With Father Rau's backing, Sun Wu gained even more stamina, his energy and Chi seemingly limitless so long as the priest continued to support him. The whirling Chi drew ghoul after Ghoul into the spinning blades of The Gorger, a spinning deathtrap that began to slowly eat its way through the army. Nonetheless, the army continued to come on. Their numbers continued to push against the line, an unrelenting tide of undead slowly pushing at the forces of life, slowly bleeding out the force before them. Battle raged all around, but for one young priestess, time stood still.
Sister Lumina had always been a meek priestess. She had never really spoken to others, even in the crusade. She had quietly kept to herself even as Sir Walter gathered her into his special regiment. She had never really seen why she was special enough to warrant his attention. He seemed so powerful, and she was so small. But now she understood. It was time. This was what she was here for. There was no going back. She strode to the front lines, watching the battle wage in slow motion as she saw brothers and sisters dying on the battlefield. Slowly a hymn rose from her lips, and though she could have sworn she was only whispering it, her notes rose over the din of the raging battle around her.
"Praise be to thee o Lumos, bringer of the light. Your radiance and mercy guide us safely through the night."
In the corner of her eye, she saw the bloody shape of Sir Walter turn to face her as she took on a bright glow. She could see the pleading in his eyes, begging her to get back. But she knew what she must do. There was no returning from where she was going.
"Illumine our darkness, and keep us safe we pray,"
The light built up around her and time came to a halt as she looked up to the sky to see a single ray of light breaking through the overcast clouds of the land.
"That we may rise and worship you, o Keeper of the Day."
Sir Walter's pleading cry of No only scarcely reached her ears. And then she was gone. In her place, a brilliant pillar of light, and a wave of holy breath that spread across the battlefield. As if guided by her benevolence, a holy spell cast by one who could never hold another being any ill will, it swept over the battlefield, doing no harm to man or monster, and in one brilliant sacrifice, she turned the tide.
The oncoming hordes of Ghouls stopped in their tracks. They froze, as if held back by a gentle hand, and fear lit in their eyes. As one, they turned and fled, retreating back into the forest from whence they came. It was as if the spell knew its target, for no monsters of the Crusade were affected, and all watched as the oncoming army turned and fled.
And then, as if touched by the hand of a benevolent deity, the dead of the Crusade started, took sharp breaths, and stood from the ground. Those who had fallen lived again, as if untouched by the battle, and looked up to the sky to see that for one brief moment in Nocturna's history, the sun shone brilliantly in the sky above the Blacklands.
But one could not look at the sky. Could not bring up his head to see the sun's rays. Sir walter knelt at the spot Sister Lumina had been standing moments before her brilliant sacrifice. Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed down at the earth where her feet had stood. Such an innocent creature had never been destined for war. Walter had brought her with him to protect her, and to make use of her healing skills, unrivaled in the church of Lumos. Somewhere in his mind he had thought that this might happen, but he had prayed that this day would never come. Lumina had never held any anger or born any grudge. She had never offered anyone anything but a warm smile and Lumos's generous kindness. She was not meant for battle, and now she was gone. A gift too precious for this blood-tainted world, Sister Lumina had ascended to sit beside her god of light.
