Chapter 412: The Great.
Moriganne stayed in the parlor on her own because Sanya wanted to stay to speak with the elders. She was thinking about what Koria had said about Sanya and her connection with Aristoria. She wondered if Sanya was the one who handled all Aristoria, guiding them and nurturing them for something.
The longer she dwelled with her thoughts and the mysteries, the more she felt lost. She also felt out of place and didn’t know what to do in the meantime until suddenly someone knocked on the door and walked in. A human woman that was older than her.
"Your Holiness, my name is Isah, I’m here because Lady Sanya told me to accompany you and to guide you around the city," the woman said as she lowered her head.
Moriganne smiled gently at Isah as she got up and approached her. She could see the purity in Isah’s thoughts, something rare that she had seen from people.
"I apologize if I bothered your time, lady Isah, but yes, I would love to see around the city because I felt a bit overwhelmed by this magnificent place to be alone," Moriganne said in a gentle voice.
Isah smiled back at Moriganne and escorted Moriganne out of the temple.
Moriganne asked so many questions to Isah, especially about who she was and the other humans that lived in the land of Orthias. She found out that there were a lot of humans in the city, there were five thousand at least. She was surprised that human reproduction was being controlled by the Orthias to avoid it from being overpopulated.
The humans were taught by Orthias, and since they were born in the land with overwhelming Orthias energy, they possessed a high aptitude for magic and a strong body. Isah revealed that the humans that lived in this land were closer to being a demi-human than a human.
"The average lifespan of the people here is above 150?!" Moriganne was shocked when they heard that the humans here aged two times slower than normal humans.
"Yes, Her Holiness. I’m 101 years old, and my appearance isn’t that far from you. We age very slowly here that we don’t age at all from the age of 25 to 50," Isah smiled and nodded. "For Orthias, they stop aging when they reached 25, and everyone here is at least 200 years old," she added.
Moriganne had to stop walking to process everything and walked to the railing of the bridge so she could see the view of the city from above. When she was deep in thought, she noticed something, something familiar. She could vaguely sense Divine energy coming from the city, but she didn’t know where it came from. She immediately pushed all thoughts away and tried to locate where the Divine energy was coming from.
"Your Holiness?" Isah asked with her brows raised, worried about the sudden change in Moriganne’s demeanor. "Is something the matter?" She asked with a frown on her face.
"I..." Moriganne paused, realizing that she shouldn’t talk about this matter to Isah. "It’s nothing..." She smiled and shook her head, but her eyes were still searching.
Moriganne wondered who released such strong Divine energy in this vast city with thick Orthias energy around it. She could do something like that as well, but it would take a lot of effort and energy to overpower the Orthias energy. Whoever that person was, they were at least as powerful as her, a Saint just like her.
Isah glanced at someone approaching, and she immediately lowered her head. Moriganne turned around and saw Sanya walking with dozens of Orthias behind her, wearing full-body armor and weapons ready on their waists, backs, and legs.
"Lady Sanya," Moriganne said and looked at the dozens of tall Orthias behind Sanya. "Are we leaving now?" She asked.
"No, not yet. I’m still gathering more people, those that I can trust and have the ability to deal with any kind of situation out there," Sanya shook her head as she looked at the distance. "You can continue your sightseeing with Isah. I know where to find you, so you don’t have to worry about going too far," she assured and then walked past Moriganne to recruit more Orthias.
Moriganne took Sanya’s words to heart and decided to explore the city with Isah. She planned to locate where the divine energy was coming from. She followed her instincts and walked aimlessly as Isah explained about the buildings that Moriganne pointed at. She used that as distractions so Isah wouldn’t get suspicious.
When Moriganne looked at the distance where there was a small pagoda with a few Orthias that guarded around it. She felt the divine energy again, but this time it was clearer and stronger.
"What’s that building?" Moriganne asked.
Since Moriganne had been asking that question over and over, Isah didn’t find her curiosity to be suspicious. However, Isah seemed to hesitate to answer the question this time when she stared at the pagoda.
"I’m not sure either, Your Holiness. I don’t think anyone is allowed to go in there or even speak about that building. That building belongs to Lady Sanya, the Great. The only ones that have visited and entered that building are the elders," Isah answered as she looked at the Orthias that guarded the pagoda.
Moriganne hummed with understanding, but then she noticed when Isah spoke of Sanya’s title as The Great. She tilted her head and turned her head to look at Isah with a curious look on her face.
"That title for Lady Sanya, is there a history behind it? Because everyone seems to respect her, even the elders show something similar to her," Moriganne asked, her voice low and quiet as if she didn’t want anyone to hear her words.
"Because Lady Sanya is the oldest Orthias, Your Holiness. Lady Sanya is the hero of Orthias, the one who saved the Orthias from extinction. Lady Sanya is the overseer, the one who looks at the world to its core, making it impossible for anyone to deceive her and to corner her. Also, Lady Sanya is the strongest Orthias, Your Holiness," Isah answered.
Moriganne was surprised when she found out more about Sanya as a being. She had seen it firsthand during the expedition to the Blackcliffs, and it was true that Sanya could single-handedly cover the whole big city with her ability to manipulate nature.
"(I thought that Lady Sanya might have held back and didn’t show her full power back then, and I was right)" Moriganne furrowed her brows with her arms crossed and hand under her chin. "(Now that I think about it... She was too calm to be in a such situation...)"
"Your Holiness?" Isah asked with her brows raised.
"I’m just in awe, seeing Lady Sanya in a new light," Moriganne said with a gentle smile on her face. "Can we get closer to that building?" She asked as she stared at the pagoda in the distance.
"I’m not so sure, but since Her Holiness is Lady Sanya’s important guest, I think it’s okay if it’s just admiring the building from up close," Isah said and looked at the Orthias that guarded the pagoda once again. "Shall we, Your Holiness?" She smiled back at Moriganne and pointed her hand at the pagoda.
As they got closer to the pagoda, Moriganne was convinced that the divine energy that she had been feeling was coming from there. She could sense the strong divine energy and wondered who or what that could emit and produce such an immense amount of divine energy.
Moriganne looked at the Orthias who had been staring at her as if they would immediately point their weapons at her if she took a few steps closer. She pretended to admire the building and was thinking if she released her divine energy, would whatever was inside that building respond to her power?
When Moriganne took a deep breath and was about to release her divine energy, a hand was placed on her left shoulder. She was startled and immediately turned around to look at who it was.
"Lady Sanya..." Moriganne said, and she looked a bit panicked as if she was getting caught from doing something that she shouldn’t.
"You felt it, didn’t you?" Sanya smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. "However, you’re not allowed to go in there, not yet," she said as she gripped Moriganne’s shoulder firmly.
Moriganne knew that she was getting a warning from Sanya. Isah who got involved indirectly, immediately bowed her head and excused herself. She didn’t want to be a part of it, and knew that nothing good would come to her if she stayed.
"What’s in there, Lady Sanya?" Moriganne asked as soon as Isah left them alone.
"Something that you’re not ready to see, Your Holiness. If you walked in there now, I believe you would change your mind on protecting humankind. So, once I believe that the humans are ready, I’ll reveal this to the world," Sanya answered, her gaze cold and stoic at the pagoda in front of her.
Moriganne looked at Sanya for a moment before she turned her head to look at the pagoda. Her perspective shifted from curiosity to fear and anxiety when she looked at the building.