Rio found himself in a world of mist. The strange land was entirely shrouded by foggy haze as far as his eyes could see. Countless crimson lights were scattered in the night sky, although there were a few stars that differed.
Observing the strange sky, Rio noticed one thing....there was no moon. Atlas had two moons, one silver and the other sapphire. He had read somewhere that there was only one in the past but any information about the second one was only in folklore and bedtime stories. This strange place, however, had no moon.
"You're awfully calm despite being a victim of a kidnapping", a raspy voice said.
Rio response was a bit slow to respond, the reason was simple, as soon as the voice spoke, he tried to use blink to put some distance between himself and who ever had managed to appear undetected. His attempt failed...he was essentially stuck between trying to run away normally with no magical augmentation or answer politely and at least get some information if possible.
"It's not the first time I've been dragged into a weird place against my will", he answered.
"Destiny's methods of transport have always been unorthodox", the voice responded.
"You know Her?", he asked.
"Of course I know her, she's annoyingly vague", the voice sneered then said,
"She probably appeared out of nowhere and started spewing things like beware of this person, you have to do this or that.. it's quite infuriating to listen a strange entity ramble on and on about different matters. I'm sure you think the same, right?
'I think you ramble way more than she does', Rio thought.
Noticing his expression, he said,
'You just thought of something rude, didn't you. I can see it on your face'.
"Nope, not at all.
So, I'm guessing this is a friendly kidnapping?", Rio asked.
"Something like that. I'm making a delivery", the voice replied, then there was the sound of fingers being snapped.
Rio felt the change just before it happened. The mysterious world came alive. The sky, initially pitch black with countless stars lit up to resemble an aurora borealis. Rio stared at it, momentarily stunned by its sheer beauty but also by something much more profound.
He felt like he had become one with this place, as if he had assimilated with his surrounds. The process should have felt strange but in actuality it felt nostalgic.
"Soul transfer has been completed and thus ends my work here. The Summit of Dreams greets its new master. This humble messenger wishes you good fortune, Your Grace", the messenger said then vanished immediately.
Rio jolted out of his bed in a cold sweat, his mind racing with several questions. The sky outside was pitch black. It was just after midnight.
"Just perfect... another mysterious and irritatingly vague event.", he said as he got up to get a glass of water.
He dropped the glass, sat on his bed then began to gentle rub his left cheek. A hand shaped bruise decorated his face, courtesy of Reina. It had been two days since the conclusion of the dungeon raid. Although, Rio weighed the pros and cons of his unauthorized expedition. He hadn't expected that he would appear at the exact spot the guild members had battled against the dungeon boss.
His punishment was currently in progress. He spent his days cleaning and engaging in grunt menial work and was prohibited from participated in his much-preferred lab work.
'Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. That aside, I need to put these past events in order of importance.
First, Alister- the shadow wraith who claims to be a knight from a long-forgotten Order. He's currently bound to the cathedral and cannot roam too far from it. Hopefully, that won't change anytime soon.
Second, the Endless, Destiny- an entity that oversees and guides the fate of mortals. She was....unfathomable. I cannot even comprehend the depths of her existence. I'll have to talk to the old man before I decide to heed or ignore her advice.'
'And now this, The Summit of Dreams. The strange messenger never said who it was from and its description on my gauntlet is a bit weird.'
The gauntlets were created in the days of the First generation, after technology from the old world became obsolete, it helped ease the use of artifacts and made communication easier during dungeon raids.
"The scribes of the Library really outdid themselves", Rio said out loud then checked his status.
Name: Rio Lyrien Darce
Tier: 5
Bloodline class: Weapons mage
Bloodline skill: Creation
Crafted relics: none
Magical affinity: (Dual)- Spatial(innate), Lightning(innate), ice(earned)
Abilities
Blink(spatial)
Ghost(spatial)
Runic Arts( Innate)
Proficiency: Intermediate
Runes acquired- Paralysis rune, reinforcement rune, concealment rune, binding rune, ice rune(lightning)
Class: Triple natured
-Scholar
-Berserker
-Warrior
Soul affinity: Chaos(Primordial)
Innate soul skill: Synthesis
Relics: Black Hearth
Domain(s): Summit of dreams, Ruins of Aries
"Apparently, the cathedral from Destiny previously belonged to Aries, a deceased god from the Greek pantheon. The glove I got from Alister is also here but what does domain means?"
He focused on the domains and their descriptions,
Ruin of Aries
A crumbling temple from a dead deity given to the second heir of the old one.
Attributes: Soul bound, Everchanging, Tyrant's Law
Summit of Dreams
An oasis of mortal minds, the tomb of Morpheus.
Attributes: Soul bound, ???,???
"How depressing. The description really doesn't tell me a lot, I guess I'll know more in time. I'll have to find out what those attributes mean and research on the entity named Morpheus.
Rio also recalled he was around the age where he had to craft his first bloodline weapon."
"So much work for a fourteen-year old", he cried.
*
*
*
*
5am, Nova City,
City Guards Headquarters,
War room.
"I apologies for the inconvenience this impromptu meeting may have caused but the situation is quite dire", Commander Bale said.
"Anything that gets me out of bed before sunrise better be", Zyran of the Desert wolves said as he yawned.
"What's this about Bale?", Norman questioned.
Commander Bale sighed then spoke, "While we were subjugating the dungeon a few days ago, the cathedral of the neighboring city received a request for assistance from us to aid in the raid. But I never issued such a request".
"So, you're saying the cathedral deployed their secret forces to come assist us at the time we were still battling and just considering requesting aid? That's pretty serious considering they would have authorized some sacred treasures", Gus of the Silver Talons said.
"What's the main issue?
You wouldn't call an emergency meeting for just that. What happened?", Reina asked.
"Their secret forces were attacked. Out of the thirteen mages deployed, eight were killed, among those was a bishop. The rest were severely injured and one was kidnapped, along with the grade 2 sacred treasure issued", Bale explained with a grim expression, mirroring everyone's looks.
"What did the church have to say about it?", Norman asked nervously.
"An archbishop will be arriving alongside the Saint of winter, Julien Maria, in a few days to discuss the severity of this event", Bale replied.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly. The reason was simple, saints of the churches were few and far between to begin with, they were only mobilized in special circumstances under the guidance of their deities.
"Isn't it too much to send both for this kind of situation?", Gus asked.
"You're not telling us everything, are you Bale? , the arrival of a saint proves that this incident isn't so simple. Is there something else?", Reina questioned putting the attention back on Commander Bale.
Commander Bale sunk into his chair, dejected. He spoke," The last time we had a situation like this was around the early days of the city, during the joint military and church dungeon raid- Operation Doom. That raid ended in complete failure and resulted in the death of two generals and five archbishops across the three churches. In the end, the dungeon was sealed using a higher grade of the sacred treasure that was stolen".
"There were some irregularities concerning that operation, such as the appearance of an unknown group whose purpose remain unknown till date. They were responsible for the death of two archbishops during the raid. Their appearance coincides with the initial disappearance and eventual death of the current archbishop of the Ankewelt diocese as well as the attack on their secret forces".
"An archbishop is d-dead?", Norman stammered as he asked.
"Yes, Walter will be missed. May he find rest with our goddess", a new female voice spoke.
Everyone turned to look at the newcomer sitting in the far end of the room.
Clad in a flowing white ensemble, her armor shone like polished moonstone, its intricate designs reflecting the soft glow of the surrounding air. Her long, raven-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of night, contrasting with the radiant armor. Her eyes, piercing and bright, burned with an inner fire, illuminating the darkness. A majestic sword, its blade shimmering with an otherworldly light, floated beside her, as if suspended by an invisible force. The hilt, adorned with gemstones that pulsed with a gentle power, seemed to hum with energy.
Saint Maria had arrived and she was dressed for war.