The Anomaly's Path

The Holy Kingdom of Sanctyra was a huge empire built on faith.

Throughout history, few people ever stopped to wonder why one nation had grown so massive just to serve the heavens. It was simply accepted. While the kingdom was a living nation with its own army, nobles, and millions of people, its heart belonged to the divine.

At the top of this religious empire was the Supreme Creator — The Goddess.

Worshipped as the Goddess of Light and Justice, the Divine Mother, she was the center of Sanctyra’s worship.

She was a distant and absolute force who had recently chosen Arthur Vale as her mortal Apostle. The Grand Cathedral, her most sacred temple, stood tall in the capital with white stone spires and stained-glass windows that shone like trapped starlight.

Yet, devotion in Aetheris was not limited to one race...

Faith did not belong to a single people. Even inside this religious human kingdom, the Church showed some tolerance.

The Holy Kingdom accepted that different races and cultures followed different gods. Elves knelt to the World Tree and their ancient forest gods. Dwarves prayed to the God of Craftsmanship and Creation. Warriors across the land offered silent prayers to the God of War before battle.

Because Sanctyra was a place where travelers from everywhere came for guidance, the capital had many smaller sanctuaries for these foreign gods.

Of course, not every god had a public temple.

The Moon Goddess, an old god of hidden knowledge and fate, had no grand temples here. Her followers were few, scattered in small groups or hidden cults whose prayers went mostly unanswered. The Spirit Queen, too, was unknown to most people, known only to a few who connected deeply with spirits.

But for the vampire race, the night had one absolute ruler.

The Eternal Night.

The goddess of vampires, shadows, and the moonless sky.

She was the one who had watched over the vampire race for thousands of years. She was the one who had broken the laws of time to send Elisabeth back to the past before the Abyss King could destroy everything she loved.

...And it was her sanctuary that the vampire princess was looking for.

_

”The welcoming ceremonies are over,” Professor Eleanor announced, her strict elven voice cutting through the quiet yard of Luminara Academy. Her sharp eyes swept over the combined ranks of Class Veritas and Class Audax.

”The academy has given us full permission to move freely. You can go to your rooms or explore the city today. Do not cause trouble, and remember you are representing Aegis.”

The moment the ranks broke, the groups started to split. Arthur was immediately surrounded by whispering students, his face tight with the guilt he always carried as the proclaimed Apostle. Nyra and Amelia stood close to him.

Cordelia walked with her chin high, as she refused to look like a political pawn in a foreign land. Julia shuffled quietly toward the back, her anxious eyes scanning the area as if wishing she could go back to safety.

Elisabeth did not join them. She had no plan to play the part of a perfect exchange student.

Stepping away from Class Audax, she fixed her uniform and quietly left the crowd. Her eyes scanned the layout of the academy grounds, looking at the streets based on the mental maps she had kept from her past life.

She needed answers. And more than that, she needed a moment of silence.

Since the day she woke up in this younger body, pulled from the ash and ruin of a dead future, the gods had been silent.

The deep, cold connection she once had with the Eternal Night had become a faint, unreadable whisper. No matter how many times she tried, the goddess did not answer. It was as if the regression had cut the cord, leaving her to walk the timeline alone in the dark.

Elisabeth walked through the lower parts of Sanctyra City, moving away from the bright, blinding white streets of the Grand Cathedral.

The city was a beautiful place of high stone walls, archways, and silver gardens, but the heavy presence of mana made her feel uncomfortable.

_

After twenty minutes of walking down, she finally found it.

The Church of the Eternal Night was tucked quietly against a steep rock face, built in the natural shadow of an overhanging cliff.

It was large, made of smooth black stone and deep midnight-blue brick, but compared to the huge cathedrals of the Goddess of Light, it was small and modest. A quiet haven for the few vampires and night-dwellers who lived in the Holy Kingdom.

She pushed open the heavy ironwood doors. The hinges made no sound.

The inside was empty, bathed in the cool light from narrow stained-glass windows showing a crescent moon in deep velvet shadows.

The air was crisp, smelling of dried lavender and old paper.

Because it was early morning, the local worshippers were not there, leaving the rows of dark wooden seats empty. It was very clean, every surface polished to a shine, reflecting the soft, dim light of the altar at the far end.

Elisabeth walked down the middle aisle, her boots clicking softly on the dark stone floor. She reached the front row, but she did not kneel. She just sat down quietly with her hands on her knees.

She closed her eyes and let the cold quiet of the dark sanctuary settle over her.

She took a slow breath, focused her mind, and reached deep inside herself. With all her power, she called out to her goddess — the one who had saved her once before. But something was blocking her. She couldn’t break through.

Mother... are you there? Can you hear me?

Nothing.

The silence that came back was absolute. Not a whisper echoed in her mind.

Elisabeth let out a long, heavy sigh, her shoulders sinking as she opened her eyes to stare at the empty altar. A bitter, empty feeling settled in her chest.

To her, the Eternal Night was not just an idea or a god to be feared.

She had been like a mother to her. Elisabeth had lost her real mother long ago. Her grandmother had raised her, given her love, and taken care of her and her younger sister with quiet, unshakable strength.

When the final war came, they both fell.

Her grandmother had died holding the line, and her sister had been torn away before Elisabeth could reach her. Her world shattered, leaving nothing but ash and grief. The goddess was the only presence left holding her broken soul together. She was the one who had looked at her ruined world and given her a second chance.

Yet, a simple almost foolish question had been bothering her ever since she returned.

Why me?

Elisabeth knew what kind of person she was. She was cold, and ruthless.

She did not spend her days singing holy songs or acting like a saint. If the regression needed a great sacrifice of divine power, why had the goddess chosen to give it to a broken soldier like her instead of someone pure?

Someone who actually knew how to inspire people?

More than anything, she just wanted to know if the goddess was even alive in this current timeline, or if sending her back had cost everything.

”The morning light does not often bring visitors to this hall,” a soft, rough voice said from behind her.

Elisabeth’s instincts flared. Her hand moved toward her waist, her violet eyes narrowing as she turned her head sharply toward the sound. She had not sensed a single ripple in the air.

An elderly human woman was walking slowly down the side aisle, holding a simple wooden broom and a cloth.

She wore plain grey robes. Her face was full of wrinkles, her white hair tied back in a neat bun. Her mana was so weak that it barely registered, making her seem like an ordinary human.

She had never awakened — or if she had, any core she might have possessed was so small and dormant that it never pushed her beyond the limits of a normal person. Her footsteps were hidden by the stone hall’s natural sound.

She looked at Elisabeth, not knowing she was a vampire princess. To the old woman, she was just a young, tired student sitting alone in the dark.

”I am sorry if I startled you, young lady,” the old woman said, giving a warm, gentle smile. ”My old bones usually make more noise than this.”

Elisabeth slowly relaxed, her face returning to its usual blank mask. She felt a little amused by her presence. A fragile human working as a caretaker for a vampire goddess was a sight she had not expected.

”You are human,” Elisabeth said, her voice smooth and cold. ”But you spend your morning sweeping the floors of a sanctuary for the goddess of darkness and vampires. Why?”

The old woman paused, leaning on her broom as she looked around the dark hall. Her smile did not fade.

”Ah... A question I get often from travelers who pass through here. It is true, I was born in the farming villages of Sanctyra, raised under the teachings of the Divine Mother. But faith... faith does not come from the blood in your veins, child. It comes from your soul.”

She walked over to a brass candle holder, gently wiping away a speck of dust.

”Many years ago, when the Gate Incursion happened, my home was destroyed. I fled to the capital, broken and full of grief. The great cathedrals of light were too bright for me then — their beauty felt like a cruel joke. But... when I walked down into this quiet valley and stepped through these doors, the darkness here did not feel scary. It felt like a warm blanket. A place where I could cry without being judged by the sun.”

She looked back at Elisabeth, her old eyes reflecting the soft light of the stained glass. ”...The Eternal Night comforted a lonely old woman when she had nothing left. So, I asked the local priest if I could stay and care for her home. I have been cleaning these floors ever since.”

Elisabeth stayed quiet, thinking about her words.

The idea of a human finding comfort in the darkness of her goddess was strangely profound. It broke through her worldview, reminding her that the gods worked on levels far beyond politics and race.

She paused for a moment, biting her lip gently. She looked down at the floor, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. ”...Then tell me, caretaker. You are here working here for many years, right? How can I get her to answer me? What must I do to make her hear me?”

The old woman’s face softened, a deep look of understanding in her eyes. She walked a few steps closer, her voice warm and calming.

”The gods do not work on a list of demands, child. If someone is truly sincere, if the heart is really seeking guidance without pretending, the gods will always listen. The silence of a god is not a sign of absence, nor is it a punishment. Sometimes... a mother stays quiet simply because she knows her child already has the strength to walk the path ahead.”

The words hit a deep place inside Elisabeth’s chest, sending a cold shiver down her back. Because she knows her child already has the strength to walk the path ahead...

Was that why she was silent? Did the goddess believe she already had everything she needed to change the future?

Elisabeth closed her eyes briefly, letting out a slow breath. When she opened them, the heavy knot of anxiety that had been in her chest since she arrived felt a little lighter.

She stood up from the seat, smoothing out her uniform. She looked at the old woman, her violet eyes holding a rare look of real respect.

”What is your name?” she asked.

”I am Bess, child,” the old woman said with a small, graceful bow.

”I am Elisabeth,” she said quietly, turning toward the heavy ironwood exit. As she reached the door, she paused, looking back into the dim, silent sanctuary. ”I will be staying at Luminara Academy for the next three days. I will come here every day to see you, Bess. And I will keep trying to pray.”

Bess smiled warmly, raising her hand in a gentle goodbye. ”The doors will always be open for you, Elisabeth. Walk safely in the shadows.”

Elisabeth pushed the heavy doors open and stepped back outside. As she walked back toward the academy, her steps were firm and steady.