Oh yeah, today is Halloween. I was reminded as we walked through the base to leave. Homes were dressed in creepy Halloween decorations, kids and parents could be seen preparing for the horror festivities planned for later, and the crisp air and multi-colored leaves that were everywhere completed the atmosphere for what was sure to be a splendid, haunted night.
It looked fun to dress up and go to haunted houses with friends and family, but I could never enjoy Halloween. Growing up, I was constantly training, so as an adult, I don't see it as something to be excited about.
Maybe I could learn to enjoy it once all of this was taken care of.
Once we left the base, we prepared for take-off.
Tymon carried me while Naomi had Trik.
"Everyone ready," Naomi asked with excitement.
"Just don't drop us, please," I responded from Tymon's arms.
Tymon gave a crooked smirk as he covered me in his energy. I saw Naomi do the same for Trik. Then we were gone.
I couldn't perceive everything like the others could, so the world blurred as we zipped through the sky.
The only focused thing I could see was Tymon.
I tried to look at him without him noticing. How much he's changed in the last few months still scared me. The look in his eyes – its intensity – that wasn't there before. His aura – it felt darker. Not evil "darker," just...different. Solemn. Burdened maybe.
I don't know...
At some point, I must've fallen asleep while thinking because the next thing I remember was Tymon waking me up.
We'd arrived at the border of Zakopane, Poland – a small city with a population of just over 100,000 that was run by the same church we were looking for.
It was dark out, and there weren't many people on the streets. Crap, I completely forgot about the different time zone.
"Hmm," I said, thinking as Tymon put me down.
"I don't think we're going to get anywhere until morning," Trik commented as he looked around.
"Me neither," I agreed. "The church is probably closed now."
"Do they have hotels here," Naomi asked.
"I hope so," I responded as we entered the city.
The city was quaint and not well funded by the looks of its buildings. Its pavements were uneven, the streets had a strong stench to them, and the vegetation (what remained of it) looked as if it had been neglected for months. Although, that could be the seasonal changes.
"Wow," Trik said as we walked through the foul remnants of what was probably once a lovely city.
"Look at the emblem on each door," Tymon stated, gesturing toward a nearby home.
Engraved on the door was the same symbol of the diamond and the intertwining lines on either side of it.
The church's emblem.
Using my enhanced sight, I could see that every building had the symbol on it somewhere.
I also saw that we were in the poorest part of the city. Further in was another segment of the town that was better maintained – livable homes, cleaned pavements, and raked leaves. Each building there also had the church's emblem engraved on them.
Even further in was a smaller portion of the city that seemed almost as perfect as the Sadios' territory back in Montreal. Except there were no artificial plants or evergreens present.
Strangely enough, none of the elites' homes had the church's emblem on them.
Then, all the way in the back, elevated on a small red, clay hill, was the church itself, seemingly looking over the entire city.
I spotted the church's banner with Polish writing on it.
It translated to:
The Phoenix Order – "May his light reach you."
I guess it was a good thing I had to learn a bunch of languages growing up.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place, guys," I said aloud.
"You and me both," Trik muttered, looking disgusted at the surrounding area.
"The city seems to be divided. There's a better part ahead," I reassured him.
Our heads turned as we heard scratching mixed with muttering nearby. A guy was standing at the side of a worn-out building, using one of his hands to scratch at his gums, causing them to bleed badly. He used his other hand's nails to scrape the wooden wall ferociously. Even when he started bleeding, he didn't stop. He just started using his blood to draw the church's symbol. All while muttering something inaudible.
"That's horrible," Naomi said with genuine sadness.
"Thank goodness there's a better part to go to. Let's go," Trik retorted.
"Wait. Naomi, what is he saying?" Tymon asked.
"Umm.... 'May his light reach me,'" she answered.
"I think that's the church's mantra," I said.
"Can we go now? I don't want to continue to watch that man hurt himself," Naomi stated, looking away.
"Yeah, let's go," I replied.
We made our way to the next city segment, where we eventually found a normal-looking hotel.
Sadly, only two rooms were available, so the boys bunked together while Naomi and I shared.
She seemed more thrilled about it than I was initially, but if I'm being honest, I quickly started appreciating it because I didn't want to be left alone in that city.
The following day, we made our way up the hill toward the church.
Before reaching the church, there was a plaque that read:
"Welcome to The Church of Light. May his light reach you and his love erase your suffering."
After passing the welcome plaque, we came across a long line of people – the numbers had to be in the hundreds. They were all going toward the church.
Most of the people were dirty and appeared homeless and sickly, while some looked well-fed and clean.