In a bustling city in the world of Pantheos, the main street was packed with people. They were cheering and chanting for a woman standing in a horse-drawn carriage. She held a staff, flanked by a guard of holy knights. This beautiful woman in pure white robes was Erica. As the Saint of this world, she had just succeeded in defeating and sealing the God of Evil. She had returned home a hero.
Erica stepped down from the carriage and entered a grand cathedral. The moment she stepped inside, the heavy doors slammed shut. Soldiers immediately surrounded her. Erica felt a surge of fear and confusion as the High Priest approached her.
"Forgive me, Your Holiness, but the time has come for you to make a sacrifice for the Church. Surely, our great Saint doesn't mind?" the High Priest asked with a sickening smile.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Erica shouted.
"We, the Church, are going to release you. We're sending you back to that world in your memories—through the gates of death, hehehe."
"That wasn't the deal! You said I'd be free after the God of Evil was gone!"
The High Priest snapped his fingers. Soldiers grabbed her arms, and her holy staff clattered to the floor.
"What is this? Let go!"
"The Saint has been defiled by the God of Evil! She brings only calamity to our world! For her sins, she is sentenced to burn in the city square!" the High Priest bellowed.
"De... defiled? What do you mean?" Erica asked, her voice trembling.
"Take her to the dungeon," the High Priest commanded.
Erica was dragged to a subterranean prison reserved for enemies of the Church. Under the priest's orders, the soldiers strapped her to a large stone table. Her hands and feet were chained, and a cloth was tied around her mouth to stifle her screams. The High Priest then ordered his subordinates to strip her. As her white robes were torn away, tears streamed down her face. She felt a crushing sense of shame, disgust, and a growing, vengeful rage. They eventually left her there, naked and bound in the cold dark.
Two days passed. Weak from lack of food and water, Erica couldn't even speak when the priests returned. One of them removed her gag and forced her to drink hard liquor. Then, the High Priest ordered the men to take turns violating her. Erica was too frail to resist. She could only watch in silent agony as her body was desecrated by the very men who preached morality. Her soul wept; she had done nothing but save them, yet the pain they inflicted was unbearable.
"It hurts... it hurts so much... aaaaaaa," she screamed inside her mind.
The torture lasted for five days. The priests grew more savage with each passing hour. Erica had no strength left; she was physically broken by their depravity. Just as the priests were continuing their assault, a knight in white armor wielding a greatsword burst in. He cut down the priests and freed Erica, carrying her out of the darkness. Erica recognized him—he was Roan, her lover and companion during her journey. He told her he had discovered the truth from a drunken priest at a tavern.
But as they reached the surface, they were surrounded by the Church's army. The High Priest stepped forward.
"You won't escape... Archers, fire!"
A hail of arrows rained down. Roan immediately shielded Erica with his massive frame. Dozens of arrows buried themselves in his back.
"Run, Lady Helena... leave me... you have to live!"
"No! I won't leave you, Roan! We stay together!" Erica cried.
She struggled to her feet and opened her item box, pulling out a heavy mace. She managed to strike down several soldiers, but she was too weak to finish them. Enraged, the soldiers thrust their spears at the defenseless Saint. Roan saw the blades coming and stood up, taking every spear-thrust directly into his chest. He vomited blood as the steel pierced his lungs and stomach. He slumped over, barely clinging to life.
"No! Why did you save me?" Erica caught him, refusing to let him hit the ground, and they both tumbled into the dirt.
"My Saint... I lov—" Roan's head fell, his final words left unfinished as he took his last breath.
"Noooooo! Don't leave me! Roaaaaan!" Erica shrieked.
"Don't just stand there! Grab her and take her back down!" the High Priest yelled.
Soldiers dragged the wailing, broken Erica back to the dungeon. The cycle of abuse began all over again. The next morning, she was taken to the city square and tied to a wooden stake. The High Priest began his sermon, claiming the Saint was an impure puppet of the Evil God. To "prove" it, he exposed her broken and battered body to the crowd.
The townspeople, fueled by the priest's lies, began to jeer. They threw whatever they could find. Erica's head bled as stones struck her brow. Finally, the executioner piled straw at her feet and lit the torch. In an instant, flames engulfed her. As her eyes began to close for the last time, she caught a glimpse of the "knight" who had supposedly tried to rescue her. He was standing in the distance next to the High Priest, both of them laughing as they watched her burn. He hadn't tried to save her; it had been a setup to break her spirit before the end.
She closed her eyes, and her soul drifted into a cold, dark void.
"Why... what did I do? I don't want this... I won't accept it... I just want to go home... please, someone... help me," she sobbed as she sank into the darkness.
Suddenly, a brilliant light shone from above. A hand reached out, catching her before she could fall any deeper. She felt herself being lifted into a blinding, warm radiance. Then, a woman's voice echoed:
"Return to your world, and find your happiness."
Erica fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. When she woke up, she was inside an ambulance. The paramedics were in total shock; Erica had been declared dead, but she had suddenly come back to life. Even though her broken body had been restored and healed by the transition, she still felt "dirty" and carried a deep-seated fear of men. Then, a screen appeared before her face, and she realized she was back on Earth—but an Earth that was very different from the one she remembered.
[End Flashback]
***
Back in the classroom, Erica thought the word "Status," and a holographic screen flickered to life before her.
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Profile :
Name : Erica Bennet.
Age : 16 years old.
World : Pantheos.
Job : Former Holy and Dark Saint.
Power : 298,000.
Element : Holy and Dark.
Trait : Super Human Quality, Martial Arts Master, Angel's white and black wings.
Ability : Holy and Dark Beam – Light Shield – Restoration – Summon Heaven Lance.
Add On : Dimensional Box, Auto Equip.
Blessing : Temporary Blessing of Holy Goddess.
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"I should have been hit by that truck... after it hit Steve, it swerved and hit the people on the sidewalk, including me. Then I was born in Pantheos and came back... but the medics said I was attacked by a Minotaur. I was so confused at first... just like Steve was in the hospital. Is he like me?" Erica wondered.
She watched as Mr. Howard walked to the back of the room. "Blam!" He smacked Steve on the head for sleeping in class. Steve sat up, rubbing his head and enduring the teacher's lecture. The rest of the class laughed, but Erica didn't. She looked back toward the front with a small, private smile, unaware that Dawn was sitting right next to her, watching her every move.