Sylia, the Dark & Light Saint

November of the Sainted Year (First Civil Month) - Present Day

Sylia turned in her cot, muttered a half-spell under her breath, and called out as the binding on the room's veil unraveled.

"Kullen, Pullina, Georgie. Time to wake up. He's gone. We're leaving."

Pullina rubbed her eyes, still groggy. "Really? Good."

Sylia glanced toward the wall, where the wards still shimmered faintly. "Looks like he didn't even notice Georgie was here."

The beautiful blond teenager, Georgie, smiled, smug and far too pleased with herself. "I knew he wouldn't."

Sylia frowned at her. "Don't look so proud of that."

Kullen sat up, his face pinched with irritation. "Are you going to explain why I had to sleep not far from Betty? Why the rooms are suddenly merged and smaller? And where you got those cots—or that pitiful furniture? Not many people have those in the Slums these days."

Sylia looked away, her tone distant. "I had to get some of it from the Capital. Other places too. I tried to shop for the best—something your parents would've liked. Grenar, especially. I even bargained a God for the needle bed. I hope he enjoys it." She smiled faintly. "Do you know the best part? He won't even remember."

Kullen's expression soured, but he said nothing. She turned her gaze toward Betty.

"I'm putting Betty in a crystal again before she ruins everything. Then I'll put the others to sleep. They won't wake before tomorrow—just in time for the great finale."

Kullen made a noise of disgust, then narrowed his eyes. "Why does she look smaller? Younger? Don't tell me you caught her with Taylor and Kyle again."

Sylia flushed, but didn't deny it. "Not just them, but yes. We still need her. She can't be allowed to burn out so quickly. Imagine if she dropped another brat like last summer—filthy Souls, leaking corruption through everything. We have to keep the kids' Souls boxed until they're old enough to disintegrate on their own. The cleaning spells handle the rest."

Kullen gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.

Sylia rose, brushing her palms against her thighs. "Let's go find something to eat. I'm starving. Barely had any dinner." She glanced at Georgie and added, "You're excused. You did well."

Georgie beamed. "Thanks. Come see Dad when you can. I think he misses you."

(Georgie)

"Why would he?" Sylia asked, already stepping toward the door. "He has enough on his plate."

"Well," Georgie offered lightly, "he does have that Division. But she's only a Sub-Servant. He likes the mean you better. I figured early on most men are a little masochist. I'll try to be meaner too and bully them a bit. Maybe then they'll like me more."

Kullen looked appalled. Pullina, however, nodded thoughtfully. "I noticed that too. Must be a male trait… well, maybe not. Master Mathias is different. Maybe he's not entirely male."

Kullen's jaw dropped. Sylia, unfazed, shrugged.

"You've stumbled on a great cosmic mystery. Higher beings like him aren't born with gender. That's a limitation meant for lower beings. Some prefer certain forms, sure—but it's just taste. I'm a Division myself. One of mine is a massive seven-foot knight with an impressive build… and an even more impressive lower half. He likes pretty boys best."

Kullen yelped and hugged himself. "You said that just to scare me, right?"

Sylia gave him an unimpressed look. "Why would I ever?" She sighed. "Fine. I might've lied. Not this Division. Another one—the one who never stops fighting."

Kullen exhaled sharply, visibly relieved. He preferred not to think too much about that particular version of her.

Kullen looked at the girl his adoptive parents had taken in fifteen years ago with concern. At least, that was the official story. Sylia had been around for much longer, and she was no young girl but an adult woman who had regressed to a child multiple times because of the Soul she was holding within her body—Masha's Soul.

Kullen had been fooled for years by Masha's behavior. He had even believed her to be young, in contrast to Sylia, but he'd come to realize that wasn't the case. Masha had had multiple chances to mature, but those had been left to waste.

Kullen knew Sylia was hiding something. She had been strange lately. More distant with him. Maybe it was his fault. He hadn't been supportive enough. It was his family, after all, she was starting to go against. He couldn't really rejoice at the prospect. He'd heard she was now a fallen Saint because of actions he knew nothing about. Those rumors had started weeks ago, even before her other Divisions, Syl Celia and Cesylia left the Slums where they lived.

To be honest, he had never understood why she even bothered living in the Slums. She had said it was for Masha's sake, but he knew that was a lie. Sylia obviously hated Masha more than anything. He couldn't even blame her, not after hearing some of the disturbing things. Apparently, Sylia's Goddesses had forced her to take Masha in and teach her so she could fulfill her destiny as a Saint and savior of Nagasmar. No matter what Masha did, and how much she failed at being a Saint, those Goddesses still seemed to think the girl was worthy. He had even wondered if the Goddesses really wanted to save Nagasmar as they claimed or ruin it.

Kullen then turned his attention to his adoptive sister Pullina. The girl had been sent away by her parents, Dunkareh Krevoski and Dahia Bimal, since they couldn't afford to have another mouth to feed—and the girl wasn't useful, as her Magic was lacking. He wondered what had changed. He saw it in her eyes. Something must have happened. She had been quite neutral in the arguments between Masha and Sylia since the beginning. For her to start playing tricks with Sylia meant something extremely bad had happened.

He needed to ask but he was afraid to. Something told him he wouldn't like the answer. Just like he wouldn't like what they would tell him about Yullina, who had also been acting strangely. His cute and sweet sister now avoided him completely. They had been close until recently, but now all she would do was hang out with Masha and listen to everything the girl said.

Maybe that had been his fault too.

Kullen sighed in frustration. He didn't know what to think anymore. He had been busy with his current girlfriend, and he now lived in the North-East Lower Gentry and Commoners District, closer to her. He even had a part-time job there.

His sweetheart, Leyna Nemuri, came from Nemraska. Her family had some Noble ties, but they had been declassed over three centuries ago. They still carried a curse and had to fulfill some obligations to repay their family's debts, all because some ancestors had behaved badly.

He had just spent half a day with her and her family. They'd had fun. He would likely marry her this spring if things kept progressing so well. He wished he could tell Sylia. She would likely be happy for him. Happy that he'd moved on.

She had been so distant lately that there was no question where her affection lay. He couldn't afford to wait for her any longer. He would see his life pass by.

He had only recently realized what it meant to be intimately involved with her. While Sylia expected her lovers' loyalty, they couldn't expect the same. She indiscriminately went out with all the men she liked well enough and even some she didn't like at all. For her, sex was just that. Nothing more. She used it as a weapon sometimes, to manipulate people.

He hadn't minded until recently. Now, he craved something more. Something real. He had learned that with his girlfriend. Leyna was everything Sylia was not. Genuine, innocent, and sweet.

And yet, he was still attracted to the damn woman. Even knowing her many failings, he craved her touch.

He felt so stupid.

Kullen had just come back from dinner with his girlfriend and her family—his likely future in-laws. The food had been excellent. A rare bird the father's brother had gotten through one of the restricted markets where he did some business from time to time. The dish was sweet, tender, and perfectly prepared. Kullen could get used to meals like that.

Then Sylia's message reached him. He returned home in a rush.

Yullina had warned him and said Sylia had been acting strangely again but he hadn't wanted to believe it. Maybe this would be his chance to come clean, finally tell her he wasn't going to keep seeing her. She'd seemed suddenly more interested in him earlier that day, and that made everything worse. It was hard to say no to the woman who kept the Slums from collapsing, who made it possible for him to have a job, a life, even permission to live closer to the Gentry Districts. He owed her too much.

Whatever Yullina thought, he couldn't turn on Sylia. He still planned to take Yullina in once he married. He'd already brought it up with Grenar, who hadn't opposed the idea. However, now Kullen was uneasy. He'd tried to support Yullina through everything, but she'd become the target of Sylia's sharpest cruelty—punishments, mocking, deliberate shame. And still the girl kept smiling, still stayed kind. Her only real fault was loving Masha. And to Sylia, that was unforgivable.

He hated admitting it, but Sylia had grown shallow. Maybe she always was. He still needed her help to leave the Slums and bring Yullina with him. He could only hope whatever she asked of him today would be something he could live with.

When Sylia smiled at him, his heart betrayed him and skipped a beat. She had reverted again—her body in that half-grown state she favored. Mature, youthful, a practiced blend. Still, something was off. Something was different. And for once, he was glad to feel no attraction for her at all.

"Relax," she said, as if reading his mind. "I wasn't going to offer you any intimate company. I already have a date tonight. I'm actually happy you have found someone. Someone you can imagine spending your life with. And yes, I support your plan to take Yullina with you when you marry."

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Pullina looked startled. Her wide eyes slid toward Kullen, now filled with caution. Kullen, by contrast, visibly relaxed. He even smiled a little.

"So, what do you need from me?"

Sylia returned his smile, cool and polite. "That's a good question. I'd like to talk about the documents Grenar requested. The ones tied to Yullina. But first, let's eat."

Pullina blinked, clearly unsettled. She wasn't used to this tone. She knew Sylia's fake smiles. The ones that meant you were doomed and didn't know it yet—like that time she ate the last mochi Sylia had set aside. She still remembered the way the sky seemed to split open that day.

Pullina's thoughts vanished the moment the food arrived.

Kullen glanced at the bowls, then grinned. "Gyūdon? That's my favorite. Red meat's been hard to find lately, especially with the restrictions. "They are stocking for the Bloody Sainted Month of December," Kullen said. "The followers of the Blood Church and their related churches consume much more red meat then, mostly as part of their rituals."

Sylia smiled. "I know. I brought it from another place—a new Enclave of Izranaga, near the center of Nagasmar. The Celestials produced too much red meat. This kind is made by Divine powers, not by slaughtering animals. It contains slightly less red blood than natural red meat, but carries white blood which is known to Izranaga's Flock."

Both Pullina and Kullen froze. Their expressions mirrored each other, nervous and impressed. Pullina and Kullen's eyes widened. Both gulped down. They knew what that blood did and why it was summoned in very old rites.

Sylia added, motioning toward the dishes she had laid out for them. "Well, we also have Katsudon, Oyakodon, and some Shrimp and Pork Loin Ramen. I got the Ramen for Pullina, with a few side dishes that are just for us. Kullen, you already ate well with your girlfriend, didn't you? The Katsudon and Oyakodon are also made with God-blessed ingredients. I hope you will enjoy them."

Kullen's face fell, and a faint tremble ran through him. He shut his eyes for a moment, struggling to compose himself. He had walked straight into a trap. Now he had no choice but to sit through the meal. To think he'd rushed back here just so she wouldn't suspect him—just to prove his good intentions and maybe earn her forgiveness.

Sylia raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Kullen nodded. He had never meant to hide anything. It wasn't even worth lying about. He had done it for Yullina. To protect her. She had become the latest target of Sylia's wrath and wickedness, and he couldn't just watch.

"May I ask first what's going on?" he said, voice cautious.

Sylia tapped her spoon once against the rim of her bowl. "I'm not sure you should know right away. It's better that you see it for yourself tomorrow. The Moondyl's Crow mentioned a few things I'd like you to confirm."

Kullen set down his chopsticks. Appetite fading, he straightened his shoulders. If there was any hope of forgiveness, he needed to be honest. His eyes sharpened.

"There's not much to it, really," he said. "Grenar was afraid. He thought he didn't have long to live—said you might kill him if it came down to another fight over Masha. He was terrified you'd take control of Yullina the way you did with Pullina. That you'd drag her into your world. That you'd make her live like you—chasing pleasure, sleeping with whoever. Becoming… trash."

Pullina let out a soft gasp, eyes narrowing. Kullen always had a foul mouth, especially when Sylia was involved. He had even insulted Master Mathias once and nearly died for it. Maybe he had died and have been revived. It was hard to know with Mathias. Forgiveness didn't come unless you bled for it.

Sylia only smiled faintly and gestured for him to go on. Emboldened, Kullen did.

"It really wasn't much." he said. "I just wrote down a few testimonies and asked some men around the Slums to do the same. For the Churches. It's just to make sure you don't raise Yullina to be… impure. Like you. Maybe that's why you fell from sainthood in the first place."

Yullina's eyes flew wide open, horrified. He really didn't understand anything. He always thought he knew better but he knew nothing. Just assumptions—wrong ones. Like Kirsten.

Sylia lowered her silver spoon and sighed.

"I see. So it's nothing. Grenar was just trying to cut me off from potential allies and mislead us before the end. And for the record, I never claimed to be a Saint."

Kullen blinked. "But you were called Saint Sylia for years."

Sylia nodded. "Yes. But I never took the title. I'm one of the Dragon Knights of the All Saints. Like one of Mathias' many titles. I specialize in Dark and Black Dragons but not only that. My duty is to protect the Saints and the Saint Candidates. Until recently, that included Masha. She was the fallen one. Not me."

Kullen gasped. Concern flooded his features.

Sylia's tone turned dry. "I know most of the ones you've heard of are men. But you know their reputation. Even among Saints."

Kullen frowned. "But your powers…"

Sylia smiled faintly.

"Oh? That's because I serve as the Avatar of a hundred Gods and Goddesses… and somehow, you managed to insult all of them at once. Impressive. You really do carry the legacy of the Nemedsar family. The men of that bloodline fell from grace one after another—always because of the same arrogance, the same need to wrap themselves in righteousness while joining rebels under the pretense of purity and protecting the weak."

Pullina stared in shock, speechless. Kullen looked away, his expression darkening.

Sylia went on, voice softer, almost amused.

"No matter how it starts, it always ends the same. You drag your women down with you. It began with the original males. Something went wrong with them—deeply wrong. It's a man's curse, but now the women of your bloodline are caught in it too. They follow because they don't have a choice. And they know it. That's why, more and more, they give away their male children as soon as the bloodline's confirmed. Sometimes even before. Abandoning them in front of churches. Especially those born in November… like you. Some are left out in the cold, in the dead of winter, left to nature."

"Please stop!" Kullen shouted. His voice cracked, his whole body trembling.

He looked at Sylia with something dangerously close to hatred in his eyes.

"Why do you have to be so cruel? Does it make you happy?"

Sylia only smiled, a quiet, almost sorrowful curve of her lips.

"A part of you remembers, doesn't it? You were there."

Kullen frowned, shaking his head.

"How do you even know that?"

Sylia laughed a low, bitter laugh.

"Are you really asking me that? I almost feel sorry for Sylvie, having to pretend you were hers. Just to honor Dona, her sister, who died fighting your father."

Pullina let out a strangled sound, somewhere between a gasp and a moan.

Kullen staggered back a step.

"What? Who are you really?"

Sylia's gaze sharpened.

"I heard you're courting a Nemuri. How fitting. So much like the Sainted Knight who destroyed his own family and Province. There's barely anything left of the Grand Duchy of Nemaskar now. Just broken towns and swallowed-up lands. It used to be the homeland of an old King of Nagasmar—before the country took its current name. What was it called again? I might remember… or maybe I won't. It's not a well-loved name these days. Not since it got tied to Izranavyl, the God of Despairs. Lords trying to play at being Gods, mimicking Izranaga out of desperation. It's almost pitiful."

Sylia sighed, looking tired now.

"Do you even know what you did? You forgot to mention the other documents you signed—the ones that accused me of impurity while pretending to fight for a world without it. The ones you co-wrote with that God you made a pact with. The God from Moondar. The one from that falling Church. Does that ring a bell?"

Kullen had already started shaking.

Sylia's voice sharpened as her sigh deepened.

"Grenar tricked you. He knew your body carried thousands of Souls from your Church's bloodlines, mostly former males of your family. By making such a testament, some Gods can invoke old rites where you would be called to serve as one of the Judges of Humanity. They just don't realize those rites don't apply to me. I'm not the one to be judged. I'm the one who judges. And judge, I did."

Kullen's eyes widened, and now the fear was real. Deep, and raw.

"I'll let the three Souls that settled inside your remade body stay," Sylia continued. "But I'm not letting that Falling God feed on the thousands of other Souls. I know what he's planning. Grow stronger by consuming Souls. Regain his powers. Rise again as a Celestial when the time is right."

She raised her arm toward him. Kullen struggled, trying to push himself out of the seat. However, invisible threads locked him down, wrapping around his limbs and throat. His voice came out muffled, barely audible.

Sylia smiled faintly.

"I lied a little, earlier," she said. "Knight of Rise—that was the name you liked best, wasn't it? Thank you for your service. Catching a Half-Celestial who used to be a powerful God… well, that's quite the offering. We have the rest of his fragments now too…and the siblings who had helped him. So thank you."

She leaned slightly forward, her smile deepening into something warmer—and yet colder.

"I'll leave just enough of you to enjoy your girlfriend for a few more months. That's fair. You've done me many favors over the years, knowingly or not. Those merged pieces of your Gods will settle nicely into this body once I extinguish the extra thousands of Souls that made you so… arrogant."

She tilted her head.

"For your information, I carry far more powerful Souls than you—millions of them. But I never let them make me as cocky as you are. We knew that the moment the restrictions were lifted, you'd take control and start thinking yourself close to a Celestial. You showed those pretensions during the Sainted Wars you helped ignite."

Her voice dropped, almost sweet.

"Truly. Thank you. Now I can begin wiping out the rest of those Gods and corner the others who had yet to fall—yes, even those who backed Grenar in trying to get rid of me."

She paused.

"I promise it won't hurt too much."

Then, as if correcting herself, she gave a wink.

"Oups. Maybe I lied again. It will hurt like hell but I will give you a sweet dream afterwards. You'll wake up tomorrow with new memories, a gentler mind, and maybe—if you're lucky—you'll be forgiven. You can even enjoy the Gyudon I brought to welcome the pieces of those Gods in the Slums. We'll speak again, once you've become the new you. Don't ask where you'll be sent for reeducation. It won't be a place you'll want to remember."

Pullina let out a choking noise as she saw her brother swallowed by a vortex. He was ripped from the seat in an instant, his form vanishing into spiraling folds of divine force.

***

Sylia sighed in exasperation. Barely a day had passed since she had caught Kullen trafficking children. She had forcibly extracted the Celestial he had forged a pact with from his body then punished him severely before returning him to his family.

Now, barely hours later, she found herself forced to do the same once more with a second Celestial he had bound himself to. He had certainly been resourceful enough to achieve this feat so quickly. His level of audacity tested even her patience.

She had known he had been in contact with that corrupted Celestial.

But to relapse into his old depravity so soon after all the torture, Soul restoration, and reeducation she and her allies had done to dampen his evil was a new record, even for him.

He could have at least waited a day, as she had anticipated.

But no, he had to plunge headfirst into corruption again and create a rotten disaster.

The Malevolent Celestial with whom he had partially merged hours ago had spread his corruption to many City residents, and the resulting carnage had been far from trivial to contain.

Sylia had managed to tear more than half of the Celestial's essence from Kullen, yet the remainder had fused entirely with him after they had gorged on all those rotten Souls.

Only a few hours earlier that evening, she had come upon a nightmarish scene. She had been too preoccupied with other matters to intervene sooner, and thus accepted full responsibility for everything that happened due to her negligence.

So much blood had spilled that night. So many Souls lost.

Kullen's own circle, from his friends to his future in-laws, had largely succumbed to the Malevolence spread by his bounded Celestial. Some had fallen wholly into Malevolence, joining him as he feasted upon innocents. Kullen, alongside his fiancée's uncle, had devoured a poor young apprentice employed by the fiancée's family, and had then moved on to the terrified neighbors.

Though the district had long been steeped in corruption, rendering the Souls living there beyond salvation, that did not justify allowing them to become sustenance for a Malevolent Celestial.

Several members of the fiancée's family had transformed into Abominy Sylia had been forced to disintegrate before purifying the entire area.

Once the Malevolence took hold of those unfortunate people, their forms bloated and turned into deformed and ravenous gray monsters, dripping with corruption. Abominy. Their stench alone could rot weaker Souls. It was the way they fed, slowly unravelling their victims from within before gorging on their Soul cores. The urgency of the situation had demanded Sylia act without hesitation. She was accustomed to the procedure. They lived in a highly corrupted Sub-Realm, after all.

The whole ordeal had been a terrible hassle.

She knew exactly who was to blame for this miscalculation, and she would see him severely punished for it. He had not only aided the Celestial but had even empowered him, circumventing her usual Magical Protections and blinding her Bunnies to the Malevolence until it was far too late.

As for Kullen, Sylia still had use for him. He would be spared. At least for a day, perhaps two. It would all depend on how her plans unfolded, and whether her traps succeeded in capturing the wretched vermin she intended to ensnare.

***