The moment the armored woman seemed startled, her gaze darted around the room. But the moment that her eyes locked on to Maya, she drew her sword. "Who are you?"

The Shapestealer, still in her Shadow Knight form, responded, "I'm Maya." Her voice came out much deeper than usual, distorted by the effects of her transformation.

"I'm Sophia, Paladin of the Silver Order. And you will die here, monster!"

Maya, realizing the misunderstanding, hurriedly tried to explain. "I'm not here to fight. I'm just-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Sophia launched an attack. The room echoed with the clash of metal as Maya raised her shadowy sword to parry the Paladin's strike.

The Shapestealer gradually found herself being slowly pushed back, despite her Shadow Knight form. It was almost ridiculous how strong the Paladin was.

Sophia then delivered a powerful kick that caught Maya off guard. She stumbled, struggling to maintain her balance.

In a swift motion, the Paladin imbued her sword with [Smite], causing it to glow with radiant energy. With a fierce cry, she brought her sword down towards Maya.

Maya raised her shadow sword in a desperate attempt to parry. The moment the two blades made contact, a burst of radiant energy erupted from Sophia's sword. The Shapesteler was thrown backward with incredible force, smashing through the wall and tumbling back into the sewers.

Landing hard on the damp ground, Maya lay there for a moment, dazed and disoriented. She could feel her transformation slipping away. If she were to take any more damage, she'd be sure to lose her Shadow Knight form too.

As Sophia approached, she raised her sword once again, its blade glowing intensely. "It's over now, monster."

In a panic, Maya raised her hand and yelled, "Wait!" At that very moment, she dispelled her Shadow Knight form and reverted back to her human form.

the Paladin paused mid-strike, her sword still radiating with energy. "Explain yourself," she demanded, her gaze fixed intently on Maya.

"I'm just an adventurer that wants to get out of this stupid place!" Maya explained frantically.

Sophia regarded Maya for a tense moment. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she deactivated the [Smite] on her sword and sheathed it back at her side. "You have some explaining to do."

***

Sophia gestured for Maya to follow her. They made their way back to the room filled with ritual circles. The stench was marginally more bearable here compared to the sewers, although the large hole in the wall didn't help things.

Once inside, Maya leaned against the wall, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. Sophia stood a few feet away, her eyes still studying Maya intently.

"What are you, exactly?" Sophia asked.

Maya took a deep breath. "I'm human, like you. But I have a Relic Class that allows me to transform into certain creatures that I've seen before."

the Paladin chuckled. "Heh, that's something."

"You mean my Relic Class?"

Sophia glanced sideways briefly. "Yeah…of course, I've never heard of anything like it."

"How it works is pretty simple. Generally, if I know enough about a given creature, I just need to look at them in order to transform into them."

"And afterwards, you can keep transforming into that creature?"

Maya nodded. "That's right."

"Interesting, and you said that you wanted to get out of here?"

"Yeah, not just this sewer though. But also the cathedral above so I can go to the next floor."

"The next floor of the cathedral?" Sophia asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"No, I meant the next floor of the Tower."

For a brief moment, Sophia stood completely still. the Paladin had a vacant stare on her, as if she had tuned out of the conversation completely.

"Are…you alright?" Maya asked, waving her hand in front of Sophia.

the Paladin didn't respond at first. Until suddenly, she shook her head as if jolted back to life. "Sorry about that, we were talking about the Tower, yes?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Great, I'm also keen on going up the floors."

"So, you actually are aware of the Tower?"

Sophia nodded. "I am."

"But, how is that possible?" Maya asked.

"I've read up a lot."

"While you were standing still in a room full of dead bodies and ritual circles."

"You don't know much about me." Sophia shrugged.

Maya sighed. "Yeah, that much is true."

"Listen, here's the deal. I'll help you, and in return, you don't ask any questions."

"Fine, I won't then."

"Good, now, do you know a way out of the sewers?" Sophia asked.

Maya sighed. "Just follow me."

***

Maya walked back through damp sewers, leading the way back to the ladder she had descended earlier. Sophia followed close behind.

Their walk through the sewers was quiet. With not a single ghoul in sight.

Eventually, Maya's footsteps echoed against something other than the wet ground: they had reached the ladder. She climbed the rungs and up the ladder. Sophia followed suit.

Reaching the top, Maya cautiously peered out of the hatch first, her eyes scanning the study for any signs of danger. Seeing nothing was moving, she gently pushed the hatch open wider and climbed out.

Sophia followed close behind and got out of the hatch. Once they were both safely back in the room, they took a moment to dust themselves off, shaking off the remnants of the sewers.

As Sophia looked around the study, a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "This place... it feels strangely familiar."

Maya turned to the Paladin. "What's strange about it?"

Sophia shook her head slightly. "It's nothing, nevermind."

"Okay…then."

Maya noticed Sophia moving towards the door, intent on leaving. She reached out and tapped the Paladin on the shoulder, stopping her. "Hey, wait. What are you thinking?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Sophia shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm thinking about getting out of here."

"Do you even know what's out there?"

"I'm familiar with the Cathedral of the Hateful Sun."

"Fine, but what about the insane priests and sun monsters outside?" Maya reminded.

the Paladin gave another shrug. "I'll handle them. Just stay behind me, and you'll be fine."

Maya hesitated for a moment before confessing, "I can't follow you. I have [Sunlight Vulnerability] because of my Shadow Knight form."

Sophia's expression shifted to one of keen interest upon hearing this. "Interesting, so your powers come with drawbacks?"

"It's either that or a cost of some kind."

"Well this is a problem, I'd rather have you around just in case." Sophia muttered, but her eyes soon widened as she realized something. "Alright then, hold out your hand."

Maya looked at Sophia with hesitation. "Why do you need my hand?"

Sophia exhaled a sigh. "Do you want me to remove your [sunlight vulnerability] or not?"

With a slight nod, Maya extended her hand towards the Paladin, still slightly unsure but trusting Sophia's intentions.

She braced herself as Sophia clasped her hand, not fully prepared for what was to come. As Sophia began to channel her [remove curse], Maya felt an intense surge of pain coursing through her hand and up her arm.

"Aaaargh!" Maya exclaimed, the pain causing her to flinch.

"Just hold on." Sophia said calmly.

Gritting her teeth, Maya tried her best to stay composed, focusing on keeping her hand steady in Sophia's grasp despite the overwhelming pain

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided, and the warm glow from Sophia's hand faded. Opening her eyes, Maya saw a notification in front of her:

[Sunlight Vulnerability] removed.

Panting slightly from the ordeal, Maya looked up at Sophia. "Thanks, but was the pain really necessary?"

"I don't make the rules, just gave you what you asked for."

"Fair enough…I guess."

"Anyway, if you're good, let's get moving. I'll lead the way."

Sophia led the way out of the study, and Maya followed closely behind. As they emerged from the room, however, they were immediately spotted by a pair of sun priests clad in red robes.

Without hesitation, Sophia drew her sword. Maya quickly pulled out her dagger as well.

Strangely, the priests seemed to recognize Sophia. They gasped and pointed their fingers at her, screaming in unison, "Heathen!"

The sun priests began an ominous chant. Almost in unison, they cast [Solar Flare]. The spell triggered the flaming spheres that adorned the cathedral's ceiling, causing them to unleash fiery lasers aimed directly at Sophia and Maya.

The Shapestealer ducked and rolled away from the incoming blaze, narrowly avoiding being scorched. However, the Paladin couldn't dodge in time and was struck directly by the attack.

But to Maya's astonishment, Sophia remained standing. Albeit with a few burn marks charing her armor and singing her skin.

"Death to the Heathens!" The priests screamed over and over, their voices echoing through the cathedral halls. They moved their hands and chanted in unison once again. Except this time, they unleashed [Light Binding].

From their fingers, chains of pure, radiant light emerged and swiftly wrapped around Sophia. The chains constricted around her, trapping her in place.

Sophia tried to struggle against the luminous restraints. She pulled and twisted, but the light chains held firm, glowing more intensely with her every attempt to break free.

While the priests were still focused on the Paladin, Maya sprinted towards one of the priests. Her dagger in hand.

But the priest noticed her charge, and he immediately cast [Fire Lance]. A stream of intense flames shot out towards Maya, threatening to engulf her.

She ducked and rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the attack. The flames passed just over her head, scorching the air where she had been moments before.

After stabilizing herself, Maya quickly closed the distance between her and one of the sun priests. She plunged her dagger directly into the priest's throat: he choked on his own blood, unable to continue his chanting.

With the priest's death, the [Light Binding] constraining Sophia began to dissipate. Now free, Sophia charged towards the last remaining priest: who attempted to chant another spell in response.

The Paladin knew she couldn't close the gap in time; so instead, she imbued her sword with [Smite], and with a downward swing, she slammed her sword into the ground. The impact unleashed a burst of radiant light energy that erupted from the ground, trailing toward the sun priest.

The priest let out a scream of pain as the trail of light energy enveloped him, his body convulsing under the intense radiance. Within seconds, he collapsed to the ground.

Maya took a moment to clean her dagger, wiping the blood off with her finger before sheathing it back. Sophia, having sheathed her own sword, turned to her. "We need to keep moving. This place won't be safe for long."

"Alright, but do you know where to go?" Maya asked.

Sophia nodded. "If memory serves right, there's a prayer room not too far from here."

***

The two made their way to an ornately decorated prayer room. As they entered, Maya couldn't help but note how unusual it was for Sophia to be so familiar with the layout and purpose of the place.

Once inside, Sophia closed the door behind them and let out a long sigh. The room was modestly sized and densely packed with various ritual circles. The walls were adorned with intricate symbols and motifs that glowed faintly, and the air was thick with the scent of incense, and candles flickered atop small altars.

"I always wondered why this Cathedral is dedicated to the Hateful Sun," Maya muttered aloud, her voice echoing slightly.

Sophia turned to look at one of the ritual circles. "The sun provides life and death. This cathedral exalts its destructive force under the guidance of Nergal."

Maya shot a curious glance at the Paladin, her eyebrow arched. "You know, I do wonder how you seem to know so much about this place."

The Paladin let out a heavy sigh. "Now's not the time, we need to-"

"I think we have some time." Maya interrupted, leaning forward with a challenging stance. "Not like we have any enemies nearby."

Sophia's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms defensively. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"And that's why I'm asking."

Sophia's hand moved swiftly to her sword, her fingers wrapping around the hilt with a sense of finality. "Make me."

"Why is it so damn hard to get an answer from you?" Maya's voice rose in frustration. She took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists. "I don't think I'm asking for much."

"Because I don't want to answer, it's that simple."

Sophia advanced a few more steps, her gaze locked onto Maya. "And if you're going to get in the way of that…"

Reacting instinctively, Maya pulled out her dagger. "Really? We're doing this now?"

"That dagger of yours isn't going to help you."

"Oh yeah? One way to find out."

The two stood in a tense standoff, their eyes locked on eachother. After a moment, Sophia's expression softened, and she sheathed her sword with a sigh, her head bowing slightly in a gesture of regret. "Sorry…I got carried away."

Mirroring Sophia's action, Maya sheathed her dagger as well, relaxing her stance. "It's fine, but seriously, if we're going to work together...I think it's only fair if I know at least a little bit about you."

Sophia shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I keep some things off limits?"

Maya leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. "Of course, you don't have to tell me everything. Just a bit will do."

"Alright. The truth is I…think I'm a homunculus." She fiddled with the hilt of her sword, her voice barely above a whisper.

"A what now?"

"A homunculus, an artificial person born out of magic basically."

"I…saw some notes in a journal back in the sewers." Maya scratched her head. "It mentioned some guy named Atris wanting to create a Super Soldier, are you-"

Sophia interrupted, "I don't know." She looked down, her hands clasped together. "I have knowledge and memories but I don't know where they come from."

"Wow, sorry for pushing on this so hard."

Sophia looked up, offering a small smile. "It's fine."

Maya shook her head. "No really. I pushed a bit too far."

"It's cool. Don't want you to lose sleep over something like this."

"Wait…sleep, huh."

The Paladin raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"It's just, I don't think I've actually gotten proper sleep while I've been in the Tower."

"It's only natural, the Tower changes people."

Maya paused and looked Sophia in the eye. "Wait, how do you know about the Tower?"

Sophia tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I know?"

"Because you were in a basement for who knows how long?" Maya pointed out.

Sophia sighed. "It's...hard to explain."

"Never mind, so, how much do you actually know about the Tower?"

Sophia shifted around, appearing to choose her words carefully. "I know that there's a lot of floors. And I know a decent amount about this floor exactly. But I can't say much about the previous floors or the floors after."

Before Maya could respond, she halted, her head tilting as if catching a distant sound. "Do you hear that?"

Sophia paused, listening intently. Soon, the distant barking of sun hounds reached her ears, the sound growing progressively louder and more ominous.

"We need to leave, now," Maya said.

"I agree," Sophia replied, sheathing her sword. "But where do you want to go?"

"Do you know how we can leave the cathedral?"

"I do, but we'll have to fight through the guardian of this place first."

"That's fine by me."

***

Maya and Sophia rushed out of the prayer room. The paladin led the way through the corridors within the cathedral, leading them to their destination. They eventually stopped in front of a pair of large ornate golden doors, which to their surprise, was wide open.

Maya peered through the slightly open doors "Should we really go in there?"

Before Sophia could respond, a sudden movement caught her attention. She turned her head to the left, spotting a pack of sun hounds and several sun priests charging towards them.

The Paladin immediately grabbed Maya by the hand and dragged her past the doors.