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

Simon's voice was the last thing Raia heard from her dream before the loud knock on the door wakes her up. The faint voices from outside belong to Nathan and Raiden, and their tones suggest that they're arguing about something ludicrous.

Raia frowns, clutching the snow-white pillow between her arms, wondering if it's time for her Branding. Her heart beats faster and her stomach lurches at the thought of becoming an official disciple.

Aragon. Soon I will be an official part of this organization, she thinks, then she remembers something Simon told her before.

"That organization is like a home to me, Raia. And the people there are like family to me, just as you are to me."

"Master's home," Raia mutters to herself. "But what really is a family?"

So long as Raia could remember, she had grown up in an orphanage. She knew nothing about her parents or anyone else she could call family.

Not until Simon called her one.

It was seven years ago when he saved her from the orphanage and called her family. But when he told her that the organization was also his family, Raia began to question its true meaning. According to what she learned from the kids at the orphanage, a family is made up of people who are related to one another.

Raia has no knowledge of her family and has no idea whether they are still alive. She keeps telling herself that they are already dead, because how did she end up in the orphanage in the first place?

I wonder what it's like to have a real family. Raia's chest twists as she thinks about that, then a frown rolls over her face. My family is gone, I shouldn't waste my time on something like this.

Her gaze is drawn unintentionally to the black cloak hanging from the metal hook attached to the concrete wall.

"I wonder what is that drunkard doing now?" she mumbles to herself as her thoughts drift to her master.

She shifts in her bed, then her eyes land on the wooden cabinet standing next to the metal door. It becomes quiet. Raiden and Nathan must have assumed she was still sleeping and stopped knocking.

Her eyes flicker to the mantel clock on the mahogany side table. The long hand is pointing to the roman numeral nine. She lets out a sigh. She only slept for three hours, which she thinks isn't enough after the three-day tedious journey.

After Sonnet accompanied her to the cafeteria that night — and she couldn't deny that the food they serve is good — she assigned a room for Raia and provided clothes to change, which she's wearing now. It's a pristine white woven cotton nightgown that mirrors the bedsheet she is lying on. It feels soft against her skin and even helped to put her to sleep; not to mention the coziness of a weighted blanket around her.

The walls around her are grey and seamless, and despite the lack of painting and windows in her room, it has provided her with comfort and security from any wickedness outside the sacred barrier that surrounds her.

The Nirvana Order . . . can Raia truly call it home, as her master does? Her only known home is now thousands of miles away.

Is master still living there?

A knock on the door jolts Raia out of her reverie, and it is followed by a beat. She frowns as she slips out of the warm blanket and strolls over to the door.

"You don't have to keep knocking like that. . ." Raiden is saying when Raia opens the door slowly.

Raia stands before them with tousled hair and a solemn expression, making both men gulp in fear.

"Sorry for the bother," Raiden says with a small smile. Then he shoots Nathan a look. "And for his stupid knocks."

Nathan shrugs nonchalantly. "At least she woke up."

When Raia only stares at them without uttering a single word, Raiden clears his throat and speaks again.

"I've brought your uniform, here," he says, handing her over the paper bag he is holding.

Raia blinks. She takes the bag from him and peeps inside it before returning her gaze to him, then cocks her head.

Raiden clears his throat once more.

"Miss Sonnet will come and get you as soon as possible to take you to the Bishop's office." His mouth forms into a smile. "It's about time for your Branding."

Hearing the word Branding makes Raia's stomach lurch again. But she's not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing.

"Okay," she mutters.

"So," Nathan says, looking at her. "How is Apostle Simon? We haven't seen him in three years. Is he still in Uriel?" His eyes sparkle in excitement.

At the mention of her master, Raia's brows furrow. "I don't really know."

Both men raise their eyebrows.

"Have you been to Urielean Branch yet?" Raiden asks with curious eyes.

Raia lowers her gaze with a slight shake of her head. "No . . . This is the only time I've been to this organization."

Raiden and Nathan exchange a glance, then nod in unison.

"I see," Nathan says. "And here I was about to ask you if you've ever met a devil chick."

Raia frowns. "A devil chick?"

"Apostle Yi Zi will kill you if she hears that," Raiden remarks. "Anyways, don't mind that guy. He's referring to our master who lives in Uriel."

Nathan sniggers, but both of them ignore him.

"I see," Raia replies in a flat voice.

So they are trained by the same Apostle, Raia thinks, then her brow furrows as she mulls over the existence of the Apostles and how they actually make a contract with an angel.

After yesterday, Raia realized that Simon hasn't really told her that much about the Nirvana Order, aside from the existence of disciples and Outcasts. He never even talked about himself, nor his life as an Apostle. Raia wonders if Simon providing little information to her is intentional or not.

But according to what she's learned thus far, the things Simon didn't tell her were mostly about trivial matters that don't really stand in the way of her destroying demons. Furthermore, she benefited more than she suffered from not knowing about their immunity. She learned not to rely on luck and even improved her skills.

I think I understand why Master didn't tell me everything. He didn't want to suffocate me with trivial stuff that I could learn right here.

He mainly taught me things that would help me survive.

"How many Apostles are there?" Raia asks, now eager to learn new things. Getting information from other people and not having to rely on her master excites her.

"Currently there are five," Nathan answers. "Two from Mikael, and one each from other Lands."

Raiden nods. "And actually, only seven people can form a Contract with an angel and become Apostles."

Raia raises an eyebrow questioningly. "Why?"

"The Elysium has only Seven Heavenly Virtues — the contractible angels who possess the Seven Trumpets," Raiden responds with a shrug. "So, if there are already seven Apostles, no one can form a contract with the Heavenly Virtues unless one of the Apostles retires or dies."

"Yeah, that's why I can't wait to level up my Blessing and form a contract with the remaining Heavenly Virtues," Nathan declares, a wide grin splitting his face. "I'm certain I'll be the sixth Apostle."

Silence descends. Raia looks at Nathan with a deadpan expression, and the redhead laughs awkwardly.

"That's good, then," Raia says in a monotone voice before shutting the door in their faces.

***

Raia stands in front of the cheval mirror near the door after taking a shower and stares at herself. She's wearing her uniform. It's a black dress coat with purple trim on the collar, the ends of the sleeves, and the placket. A cross shield badge is pinned to the right side of her chest; the cross is silver, and the shield is purple. The emblem of Nirvana Order.

Her long dark purple hair is still damp from a shower, with droplets of water trickling down to the dull floor. She blinks and looks at herself in the mirror for a minute before rotating. A large white cross is imprinted on her back, and a horizontal line runs across her shoulders in thinner lines, forming a cross pattern.

Something warm fills her chest as she stares at herself, but she doesn't know what it is. She can't think of a word to describe the strange sensation. While deep in thought, she unconsciously traces the emblem with her fingertips. Her brows pucker.

"Aragon, huh?"

***

"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."