Perched atop a hill coated in a vast array of colorful flowers were six silver-haired women. Their voices harmonized like a gentle breeze as they chatted merrily amongst themselves. All of them were saints of bygoimes. Only the eldest was left missing from their chorus.

  "I still believe she should've sided with the church," Ophelia, the sixth saint, grumbled. Despite her frustration, Ophelia's gaze sparkled with warmth. "They would've treated her better."

  "Believing in the chure my life," The fourth saint, Ingrid recalled, twirling a clover between her fingers. "I don't think ne was wrong to side with the prince. His powerlessness will make him quite the asset after she's grown."

  A soft breeze blew past the saints. A delicate pial pinked up by the wind nded in the p of Katina, who had been the seventh. After all she'd doo uhe ti uhe Nakaran banner, she felt a bit responsible for the troubles ne faced.

  Katina had left her son, Nakara's first king, little in the way of advice. Her faith in her own child had been warranted, but he too had left little to ence future geions to preserve the dignity of their nation. It was unfortunate, but as Katina watched ne's life py out she couldn't help but feel as if she was watg the final days of the nation she helped found.

  "Her training so far has been far too ckadaisical," The third saint, Gina, sighed. She had created the Seeds of the Lotus to train all future saints. Just like Katina, she couldn't help but feel as if she'd failed somehow. After seeing the modern ination of the anization, Gina trembled with embarrassment.

  Rosalie, the fourth saint who's silver hair carried a tinge of pink, smiled ruefully. "Even in her ignorance paces me. Haphazard training or not, I believe ne will see only success."

  The saints tio discuss the exploits of their you ination, hough her time as the saint was still in its infancy she'd already cimed several achievements. The strength of her magic & the depth of her bond with the first saint's phantom intrigued them all.

  "If that demon give Rochelle a body..." Monika whispered breathlessly to herself. Her mind wandering to what ifs she knew would never e to pass. Unlike her younger sisters, Monika—the sed saint—held little renown. She'd e into possession of Rochelle's sword te in her life, and had died shortly after receiving it.

  Hearing Monika's unspoken wish, Rosalie grinned. "It'd be o live again wouldn't it? After all utle Katina, I died a virgin. Ugh... If ne realizes the women around her have ihoughts about her it'll ruin me! I want my ce at love too!"

  Gina chuckled as Ingrid and Ophelia both began to blush red with their own discourteous thoughts. Like Rosalie, they'd died without taking lovers of their own. "Who's hand do you dies believe ne should take?"

  "Lydia's obviously," Ingrid decred, her eyes twinkling with passion. "They've been together for years! None of these other women know ne as well as she does. I'd be disappointed beyond measure if urned her ba such a devoted woman."

  "I disagree," Ophelia tered. "ne should cim Bir as her own. The woman is a knight, through and through. Chivalrous, morally upstanding, kind, and hoo a fault. ne deserves a stalwart panion. A liar like Lydia isn't worthy of her."

  "She could have both, could she not?" Katina asked, a hint a mischievousness in her voice. "If she is drawn to women there will never be flict over who will be the first to give her an heir. As long as she has means to love them all, I see no reason for her not to take as many lovers as there are days in the year."

  Rosalie giggled and rolled her eyes, "Spoken like a true queror. I bet you had a whole harem yourself, did you not miss mother queen?"

  "You already know the answer do you not, miss assassin?"

  "Hey! You killed more people in a single year than I did in my entire lifetime!"

  "I led an army of the faithful to protect our home and crush those who meant to harm us. But I scarcely recall killing more than a dozen with my own hands."

  "The sins of the soldier are the sins of the queen," Rosalie narrowed her eyes, challenging Katina with her gaze.

  The past saints tiheir chatter, each keeping a watchful gaze on the distant horizoe appearing nowhere near hey could see her. At present, she slept, only retly freed from a cursed tome.

  Ink, the demon who's power aramount in resg ne from her prison of dreams, worried them all. As saints, they were all sworn to kill any demon who emerged. It was critical to the preservation of life, a Ink was unlike any demon they'd ever seen.

  She was human, in ways that only the most a of demons could possibly emute. That alo arm bells off in the minds of the saints. Yet somehow, allying with her had already bore fruit. Without Ink, ne would've wasted away in her dreams.

  There was also the nature of Ink's promise with ne. A promise to create ae body for the phantom of the first saint, Rochelle. No demon in their right mind would ever allow two saints to exist at once, a Ink had offered.

  "I do hope Lydia's sister and Edna's nephew are capable of rebuilding the seeds. Even if ne does not hem, their loss will be felt by future saints." Gina sighed. All of the others except Monika nodded solemnly.

  Even Rosalie, Ingrid, and Ophelia who all closely entwihemselves with the church of their respective eras owed the Seeds of the Lotus a great deal. Their existence would be even more critical if Rochelle was truly freed from her sword.

  "How will future saint's be ized if Rochelle is freed?" Katina somberly mused aloud. "Without Rochelle..."

  "ne's ization came in the woods, when Azmoria's knights attacked her." Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "She didn't need Rochelle to unlock what was hidden within her."

  "Rochelle's guidance has been pivotal to us all," Ophelia sighed. "Without her, I ot see any saint being half as successful as we have been."

  "Maybe Edna take her pce? As guide..." Ingrid k was unbeing of her to foist the responsibility of guiding future saints on a mortal. But, Edna Marwood was no typical mortal. She was ageless like a demon. Even after ne grew old auro dust, Edna would still be hale ay.

  The other saints all fell silent for a moment. Each of them had their own opinions a none of them could act. They weren't even truly spirits, rather they were all just shadows of memories. At least, that was how they saw themselves.

  ne had ied their shared soul. Uypical mortals whose souls returo the afterlife after death, the saint would reinate. Sometimes it took turies, but they always came back. A single soul sharing several lifetimes.

  Rochelle too had shared their soul. In fact, it was her soul to begin with. If Ink could bring her back to life, thehe faded bygone saints could dream of their own sed ing. But, Rochelle was still trapped within her sword. A promise, even from a being as powerful as Ink, was nothing more than a bunch of flowery words until she made good on them.

  As the saints tio pte the future, a sudden gust of wind swept through the hillside, causing the colorful flowers to sway and dan unison.

  "She's waking up," Monika decred, drawing the attention of the others. Together they watched their you ination, the first wolfkin saint, as she slowly opened her eyes.

  "I ot wait for her and Lydia to speak," Ingrid whispered, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "ne has to realize Lydia's feelings now."

  "As much as I agree, I doubt much will be said." Katina's brow furrowed. "It has not been long since Elise's death. It could take years for her to move on from that."

  "Terrible as it was," Gina's voice was warm ale. "Maybe ne's prison of dreams will be a balm on her heart."

  With resolute nods, the other saints all agreed. ne deserved happiness. Given how hectic her future would be, especially if Prince Owen took the throne, she needed love now more than ever. Regardless of who she picked for her lover, the saints all prayed for her happiness from the bottom of their spectral hearts.

  eri