Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I knelt there, waiting.
What am I waiting for? How long have I been waiting?
I don't remember. But it must be important to me. Why else would I wait for it?
The world blurs beyond my eyes. I barely register the feeling of grass growing around my knees, weeds reaching my waist, moss festering on my skin as I become fully engulfed in the greenery.
Who is this person I am waiting for? Why can't I remember their name, their face?
I think back. Someone told me to wait for them. Who? None of that matters. The thought vanishes from my mind. All that matters is the person I am waiting for.
You'll know when you see them. That is what She told me. Well, what's taking them so long? Whatever the case, I will wait for them. I will wait for the outcome.
Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait for it.
Suddenly, something crashes into me. It's fast, clumsy, and unintentional. The impact knocks me sideways, and I hit the ground. My eyes clear up, as if I'd been partially blind before. My vision struggles to refocus. My limbs feel weak. My body fails me.
I lie there, tangled in the overgrowth, with something—or someone—pressing down on top of me. Am I being attacked? I should be able to fight off whatever it is, but my body isn't reacting properly.
I give up. I've never done that before, but I have to catch my breath.
It's raining. The clouds are grey over dark blue skies. How much time has passed? Was I sleeping? No. I was. . . waiting. Waiting?
My mind is blurry. I can't recall things anymore. But something snaps me into focus.
I must be dreaming, because the most beautiful woman I've ever seen is lying on top of me, staring into my eyes.
"Are you. . .that person?" I say, my voice barely audible.
"That person? I dunno who you're talking about, but I'm me—Veraque Mitis, Virtue Priestess of Kindness, just tryna spread some goodwill in the world!"
She beams at me with an energy that doesn't fit this stormy, overgrown world. And for a moment, her presence almost feels like sunlight.
But something shifts inside me.
"Ah yes, I remember now," I absently think, as rage blots my vision red.
I lunged. Or at least, I tried to.
I was lying on my back, flat against the ground. But I could still feel my muscles coil—I should've been able to jump out.
That Veraque bitch saw the immediate shift in my expression and jumped back, ready to dodge my attack.
An attack that never landed, because I barely left the floor. My body gave out halfway, and I crashed back down.
What was happening to me? Everything was stiff. Everything hurt. Like someone was gently piercing every inch of my skin with cold needles. It felt like my body hadn't moved—
—in a hundred years.
"Ohh, I get it!" the disgusting priestess said, rubbing her chin with a bright smile. "You're a Waiter!"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I spat, slowly trying to push myself up despite the agony that shot through my joints.
"Don't stress yourself too much," she said gently. "I know you must be disoriented, but just breathe. Move your body slowly to warm it up again."
"This isn't a fucking massage salon! I'm going to break your neck!" I growled. If only my body would listen. I reached behind me, trying to grab my obsidian blade—but it was gone. Nowhere to be found.
Why was everything going wrong?
"Sheesh. You must've been a real hothead back in your day," she said, brushing off my threat with a shrug. "And pretty strong too, no doubt. But Waiting tends to do that to people. Don't feel too bad, gramps."
Gramps?
Who the fuck was she calling gramps?
Unless. . .
"What day is it?" I asked. Her attitude didn't feel particularly malicious, but you could never tell with Virtue Priestesses. That cheerful exterior could be hiding anything. Still, I needed to get a handle on the situation. Knowledge was power—and maybe my only advantage right now.
"Day, huh?" She tapped a finger to her chin, eyes rolling up in thought. "Hmm. Haven't checked a calendar in a while, and I haven't asked anyone lately. But I think it's around the 5th or 20th of Aug—"
"Aug, huh," I muttered, eyes narrowing.
So it's already August. That meant... it had been at least five months.
"—of the three hundred and fifty-ninth year of the Virtue Priestesses' reign," Mitis continued, her smile blooming like a spring flower.
Three hundred and fifty-nine years?
I fought Chastity only two days ago. That was when the Priestesses were just beginning to emerge—still consolidating their power. Which means…
"I've been unconscious for three hundred and fifty-nine years?" I whispered, stunned. My legs gave out, and I collapsed back onto the ground. My knees had left deep impressions in the soil. I looked down, finally noticing the state of my body—my clothes were caked in dirt, leaves, and moss. Weeds tangled around my limbs like chains.
All these years... gone?
Was this the true extent of Patience's ability?
"Don't beat yourself up, Gramps," the Priestess chirped mockingly. "Waiters always react like this, but hey—it's not the end of the world! Well... technically, I guess it was the end of your world." She giggled. "Tell you what, why don't you tell me what this 'outcome' was you were waiting for? I'll help you out if I can. Oh! Wait—since I woke you up, does that mean I was the outcome?"
"My outcome?" I echoed. That word triggered something in my fogged mind.
I remembered now.
Patience. Her pale, disgustingly serene face. The moment her hand rested on my shoulder, her voice whispering "Wait. Wait for that person."
That person...
Who the fuck was that person?
"You want to help me?" I said coldly. "Then hear this. I'm going to kill the other Virtue Priestesses."
"You wanna kill the Virtue Priestesses?" she asked, wide-eyed. "Wouldn't that include me?"
"Yes," I replied.
My legs trembled, but I pushed through the weakness. I gathered all the strength I had left and lunged, swinging a punch at her head.
She sidestepped it with ease.
If I were in my original form, I would've crushed her skull with a single blow. But now? My body was too far gone. My strength, leached away by time. Still—I didn't care. I would get it all back.
They had taken everything from me.
I would take everything from them.
"Chastity killed my best friend!" I roared, launching another desperate swing. She slipped out of its path effortlessly. My chest heaved, my lungs burning. I was already out of breath.
I'd barely even moved.
"Patience forced me into this damned sleep for three hundred years!" I growled through gritted teeth. "And I swear—I'll kill you too, so you can't hurt anyone else!"
If more than three centuries had passed… then my squadron was gone. My mother. My father. Everyone—
"I would never do such a thing," Kindness said suddenly, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts. She looked genuinely offended. "Besides, they're only doing this to ensure the well-being of society—even if their methods are a bit... extreme."
"Rubbish!" I spat, collapsing to my knees again.
My vision swam. My head throbbed. My breath hitched.
Everyone I knew... gone.
Did I matter enough to be remembered? Or had the world already—
Forgetten about me?
Tears stung my eyes. Damn it—I couldn't let her see that. I couldn't show weakness in front of these monsters.
"Look," she said gently, extending a palm toward me in my crumpled state. "Don't feel ashamed. Waiters like you always get frustrated after their long sleep. It's natural. Why don't you come with me? I'll help you get back on your feet."
"Why the hell would you help me?" I snapped. "And why the hell would I accept it?"
"One, because I'm the Heavenly Virtue Priestess of Cardinal Kindness, duh," she beamed, as if that alone justified everything. "And two, because you look like someone who could really use a hand. No allies, no direction… you'll be wandering in circles until something wild finds you and eats you whole."
I wanted to take the help. For a moment, I really did. But it was her. A Virtue Priestess. The same kind of parasite that had stolen centuries from me and slaughtered my friend. I'd rather crawl through the dirt than take her hand.
Shakily, I rose to my feet and turned my back to her.
"I'll be fine on my own," I muttered, limping in the opposite direction—north, southeast, I didn't care, as long as it was away from her. "I'll kill you later, once I'm strong enough."
"I don't think you'd want to do that," she called out behind me, her voice still light and cheerful. "You could get seriously hurt! Besides, I heard Humility's rules these parts now. Not the kind of Priestess you want to run into in your condition."
Humility.
The name alone made my stomach twist. I knew nothing about her ability, not even her real name. Just stories, vague and ominous. But if she was like the others…
Chastity could kill a man from hundreds of meters away. I'd seen it with my own eyes—Alfred, gone in an instant. No visible wound. No time to scream.
Patience had buried me in stillness, locked me in a cocoon of moss and memory for over three hundred years.
Kindness… I didn't know what her power was. She hadn't used it on me—yet. Maybe it wasn't lethal. Or maybe it was something worse: subtle. Subversive. Something that crept into your heart before you even noticed it was there.
Either way, I wasn't staying to find out.
Virtue Priestesses were dangerous. Not just because of their powers. Because of what they believed.
"You really need to stop antagonizing the Virtue Priestesses!" she yelled after me. Her voice was still upbeat, but I could hear the faint trace of concern underneath it. Maybe even fear.
I didn't respond.
"At least say goodbye?!"
"Go kill yourself!" I shouted back without looking, my voice hoarse with rage.
And just like that, I began my journey.
To end the Virtue Priestesses.