Aurelius studied the scene before him with a soft smile on his face. If it weren’t for his aura, he would have seemed like a kindly grandfather, or perhaps a simple pilgrim. High Inquisitor Corvus stood next to Aurelius, as if he were the man’s shadow.

The two were a study in contrasts. One wore white, and left his face bare. The other wore black, and covered his face with a silver mask.

I stared at the two in surprise. I had kept an eye on our surroundings using my divine sense, just in case Aeros’ people tried anything funny, but I hadn’t detected either Aurelius or High Inquisitor Corvus. They must have hidden their presence and sneaked up on us, though I wasn’t sure if the word “sneaked” fit someone like the Voice of the Sun.

Almost as one, all the priests and paladins in the area knelt on one knee, paying homage to Aurelius; including Priestess Kaya and the faithful of Tempest.

I gave him my deepest bow, the one I only reserved for my parents, and the Sun Emperor.

A bit disrespectful for a mere House scion, but as a Chosen, I had a bit of leeway.

“Your Radiance,” I said, speaking up first. “You honor us with your presence.”

With my divine sense, I saw the expressions of Aeros’ priests and paladins contort, as if they were scandalized that I dared to speak to the Voice of the Sun.

“Come now, there is no need for that,” Aurelius said. “I am merely an old man. There’s no need for such formality, especially between the two of us, Lord Gabriel.”

Merely an old man my left foot.

I stood straight up and found Aurelius looking at me with a fond smile on his face. For some reason, he reminded me of my second master, Celestial Flame. He had been my first masters’ master. When they disappeared, he took me in as his disciple and taught me alchemy. While we were never particularly close, I had fond memories of him.

Unlike most cultivators, Celestial Flame preferred looking like an old man, though this didn’t diminish his strength in the slightest. He had the same air of humility and wisdom that I now felt from Aurelius.

For a moment, a part of me wondered if Aurelius was my second master, but then dismissed that thought from my mind. It would be too much of a coincidence, even for me. Besides, last I heard, Celestial Flame set out to explore the cosmos after achieving immortality.

“As for the rest of you,” Aurelius said, looking at the others. “You may rise as well.”

Everyone else stood up. The faithful of Tempest wore expressions of awe on their faces, including Priestess Kaya. Aeros’ people looked worried, except for Paladin Graysen and Algar. Paladin Graysen wore his cold, professional mask once more. Meanwhile Algar looked torn between reverence and anger, as if he couldn’t decide which one to feel.

“Now then,” Aurelius said. “Why are so many of Lord Aeros’ servants standing before the gates to the Temple of Tempest?”

Ha, as if he didn’t already know.

“Your Radiance,” Algar said in a wheedling tone. “That beast over there assaulted my person. We came here to arrest her and take her to the Temple of Aeros, by order of Grand Priest Nicholas.” He pointed a finger at me. “However, this one dares to stand in our way and claim that is the Chosen of Tempest.”

Aurelius nodded, before facing Priestess Kaya, a questioning look on his face.

“He’s telling most of the truth,” she said with a snort. “However, he’s leaving out the part where he visited the Temple of Tempest, on the pretext of delivering a gift for Grand Priest Darius, before insulting Lord Tempest to my face.” She glared at Algar. “It wasn’t an assault, it was a punishment. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”

When she said this, Algar flinched while the rest of Aeros’ people tensed. Paladin Graysen put his hand on his sword, but didn’t draw it.

Aurelius nodded, looking thoughtful.

“Is this true, High Priest Algar?” he asked. “Did you insult Lord Tempest in front of one of his most faithful servants?”

Algar’s expression fell at this.

“I-…No-…I mean-…” he stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

“Answer the question, High Priest Algar,” High Inquisitor Corvus said in a cold voice.

A chill ran down my spine, as if someone had drawn a sharp blade down my back.

Algar started trembling, before he fell onto his knees and prostrated himself before Aurelius.

“Yes, Your Radiance!” he said. “Please forgive me for my insolence!”

“I’m not the one you should apologize to,” Aurelius said. “Though, given the history between you two, I won’t ask you to kneel before Priestess Kaya.”

Algar froze, unable or unwilling to move for several seconds. However, in the end, he stood up and bowed to Priestess Kaya.

“I apologize for my words, Priestess Kaya,” he said through gritted teeth. “Please forgive me for my insolence.”

Talk about insincere. There was no way Priestess Kaya would accept an apology like this. Now that I thought about it, given her personality, would she accept any kind of apology? Under normal circumstances, I didn’t think so. That said, these weren’t normal circumstances.

After Algar apologized, Aurelius faced Priestess Kaya and gave her an expectant smile.

“I accept your apology, High Priest Algar,” she said, also through gritted teeth. “In the spirit that it was given.”

Aurelius’ smile widened.

“Excellent!” he said, clapping his hands together. “With that out of the way, I see no reason to escalate this matter further. Wouldn’t you agree, High Priest Algar?”

Aurelius’ words knocked the wind out of Algar’s sails.

“Yes, Your Radiance,” he said, his shoulders slumping. He then perked up right away. “What about Lord Gabriel? He claims to be the Chosen of Tempest, and dared to stand in our way!”

Aurelius tilted his head to the side, as if confused.

“Is that a problem?” he asked. “Lord Gabriel is the Chosen of Tempest. He acted well within his rights.”

Several of the priests and paladins around us, both the servants of Tempest and Aeros, gasped at this. Since the Voice of the Sun himself had acknowledged me as the Chosen of Tempest, there wasn’t anything anyone else could say about it now.

“Faithful of Tempest, rejoice!” Priestess Kaya shouted, her voice filled with joy. “Our lord once more has a Chosen. Spread the word! Tonight, we celebrate!”

The priests and paladins of Tempest cheered. Several of them looked at me, wearing expressions of reverence and awe on their faces. A few, however, wore expressions of envy, jealousy, or anger.

Aeros’ people on the other hand looked worried and unhappy about this pronouncement. Algar, in particular, wore a defeated expression. Paladin Graysen seemed troubled, but otherwise maintained his cold and professional facade.

I let out a sigh. It looked like I wasn’t leaving the Temple of Tempest today. They couldn’t celebrate the appearance of Tempest’s Chosen without the Chosen himself. I needed to send a message to Father and others, so they wouldn’t worry when I didn’t make it back home.

“By your leave, Your Radiance,” Paladin Graysen said. “May we return to the Temple of Aeros?”

That was the best decision Aeros’ people could make at the moment. Now that they couldn’t arrest Priestess Kaya, not without provoking the Temple of Tempest further, they were better off retreating. Besides, someone had to inform Grand Priest Nicholas about what happened.

“You may,” Aurelius said with a nod.

Aeros’ people bowed, before heading back down the mountain. My intuition told me that this wouldn’t be the last time I would have to deal with them.

“Chosen, come!” Priestess Kaya said as they left, grabbing my arm. “I’ve had this celebration planned for ages now, and I’m glad that I can now put it into action.”

I smiled at her exuberance.

“You know, you’re adorable when you smile,” I said, patting her on the head.

The priests and paladins of Tempest fell silent with fearful expressions on their faces. I guess they thought that Priestess Kaya would get angry, since I dared to pet her like this and she was infamous for her nasty personality.

Shock replaced their fear when Priestess Kaya just blushed and let it happen.

“Thank you, Chosen,” she said in a quiet voice.

I beamed at her.

“Priestess Kaya, would you mind if I stole Lord Gabriel away for now?” Aurelius asked. “There is something I wish to discuss with him.”

Priestess Kaya and I faced the Voice of the Sun.

“By all means, Your Radiance,” Priestess Kaya said, before glancing at me. “Though the decision is Lord Gabriel’s, not mine.”

Aurelius looked at me.

“Would you join me for a stroll up the mountain, Lord Gabriel?” he asked.

I resisted the urge to snort. As if I had a choice in the matter.

“Of course, Your Radiance,” I said.

----------------------------------------

Despite telling Priestess Kaya that he wanted to discuss something with me, Aurelius remained silent as we walked up the stone path leading to the top of Mt. Suntouched. High Inquisitor Corvus trailed behind us, acting as Aurelius’ shadow. I felt his gaze on my back. My intuition told me that if I even thought about harming the Voice of the Sun, I’d die before I could even move.

Ha! As if Aurelius needed the protection. At his level of power, he just needed to flex his aura in order to erase me from existence. My soul might survive, but the rest of me would not. That was the difference between us. He was being quite considerate by keeping most of his aura to himself.

As we walked up Mt. Suntouched, the Holy magic and mana that saturated the mountain grew stronger, more potent. Soon, it became more and more difficult for me to breathe, let alone walk. If I tried to cultivate here, at my current cultivation level, I would straight up explode. By the time we reached the peak, I visibly struggled to move.

The only reason why I even made it this far was because of my experience as Celestial Thunder and the strength of my soul. Any other Foundation Establishment cultivator would have collapsed long before now.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

At the peak stood the temples for Sol and Luna. They were a pair of ziggurats, each three stories tall, that stood on opposite ends of a stone courtyard. Despite the similarities in their appearances, the two temples were not identical. A massive stone sun sat atop the Temple of Sol, while a massive stone crescent moon stood atop the Temple of Luna.

Like the rest of the Grand Temple, the two temples were built of white stone. However, Sol’s temple had a subtle golden gleam, while Luna had a subtle silver glow. I wasn’t sure if that was a mundane quality of the stone itself, or a magical effect.

The Temple of Sol was also grander and more resplendent than the Temple of Luna. I imagine that in the Grand Temple of the Moon, the Church of the Moon’s counterpart, the opposite was true.

“Impressive,” Aurelius said after we reached the top. He sounded sincere. “Most people at your level of power don’t make it this far up.”

“I’m not most people,” I said, panting.

Aurora looked between us.

“What are you two talking about?” she asked, wearing an innocent expression on her serpentine face. “I feel fine. In fact, I feel amazing.”

I gave her a withering look, not buying her act for a second. As a spirit, a former divine spirit at that, being in a place saturated with Holy magic and mana this potent just nourished her, even more so than the prayer room atop the Temple of Tempest. She knew this, and was just being a smug asshole about it.

Aurelius smiled.

“Here,” he said. “Let me ease your burden. I would have done this sooner, but you seemed like you wanted to prove a point.”

With a wave of his hand, a golden light enveloped me and Aurora, allowing me to breathe and move around with ease again.

“Oh, that’s much better,” I said, sighing with relief. “Thank you.”

“Hey!” Aurora protested. “I was enjoying that.”

Aurelius just smiled, and gestured for me to join him as he walked over to the edge of a cliff that overlooked the rest of the Grand Temple. It was a magnificent sight. While Mt. Suntouched wasn’t that tall, it still provided a great view of the area around it. The sun, now at its zenith, bathed the surrounding lands with its golden light. For some reason, the rain storm bordering the Grand Temple now seemed like a protective barrier.

“I love this land,” Aurelius said, gazing out as well. “And I love its people. While they can be flawed and petty, as you witnessed yourself not too long ago, most are decent folk.” A shadow crossed over his face. “It saddens me to know that soon, all of this will soon be engulfed by chaos.”

I gave him a sideways glance.

“So you’re aware of the coming threat,” I said in an even voice.

Aurelius nodded, gesturing to High Inquisitor Corvus.

“Over the decades, there has been an increase in the number of incidents caused by Dark wizards,” the high inquisitor said. “As well as an increase in demonic activity all over the Solarian Empire, though it took us a while to notice, since it occurred over a period of decades.”

“This knowledge,” Aurelius said, picking up the thread. “As well as several omens and divinations that we received from the gods, led us to realize that darkness and chaos will once again threaten the world. We don’t have much time before that happens.”

I always found the various ways people perceived time amusing. For regular mortals, a century was a lifetime. For longer lived beings, a century could pass in the blink of an eye.

Aurelius’ words also made me realize just how blessed I was, since I heard about the threat directly from my master instead of having to interpret vague omens and divinations.

“I assume there’s a reason why you’re mentioning this to me,” I said.

“Yes,” Aurelius said, looking out over the land. “I would like your help in protecting this land and these people. I want to prevent them from ever facing the oncoming danger, or at least, I would like to mitigate the pain and suffering that they’ll suffer.”

I narrowed my eyes at the Voice of the Sun.

“As…honored as I am by your request, Your Radiance,” I said. “I’m just a Second Circle wizard, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why not ask someone more powerful to help you?”

I mean, I planned on fighting against the oncoming threat as well, but I was curious as to what Aurelius’ answer would be.

“I have and I will,” the Voice of the Sun admitted. “You’re not the only one I’m reaching out to. However, I’m aware of your…circumstances, Lord Gabriel.” He glanced at me. “I believe that you will play a key part in the battles to come.”

Damn it! I hoped that didn’t mean that he knew that I was a reincarnated Immortal.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said.

Aurelius chuckled.

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” he said. “There’s no need to hide it from me. Lord Sol informed me himself last year, in one of the rare moments when he speaks to me directly.” He shook his head. “Even then, it took me a while to believe it. A god reborn as a mortal? Impossible, or so I used to think.”

I clicked my tongue in displeasure.

“Tch,” I said. “Too many people have loose lips. The more people who know a secret, the less of a secret it becomes.” I glanced back at High Inquisitor Corvus. “I assume you’re aware of it too, given how candid His Radiance is being?”

The high inquisitor nodded.

“Of course,” Aurelius said. “Why do you think I had him keep an eye on you? Not just anyone is worth the personal attention of the Grand Inquisitor himself.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but then shut it with a click.

“Grand Inquisitor?” I asked. “The head of the Inquisition?”

High Inqui-…Grand Inquisitor Corvus shrugged.

“The deception was necessary,” he said. “If it got out that the grand inquisitor was interested in you, it would have attracted a lot of…unwanted attention.”

That was an understatement. As far as I knew, no one knew the Grand Inquisitor’s true identity. They were a mysterious and inscrutable figure, always watching from the shadows, ready to punish the wicked when necessary.

To think that someone like that had taken a personal interest in me left me feeling both flattered and unnerved.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself,” Grand Inquisitor Corvus said. “If everyone realized who I actually was, it would become cumbersome for me.”

I eyed the man up and down, before facing Aurelius once again.

“Why have someone like him keep an eye on me?” I asked. “In my current state, I’m not much of anyone.”

Aurelius shook his head with a small smile on his face.

“I don’t believe that, given everything you’ve done so far,” he said. “Even if I took your words at face value, that only applies to your current state. That won’t last forever. It only took you a year to restore your broken Circles and reach the Foundation Establishment stage. In a decade, you’ll become even more powerful. A century? Perhaps you’ll become stronger than I currently am.”

That…wasn’t impossible. It would be difficult and dangerous, as well as reliant on luck, but it was possible. I’d more likely be at the Nascent Soul stage or the Immortal Bone Creation stage.

“You have the potential to do a lot of good, Lord Gabriel,” Aurelius said, before his voice hardened. “You also have the potential to do a lot of evil. I’m well aware that divine beings can be just as twisted and evil as any mortal creature.”

Aurora lifted her head, letting out a hiss. She had been dozing off during most of this conversation, but the sudden change in atmosphere snapped her out of it. She eyed Aurelius as if he were a potential threat.

“Is that why you had Grand Inquisitor Corvus keep an eye on me?” I asked, my voice cold. “To take me out, should I become a threat?”

“Yes,” Aurelius admitted bluntly. “With darkness and destruction looming on the horizon, I can’t afford to let someone like you run around without any oversight.” His expression softened. “However, I also don’t want to offend you, so I’ve ensured that the Inquisition has kept their distance.”

I glanced at Grand Inquisitor Corvus. My intuition told me that he was displeased by this.

“As long as you keep them out of my business, then we’re fine.” I sighed. “I planned on working with you anyway, the Inquisition to be specific, so it all works out. My family does have a history of working alongside the Church of the Sun when facing threats like this. You might even call it a family tradition.”

“Yes,” Grand Inquisition Corvus said. “Your father was involved in the Black Tear Curse incident.”

I grimaced at that.

The Black Tear Curse was a nasty piece of Dark magic that putrefied the insides of its victim, causing them to cry “black tears” as they rotted from the inside out. This horrifying visual was intentional rather than a side effect of the curse. Worst of all, the Black Tear Curse could spread from person to person like a disease, increasing the number of people affected. In fact, people thought it was a disease at first and called it the Black Tear Plague.

When the Black Tear Curse appeared, it claimed millions of lives, including my paternal grandparents. It wiped out entire cities, and eradicated several Houses. Since people thought it was a disease, they treated it like one and tried to search for a cure. However, nothing worked. Not medicine, not alchemy, not Holy magic.

It wasn’t until later on that everyone realized that it wasn’t a disease, but a curse created by a Dark wizard. Several Houses and Great Houses, including House Sturm, banded together and worked alongside the Church of the Sun in order to hunt down the culprit.

It took some time, but they succeeded. They killed the Dark wizard who created the curse, as well as the demonic cult that he led. Using the Dark wizard’s notes, they found a way to neutralize the Black Tear Curse and restored some semblance of peace to the land. However, it took years before the Solarian Empire recovered.

“You’re not the only one who loves this land or its people,” I said. “I am Gabriel Sturm, and this is my home now, regardless of who or what I was in the past.”

“Excellent,” Aurelius said. He held out his hand. “I look forward to working with you in the future.”

I stared at his hand, and realized that he was waiting for me to shake it. Handshakes weren’t typical in Luminan culture, so the gesture threw me off guard at first.

I took Aurelius’ hand and shook it. He had a firm and solid grip, but not an overbearing one.

“Now then,” Aurelius said, after we finished. “I must return to my duties.” He gestured to the grand inquisitor. “Corvus here will escort you back down the mountain, so that you may join the celebration at the Temple of Tempest.”

I gave him one last bow, before heading back down the mountain path. Grand Inquisitor Corvus fell into step beside me.

“I don’t know if I like that old man or not,” she said, staring at the retreating figure of Aurelius.

I shrugged.

“Neither do I,” I said. “At least he was polite.” I gave Grand Inquisitor Corvus a sideways glance. “And honest, unlike some people.”

The grand inquisitor snorted.

“I am in a position where I must use all of the tools at my disposal in order to fulfill my duties,” he said. “Deception is the least of them.”

“The ends justify the means?”

“If it keeps the people of this land safe, then yes.” He glanced at me. “It’s not like you’re one to talk, Lord Gabriel. You lie to people all the time.”

I thought about it for a moment, before shrugging.

“True,” I said. “I’d be a hypocrite if I judged you for lying, especially since I do it for far more selfish reasons.” I gave him another sideways look. “You don’t like me much, do you?”

“It’s more like I don’t trust you,” he admitted. “Though, don’t take that personally. I don’t trust most people. I can’t afford to.” He gestured at me. “And unlike His Radiance, I don’t believe that you’re a god reborn as a mortal. You’re too…immature for me to accept it.”

I barked out a laugh.

“Growing old is mandatory, Grand Inquisitor,” I said. “Growing up is optional. Maturity is overrated.” I shrugged. “I don’t need you to trust me, and you can believe anything you want about me, as long as we can work together.”

“That’s fine by me.”

The two of us spent the next several minutes walking in silence. On the way back down, we passed by several priests belonging to the various temples that made up the Church of the Sun. Since he was pretending to be a high inquisitor, they bowed to Grand Inquisitor Corvus as they would a high priest, showing him the utmost respect. However, there was a wariness to them, showing that the Inquisition was feared, even with the church.

“By the way,” I said, breaking the silence. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Did my tip pan out?”

Grand Inquisitor Corvus hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

“Yes,” he said. “Matthews was already a suspect, since she was one of the few people in a position to curse everyone afflicted, but your tip led us to take a deeper look at her. We confirmed that she is in fact the Dark wizard who cursed you and the others.”

So it hadn’t been a trick of the mind after all. Making that deal with Forgotten Memory, the mental demon who I met some time back, paid off.

“I assume there’s a reason why you haven’t taken her into custody yet,” I said.

If Vice Dean Matthew had been arrested, or if she just disappeared one day, word would have spread by now.

“The Solarian Imperial Academy is one of the most secure places within the empire,” Grand Inquisitor Corvus said. “Someone like Matthews couldn’t have become the vice dean on her own. Otherwise, she would have been caught before she even stepped through the gate. She had help from someone with a lot of power and influence.”

I frowned at that. The only people with enough power and influence to affect the Solarian Imperial Academy…

“You think one of the Great Houses has gone bad?” I asked.

He nodded.

I resisted the urge to whistle. This wasn’t good. The Great Houses were pillars of the Solarian Empire. If one of them had gone bad, then the situation was even more dire than I realized.

“We’re trying to discover who Matthews is working with, but it’s proving difficult,” Grand Inquisitor Corvus said, a hint of frustration in his voice. “They covered up their trail well. We also believe that she’s not the only Dark wizard who infiltrated the Solarian Imperial Academy. So we’re leaving her alone until we discover who she’s working with.” He glanced at me. “This should go without saying, but please don’t interfere. Leave this part to us.

I nodded.

“I know what I’m good at,” I said. “All this cloak and dagger stuff is well outside of my wheelhouse. Just let me know when you do plan on moving in on Matthews. Use the Temple of Tempest as a point of contact, if you want to keep it secret and don’t want to send a message to me directly.” My expression hardened and my voice turned cold. “My family owes Vice Dean Matthews a debt, one that we’d like to repay.”

“We will.”

The Temple of Tempest came into view.

“I can make it the rest of the way from here,” I said. “Though I thank you for the escort.”

Grand Inquisitor Corvus nodded, before he turned around and started walking up the mountain again. In moments, he disappeared from sight, even though I had kept my eyes and divine sense on him the entire time.

With a shake of my head, I headed towards the Temple of Tempest, where I spent the rest of the night as the guest of honor for the celebration Priestess Kaya hosted.