章節 37: The Holy One

The clouds in the sky were anything but normal, they were dark all year round as if warning the viewers of an impending storm.

Even though it was daytime these clouds filtered the light turning the world beneath it into a glum and dark wasteland.

Under this black sky, one could find a city, once teeming with life.

This city a survivor of the great war now lay forsaken and unnamed, the remnants of an urban landscape that had witnessed the eerie and unsettling transformation of the world around it.

Unseen forces seemed to have draped the desolate streets in perpetual darkness, while thick, ominous clouds loom overhead, blotting out any trace of light or hope.

From the hollow echoes of the distance, otherworldly roars could be heard.

And an overgrowth of vegetation filled the labyrinth of streets and buildings, as an unsettling aura of desolation permeated the air.

Amidst the crumbling edifices, shadowy figures seem to slink and shift, their forms barely perceptible in the perpetual gloom.

The once majestic parks had transformed into twisted, thorny thickets, concealing unknown horrors that lurked within their tangled embrace.

The empty ponds radiated an air of dehydration a vast contrast to the plentiful bodies of liquid that remained suspended midair.

Within this nameless, forgotten realm, an oppressive stillness reigned broken only by the occasional unsettling sounds that seemed to emanate from the very heart of darkness itself.

A pervasive sense of dread hung like a heavy shroud over the city, as if warning any daring soul to tread lightly, lest they awaken the malevolent entities that laid dormant in the shadows, waiting for unsuspecting victims to ensnare in their timeless grasp.

By now one could tell that this was the world outside the Shelter and at first glimpse, it looked unrecognizable.

The world today looked nothing like the world before the war and if one were to eliminate the ruined cities they would probably be eliminating the last traces of the past civilization.

At this time a figure in a white cloak could be seen walking slowly into this dissolute city, strangely unperturbed by the world around her.

"Tap, Tap, Tap," her steps seemed to be amplified as they responded throughout the city attracting unwanted attention.

"Rahh, hehe," in response to the cloaked figure's bravery unintelligible sounds could be heard from all over the city as strange and hellish creatures left their hiding spots.

"Tap, Tap, Tap" the cloaked woman continued walking despite the roars that kept on increasing.

Suddenly without any warning "boom, boom, boom," different explosions sounded out simultaneously as abysmal creatures too grotesque to describe jumped out of their hiding place destroying everything in their path.

There were about ten of them some huge and some slender but all terrifying, with their jaws and claws open wide ready to devour this easy pray.

"Hmm," a scoff sounded out from under the figure's hood and time seemed to freeze.

"Boom!"

A large shockwave of golden energy spread out from her being disintegrating the demons before they could even near her.

"Mercy on your souls," a female voice sounded out weakly, clearly drained by her attack.

Soon the woman reached the middle of the city where an old and out-of-place well could be seen.

Since the first wave of demons that chose to move against her no more demons had dared to attack her as if recognizing her strength.

Higher level demons were mad and fearless not stupid.

Without hesitation, this woman jumped into the well.

"Whoosh!"

The lingering sound of the wind sounded out as her figure fell deeper into this unusually steep well, her surroundings darkening.

Before long she had fallen so deep into the ground that her dark surroundings started to change.

A gigantic cave illuminated by unknown flickering stones could be seen, and as she fell, her superhuman eyesight picked up every little detail of the cave, including the ground filled with thin and long metal spikes.

The bodies of humans wearing armor could be seen impaled on these metal spikes and there were even a few fresh bodies here and there, with fresh blood flowing from their flesh and organs dangling from their insides.

The white-robed woman seemed to be used to this because her expression didn't change in the way one would think, instead, she smiled.

With a flip mid-air, she straightened up her body stopping her chaotic fall and her feet landed directly on the sharp edge of the metal spike.

But something was strange she wasn't impaled at all, instead her legs stood peacefully on the thin metal spike a feat that made no sense.

"Whoosh," she suddenly moved, her feet shuffling through the tips of these spikes as she made her way toward the edge of the cave.

Soon a large entrance could be seen in the distance and upon reaching it the white-cloaked woman jumped in without hesitation.

With exceptional speed, she ran deeper and deeper into this cave, but her senses suddenly warned her of something.

Without hesitation, she slid onto the ground and a huge metal blade swept past her face.

"Whoosh!"

The force was so great that the entire cave trembled.

A figure so large that he couldn't be classified as a human came into view and an unruly amount of golden aura could be seen around him.

As this figure walked into the light one could see that his head was covered by a bag that had the symbol of the cross on it.

Across his large chest was another glowing symbol of a cross that seemed to pulsate with energy.

"Lily, the nineteenth apostle," a large voice grunted, the one that had spoken was this gigantic man in front of her.

The white-robed woman took off the hood covering her face revealing a beautiful woman with blond hair and calm green eyes.

If Aiden was here he would have recognized this woman as Lily the woman who caused so much trouble at the tournament.

"Now why would the second apostle be lookin' for this young one, are you perhaps a pedophile?" Lily asked with a smile

Grunting a bit the huge figure ignored her and walked forward deeper into the cave, as he moved his booming voice sounded out.

"The Holy One summons us, try to make it on time little Lily."

Narrowing her eyes Lily didn't reply as she followed behind the so-called second apostle.

Before long they arrived at a large open space completely illuminated by strange glowing crystals.

At the edges of this gigantic cave, you could see thousands of people with a mad glint in their eyes.

They all wore white garments as they bowed while chanting something strange.

"Long live The Holy One, Long live The Holy One," that chant resounded unfailingly throughout the hall like a heartbeat.

Lily and the second apostle didn't seem bothered by this though, instead, they seemed more relaxed as the second apostle placed his large sword on his shoulders.

Going through a few more entrances they came in contact with a gigantic mansion.

This mansion was connected to the cave and was built completely out of its materials, it seemed more natural than human-made, and upon entering this mansion they found a golden chamber.

In this chamber, they could see eighteen figures all spread out across the hall kneeling on a knee.

Without hesitation both figures joined in, "Long live The Holy One," they both greeted and the other eighteen greeted simultaneously as well.

You could easily feel the adoration in their voices as they greeted this so-called Holy One.

But the question was who were they greeting with so much respect, who was this person that deserved so much adoration?

In this grand chamber filled with the flickering glow of golden torches, a young woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties sat regally upon a throne forged from pure gold, its intricate engravings depicting ancient tales of valor and conquest.

With pure white hair and calm dark eyes, this woman was adorned in a suit of white futuristic armor, its sleek contours hugging her form with an otherworldly grace.

The armor was adorned with intricate silver filigree, pulsating with a soft golden luminescence, and was composed of a material that seamlessly blended resilience with an ethereal lightness.

Beneath her, a celestial entity, wings tattered and impaled, as it emanated a hauntingly celestial aura, its form similar to an angel.

Blood mingles with the remnants of grace, lending a tragic beauty to its appearance as if its very essence were torn between darkness and divinity.

Bound by chains that intertwined with the throne, this wounded entity bore the weight of the woman's destiny, as her feet clad in the same armor laid lazily on its back its face a mask of silent suffering.

Above her, a commanding figure, reminiscent of ancient depictions of celestial might, gazed down with an air of somber contemplation.

Its resplendent wings unfurled in a display of ethereal grandeur, casting a haunting shadow upon the chamber.

Linked to her by chains that resonated with the very pulse of their entwined destinies, his presence was both protective and foreboding, their connection a feat that transcended mere mortal comprehension.

Silently this woman looked towards the submissive figures of all twenty people present, "It seems that all twenty apostles are present. By now you all should understand our primary goal," the woman said lazily before darting in.

"We do not aim to steal the page ourselves but to cause as much trouble as possible, make them feel on edge, and let them focus all their attention on us."

Hearing this most of the apostles looked worried and the second apostle couldn't help but speak up, "Holy One, what guarantee do we have that this resistance won't just take the page for themselves, they're fully capable of such an act."

The Holy One didn't look surprised by this question instead she smiled and replied.

"The page naturally belongs to us, and as such the situation cannot escape our control everything has been planned. For this endeavor I want the nineteenth apostle to lead, the rest of you will be given further instructions later." She commanded.

Hearing that she would be the one leading Lily looked incredibly happy, "I won't fail you Holy One." She promised.

Meanwhile, the rest of the apostles looked shocked but they quickly calmed down, "Holy One why do you want Lily to lead such an important mission? She's too young," the fifth apostle suddenly said.

Hearing this The Holy one frowned a bit, "are you saying that I'm too young as well?" She asked.

Hearing this the fifth apostle suddenly paled, "No no holy one that's not what I meant-"

"This is blasphemy against your Holy One an offense punishable by death," the Holy One interrupted angrily.

"Whoosh!"

The wings of the entity behind her flickered ever so slightly and a feather flew towards the fifth apostle at speeds too fast for him to block.

As soon as the feather made contact with the fifth apostle his body exploded, "bang," and a mist of blood filled the room.

Seeing this most of the other apostles shuddered, and the Holy One's voice sounded out.

"You all might be older than a hundred years but you are beneath me, despite my age I am able to look down on all of you because of my usefulness and strength, what does this mean?"

The Holy One asked pausing a bit before darting in, "It means I don't care about age, I only care about worth, what is your worth to me?"

At her question, the apostles remained quiet and The Holy One continued, "You may all leave, find a suitable replacement for the fifth apostle, and remember, for those who wish to oppose our cause. Mercy on their souls."

**********

(The next day)

As the long-awaited moment dawned, Aiden found himself amidst the group of candidates, the day had finally come and it was time for the second test.

Despite all this Aiden was worried, he didn't know if he would survive this test, after all, he was still in a weakened state.

The Captain, a dark figure with a no-nonsense aura, broke the silence with a gruff command, "It's showtime, folks, survive, and you'll be rewarded. No loitering near the base, remember your suites are tracked, if we find you we will kill you."

As the Captain spoke recollections of the morning's oddities flitted through Aiden's mind, the day was like every other except for the disrupted routines, and an unusual hush that had hung over the facility.

At the stroke of twelve, they had been swiftly outfitted in the provided body armor and hustled out into the open, past the gate of the facility.

Now, beneath the vast expanse of the sky, tension crackled in the air, as they stood in an open space filled with cut-down trees.

"Find food and shelter before dark, night is the most dangerous, anything bright and noisy can kill you, anything quiet and sneaky can also kill you, so stay on your toes," a voice sounded out, it was the Captain who spoke.

"We also provided a large supply of the antidotes for your poison and an equally large supply of healing pills, the antidote is also in pill form so all you have to do is swallow them once a week," the Captain said before adding.

"Be smart and you will survive," he concluded but the thoughts constantly flashing through his mind spoke a different story, "Honestly without an assigned route you're all fucked up."

Turning to the Vice Captain the Captain asked, "Is there anything you want to say to them?" Hearing the Captain's question The Vice Captain nodded.

"Listen and Listen good," the Vice Captain said, as she went on to say.

"It is important to know that you are not the only team in the enclave, there are more teams as well, if you look at your shoulder you will see a small tag connected to your armor, taking the tag of another person will double your rewards, but there are exceptions, you cannot take the tag of your teammates, do you underestimate?"

The Vice Captain asked, "Yes ma'am," the Candidates replied.

As the group fidgeted nervously, Aiden sized up the others, trying to read their intentions.

Mai Turner's determined stance hinted at a fiery resolve, while Kevin Lewis seemed overly composed.

Evelyn Thornfield's proud demeanor stood as a shield against the looming challenge, and Adrian Nightshade's enigmatic vibe left Aiden with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, Serena Ravenscroft, seemingly cozying up to Felix, managed to conceal her true motives with a well-practiced smile.

Everyone seemed to be handling the incoming challenge in their own way.

In an attempt to establish some solidarity, Aiden tried to strike up a casual conversation with Ethan but stopped midway as he noticed the heavy frown that adorned Ethan's face.

David on the other hand seemed especially jumpy today, as the weakest of the group his fate was practically sealed.

"Ok you can all go, we've done all we can for you," the Captain said as he turned back slowly walking into the facility with The Vice Captain following behind.

Watching the Captain's departing figure Aiden turned towards the forest which they were expected to venture into, with the other candidates doing so as well.

The group stood still, peering at the foreboding forest ahead.

Tall, dense trees blocked out the sunlight, casting a ghostly aura over the shadowy undergrowth.

The air hung heavy with a silence that felt almost suffocating, broken only by the occasional rustle of unseen movement.

The forest floor, littered with decaying leaves, seemed to writhe with an unsettling energy, while the twisted branches above created eerie, contorted shapes against the dim light.