Walking through an empty backstreet, away from the bustle of carriages and shouting merchants, Solis was deep in thought.
My advancement into a mage over 10 years ago brought about welcome changes to my body. I was gifted a massive physical upgrade, I gained total resistance to sunburn and gained the ability to tread light. When am I going to get something more powerful? Something that truly makes me a mage... Even two years ago, after receiving the Stage 9 Solar Supplicant potion, my supernatural powers only slightly increased.
My physical strength and endurance increased, as well as increased immunity to ailments, and I can form basic disks and needles of light from my hands.
Solis stopped outside of the white Cathedral standing tall in the middle of the large city, and entered through the font double doors. He walked down the middle aisle of the wooden pews and through a doorway behind the lectern. Bishop Crestet sat in waiting down the steps through the doorway, sitting comfortably outside a white double door with a comically large yellow padlock keeping it shut.
"Bishop, how are you?" Solis greeted politely. He had a strange feeling today would be the day he had been waiting for.
"I'm quite alright, thank you, Solis. Take a seat, I have something for you." The Bishop waved his hand at a seat opposite him, beckoning Solis over. The boy sat down slightly slouched. Bishop Crestet reached into his robe and pulled out a small bottle containing a deep yellow liquid.
"Here 'ya go, kid. I'm sure you've been wanting this for a while."
Solis took the bottle from the Bishop's outstretched hand and held it gently. "There's an altar over there, go pray before ingesting the potion. I'll keep watch. This won't go as smoothly as your last two times." The Bishop pointed to an anvil-like metal table littered with candles and yellow flowers. Solis approached the altar, positioned the candles in a circle, placed the bottle of yellow liquid in the middle, and scattered the flowers, beginning his prayer.
"The Holy Sun,
The Eternal Fire,
The Embodiment of Light,
The King of Opulence,
The Spirit of the Sky
The God of the Day."
He reached into the circle of flames and pulled out the Stage 8 potion. He popped the lid off with his thumb and brought the bottle close to his lips, tipping his head back slightly and pouring the boiling liquid down his throat. The yellow liquid seared the throat like molten gold, and he immediately heard a faint whispering that originated from a location impossibly far away, yet also sounded like it came from within him. Solis' head met the floor as the ravings grew louder. His skin turned bright yellow and melted off his bones, dripping like lava onto the cracked stone floor. His skeletal fingers clawed at his face and throat, trying to find his voice and breath. Red blood filled his eyes and he lost most of his vision, his cries of pain still yet to flow on his breath. Information flooded Solis' brain and added to his mental affliction.
After what felt like hours of torture, Solis' flesh seeped up from the ground and returned to him, settling on his bones. His bloodshot eyes recessed into their normal yellow state, now more yellow than ever. Solis lay on the ground panting. Bishop Crestet said something to him, but it fell on deaf ears. His wooden-soled shoes lacked along the stone ground as he approached the pained body on the floor, grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet.
"Solis, are you alright?" His unconcerned voice rang.
"Yea. I think."
"Good. Take a seat." The two returned to their seats at the small round table.
"How was my advancement compared to others? Was mine way worse?"
"No, actually. Yours was quite mild."
"Mild!? I almost died! How can you call that mild?"
"You were fine, boy. Your flesh turning molten was a telltale sign the advancement had begun. Your flesh returned to you normally, and you successfully advanced. Had you lost control of your advancement, your flesh would have returned to your body and never reverted from its molten state, turning you into what we call a 'Kindled Skeleton.'"
Solis quieted down and assessed the knowledge that had been injected into his mind during the advancement.
Stage 8 - Enkindled
Flesh Kindling - Set parts of one's flesh ablaze to absorb minor physical attacks and spells, and deliver major burns via physical contact.
Ignition - Set a small object within 5 meters on fire
Wave of Light - produce a wave of light that brightens the affected area and dispels corruption and decay.
Light Projection - When target is within range, lock them in 2-dimensional confinement until they receive another attack.
Torch - Coat fist in light to function as primary light source. In conjunction with physical contact, can be used as an attack. Greatly effective against enemies weak to high intensities of light.
Physical Improvements - All physical attributes receive a small increase.
Mana - All previous-Stage spells receive upgrade and overall amount of mana in body increased greatly.
At stage 8, the first major turning point in a Sun channel Mage's career, Solis had gained many supernatural abilities!
"Alright, kid. Listen up. You've now reached Stage 8, and in accordance with the Church's policy, you now owe us your life. To repay the Church for the expense of giving you a Stage 8 potion despite not doing anything for it, you must now join the Inquisition and fight for the protection of Heliopolis and the safety of Aritr. Don't worry, it comes with perks. By racking up 'brownie points' by completing missions, you can request the potion for your next Stage, the Church will also provide you with the privilege to wield powerful Sealed Relics - temporarily, that is."
Failing to hide his giddy smile, Solis spoke in a gleeful tone, "I'm willing to join."
"Good. You didn't have much of a choice, but it's good you're willing.
Now, legally, I have to explain some things to you. The first - Sealed Relics. Sealed Relics are artefacts that have formed after the death of a Mage. When a mage dies, the remnants of their potion fuse with a nearby weapon or item - such as a ring, brooch, or sword - and create a Relic of a mage's power that must be sealed, as they can come with major side effects. Sealed Relics are graded 5 through 0, with Grade 0 being the highest, only wieldable by a Bishop or higher-ranking Inquisitor through direct permission from the Pope Himself.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Second - Your position. You will join a random team and will be the lowest authority there. Outside, however, you carry the authority of a regular Police Inspector. Most of the local Police must do what you say, in accordance with your new authority. If you are caught abusing this new-found authority, you will be immediately stripped of your rank and thrown out of the Church.
Thirdly - You will face enemy mages. That is your job, after all. Spoils of war will be collected by the Captain of your team or the highest authority present, and it is their responsibility to distribute the spoils fairly based on participation. Any Relics with major side effects are to be turned in to the Church as soon as possible to be sealed. There is no room for debate. If you believe you are being unfairly treated and not receiving the rewards you should be, you can take that up with me or another Bishop. Don't bother the Archbishops.
Am I very clear on everything I've just said? This may be your last chance to ask questions before you're thrown into the deep end." This was the sternest Solis had ever heard the Bishop speak.
"I understand my duties," Solis spoke in a solemn tone and placed his left hand on his right chest.
"Excellent. Follow me. Time to meet your new squad."
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Bishop Crestet took a white key from the pocket of his white dress pants and inserted it into the padlock with a twist. The white doors swung open with great force, and the Bishop walked in confidently. "Follow me." His low voice echoed from within the corridor.
The two walked in silence, their shoes clattering on the mottled stone path. They suddenly turned around a sharp right corner, and light flooded Solis' eyes.
"This is the Portal of Light. An ancient Relic from God-knows-who that has no dangerous side effects and is too useful to seal. This portal connects the main Church, the Cathedral of the Sun, to all other Churches around the world as well as the Hall of Light - where the Relics and sealed. Come, you may feel dizzy, but that's the only side effect." Bishop Crestet walked toward the beacon, back straight as an arrow, before vanishing into the amalgamation of iridescent light. Solis followed closely behind, cramming his eyelids closed as he ventured into the formless light.
Solis stumbled out of the beacon and doubled over, clutching his stomach. "That felt so weird."
"You'll get used to it. Come, your teammates are up ahead." The Bishop continued through the hallway, walking past countless artefacts encased in glass cabinets and other various containers. He led Solis to the middle of the vast hall where five other Mages were sitting around a circular table playing cards. He cleared his throat and the five of them immediately stood up and bowed. "Greetings, you lot. This is the new recruit I told you about, Solis. He'll be working with you from now on."
Solis took a step forward and introduced himself, gauging the reactions of his new teammates. None of them seemed overly excited about their new teammate, but neither did they seem upset about it.
"Nice to meet you, Solis. I'm Captain Durk. The captain of this squad." A tall man with wheat-blonde hair tied behind his head with strands cascading down his forehead stood stepped forward and stuck his hand out for Solis to shake.
"Nice to meet you, too." Solis shook his Captain's large hand firmly, noticing Durk's many calluses.
"Alright, now that you're here, I'll take my leave. I expect you'll tell Solis everything he needs to know, right Durk?" Bishop Crestet shoved his hands back into his pockets and met Durk's eyes.
"Of course, Bishop. Have a seat, Solis."
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The six of them sat around the table, introducing themselves in turn.
"I'm Darla. Darla Knight. I'm a recently advanced Stage 7 Endorser. Nice to meet you, Solis." A young, cheerful woman spoke.
"Carver Jackson. Stage 7 Endorser. Welcome to the team." The hoarse voice belonged to a man with a scar across his nose and golden-brown hair cut short.
"Tagger Scott. Stage 9 Solar Supplicant." He was a rather flamboyant man with yellow eye shadow and yellow-painted fingernails. He had slightly modified his uniform to look less like a formal suit and more like an ordinary dress shirt, and he wore no tie. On his sat a wide-brimmed hat and a large yellow feather stuck to it.
"Valentino. Stage 8 Gambler of the Fate channel. Pleasure to meet you." He was a far simpler man, roughly 20, with buzz-cut dark brown hair and a thin scar over his left eye, which he kept shut.
"I've already introduced myself, but I'll do it again formally. My name is Durk Scolaar. I'm the Captain of this team and I have been a member of the Holy Inquisition for nearly 20 years. I'm a Stage 6 Photomancer." Captain Durk was a man in his late forties wearing the same white suit as all other Inquisitors but had a white flowing cape tied to his shoulders with golden epaulettes.
"My name's Solis. I've just advanced to Stage 8, Enkindled. I hope we can all get along."
"Now that we're all introduced, I'll get you up to speed." The gentle-sounding captain spoke.
"The large yellow door emitting a faint golden hue is the entrance to the dungeon where the Grade 0 Sealed Relics are kept. Never been inside, so don't ask." He pointed to a yellow door behind me, devoid of any spectacular decorations, far away from any Sealed Relics containers.
"Sealed Relics of Grades 5 to 2 are sealed here, with Grade 1 artefacts being sealed further through the corridor. Our job as Inquisitors varies a lot, with some days being assigned to guarding the Relic storage - the Hall of Light - and other days being deployed on field duty. Our field missions never stray too far from the Capital, and if our target ventures into the Church of Mother Earth's jurisdiction, we just have to leave it and report it to their Church. Churches are very strict on who enters their territories, you see. We aren't usually stationed inside the Captial, as the weaker Inquisition teams take care of that."
"Wait. Why would weaker teams deal with missions in the Capital? Aren't they the most important?"
"You're right. To a degree. Most unaffiliated mages, or mages with ties to secret organisations, steer clear of capitals due to the simple fact that a Church's strongest force resides in the Capital. For us, that's Pope Aurum, Cardinal Ouroboros, and the two Saints who reside in Heliopolis, Saintess Vivienne and Saint Apollo." Valentino's gruff voice explained.
"How many Saints does our Church have?"
"Four in total. Saint Marco and Saintess Jacquelyn are stationed elsewhere. There might be a new Saint soon though, as Bishop Crestet has been receiving high praise from the higher-ups."
"I see. There's something I've been itching to ask someone for ages... Pope Aurum and Cardinal Ouroboros... How strong are they? How can they hold a higher position than even a demi-God?"
"Good question. Truth is, that's a question we all want the answer to as well."
Solis' eyes thinned and his brows furrowed, as if deep in thought. "I see. Thank you for telling me. When do we start?"
"Well, this technically counts as your first day, but luckily for you, we're only guarding the Relic room. Not once in the history of this Cathedral has anyone ever tried to break in or leave with something they shouldn't, so it's about the easiest job possible, and we get paid the same!" The Captain's deep voice rang around the stone chamber.
"That reminds me, go back through the hall you came from and find a door with the word 'fitting' on it. Find Samone and tell her to give you your new uniform, then enter the opposite door and ask Jacaby for your service weapons." Captain pointed to the dimly lit hallway opposite the secret yellow door.
"Alright." Solis stood from his chair and walked towards the hall he had entered from and sought out a door with the word 'fitting' on it.
He entered the room after knocking thrice and approached the lady at the desk. The room was lined with cabinets containing the same white suit, white dress shoes, white shirt and yellow tie in many different sizes.
"Excuse me, Madam, I'm here to collect my uniform."
"Hmmm, quite a young one ain't 'ya. Very well then. Stand still, legs shoulder width apart and arms out; I'll take your measurements." The elderly lady nudged her glasses and reached into a drawer in her desk, pulling out a tape measure.