MANDATES OF DIVINITY

EPISODE 6

Darkness is never relenting

Come what may, they are never satisfied

Light is never relenting

Come what may, they are never satisfied

They are one and the same

They just come in different shades.

-UNKNOWN

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“The pope is dead!” This kept resounding in Betty’s mind, she couldn’t get over the shock. It has been about a week but it still felt like an hour ago, when a priest interrupted their drill to announce the death. The entire settlement fell into an uproar, she recalled the old women wailing and people ripping their garments. “So even the Pope could die, wasn’t he an immortal?” She pondered as the carriage rocked her from side to side.

            The carriage conveyed the four out of their settlement to Heradal, the very heart of the church, the nation referred to as the home of the Pope. It was the center of everything. The disciples of the first godling were said to have settled there, becoming the very first settlement of the church. The very first chapel is buried deep within the main cathedral and now, it would house the four.

            It took a few days for the company to arrive at Heradal, they could already spot the huge wall from afar off. The wall wasn’t for just a city, it ran about the entire kingdom, you just couldn’t see its end from one point, it was far too enormous. The gate was equally huge and the knights searched through every single luggage that was coming in. They also placed a cross at people’s forehead that gave off a faint glow each time.

“The crosses can tell if a man has conspired with the fallen, considering the times, it is an important measure.” That was Father Bayo, he accompanied the four as instructed by the bishop. “Our destination is Saint Petros’ Basilica, you will be received along with all others like you.” He added and the company made its way back into the carriage after their evaluation.

            As the carriage made its way through the first city, the difference between it and other settlements was vivid. One came across chapel after chapel, it really was dense. The sights of knights and priests even tripled, they matched around in countless convoys and patrols. The more they neared the capital, the denser it got.

Soon they reached another wall, almost as enormous as the first. Fewer people moved in and out of the gates and the amount of knights present was dazzling. The company was once again subjected to evaluation before granted access into the dazzling city.

“Little ones, welcome to the birthplace of the church. I give to you, Petros’ Nook.” Once again, Bayo addressed the four.

            This was the mighty Nook, the beating heart of the entire church. The company was received by an order of knights and they were lead towards their final location. Nook was on an entirely different level, one could hardly come across a commoner and they were slaves or artisans as they would later learn. The dominating populace were nobles, all that were left were knights and priests. Even bishops were somewhat frequent and the four couldn’t help but marvel at the vast difference between Nook and all other cities in the nation.

            Finally they arrived at the basilica and it was way grander than they anticipated, enclosed in another wall of its own, the entire grounds was almost as large as their entire settlement back home. The basilica itself was incredible, the four could barely make out its edges.

“It is beautiful.” That was Watt, he narrowed his eyes as he looked up to a burnt huge cross, the rays of the sun invading his eyes.

“It indeed is.” Father Bayo smiled and led the four to their final destination.

            Deep into the grounds, the four arrived at their final destination. Possessing various structures, it looked more like a school when coupled and each of them were given residences. A lot of others just like them were already present, all outstanding and possessing incredible gifts. They barely stood out, they were nothing but normal to the others. Every one of them was special.

“Once again I believe we have been reminded the need for the edict we have put in place.” Xandar stood tall and confident, the other members of the Sanctus Primus sat round him, forming perfect concentric circles. “The state of the Pope’s body screams just one thing…” He paused for a moment and glanced coldly across the room, nobody could meet his gaze. “Conspiracy!!!”

            The room remained utterly silent, no one made an attempt to speak or move, they had all drifted away in thoughts. The Pope was a being of light and so his body should be an epitome of such, absolute purity. That was the case, or so they thought until four days ago when they finally checked the body, the body had been polluted. The Pope had become a spawn of the fallen in death! Hence the term he died in sin.

“Who?” The silence was interrupted abruptly by the sound of the door, Xandar turned towards the intruder displeased.

“Forgive me, my lord but the priest from the suburb is here.” A voice replied from the other side.

“I see…” Xandar approached an empty seat. “Let him in.” He added lazily,

            Father Bayo walked briskly into the room, he gave a slight bow before standing in the middle of the circles.

“Father, I hear you had arrived with your four and I requested for your audience. As you know we are the Sanctus Primus the council that governs the church along with the Pope and in his absence, we manage all affairs.” Xandar quickly began. “According to intel, your four seem to be extraordinary. These are crucial times and we need the extraordinary.”

“We have reasons to believe that indeed, one of the blessed is a godling and we think the godling is most likely one of your four.” It was someone else who spoke.

“You have known them since they were little Father Bayo, who do you think it is?” Xandar continued with a question.

“I can’t say my Lords, both Betty and Watt have shown incredible battle power. Betty in particular possesses Patrons that could change the world. The  others seem pretty normal compared to the other blessed.” Father Bayo genuflected as he replied, his palm balled into a fist, his forehead sweaty.

“We might have to wait until the godling awakens, but until then, I will take custody of the four myself.” Xandar announced and the other saints nodded in agreement and Father Bayo went for the exit right after a bow.

            Xandar rose to his feet once more and the tension began to rise once again and this time, drastically.

“Where were we?” Xandar once again glanced around, everyone else had their gazes fixed on the floor, an aura of sovereignty surged from him and his lips gradually curled into a smile.

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Faraway, in a dark mountain out of reach of the church…

            In a pitch black room, a candle could be seen mounted on a stand in one corner. It gave a very deem light to the area and so majority of the room remained unseen. A man could be spotted seated on the floor, he had his eyes closed and it was evident he meditated. His lips moved occasionally but he made no sound, even the breeze was gentle, there was perfect tranquil.

            Nothing happened for a while until a shadow moved, from the dark corners of the room a shadow moved. The man initially faced this direction and so he opened his eyes and beheld the moving shadow. It was not a figure hiding in the shadows, it was actually a moving shadow, it formed the figure of a man with three tails, a wing and a crown. It had no eyes and the sockets were even darker, darker than an abyss.

“Dead flame, messenger of the goddess.” The man spoke with a frail voice, “What news have you brought from the Hella’s realm?” He sounded somewhat eager. “Was it one of ours that killed the Pope?”

“Siiiii.” The shadow made a strange sound like it hissed and the flame atop the candle died. “The day ignorance would die is at hand and everyone who has despised Hella shall perish. The cause of his death is of no use, the implications however must be maximized. Infiltrate the church once more, the godling must be nipped in the bud.” There was no mouth but the sound came anyway, it brought a chilling effect and a thin layer of ice began to form on the floor around the shadow. “By whatever means necessary, Hella must arise.”

             The shadow disappeared almost instantly, a flame appeared atop the candle once more and the room brightened up, it revealed a thin sheet of ice covering the entire wall. The man gently rose to his feet, he sighed and made his way out of the room.

“If Hella didn’t do it, who did?”