Crowds of people could be seen at the center of a High Land, as angry yells and stumping feet could be heard.

“Burn the Saintess!”

“Burn that wicked woman, how dare she sell herself to the Demon Lord,” a person yelled.

“She deserves to die!!!”

There was a crowd of people gathered, all shouting passionately. A lone girl filled with horrible scars was tied to a wooden poll, a fire being lit under her feet.

“Father please help me,” the Saintess pleaded. This wasn’t the first time she’d called out to the King for mercy, but this time he’d actually acknowledged her words. But instead of responding verbally or indicating he’d help, he flashed a cold glare at her.

The Saintess’ face became dark as she realized how foolish she was to risk her life for these people who wanted to kill her in her most vulnerable state.

With the Demon Lord gone now, she was seen as a threat to their kingdom and they didn’t even spare time to think about this, announcing that the Saintess must be killed.

Different lies surrounded her, to put her in this position. Despite them, being tied and seeing the mob before her, she regretted her choice. Her choice to sacrifice everything for the people who now cheered for her execution.

“I never did anything wrong, how could you all do this to me after everything I’ve done for you,” she called out, her voice cracking from emotion as tears streamed down her face.

“You’re just a slut who seduced the Prince and the Hero.”

“Yeahhhhhhh!!!”

“You disgusting man stealer!!!!”

Those were just some of the words the crowd used to slander her with. The Saintess’ demeanor of shock, betrayal, and sadness changed, as they continued.

It was as if a switch had flipped in her brain.

The realization of things she’d long since turned a blind eye to suddenly became clear in her now.

The crowd of people before her, the same people who’d sung her praises some months ago, were the same who now lit the wood under her that started to burn her as the flames rose towards her body.

The sorrowful look she once had slowly turned into a look of pure anger, giving her a crazed look.

“I swear, I will never let any of you rest in peace.” She shouted at the top of her lungs, laughing madly as the fire started to consume her.

Surprisingly, the rage in her eyes seemed to burn brighter than the flames she’d found herself surrounded by.

Just like that, she was burnt to a crisp, leaving nothing but ash and a promise for revenge.

༻————— ˗ˋˊ˗ —————༺

The human High Land of Sandeph was a beautiful and peaceful place, where you could often see people going on with their day peacefully, children playing happily in the meadows and soldiers dancing with the common people.

The High Land had a beautiful princess whom they all cherished.

Her name was Aurianna and she was the third daughter of the King from his first wife. She had two older brothers. The eldest brother was named Husae, and the second brother was named Ralph.

Aurianna was a lovely young girl adorned with two long blue twintails, crystal blue eyes and a smile so angelic it could make even the most hardened veteran soldier melt.

She had a very slender figure and fair skin, which was all the more highlighted by a pink gown she often wore.

She was a cheerful princess who had everything a girl could want and wish for, and she would even get the world if it made her happy.

She would often be seen walking the streets despite her high status, communing with commoners and such.

The kingdom didn’t mind her doing whatever she pleased. This was because there was a prophecy which declared that the one of the princesses born would become the revered Saintess—a person who was born to lead humanity in a crusade against the demons and end the threat once and for all.

So on Aurianna’s tenth birthday the prophecy came to be, as she awakened her Saintess powers. The whole kingdom was in ecstasy and overjoyed by the news, as it would mean that the kingdom finally had a way to fight against the demons.

“My daughter has been chosen as the Saintess by our Goddess Paige! Praise upon the Goddess almighty and Goddess bless Sandeph!” The king exclaimed out joyfully.

Aurianna knelt down before her father; the King.

“Raise your head,” the King commanded, and Aurianna did as she was told.

“I shall not disappoint you father,” she pledged with fierce determination in her heart.

The church heard of princess Aurianna being chosen as a Saintess, so they went to confirm.

When they went to meet her, they initially held suspicions, but that was all until she proved her authenticity. Healing a nearby injured maid, however, they realized she hadn’t reached her full power yet.

The Head Priest entered the palace during the day the kingdom was celebrating the new Saintess.

“Welcome Head Priest Deille.” A handsome, middle-aged man greeted the head priest.

His hair was graying but still had faint black shades that reached to his shoulders. The man had a stocky and muscular build despite his age, and an angular chiseled chin. His eyes were green, almost like emeralds.

The clothes he wore gave him a royal and elegant look, wearing a stylish vest adorned with silver buttons. He sat on a throne befitting of a king, because he was one. The ruler of Sandeph and Aurianna’s father, King Girsal.

The Head Priest paid no attention to the King despite making the effort to greet him personally. Instead he quickly made his way to Aurianna, who was surrounded by people.

Once everyone saw the Head Priest they all made way for him to see Aurianna face to face.

Aurianna looked up towards the tall priest. He was wearing a white cloak that had red markings from the shoulder down to the waist. His face wasn’t visible since it was covered by a hood.

“I would give you this opportunity child,” his voice boomed as he seemed to be looking at her.

“Come with me if you want to be a true Saintess, staying here would only hinder your progress.” The priest’s voice reverberated throughout the room.

As the priest made the offer to Aurianna, the King became furious. He wasn’t going to let the church take the Saintess away from him.

The Priest stretched out his hand for her to agree. Aurianna looked at him hesitantly and then looked at her father who was boiling with rage, which made her body tremble.

The priest wanted the princess to decide if she either wanted to be raised by her family or the church to be the Saintess.

The church was seen as the best option since they had experience in the areas she had to grow in. However, prior to their arrival she had been warned by her father that the church was filled with bad people so she shouldn’t choose them.

“I’m sorry Head Priest, I love my family and I prefer to stay with them,” she answered with a sweet smile.

The King grinned at her choice, the Pries simply released a sigh.

“Alright, if that’s what you have chosen. I just hope you don’t regret your decision.”

As he was leaving, everyone was silent so they could hear his footsteps echoing through the hall.

Once he left everyone went to Aurianna to praise and flatter her for being such a wise and beautiful child. However, Aurianna felt a sharp pain in her chest.

She couldn’t say if it was regret or foreboding, but something in her heart had felt off ever since.

༻————— ˗ˋˊ˗ —————༺

At the young age of fourteen, Aurianna began her training.

She soon led her kingdom to war against the demons, using her power as a Saintess to heal those who were hurt.

She received many accomplishments along with getting closer to her father, due to her obedience to him.

However, when she was eighteen, things took a turn.

Aurianna was sleeping peacefully in her chamber after a tiring day of healing the people who fought against the demons.

As she was about to sleep on a big comfy bed, she heard someone enter her room, and saw that it was her brother, the second Prince Ralph.

Prince Ralph had soft ocean blue hair, with a pair of beautiful green eyes like his other brother. He was also quite tall and handsome.

She thought that he was coming to wish her good night like he always did, but this time he acted differently, he was walking sluggishly, wobbling slightly.

“Oh brother Ralph what brings you here?” she asked with a sweet and innocent smile.

Aurianna got up from her bed, opening her arms to embrace him but right as she touched him, she was pushed. Falling back onto the bed.

Before she could understand what was happening he began to peel her clothes off.

“Oh Aurianna you’re as sweet as always,” Ralph complimented as he kissed her neck.

“Brother- please… ..s-stop..,” Aurianna pleaded, tears running down her face. She was too shocked to comprehend what was happening.

She tried pushing him off but he simply fell back on top of her.

Despite all the training she’d received, she’d never learned much of hand-to-hand combat.

The same couldn’t be said for her siblings however. Since they were princes, they’d been taught the swordsmanship of kings, so they could succeed should anything befall their father.

Ralph ignored her pleas, his face flushed. “Even when you cry you’re so cute,” he said with a sadistic smile plastered on his face.

His breath was horrid, carrying the stench of alcohol as he leaned in to kiss her neck once more.

Aurianna shivered, fear rising in her.

She screamed for help from the guards in front of her room, but they turned around pretending not to know anything before closing the door.

Aurianna’s face darkened in despair as the gravity of her situation sat in.

As a Saintess she only learned healing spells and didn’t really focus much on her physical strength. She struggled as her brother continued to remove her clothes, but it was all in vain as he was too strong.

Ralph too began to strip as he used his clothes to tie Aurianna’s hands to the bedpost.

In front of him was his naked sister, her whole body was exposed to him. He looked at her with lustful eyes as he groped her boobs and began to lick them.

Ralph didn’t stop there, as he then licked all over her body, making his way from her neck to her stomach.

When he reached her stomach, her worst fear started to sink in as he continued to move further and further down.

Aurianna was frightened by this and let out a loud scream, “Brother, please stop!!!!”

She cried out hoping that he would stop but her words fell on deaf ears.

“Just calm down, it will be all over..” he muttered in her ear.

That night, anyone who was unlucky enough to pass the Saintess’ room, could hear the sounds of her screams. The screams continued far into the night, carrying over into the early morning where the lustful prince was satisfied.

That following morning, despite her pride and spirit being in tatters she was able to move.

Her determination to see him punished was the only thing to carry her through the trauma. She immediately made her way to the King, reporting what her brother had done, but she didn’t expect his reaction.

“Oh this stupid boy, I didn’t think he would actually do this to you, but I’m not shocked.”

Aurianna just stood there dumbfounded as she heard him. It wasn’t even his words, it was his expression.

He looked unphased, as if he’d heard some news about a distant battle that had been fought which his country had nothing to do with.

The other thought ran through her mind, if he knew something like this could happen why didn’t he warn her?

Or at least have guards that would be alert to prevent such a thing happening!?

“Father, I cannot accept how Ralph raped me. I want him banished.”

Aurianna bit her lip, in her head she really wanted to say to put him to death. Despite his horrible action and that penalty being justified, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. If it was her nature as a Saintess, being a healer, not a bringer of death, or simply being too afraid, she didn’t voice her true thoughts.

His response once again, wasn’t what she expected.

The king glared at Aurianna, screaming furiously. “Don’t you know how much shame it would bring to the imperial family if I were to banish the second prince!?”

There was a cold silence in the room….

He tapped his chair with his index finger, over and over.

It was the only sound filling the vast throne room.

He sighed, “Just keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear any of this getting out, do you understand?” He gave Aurianna an expectant look, as if she would say yes to such a ridiculous request.

Ralph had violated her! Had taken her purity! And her Father, the man she’d always been respectful and obedient to, had denied her request.

One that was below the normal standard for such a horrid event. He thought she’d say yes!?

Head facing the ground, she gave her response.

“….Yes Father.”

She’d never disobeyed him before so even though her heart felt like it was tearing into a million pieces, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

The fear of denying the King outweighed her own fears and feelings.

Days passed since their meeting and she hadn’t told a soul of what had happened. So, word never got out that the Prince had raped the Saintess.

During Aurianna’s next expedition to defeat the Demon Lord, she got ready with the Hero and his crew they summoned from another world.

The Hero had short orange hair, with a pair of deep orange eyes that glowed with ambition.

He was quite tall, being only 17. The hero’s name was Kent.

He had a bright white sword that glowed when he touched it, showing that he was the Hero.

He was accompanied by a big man with a scar on his face. The man had short yellow hair with dark brown eyes and brown skin. He was a very muscular person who held a huge shield. His name was Derek.

Besides him was a woman named Cindy who had dark brown hair and black eyes.,. She had a very bountiful figure, almost like an alluring beauty.

She carried with her a wooden staff with a big gemstone carved at the top, indicating her class being that of a mage.

They all got ready for their expedition as they defeated every obstacle that they came across.

The Hero tried to flirt with Aurianna during their expedition, telling her how beautiful she is and how kind she was.

Aurianna took that as a compliment since she always heard that from others. But one day, he went too far and tried to kiss her, but she wasn’t tempted nor interested. She revealed to him that she had a fiance who was the Grand Duke’s son and she was quite fond of him.

Her statement angered the Hero, making him stop his pursuit. After that they’d become strictly party members.

༻————— ˗ˋˊ˗ —————༺

It had been two months since their expedition had started and they had defeated monster after monster with Aurianna healing people who survived the attacks from the demons.

Whenever Hero and his crew would get hurt or were half-dead, Aurianna would use her healing magic to heal them, so they could keep defeating the monsters around them. This helped the entire team to get stronger.

After persevering through the many battles, they finally reached the Demon King’s castle.

As they were about to attack the demon’s castle, a huge dragon appeared from the ground.

The creature had piercing eyes deep within the creature’s long and narrow skull, giving it a fierce look. Several enormous horns sat atop its head, just above a pair of long cured ears. A row of small tendrils ran along the sides of its jawline.

Its nose was small with two thin, curved nostrils and there were even more tendrils on its chin. A few razor-sharp teeth poked out from the side of its mouth, giving a preview of the horror hiding inside.

A huge neck ran down from its head into a big majestic body that was covered in warped blue satin scales. Dozens of small crystal spikes ran along the spine of the dragon.

Two bulky limbs carried its body and allowed the creature to stand noble and dignified, with claws that seemed to be made of obsidian.

Magnificent wings were just above its shoulders, ending at the lower end of its back. The wings were rounded, the insides of the wing seeming to be made of thin crystals and armor-like scales.

Its elegant tail ended in a curved talon and was covered in the same warped scales as its body.

The four of them prepared themselves for the gruesome battle ahead of them.

Aurianna used one of her most powerful spells called “Rorias”

The entire area was covered in holy light as it shone down on the Dragon burning its skin.. It also doubled as a buffing effect to the Hero and the rest of the party.

They all charged straight towards the dragon while casting their best spells, greatly injuring it and allowing the Hero to use his Holy sword to slice the dragon’s head in one clean blow.

As they passed by the dragon Aurianna stopped for a minute to look at the dragon, which had dried tears on its face as the decapitated head lay on the ground a few meters from its body.

Pity and guilt filled her as she saw the sight.

In essence they had charged into this dragon’s territory, its own home and killed all they came in contact with. She quickly pushed her feelings down however, ever since she was little she’d heard how evil demons were, that they had to be stopped, killed even.

The four of them entered the Demon King’s chamber with great enthusiasm and pride as they steeled themselves for the next battle.

In front of them was a dark and wide hall with a giant silver throne. The throne was decorated with the bones of a long-slain dragon.

And on it sat a handsome dark-skinned man who had long dark green hair. His golden eyes were dull and emotionless. Two horns grew from his head, which were well-fitting with his well-built figure. He was clad from neck to toe with black armor not unfitting for a Demon Overlord, for he was the Demon Lord Vatium.

Aurianna looked at him, noting him to be the most handsome man she’d ever seen. One thing struck out to her was that he looked…familiar?

She continued to gaze at him, racking her brain on why she got that feeling from him.

Just as her staring was reaching its all time high, Vatium glanced towards her.

She flinched back, anticipating an attack, however none came.

He simply shifted his attention to the Hero. Kent bore a expression brimming with overconfidence, an expression that almost came off as a stupid look.

Shamelessly, the Hero used his most powerful sword spell, “Heavenly Light” which was expected to kill the Demon Lord, but to their horror, it didn’t.

It merely laid a scratch on him and that’s when Kent, Derek, and Cindy drew their weapons.

They quickly rushed to attack him.

Cindy quickly used a binding spell to restrict his movements and magic as Kent charged in with Derek to attack him.

Kent drew his sword and launched multiple slashes at Vatium, but it barely scratched him.

Derrick then used his shield to create multiple stone spikes that stabbed Vatium, however, Vatium’s body became transparent which made them seemingly pass right through him.

Vatium chuckled, his eyes glowing with malice, “You’ll have to do better than that, heroes.”