Under the soft moonlight, Endyr glided across the ground of the town at a steady pace. Becoming a shadow was instinctual to her thanks to Nyx's Blessing, but the feeling of incongruency remained. Endyr felt like she was missing a vital part of herself, or that she had been submerged in a quasi-solidified liquid. Furthermore, her Mana reserves were being drained at a fast rate. Thankfully, her movement as a shadow was improved so she would still make it over the inner wall.
Nestled within the darkness, Endyr looked out at the town. Within her shadow, everything had turned into a monochrome scale of greys and blacks. All colour had been erased, and most objects appeared to be comprised of fog, turning them blurry and affecting her depth perception. The world seemed to have been sketched out, with pencil outlines representing objects now.
'How fascinating...' Endyr thought to herself. If not for her lack of Mana, she would have absolutely stuck around to explore more of his strange state. As it was now however, she had no choice but to ignore everything and continue onwards. Endyr was also glad she, or rather Altair, had memorised the maps of the city. Without remembering those clear directions, Endyr was likely to wander around in the maze of grey before running out of Mana and being spat out.
'If I knew just how far the senses of a Sovereign could extend, then I wouldn't have to fear such an outcome. But when it comes to a legendary monster like Le'garde, risks are equivalent to losses. I need to leave the Academy grounds and get to the outer city.'
Endyr still vividly remembered when Altair and Sia had entered Sky Cross Academy a week ago. The city had been divided into three rings, each one serving a different purpose. The first ring was the Academy campus. It was where the dormitories and faculty buildings where, along with most of the school itself.
The second ring was where they had stayed before the opening ceremony, and where those who did not get a room had to stay. It was a fully functioning economy, and would be the "inner quarter" of any other big city in Orvonia.
The third ring was the biggest and was arguably the only part that lived up to the name of a "city". It was bigger than the other two rings combined twice-fold and had everything, from housing to factories to commercial districts. It was truly a metropolis that was befitting neighbouring an institute governed by a Sovereign and invested in by various powerhouses on the Gaia Continent.
This third ring was Endyr's goal. From what she had gathered, the third ring was almost entirely independent of the other two, especially the Academy campus. Le'garde had given the rulers of the land free reign to do as they liked, as long as they did not directly affect Sky Cross. Any actions Endyr took would such be handled as an internal matter, and word of it would be highly unlikely to reach the ears of those she hoped to avoid.
The situation and formation of such a structure was unique in Orvonia. One would be hard-pressed to find a city like Sky Cross, where the Academy exerted almost like a country within another country. The creation of this environment was attributed to Le'garde and his influence, but whether the might of a singular man was enough to stop interference from the Royal Family, and the Churches, was unclear.
And while the overall danger would be lesser in the outer ring, Endyr would still be in some danger. Various forces had their grasp on the city, such as Great Nobles and the Churches. Compared to the seemingly tranquil campus, the outer ring of Sky Cross was rife with political and momentary struggle. And while Endyr would like to brag that such mortal affairs were beneath her, she knew all too well the inconvenience that getting involved with one of these groups would bring.
'I heard there is an Adventurer's Guild here too. I'll bet my left foot there will be some aristocratic prick waiting to make my life difficult.'
Endyr had explored countless worlds and Realms as a Denizen of Infinity. While few worlds had been the same, there was always a striking similarity between them. One such connection as the presence of a "Guild" or some organization for mercenaries and those that wished to gain power without serving under official authority. Thus Endyr was all too familiar with the trends and clichés that followed.
'My mind is still foggy about it, but I'm pretty sure the Guilds were actually an invention of Libertas. "She" joined forces with Euphrosyne to inspire mortals across the Universe to band together in pursuit of freedom and happiness. Of course, the mortals rapidly distorted it into a gathering of crooks and scum in pursuit of money and material pleasures. Heh, Euphrosyne cried for days when that happened.'
After recollecting on some hazy memories from when she was a Denizen, Endyr realised she had arrived at the wall separating the second and third ring. Without stopping, she attached herself to the wall and glided up and over it. She then did the same on the other side.
As soon as she touched the ground of the third ring, Endyr felt an invisible presence-one she hadn't noticed until now-vanish. This made her take a deep breathe and stifle the goose bumps that affected her even in shadow form. 'Indeed, the observational range of a Sovereign is no joke. And I'm sure Le'garde can stretch it even further if he so wishes.'
Endyr fled into a particularly dark alleyway and then left her shadow. Her body reformed, revealing her in all her naked glory. She then activated her Space Ring and got changed. After, she put on a simple brown robe that concealed her figure and pulled up the hood to conceal her face. She probably wouldn't be allowed inside shops, but it was a good enough disguise for pubs and social gatherings.
Stepping out onto the streets, Endyr started strolling. She had several places she wanted to visit before the sun came up. The first place she planned to go was the Sky Cross Harvest Church, the Church of Gaia. Endyr needed to know if any random priest of the Gods could sense her abnormality before anything else.
She planned to visit the Sky Temple present in the city next to confirm the same thing. After that, she figured that she would head to the busiest bar in town. Going off what she had already gathered, it was likely to also be the Adventurer's Guild.
'Jace said only Ascenders can sign up, but I don't know if there is an age requirement as well. Well, I can just change my age on my Status and claim I suffer some sort of physical growth deficiency, like Dwarfism. Wait, is it still politically correct to call it that?'
While Endyr was contemplated on the social norms revolving around how to label the disabled, she realised she had arrived at her destination. In front of her was a tall yet not over-imposing church comprised of rich oak wood with sprawling vines and flowers forming intricate symbols. Above the front door was a symbol of a stalk of wheat rolled into a wheel with a twisting tree growing inside of it.
'The wheat circle represents growth, death and rebirth and is Gaia's symbol. Meanwhile, the tree doesn't have any deep meaning and is Dendron's symbol. Heh, the difference between these two siblings can be felt right away. Gaia is absolutely the dominant one in this relationship. Is this the privilege of a God born in the Third Era over a Fourth Era God?'
The Church was still open even this late, and it was filled with quite a few believers. They were all huddled together, whispering prayers and psalms as a priest oversaw it from a podium. A normal looking man with light green hair and brown eyes, he calmly watched the believers and recited from a large leather book laying on the podium in front of him.
Endyr silently slipped in and joined the back of the crowd, kneeling down and clasping her hands in prayer. The priest glanced at her for a second before turning back to Gaia's Bible. [A/N: I will be using Bible and Church to describe the religious parts of the story. Obviously, the names are the only similarities.]
After several more minutes of fervent mumbling, the priest raised both arms into the air and spoke with a deep voice.
"In the beginning, the Creator made everything from nothing. "He" was the representation and manifestation all of that is. All good and evil, all luck and misfortune, originate from the Creator. But the Creator was not ignorant of this. "He" knew of morals, of good and bad, and so "He" sought to purge the all the negative from "Himself". By doing so, the Creator ended up splitting into Allmer and Abaddon."
"After the two Primordial Ones fell, the world came unto the command of the various Mythical Races. They and their Gods ruled the lands, skies and seas of Orvonia with tyranny and bloodthirst, terrorising all of existence. Until the Almighty appeared to grant salvation to Humanity and free the oppressed Races."
"By the Almighty's side were many subordinates, some of which were Gods "Themselves." Two of these entities were our Lord and Lady, Gaia and Dendron. When the Almighty was betrayed and fell, "They" inherited "His" will and characteristics. Gaia became "His" desire for growth and surplus, for opulence and prosperity. "She" is the steadfastness of the Almighty, and "She" is the foundation upon which all life threads."
"Dendron inherited the Almighty's ferocity and command over life. "He" is the nature of all things, the system upon which all life keeps to. Without the blessings of nature, Humanity and the other Races could not survive. Nature is the most primordial of forces, for it is all encompassing."
The priest then lowered his arms and piously clasped both hands. "Oh lord and Lady, we ask for your blessings, for unending growth and prosperity in our lives. We beg for absolution from our sins, and for the destruction all all heathens and filth. Let the wrong-doers return to the Earth's embrace, from which have they strayed! And when they are reborn, may their next life be more faithful that the last."
At the back of the Church, Endyr frowned slightly. 'Isn't this sermon a bit too intense? Begging for the death of who knows how many people you have likely never met? And it seems the Church of Gaia believes in reincarnation, or at least some form of it...'
As the priest simply said "heathens" and not "cultists", Endyr believed that he meant all believers of Secret Gods, and not just Evil ones. This meant believers of Ingrid and Chanteur as well as Polydorus and Aenrys.
'From what I have gathered on the religious demographic, your wish may just result in the death of over quarter of Orvonia's population' Endyr jeered internally, but her face remained as impassive as ever. The priest then went on to list the various miracles and blessings Gaia and Dendron had bestowed to "Their" followers. At the end, he held up a donations basket and passed it around.
When the basket reached the spot where Endyr was, the priest raised an eyebrow. The seat was empty! He then turned to look outside the door, but the streets were empty.
Outside the Church, Endyr was lying in the shadows as she rubbed her chin. 'The priest gave no reaction, and I felt no strange presence or aura in the Church. I don't know how big the presence Gaia and Dendron have in Sky Cross is, but I presume its hefty enough. As long as most Churches aren't any more advanced than that one, I should be fine. In that case, I guess there is no need to visit a Church of Sol or Zephylte next.'
Endyr then turned in a particular direction as a mix between a grimace and a grin appeared across her face.
'In that case, I guess I should just head to the Guild directly.'