Bound to the Demon Lord ✔️

Chapter Two

Phoebe still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Lucio had led their group to the supposed base the scout had found, and it only made her nervous. It was an old abandoned temple, but not one marked for the Goddess or the Creator. No, it was an ancient shrine, used long ago when more people had worshiped the Demon Lord.

She had never seen a demon shrine before, but it was frightening. Despite its decrepit appearance, it was still an intimidating sight. It looked more like a fortress than a place of worship, the entrance being made of massive metal doors. The entire shrine looked to be made of metal and obsidian, strange and dark carvings along its walls and pillars.

She supposed if the Seekers would have a base somewhere, it would be a terrifying structure such as this one.

And it was because of how this place looked that she still believed they needed reinforcements. All Lucio had done was gather up some of the paladins, soldiers, and priests that had already been stationed at the destroyed village. So now their party of ten had turned into a party of twenty-five.

She tried voicing her concerns to Lucio, but he just dismissed her and told her to get herself ready. He and the other high-ranking paladins were hatching a plan with the bishop in their group. Everyone else was busying themselves preparing for whatever battle was to come.

The paladins were sharpening their swords. The soldiers fixing up their armor. The other priests casted protection spells on the group and did some final prayers. But she and another priestess, her friend Vivienne, had moved away from the group and hidden themselves among the trees. Perhaps the other priests felt like they would be protected with so many warriors, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

"Sister Phoebe, maybe we should..."

"It's okay," Phoebe assured the younger woman. She had managed to grab some armored robes for the two of them, and was currently finishing up helping Vivienne put hers on. "If something bad does happen, we have to be sure that we can protect ourselves."

Vivienne hesitantly nodded. Not that Phoebe blamed her. While she was Vivienne's senior, Bishop Ellis and Captain Lucio were the one in charge of them. He hadn't commanded them to wear the armored robes, and none of the other priests had done so. Still, he didn't say they couldn't, so Phoebe didn't see anything wrong with taking the extra precaution.

Once she had laced Vivienne up, it was her turn. Quickly, she stripped out of her regular robes, though she was still wearing leggings and a long shirt underneath them. But as she took them off, she felt an inch on her chest. Grunting, she pushed her loose shirt off of her shoulder to more effectively scratch the area.

"Is your birthmark itching again?" Vivienne asked quietly.

Phoebe nodded. "I'm telling you, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"If only the others listened to your itch..."

She let out a small chuckle as she pulled her hand away. It was a weird phenomenon that she had had ever since she was a little girl. She had a strange birthmark just above her left breast, right over her heart, that looked like a crescent moon with a small star off to the side of it. And any time demons were around or dark magic was being used nearby, the area would tickle and itch. Every single time, without fail.

She had seen several priests about it, even cardinals and bishops. But they had all said that it was merely a weird birthmark, similar to that of the many freckles that peppered her porcelain skin. They would always say that it was all in her head. That perhaps she just had a strong intuition. She wasn't sure it was so simple, but she knew to trust her itch, even when no one else did.

Quickly, Vivienne helped her put on the robes and helped her fasten her belts around her waist. Once that was taken care of, her friend helped her tie back her long ginger hair into a single simple braid. She had to keep the hair out of her eyes if she needed to fight or even run away. She made sure to do the same to Vivienne's hair and tucked it into the back of her robe for good measure. That way no one could grab her ponytail and yank her back.