A few seconds later, the chattering quieted down. A tall figure stepped out of the vestry which lay behind the altar.

The circular tinted window above the altar tainted the chapel in a purplish-blue hue, concealing the figure behind. When he stepped into the light, all churchgoers fell into a mystical trance-like state.

The father was a middle-aged man with sharp features, his hazel hair tied into a bun. His full beard was tidily trimmed, and he wore a relaxed expression. His mere presence exuded serenity with a hint of authority.

“Good morning, everyone!”

He opened his arms to the crowd, “Advocates of righteousness, devotees to a faith which guides us all through peaceful and treacherous times alike. Choir, rise!”

The crowd in the first few pews rose to their feet. At the same time, the deep organs which had awoken him before sounded, introducing the anthem. When it was time, the choir raised their voices in a captivating polyphony.

With hearts of faith, we tread,

Through paths unknown, we are led.

Upholding trust, we must,

If not, the heart will rust.

Between Heaven and Earth, ‘They’ dwell,

It’s the malice, they dispel.

For eternity, we must,

Resist Evil’s lust.

We tread trough mountain and marsh,

Prevailing the wind’s harsh’.

Falling and rising forever,

But yielding, we shall never!

With the anthem concluding, the enthralled crowd slowly regained mental clarity, sharper than it was before, while minor pain ceased completely. Deus shivered slightly as he was struck by the realization that there was truly a higher being — with his injuries alleviated, he felt as if reborn.

The father’s voice resounded throughout the chapel, “May the Gods heed our faith and revitalize our spirits. Brother Zarael, come forth.”

He stepped away from the altar, while a fairly young but mature man garbed in a white tunic approached from the side. The man possessed a light brown complexion with an afro, while holding a heavy tome in his hands. Placing it on the lectern, he flipped to a certain page and began reading.

The Revelation of Versailles

Chapter 1, Section 1:

In the beginning, there was the Eternal Light. For an eternity, it mercilessly melted the Earth below, ignoring its desperate pleads.

“Oh Eternal Light, spare me! For it is I, who gave you form and purpose!”

But the Eternal Light didn’t listen, burning all that stood its way.

Another eternity passed, when from the very shadows cast by the Eternal Light, Nightfall arose.

The Earth pleaded, “Oh Nightfall, soothe your father! For it is I, who bore you!”

Nightfall immediately descended onto the Eternal Light, swallowing it whole. The Earth was cast into darkness, allowing life to spring from it. But soon, life began to cease.

The humans immediately attacked the Nightfall, “Nightfall! We can’t survive without the Eternal Light! You must spit it out!”

The Nightfall’s veins bulged, “Don’t tell me what to do!”

All life died, and the last human dropped dead. Before his corpse turned into dirt, he uttered, “Oh, Nightfall! I am truly sorry. We should have never attacked you!”

The Nightfall sifted through the dirt, “Oh humans, you have something I don’t — you learn from your failures. Once, my father annihilated everything. Let me learn from his mistakes.”

The Nightfall spat out the Eternal Light and said, “Father, from now on we’ll share.”

The Eternal Light was mindless, it continued to shine as before. Meanwhile, the Nightfall hid behind the Earth.

Life arose soon again, and humans populated the Earth.

From thereon, both shared the Earth as Night and Day.

That’s quite the fable, Deus muttered under his breath. Although he was convinced of a higher being, this was quite unbelievable. He wasn’t sure if the believers took it seriously.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Thank you, brother Zarael,” thanked the father as both switched places once again, “I’ve slightly readjusted the schedule, but we’ll proceed as normal after that.”

The crowd erupted into silent whispers. When the father loudly cleared his throat, it ceased again, interrupted only by a few occasional coughs.

The crowd assumed several prayer gestures, while their eyes were all unanimously shut. Deus imitated them, choosing to interlock his hands while clasping his thumbs together. This was the gesture the majority had assumed, including sister Mary and the father.

His serene voice resounded, laced with a hint of utmost devotion.

The Queen of Darkness,

Demise to the Infernal Torch,

She, born within the Abyss.

I beseech thee,

May thou divinity grace us all,

And purge all impurities.

At the next moment, darkness enveloped the world. An ominous sensation emerged from below his navel. His wound — which was nearly closed by now — was now throbbing again.

Deus tried turning his head, scrutinizing his surroundings. However, there was no light at all!

His heartbeat quickened slightly. Had it been a mistake to participate in church service? He’d figured since sister Mary insisted on going to Novaston to dispel all evil influences, there should be no great threats until then.

Deus gritted his teeth, regretting his relaxed attitude. He had taken possession of a foreign body and treated akin to an evil spirit. Even if it was some weak exorcism ritual, he didn’t know how to defend against these measures at all!

This was his greatest weakness, and he had neglected it. However, there was no use fretting over this any longer. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

He furrowed his brows and concentrated on his navel. I should focus on surviving this!

Many would consider this sensory deprivation to be a death sentence, but he’d already come up with a few ideas to endure this ordeal.

There were few clues to work with. He had ample time to analyze the situation he found himself in when first transmigrating into this world while resting in the vestry. The cult’s ritual resulted in the possession of the sacrifice. Why did they stab the navel? Was it a coincidence, or did it have a deeper meaning?

He’d try casting his attention on the place right below the navel. Albeit faint, there was some strange response. It was a rhythmic pulse, tricky to distinguish as it was drowned by the throbbing pain of his wound.

Now that his senses weren’t occupied and the pain in his navel was relieved by the anthem earlier, there was the chance to try again.

He cast his attention below his navel again. A few breaths later, he found the pulse!

As all his attention was cast on this vibration, only now did he realize how irregular it was. He exhaled deeply, probing further.

Several moments later, his heart skipped a beat.

The pulse is growing weaker rapidly! His mind was slightly swayed, and he lost focus immediately.

Without any delay, he steadied his breathing and returned looking for it again. It didn’t take long for him to reestablish this connection. However, with every passing moment, this connection grew further apart. It was like trying to regain a hold of an anchor plunged into the depths of the sea — the anchor didn’t become any lighter, but the grasp on it grew more tenuous, and while he could try his hardest to pull it back up, it would only sink deeper.

His mind was resolute. Simply directing his attention to the vibration wasn’t going to change anything. He tried weighing his options, but there were too few.

Although the Queen of Darkness’s power is weakening this vibration, it seems like more of a passive attack. What else could match this power?

Immediately, he decided to take a bet and started chanting for his life.

The Unyielding Light of the New Age,

The Apostate of Seven Kings,

Transmuter of countless souls,

Help me!

He was related to this entity in some capacity, but he didn’t know whether their relationship was conflicting or harmonious. And although he didn’t have anything to offer, there was nothing else he could rely on.

As if imprinted into the essence of his soul, he instinctively conjured the image of five bodies. It was a strange feeling, like they were superimposed, yet infinitely far apart. The most vivid body was that of the man he possessed, in his forties and appeared fairly malnourished.

Two less vivid bodies simultaneously existed in two separate states of being, both resembling the silhouette of this man. However, when one inspected them fully, they would find that one of the bodies was luminous and colorful, extending outwards as if dissolving into thin air. The other one was condensed in constantly fluctuating strings of information and geometric shapes.

Likewise, the remaining bodies were of similar quality, although they rather resembled the body he assumed in the world of fog — similarly malnourished, but tall and more youthful. While they themselves were superimposed, they were entirely separate from the other bodies, their connection wasn’t dwindling either.

Suddenly, he noticed their respective pulses were just slightly asynchronous themselves. He had an epiphany, My soul seems to be bound to the remaining two bodies. What if the ritual exploits the link between either bodies?

And since the less vivid bodies resemble each other, the issue should lie therein.

By now, he could barely sense the vibration of the foreign bodies.

Immediately, he willed for the less vivid bodies to coalesce. Initially, they resisted his will, merely clutching against each other. He persisted, until slowly, their silhouettes began to melt, ensued by a slight discomfort. A few seconds later, a scorching heat assaulted his entire body while his wound had reopened. He gritted his teeth, persevering.

The area around the waist was the first to coalesce, the pulse intensifying with each passing second. Despite all, the connection continued faing.

Under the heat of this process, he could sense parts of his skin expanding into several bubbles. The largest bubble — around a forearm's length — formed on his chest, squeezed in between both fusing bodies.

It’s going to pop! Deus gritted his teeth, preparing himself for what was to come.

His body convulsed moments before, announcing the burst.

Bang!

Bang!

A chain reaction ensued, his consciousness was hanging by a thread!

I can’t pass out now! He balled his hand into a fist and regained focus. Instead of willing to reverse this process, he accelerated it. By now, the soul's pulse was extremely rapid, much more than what the heart would be able to endure. Mere breaths remained until the connection was completely lost. There was no going back now.

Bang!