I remained silent and seated for a while in deep thoughts.

It was a possibility. That the story of the priest and the swamp were certainly connected.

'Hmm, I will need to look deeper into this.'

I thought and then suddenly turned my head to look at Anny sitting beside Liber to his left.

"Why is he telling this story anyway?"

It was out of nowhere but I still wanted to know.

My voice was soft and barely a whisper. But it was enough for Liber to turn his head toward me.

He looked at me for a moment and then said in a low voice.

"Anny asked him who gifted him these flowers." Liber paused, suppressing a chuckle, before adding. "He was very excited to tell us."

"Ah, I see."

I nodded and leaned back on the bench. My hands quietly wrapped on the edge and felt the smooth texture of the wood on my skin. It was a pleasant feeling but I didn't dwell on it for long.

The old priest remained calm and unhurried as he inhaled deeply before continuing with his tale.

"After she had told me she came to stop an approaching calamity, I was left stunned. This was not something you would hear from such a noble-looking lady. Well, maybe she just looked that delicate to me; I was certainly blinded by her innocent charm."

The priest always found a way to praise her. Whenever a topic related to her nature came up, he never hesitated to give his honest words. It was a little refreshing to see an old man so enthusiastic for something related to a past going almost a century back.

"She told me a little more; something regarding how the troubles have finally started to spike in recent years. How the world was finally changing. I don't know if she was joking or not but somehow I believed her words and even helped her in any way she asked for."

"Anyways that short moment of chart didn't lasted for long… She left, or more like vanished from my vision entirely the moment I blinked. Sadness had overwhelmed me; I didn't knew what to say or what to do anymore… For the following week I waited and waited patiently, hoping to see her once more and praying to the goddess for blessing me to reach out to her."

'This guy… he is too love-struck!'

This was a feeling shared by everyone. Well, except for Anny, who listened to the old priest with stars in her eyes.

She was listening attentively.

'She and Elda would be great friends.'

I couldn't help but think, seeing the common traits they both shared. Elda might refuse at first, shying away but I was sure she would open up soon—that was a trait someone like Anny could bring out of anyone.

"And then did you meet her again?"

Anny encouraged without looking at others. Her cheerful and sweet voice made the old priest smile warmly as he nodded.

"She did."

"However, it was after two weeks… She appeared like a ray of light while I was cleaning the temple. A warm and welcoming light… Her presence made the rings above turn and glow with gentle swings. For such a thing to happen inside the divine sanctum of the goddess, I was sure the woman before me couldn't be human. But at the time, I didn't think of such things and went straight toward her."

"She looked at me with that serene gaze and asked how I was doing… and I said, 'I was waiting for you.' Ah, how embarrassing those words were! I still mortify at such a poor choice of words."

The priest laughed, rubbing his face. His cheeks were tinged red, his expression still showing a trace of bashfulness.

"Haaa…" Chris yawned, earning a few quiet chuckles from the rest of us.

The priest smiled playfully before continuing.

"She laughed too—it was a small, childlike giggle. Embarrassed, I quickly asked how she was. How had her work gone? Did she stop that approaching calamity? I bombarded her with questions. And she answered them all with a smile… until, at last, our talk came to an end. She had come here with a goal, and that goal was finally over."

I leaned forward, sensing the long tale was at last drawing to its close.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"And then came the parting gift—" the priest whispered, closing his eyes with a heavy breath as he neared the end.

***

The old temple was brightened by the lights of the stars dangling on the ceiling; surrounding them were several rings, linked together in loops and they were glowing with a soft glow and moving together around the hovering star.

This was not normal.

The rings moved surely, but they never glowed with such… warm presence.

This has left the young priest troubled.

'How can they suddenly start glowing? No one ever told me about this!'

The young priest cleaning the inner sanctum couldn't help but complain in his heart.

So many troubles had been going around, troubling his tender heart. His first love was nowhere to be seen. And all he could do was wait patiently with nothing to do but pray for her return.

Unbeknownst to him, his wish had been fulfilled.

The rings, those loops, were moving to welcome a new presence in the heart of the temple.

The priest soon became aware of the warm energy radiating behind him.

He turned in a hurry, tearing his gaze away from the glowing rings and looked at the altar.

A young woman with long blonde hair was kneeling beside the altar with her head down. The priest looked at the scene with awe, mouth left agape and eyes wide open. His steps halted at their place, not moving an inch.

By then, the woman had risen to her feet. With each step, her long dress flowed like a river trailing behind her. Her face remained calm as she turned to him, her eyes still concealed beneath the flower-engraved crown.

Ba… thump!

Ba… thump!

His heart pounded loudly behind his rib cage like never before. Such was the life of a priest falling for someone people should only watch from afar.

"Ah," he gasped, finally feeling his trembling lips move.

"Hmm?"

The woman tilted her head softly at the sound he made.

"I waited for you."

The embarrassed priest said without any thought. He was flustered by the blunder he made and took a step forward, hoping to bask in her light but no matter how many steps he took, he could never cross the distance between them.

They were close but too far apart.

This made his heart ache.

The young woman standing could only let out a low hum before a chuckle escaped her lips.

"Haha… I apologize; I didn't know someone was waiting." She said, keeping her voice low and polite.

The priest's racing heart finally started to calm after her words entered his ears.

"How have you been? Did you take care of your work? Did you have lunch? Is there anything I can help with?"

The words tumbled out in a breathless rush. The priest winced at his own desperation, fingers twisting in the coarse fabric of his robes. She watched him patiently, the corners of her lips lifting beneath her crown. When he finally fell silent, she extended a hand toward the altar.

"By the gods' blessing my work went well and I could return safely. I am grateful for your concern…"

"Ah… That's great to know."

The priest finally let go of his breath as he visibly relaxed. The broom he held in his hand tilted from his relaxed grip, hitting him in the head before it stumbled down with an echoing sound.

'Wh—What am I doing?'

With a nervous laugh, he repicked the broom with trembling hands. The young woman ahead tried to help but he politely turned her down. He could never make her do such work!

As he stood up after picking up the fallen broom, he paused mid-step.

"Are you leaving?" He asked, his eyes shaking.

The woman with the same smile nodded her head.

"Yes, I had just come to report my task has been completed and to give a gift."

"A gift?" The priest asked, hope again reigniting in his eyes.

'Is it for me?'

He wanted to ask but kept his lips shut to not embarrass himself any further.

The woman at the same time took something out from somewhere he couldn't see or understand, as if she pulled it out of thin air. As his mind became clear, he saw a small flowerpot on her hand; inside, a silvery-blue flower danced softly with invisible winds.

"That's… incredible…" He whispered in a daze at such a magical act.

"Thank you… This flower is called Amaranth, a gift for someone precious. I would request you to keep it till then. Until the person could come and take it himself."

The priest's heart sank as he touched the pot given his way. These flowers were for someone else… not for him.

The gift slipped through his grasp before he could even claim it — meant not for him, but for someone yet to come.

'Thats a pity.' He smiled weakly.

"When will they come?" He asked with a small voice.

"I don't know but soon, they will come. The goddess also likes these flowers so you should grow them around here. They will grow well around this place… I am sure of that." She said cheerfully with a bright smile.

"Alright… I will take care of it till then."

"Thank you once again, kind sir."

The woman bowed her head once before a strange light wrapped around her. It was bright—so bright the priest could see nothing. He panicked, raising a hand as if to stop her.

"Wait!"

"Your name! Tell me your name!"

"My name is…"

Her voice rang like a melody of birds, each note etched into his heart. But as the song ended, so too did the light. For a moment he wondered if it had all been a dream—yet the proof remained in his hands, undeniable.

"Huh… She left… she's gone."

The priest sank to his knees, clutching the flowers close. Above, the glowing circles slowly faded, their light vanishing with the mysterious woman. Now, all that remained was the priest himself—and the gift of longing she had left behind.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.