Six Hundred and Nineteenth Symbol
On the outskirts of Tivyán, in a highly concealed corner, there lies a secret prison. Within this prison, captive clerics from Tivyán Church are held, those who should have been on a journey. After being shamefully ambushed, they were imprisoned here. After days of strict surveillance, they gradually gave up hope of escaping.
In the narrow and dim cell, cleric Pearson of Tivyán Church remained trapped here, his body shackled by sturdy chains, and thick rock walls isolating him from freedom.
In this cage, Pearson had attempted countless times to save himself, trying to break free from the shackles and rescue his captured companions, to escape together and report back to the Church District. However, the strength of the prison’s shackles, the solidity of its barriers, and the rigor of its watch were far beyond Pearson’s expectations. After much struggle, his escape plan made little progress, with numerous attempts ending in failure.
At this moment, Pearson was slumped against the wall of the dark, cramped cell, staring blankly at the cold ceiling with lifeless eyes. He had given up on escaping and was silently awaiting his fate.
“According to what those guys said… once they’ve prepared the means to capture souls, they will simply eliminate us. It seems… this is an irreversible outcome. Unfortunately, I couldn’t inform them about the crisis that Sister Vania and others would face,” Pearson thought despairingly, knowing that as a clergy member, his only option now was to pray.
“Lord, merciful Holy Mother, if Sister Vania is indeed your chosen one, please protect her safety. Please rescue us from this prison, and we will expose the conspiracy against your beloved.”
Closing his eyes, Pearson prayed silently, repeating these words many times over the past period. However, none of his prayers had any effect. Pearson did not expect this prayer to work either, but a sudden loud noise outside his cell door changed his mind.
“Boom!!!”
“What’s happening… Ah!!!”
“There’s an attack! Someone help!”
Suddenly, a cacophony erupted outside Pearson’s cell door—howling winds, screams, shouts, and gunshots echoed continuously, making Pearson freeze in place. The emptiness and dullness in his eyes vanished instantly.
“What… What’s happening? Outside… Is there a battle?! Could other prisoners have escaped? Or…”
Pearson thought in shock, then sat up straight in his cell, straining to listen more carefully. He heard the wind and weapon sounds reach a climax before gradually subsiding. In less than a minute, everything fell silent again outside the cell door.
Listening to this change, Pearson wondered if the battle had ended. Just as he was guessing who the combatants were and what the final result might be, the cell door, which had been tightly shut, suddenly burst open with a crash.
“Mm…”
As the heavy iron door swung open, a gust of light accompanied by a strong wind rushed into the small cell, causing Pearson to feel a chill. Shielding his eyes from the unfamiliar light, he was momentarily stunned.
“This wind…”
Just as Pearson felt astonished, a figure appeared in the open doorway. Pearson saw a mysterious person wearing a hood and a bl**d-stained cloak slowly approaching the door, looking down at him sitting on the ground.
“Who… Who are you?!”
Looking at the mysterious person, Pearson exclaimed in surprise, and a woman’s voice emerged from beneath the hood.
“I am the guardian of Prit, the one who purifies the country from spider venom.”
“Purify the spider venom… You mean… You’re an enemy of the Eight Pinnacle Nest? Were you the one fighting those guards just now?” Pearson continued in astonishment, and the mysterious person responded.
“To be precise, we, the fangs of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, have bitten into the nerve of this country, and we must heal it. To do so, we came here to save you and your companions.”
“You are now free, Mr. Cleric. Return to the St. Hymn Cathedral and report everything you experienced to the Archbishop there. An evil ritual is brewing, and our young saint is in danger. Only the cleansing fire can turn the tide.”
The hooded woman said, then threw a key in front of Pearson. Without waiting for him to react, she floated upward and drifted toward the door, leaving Pearson sitting there, staring at the key that had fallen in front of him.
“A wind mage… a patriot of Prit?”
As Pearson picked up the key, he muttered to himself, then, after a moment of determination, used the key to unlock the chains binding him.
…
Southwest of Prit Main Island, Gramorn.
At night in Gramorn, the sky was clear, stars twinkled, and a full moon hung high in the night sky. Stars sprinkled silver moonlight onto the dark land, guiding all nighttime seekers.
Stars illuminated the wide surface of Twinkling Star Lake, making it look like it was dotted with sparkling star gems. The reflection of the full moon, the largest and most dazzling among these gems, shone brightly at the center of the lake, where the Lake Heart Cathedral still stood.
Inside the Lake Heart Cathedral of Twinkling Star Lake, there was a scene of bright lights. The guards of the Holy Relic Pilgrimage Group were vigilantly watching every corner of the cathedral. Inside the cathedral, under the dome, many figures gathered in the spacious chapel. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that these were over ten nuns dressed in ordinary nun attire.
Before the massive goddess statue holding a mirror, the nuns were gathered in groups, discussing something. Their faces showed obvious joy, as if they had encountered something delightful. At one corner of the chapel, two nuns with slightly different attire stood observing the other nuns. They were Vania and the “Sister Gray” played by Gethsmoor.
“I didn’t expect the training to be so effective. Everyone has learned quite well in just a day or so. I thought it would take much longer.”
Standing on the clean floor, Vania looked at the nuns and said, while next to her, Gethsmoor smiled and spoke.
“As I said, the sanctification ceremony isn’t difficult. As long as you memorize the incantations and the rhythm of the hymns, everything else is straightforward. Follow the procedure step-by-step.”
After being persuaded to participate in the sanctification ceremony and serve as the main celebrant, Vania began to follow the instructions of “Sister Gray” and started her special training, aiming to master the ceremony quickly.
“Sister Gray” not only explained the specific procedures of the ceremony, including the position of the main celebrant and the method of praying, but also provided a long article with phonetic symbols, supposedly important incantations used in the ceremony. Since the incantations contained poison recognition, they could not be understood, only memorized by converting them into obscure ancient Prit language, without understanding their meaning, and reciting them during the ceremony.
Vania, born in the Historical Records Office, was familiar with textual memory work, so memorizing the incantation was not difficult. She almost perfectly memorized it within half a day. After confirming that Vania had memorized all the incantation pronunciations, Gethsmoor expressed admiration and then decided to accelerate the training pace.
Following this, Vania’s training entered the second phase. According to Gethsmoor’s instructions, Vania borrowed several nuns from the local church in Gramorn to serve as auxiliary celebrants and then headed to the Lake Heart Cathedral to begin real scene rehearsals. The local nuns were very excited and enthusiastic when they heard they could participate in such an important ceremony with Vania.
Under Gethsmoor’s guidance, not only did Vania master all the procedures she needed to perform as the main celebrant in the ceremony, but the several nuns also learned their roles in the sanctification ceremony. They would assist Vania in the sacrificial process and define the boundaries of the ceremony with their bodies, singing praises.
Finally, after extensive training, whether as the main celebrant or auxiliary celebrants, everyone understood their tasks in the ceremony. When all the rehearsal segments were completed and the sky outside the church turned dark, it seemed like the end of the day.
“Alright, it’s getting late. Sister Vania, you and the others should go rest now. But before that, let’s practice the entire ceremony one last time, just like before.”
Looking out the window at the moonlight, Gethsmoor said to Vania, and Vania nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, it’s really time to go back, but practicing one more time before going back would deepen the impression.”
Vania replied to Gethsmoor, and the latter smiled and continued.
“Alright… Sisters, let’s practice one last time. Then we’ll go back.”
Gethsmoor loudly called out to the nuns scattered throughout the chapel, and they gathered again, forming the ceremonial formation inside the chapel. Vania herself stood at the forefront of the formation, directly facing the huge Mirror Moon Statue.
“Sister Vania, before we start the final practice, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” Gethsmoor said as she approached Vania, and Vania responded with some confusion.
“Just say it, Sister Gray.”
Hearing Vania’s words, Gethsmoor quietly turned around and looked at the huge Mirror Moon Statue beside her, then slowly said.
“In the sanctification ceremony, the two most critical points are the incantations and the symbolic objects. By changing different incantations and symbolic objects, rituals targeting different deities can be performed. Therefore, this type of ceremony is also known as a substitution ritual in the secret world outside the Holy Church, and it is a relatively common ritual.
“Now that Sister Vania has mastered the incantations, the only thing left is to replace the symbolic object with the symbol of the Holy Mother, and the sanctification ceremony can be successfully performed. However, unfortunately, the simple symbolic statue of the Holy Mother will be sent by reinforcements, and we need to wait until they arrive to officially hold the ceremony.
“The symbolic object in this heterodox relic is clearly this heterodox goddess statue. Once the Holy Mother statue arrives, this heterodox goddess statue will be replaced. When performing the sanctification ceremony, Sister Vania must keep her attention focused on the Holy Mother statue that replaces the original one, considering it the core and goal of the ceremony for it to succeed.
“The main celebrant’s primary task in the sanctification ceremony is to maintain focus on the replaced symbolic object while reciting the incantations. Although this operation is not difficult, it requires some practice to ensure no mistakes. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Holy Mother statue for Sister Vania to practice focusing on, so I want to find something to substitute.”
Gethsmoor said to Vania, and hearing her words, Vania responded with some confusion.
“Focus practice? This does seem necessary… Does Sister Gray have anything to use as a temporary training target?”
“Yes, me,” Gethsmoor said, and Vania was startled by her response.
“Oh… You, Sister Gray, you mean, I should train my focus on you as if you were the Holy Mother?” Vania said unexpectedly, and Gethsmoor continued smiling.
“Not that I am the Holy Mother, that would be blasphemy. What I mean is, Sister Vania, you only need to treat me as a focus target. I will observe your gaze to see if you are paying attention to me. Later, when you need to focus entirely on the Holy Mother statue, you will be more proficient.”
“Oh, I understand.”
Hearing Gethsmoor’s response, Vania nodded in comprehension. Seeing that Vania understood, Gethsmoor walked to the already laid-out ritual formation, facing away from the Mirror Moon Statue behind her, standing in front of Vania and the other nuns.
“After the heterodox statue is removed, the Holy Mother statue will likely be placed in the original position of the symbolic object, which is slightly behind my current position. Now, Sister Vania, while keeping your attention on me, continue practicing the ritual.”
Gethsmoor finally said to Vania. Listening to her words, Vania nodded and began leading the nuns behind her to rehearse the sanctification ceremony again.
The ritual practice began. As the main celebrant, Vania kept her eyes fixed on Gethsmoor ahead while bowing respectfully, then slowly began walking with graceful steps.
The auxiliary nuns formed several lines at the edges of the chapel, circling around Vania at the center in a circular pattern, chanting in unison. For a moment, pure female voices reverberated in the vast space of the chapel, creating a mysterious and distant atmosphere.
At the center of the ritual, after taking several steps, Vania began performing various movements. Finally, she knelt on the ground, clasping her hands in front of her chest, and clearly recited the incantations she didn’t understand, her gaze fixed forward.
Standing where Vania’s gaze passed, Gethsmoor watched the formal commencement of the ritual practice, a hint of malice appearing on her lips. She confirmed Vania’s gaze and the content of her recitation while silently reciting in her heart.
“Queen of the Deep Web, goddess of shadows and m*rder, sovereign of torture and pain, Lady of bl**d… I, Gethsmoor Arkik, your most loyal servant, your gateway to the present realm, now pray to you.
“I will carry your name and will through my body as a medium, acting as your idol and symbol, walking among the people, feared and revered.
“I will transform the domain under the night sky beneath my feet into your nest…”
