CHAPTER 45 – THE DEMONIC CATHEDRAL
JOHNNY WOLVESBANE
Five days had passed since the obliteration of Tasty Town, a once-thriving community reduced to ashes and claiming the lives of an estimated one hundred thousand residents. The aftermath of this catastrophic event cast a somber shadow, marking the darkest chapter since the implementation of the Dragonoid Rights Law.
Scrolling through my social media feed, I grew weary of the constant reminders of the devastation. The images and stories of the destroyed town haunted my every click, saturating my senses with the magnitude of the tragedy.
Though Gazelle Lockwood, the Supreme Leader of Neo Arcadia, had intervened to save us, my conscience refused to fully endorse his actions. The use of the Eye of Deus to manipulate Alris Vortigern into massacring an entire town left an indelible stain on the supposed savior.
Now situated in a Cathedral in Stonehill City, a dragonoid haven located fifty kilometers from my hometown in New Vanilla, I shared the dormitories with Maggie, uncertain of how long our sanctuary would last. As night fell, I roamed the cathedral's grounds, navigating through gardens adorned with night lilies. Seeking solace, I lit a cigarette, the wisps of smoke mingling with the heavy air.
Contemplating our predicament, I couldn't shake the unease that clung to Neo Arcadia. The merciless massacre was one thing, but my reluctance to stay was rooted in the looming danger that Maggie faced. My beloved was now a wanted criminal, pursued by the empire's relentless soldiers who would not rest until her head adorned a pike. Neo Arcadia was a shrouded realm, and I yearned to extricate myself and Maggie from its perilous grasp.
Wrapped in the dubious protection of the terrorists, I couldn't shake the realization that such an alliance exposed my love, Maggie, to grave danger. I yearned for a life away from the chaotic wars and battles, a quiet existence devoid of affiliations and conflicts. Convincing Maggie to abandon Neo Arcadia, however, presented a formidable challenge. She revered Gazelle as a god and had been the one to suggest our involvement with Neo Arcadia in the first place.
Tapping the weakening ember of my cigarette, I exhaled a stream of smoke through my nose. As I wandered through the night lily garden, a fork in the path led me to a dried-out fountain. Behind it stood a statue depicting a dragon and a male human knight. The knight knelt, presenting a box containing a ring to the dragon. The label at the base of the statue revealed their identities: "Sir Amphere Harrison and Airelina Frembell – the true liberators of the dragonoid race."
Reading those words, I pondered the symbolism. Airelina Frembell, a dragon, and Sir Amphere Harrison, a human, stood united in the statue. It was a testament to unity, transcending differences for a common cause. The juxtaposition of the offering of the ring hinted at a commitment, a pact that went beyond species.
“Only a few people know the truth of this dragon and knight.”
The tranquility of the night shattered with the resonant tones of a familiar deep voice. I turned to find Gazelle Lockwood, his crimson eyes with black sclera, standing beside me. His gaze fixated passionately on the statue, seemingly absorbed in the intricate details of the well-maintained monument.
"S-Sir. I’m sorry I did not see you there," I stammered, caught off guard by his sudden presence.
"Don’t call me Sir. Just Gazelle is fine," he replied, offering an innocent smile that illuminated his moonlit face, exuding an unexpected sense of friendliness.
"O-Okay," I mumbled, hastily crushing my cigarette to extinguish it. The sting of the burn in my palm was a small price to pay for the semblance of respect I sought to maintain in the presence of the Supreme Leader. Gazelle's aura, though friendly, carried an underlying weight, and I couldn't help but wonder what thoughts lingered behind those passionate eyes fixated on the dragon and knight statue.
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Gazelle's gaze remained fixed on the statue as he placed his arms behind his back, circling it slowly. "I know that this was in the history books, but it was all altered and wrong. Sir Estoff Wraith was not the one who liberated the dragonoids. It was Sir Amphere Harrison and Airelina Frembell," Gazelle remarked, lightly touching his intimidating eye. "These eyes saw everything."
"Isn’t Amphere Harrison the one dragonoids hate the most? I thought he killed thousands of them during the last Dragonoid War," I interjected, seeking clarification.
"Lies. And that may be, but he had a good reason. He embarked on a path of blood just to save the dragonoids. It was so pitiful that he was hated for it," Gazelle explained, challenging the distorted narrative.
As he walked away from the statue, Gazelle glanced back at me. "In that way, I am very much like the dragon knight people loathe so much. I know that you are thinking that I am a mass murderer, that I am a lunatic, and that I am a cold-blooded trigger-happy killer. But all I was is just a man who wanted to save the world," he confessed, revealing a complexity that transcended the black-and-white judgments cast upon him. The weight of his words lingered, leaving me to reconsider the layers beneath the enigmatic Supreme Leader of Neo Arcadia.
"How exactly are you going to save the world by killing people?" I questioned, confronting Gazelle with the harsh reality of his methods.
Gazelle responded with a slight smile. "If you are ready for the painful truth, then come with me." His dark figure, shrouded in almost all black, moved away from the Cathedral's gardens, his long, tattered cape billowing with each step.
Intrigued and apprehensive, I chose to follow Gazelle. We ventured through a mini forest on the west side of the Cathedral, where towering pine tree canopies created an eerie atmosphere. The hoot of an owl overhead added to the mystique of our surroundings.
Five minutes of silent walking brought us to a noticeably different trail. A cemented road stretched ahead, lined on both sides by human-sized crosses wrapped in the soft glow of magical mushrooms. The surreal scene hinted at something beyond the ordinary, and I couldn't help but wonder what revelations awaited at the end of this mysterious path.
After three more minutes of walking, the end of the cemented road revealed an opening marked by an arch with a label that had deteriorated over time, the letters obscured by crawling vines.
Beyond that arch stood another gargantuan Cathedral, distinct from the one where Maggie and I temporarily resided. This cathedral exuded an eerie silence, contrasting with its meticulous upkeep. Its architecture appeared alien, as if constructed from liquid metal.
A guarded pathway led us forward, flanked by stone dragon statues with imposing long horns. As we walked, the crimson eyes of the demon dragon statues illuminated, casting an otherworldly glow.
Approaching the wooden door of the cathedral, Gazelle turned to me with a serious expression. "What is inside will flip your world upside down. You will throw away your beliefs, your ideals, and even your humanity. Are you sure you are still willing to know the truth?"
I nodded resolutely. "Yes." Prepared for the unknown, I steeled myself for the revelations that awaited beyond the cathedral's threshold, uncertain of how my perception of the world would be reshaped.
"Rejoice, young lad. You will be one of the few who will witness the true horror of humanity," Gazelle declared, his words hanging heavy in the air as he forcefully pushed open the wooden doors.
Stepping into the darkness within the cathedral, Gazelle advanced, triggering the automatic illumination of torches lining the sides. I followed in his wake until we halted midway, allowing the torchlight to reveal the entirety of the cavernous space.
The cathedral's stained glass windows bathed the interior in a kaleidoscopic light, creating a surreal atmosphere reminiscent of a hallucination. However, my sense of awe quickly turned to revulsion when I turned around to face the very altar of this demonic cathedral. What I saw made me stagger and retch, an unexpected horror that shattered any preconceived notions I had about the world.
The sight before me was grotesque and horrifying. A colossal cross stood prominently, saturated with blood, feces, and urine. Pinned to this gruesome crucifix was a malnourished, naked elf, her arms and feet cruelly bound. Wounds marred her skin, revealing muscle fibers and bones, while only a few strands of her once-golden hair clung to her ravaged head.
The elf bore a crimson-hued eye, a stark contrast to the desolation of her appearance. It was a mystical juxtaposition, a dragonoid essence trapped within the shell of an elf. The focal point of the horror was a massive hole in the elf's forehead, a gruesome detail that intensified the repulsion.
"Behold, for you are in the presence of the Dragonoid Saint—the Goddess Exceria… Or at least, what’s left of her carcass," Gazelle proclaimed, his voice echoing through the demonic cathedral. The revelation of this twisted depiction of the revered Dragonoid Saint left me paralyzed, grappling with the unimaginable desecration of divinity and the unsettling truth that lay hidden behind the veneer of Neo Arcadia's facade.