The Kind of Evil

Serena observed all the guests's eyes and expressions that gathered around the peristyle. So far, she could only smell them, the smell of demons that only she and Videl could smell. She couldn't tell which among them were the demons that blended in with the humans. However, when Aurelia mentioned the name of the first Saint, Urius Zevrathi, she noticed a group of people that began to steal glances at each other as if they knew something.

The other guests were confused by the name, not knowing the name of the first Saint that roamed Neva. They were intrigued by the story and chose to open their ears as Aurelia had told them to.

"Who is Urius Zevrathi other than known as the first Saint? The Zevrathi is a family from the missing and lost civilization, the family that was so powerful that said they ruled over humanity," Aurelia said as she scanned the faces in front of her. "A whole family of Saints, not one, but every single one of them are capable of bringing the dead back to life," she continued.

Everyone's eyes widened when Aureliar revealed a glimpse of the Zevrathi family's power. They didn't want to believe such power to exist in Neva, but they couldn't question it or ignore it when the one who spoke the words was the Saint herself.

"No, it wasn't just that they could bring the dead, they could bring someone back to life even when the only thing that had been left of their bodies was just a piece of meat or a limb. That was how powerful they were, they were so powerful that they were invincible, feared, and respected by everyone," Aurelia revealed, and could see the anxiety and shock in everyone's eyes, except for a group of people that seemed to stay calm even after the revelation.

"If all of you think it's impossible or doesn't make any sense, then I can agree with you. However, if you think about it, how could humans defeated and hunted the ancient race Orthias when humans aren't supposed to be strong enough to hurt them?" Aurelia asked, trying to let them understand why it sounded more believable than humans hunting a race that was told and proven to be the protector of Neva.

Everyone began to nod their heads, murmuring about the amazing feat that Saint Urius Zevrathis and the Zevrathis' family had accomplished. They wondered if those people still existed to this day since they were so powerful. However, they began to think and found it weird that the Zevrathis were never mentioned in any book or seemed to have disappeared from the face of the world.

"Your Holiness, if such a family was that powerful, where are they now? What happened to them?" A queen asked with her hand raised.

Aurelia stared the queen in the eyes, her expression stoic and cold as if the queen had just asked for something forbidden. The queen gulped as she slowly lowered her hand, and everyone became quiet when Aurelia didn't say a word after the question hung in the air for too long.

"What did I say about my family?" Aurelia asked back at the queen.

The queen remembered the controversial words that Aurelia said about the Angelis family. She hesitated to answer the question because it would sound blasphemous.

"That the Angelis family has fallen to greed for power, Your Holiness," the queen answered, her voice echoed throughout the peristyle.

Aurelia nodded, affirming and assuring that the queen didn't said anything blasphemous. She looked at Astrea, the mother who had chosen and accepted such a burden before her. She then turned her gaze back to the audience.

"The reason why the Zevrathi family no longer exists in this world is because of the greed of humans. Power blinds everyone, even the Zevrathi family fell for that," Aurelia answered as she turned around to look at the coffin. "Once humans hunted down Orthias, humans began to think, who would be next in line? To deserve to sit on the throne of Neva?" She asked.

"Bloodbath is the result of that. War between humans broke out, worse than ever. The Zevrathi family killed those who killed the innocents, and that made the Zevrathi even more powerful indrectlo. That power and status only corrupted their intention, and that was when everything changed..." Aurelia explained as she stared coldly at the coffin. "It was no longer about the righteousness, it was about control."

"No matter how righteous you are, the moment you cover your hands with blood, you either get addicted to it or are disgusted by yourself. Either way, you're slowly getting corrupted by it and lose yourself in the process," Aurelia continued, glancing at Serena who had been staring at a certain group of people, the same group that herself found them suspicious. "In the end, the powerful giant that was supposed to be the protector has turned into a power hungry beast. That was when the second war broke out, a single family against the world," she added.

Aurelia spoke about the missing and the lost civilization, and although it was incomplete, it was enough to see the big picture. The grace had turned so corrupted that they began to dwell in the shadows than in the light. The power that was used to help now was used to make people suffer, and yet the being who gave such power didn't care how the power was used anymore.

"The Zevrathis family lost everything and fled..." Aurelia turned around to look at the anxious gazes that were pointed at her. "They hid for hundreds of years, but they didn't just stay quiet, they tried to create an army. The Divine power that had been so corrupted, it turned into something vile and evil... demonic..." she revealed, her gaze empty and distant.

The leaders that gathered at the peristyle began to connect the dots thanks to their keen insight. They began to murmur and wondered if the Great Era of Neva had something to do with this follow-up event. They could see the missing pieces of the puzzle, and they began to feel chills down their spines, thinking if they should probe into this matter or not.

Aurelia could see it in their eyes, listening to their quiet murmurs when they mentioned the Great Era of Neva where a great war broke out a few hundred years ago. She could see the anxiety in their eyes, and yet those specific people that had gathered in the group still put an unreadable and calm expressions.

"(He's King Relius from the Refenus Kingdom...)" Aurealia thought after she took a glimpse of the man who seemed to show dominance in the group. "(The Refenus Kingdom... that's where Count Rasmus went to...)" She furrowed her brows slightly as she let the silence fill the air again.

"Your majesties, have you finally connected the dots? Where the story is slowly leading into?" Aurelia asked with her brows raised.

Slowly all of them nodded as they gulped nervously and their lips suddenly became dry.

"The Angelis family. Who knows exactly when it becomes a family of a Saint?" Aurelia asked, staring into the eyes that had finally shown discomfort from the topic. "I believe everyone knew that the Angelis family came in and became one of the major figures during the Great Era of Neva. How can a Saint miraculously appeared out of nowhere at the right time?" She asked, smiling coldly as if she was mocking her own family and her ancestors.

Nobody dared to speculate, and none of them wanted to know the answer. However, deep down, they wanted to know the truth, the truth that might keep them awake in the upcoming nights.

"The Blood of Zevrathi..." Aurelia said, her voice echoed throughout the peristyle.

Everyone's mind suddenly connected the dots and heard the click inside their skulls. Their expression turned pale as they slowly moved their attention from Aurelia to the coffin behind her. Their hearts raced and they knew that soon the truth would be revealed.

"Yes, that's correct..." Aurelia slowly took a few steps back and held the coffin's handle. "The Angelis family knew the truth about the Zevrathi's existence, the power they held, and the power that could grant them. The Angelis family was nothing but murderers, killing thousands of innocent lives to achieve what they were looking for."

Aurelia gripped onto the handle tightly before she swung it open and revealed the truth. Everyone's eyes widened in fear and shock, their jaws dropped as they led their hands to cover their mouths. A preserved body of a woman with blonde hair in a white robe, a woman who had been covered with thousands of small cuts.

"For this! The Angelis family was never a family of a Saint! We are not chosen by God! We made ourselves a Saint!" Aurelia raised her voice as her eyes narrowed in disgust at herself and her ancestors. "What's right? What's wrong? It doesn't matter because what matters is that the Angelis family became the face of righteous!" She chuckled, her heart squeezing and racing rapidly. All the emotions mixed and became a tangled mess.

Suddenly the sky became dark as dark clouds covered the sky, and people couldn't help but look up at the sudden change in the weather. A surge of demonic energy was released and everyone collapsed with such intensity. The only ones that stayed conscious were Aurelia, Serena, Vide, Astrea, and the group of people that had been acting so suspicious.

"So it's here all this time..." King Relius smirked coldly as he walked over the bodies. Every step he took, it drained the lives of humans until they were as skinny as skeletons. "Kill everyone..." he muttered.

One of the people dashed toward Astrea who was on her own in the open, unprotected. However a black shadow appeared in front of him and a sword swung right in front of him. He stopped and noticed he had lost his head.

"Finally you revealed yourself, demons..." Arandil smirked as he swung his sword around.