"My, it looks so good on you. You have become prettier," Sonnet says with a soft giggle. She appears to be in her early thirties. When she smiles, Raia can't help but find her pretty.

Their footsteps reverberate throughout the space as they ascend the stone staircase to Cyrus's office on the fourth floor.

"So how's Apostle Simon when you're with him?" Sonnet asks without looking at her. "That man hasn't returned here in over two years. That was when he was training you, right?"

Raia lowers her eyes and creases her forehead, her chest tightening. Nathan said the same thing about Simon's long absence, and now she feels at fault for some reason.

Since Apostle Simon took her from the orphanage, he has been like a guardian to her. And whenever he left the country — most likely to come here — Raia would mope about it. That was back when she wasn't an Elysian.

"You're leaving again? You're going back to that so-called holy place?" Raia said in a snappy voice.

"Raia . . ." Simon uttered in a low voice.

Raia gritted her teeth, then she lowered her head. "What's so holy about that when they kill people? Cleansing their corrupted souls? Don't make me laugh."

Raia tightens her jaw at that unpleasant memory.

"We're here, Bishop Galbraith." Sonnet declares, followed by the gentle creak of a door opening before Raia can even respond to her question.

"Oh, Raia. How are you? Have you slept well?" Cyrus greets her, holding a cup of coffee.

"I guess," Raia mutters under her breath.

Cyrus is dressed in the same clothes he wore yesterday, indicating his position in the organization. But, like the majority of them, he wears the Nirvana Order emblem, the symbol of the organization.

Cyrus is seated at a table with a stack of papers and documents, as well as a black telephone. Raia moves her gaze around the room of the Bishop of Mikaelean.

Three arched stained-glass windows on the wall behind Cyrus, and rays of morning light outside spray the room with shards of light. A metallic white cross is plastered on the wall atop the door, adding luster to the room.

Cyrus smiles at Raia before jerking his head towards Sonnet. "Thank you for bringing her here, Miss Sonnet."

Sonnet nods at him, then she looks at Raia. "I wish you luck, Raia." She smiles at her before walking out of the room.

Cyrus sets his glass cup down on the metal table with a soft thud, drawing Raia's attention.

"So . . . are you ready, new disciple of Azarios?" he asks her, pushing up his glasses.

Raia's unwavering grey eyes meet Cyrus's amber ones. "I am."

Cyrus's lips curve upward into a smile. "Okay, then. Follow me."

They leave his office and proceed up the stairs. It's not long before they reach the next floor and turn toward the wooden arched door.

Cyrus looks at her and smiles, his eyes gleaming behind the rimless specs. "Welcome to the room where your life will change forever."

He clicks the doorknob and pushes open the door. Except for the large glass capsule in the center of the room, the room is empty. It appears to be large enough to hold two people. The room is dimly lit, with only one fluorescent light on the ceiling atop the glass capsule. A cross on the ground beneath it emits a brilliant light.

Raia crosses the threshold and casts an uncertain glance at Cyrus, but the man only smiles, so she saunters further into the room. Her eyes widen as she approaches the glass capsule. It is not made of glass, but of water. What amazes her is how the water maintains that shape as if gravity is holding the liquid together without spilling in the least. It's like made of pure magic. Just like the wings sculpture in the main entrance.

"How?" Raia utters in sheer disbelief.

"That is a Sacred Water used for Branding a new disciple. That water has existed since the establishment of the Nirvana Order," Cyrus explains to dispel her confusion as he stops beside her.

"Mikael," Raia says in a low voice, staring at the Sacred Water. She glances at Cyrus. "Is Mikael an Elysian too?"

"Nope, not an Elysian. He's an Oracle, founder of Nirvana Order who created divine items such as the wings scanner and this Sacred Water."

Raia's forehead creases as if musing. "Oracles . . . who really are they?"

"Oracles are the Proclaimers of the Truth, they appeared right after the Holy War. They were people who had dreams in which they received a message from an angel. They were the ones who founded this organization."

"And so the names of the continents were changed after them," Raia supplies, realizing how the four continents have the same names as the four Oracles.

"Yes," Cyrus answers. "Because of their unswerving devotion to Azarios, they were all respected by people. But as years went by, believers gradually disappeared."

"What happened?"

Cyrus merely shrugs. "It just happened. People dismissed the Holy War and the Great Wizard as mere myths because they hadn't seen the Great Wizard in decades. They simply stopped believing. Even until now, people still don't believe."

Raia averts her gaze and lowers her head, a sliver of guilt twisting inside her knowing she was once one of those unbelievers. She raises her head and stares at the cylindrical water after a minute of silence.

"What exactly does this Sacred Water do? What exactly is branding?" she asks in a quiet voice. She doesn't really understand why is there a need for Branding when she's already fighting against demons.

Cyrus's mouth curves into a smile. "Ah, good question. Branding is an oath, a disciple's devotion to Azarios. But sometimes we call it a test of faith. This is a sacred covenant between Azarios, the Order, and his disciple. But only Elysians are required to go through this process."

"Test," Raia mumbles.

Cyrus smiles at her and shifts his gaze to the Sacred Water, his eyeglasses glinting.

"Do you think you're a miracle sent from the Elysium?"

Raia shoots him a puzzled look at his out-of-the-blue question. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you were born with the ability to heal. I've never heard anything so miraculous. It is impossible to obtain such power without the assistance of an angel. That is not possible. But, since you're also unaware of where that power came from, it's possible that Azarios bestowed it on you."

When Raia's brows deepen, Cyrus lets out a short laugh. "Don't look at me like that. Apostle Simon talks about you a lot, you know. An orphan girl who can miraculously heal. That man looks at you as if you were his own daughter."

She clenches her fists as an indefinable emotion floods her body, and memory from eleven years ago flashes through her mind.

"What's your name?"

"R-Raia."

She had never thought that after meeting Simon, her life will undergo a drastic change.

"The angel has chosen you, Raia. You are now an Elysian."

Those words echo in her mind once again, reminding her of the precise moment she received the Calling of the Light.

"What really is an Elysian?" Raia asks Cyrus, her eyes downcast. She still doesn't understand why would an angel choose someone like her when she was an unbeliever. Or perhaps her fate, like her ability to heal, was predetermined from the moment she was born.

"Elysians are rare," Cyrus responds, gazing at the Sacred Water. "They have souls that are compatible with a Blessing. We call them the Holy Warriors. They are the ones acknowledged by angels, the voices in their hearts are heard and answered. We might not know how things really work, but we just have to trust Azarios. We must put our faith in him to achieve victory."

"But how do we win this war? Destroying Outcasts isn't enough, is it? How do we even defeat this Great Wizard?"

"Ah, we're about to get there," Cyrus says with a smile and turns to face her. "So tell me, Raia, are you ready to learn more about this organization before devoting yourself to it?"

Raia meets his gaze. After a long silence, she finally answers, "Of course."