Lilith: Blackened Blood

Chapter 9: Holy Empire (4)

An eerie quietness enveloped the hallways of the church as Lilith made her way through, with the only sound audible being the shuffling of feet. Not a single person extended a helping hand, despite it being clear she was lost. Maybe it was because she refused to reach out first, but it was weird.

She continued to go past rooms, whispering the numbers as she went until she finally stopped at the number written on the paper and, after double checking, knocked on the door. "Delivery for Priest Owen," Lilith said with a raised voice.

"Coming!" a voice replied, followed by the knocking of what she could guess as scrolls and books onto the floor and the rushed feet coming to a halt at the door. It took him a moment as she heard the rustling of clothes as he fixed himself before opening the door.

Adjusting the strap of the bag around her shoulder, Lilith stood up straight, presenting her name and rank. "Hello, I'm with the Mailroom. My name is Lilith, and I have a package for a man named Owen. Is that you?" Lilith asked in a serious tone.

"Ah, yes. I'm Owen," he bowed lightly, hair messy and eyes sleepy. "Please, come in." Brushing books and scrolls aside, he made as much space as he could on his couch.

"I see you've been busy," Lilith said, while taking glances around the room.

Owen scratched the back of his head and sheepishly laughed, "Gabriel can be a slave driver sometimes."

"Speaking of Gabriel, I'm assuming you know who this package is from?" Lilith asked.

"I was told to be expecting you," Owen answered.

"On that note," she took off her bag and placed it on the table. "Do you mind opening this?"

"Sure?" Owen responded in a confused manner.

"You only need to take out the crystal that's in there. You can ignore everything else."

Opening the bag, Owen reached in, searching aimlessly until grabbing the crystal and placing it on top of some books on the table. "Is this what Gabriel wanted to give me?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"No, no. It will help me give you the package he wanted me to give you. It's just impossible... well, not impossible. Extremely reckless if I were to do any of this." Lilith took the bag from Owen, tossing it on the couch, and stood next to him. "Now, take hold of that crystal for me. It will take as much mana as it can, so we will be quick before it drains you."

With worry, Owen followed Lilith's directions and took the crystal. Quickly, it absorbed Owen's mana, causing him to wince.

"Don't pull away," Lilith remarked as she watch, then got closer. "It's very simple. Just activate it like any other magic tool."

Owen did just that, focusing his mana actively into the crystal. The inscriptions lit up, and after the mana reached every inch, a barrier formed around the room. "I don't think I can keep this up for long," Owen said with worry.

"It's fine. It will only take a second." The moment the barrier expanded past Lilith and Owen, Lilith opened up the void, reached in, and placed the package on the floor between them.

As soon as Lilith's void gate closed, Owen let go of the crystal and fell backwards onto the couch. He had nearly depleted his mana, and he only kept it up for a minute at most.

"What is that thing?" Owen asked, his breathing heavy. "It's like it has a mind of its own."

Lilith shrugged. "Do you mind putting it back in the bag? As you can tell from our little stunt, I can't freely use my mana. Oh, and take the fake package just in case."