Endyr opened her eyes to the sight of sunlight flitting through the trees and birds chirping over yonder. Stretching her arms that had once again become attached to her shoulders, she looked around and confirmed she was back she began: the mountain forest. Doing a quick scan of her body, she decided to move as fast as possible to escape this situation. Getting on all fours, she pounced forward down the mountain and towards the city.
Halfway down, she heard Belgemir pass overhead on his Dragon, but escaped his detection, using her invisibility just in case. She paused momentarily as she realised that Bartholomeus would be alive again now, but shook the annoyance away. Her ire was wasted on a mere replication of someone who was long dead, especially since she planned to escape this run. While the System was unable to tell her the exact location of whatever she needed to find, it had confirmed it to be in the west wing of the temple. Now, that didn't narrow it down as much as you might think because the temple was massive, but every bit helps.
Racing alongside the golden water of the river (she still wasn't sure where the source was) Endyr soon came upon a now familiar sight. Circular walls standing proudly in the light, shining splendid gold that showcased the might of the Almighty Primordial for all to see. To Endyr though, they were just a slightly inconvenient obstacle. Unfurling her claws, she scaled the wall in rapid speed, reaching the top and dropping down in less than a minute. Now that she knew how to activate the Mana-Infinity converter, she was making far more progress, at a far faster rate. Of course, she was careful to keep the level of radiation to the bare minimum so as to not attract any attention.
She hadn't met the woman this time, and the festival hadn't yet begun, though it seemed to be starting soon as some people were already heading towards the temple. Activating her camouflage, she slunk from rooftop to rooftop, dropping into deserted alleys when she couldn't go any further. Playing hide-and-seek with the locals, she dodged multiple encounters and had the temple in sight when a loud chiming rang out repeatedly. Cocking her head, she realised it signified the start of the ceremony as people began flooding out into the streets.
Sparing the mass of bodies only a single glance, Endyr continued on her way. She needed to get to the temple before Rapelt and the other woman arrived, else she be detected and imprisoned again. They were likely inside the temple, which meant they could also detect her once she snuck inside, but the building was a large place. Besides, she wasn't totally against wasting a few "runs" to map out the patrol patterns. 'Reminds me of those games my Avatars would play' Endyr mused as she observed the glistening, gold pagoda.
Despite straining her eyes, she was unable to peer behind its' walls and see what was happening inside. Knowing everything from here would be unknown territory, she increased her camouflage level and retracted all sounds and smells. Doing so caused the radiation from her Infinity energy to reach a dangerous point, but she believed it to be just below the detection point for someone on Rapelt's level. Someone like Tamar or the Almighty would see through her of course, but "They" come here unless called or alerted. If Tamar had always been in the temple, Endyr was confidant she would have detected her upon sneaking in the first time.
Taking a breath to calm her nerves, she slunk through the mostly-empty square and circled around the edge of the pagoda, senses keen for anyone above Sovereign Tier. She made it to the same spot she climbed through last time, the open space unbarred once again. Repeating her previous actions, she scaled the wall and dropped down onto the softly carpeted ground. Once she recognised the busts and vases, she relaxed considerably. Everything was the same as the first time. While it was never confirmed if the Almighty Primordial possessed a Time Affinity, it was speculated Jester or Fallacy did, or at least partial Authority over Time. She was worried they would have sensed something wrong after meeting her in the past "run" and changed the timeline, but nothing of the sort seemed to have happened. Endyr was alone in her knowledge that this was a time loop.
Her doubts assured, Endyr slowly explored the wing she was in. Making her way down deserted corridors and expansive prayer halls, she met nary a soul on her way. Despite being big enough to seemingly hold half the city, it was practically deserted now. The fact unnerved Endyr slightly, as she did not know when or where someone could appear. 'Is there an underground section, or a second floor?' she pondered. 'Or is the temple wrapped in a spatial distortion spell to make its interior bigger than the exterior?'
Empty room after empty roof passed Endyr by as she continued onwards. Not a single sound could be heard, not even the soft whistle of wind that indicated an airflow. Everything was still and sterile, making Endyr feel alienated and uncomfortable. Even the Mana had assumed an unnatural stillness to it, like it was being constrained by an external force. Endyr knew not how close she was to her target, only that she had been moving west the entire time. She was just beginning to drop her guard in boredom when she detected an approaching Mana signature. Ducking through the nearest doorway, she hugged the wall and peered out to see a man with brown hair and a golden priest robes shuffle past, eyes fixed on a scroll in his hands.
Watching him go, Endyr moved when he was gone from sight and continued on. Soon however, she realised things wouldn't be so easy anymore. The further she went, the more people she came across. First was the occasional straggler, then came the odd pair and then a group every now and again. But after ten minutes, she came across a whole congregation of priests and nuns...being lead by the silver haired woman Rapelt was with.
Endyr's breath hitched but she forced herself to stay calm, doing the same as she did previously: hiding. Whoever designed the temple had serious OCD because there was symmetrical; rooms on both sides the entire time, giving Endyr ample places to hide. From what she had seen, nobody even used these rooms, and they were barren of all decoration apart from a small altar and some pews. As was routine now, the woman and congregation walked past without even sparing a glance at Endyr.
Until the woman turned her head.