The Shattered Plains.
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Amidst the ruins of the Novum Divinum, a man with bruises, covered in blood, lay with a mangled arm. Slowly, his eyes opened to the sun that beamed in his face.
Around him, panic tore the battlefield asunder. Few had survived, even of the churches' forces, but despite their overwhelming might and hardy troops, they were scrambling to retreat. The seraphines were hectically flying towards the second flying cathedral, but one stayed behind.
It was the six-winged creature. He noticed Adalbert, lying in the ruined cathedral's wreckage, landing close by.
"You're still alive..?", he grinned, "No matter. I will finish you off, and then we shall retreat."
His lance, golden sigil-steel, flashed. The injured man could hardly dodge, coughing up blood.
"Such an annoying bug you are. I will squash you.", the seraphine exclaimed with ecstasy. "I will finally get promoted!"
It happened so fast. Adalbert couldn't really see what happened - only *that* it happened. A spear tore through the seraphine's chest, leaving a head-sized hole in his torso.
"W-What..?", he gasped, falling to the ground, dying.
"I will leave no loyal man in my service to die without resistance!", a voice exclaimed, followed by loud cheering and metallic rustling. Adalbert closed his eyes and opened them, his vision still blurry. A hand extended to him, he grabbed it, feeling warmth and roughness at the same time. The hand of someone he trusted dearly, and a hand he knew!
"Your Majesty..!", Adalbert groaned as he hardily forced his body to move and face the Queen, "I'm sorry for my inability to protect the soldiers.. The battle was a loss.."
She replied, haughtily. "What are you talking about, Sir Adalbert? You managed to persist and bring down one of their god-machines, a feat no one in the empire would have been able to achieve. The losses are tragic, but they valiantly fought for the prosperity and sovereignty of the nation. It should be me that needs to apologise. I didn't prepare my forces enough for such a situation.. For these zealots."
He coughed, but his eyes were teary. A bulky man such as him, crying, at his inability to save the soldiers and brothers he fought alongside of.. even the Empress was moved, having him transported to a medical tent and treated.
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With reinforcements, she pushed back the remaining forces of the church, sampling and noting down battle tactics for the new troops that were shown. Their plans now revealed, she thanked Adalbert for his survival. Brynhilde visited him, along with the Queen, as he was recovering in the battlefield's tent.
"We pushed them back successfully.", the Queen told Adalbert. "You should recover. I am grateful you survived and protected as many as you could. As for the eye", she motioned to Brynhilde, "well.. I'll let Brynhilde talk."
"Cough. The eye you mentioned was a magical artifact produced by dwarves and elves. The phanes had their fair share of involvement as well, I suspect. It was destroyed when we arrived. Everything else, you shall be briefed on when we get back to the capital, Sir Adalbert. Thank you for your service. You did well.", she sighed, showing worry for him, "and I'm glad you put your life over that gauntlet. Did it serve you well?"
Embarassed, he nodded. "It was a life-saver. Thank you, Brynhilde. I couldn't thank you enough for all you do.", Adalbert's gaze moved to the Empress, asking her a question. "On that note.. Your Majesty, did my letter reach the Baroness? I hope she was able to warn Fia and Erica. I am fond of those two.. they are strong-minded children."
Brynhilde looked at him and Asria, who nodded and allowed her to talk first. "Your letter mentioned that they are after the *Prophet's blood*. Is Fia *the Prophet* in question, Adalbert?", and the Empress interjected, "We need to protect and closely keep an eye on Fia, then. I am aware, from Reina, that her situation is complicated and that this is likely related to Isrule.. I might need to summon Duke Alian when we're home."
Adalbert agreed to Brynhilde. "Yes, it is as you surmised. I suspect that Fia is *the Prophet*. In his deluded prayers, I heard the cardinal ramble about finding and killing the false god's *Prophet*. One name he mentioned was Enia, another was.. Fia."
"It is as we think, then," Brynhilde concluded. "I will research this god 'Enia', you speak of, and you keep an eye on Fia and Erica. Your Majesty, let's go back. You should rest as well, Adalbert. Thank you for your time. I'm glad you're fine. In the capital, we should... ah.. nevermind."
The Queen looked at a blushing Adalbert, with Brynhilde, her face steaming red, pulling the Empress away as they left.
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At the border fort, all hell broke loose. The commander of the garrisoned soldiers shouted, from top to bottom, for soldiers to ready their weapons and make haste at once.
"Something's off! The enemy is making a move. Ready your weapons, soldiers!"
In the distance, a sword clashed with the wooden crucifix of a Goliath. Elliot was fighting the giant hunk of a human, with his disfigured head and enlarged body, appearing rather brutish and more like an orc.
"You're quite the resilient one, ain't ya?", he remarked, chuckling at the Goliath taking a blow of his blade. "Not everyone can take the edge of my sword like that. I respect your strength.."
The Goliath, as stupid as an orc, grunted, fixing his weapon, ready to swing and try hit Elliot again. This time, he made a big berth and his crucifix swung in a large arc, honing in on the swordsman. Not a second later, he deflected the heavy blow, knocked back quite the distance and almost crashing into a tree.
He grinned. "The force behind this guy is incredible."
Adjusting his stance, Elliot lashed out at him, preparing a feint and quickly dashing behind the Goliath, slashing his back wide open. Being as slow as he is, he had little time to react, but managed to pound his weapon into the ground, creating a rippling shockwave.
It nearly knocked the swordsman off his feet, but he remained steadfast. In pain, the bleeding giant cried out, seemingly going berserk.
"So loud! Stop making my ears bleed, big guy.", Elliot cackled. With swift motion and a lot of force, he pushed the Goliath off his feet in his blind feat of rage, stabbing his heart with a sword.
Still fighting and kicking back, the Goliath attempted to get up. But Elliot, on the Goliath's chest, pulled out his weapon, bloody from the stab, and cut his head off.
"That wasn't as cleanly as I'd hoped it to be. It'll have to do...", the skilled swordsman complained, "now, where are those two? I can't believe I took so long. Let's hope they're not dead.. Adalbert will kill me."
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There was tension brewing. While the air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and impending rain, Ophilanna faced off against an enemy she was wholly outpaced by. Behind this enemy, her friend, Erica, fought off a handful of quick, moving puppets.
Thankfully, she was uninjured, but grew tired steadily. As each wave of attacks was deflected, the puppets prepared the next, never giving her a chance to breathe. She was tiring.
That's why she had to finish off the mastermind, the Puppetrice, fast. They need to escape this enemy camp. Soon, all the soldiers will come here, surrounding them and...
Panicked, Ophilanna glanced around, but nothing was there to help her out of the situation.
Resolving herself to end the fight, even with her life on the line, she closed her eyes, opening them, facing despair and staring it right in its face.
One so ugly, of disgusting shape - the puppetrice's face grimaced menacingly, its grotesque mask twisted into a grin, metallic sheen reflecting the dim light of the battlefield. Ophilanna’s heart pounded as she tightened her grip on her wand, her knuckles white. The air around her crackled with tension, the scent of damp earth mingling with the acrid stench of magic and blood. She could hear Erica’s labored breaths behind her, the clashing of steel against the relentless puppets growing fainter as exhaustion took its toll.
“You’re certainly a stubborn one,” the Puppetrice hissed, its voice a grating mix of metal and malice. “But no matter. You're gravely outmatched, little heretic girl. Your friend won’t last much longer, and then it’ll just be you and me, my puppets.. and the last breath you shall ever take.”
Maniacal laughing erupted from her, while Ophilanna's mind raced. Time was of the essence, but she felt weak, terribly so. "I can't let Erica fall..", she panicked. This monster just can't win.
But what could she even do? Her magic was barely enough to keep the Puppetrice at bay, much less put a dent in her freakish mask, let alone defeat it.
Ophilanna glanced at Erica, now beaten to one knee, with her sword trembling as an extension of her bruised hand. With great effort, she deflected another puppet's strike, bound to be the last one she could defend against.
She felt really helpless, out in the open, with nothing in her plans to fix this situation.
It was a moment that made her recall.. that one moment, all those years ago, and the nightmares plagueing her since then. A little girl, barely in the real world, hadn't had much chance to grow up.. and is now faced with such a dilemma.
As she readied her wand and gripped it tightly, begging for solace, Ophilanna readied a spell - to cause a giant wave of fog to come forward and wash over the battlefield, so that she can escape with her friend.
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Just as she was about to release it, a voice cut right through the chaos—calm, commanding, and familiar. It reassured the little, lost girl to no end.
Help was here. "Let me handle this abomination.", Mena quipped at Ophilanna, shoving her towards Erica.
"Thank you, teacher! Beware the puppets and her tricks!", she shouted, before running into the other puppets. "I know, I know, Fia. Make sure to help your friend, alright? I'll take care of this bitch in no time."
Amused, the Puppetrice's gaze studied the sorceress, Mena, with great interest. She barked at her in a condescending tone. "You there. Who are you? The girl's master?"
Before Mena even answered - if she was even going to - the Puppetrice retracted her question, and shook her head. "Enough of this charade. I will put an end to our little game."
A whistling sound rattled the ears of everyone close by. Apparently, the garrisoned fort was made aware of the fight, making haste to join the effort. Swords were clashing inside the camp, as well as outside. The sound just now.. wasn't one from battle, Ophilanna thought.
Mena casted a spell that blindsided the Puppetrice, who laughed it off. "You'll see... it won't be long.. before it arrives!"
Her grin, so smug and assured of her success, grew into choking laughter. "Your attacks have no use, petty magician! My shield is bestowed upon me by Aria, our Goddess in Heaven. Surrender, heretic."
Mena, her eyes wandering anxiously, focused on the Puppetrice, masterfully controlling the rest of the puppets, who began pouncing towards the sorceress to shred her to pieces.
Clutching to her staff, the magician tightly held onto her only hope, chanting in a hushed whisper. The end of the staff, the jewel, pulsated in otherworldly glow, humming faintly and erupting into ever louder noise. All of a sudden, a shockwave stopped all the puppets dead in their tracks, rocking them back.
While Mena reverse-casted the Puppetrice's extremely thin strings and connection to her tools, Ophilanna fired spell after spell after the puppets Erica was occupied with. One was frozen in place, then smashed to bits, while the other was blasted with wind magic until it broke. The last one was holding onto Erica, to avoid being taken out by Ophilanna, standing nearby.
In a last ditch effort, she jumped off the red-haired swordswoman, targetting the sorceress-in-training, her friend. Before her bony rib protrusions could stab Ophilanna, the earlier shockwave, caused by Mena, destroyed the puppet's connection, disorienting it.
In one fell swoop, Mena had won the upper hand, with Erica smashing the last puppet and Ophilanna returning to her teacher's side, where she witnessed Mena casting a spell to freeze the Puppetrice solid.
While she resisted the ice, it was of no use. Mena spared her only few a word. "The heretics won. What say you, false believer?"
“You think your petty magic can contain me?” the Puppetrice spat, its voice rising in pitch. “I am the master of puppets! I am—”
Before she could speak up further, the ice reached her chin, encasing her entire body in ice soon after.
“Are you two alright?” Mena asked the two girls, her voice gentle now.
Ophilanna nodded, though her legs felt like jelly. “We’re fine, thanks to you.”
Erica managed a weak smile. “I thought we were done for. Thank you, Miss Mena.”
"We're safe... for now.", Mena coughed, catching a breath. Behind them, a man approached, hand holding onto a curious sword. It was Elliot. "I'm glad you're safe. I was held up by a huge hunk of a guy. Another one. You remember the first one..?"
Though he spoke, Ophilanna couldn't listen. Erica tapped her shoulder, whispering into her ear, asking if she was feeling unwell.
A voice tantalized her mind. It felt like a parasite, digging deeply into her skull. It spoke of prophecy, her purpose, and the fate of worlds.
"Let me rest a little, okay?", Ophilanna spoke up. Everyone agreed and they set up a temporary place in the forest.
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-Ophilanna
Urgh. I have a splitting headache. Just after sitting down, something flashed across my mind's eye.
Words. A voice. It cracked through my mind like a whip.
"YOU, DEAR, ARE
APOSTLE FOR THE CHAINED ONE
TO CLEANSE WHAT ONCE WAS HERS
AND NOW BELONGS TO THE FALSE GODS."
Apostle..? The chained one..? Are you talking to -me-?
"TRUST IS EARNED.
COME AND TALK TO ME IN PERSON,
OH LITTLE ELF OF WOODS AND NATURE,
FOR I AM BUT YOUR MOTHERLAND'S MOTHER
THAT YOU WORSHIPPED EVER SINCE."
Are you really.. Gaia? The Goddess? If so.. why me?
"THE VILLAGE THAT MADE YOU.
GO WHERE YOU WERE BORN
AND RETRIEVE YOUR SACRED TOTEM
TO MEET UP WITH ME IN LIMBO."
Which totem? I'm so confused.. in my home?
"INDEED, MY CHILD.
MAKE HASTE AND LOOK ABOVE.
THEY YEARN FOR YOUR BLOOD."
Upon hearing these words, my mind was freed. I felt immediately at ease, but was shocked to see something approach us in the skies. I pointed it out to Elliot and Mena.
"Uhm.. is that.. a flying *church*?", my finger pointed at the floating island. A dome surrounded it, with little winged creatures flying through the air. It was a while away, but approaching them.
Mena's eyes studied it carefully. "The letter mentioned this construct. They call it the Novum Divinum. But theirs.. was much larger?"
"Theirs? Who are you talking about, teacher?", I asked her. "Sir Adalbert? Did he survive?"
Without taking her gaze off the flying church, she nodded. "He is fine. I received a summon here from the Baroness. Let's leave. Now!"
I pulled at her robe, begging her to listen. "A voice reached out to me. It was the Goddess Gaia. She... told me to go to my home village, retrieve a totem, and talk.. to her."
The sorceress, unsure what to make of this, waited. "Can we do that? She said it was urgent.. I'll hurry. Please", I said.
"I don't know what your plan is, but you better have one, Fia. Be careful of potential traps," Mena cautioned me, her gaze shifting to the horizon. “We’re not out of danger yet. The enemy’s forces are regrouping, and they’re bringing reinforcements.”
As if on cue, the ground began to tremble. I turned, my heart sinking as I saw the approaching army—a sea of flying soldiers, their armor glinting in the dim light. But what truly struck fear into my heart were the numerous other flying churches and nunneries looming in the distance, their forms casting shadows over the battlefield.
“We need to move,” Mena said, her voice urgent. “Now.”
We began to retreat, our steps hurried but determined. Behind us, soldiers from the fort arrived, their shouts echoing as they prepared to hold the line. Glancing back, my heart was heavy with guilt.
“We can’t just leave them,” I said, my voice trembling.
“We have to,” Mena replied, her tone firm but not unkind. “Our priority is to get you and Erica to safety. The soldiers know what they’re doing.”
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-Ophilanna
Once we had escaped into the depths of the forest, everyone seemed.. on edge. We were practically doing this because of a whim.
Shortly before arriving at the village, not that far from the border, I desperately searched for the house I lived in until a few years ago, suppressing all the pain and anger in my heart. The closer I came to the house, the louder the voice echoed through my mind.
Over the edge of the horizon, half of the initial enemy numbers remained, following us all the way. I highly doubt that Teacher and Elliot can take them on - the entire army sent for us - so we were clutching for hope with this move.
Erica, tugging at my hem anxiously, seemed reluctant to go along with the plan. "What if something happens to you? Can I come inside with you?", she asked nervously. I nodded, turning towards Elliot and Teacher.
"I will hurry and go inside. Can you protect Erica and me? We will be quick."
As they previously agreed, Elliot scoffed at the floating constructs, while Mena began setting up chants and casting protection magic. "Be quick, Fia! You can do this!"
We turned, opened the door, and began turning the house upside down, searching for the Goddess' totem. There were but charred remains of most things, which made me anxious.
"Fia, there's a trapdoor under this floor!", Erica shouted at me a room away. I sprinted to her, and she removed the burned floorboards.
Indeed, a trapdoor. "Your eyesight is incredible, Erica. I'm really thankful you're here."
Hiding a shy smile, she opened the door, revealing a set of ladders leading into a small cellar.
I went first, telling her to follow up behind me. Rumbling from outside shocked us to our core, but we pushed forward. Stepping down in the cellar, the room seemed rather cramped, made of cobbled stone. The air was stale and musty, dust everywhere from years of abandonment.
There was a book situated on a table, a penchant next it. Its title was 'Diary'. Mother's.. diary?
Grabbing it, my hand proceeded to touch the penchant, a jewel-like stone of a beautiful, green colour. It reminded me of nature. As I touched it, my body felt light, my eyes were droopy, and I blacked out. A voice called out to me, panicking. "Ophi..?!"
She was frozen in time, and I was, too.
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When I came to, darkness washed all around me, revealing a clear picture. I was lying in a bed, one of royal size and luxury. It felt comfortable. So much so.. that I yearned to stay.
The door flew open, and I could hardly study my surroundings, for a cat-like beast-kin approached, then spoke to me, his speech followed by a purring 'meow'.
"Greetings, Lady Ophilanna. I am General, the Empress' secretary. You are currently within the Eternal Palace. You, milady, are in Limbo, Lady Gaia's realm. Follow me, if you would, please."
Though confused, my legs moved by themselves. I soon found myself trudging through a palace serene, stranger than any fairy tale. The maids and soldiers all seemed.. strange. As if they weren't human, or like any other creature in Pariah. I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Are you curious about.. us?", General noticed my curiosity. I nodded. "We are mostly from beyond the Veil. What that is, Lady Ophilanna, her Majesty shall divulge to you. There is one other person you will meet. Beware of him, as he is... the most peculiar of us all."
In the distance, wailing could be heard. Strange cries echoed through the halls of the Eternal Palace. General explained: "Those.. are from the Stygian Prison. It is guarded by the strongest soldier, Knight Angelic Illaniyael, the person I spoke of just now."
Curiously treading along, a door opened as we walked by. A slender, tall angelic figure bowed deeply before me, its long, silky hair truly giving off an aura of tranquil beauty. It introduced itself as the Angel, Illaniyael, that is serving her Majesty, Gaia. I shyly nodded as it spoke, my gaze avoiding the angel's. "Very well, Lady Ophilanna. I shall continue my duty. I wish you well on your meeting with the Empress."
He walked away with an elegance surrounding him. I was enamored with those.. pure looks. General pulled me from my little daze. "Her Majesty is just behind this door. Let me tell you one thing, Lady Ophilanna: You may be special to her, but do not take her interest for granted. Anyway.. Good luck."
He shoved me through the door, revealing a grand throne room and elaborate tapestry all around. With all my manners I could muster, I approached the beautiful Empress, bowing as deeply as I could, and waited for her response.
"Child, it is good to see you. Rise, and listen to my words. Come closer."
I did as I was instructed, lowering my gaze and respectfully watching her.
Now that I could take a closer look, she had beautiful, green eyes, olive skin, and brown, wavy hair. She was beauty incarnate, indeed. This is expected of the Goddess of Life and Nature.
"I am Gaia, the Goddess of Death and Everything Else. As your kind has done me service so well up until recently, I shall reward you, as the last surviving tribeswoman, in three things."
My head perked up at her words. Before I could ask, she counted.
"First: You will meet one of the prisoners, it is someone you need to meet."
"Secondly: I will tell you a story, one you need to hear."
"Thirdly: All the while we do that, you may lend me your body in reality, and I will descend to the world temporarily, assuring you are under my protection and defeating the foes on your tail."
I stared at the ground, then at her gaze, fixed on me. "Will you save them?", I asked, staring a hole into her. She closed her eyes, sighed, and said yes. "I will protect Elliot, Erica, and Mena. The soldiers.. well. I can't undo most of it, but some of them will survive."
Understanding that death was only natural, I agreed. "Please do, your Majesty. Should I meet the prisoner first, then?"