Chương 32: The Pope

Somewhere far away east of Atrana Kingdom, in a huge vibrant city which was radiating with prosperity and prestige adorned with enormous bridges, lavish mansions, crowded taverns, as well as lively bazaars.

The Cathedral Bells started ringing in a rhythmic manner announcing the hour of prayers. People from all over the city stopped whatever they were doing and closed their eyes as they clasped the Symbol of The Allfather in their hands, closed their eyes, and looked in the direction of The Grand Cathedral which was no lesser than an Imperial Palace.

The city which had been buzzing with noise became serenely silent in a blink of an eye when the bells rang. A few moments passed and the bells finally stopped ringing—everyone got back to their day-to-day lives as if nothing had happened and the city once again began buzzing with a variety of noises.

While the bells were ringing throughout the entire city and people were praying—In the Grand Cathedral.

beautiful young girls in white gowns were singing melodious choir in angelic voices along with the tune of pipe organs and cathedral piano as the various priests, devout believers, clergymen, Bishops, high and low-ranking Church members, and various others prayed to the Symbol of Allfather as all of them stood in the nave.

The place looked surreal as the sunlight came in filtered from the huge circular oceanic blue stained glass window high up on the wall above the altar illuminating the hall with a bluish hue along with the glaring yellow tone of torches as well as the golden glimmer of daylight.

While everyone was praying, a middle-aged gray-haired man in long white robes, sturdy physic, tall visage, and softly intimidating demeanor with a kind yet enigmatic look in his eyes gazed at the scene from above as he stood on the balcony with the high-ranking church members at his side.

Suddenly in the middle of the prayers, a locket he was wearing that had the Church's symbol glowed and gave off pulsating waves of energy. At this point, the bells began ringing.

The man's eyes widened with unexpected shock as he held the locket in his hands and closed his eyes—and when he did, it created an atmosphere as if he was one with his surroundings.

The locket in his hands suddenly glowed dazzlingly and abruptly disintegrated into specs of light as the bell rang loudly once again in the background.

The man in robes narrowed his eyes, a faint delight flashing through them that no one noticed. He turned westward averting his gaze from the prayers to the entrance of the Church. It was as if his gaze traversed hundreds and thousands of miles to the west where the Atrana Kingdom was also located.

"Jacob!" The man spoke, his voice sounded calm and soft without any tremors. His tone was full of confidence and pure authority yet not a hint of arrogance or contempt.

A Young black-haired knight wearing pure steel, shining full-body armor with the insignia of Church as well as earrings with the same Symbol stepped forward and bowed.

"The Seed of The Disgraced One has appeared once again somewhere in the west. Send the parties of Holy Inquisitors to Investigate. Divert 60% of our spies to the western nations. I want eyes on everything! Not even the smallest of things should be missed. Understood?" The man turned around and looked into Jacob's eyes as he said with a very calm tone. As if he was simply ordering some daily chores

Jacob's eyes widened momentarily as he heard the man say talk of the re-emergence of 'The Seed' so casually. He was one of the trusted subordinates of the gray-haired man so he knew more things than the others.

"As God Wills, Your Holiness!" Jacob said with a face full of admiration and fanatical worship.

The prayers were still going on and the bells still ringing, a few moments of silence ensued as no one spoke—only the sound of the choir and heavenly music echoed through the Cathedral.

The bell continued ringing and the gray-haired man abruptly seemed to remember something, "And What of Cristopher? Has he been caught yet?" He said narrowing his eyes slightly.

"I beg for Forgiveness—that heretic is an expert of concealment and deceit. The Knights of Light are in pursuit. That blasphemous fiend will soon be brought to Your Holiness to receive God's Judgment!" Jacob said with an ashamed tone and his gaze downcast.

The gray-haired man sighed regretfully as a few flashbacks went through his mind, "Alright. If that is all then you may leave. I will now be at peace in the Sacred Sanctuary."

The ringing of peaceful rhythmic bells still could be heard throughout the entire City. The prayers were about to be over as the biblical hymn with the angelic choir was closer to its climax and the atmosphere was soul-calming.

Jacob hesitated and did not leave as instructed—he simply stood behind the gray-haired man like a statue.

"Is there anything else?" The grey-haired man who was also the Pope of the Holy Church asked when he realized that Jacob hadn't left.

"Yes, Your Holiness," Jacob responded with a stoic face.

"Speak! What is it, Child?" The Pope asked with a benevolent tone with no apparent change in his behavior but Jacob felt like he should not waste any more time. It was somewhat instinctive, he felt that The Pope's emotional state was very chaotic at the current moment even though there were no signs that it was so.

"We have received word that the long-range paper was lighted from the Church in Whitesburg Duchy of Atrana Kingdom. The news is labeled very urgent so I thought to inform Your Holiness about it." Jacob said with his head down. He was so fanatical that he did not even deem himself worthy to look at the Pope directly.

"Now that's rare, the long-distance Paper is quite expensive so the contents must be very significant, or so I hope." The Pope said with a gentle smile but Jacob got the chills as he heard the last part.

"Y-yes, We have received word that Duke Albaer's second son who is merely seven years old is going through his ancestral awakening. When the paper was lighted, five days of him being inside the cocoon had already passed. We have yet to know if the boy made it or not." Jacob reported.

A gentle smile emerged on Pope's face as he clasped his hands together and looked at the Sacred Altar.

"He will survive if God resides in his heart, and if that indeed is the case then he is worthy to serve the will of God by my side. It is truly God's miracle that a child of such potential has finally appeared after so many years. May The Holy Father Bless his Soul!"

The Pope prayed with a charismatic smile and devout demeanor as the final loud toll of the bell rang with a resounding echo, and the choir met its climax resonating with everyone's Hearts and Souls.

"Veren!" everyone else by the Pope's side said in unison.

"Keep an eye on the situation. If he makes it out alive then send offerings along with an invitation. Also, when you send someone to invite him; make sure that they behave as I will not tolerate any stupidity like what happened last time" The Pope cautioned without any expression but his voice was raised with a chilling tone when he said the last part.

"Yes, Your Holiness! There will be no mistakes." Jacob said and bowed deeply as he stepped aside and gave way to the Pope.

The Pope left and Jacob left only after the Pope's silhouette completely disappeared from his sight. He heaved a sigh of relief and headed to make preparations for various things.

Somewhere along the future, he would often remember this day—but for most people, it was just another ordinary fleeting day.

The entire White Family fortunately was not one of those 'most people'. And that's because this was the day when Ethan woke up—Figuratively and literally.