Oslon finished treating a little girl, the daughter of a noble in the Capitol, and turned to her parents with a reassuring smile.
"She'll be alright," he said, his voice calm and soothing.
"Just make sure to follow the instructions I gave you, and she'll be back on her feet in no time."
The parents thanked him profusely, their faces etched with relief and gratitude. Oslon nodded and patted the little girl on the head before turning to leave. As he walked out of the mansion, he was met with respectful nods and smiles from the relatives and their servants. He smiled back, but his eyes betrayed a hint of displeasure.
As he walked, the subtle aura of malice surrounding him made the people around him uncomfortable. The veins around his eyes bulged slightly even as he smiled, giving him a sinister appearance. He ignored the whispers and nervous glances, his mind consumed by his own thoughts.
He climbed into a carriage, and as it began to move, he let his mask slip. Inwardly, he was fuming. Faust, Antoine, and Sid were all dead. Faust, a pawn he had carefully chosen and cultivated, was gone. The special ability, Redifinition, that he had spent years developing was now lost forever. Antoine's death was insignificant, but Sid's...Sid's death was a different matter altogether.
Oslon's thoughts were a jumble of anger and frustration. He gritted his teeth, and for a brief moment, he released his aura. The horses panicked, rearing up in terror. The carriage lurched to a stop, and the driver struggled to calm the horses.
Oslon regained control, his mask firmly back in place. The driver looked apologetically back at him.
"I'm so sorry about that," he said.
" It's nothing.Was anyone hurt?" Oslon asked.
The driver shook his head. "No, sir. Just a bit of a scare."
Oslon nodded. "Good. Then let's go. I'll get off at the next stop, if you don't mind."
The driver nodded and they rode on until Oslon's stop. It was Infront of a large house that Oslon had rented. He got off and thanked the driver for the service , waving with a smile as the carriage turned a corner and disappeared. He turned and stepped through the gates of the fence around the house walking quickly into his house, locking the doors behind him. His mask of composure came off and his expression turned cold. He stood seething for a moment before moving again.He dropped his bag on a couch and walked straight to a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and stood in front of it. He stared,his eyes locked on his reflection. For a while, he just stared, his eyes searching for something within the depths of his eyes.
Then, he reached out and touched the mirror's surface. It rippled at his touch, like water, and then bent inward, as if it were made of rubber. Oslon's hand passed through the mirror, and he stepped through into a pocket dimension.
The interior of the dimension was unlike anything in the mortal world. It was an empty space where shards of a glittering, crystalline material that refracted light into a kaleidoscope of colors floated around. The air was filled with a sweet, musical hum, like the gentle tinkling of a thousand tiny bells.
The space was dominated by a large, crystal bed at its center, upon which lay a woman's body the body was at the center of this space and floated above Oslon.
Light from an unseen source shone down on the womans figure from above.Her skin was pale and translucent, like alabaster, and her hair was a wild tangle of silver-blonde locks that refracted light into a rainbow of colors. Oslon took a step forward and some of the shards came together to form a set of steps to the bed at the center.
Her eyes were closed, but as Oslon approached, they flickered open, and she gazed up at him with an unblinking stare. The woman's body seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy, and the air around her seemed to vibrate with an intense, magical power. Oslon's eyes drank in the sight of her, his mind reeling with thoughts and emotions. He stood there, transfixed, as the woman's chest rose and fell with a slow, steady breath.She observed her own body lying on the bed of crystal roses from Oslon's eyes.
Oslon looked down at her with a side expression then raised his hand, and the glass shards that floated all around them of the dimension came together to form a screen. Rigarde's form was projected onto the screen, and the woman's eyes locked onto the image. She closed her eyes again, and Oslon stood there, frozen, his eyes fixed on her face.
The room was silent, except for the soft hum of the dimension's energy. Oslon's eyes never left the woman's face, his gaze burning with an inner intensity. The air around him seemed to grow colder, as if his very presence was drawing the heat out of the room.
Rigarde's projection flickered to life on the screen he was writing something on a piece of parchment, he raised his hands to observe the projection Infront of him,his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in Oslon's surroundings.
"Why did you call me, Oslon? I'm a bit bus-." he paused, his voice changing from that of annoyance as he took in the sight of the crystal bed and the woman's body lying on it, his expression also changed.
"Oh," he said, his voice softening.
" You seem a bit angry."
Oslon turned away from the bed, his eyes flashing with anger.
"I am angry." he said, his voice low and venomous.
"Everything seems to be going wrong. And why are you so unbothered?" He asked standing akimbo and tapping his foot.
Rigarde's expression was calm, his eyes never leaving Oslon's face.
"I am bothered, Oslon," he said.
"But getting angry isn't going to solve anything. We need to think clearly and move carefully from this point."
Oslon's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched in frustration. "But-"
Rigarde cut him off, his voice firm but gentle. "You're the most composed person I know, Oslon. You have more self-control than I do. Don't let your emotions get the better of you."
Oslon's gaze dropped, his shoulders sagging slightly. He sighed.
"Now there are more problems than before," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"With four of the Apostles of Doom dead, the power balance in the cult is going to change. And then there's Astelsea...now that Sid is dead, it's going to be very hard to keep her on a leash. It'll be easy to deal with the other Dark Apostles, but then there's Nefaria. She's been acting differently of late. She may become a threat if we don't deal with her carefully and quickly. If only we knew her true name. And Lord Minatori is not pleased with their recent failures. If he gets the least bit suspicious...."
Rigarde's expression was thoughtful, his eyes never leaving Oslon's face.
"We'll deal with it, Oslon," he said.
"We always do."
Oslon's gaze snapped back up, his eyes flashing with anger.
"You're not taking this seriously enough, Rigarde," he said, his voice rising.
Rigarde's expression didn't change, but his voice took on a slightly teasing tone.
"Oh, come now, Oslon. You're acting like a woman."
Oslon's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched in anger. "I am a woman," he said, his voice cold and deadly.
Rigarde's expression didn't change, but his voice was laced with amusement.
"Right now, we have two goals, Oslon. Get you a new body, and take our place as gods. Everyone else is just a pawn for us to achieve our goals."
Oslon's gaze dropped, his shoulders sagging slightly. He reached out and touched the screen, his eyes closing as he felt Rigarde's presence wash over him.
"This is so hard. If you weren't here to calm me down I'd probably have done something stupid." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rigarde's voice was warm, his tone filled with affection.
"I feel the same, Oslon. Things aren't all bad. Now, I'm going to use one of my pawns to make up for this."
Oslon's eyes snapped open, his gaze locking onto Rigarde's projection.
"What are you planning to do?" he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
"I'm going to set things in motion," he replied.
"It's time."
The transmission ended, and Rigarde turned to a nearby desk, where a letter was waiting to be sent. He stamped it with a seal, and a white owl perched on a nearby windowsill looked up, its eyes gleaming with intelligence. It had silver streaks on its white plumage and two long feathers in its tail. It also had translucent beak and talons that were almost see through,like glass.
Rigarde handed the letter to the owl, which took it in its beak and flew off. The bird flew up to a certain hight and then vanished.There was a loud boom as the bird disappeared. It wasn't just any ordinary bird. It was a Waxen Snow Owl used for communication within the church. One of its features was that it had the ability to fly faster than the speed of sound. It was unrivaled. Even the Silver Lynx that was known for its speed paled in comparison.
It'd arrive on the Holy Land in under an hour.
Rigarde watched the owl disappear, a small smile playing on his lips. He turned and walked out of the room, making his way to the cathedral where two figures were waiting for him.
Yukio and Leo, two Saints of the Holy Land of Ezkanur, knelt down in prayer.They rose to their feet, and turned to Rigarde,their faces solemn.
" Shalom." Leo and Yuki greeted.
" Shalom." Rigarde responded raising his hand.
" I've been made aware of the task you've been given but won't interfere with your duties as Saints, will it?"
Yukio's eyes locked onto Rigarde's, her gaze steady.
"We've received our orders, Bishop. We're to find Lady Cassandra, no matter the cost.By order of the Pope himself. We will not fail."
"Some of the Paladins have been assigned to take care of the Gates while we undertake this task" Leo added.
Rugarde could see the seriousness in Yukio's eyes. These were the eyes of the strongest mortal being in the world.
He smiled inwardly,amused.
" Then we'll take our leave." Yukio said as she and Keo bowed.
" May the light of our goddess shine upon you in your endeavor."
" Shalom" they responded as the moved past him.
" The timing couldn't be any better."
He said with a sinister grin.