(13. A) The Temple and Quest
Unlike Aaradhya and the high priest, the third elder couldn't see the spiritual world despite being able to interact with it. Also, unlike the father son duo, he noticed that the service door squeaked open just enough to allow someone to poke their head through. The butler who motioned towards the little group with a series of notecards.
"Excuse my interruption but, I have just been informed that everyone called and invited to the conclave has been summoned. The Exorcist is the only honorable guest not in attendance", Aaradhya jotted down the name, "The Exorcist", in his mental notebook. It was a name mentioned in the author champion's book, but nothing more than a mention was ever given to the name. It was probable that whoever that person was, would make an appearance later on.
"If you would like, please follow me", the third walked over to an assuming wall and bowed.
"-What's the decision here? -", Aaradhya asked his father.
"The third elder would like us to make a grand entrance. To do so, we can follow him to avoid being spotted or we could stay here and wait for the wall to move", Masih Sr explained.
"-Interesting. I would like to see the wall move but I can order it later couldn't I. For now, I want this upcoming ordeal of mine to be over and done with swiftly so let's go with the grand entrance. Everyone's attention will be on us so we can quickly explain what needs to be said-", Aaradhya raised an excellent point. As such, let's speed up a bit...
The third elder led them three fourths of the way to glass sculpture alongside a wall that intersected it. Now that it was closer, Aaradhya could 100% see how there would be a secret passageway embedded in this very specific location. The pillars and carvings along the wall were so perfectly designed that unless you stood in this exact position, you wouldn't see the entrance.
"-Immaculate craftsmanship! How many of these entrances are in this mountain? -", Aaradhya asked.
"Countless. Though, the blueprints we have at our disposal were passed down by the designer's apprentice and even those papers are in a sorry state. The passages we do know of, have been invaluable in maintaining the beauty of the peak and the rest of the island", Masih Sr. said.
It was then that the large glass structure clicked and hummed with a great rumble. The glass wall moved. Pillars on either side of the room twisted as both sides of the hall lowered.
"-Ah, the entire reception hall is built like an elevator. Father, the service area for the attendees, I would like to see it at some point -", the high priest nodded and carried his son. They followed the third elder through the lamp lit secret passage along the length of the ballroom. From time to time, Aaradhya would get glimpses of the amazed dancers through a series of gemstones that were embedded in the wall.
In the meantime, the giant glass wall sculpture twisted and curled in on itself like a reflective rug. Stone safety Bars rose out of the ground to show people where not to be once the room returned to normal. The room was now tiered with steps and service doorways everywhere. Butlers and maids rushed out of these new doors to place or rearrange tables and seating locations. Another set of butlers and maids set up rope barriers from the entrance to the chandelier at the center of the room. A long carpet rolled down the beautifully carved steps all the way to nearly the center of the room. Once the set up was over, these maids and butlers guided people to their proper seats.
Those who didn't know what was happening, thought the direction of the party was slightly over the top. Seconds later, the music changed, and a choir filed in from a service entrance near the lowest, centermost, and largest stage. They arranged themselves around the side of the room that the elders had once gathered in just a few hours ago. The full orchestra was on full display as they played subdued tones. Even more people rushed out some of the newer entrances and hummed with angelic voices. These people posted up beside the orchestra.
Mrs. Lagrange personally arranged a table and directed the movement of Aaradhya's throne. A group of a dozen people in full military equipment lifted the throne and carried it down from its raised platform.
Men and women in hard hats then reinstalled it near the center of the room. On a more silent note, a few dozen people in military gear spread throughout the room with large guns, each of them guarding one of the new entrances. Some party goers freaked out, others smiled with schadenfreude, and few simply sat down with overcast expressions. The first elder in particular smiled like a cherub but his hand clenched so hard he drew blood.
The elders ensured the arrangement of this a few hours earlier, but it was frustrating to see for the first elder. This display of power and authority, he could only get a fraction of this respect and that was only after decades of work. Though he clenched his fists, he gradually remembered who it was all for... His guest on the other hand, sneered and turned away in disgust.
Mrs. Lagrange directed some maids and butlers by the throne as giant blocky cameras and microphones were set around the room. The elders each sat at a different table around Aaradhya's throne, some had close family members beside them like the first elder. Others sat alone.
Under everyone's eyes, the third elder walked in from the service doors near the center stage and approached Mrs. Lagrange; He whispered something in her ear. With a clap of her hand, the music changed and the lights in the hall focused on the main entrance. The hard hat individuals quickly ran out of the hall after all their checks were done. Without a single technical issue, the real event started.
Lights focused on the main entrance, the cameras rolled, and the chandelier lit up with the images those cameras picked up. The music peaked and then cut off right at its crescendo. Two stunning maids with reflective gray eyes opened up the main doors and bowed as the high priest walked in.
Everyone who could see Aaradhya's soul found themselves slack jaw and blinded. Only those who saw him on the drive up the mountain could contain their surprise and absolute euphoria. Even though they contained the initial joy, they could get it all and exploded with echoed cheers. Everyone, maybe except for one or two people, cried for their lord.
Elder, council member, or just one member of the flock, none of it mattered. These were people from around the world and regardless of who they were. They were here and they all remembered the customs ingrained into their very bones. One by one, they all stopped cheering and bowed their heads to the floor for Aaradhya.
"-.... Father. Allow me to bring up another point. Though I am flattered by their expression of faith. It is something that makes me highly uncomfortable. When you have the chance, please find a way to abolish it-", rightfully, he blushed but more than that he frowned. His head tilted over to the two maid who held the doors open and they simply maintained their bow. One smirked and the other tried to get her silly companion to pay attention.
"-And fill me in on those two maids later. I feel extremely uneasy around people I haven't personally vetted-", Aaradhya turned to the stage and focused on what the people had to say. Though it was silent, he could hear the whispers. Through bated breath and bowed heads the followers spoke to those around them. Their conversations revolved around the rumors regarding Aaradhya's birth.
The high priest nodded to his son then snapped his finger. The choir hummed the song that had been established for Aaradhya through the generations. He placed Aaradhya up on his throne and picked up a mic, which signaled the choir to hum a lullaby in whispered tones.
"For generations, we've all been told to keep the faith. For countless centuries our ancestors believed and passed down their teachings. Today, we have gathered the council to reveal this piece of news. Our lord... Is with us!", Masih Sr covered his heart and smiled as he pointed to his son. The crowd exploded with joy and laughter. The chandelier shook with a threatening creak under the sound wave the crowd made. The choir roared as the orchestra let loose a wave of emotion reminiscent of free flow jazz. They sang and played from their hearts which further inflamed the emotions of the crowd. For more than a few moments, the people nearly lost their minds.
Aaradhya kept these thoughts from his father, but he fully understood what Death cultivated for him with these people. Their absolute insanity... and the level of brainwashing... the generation conditioning...
"- What a horrible sight... Father. Enough pandering. Do as you must. -", Aaradhya slouched in his seat and closed his eyes to focus on something else. Instead, he opened up Don Marimo's autobiography and tried to glean something from its spiritual pages. Aaradhya's breathing changed oh so subtly, so minutely that not even he noticed it.
"Okay everyone. Today is not only for our lord. It's a day to discuss what our lord wants us to do from this day forward...", Masih Sr grabbed a controller one of the technicians left for him.
"I'm sure you've all heard rumors of what happened at our temple. Some of you have probably even met a former resident of our sacred palace...", A video played under the High priest's direction.
".... I, I don't know if this is my last moment, but I can see them now. I didn't truly believe it at first but now... They are killing us... we've incurred our lord's wrath... this is divine punishment....", the details of a handheld camcorder were clearly visible on the projection. All of a sudden, a loud crash rang out and the device dropped. It rolled for a bit before it showed a graphically horrifying scene. Some people curled up on the floor in a puddle of sweat and blood. Similar to what happened with the mustachioed man, these people lit up with dull light before their light turned various shades of green.
Others ran around like headless chicken as they attacked the air around their bodies. A few spasmed on the floor as if something ripped into their intestines or ground their bones to dust.
What made people gasp wasn't any of that. What attracted eyes was more than a handful of people who floated in the air. Blood poured from their mouths and eyes. One of these people fell headfirst into the floor as nothing more than a dried-out husk.
Another person in a suit of full plate mail armor screamed then let out a wheezing gasp. A giant's handprints crushed the man's legs and upper body before it ripped him apart. It was only after he died that his body parts twitched and spasmed. Some of these body parts were crushed even more by human and animal prints or thrown across the room. An eyeball slowly rolled into frame and stared at the viewers through the cameras. Masih Sr. paused the video.
Many people gagged and threw up. Some smiled at their lord's divine punishment. Those in the know, looked away with tears and anger. Some held body parts that were now missing or grasped at their clothes with a wince.
"This footage was recovered by our tenth elder and the guard two months ago after I gave the order to abandon our temple. In union with our third elder's armaments, we were able to survey the grounds and rescue any who were still willing to leave but...", Masih Sr played the video once more.
The same military grade professionals Aaradhya would have recognized, wore gear from different military factions around the world. The only common point being they were all so old it was a miracle they were even intact. These soldiers wielded blunt swords, cracked cudgels, splintered bows, and even slings as they charged at invisible enemies. Though they went in blind; they weren't without their resources. At the center of each rushing formation was a follower with the gift of sight.
"...as you can all see...", Masih Sr picked out his words carefully, playing key video clips at the right moments to hit the heartstrings of the masses.
The guards attacked and every time they did, the camera picked up a flicker of white fog around misshapen beasts and deformed humans. Each flicker was pulled and placed beside the video. Each of these photos was paid for with the life of another soldier. Many of the soldiers, like those at the start of the video, found themselves knocked out of the formation by something that could touch their armor. Some of these people found themselves impaled on a stone or splattered against a wall. A few of the soldiers took off their equipment and ran away out of fear.
The best option in Aaradhya's personal opinion. He ignored the video because it would be his second time forcing himself to watch it, he simply couldn't do it a second time. Even now, he silently hyperventilated with just the sound. Besides, his soul sense wouldn't activate at the moment so there was no point in watching something horrible if he wasn't going to be getting new information.
"-Fuck. Fuck. Wilfred, you absolutely ruined me. I finally got over this and it all comes rushing back because of you-", Aaradhya turned away from the cameras to hide his scared and pale face.
"As you can see, our efforts to reclaim the temple were met with defeat", the high priest sighed into the microphone. Many could see how the soldiers crumbled. The invisible enemies jumped towards those with the gift of sight. These people had their eyes ripped out of their skulls and if they didn't die from that, they were directly ripped to shreds by the creatures only they could see.
"Is that the high priest too", one voice spoke up and sent a ripple through the audience. Surrounded by four guards, the high priest directed a retreat as he avoided some invisible enemy and issued a counter with a dull and rusted knife. A charred object was in his arms, wrapped in a slightly burned silken blanket.
"What's that in the high priest's arms?", Another person asked.
Many of the soldiers and even the high priest's personal guard broke their armor and weaponry in their retreat. The invisible enemies almost seemed to chase their lord as they stopped killing to capture Aaradhya. The old equipment simply couldn't withstand the test of time as the guard and soldiers were knocked aside one by one. Left with no way to interact with the spirit world, they could only calmly walk around and leave with the few followers they could save.
"No way. What is the tenth elder doing there", another voice rang out from the crowd. The tenth elder, as old as he was, stabbed something from behind and crashed into the floor beside the high priest. He yelled something then immediately charged to where the high priest pointed.
The camera, just before it died, picked up a beautiful sight. The old man pulled a cracked bracelet off his wrist and slammed it into a lost soul. Green light exploded out of the old man's hand and illuminated every single lost soul with a green aura. That was the last image before the camera died. Masih Sr. replayed the bloody and horrifying scene a few more times.
"No way. Are you telling me those demons will come after me now that I can see them?", the first elder's personal guest shot up. He wore his shirt unbuttoned and constantly wiped sweat off his face.
"How did something like that even happen? Your temple was overrun with evil spirits? All of a sudden? You can't possibly make us think that something didn't change?", unlike the other guests, he could see the true appearance of those fog creatures. The lost souls flashed in and out but the glimpses he caught left his heart and mind rattled. Many of the elders in the first's faction blushed and turned their heads away. Once they discovered Aaradhya was asleep, they left the High priests temple. Even after calls for aid were received at their branch temples, they did nothing.
"Something did change. Some of those here today are from the lord's high temple. They can tell you what happened in the weeks after our lord's birth", Masih Sr spoke with such calmness and coldness that many thought the first elders' guest would drop dead.
"Would anyone like to speak up and tell our brothers, sisters, and this... Outsider, what happened?", the high priest leaned back and watched as the few members who followed him from the temple spoke up.
Even Aaradhya paid attention. What he caught left him with more questions than answers...
"-A stranger showed up, shadows explored the temple, voices echoed through the halls, the previous thirteenth elder went insane and burned the inner sanctum down. Rumors are that I was killed in the fire. Hm, and that's when the followers started to awaken their spirituality. The shadows turned into monsters' people could actually see and interact with, which led to an all-out war. Father ordered a retreat because they couldn't protect me. Many at Fathers temple outright died trying to protect me during the escape. Then a mysterious stranger came back and helped at the last second? Who is the stranger, why did they help? Why did the thirteenth elder go insane? And fire? I was that bundle father held, according to him. Which is poetic since Wilfred was burned by... hmm... best not to follow that thread. Let's just assume the others wouldn't accept those types of
1) Cleanse the Temple
REWARD: Base: Hidden Temple
2) Discover the reason why the fallen Elder went insane
REWARD: 5x Spirit Stabilizer