Church of Seven Hues

Sir. Walter’s rise to popehood is scheduled today; supposedly, they call the meeting a symposium. His rank shall rise to one where our brief talks shall be possible no more. May the Spirit bless you, my friend!

…

Sir Walter has appeared at my doorway. He appears sick and refuses to speak or explain his sudden appearance. He’s caked in sweat. His blue eyes simply stare at the ground.

…

I asked about the meeting, he finally responded, mumbling, “I ran…” Am I imagining it, or has his speech changed? 

…

If what Sir Walters says is true, there is much more going on than any of us understands. I must research.

…

Sir Walter has run. I do not know where to, but I simply heard him mumble “Temperance.” I shall research what he has told me, then I shall follow him.

 -Excerpt from the recovered journal of Absalon Ramorski.

♕♛♕♛♕♛♕

The light shines on the two of them in seven hues as they enter the church. Seven windows set in a half circle allow light to enter the church. The windows stained as the seven colors of the rainbow.

“Ah, Hero! It is a blessing to set eyes on you once more!” A thin man says, walking towards them. He is dressed in a large, fancy white robe, outlined in gold. His hair is ashy gray.

His smile gives me the creeps…

“H-hello again, Bishop Henry,” Hiiro says.

“Same to you- My, what happened?” The bishop cuts himself off, noticing the shape Hiiro is in. “Your arm is badly burnt, and you seem to be limping.”

“Ah, well, I chased after this thief, and…”

“Miss Tinea.” The bishop says, ignoring Hiiro and turning to Eris. “It is your duty to keep him safe.”

“I know… He’s the one-”

“You forget your place.” The bishop says calmly, though its contents betray its tone. “You were a simple street rat before the hero brought you in. Unless you'd like to return, do your job.”

Eris looks away, her eyes falling to the floor.

“Um…” Hiiro tries to gain the bishop's attention.

“Ah, yes, Hero?” It’s essentially the same, so I wonder why being called that feels so different..?

“I actually have another request, aside from the healing… We need tickets.”

“Tickets?”

“Hm. For the train tonight, if we don’t get on it, we won’t make it into Saionia.”

“That wouldn’t be very good…” The bishop places his arm on his chin. “I may know one way for you to acquire some.”

“How?”
“Ah, first come with me to the spring.” The bishop says as he starts walking.

The church is crafted out of white marble. Wooden benches line both sides of a black carpet that flows to two sets of stairs at the farthest side. Just before the stairs, the black carpets split to the left and right, leading to the side door. The two sets of stairs lead upward to a podium, glowing in multicolored light. Between the two stairways, a doorway.

The bishop walks through the doorway, walking into a short passage before it leads outside.

White archways decorate a path leading towards a massive tree.

“Wow,” Hiiro says in disbelief.

“It’s the Great Tree Leto, the home of our god Chrysus.” The bishop explains, reaching a hole in the great tree.

Passing through, the tree is revealed to be empty; inside, a small spring is hidden.

At the center of the spring is a set of statues, one a pure white depiction of a little girl, her two eyes being depicted with blue and green gems. Behind the white statue, a golden statue of pure gold depicting a long-haired woman stands. It's placing a halo on the head of the child. It’s also nude for some reason…

The spring is fed by two waterfalls that pour in from two holes in the tree. Three paths lead toward the spring from three holes in the bark, the leftmost coming from the church.

“Pray before the statue.” The bishop says, stopping before stepping on the level that holds the statue.

Hiiro and Eris both step towards the statues, lowering down onto their left knee. They both hold a closed hand in the other and place their heads down.

“Pray for the hero to be healed, and for luck in your search.” The bishop orders them.

Please heal my wounds, so that I can see my friends and family again… Please help us find the tickets we need.

Tung tung

Loud steps ring out in the hollow stump, making Hiiro look up instinctively. Small dots of light, similar to fireflies, dance around the spring, but Hiiro’s eyes are drawn elsewhere. In the entrance to the path next to them, a girl appears.

Her black hair accentuates the oddity of her outfit. She wears an outfit of pure gold that barely covers her skin. At the areas that must be covered, as little white cloth as possible is placed. The outfit is reminiscent of gladiators. The girl glances at Hiiro, a mole catches his attention, placed under her right eye. Isn’t that…

Behind the girl, two men walk into the trees. One wears a brown suit, the other a fashionable but comfortable-looking dark blue robe.

“Ah, good day, Bishop Henry.” The suited man says.

“Good day to you, Mayor.”

The third man just nods his head.

“Is it time for the offering?” The bishop asks.

“Yes… The Dragon cost us more gold this time too. I worry they are running low. The Mayor says, looking up the tree. “This place used to be full of gold, but now we cannot even see it. Luckily, this young lady offered to perform the ritual.”

“Ah, but no need to worry, the Spirit will bless us.” The bishop replies.
Ting

The sound of gold hitting stone rings out as the young woman steps in front of the statues.

Ting-Tung-Ting-Ting.

As if playing music, the young lady begins to dance, tapping her feet. The golden outfit dances along with her, beads and tassels swaying with her movements. Her dance is mesmerizing, continuing on for moments, dots of light following her. Her dance reaches an end as she raises her hand up and lowers to one knee, mimicking the pose Hiiro and Eris had taken.

A moment passes before the change occurs.

Tung, Tung.

The sound of gold hitting stone once again rings out. It rings in a different tone, as if heavier. Hiiro is unsure of what made the sound for a moment, but his eyes eventually see it. The golden statue of the woman steps down from its base. The golden halo it once held floating over its sister. Its face unmoving, it walks towards Hiiro.

“*^)^(&%” The sound of metal clanking on metal, water crashing into water, wind blowing through a valley, comes from its golden mouth.

Hiiro’s arm begins to heal, skin appearing over seared flesh, its color returning. His chest feels lighter, his breathing steadies.

The statue moves toward the young woman, standing before her. It lowers its hand onto her head. The gold covering her body immediately becomes liquid, congregating into the statue's arm. The young woman is left with only the white fabric.

The statue walks back towards its platform, but as it takes its place, a tendril of gold shoots down from above, absorbing the statue. The tendril retreats after a moment, leaving only the statue of a small girl and her golden halo.

Hiiro’s eyes drift back to the young lady, whose body is nearly bare. The woman covers her chest and waist with her hands before glancing towards Hiiro. Before Hiiro is able to match her gaze, his head is suddenly dragged down by a hand to his left. Hiiro is unable to see what the girl does next; however, the sound of feet hitting stone retreating from the tree gives him a guess.

“It seems the guild master isn’t coming today.” The bishop says.

“Ah, she’s in a meeting at the moment, apparently their old teacher stopped by for a chat. Used to teach at the Church's school, actually.” The man in the brown suit says.

“Ah, I see… I was hoping to ask them about the tickets for this young man.”

“Oh? This gentleman here was just asking about that.” The suited man looks to the man next to him.

“My daughter had asked about them.”

“Have you found them?” The bishop asks.

“I’ve procured what my daughter asked for.” The man says before walking out of the tree.

“Well… Blessed day to you, Bishop.”

“You as well.”

♕♛♕♛♕♛♕

Hiiro and Eris exit the church, crossing a small bridge and setting foot back onto the square.

“Hey… That was-”

“Listen,” Eris says bluntly. “Don’t speak of what we just saw, there's no need for it.”

“O-okay.”

The two walk toward the fountain at the center of the square.

“It’s past the meeting time, and we haven’t touched the other half of the aisle,” Eris says, looking at the clock tower. “Mostly because you slept so long.”
“Hey, I-” Hiiro begins to say before spotting someone. “Hey, there's Neia.”

Coming from the large building on the right of the tree, a group of familiar faces approaches.

“Hey!” Hiiro calls out.

“Ah! There you are.” Helia says in surprise. “Where have you been?”

“Well, you know…”

“It doesn’t matter, any luck?” Helia asks.

“Yeah, actually, we have three!” Hiiro says, pulling three tickets from his pocket.

“Three, so 4 left,” Eris says.

“And we’re on our way to get 2 more.”

“2? From where?” Hiiro asks, noticing the woman behind the three girls. “Oh! Hi again.”

“... Hello.” Wróbel replies.

“You two know each other?”

“We met earlier.”

Helia begins toward the main street. “Anyhow, we’re helping the adventurers' guild. The guards need some support with monsters.” She explains.

“Monsters?” Hiiro asks, a look of excitement on his face.