The Grand Temple was wondrous to behold from a distance, but up close, it was even more beautiful. Shrines and temples built from white stone adorned Mt. Suntouched. They were more like works of art rather than places where people lived and worked. Even the ones at the base of the mountain were gorgeous, and they only grew more beautiful the further up one looked.
From what I understood, the position of a god’s shrine or temple on Mt. Suntouched was determined by their position in the celestial court. Those at the bottom were minor gods, servants and retainers for the more powerful gods, while those a little further up were considered favored servants. Temples dedicated to members of Sol’s family started to appear at around the halfway point.
Of course, as the rulers of the heavens, the temples for Sol and Luna were located at the very top.
Master Tempest’s temple was located about three quarters of the way up, which said much about his position in the celestial court despite being a “mere” servant of Sol. Either Sol favored Master Tempest, or Master Tempest was powerful enough that even Sol himself couldn’t disregard him; maybe both. The Church of the Sun could only guess at the relationships between the gods, and their guesses weren’t always accurate.
Templeton was a bustling town. As the House Sturm carriage rode through it, the residents went about their business with smiles on their faces. Living so close to the heart of the Church of the Sun guaranteed the town’s safety and prosperity.
I also saw a large number of priests and priestesses going about their business down here. Most were junior priests, as indicated by their simple yellow robes, but I saw a few full fledged priests out and about. Of the priests I saw, all of them served minor gods. I didn’t see any who served one of the major gods.
That made sense. Rather than come down and run errands themselves, they sent a junior priest in their stead. Priests who served the minor gods didn’t have that luxury.
Once the House Sturm carriage reached the base of Mt. Suntouched, Leroy and I got out. As the holiest of the Church of the Sun’s holy lands, vehicles were not allowed. This included using flying magic items. We would have to walk on foot going forward. For most House scions, this was an ordeal. As cultivators, that wasn’t the case for us. I carried the box containing the offering for Master Tempest in my hands.
For a brief moment, I considered leaving Sky’s Dream behind, but decided not to. There was no rule against carrying weapons into the Grand Temple, and I preferred not to leave my sword behind.
Getting into the Grand Temple wasn’t that difficult. The guards at the base of the mountain, paladins who served the Temple of Sol, inspected us before letting us through. House scions visited the place all the time for a variety of reasons.
Some came with offerings, either to ask the gods for a blessing or to thank them for a blessing they had already received, like myself. A few came for a divination, hoping for a potential glimpse of their future. Others came to speak with the priests about having one or more of their children join the Church of the Sun. That was another possible fate for a spare who didn’t become heir, and it wasn’t a bad one. It was certainly better than dying.
Politics was another reason, of course. As one of the most powerful institutions in the Solarian Empire, and beyond, the Church of the Sun had a significant influence on the empire’s political landscape. The fate of entire Houses sometimes depended on the church’s actions. House Brant was one example, though an extreme one. They were able to become powerful in a short amount of time thanks to the Church of the Sun’s support.
As Leroy and I walked up the path leading to the top of Mt. Suntouched, I found myself smiling. It was a fine day out. The skies above Mt. Suntouched were clear, revealing the beautiful blue sky. I had a much greater appreciation for them, after enduring a rainstorm to get here. It was also warmer here, and life flourished all over the mountain, despite the lack of rain. Wild flowers grew everywhere, filling the air with a myriad of scents. Birds and other small animals flitted about. Honestly, it felt more like summer here than spring.
I wondered what this place was like during winter. Would it be the same?
Holy magic and mana saturated the mountain, to the point where I felt my cultivation and wizardry rising just by breathing in the air. It was a minuscule increase, but it was still an increase. Mt. Suntouched deserved to be called a holy land. On Spirit Earth, it would have been considered a sacred peak, one jealously guarded by the sect who claimed it.
Hmm, I wondered if Grand Priest Darius would allow me to cultivate here. I believed he would, but it didn’t hurt to ask first.
It took some time to reach Master Tempest’s temple, but that was fine. It wasn’t like I was in any particular hurry. Along the way, we passed by several priests as well as other House scions. The priests walked along the path with ease, since they were used to the climb, while most of the House scions had great difficulty.
When we reached the Temple of Tempest, I took a moment to appreciate the view. It was a tall and majestic tower, ten stories tall, which had been carved from the mountain itself. It looked more like an extension of Mt. Suntouched, rather than something built by human hands.
An unusual choice for the followers of the God of Storms, until one remembered that the Goddess of the Earth was Tempest’s wife. It was their way of honoring her even though she wasn’t part of the Church of the Sun’s pantheon. At least, that was what Father told me, the last time I visited here. That was just before I entered the Solarian Imperial Academy.
A tall wall, reinforced by a barrier of Holy magic, surrounded the temple’s grounds. Like most of the buildings in the Grand Temple, it was built from white stone. A wrought iron gate was the only way in or out, as far as I could tell, unless one dug through the mountain. A pair of paladins stood guard in front of the temple, while several more patrolled along the top of the wall. They wore silvery armor emblazoned with the symbol of Master Tempest.
Leroy and I approached the front gate, intending to enter the temple’s grounds, but the guards barred our path.
“The temple is closed to outsiders today, my lord,” the guard on the right said, speaking in a polite, but firm, tone. “On orders of Priestess Kaya, aide to Grand Priest Darius. Only priests and paladins of Tempest are allowed through until further notice.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
“Why?” I asked.
The guard on the left shook her head.
“That is not for us to say, my lord,” she said. “Now, please leave. You may return at a later time.”
Hmm, this was unusual. The temples almost always remained open to the public, so that they may freely worship the gods. Something must have happened. I tried to use my divine sense to look into the temple, but the barrier of Holy magic blocked me.
Tch. How annoying.
“My name is Gabriel Sturm,” I said. “I imagine that either Grand Priest Darius or Priestess Kaya must have left orders regarding me.”
It would have been a massive oversight on their part if they hadn’t. Even though I wanted to keep my status as the Chosen of Tempest a secret, they would have said something about me to the priests and paladins who served Tempest.
As if to prove my point, the guards glanced at each other.
“You are correct, Lord Gabriel,” the guard on the right said. “Grand Priest Darius said that you were to always be allowed through, no matter the circumstances.”
“But Priestess Kaya ordered us to prevent any outsiders from entering the temple’s grounds, no matter who they were,” the guard on the left protested. “What if she punishes us for letting him through?”
The two of them shivered at the mere thought of receiving a punishment from Priestess Kaya.
“Still, we can’t disregard Grand Priest Darius’ words,” the guard on the right said, looking thoughtful. “Lord Gabriel, would you mind waiting while we send word to Priestess Kaya? It won’t be more than a few minutes.”
When in doubt, kick the problem up to a superior and let them deal with it.
I opened my mouth to tell the guard to go right ahead, but a commotion caught my attention. I peered through the gate just in time to see a thin man in his early thirties burst out of the temple, running at full speed. The man had short blonde hair, pale skin, and a trimmed beard. He wore the robes of a high priest of Aeros, the God of Air. Terror etched the man’s face, as if demons from the underworld were chasing after him.
A second later, I realized that demons would’ve been preferable.
Priestess Kaya emerged from the temple and chased after him. She looked furious, as if she wanted to rend the man to pieces. Her face was so red that it looked purple. As she ran, each of her steps rang out like thunder.
“Algar, you pustulant sack of shit!” Priestess Kaya shouted. “Get back here and accept your punishment like a man!”
The man, Algar, staggered when she finished speaking, but continued running. I wondered if Priestess Kaya had hit him with her aura, or maybe some kind of magic. With the barrier of Holy magic blocking my divine sense, I couldn’t tell.
To my surprise, Algar managed to stay ahead of Priestess Kaya, even though she was a high-rank Fourth Circle magic beast. Either he wasn’t a regular priest, or the Holy magic he received from Aeros allowed him to increase his speed. Speed was an aspect of Air, after all.
“Open the gate!” Algar shouted, his voice filled with desperation. “Please!”
“If you open that gate, I’ll make sure the two of you are on latrine duty for the rest of your fucking lives!” Priestess Kaya yelled.
The guards at the gate looked at each other, before turning their backs on Algar. His expression twisted with despair, but he continued running. To my surprise, he jumped up, gaining enough height to clear the gate. Priestess Kaya jumped after him.
Rather than remain a bystander, as amusing as I found this entire situation, I decided to get involved. I walked over to where Algar would land. Either he didn’t notice me, out of fear of Priestess Kaya, or he didn’t think I would do anything.
The moment he landed and tried to run away, I stuck my foot out and tripped him. Algar fell to the ground, scraping against the stone.
“Why?” he screamed at me, his eyes filled with disbelief and betrayal.
Before I could answer, Priestess Kaya landed and proceeded to beat the ever loving shit out of him. It was brutal. Algar tried to fight back, but he was helpless in the face of Priestess Kaya’s wrath. Now that they weren’t behind the barrier of Holy magic anymore, I could use my divine sense to gauge their strength.
Aeros was at the Holy magic equivalent of the Third Circle, meaning that he was already weaker than Priestess Kaya. Not only that, but magic beasts were generally stronger, faster, and tougher than wizards and priests. It looked like Aeros’ blessing only included speed, not strength or endurance.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Algar’s screams and the sound of breaking bones filled the air as Priestess Kaya broke him. It was not a pretty sight. I winced every time Priestess Kaya punched the man or snapped one of his bones.
Algar fell silent by the time Priestess Kaya finished beating him. It looked like he had fallen unconscious rather than died. Good. That meant he could be healed with Holy magic.
“Next time you insult Lord Tempest to my face,” Priestess Kaya said. “I’ll rip your limbs off one by one, until you’re nothing more than a screaming pile of meat. After that, I’ll sell you to the dirtiest, lowest brothel I can find, so you can spend the rest of your life being useful for once.”
Goddamn, Priestess Kaya did not fuck around. Though, I could understand her anger. Insulting a god to his follower’s face, in his own temple no less, was the height of stupidity; especially someone with Priestess Kaya’s personality. Anyone who did it twice deserved what happened to them afterward.
“High Priest Algar!” a voice called out.
Priestess Kaya and I turned to find a small group of paladins running towards us. They wore silvery armor emblazoned with a series of stylized lines meant to represent wind, one of the symbols of Aeros. The paladins drew their weapons and pointed them at Priestess Kaya.
“You dare assault a high priest of Aeros?” the lead paladin asked, her face twisted with outrage.
Despite her bravado, I could tell she was afraid from the way her sword shook. They were right to be. The paladins were all in the Holy magic equivalent of the Third Circle, like Algar. Priestess Kaya was a high-rank Fourth Circle magic beast. An entire army of paladins at this level wouldn’t be enough to take her down.
“Yeah,” Priestess Kaya said with a sneer. “What are you going to do about it?”
The lead paladin hesitated, unsure of how to answer her. The other paladins glanced at each other, clearly nervous about the prospect of facing Priestess Kaya.
“We’re going to report this to Grand Priest Nicholas,” the lead paladin spat out. “He’ll deal with you, beast.”
Priestess Kaya let out a derisive laugh.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Run home to daddy, you pussies.” She kicked Algar one more time in the ribs. “Don’t forget to take your trash back with you.”
The paladins hesitated for a few more moments, before they put their weapons away and rushed over to pick up Algar. One of them used Holy magic to mitigate the worst of the damage as they carried him down the mountain.
Priestess Kaya turned towards me and blinked in surprise, as if she had just realized that I was there.
“Lord Gabriel,” she said, bowing to me. “Forgive me for not greeting you first.” She glanced at the paladins retreating down the mountain. “I had to deal with some vermin who didn’t know their place.”
“So I saw,” I said in a dry voice, before my expression turned serious. “This isn’t going to come back and bite you in the ass, is it?”
Despite her power, Priestess Kaya was a rank lower than Algar in the Church of the Sun’s hierarchy. A priestess assaulting a high wasn’t something the Temple of Aeros would just overlook. They couldn’t. I was worried that Priestess Kaya would have to face severe repercussions for her actions.
From the look in her eyes, she knew it too. The bleak resignation in her eyes tugged at my heartstrings.
“It will,” she said. “But I can handle it.” She shook her head. “We can talk about it inside, if you wish. This isn’t a conversation we should be having out in the open. Follow me, Lord Gabriel.”
With a nod, I followed Priestess Kaya towards the Temple of Tempest, with Leroy in tow.
“These two didn’t give you trouble, did they?” she asked, stopping just before the gate. Subtle menace suffused her tone.
The two guards blanched at her question.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “They were polite and helpful.”
A stretch, but it wasn’t a lie. They were as helpful as they could be, given the circumstances.
“Good,” Priestess Kaya said.
At this, the guards let out relieved sighs. The one on the left even gave me a grateful smile.
With that, Priestess Kaya led me inside the Temple of Tempest.
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Priestess Kaya led me through the interior of the Temple of Tempest. Along the way, we passed by several other priests and priestesses. They studied me with curiosity, but since Priestess Kaya was my guide, they kept their distance.
Like the exterior, the interior of the Temple of Tempest was built from white stone. There was little in the way of decoration or furnishing to soften it up. That wasn’t to say that it was entirely barren. Symbols and iconography of Mater Tempest decorated the space, including tapestries depicting scenes from various myths. One depicted a man in black and silver robes kneeling before a radiant golden figure.
Ah, that must have been when Master Tempest pledged his allegiance to Sol and swore to serve him.
Another tapestry depicted a scene that wasn’t from any myth or story told by the Church of the Sun at large. It depicted Master Tempest fighting a fearsome looking beast before an audience of gods. At least, I think they were gods, though they didn’t resemble any of the gods I knew about. I frowned in confusion, before realizing that this scene was from a story from before the current age.
Master Tempest and Terra were two of the old gods, the deities that preceded Sol, Luna, and their children. As such, their temples were some of the few places that contained knowledge about the era before the Age of Light.
From the little I knew, the old gods were closer to humanity than Sol and his family. They had been more active in the mortal world. Perhaps that was what led to their downfall. There was a reason why the Immortals back on Spirit Earth kept their distance from the mortal realm.
“In here, Lord Gabriel,” Priestess Kaya said, her voice pulling me back to the present.
She led me to a plain drawing room, with simple furniture and little in the way of decoration. A few potted plants added a splash of green to the space. An enchantment must have kept the place warm, since the temperature was perfectly comfortable.
“I apologize for the humble accommodations,” Priestess Kaya said, giving me an apologetic look. “Grand Priest Darius gave me control over the temple’s interior decoration, and I prefer simple over ostentatious. I know it might not suit your taste, given what you’re used to, so if there’s anything you would like changed, please let me know. We’ll have it fixed for your next visit.”
Priestess Kaya looked nervous. I guess she didn’t want to offend her god’s Chosen.
“I’m fine,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Simplicity has its own charm.”
Priestess Kaya relaxed at this, before gesturing for me to sit down. I did. Leroy parked himself by the door and leaned against the wall. Priestess Kaya summoned a junior priest and ordered him to fetch refreshments, before sitting down herself. The two of us made small talk while we waited for the junior priest to return.
When he did, he came back carrying a tray with tea and cookies. He put the tray down on a nearby table, giving Priestess Kaya nervous looks the entire time, before scurrying out of the drawing room.
“So,” I asked after taking a cup of tea for myself. “What was that whole deal with High Priest Algar? Is the Temple of Tempest in conflict with the Temple of Aeros?”
Priestess Kaya’s shoulders slumped and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Though this incident might give them enough cause to try something.” She grimaced. “I don’t think it’s a secret that I have a…temper.”
That was the understatement of the decade.
“The Temple of Aeros knows this too,” she continued. “Which was why they sent High Priest Algar here. The two of us have a history, and his superiors knew it would be just a matter of time before I snapped and beat him.”
I frowned at her.
“Are you telling me that the Temple of Aeros set you up?” I asked.
Priestess Kaya nodded.
“Yes,” she said, her voice filled with regret. “And like a fool, I walked into their trap. I don’t even have the excuse of ignorance. I knew that they were up to something, I saw it coming, yet I fell for it anyway.”
Priestess Kaya looked so downcast, that I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.
“Come here,” I said, patting the seat next to mine.
Priestess Kaya looked at me in confusion.
“I want to pet your head,” I explained. “I can’t do that if you’re all the way over there.”
Her cheeks turned crimson and she looked away from me in embarrassment.
“I thought that you had forgotten about that,” she said.
“Nope! Now come over here.”
Priestess grumbled, but obeyed.
“I’m not your pet, you know,” she said.
“That can change,” I said, giving her a sinister smile. “You still owe me two favors as part of your penance.”
Priestess Kaya gaped at me open-mouthed. I lasted for exactly three seconds before my composure broke.
“I’m kidding,” I said with a chuckle. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to do that to you.” I stopped chuckling. “For now.”
Priestess Kaya glared at me, before turning away in a huff.
“Just get it over with,” she said.
I chuckled again, before I started patting Priestess Kaya’s head. As before, despite her rough and coarse hair, the act of petting her was soothing for the soul. I found the juxtaposition between her cute appearance and barbaric demeanor adorable. Priestess Kaya’s face was still red, but from the way the corners of her lips turned up into a little smile, I saw that she didn’t completely hate it.
The next few minutes passed by in silence as I patted Priestess Kaya’s head.
“Feeling better?” I asked after I had my fill.
Priestess Kaya hesitated, before nodding.
“A little,” she admitted. “Thank you, Chosen. Not many people try to comfort me. Most avoid me if they can, so thank you.”
“No problem,” I said. “So, why is the Temple of Aeros trying to pick a fight with the Temple of Tempest?” I paused. “This time?”
While the Church of the Sun liked to put up a united front in front of outsiders, in reality it was riddled with feuds and grudges between the various temples and shrines. These often, but not always, mirrored the feuds and grudges between the gods they served; and some of these enmities ran deep. The feud between the Temple of Tempest and the Temple of Aeros started long before the Church of the Sun existed, since it existed because of the rivalry between Master Tempest and Aeros.
No one knew the full story behind it, but from what the Church of the Sun managed to glean, Aeros started it. After Sol, Luna, and their followers liberated the heavens, they went about rebuilding the heavenly court. For his meritorious service, Master Tempest received a rather high position, though we didn’t know which one. Aeros objected to this, saying that Master Tempest didn’t deserve the honor. He cited the old gods’ failure in protecting the heavens as proof, before challenging Master Tempest to a duel.
He lost. Badly. So much so that his younger sister, Aqua, the Goddess of Water, intervened to try and help. Master Tempest thrashed her as well. Ever since then, those two have considered Master Tempest their enemy, and their followers have mirrored this rivalry in the mortal realm.
Over the millennia, the Temple of Tempest has clashed with the Temple of Aeros and the Temple of Aqua numerous times. It never got to the point where these conflicts threatened the stability of the Church of the Sun, but that was just a testament to the strength of the church as a whole. From what I knew, some of these conflicts were akin to wars between minor Houses.
This was one of the reasons why I wanted to keep my status as the Chosen of Master Tempest a secret for now. The moment I revealed myself, I would become an enemy of the followers of Aeros and Aqua. Neither myself nor my family were strong enough to face them. We would have the Temple of Tempest on our side, but it was better to quietly build up our strength first.
That said, it wasn’t like I would only make enemies by revealing myself. Master Tempest, and his temple by extension, also had friends and allies amongst the gods. This included Brand. The God of Fire was a violent and passionate god who didn’t get along with most of his family. Yet, for some reason, he had a strong friendship with Master Tempest. No one knew why. His followers tended to ally themselves with Master Tempest’s followers
There were exceptions to this of course, such as when House Brant almost destroyed House Sturm.
“Grand Priest Darius went into seclusion last night,” Priestess Kaya said.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Last night,” I said.
She nodded.
“It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that he announced it to the rest of the Church of the Sun for some reason. The Temple of Aeros decided to take advantage of his absence. My guess is that they’ll use the incident with High Priest Algar as an excuse to have me arrested, or even expelled from the Church of the Sun altogether. This will weaken the Temple of Tempest greatly, since I’m one of our best fighters.” Her shoulders slumped even further. “In the past, Grand Priest Darius always protected me whenever I caused an incident. Without him around, the Temple of Aeros might just win this time.” She gestured in the direction of the front gate. “I took some precautions when I heard High Priest Algar was coming, such as forbidding outsiders from entering the temple, in order to minimize collateral damage and witnesses. However, I don’t think it will be enough.”
I studied Priestess Kaya. This stunk to high heaven, and that wasn’t a euphemism. Grand Priest Darius goes into the seclusion just as I’m learning the key to bringing together cultivation and wizardry? That wasn’t a coincidence. Master Tempest must have predicted that I would come to his temple to offer my thanks, and had Grand Priest Darius go into seclusion.
The question was, why? What did he hope to accomplish here? Did he want to goad the Temple of Aeros into taking action? Why? And what part did I play in all of this?
I patted Priestess Kaya on the head.
“It’s going to be alright,” I told her. “Have faith.”
She nodded, though worry still lingered in her eyes.
“Thank you, Chosen,” she said, before shaking her head. “Now then, how can I help you? In Grand Priest Darius’ absence, I’m in charge of the temple. I assume you didn’t come here for no reason.”
I lifted the box containing my offering for Master Tempest.
“I’m here to make an offering. Could you lead me to one of the prayer rooms?”