Chapter 90: Hallowed Ground
Endyr poked her head out of the alley and watched as the square continued to fill. She was slightly tense, despite the trust she held in her own abilities, and so was prepared to bolt back into the shadows at the slightest sign of detection. Yet her worries were unfounded and no one looked over.
Now filled with confidence, she boldly stepped out into the amber sunlight, though she subconsciously kept herself almost unnoticeably bent over, in preparation to pounce away if anything went awry. Like this, she stalked closer and closer to the temple, skirting around the edges of the mob. It was harder than it sounded at times, since the number of people was ever increasing, and everyone was being jostled to the side to make room for others.
Thrice was Endyr nearly caught, and once a small child actually nudged against her. Thankfully though, he was too young to pay attention and had no reaction. Apart from this mishap though, it was smooth sailing all the way to the gates of the temple. Here, men and woman in glamorous gold armour stood proudly, as pear in one hand, shield in the other and sabre at the waist. All of them, male or female, had golden hair and eyes, and wore a helmet that only revealed the bridge of their nose and eyes.
Unlike the crowd, which was a mix of Caucasians and coloured, all these guards were tanned brown, with skin similar to the dusk that had seized the city. Clearly, there was some racial positioning going on, and Endyr presumed these people were the upper class of the city, or were separate from the rest of the populace at least.
Despite their difference though, they still didn't detect Endyr as she snuck past them. It helped that none were guarding the stairs directly, instead spread out along the sides as they surveyed the crowd. By now, everyone seemed to have arrived, since the street behind the plaza was empty and the plaza itself was at full capacity. Endyr was once again surprised by the size of the city population, which easily reached a hundred thousand. And most seemed to have gathered in this one place.
Endyr decided against taking the stairs, instead hopping up the side and manoeuvring around the pillars. It was the right decision, as only moments later the temple doors swung open and a congregation began to move out from within. In the lead were women dressed in long white cloaks, their faces hidden by a golden veil. Behind them came more guards, eyes alert for any trouble. Next were the priests, six of differing ages but all sharing the same golden robes embellished with the same symbol: a cross with wings spread out in the back.
Endyr's pupils dilated upon seeing this as she nearly went slack-jawed. The Almighty's symbol? But why are they wearing it? No one has done so since the end of the Golden Era, over 3,000 years ago! What have I gotten myself into?'
The congregation was not finished however. Behind the priests came two more figures: a man and a woman, both with hair and eyes of molten gold. The man wore a more lavish priest robe, while the woman had a sky blue dress that nearly trailed against the ground, with exposed shoulders and a leg slit. A silver tiara adorned her head, while a golden wreath was placed on the man's. They had strikingly similar facial features, and were also some of the most beautiful people, Endyr had seen. Endyr was unable to get a closer look however, since the man's gaze flickered over where she was hiding.
Endyr's heart lurched in her chest as she nearly panicked before getting a hold of herself. Moving quickly, she scurried away from the congregation and around the side of the temple. She could feel the man's gaze meandering around where she was, and she expected a blade to come flying at any given moment. Ultimately though, she successfully made it around the corner and felt the man's gaze vanish.
Back at the front, the man frowned as he stared at where he felt a Mana disturbance. Noticing his odd behaviour, the woman turned her head slightly and spoke without moving her lips. "What troubles you now, Rapelt?"
The man showed no reaction to the voice suddenly speaking in his head as he coolly retracted his gaze and looked out over the crowd. "It was nothing, my dear Sepherene. I just thought I felt something strange over there, but it seems I was mistaken." The man responded in turn, without moving his lips.
The woman, Sepherene, squinted her eyes ever-so-slightly as he scrutinized her partner. "A Sacred like you is spooked by a false alarm? Please dear, I may be your junior but I am no fool."
Rapelt said nothing as he continued to scan the eagerly awaiting crowd. "It is alright anyway, regardless of whether I was mistaken or not" he eventually replied. Sepherene smiled subtly as she made her way to the top of the stairs. "And why is that, my dear Rapelt?"
Rapelt joined her and placed his hand atop hers, lifting it up for the crowd to see. The masses responded in wild cheers at the sight, oblivious to the words passing between the two of them.
"Because the others have already been informed of a potential breach."
..........................
Endyr made her way around the building swiftly, looking for another way in. No side doors were to be seen however, so Endyr was forced to look for other venues of entry. Craning her neck, she scanned the walls for windows or openings she could fit through, and managed to find one that fit her criteria. Extending her claws (which still had flecks of blood on them), she dug them into the golden stone of the temple with bated breath. Wincing at the sound it made, she began to scale the wall, keeping her senses sharp for anyone coming around the corner. As she climbed, she left small grooves behind, causing her to wish she could fly instead. But she didn't dare use her wings in such close contact to those two, afraid they would hear or sense the flapping.
After what felt like an eternity but was really only a minute or two at most, Endyr reached the opening. It seemed to be for ventilation purposes, since there was a white curtain loosely tied to the edges to keep out the draft. Pushing through it, Endyr dropped down to the ground, cringing at the thunk she made upon contact. The area seemed clear of people though, and Endyr gradually relaxed her tense muscles.
'Between this and making my way across the city, I must be overdue for a spa bath' she thought to herself, already feeling the cost of being on alert for so long in her back and shoulders. She began walking forward, taking in the view as she did so.
The temple was truly gigantic, and the side she entered from was easily a hundred meters long. Why someone even needed such a uselessly large temple, Endyr had no idea. The section she was in was relatively barren as a result though, with busts, paintings, fountains, benches and pillars trying to fill the space. The roof was made of stained glass, and the interior was cast in a soft golden glow that emitted a holy and serene aura. As she walked through the towering rooms, Endyr could not help but feel the presence of the divine.
'If those priests aren't pretending, then the presence I feel should belong to the Almighty Primordial. This doesn't match the architectural style of the Golden Era I've studied though. While gold is prevalent in every time period, the Third Era made use of all materials and not that alone. Or maybe I'm in a special location?'
Endyr's thoughts wandered to the citadel atop the mountain as she once again wondered who could live there. This time though, her steps gradually came to a stop as she began to gather the strings together. Her breath unknowingly caught in her throat as she began to see the full picture.
'In the Chaotic Era, the main materials used were those favoured by the Ancient Gods. Red for Vampires, Black for Devils, white for Angels, gold for Dragons, silver for Giants, green for Elves...In the Third Era, this tend continued but for the Subordinate Gods. Yellow for Sol, black for Nyx, green for Gaia, purple for Jester...but the use of gold was used mainly to commemorate one singular Deity. The Almighty Primordial.'
'Historians managed to figure out what settlements believed in what Deity depending on the colour scheme used. However, there are also cases of Gods directly residing in a settlement. When that happens, the people would naturally shower the city in that God's colour...So if this entire city, and even the upper sections of its population are covered in gold...'
Just as Endyr realised just who's city she was in, she felt all the Mana surrounding her be sucked away in an instant. Before she could do anything, she was forced to her knees as her invisibility was dispelled . Once she appeared, the pressure increased threefold, sending her sprawling on the ground as she struggled to breath. She became distantly aware of figures approaching from in front, but her vision was blurry.
"Well, well well. What do we have here, but a stray Abomination in our Holy Grounds? How did this happen?" a male voice rang out, playful in tone yet with an underlying threat lurking.
"A question I am also curious to know the answer to" mused a second voice, female this time. Hers was steady and calm.
"Ponder about such filth in a different location" snapped a third voice gruffly. Male again. "Let's just exterminate it now, before it spoils the grounds even more than it already has."
Endyr managed to raise her head, catching sight of the legs of her three attackers. Yet as she tried to go further, the pressure increased and slammed her forehead into the marble floor with a resounding thwack.
"You will look at us only when we permit so, Abomination" the first voice spoke arrogantly, with the youth in it now apparent to Endyr. She estimated him to be no older than fourteen, but knew better than to assume youth was a sign of anything in this world.
"Hum-m-m-m" the female voice seemed to be thinking as the sound of clothes shuffling reached Endyr's ears. "Rapelt claimed the Abomination managed top avoid his senses until the last minute. Added to the fact if even got this far, and there is obviously something unique about this one. I say we bring it to our Lord and let "Him" decided what to do."
"You seek to trouble the Lord with such filth?" the third voice argued scornfully. Endyr sensed Mana bubbling around her, saw the flames erupt from the corner of her eye, felt the heat began to scorch her scales as the fire slowly began to move closer.
Just as she begun wincing, the childish voice spoke up again. "No no, she has a point. I say we bring the Abomination to the Boss. Bartholomeus could use another experiment anyway, since his last one went and died on him."
The third voice scoffed but withdrew his flames, stepping away from Endyr. The woman also retreated a shot step, leaving only the child remaining. "You can look up now" he permitted causally, the force keeping Endyr down vanishing with his words. She struggled to tilt her head back, staring into the face of the one that just decided her fate.
Straight into his bright, purple eyes.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone