Bindings of the Subjugator Ch. 01

The prodigal daughter jumped down from the saddle of Valiant, her trusty steed, and left him to graze. A monk would soon come to bring him to the stables, where he would be served a hero's meal. Rosanna marched through the gardens with purpose, a contented smile on her face as she headed for the cathedral. The twin claymores on her back, Ashefelle and Lightefelle, rattled on her back as she hurried up the stairs.

She bowed her head to the priests inside the cathedral as she walked past them, and they reverently returned the gesture. She walked through the familiar halls, and when she arrived at her destination, she knocked on the door three times in quick succession, before letting herself in. She headed towards the curtain at the back of the room, and when she crossed it, Rosanna found herself outdoors again. This was Mother Ceres' personal garden, at the back of the cathedral, and Rosanna spotted the religious figure watering some flowers with love and attention.

The paladin was awed by the sight of the woman she respected most in the world, as she was every time they met. In the 25 years since she had taken in Rosanna as an orphan from the ruthless back alleys of Ruel, Mother Ceres had not aged a second, and she was every bit as radiant as she always was. In fact, it was said that she had looked exactly the same from the day she had arrived in these lands. She hailed from a land far away, beyond the great desert of Mehrel, and that was obvious at a glance. Her exotic bronzed skin was as flawless as her deep, violet eyes were enchanting, and her white, slightly blonde hair was silky smooth as it cascaded down to the back of her thighs. She wore a beige dress, modest and humble, much unlike the luxurious jeweled robes the archbishop liked to wear. Finally, before her forehead hovered a sigil of two intercrossed diamonds, which glowed a quiet and soothing red. A crown given to her by the Father Himself.

Mother Ceres was a truly unique soul, capable of hearing the Father's voice and blessed with an eternally young body. She had been Hierophant of the Demeius Faith for decades before Rosanna's birth and she would no doubt still hold that title when the time came for Rosanna to return to the Father.

The Hierophant's face lighted up when she saw her protégée, a radiant and warm expression blooming on her ageless visage. But Rosanna saw a glimpse of something more behind those soulful purple eyes, something she had never seen before. A hint of worried uncertainty. The paladin tried to keep her nerves in check at the sight, but couldn't help but feel a little rattled. What could possibly have unnerved the unshakeable Mother Ceres? She brought good news, perhaps they would ease Lady Ceres' worries.

Rosanna dropped to one knee in deference before the figurehead of her faith, and the woman who had saved her from a miserable life of begging on the streets.

"Mother Ceres, I bring good tidings. The succubus of Terron village has been slain, and the villagers have been freed from her lecherous yoke."

"Well done, child. Your diligence is a boon to us all," she replied in her soothing voice. "Come with me, Rosanna. Let us sit. There is something I must discuss with you."

"As you say, my lady." The paladin rose, and the two women walked side by side through the garden in companionable silence. They crossed a humble wooden bridge to a small island at the center of a pond, and sat on a bench, beneath the shade of a lone elm tree.

The hierophant sighed despondently, then said "I hate to send you away when you've only just returned, but I'm afraid I can only entrust this task to you, my dear. I've sensed the appearance of a very powerful demonic presence in the Kingdom of Fernal, to the west. You will ride out tomorrow at dawn."

Rosanna winced at the thought of being mobilized again so soon after a mission. She had been looking forward to a few days of well-earned rest. But there was no helping it. The Father's flock looked to her for protection against His demonic enemies whenever they appeared in the Five Kingdoms. With a sigh of her own, Rosanna steeled her resolve. "Very well, Mother. I shall ride out at dawn. Which duchy should I head for?"

"I do not know. This demon has shrouded its presence, and I cannot discern its exact location, only that it is far more dangerous than any demon I've ever seen. I'm afraid you will have to locate it yourself... I'm so sorry that I cannot be of more use to you in this."

Now, Mother Ceres' expression earlier made sense to the paladin. The Hierophant had always been able to point Rosanna to the location of her targets, but this time she would have to locate it herself. How many unfortunate souls would fall victim to that monster while she searched for it for who knows how long, before she could cut it down. And this one was apparently more powerful than any demon she had fought before. It would no doubt be a fierce battle. Yes, as the wielder of Lightefelle, bane of demonic foes, it was only natural that this task fell onto her.

Rosanna Medea would hunt down this demon and slay it, she would not rest until the task was done.

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Hey there, thanks for reading the first chapter of Bindings of the Subjugator, hope I didn't bore you too much, haha. This is my first story and I have a lot of ideas for it, I'm really excited to make those ideas come to life. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was mostly setup for things to come, which I hope you'll be looking forward to. Like I said at the start, this story is gonna go in some real dark places, so be warned.

Please tell me your thoughts in the comments, I really want this to be as good as I can make it. Chapter 2 should come out within a week, so stay tuned. Thank you so much for reading!