Chapter 1053 Temple Maiden
Nyla Sheritz knew she was being resurrected from death. As a Temple Maiden assigned to the Silver Alliance, being reborn continuously was both her privilege and a burden.
The sensation of resurrection was one that she could never get used to, Nyla suspected that no one could ever become used to it. Death was supposed to be final, there was a sense of completion that came to the mind the moment death arrived, and no matter the pain or burden in the heart, at that moment, at the threshold, there was peace.
Resurrection was Conflict. It tugs at the mind and spirit without mercy, it does not care if it caused any damage, for resurrection could heal any wound it caused, this makes it cruel.
The creator of the Citadel wanted an undying army, and in times of war, comfort and stability were not even in the terms of agreement, only necessity was king. It was why the experience was always different, death was darkness, finality... Resurrection was light, new beginnings, and the truth was every time Resurrection took from the dark, it left something of itself behind.
Unlike any other Explorers, a Temple Maiden was charged to strip off a portion of their Core Aura every decade, to ensure that they had an ample supply of their Core Aura in as many Citadels as possible. The first of their order had made a solemn vow that every Temple Maiden would see this war to its end, no matter the result that end might bring.
Their Ascendant Techniques made it impossible for them to run mad from splitting their Core Aura so frequently, but it did not aid them against the pain. They had learned to scream in silence because they knew that others may one day find rest in death, but their vow had forbidden them from this peace.
A Temple Maiden was a unique resource in the war effort. Their duty was to be the eyes and ears of the Council of Nine, and although Nyla knew that her fate was a grim one, it was a duty she faced without shrinking back, and the last death she faced was not the most painful but was surely one of the strangest.
He looked again at her Natal Treasure that soon vanished in a flash of blue sparks and a chill crawled down his spine, the last regret for resurrecting a Temple Maiden was stripped from him, for whatever could destroy a Natal Treasure to the extent that it affected them even after resurrection spoke of a truly diabolical force.
The Temple Maiden looked at him, eyes filled with terror and madness and he swallowed. There was something in those eyes—that he had seen nothing but confidence inside for the last century of knowing her—terrified him to the core. He was struck in silence forgetting the purpose for which he had been sent, that is until she whispered,
"Why did you bring me back from death so quickly?"
It was hard for him to respond, even as a Deific Ranked Explorer, the eyes of the Temple Maiden held the weight of countless years and an equal amount of pain, but he forced himself to reply,
"The Divine Ascendant requested it, too many Explorers were lost in the dead continent, and we needed to know the reason."
The Temple Maiden was silent for a while before she asked, "You went in without first hearing my report? How many died?"
"Too many."