Bab 97: Temple of a deity
'Your highness?'
He would be dishonest if he claimed not to feel euphoric after such words, yet he prioritized understanding why the man had spoken them in the first place.
Without correcting him, Adrian inquired, "Speak. What is going on here?"
The figure visibly trembled upon hearing Adrian's question, a surprise that registered with Adrian. However, he refrained from commenting and urged the man to continue with whatever information he had to share.
"I-I don't know exactly. I was one of those who came here later," the man confessed, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
Upon hearing this response, Adrian couldn't help but furrow his brows in perplexity.
"How is it that you know nothing and yet came here?" Adrian inquired with a hint of aggression in his voice.
"I-it's not like that. I just don't know why we knelt," the man explained, attempting to appease Adrian's anger, a tactic that seemed to have some effect in his eyes.
'At least he's not completely useless.'
"Answer me. To whom does this temple belong, and whose statue is that?" Adrian demanded, prioritizing these questions in his quest to understand the purpose of his presence.
From the outset—being transformed into a slave bound for sacrifice, finding refuge in the temple as the sole sanctuary from the skinwalker, and being designated as Her shadow to access the temple—every aspect of Adrian's journey was intertwined with the mysterious temple.
The man scrutinized Adrian for a moment before hesitantly stating, "I-isn't that your statue?" in the same trembling voice.
As soon as his words resonated, Adrian heard a shuffling sound. Turning around, he witnessed every figure now facing him, all kneeling in unison with the same praying posture.
'This is becoming increasingly difficult to understand.'
Adrian thought as he attempted to piece together the fragments of information he possessed. He had been transformed into Her shadow, and he had seen Her face.
However, the image of the statue did not align with Her appearance in any way. This prompted him to consider the possibility that the statue represented a different facet of Her—perhaps a disguise or a deceptive visage or it wasn't Her to begin with.
The man addressing him as "your highness" made sense, likely perceiving Adrian as an embodiment of Her.
However, confusion arose when the man associated him with the statue. Adrian couldn't fathom the underlying dynamics at play, and the enigma deepened.
Adrian, still laden with questions, found himself at a loss for how to obtain answers, realizing that the figures around him seemed unhelpful in unraveling the mystery.
The statue, although appearing more lifelike in the shadows, remained inert. The only recourse for Adrian to glean answers seemed to be confronting the entity he dreaded the most—the skinwalker.
'I cannot be certain if he would be telling the truth, but it might provide a rough idea of my course of action from here on.'
Without uttering another word to the man, Adrian navigated through the shadows and exited the chamber. Swiftly ascending the stairs, he reached the entrance and emerged back into the tangible realm.
Adrian remained apprehensive about confronting the skinwalker, but now armed with the knowledge of retreating into the shadows and the safety of the barrier, he felt better prepared to face the skinwalker and seek the answers he desperately sought.
With these thoughts in mind, Adrian opened the gates of the temple and peered outside. The same night persisted, a fact that struck Adrian as increasingly odd given the considerable passage of time.
There, Adrian spotted the skinwalker, adorned in the guise of the lanky slaver, flanked by the other two vampires. They sat on the ground, seemingly lost in thoughts.
Adrian emerged from the temple and positioned himself on the stairs, maintaining a cautious distance from the barrier.
Uncertain whether the whip could breach the protective boundary, he avoided getting too close to prevent any inadvertent mistakes.
Observing the skinwalker lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to his presence and with that perpetual smile on his face, Adrian couldn't help but entertain the thought, 'Is he offline?'
Just as Adrian contemplated shouting to catch the skinwalker's attention, one of the vampires turned toward him, wearing the same unsettling smile.
Without giving Adrian a chance to speak, the vampire darted toward him with alarming speed. However, to Adrian's relief, the creature collided with the barrier, unable to breach it.
"So, are you finally ready to go back, or did you realize you couldn't escape me, deciding to hand over your soul willingly?"
Remaining seated, the lanky slaver—revealed to be the skinwalker—questioned Adrian, an air of anticipation surrounding him as if waiting for the entertainment Adrian was about to provide.
Hearing the skinwalker's remark, Adrian chose not to respond verbally but instead offered a confident smile.
"You think too highly of yourself. I've escaped from you twice, and you still believe I'm afraid of you?" Adrian retorted with an amused tone.
"Big words from someone standing behind a barrier, trusting it to keep them safe," remarked the skinwalker with an air of confidence that momentarily made even Adrian question the reliability of the protective boundary.
'He really is adept with words, or maybe I'm just a bit touchy right now.'
Ignoring the words that had successfully chipped away at Adrian's confidence, he gazed at the skinwalker and posed a question,
"You were mentioning something about the temple earlier. I was in a rush at that time and didn't catch it properly. My apologies," Adrian stated, ostensibly offering an apology, but the emotionless tone revealed that it wasn't heartfelt.
The skinwalker scrutinized Adrian for a moment before responding, "You were granted access to the interior of the temple. I should be the one asking you about its nature, not the other way around," he interjected, not allowing Adrian to speak further. "It belongs to a deity."
'Thanks genius. I really couldn't tell.'
Adrian inwardly cursed, realizing that extracting information about the temple from the skinwalker wouldn't be an easy task. Despite the reluctance, he knew he had no choice but to engage with it in a conversation.
"We have no personal grievances. I was brought here to be sacrificed; that's all I know," Adrian stated with a genuine tone, revealing the truth of his situation.
Upon hearing Adrian's words, the skinwalker gazed at him with the same smile and remarked, "You truly are foolish if you entered that place without knowing what it truly is."
"Don't attempt to play word games with me, man. We even shared the cave together, and I'm certain you'd want to share your knowledge with me, just as you tried to do earlier," Adrian said, attempting to persuade the astute skinwalker.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
samandridaku
samandridaku In the temple's hallowed halls, whispers divine,
Where mortal hearts with reverence entwine.
A sanctuary of faith, a celestial ode,
In the temple of deity, mysteries bestowed.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone