Cordoba City, Lanthanor Kingdom
Within a small house in the western borough of Cordoba City, a young boy was lying on his bed. The morning sunlight illuminated the room with warmth in the winter, thanks to the unpredictable weather of the city throughout the year. Messy clothes piled up in a corner, and books were spread all over the place.
"Unm..." Ethan slowly opened his eyes as a familiar ceiling entered his vision.
He yawned as he stretched his body and then he stooped up to enjoy the warm sunlight.
He approached the window as he looked at the bustling street in front of his house. Smoke air engulfs the city thanks to the rapid industrial development all over the city.
This is not the Earth but Gaia. Eighteen years ago, Ethan reincarnated into this world as a newborn child but somehow, ended up retaining his memories from earth. Even his name, Ethan Holmes, followed him to this world as his parents named him.
In the beginning, he just thought of things as a mere dream and a delusion, but after a few months, he finally began to accept his new reality. He had no idea how and why, but since he ended up reincarnated, he also felt happy. This was a new chance at life for him.
Everything went smoothly at first. Due to his vast experience, he began to walk, talk, and read way ahead compared to other average kids his age. Moreover, this world, although similar to Earth, is still in its early Industrial Revolution era. Cordoba city itself is similar to any European city city from the early Renaissance period.
Unfortunately, his parents passed away in a terrorist attack when he was just ten years old and his old grandpa, William Holmes, had to take care of him. Thankfully, they had a big sum of money as savings since his father was a government official at the City Administration Department. Ethan emerged with this shocking outcome.
Ethan studied at a local church school and then planned to join Neylar University for further studies in a few weeks.
***
After taking a warm bath, Ethan put white and black suit with a thick brown tailcoat. Then, he heads downstairs, where Grandpa is sitting in the living room, and their hired maid, Elina, is busy cleaning the kitchen to make it ready to prepare breakfast.
"Good morning Auntie" Ethan greeted the lady. Elina has been working for them for the past six years, and she always took care of him and his grandpa, so he treated her just like a part of their family.
"Good morning Ethan" she greeted him back.
"Auntie, Grandpa was not well for the past few days, so I will be taking him to the doctor today. Delay the breakfast until we come back," Ethan said as he approached his grandpa.
William was sitting on the brown velvet sofa as he looked at the street outside the window with his hazel blue eyes. His old wrinkled face showed the long life he lived. His white hair was combed neatly, and his light beard and mustache gave him a wise, manly look.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Ethan greeted the man, only to see him lost in his thoughts.
Suddenly, the old man turned and looked at Ethan with a gentle smile on his face.
"Ethan, let's go to the Church today," he said and stood up with the help of his cane.
"Sure...grandpa" Ethan spoke as he looked at the back of his grandpa. A sudden feeling of uneasiness enveloped his heart.
"It's cold outside, Grandpa. At least wear a coat"
"No need, kiddo. Let me enjoy some warm sunlight today," William said as he approached the door.
Ethan followed as he hurriedly opened the door and a wide and bustling street welcomed their sight. Being a residential area, the noise was not heavy, but since it was the morning time, people hurried to their respective workplaces.
"Grandpa, wait here. Let me call a carriage first" Ethan said and headed to the street as he looked for a carriage. Since their house was near the crossroads of an important street, he soon found the carriages parked nearby, waiting for customers.
Ethan called one of the carriages to his house as he led his grandpa to the front yard.
"Where to, Sir?" Coachman asked as he opened the carriage door.
"St. Lumina Cathedral," Ethan said as he handed two pennies to the coachman.
(Note: 1 Pound = 10 Penny)
"Sure, sir," the coachman said as he prepared to drive to the church.
In Gaia, there is only one orthodox religion, 'The Church of Eternity' represented by a silver cross symbol with golden archaic runes engraved on its surface in a biblical pattern.
Church of Eternity is also the most powerful and ancient organization that still exists in this world and holds authority even over the royalties of this world to some extent. The man who leads the church, the Pope, holds the most powerful and authoritative position in this world.
Ethan's family is a devout believer in the Church of Eternity, but Ethan, being the mature person who saw different, especially dark shades of the world, had a different perspective about the church. On the surface, he still shows that he is a believer, but he never sees the church in a positive light. Any religious organization that can even order around the royalties is bound to be corrupt one way or another.
There are many illegal cults like Aurora Order, Golden Rose, and Red Moon Sect. They are one of the famous illegal organizations that have their hands dipped in various criminal activities. Aurora Order and Red Moon Sect are the most notorious among them.
***
Central Borough, Cordoba City
Ethan looked at the bustling street and beautiful houses and shops with more serene surroundings. The central borough had various government buildings and some other important places located especially a Church, so this resulted in its far better development compared to other boroughs. The streets are clean, and street lights are placed all over the area.
Soon, a huge building welcomed his sight. It was huge and its Gothic black and greyish stone architecture looked captivating and beautiful. Flower beds are placed all around the church, spreading their aroma.
Ethan and his grandpa entered the church as they walked through the pathway, and the beautiful and serene interior welcomed them. The dimly lit interior as sunlight fell upon the huge silver cross symbol placed at the front end, eliminated the entire hall as if stars hung in a beautiful night sky.
Ethan helped his grandpa put a ten-pound note in the donation box, and then they both took a seat on the bench in the hall.
"Ethan, have you ever wondered if these Gods truly exist or not?" William asked as he looked at the huge silver cross.
"Why do you ask that, Grandpa?" Ethan asked as he felt William's behavior strange today.
"Sigh... never mind. Just an old man's rumbling" William said and then made a cross symbol with his hand on his chest.
Ethan repeated the action as they stood up and then left the church.
***