure, with cascading purple hair softly scattered on the marble floor.


    ''Is saintess in the Sanctum?'' the higher priest wondered, looking at the womanly figure wearing white attire with long purple hair, sitting while folding her hands, praying in front of a huge statue belonging to a being veiled under the cloak, revealing only half of the lower face.


    The higher priest approached the seated figure, his steps remaining silent, not disturbing themunication between the saintess and the Goddess urring inside the highest floor of the Sanctum.


    Meaning, gods resided on the highest floor of the Sanctum, which could be essed using 100 keys, but there were only known 83 in this world, making it impossible for anyone to open any door above them or contact the gods physically.


    And this is where the apostles yed their role, the chosen ones by the gods referred to as saints and saintesses, having the ability to talk to the higher beings using the soul connection.


    drip


    Suddenly, a sound reverberated inside that ce, causing a small ripple added with a wave to form on the floor, which turned into a mirrored surface, but miraculously only the woman''s figure was visible.


    ''?!''


    As the high priest''s eyes caught sight of the figure in the mirror, his eyes widened, noticing a striking difference from the woman seated before him.


    Even though he could only see her back, he was certain it was the goddess herself.


    The majestic figure exuded an aura of pride and power, resonating with the energy of the surroundings, vivid enough even outside the mirror.


    "My Goddess is angry, why hasn''t he arrived yet!"


    A sharp cry echoed through the room, amplifying the sense of being in an unending space, as if existing within apletely different dimension.


    The white sky and mirrored surfaces stretched endlessly, expanding until the eyes could meet the horizon.


    "Wh-who exactly, Saintess?" The higher priest''s voice quivered with a shivering tone, his eyes filled with anxiety, rapidly scanning for answers.


    "Who else, Ryu—?!" Suddenly, Maria''s eyes shot open, jolting her out of her trance-like state.


    "Kuughh?!" A sharp pain bombarded her senses, originating from her divine core and stretching towards the very core of her being.


    Thud


    "AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Maria''s entire body copsed onto the ground, her hands crossed over her chest as cries of pain emanated from the depths of her soul.


    "AAGGgggHH!"


    "S-SAINTESS!"


    SWISH


    The intensity of her agony caused even the man witnessing it to tremble as his body instantly closed the distance between him and her.


    "He-help..sob..plea," a broken cry escaped from Maria''s now crimson face, which was contorted with green veins bulging under the skin.


    Drip Drip


    WHOOSHN?v(el)B\\jnn


    The intensity of the pain caused blood to ooze from her facial orifices, even seeping through the small skin pores, falling on the surface which, on contact, instantly glowed in a light that started to crawl over her body, covering it.


    ''...Demon seed ispletely rooted into her soul,'' the higher priest gritted his teeth, looking at the figure of the woman now slowly getting covered in the glow which was only support to preserve her life.


    The center room inside Goddess F''s domain filled with the most pure and divine presence soothed the effect of the dark demonic seed imbued inside the saintess''s soul—a secret well kept from the outside world.


    Four years ago, when the gates of Heindal opened to the outside world, two individuals were exchanged, leveraging the coteral of a thousand healers and priests needed on a newly opened continent.


    The Sword Maiden proposed an offer to obtain the thousand healers in exchange for a Saintess and her assistant called Priest Kermit.


    Such an offer would have been impossible to ept if it weren''t for the strength and purity embodied by the Saintess, who now leads one of the four strongest divisions supporting Goddess F.


    Surrounding Malevolia, joined by thinnd, were four sides, each housing a division of Goddess F.


    While each division had its advantages, only one possessed a Saintess, swiftly elevating its ranks.


    But now, as the Higher Priest looked upon the dissapeared form of the saintess, his gaze turned cold, his jaws clenched tightly as his hands cradled her once shining body, now covered and dissolving within the mirror surface.


    Five years ago, when they had brought the twelve-year-old girl to this divinend, it didn''t take them long to recognize the presence of a Demonic seed within her, hindering her growth.


    What frustrated the Higher Priest the most was that the seed had been imnted at the tender age of five.


    "Cursed fiend! nting a Demonic seed in a child!"


    As exhaustion clouded his eyes, frustration turned them red. He couldn''t fathom how someone could imnt a demonic seed in a five-year-old girl. He cried out with all his lungs,


    "Where is that damned, merciless monster!"