Author's Note: Well I am absolutely tired, but I will still continue writing on regardless. First off, I just wanted to say thank you to those who continue to read this story, and as a promise to all of you who keep reading, I'll finally start plot development. Second, my summer schedule has slowed down slightly for now, but will pick up again in the next week or so, meaning longer wait times. I apologize for the inconsistent release dates, but with how sporadic and busy my schedule has been, it's hard finding time to write and at, for me, a decent quality.  With that last piece of exposition, thank you for reading, and enjoy the latest chapter of CC.

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"Where are we heading again?" Shinku exhaustedly repeated to Noelle for the upteenth time.

"You'll see!" She gleefully replied while skipping further ahead.

"We've been walking aimlessly for the last hour or so." came a snappy replied.

"Isn't that point of a date?" Noelle playfully inquired with a devilish smile.

"W-were just spending time together! Not dating." Shinku reassured her(himself) as his face began to burn.

"You keep telling yourself that then. Hey! Hurry up or I'm going to leave you behind!"

"I'm coming! No need to rush me."

The two made their way up the sloped street toward a large building constructed of pristine white material. Surrounding the structure was a large eroding wall overgrown with vines showing years of neglect.

Facing the street was a large abandoned gateway with the small gatehouse attached to the side of it.

"Why are we headed to the Church of Orihs?

No one comes here anymore, and there's nothing interesting to see."

"I just thought it's be fun exploring with you.

I'm sure there's at least one interesting thing in here.

Come on! Let's go!"

"Hey!?" Shinku exclaimed as Noelle whisked him through the rusting gates.

Submitting to Noelle's eagerness, Shinku decided to prospect his surroundings.

Inside the walls was a grand inner-yard weathered from disuse.

On both sides of the stone walkway leading to the entrance of the synasion was a decrepit garden filled with weeds.

Close to the wall grew a large willow with long droopy limbs that created a veil of foliage.

At the end of the walkway lay a roundabout around a large stone fountain filled with murky liquid reeking of decay.

The frozen figure of Orihs stared down upon them with an expression no longer readable.

Jutting out from behind that was the Hall of Reverance for Orihs. Attached behind that was a building resembling a manor.

Like the rest of the surroundings, the manor was rundown, but the Hall, made of pure white material, seemed untouched by the corrosion of time.

"Let's go inside!"

"Sure."

The building seemed far away, but before he knew it, they were outside the hall, its giant doors looming over them.

Shinku pushed the surprisingly light doors inward, creating a loud creaking as they opened.

"Uwahhhh..." Noelle breathtakingly whispered.

Just inside were rows upon rows of seats all faced to a large altar.

Behind it, barely fitting on the wall was an enormous engraving of a crescent complete with ornate trimming.

Despite the neglect, an atmosphere of serenity and reverence permeated from every part of the spacious room.

"I guess.... it's kinda impressive."

"Yeah... Let's keep going."

"This wasn't interesting enough for you?"

"Not when there's more just behind the next door!"

"Fine. You lead the way."

Underneath the crescent on the wall was a set of ornate doors, less impressive than the Hall's, but resembled a manor's entrance.

Going through them, the two came upon a grand ballroom covered with dust.

To the sides were several decorations and doors quietly fading into years of time.

Even the grand staircase at the end of the room seemed to droop as the two staircases branching off of it seemed to go to a zero space.

"This place feels...kinda sad." Noelle dejectedly stated.

If I let Noelle stay here, she might get depressed. Shinku thought to himself seeing the melancholic expression Noelle was making.

"Let's keep going." Shinku calmly stated pulling Noelle along with him.

Going up the stairs, he glanced at the painting at the top of them.

A grand portrait of Orihs gallantly watching over the room hung above them.

Shinku's initial thought about the picture was Pompous, but he had no idea why.

Passing by the painting, the two began wandering through the halls of the second floor.

There's nothing here. He thought to himself as they passed room after room, abandoned and forgotten.

"Shinku..." Noelle almost whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go down there." She pointed to a hall in at the center of a T-section.

Walking down it, they soon came upon what appeared to be a large library behind a pair of doors.

The room exuded a comforting aroma of aging paper and bindings.

The stillness of the air took their breathe away as dust particles could be seen softly landing on the tables and desk in the room.

"Let's look around a bit." Noelle suggested.

She quietly made her way to a shelf and gently pulled a random book out making a nostalgic face.

After dusting off one of the chairs, she sat down and began reading.

If she wants to read, we can just go some place with books that isn't old and dusty.

As he opened his mouth to say something, Shinku hesitated as he saw how relaxed and meditative Noelle appeared while reading the book.

Maybe I'll do the same then.

Looking from shelf to shelf, he didn't find any books he found interesting, so he made his way to desk at the end of the room.

On it lay a few writing utensils as well as a small lamp for light.

As he was examining the desk, he saw several closed drawers each marked with a different symbol.

Suddenly he was overcome with the sudden urge to go through them.

I wonder what's in these. He thought as he opened them.

Inside were stacks of papers all accounting the fiscal state of the Church of Orihs.

That can't be it. He thought as he continued rummaging through the drawers.

After going through them all, he felt a wave of deep disappointment wash over him.

I was expecting more than just some dusty old finances, oh well.

Shinku pushed a drawer closed.

*click*

On the floor below the desk, a small hatch popped slightly open.

Hmmm?

Gingerly grabbing the edge of the hatch, he lifted it just enough to see inside.

In the small compartment underneath the floor was an old leathery book.

Picking it up, he noticed that on the cover, a plain crescent moon was stiched in with silvery fabric.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

What's with these moons?

They're everywhere.

"What's that?" Noelle asked suddenly peering over his shoulder.

"Wah!?!?" Shinku fumbled with the book before catching it again.

Geez! How does she just sneak up on me?

Noelle looked at him strange as he collected himself.

"It's a book I found under the desk here."

"Ah I see. Oh, it even has the deities' marking on it too. Do you think this book has secret church information?"

So that's what those symbols are.

"Maybe, I'm not sure I want to know, nor do I care to know if it does."

"Why?"

"I'm just not curious."

"Liar...."

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey. Let me see the book. Oops!"

As Noelle made a grab for the book, she "accidentally" dropped it on the floor, pages up.

"Why'd you do that!?"

"Why ask a question to something you already have the answer for?"

"Are you trying to piss me off?"

"Do you think I mean to?"

"Yes!"

"No. Now back to the book."

"We're not do-!"

"Shhhhh! I'm reading"

I swear, one day...

"Hey Shinku." Noelle said interrupting his train of thought. "Something is strange about this book."

"What? That it's open and we're reading it?"

"No. It's just that...I don't know how to describe it.

I feel a certain way when I look at it. Kind of like, I've found something I've been looking for, but at the same time not."

Huh? He thought while glancing down to the book.

His body stopped.

Burning into his retinas was a page of blueprints for some unknown object.

I feel like I've seen this before.

No.

I haven't, but I can't shake the feeling I have.

The faded, detailed sketchings resembled a teardrop with a smaller drop inside.

Connecting to the tip of it was what resembled a chain.

A couple sketches from different angles were drawn in the blanks along with some notes.

"What do you think it is?" Noelle asked, fidgeting slightly from curiosity and excitement?

"I don't know." Shinku carefully lifted the book closer for examination.

The ————

Works well, but requires ——sa——o— to pr———un——b—.

"It's too faded.

Let's see if it says something on the next page."

Shinku carefully flipped the page over.

"What the hell........"

Scrawled thickly over the page were many sketches of a sinister black silhouette in various positions.

There were no identifiable features on any of them, but every drawing seemed to be staring at Shinku.

Most eerily, at the top of the page was a very detailed pair of eyes piercing through him.

Underneath it was a single passage:

It's always watching

Something seems off about this book... he thought now thoroughly ready to leave.

"We can read this elsewhere, so why don't we head on out."

He turned around only to see that Noelle had disappeared.

"Noelle?" His voice seemed to echo in the now empty room.

Where'd she go this time?

Just then, the quiet ambience was broken by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

"Noelle?" he called again.

The footsteps stopped.

Anxiety began building up in Shinku as the silence continued.

Who the hell is it?

Suddenly the doors burst open as a figure flashed towards him brandishing a metal object resembling a stiletto.

"THE FU—!?!?" Shinku shrieked.

Instinctively, he jumped out of the way as the figure embedded the blade into the wall behind him.

Getting a better look at the figure, he noticed it was about his height with a large black cloak on that hid most of its features.

Glaring back at him from underneath the hood was a face with a black cloth concealing everything below its eyes.

Their eyes are glowing blue. Shinku noted before the figure pulled the blade from the wall.

It swiftly drew a second metal object and pointed it at him which began radiating a dangerous scarlet hue.

SHIT! A SEWEG!?

*CRACK!!!*

From the tip of the object flew a metal dart slight thicker than a needle.

Leaping to the side again to dodge the dart, Shinku began analyzing the situation.

Rugkraft user, two sewe— DODGE!!!!!

Bending backwards, a second needle whizzed by scratching his cheek.

Blood began trickling down his face in a small stream as the needle dissolved and reformed back onto the tip of the first seweg, ready for another shot.

No thinking. Instinct only.

Whipping his body back up, the figure charged him again while firing another dart.

Tensing up, Shinku burst forward toward the figure with incredible speed slipping just underneath the blade.

Heat radiated from the object as he brushed past it.

Getting right in front of it, he gripped the seweg and twisted it out of figure's hand.

It quickly followed up with swing towards his heads with the other seweg.

Ducking underneath it, he grabbed the fallen seweg and leapt a small distance away.

The figure pounced after him making at stab at his torso.

Parrying it away, he tried to skillfully stab back at the figure's arm.

Easily flicking the seweg's point to the side, the figure fired another dart while lunging again with more vigor.

Shinku bat the dart out of the air, but ended up  narrowly dodging the second attack.

Before he could counterattack, the figure swung the seweg knocking him on the head.

Despite its petite width, it was stiff and left a dent in his skull before flinging him towards the desk.

Shit, this is it...

His head hit the desk with a THUNK, and phosphenes filled his vision as it slowly started to fade black.

I'm going to die.........aren't I?

Barely conscious, he saw someone grab the fallen seweg and continue the combat with great ferocity.

"SO IT WAS YOU!" a distant voice screamed with rage.

Who.......is..............that...............  

No one answered.

Instead, the warm darkness enveloped him as his mind started fading into nothingness.