Torrent City, Luminous Cathedral.
When Maria's squad finally arrived at the Luminous Cathedral after their long and tiring journey, they found throngs of worshippers gathered under the resplendent structure of gold, silver, and white. Their voices rose in unison, chanting hymns to the Sun Gods, so fervent and overwhelming that one could hardly bear to look directly at that blazing radiance.
Fortunately, the zeal had not completely drowned out reason.
The faithful outside the cathedral still kept their order, unlike certain regions where fervor had long since tipped into madness. Maria even noticed among those keeping order the familiar figures of the city guard. As the noble power of Torrent City, their presence here was… intriguing.
"Praise the Sun."
The clerics within the squad were quickly swept up in the chorus, adding their own voices to the chant.
Back again, are we…
Dismounting, Lady Maria led her steed forward, lifting her gaze toward the solemn building she knew so well. To her, the Luminous Cathedral had never been a place of deep transformation. That role belonged to her hometown of Seth Town, burned forever into her memory through fire and blood.
"Is all that really pure gold and silver?" Gehrman stroked his stubbled chin, eyeing the gilded carvings with undisguised interest.
"Of course not."
Maria's lips twitched. Somehow this Gehrman always found a way to make people choke back laughter, or irritation. No matter the wealth of the Radiant Church, such wasteful extravagance would violate their own doctrine.
"All gilding… Enough, Gehrman. If you keep this up, I'll lose face because of you."
Shaking her head helplessly, Maria glanced at her shameless teacher, who looked very much like he was ready to chip off a piece of ornament for pocket change.
"Hmph, a foreigner is always a foreigner."
Leaping down from the carriage, Felia's small face filled with disdain as she caught sight of Gehrman's antics. To behave so disgracefully in public, utterly humiliating!
"Well, the pampered bean sprout could never understand the hardships of us common folk ~ Oops, sorry, did that strike a nerve? Don't forget, your life won't be like before anymore. Soon you'll be nothing but a freeloader clinging to your dear sister. How pathetic, Felia, hating your sister, yet destined to live off her"
"You-! I won't become a freeloader!"
Felia lunged, trying to kick Gehrman's knee, chasing him into the cathedral as he laughed. Watching her teacher and younger sister bicker like children, Maria brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. Was it her fate to look after these two immature souls?
So this is humanity… Losing, gaining, and somehow struggling forward with scars.
"Until your new room is prepared, you can stay with me."
Maria's chamber was spotless and orderly, every item perfectly arranged, a reflection of her own meticulous nature. Even the book on her desk lay open at the same page she had left it. The attendants had kept everything in careful order.
"You mean… share the same bed?"
Felia shuffled her foot against the floor, reluctant.
"No. It's spacious enough here. I'll sleep on the ground."
Maria smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle her sister's hair. From now on, the two of them would depend on each other.
"What? You on the floor? No way… Just sleep with me, we're sisters after all. As for what I said before, that seeing you reminded me of terrible things, don't take it to heart." Felia's voice grew quieter under her sister's touch.
I never hated you. I hated my own weakness.
"I always knew."
Maria's smile was gentle. She had always understood her little sister, how could she ever mistake her?
"Rest here a while. I have business to attend to." She had been gone from the Luminous Cathedral for days, and wondered what had transpired. Truth be told, she was concerned about her "contacts" here. Not that she feared sudden death, but who knew what chaos the players had stirred in her absence?
Especially that turncoat, the player with the ID Su. Hopefully no righteous-aligned NPC had already cut him down. And what of the others who strove relentlessly forward, what heights had they reached now?
And then…
Walking through the cathedral's garden hall, Maria suddenly lifted her eyes skyward. The sun stood high at noon, yet it lacked its usual brilliance. A faint dusk-like hue hung over it, and though its rays fell upon her shoulders, they offered little warmth.
The Flame is fading.
"The Flame is fading…"
At the very top of the cathedral, Archbishop Mark stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing upon the dimming sun. As the highest mortal servant of the divine, he understood better than any the state of the Sun Gods. Nearly all had withdrawn, leaving only the Sun's youngest son, Gwyndolin, to uphold their fading honor.
A belated oracle. The rise of radicals within the Church.
The old archbishop was truly old. His lifespan neared its end, and he had given his life wholly to the Solar Church. He had hoped for a peaceful close. Yet now, on the edge of death, a storm unlike any before bore down upon him, upon his flock, and upon the Church itself.
Archbishop Mark, weathered through a lifetime of trials, now faltered at the end. For his decisions might determine the fate of all Southwind Province.
An autumn of troubles indeed.
Long he pondered in the belfry, but no clarity came. A lifetime of piety bound him. Even if he sensed the oracle was wrong, how could he defy the will of the gods?
And so, would he simply watch Torrent City become a volcano waiting to erupt?
✦✧✦
💌 Support me on Patreon to access future chapters and exclusive content: patreon.com/m0claw