***

It had been about a week since Luna had left for the capital city of Edronta with Abigail. Father Augustus stayed behind in the local church to continue running its operation. Luna stretched her legs as best she could in the cramped carriage and sighed.

"Bored?" Abigail asked with a slight grin on her face.

Childishly rocking back and forth in a revolt against her cramped surroundings, Luna pouted.

"Duh!" Her indignation turned into a loud and shrill complaint, "We've been traveling forever! Are we there yet!?" 

Abigail laughed, "Yes. Look outside." Abigail's grin turned into a wide smile. "We should be nearing the Edronta now."

Luna shot up and quickly shifted the carriage curtains to the side and pressed her face into the cool glass of the window. "Wow," Luna's eyes sparkled brightly as she took in the surroundings passing by.

As the carriage approached, the city seemed to stretch on forever. A large river passed through the middle of the town, breaking it into two sections. The river stretched so wide multiple sailboats glided on its surface, going from place to place. Some boats even stopped at small islands in the middle of the river that housed large buildings. Massive white bridges passed over the river connecting the two sides like staples.

Massive towers and walls surrounded everything. Large golden flags emblazoned with the Royal House emblem waved everywhere, blown by the wind. Villagers, knights, carriages, and children moved throughout the busy city like ants. 

After some time, the carriage stopped, and Abigail and Luna hopped out of the carriage. Luna couldn't help but stare at the imposing and elegant architecture of the Monastery. The Monastery was a large building that appeared to be split into four sections with a large garden and a single willow tree in the middle. 

As Luna stared, she felt a light bop on the back of her head.

"Starting today, you're a priestess in training." Abigail's tone was harsh, like an instructor's but warm, like a hopeful parent. "Priestesses don't stare absent-mindedly." Abigail crossed her arms and chuckled. "But it's good to appreciate the beauty of Allora."

The two walked up the steps of the Monastery. As they approached, a priestess that was outside sweeping noticed them and began opening the gates. As she did, she shouted inside, "Everyone, get ready! Abigail is back!"

Finally, the two reached the doorway; Luna first noticed the rows of priestesses and priests dressed in white and blue robes. "Welcome back, Head Sister." The rows of clergymen bowed in prayer as the two entered.

Next, Luna noticed just how big the Monastery was. It almost rivaled the size of the Duke's mansion. In the back of the first section, an open area led to a large oak desk and a row of chairs. Luna concluded this must have been a place for visitors to check-in. As Luna took into the area, she noticed how elegant yet humble the whole place was. Various priests and priestesses busily focused on their duties. Some of the clergy were as young as Luna, and some were elders clearly past their prime.

Finally, a handsome-looking man in white and gold robes, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes, gracefully approached Abigail and Luna. Luna almost didn't notice the small boy tailing behind the man, clutching his robe.

"So this is the famous Luna I've heard so much about." The tall blond man smiled gently at Luna and patted her head. "My name is Jedri. I'm the High priest and the head of the Church of Allora."

Luna's eyes got wide, and she quickly did a slight bow, placing her hands in a praying position. "Hello, High Father." Luna's voice came out in a small nervous squeak as she tried to copy what Abigail had taught her. "It's nice to meet you."

Jedri laughed. "Abigail has been teaching even on the way here, I see!" Jedri cleared his throat and shifted to the side, "this is my son, Joshua." Jedri looked at Joshua, smiling, and pushed him forward gently. "He's around your age and is in training too. I hope you two become good friends."

The shy boy suddenly stepped out from behind his father's robes and moved closer to Luna. His face flushed a bright red as he clutched onto his own robes so tightly his knuckles turned white as if the robes were going to fall off of him. 

"Hi, um. My name is Joshua." Joshua's voice was quiet and so soft Luna could barely hear it. "It's nice to meet you." 

Joshua's nervous voice wavered lightly as he spoke, staring at the floor. "I've got some toys in my room if you want to see them."

"Hi, Joshua!" Luna smiled widely and grabbed Joshua's hands gently. "My name is Luna. I just started training today!" 

Luna's eyes shined brightly as she stared deeply at Joshua. "It's nice to meet you too!" 

Luna laughed softly, "I'd love to see your toys!"

Joshua's face flushed even redder before he turned around and ran forward. "My room is this way!"

"Wait up! Luna laughed as she stepped forward to chase after him before pausing to look up at Abigail.

Abigail smiled and nodded in Joshua's direction, prompting Luna to run off.

"Wow, you've certainly taught her well!" Jedri chuckled softly.

Abigail laughed softly as well, "Of course, High Father. All of my students are taught well."

Suddenly, the smile slipped from Jedri's face before he turned around and began walking. "Walk with me, Abigail."

"You're not wearing your glasses, so you've really been healed?" Jedri furrowed his brow slightly. "I almost couldn't believe it when I first heard it. Then the Duke of Solei messaged me."

"The Duke of Solei?"

"Yes, he messaged me while you were on your way here. An old war wound of his that left him with a limp. It was completely gone. It terrified him."

Abigail raised an eyebrow, "It terrified him? I don't understand. Isn't healing from a wound a good thing?

Jedri brushed his hand through his hair and sighed. "Normally, yes. But, Miasma healing someone is completely unheard of." Jedri looked around to make sure they were alone before continuing. "Especially having that Miasma come from a person was completely unexpected. Of course, it would terrify him."

Jedri's face made a dark and forbidding expression Abigail couldn't even begin to describe. "If what you and the Duke told me is correct, we might have another Calamity on our hands."

"In the name of the Goddess!" Abigail stammered. "But she healed us; this has to be different somehow, right?"

"Perhaps." Jedri's voice was coarse with worry, but even so, it dripped with intrigue. "As we all know, healing magic doesn't exist in this world. Or at least it didn't until now." 

"So, what do you think we should do?" Abigail asked in a hushed whisper. "She's the only true healer in the whole world!"

Jedri rubbed his chin in thought and then looked at Abigail and responded in a hushed tone. "I've been thinking about this since I first learned about the incident." As Jedri spoke, his worry slowly faded, replaced with pure scientific curiosity. "First, we need to train her to control her powers, to only heal what is necessary." 

Jedri rubbed his brow as he focused deep in thought. "When the time is right, we'll declare when she's of debutante age that she's a Holy Saintess chosen by Allora."

Jedri's expression gave way to a sinister smile as he continued. "Secondly, we could utilize her power to further our research." 

 Jedri's voice raised slightly in excitement, "Perhaps by using her Miasma, we can finally stabilize the results we've gotten so far."

Abigail smiled softly, "you've always been a clever man HighFather." 

Her dark expression shined only for a moment, "What you say makes sense. If we declare her a Saintess, piety and donations could increase a hundredfold overnight."

Abigail's smile returned brightly as she smiled once more, "This could fund our research into that indefinitely."

Jedri laughed and smiled a brilliant smile, which anyone would swoon for. "Things are about to get lively around here."