The night passed uneventfully. Nico tried a few more times to enter the meditative state, yet came up short each time, which frustrated him to no end.
However, that frustration ebbed, sometimes replaced by regret, grief, anger, helplessness, and much, much more.
The only thing that prevented Nico from acting on any dark thoughts was the presence of his mother, her childhood friend, and Leon.
They had decided to stay the night.
If nothing went wrong, the hospital staff should discharge Nico early in the morning, which only solidified their decision further.
Beverly had brought a mattress from somewhere and laid it on the ground. Only under her and Cynthia's insistence, did Leon hesitantly sleep on the make-shift bed. The two older women slept on the chairs.
Nico woke again in his usual fashion, gasping for air and clutching his head. Once the pain from the strange vision subsided, he turned on his side and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to shut out any negative thoughts.
Hours passed, and morning came. Nico groaned as his eyelids fluttered open. His eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light coming from underneath the drawn curtains.
His ears registered the sound of subtle snoring. He turned his head and discovered the source of the noise to be the burly half-blood.
A smirk crept across the brown-haired boy's face. He shook his head and shifted his gaze, craning his neck over the end of the bed to see his mother and aunt with their eyes closed, sleeping in awkward positions.
As Nico steadied his breathing, preparing to keep on trying to meditate, a crisp knock echoed from the door. Cynthia and Beverly jolted awake. Leon merely groaned, shifted and returned to sleep.
"Come in," he called out. Not a second later, the door opened to reveal the doctor and nurse from the day before.
The older man sent an apologetic glance, "I apologise if I woke any of you, however, I wanted to make sure nothing happened to young Nico here during the night. His case is quite the unique one," he adjusted his round glasses.
The white-clad doctor eyed the sleeping form of Leon, his lips curving up ever so slightly. He cleared his throat and proceeded to ask Nico multiple questions that ranged from how he felt, to if he experienced any nausea, or pain anywhere in his body.
Satisfied that his patient seemed to be all good, the older man scribbled a few things on his notepad, examined the readings on the machine - with the help of the nurse, who had to manouever slightly to not disturb the half-blood's resting form - and then turned to address his patient and their guardian at the same time.
"Everything is fine. Nothing I feared came to pass, so that's good. I would suggest taking it easy for a day or two. We don't want you getting injured and ending up back here again now, do we?" the doctor sent a wink in Nico's direction, to which the boy smiled and nodded in response.
"I'll go sign the documents for your discharge right now. Congratulations on your miraculous recovery!" the grey-haired healer smiled broadly.
"Thank you," Nico dipped his head in gratitude.
He watched as the two healers silently retreated and sighed. As Cynthia drew open the fuchsia curtains, Nico shifted his head and stared at the quickly brightening skies, a bittersweet smile marring his features.
***
Within the Augustus Empire, near the north coast where the land met the Wondering Ocean, life continued normally inside the City of Valdence. The hustle and bustle of early morning spread, with merchants and vendors fighting each other to get the best possible place to set up their stall.
In the cobbled streets, pedestrians milled about, some with purpose in their steps, others clothed in threadbare garments aimless as they begged for some extra coin. A few charitable people dressed in suits, gave these unfortunate individuals a few copper - an amount that should help get them a small meal consisting of sweetbread and juice from the cheapest establishment.
Abruptly, the loud clang of a bell resounded through the whole city. The streets slowly became more crowded, with families exiting their homes to attend the daily prayer held each morning.
"Praise the Ancestor!" echoed through the worn alleys and well-kempt walkways, several pious individuals even going a step further, and clasping their hands together to form the gesture that represented the Lord of Fate.
In one particular side-street that served as a shortcut to the main Temple, a group of four walked silently. Wherever they tread, the crowd parted sighting the scythe on the robe of the ginger-haired woman in the middle.
A rush of whispers ensued, with some nodding in Beverly's direction, respect, admiration and zeal in their gazes. Some even bowed to her as she passed.
The Priestess took all this in stride, and kept a stoic, solemn and dignified demeanour of someone befitting her position. She inclined her head in acknowledgement to those who had sent a bob of their own.
Cynthia remained expressionless, her posture straight. To any passerby, she appeared to be the esteemed daughter of a Noble House. One that possessed plenty of power at her fingertips.
Leon and Nico meanwhile swivelled their heads, trying to engrave everything in their surroundings into their minds. For the brown-haired boy, it wasn't every day that he received a chance to see a sight such as this, never mind the fact that he was in an unfamiliar city and wanted to explore every inch of its populated expanse.
The half-blood, however, wanted to imprint this moment in his memory, as it was the first time he could appreciate the spectacle of so many people gathered together, without the subconscious worry of where he would sleep for the night, what food he could procure, or what work was available to allow him to amass funds to continue living until the next day.
As the pale-white buildings on either side of the street sparkled in the sun's radiance, Nico recalled the structures crafted by the Meosan Empire. He couldn't help but feel like the two were connected somehow.
Shaking his head to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts, the party of four continued onward, took a few left and right turns before stopping in front a tall, crimson building that towered above every other structure in the vicinity.
Atop its peak, on a spire, lay a small golden circle with many intricate carvings.
'The Symbol of Fate.' Nico thought in wonder as he craned his neck to set his eyes on the esoteric symbol.
Here, the mass of people increased, with orderly queues being formed to usher worshippers inside the Temple to start the morning ritual. Nico and company soon entered the building, and the brown-haired boy's jaw dropped when he took in the opulence on display.
Placed against the far wall, a blood-red shrine stood out at first glance. Numerous unlit candles occupied its eerie expanse, with a skull at the very top, this one very much un-human like with its two massive horns.
Thick pillars were positioned randomly every few feet, rising and merging to form an elaborate ceiling. Golden chandeliers hung from the roof, the flames emitting a steady light, coupled with plush, crimson rugs and altars, one could tell whoever had built the Temple spared no resource.
In between the messy patchwork of marble and stone above, stained, transparent glass allowed those below to glimpse the skies, but also depicted the image of a crimson being seated on a throne, with countless skulls surrounding him.
Faced with such a macabre sight, one would normally feel a shiver crawl down their spine and instinctively experience a sense of dread and fear. However, none of the worshippers showed even a hint of fright.
In fact, Nico would say the reverence in their eyes had only increased.
He watched as the spacious hall of the Fate Temple filled with more and more people. Eventually, the Ancestor's worshippers filled the space to the brim. In one fluid and synchronised move, they clasped their hands and bowed toward the altar at the very centre.
"Praise the Ancestor!"
"Praise the Ancestor!"
"Praise the Ancestor!"
Standing towards the right of the raucous throng, Nico winced as the deafening cacophony of many pious voices streamed together, melding into one booming voice. A few seconds later, the noise died down, and a hush abruptly suffused the grand hall.
Out of the corner of his eye, the brown-haired boy observed the wonder on the half-blood's face, his mother's impassiveness and his aunt's solemn expression. He turned his curious gaze back towards the main altar that towered above, littered with countless skulls.
The flames from the ceiling cast eerie shadows in their eye-sockets, gifting the already macabre visage an added touch of menace.
Nico suppressed a shiver.
Just then, out of a small alcove hidden beside the central altar, strode a priestess dressed in the typical red robes of the Fate Temple. In her right hand, a crimson set of prayer beads, and in the other, a golden circle with numerous sinuous etchings.
Her eyes were placid, and so too were her steps light and swift. She soon reached the main altar and paused. Staring at her back, Nico watched with keen anticipation as the priestess's voice resounded far and wide.
"Oh, God of Fate, Wisdom, Knowledge, Creation and Divination! You are the Keeper of the End! You are the Lord of Fate, Destiny and History! The All-Father and the most Ancient One!"
At her words, the flames in the temple flickered, threatening to go out from an invisible draft of wind. The shadows in the grand hall deepened, gaining a blood-red hue, as if they suddenly filled the whole place with the colour of crimson.
The Priestess paused, and with accustomed movements wrapped the crimson prayer beads around the symbol representing the Ancestor. Her voice echoed louder and more reverently than before:
"I beseech you to bless our humble souls!"
She took a deep breath and blew. The candles on the altar shimmered to life, sending a wave of illumination across the grand hall.
That light, however, snuffed out not a second later, plunging the entire Temple in a cocoon of darkness…