Chapter 20: Son of God
November 28, 2014
Author: Floating Tower
The night in Amber City was exceptionally quiet. Since the skinning incident had occurred, no one dared to come out at night in Amber City and the surrounding area. Even those who operated on the edges of the gray area now stayed nervously on their own turf. The dark area was inhabited by pure evil and chaotic lunatics. Although the gray area had contact with them, it maintained its own boundaries.
The city guard in Amber City had been fruitless!
Not only were the nobles repeatedly urging them to resolve the issue quickly, but the church also began to apply pressure on them.
A sense of panic was spreading further; the church in Amber City finally lost patience with the city guard and started sending their own temple knights and paladins to investigate. Unfortunately, those evil entities were exceptionally cunning; they found no leads and even lost a comrade. The comrade’s corpse was hung at the city gate the next day, next to a complete human skin.
Fear brewed in the darkness!
The attack on the temple knights by the evil god’s believers ultimately led to the church’s wrath. The church of the three lawful deities in Amber City began sending out higher-level temple guards, and even the bishop overseeing the surrounding area joined in the action.
Meanwhile, in a hidden underground chamber…
The walls were carved with many bizarre images—skeletons, lava, demons, altars, and the shadow of a demon god shrouded in darkness.
The dim phosphorescence flickered, casting a spooky light around!
A group of black-robed believers knelt before the altar, their hands crossed as they prayed on the ground. Atop the altar was a red-clad priest whose face was obscured.
He held a crystal ball in his pale hands, reciting an ancient demonic incantation.
“High Priest!”
“According to the prophecy left by our lord, the first son of fear will awaken in the despair of terror!”
“But we have not felt the aura of the Son.”
“The skinning ritual has begun.”
“The aura of fear is spreading in this city!”
“But those temple guards of the church are about to discover us; we have lost some manpower.”
“Now.”
“Should we continue the ritual? To wait for the awakening of the Son of Fear?”
A strand of eerie purple fire appeared.
An indiscernible voice, unidentifiable in gender or age, echoed throughout the chamber, slowly saying, “The prophecy has been interfered with!” “The gods seem to have noticed our lord’s arrangement.”
“Continue the sacred skinning ritual, spreading the power of fear to the Southern Duchy; the second son of fear will awaken beneath some sunset twilight!”
The red-clad priest sincerely knelt down.
His gaze was steadfast as he addressed the front, saying, “The ritual will continue!”
“The will of our lord will cover the abyss.”
Under the altar.
The evil god’s believers knelt on the ground, praying as waves of evil energy gathered in the chamber.
………………
Nightfall forbids entry into Amber City.
Especially after the skinning incident, more guards were stationed at the city gate, and other activities faced strict scrutiny.
Thus, Soren had to stay outside the city for a night and figure out a way to enter the temple area the next day.
Temple of Dawn.
A faint radiance enveloped the hall, and an atmosphere of tranquility, serenity, and hope pervaded the surroundings.
This was the solidified blessing spell, harnessing the divine power gathered by the temple, allowing believers to feel a sense of spiritual fulfillment upon entering.
A small figure knelt before the tall, majestic statue.
Priest Anya Lee slowly pushed the large door open, glanced at the little girl in front of the temple, and softly said, “Vivian…”
“Are you praying to the Lord of Dawn?”
The little girl gently raised her head, looked at the girl behind her, and nodded obediently, “Yes.”
“I pray for him to keep my brother safe!”
Although Soren hadn’t said anything, Vivian knew he was probably off doing something dangerous.
The little girl didn’t attempt to stop him; she simply prayed for Soren in her heart, asking the gods to bring him a bit of luck.
Any god would do!
The young priest walked to her side, reached out to gently stroke her little head, and slowly said, “Then you should pray at dawn; the Lord of Dawn will listen to the prayers of his believers at that time.”
The little girl seemed to understand, nodded thoughtfully, and then said, “Okay.”
“Tomorrow, sister will take me to pray together.”
Anya Lee looked at the lovely little girl in front of her, smiled, and then said, “Vivian.”
“Do you wish to worship the Lord of Dawn?”
“I can feel that you have a unique gift; perhaps you possess the potential to become a priest.”
“If you are willing to serve the Lord of Dawn, your family could benefit from the temple’s support, and maybe Soren could find a decent job in the future; after all, he is quite capable!”
The little girl fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
Her expression seemed to show a hint of excitement, but she quickly replied, “I’d like to ask my brother before making a decision.”
“If he agrees, I’d like to give it a try.”
For some reason…
When Vivian mentioned giving it a try, an inexplicable feeling of rejection surged in her heart.
Since childhood, her perception had always been keen, but for some reason, she felt a strong aversion toward the gods. So both she and Soren were non-believers, and not even a false belief in a superficial god existed for them. The little girl couldn’t articulate why; she just felt that if she were to worship them, it would feel very awkward inside her heart. For example, the radiance within this temple felt very comfortable when it shone on people, yet she still found it displeasing.
If not for praying for Soren, she wouldn’t even want to enter the hall.
“Alright then.”
The young priestess showed a hint of joy, reached out and pulled her up, slowly saying, “Perhaps you can try to learn some of the most basic divine techniques first.”
“For instance, this!”
“ua!”
Anya Lee made a strange monosyllabic sound, and then a glow appeared at her fingertips.
That light resembled a candle flame, illuminating everything nearby.
“This is the Light Spell.”
The young priestess smiled at the little girl in front of her, whose eyes had widened in surprise, and softly said, “It’s a very simple divine technique; if you have the talent to become a priest, you should be able to master it quickly.”
“However, you must first undergo a baptism; the sacred ritual will allow you to perceive the power of the gods.”
The baptism ritual is crucial for becoming a priest.
It’s a process that enhances and amplifies perception; during this process, those with the potential to be priests can sense the power of divine techniques. Professionals such as paladins, temple knights, rangers, etc., can gradually master some low-tier divine techniques after this ritual. However, this is just the beginning; there are more important sacred rituals for priests as they progress.
Clang!
A loud noise outside the hall interrupted the young priestess’s words.
Immediately, a heavily armored temple guard entered. His armor was exceptionally heavy, producing clanging sounds as he walked, and there were traces of bl**d on his stern face. After entering the hall, he spoke to Anya Lee in a deep voice, “Matos is injured!”
“We discovered the lair of those fallen beings; Matos was stabbed in the heart during the battle!”
Sorsia’s expression changed slightly as she turned to Vivian, “You go back to your room by yourself later…”
“Rask.”
“Take me to see!”
The two quickly departed.
Recently, those followers of the evil god had been extremely rampant, and the evil skinning ritual had alarmed many temples. The guards of the Temple of Dawn participated in the actions as well. Matos was a third-tier temple guard, with a profession level exceeding level 10; even he was severely injured in battle. It seemed that the evil god’s believers appearing this time were exceptionally powerful!
Vivian silently watched the two leave, and after they departed, she raised her pale fingertips and murmured to herself, “ua!”
“Can this syllable be used to cast divine techniques?”
A bright light burst forth!
The little girl gasped and opened her mouth wide, staring at the light erupting from her fingertips, seeming somewhat incredulous.
She appeared to be a bit frightened.
She hurriedly shook her fingers as if trying to extinguish the light.
But soon she adapted, curiously examining the glow at her fingertips, mumbling, “Is it really this simple?”
“Can I use divine techniques like this?”
