Music for today:
Autumn Moon
https://youtu.be/dmoApq_S9oI
Chapter 499: Solstice
Late Afternoon - Late Winter : Year 39 : Voldukirk, Holy Kingdom
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- Astren Ravenna ~
*Tap—Tap—Tap—Tap* With every step across the glossy marble floors of the central church's grand hall, the tap of my armors leather soles echoed like the countdown of a clock—crisp, sharp, rhythmic, and.. alone...
Down that hall, walking beneath a delicately painted, arched roof multiple hundreds of meters overhead, my steps alone sounded.
Beside me, a young girl—skipping so lightly only the brush of her religious garb could be heard—and ahead, a maid whose entire presence blended with the air like a mirage in the desert. Even after a dozen years of growth, it seemed I was still behind a mere maid of Odin.
Though.. looking toward the painted ceiling, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, yet feeling the hulking mass of a dragons tail rocking back and forth, I understood.
In recent years... -This place has really become a dragon's den...-
Quite literally...
Between ancient murals, flags, and gem-adorned insignias, the hallway was filled with artifacts older than entire kingdoms and civilizations—swords thought to be weapons of myth and legend neighboring crowns of ancient fallen kingdoms thought lost to time.
It was like a display of wealth and power no human could possibly fathom.. only getting more and more ancient as we approached the doors.
Until...
*Tap* With the echo of one final step, we came to a halt before the colossal door, filling the entirety of the hall, and the mirage of a human maid centered herself before us. "The humble servants of Eir have arrived."
Her voice echoed without a focus or source, as if the sound was manifested directly into the air rather than in a throat...
But such was to be expected of an illusion.
*CLANG* Passing a chill down my spine as the hall shook with the slam of countless locks, the metal hinges of the behemoth door before us sank and creaked before allowing the gate to open just enough for a column of light to sneak through.
"Miss Astren, Lady Kevana," The illusory maid quickly stepped aside without the slightest shift in the air, only now turning to lay her hollow eyes on us. "Please show your respects."
Resting one hand on my longsword's pommel, I pushed the sheath back, locking it between my legs as a show of fealty before leaning forward to allow my golden necklance with Eir's crest to fall forward and display itself. "The humble servants of the Goddess of Balance bow before the crow."
Kevana, the young girl beside me, was quick to follow suit with a bow unfitting such a fidgety child.
And in that breath, the air eased, and the blinding column of light sneaking through the crack in the door settled.
"Please be at ease." With a sudden chill washing through the air, the Guardian's voice finally reached us. "An apostle of Eir need not be so tense."
"Thank you, sir." Kevana spoke with an eerie maturity before finally straightening—her childishness coming back in a rush as she let go of my hand and silently skipped forward.
It was a sight that truly made my heart clench with the coming of a tensioned sweat. -Please forgive her ignorance, Lord Odin...-
Watching her swiftly disappear through the gap in the doors, just large enough to let through one person at a time, I rose from my bow and followed.
Before... *Woom* With a wave of mana and the warp of a dozen barriers, my eyes adjusted, my tension eased, and I found myself walking into a familiar, yet similarly inconceivable space.
The heart of the High Church: The Hall of Odin.
"Welcome back, Kevana. Astren."
Quickly stopping to give another, more brief bow of fealty, he was quick to nod in acknowledgement before watching Kevana continue to skip forward without care or formality.
Though, he hardly seemed to care. "Please, come have a seat. Katherine is still some distance away." Unlike the maid outside, his voice came from flesh, and unlike her chilling emptiness, the Guardian sounded less hollow and more.. annoyed...
"That bitch is always late."
Jolting at the snappy remark, I eased my bow to see a large table—though considerably microscopic beneath Odin's statue—lined with food, drinks, and enough plates for a single representative from every church. -Each chair is branded with an insignia...-
It was a gathering on a scale I never could have wrapped my head around. -What's happening for everyone to be gathered like this..?- Truthfully, no one already present seemed to know. Even Forellri, the most powerful voice in the room behind the Guardian, hardly carried the annoyance and arrogance she usually did when attending meetings she already knew all about.
And the others weren't much different.
Stepping forward, taking a seat between Kevana and the only remaining empty seat before the Guardian's at the end of the table, everyone's gossip paused, and eyes turned to me.
Though, beside the Guardian, I cared not to lower my head outside of a nod of respect. "What's with the glares?"
Forellri's lip curled. "You couldn't bring Katherine with you?"
Reaching over my empty plate to grab a glass of crimson wine, I gently swirled it before crudely pressing it to my lips and taking a large sip. "If I knew where she was, I might have."
Before her tongue could click though, an unfamiliar voice reached me. "Katherine was last on a mission to scout an unruly dragon near Faelith. She hasn't been in the capital for months."
Looking up, I found a formally armored paladin with white and gold armor sitting with his arms crossed. A man who was completely unfamiliar before my eyes settled on the golden wings donning his chest. -Is he an apostle of the Valkyries..?-
He was only someone I had heard of in rumors or stories. "The name's Jax. I don't believe we have met before."
"Astren Ravenna." I gave a formal nod, looking across his scarred face with a genuine respect before looking over the others. "It's my first time meeting many of you. I apologize for my informality."
Though not everyone was present, quite a few churches had sent bishops in place of an apostle.
To the point that the other side of the table was a mix of mice among lions.
"Don't be sorry, Forellri is a bitch. I can understand finding it hard to be formal when she's the person you have to sit across from."
Turning to the massive man directly across the table from me, old but shaven, scarred but sharp, armored with blackened armor and a soot-covered crest, I felt the air quiver in his breath. "You must be Tyr's apostle, Rhom." He was a man once called the Holy Kingdom's dragon, and the one sat beside Forellri.
Of those present, he was easily the strongest fighter, someone rumored to rival the Guardian. "Lady Eir has told me many of your stories, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
The corner of his mouth curled in a blink. "To think the gods speak of me~. If you'd ever like some training, don't be afraid to ask." Dropping his gaze to my swords pommel poking above the table, he smiled with white but broken teeth.
We had similar fighting styles, to the point Eir had suggested I train under him once I started working up to bigger swords many years ago, but I never felt I had the chance.
At least until now. "I may take you up on that, if your offer is genuine." I gave another formal nod.
"He's just fibbing." Looking a few seats over, another man, though younger, sitting with his bare feet propped on the table rudely interjected. "He'll just beat you up and disappear for some 'side quest'."
-Side quest..?- It was a term I had never really heard. "Right, I forgot you had once trained under him, Kestos."
He was Baldur's newest, but historically strongest apostle, a man of crude taste and nature that preferred gauntlets over blades. "Yeah, don't even bother with him." Even in the most formal meeting I had ever attended, he sat shirtless, and picked his teeth with his feet propped on the table.
But no one cared to correct him.
Continuing with some idle chatter, my eyes continued around the table, taking note of the missing apostles, trying to dedicate their faces to memory.
However, the bishops never spoke a word, even as hours passed and idle chatter turned into gossip with each new arrival, they sat in uncomfortable silence.
At least until all but one empty seat was left.
*Woom* Feeling the air suddenly shift, everyone, even Rhom and Forellri had their expressions fall, words hush, and eyes turn to the hulking doors we had all entered through.
"My Lord," It wasn't an illusory maid's detached and hollow voice... It was deep, making the entire room tremble like the growl of a behemoth. "Katherine Whyte has arrived."
A dragon's voice.
*CLANG-CREAAAAK* With the sinking of the doors and screams of the hinges, the massive gateway that barely opened to a crack for every apostle so far, swung open the whole way to reveal a towering dragon.
Though, she too bower her head.
*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.* Before that monsters lowered snout was a snow fox—a short woman made tall with pointy white ears, long, animalistic hair, and eyes hidden behind a wild cloth.
It was Katherine. Her presence more feral than it ever had been.. her steps slow, her posture crude.. almost looking drunken.
No one, even Forellri, dared to mutter a word though.
The air was sharp. Even from some distance, it was like Katherine's presence filled the room with blades.
"Katherine," The only one who could speak was the Guardian. "You reek of alcohol." But even he didn't correct her. "That must mean you came back empty handed-"
"You better not have been lying." Her voice cut him off like a guillotine—soft and gentle yet sharper than a razor.
It was the first time many present had heard her speak.
But the Guardian seemed.. familiar... "You know I wouldn't lie about that." Remaining standing with his hands held behind his back, he watched every one of Katherine's steps before she reached the table, pulled out the chair, and sat with an eerie silence. "Thank you for coming, Katherine."
Grabbing a bottle of wine from behind the Guardian's plate, she popped the cork and threw down several gulps before passing an annoyed sigh. "Haah... Make it quick."
"As rude as ever..." Forellri mumbled under her breath.
But with a tense jolt in the air, the Guardian cut into her with a glare before pulling out his seat. "As I'm sure you all know, this is a very important meeting. Set aside your differences and be respectful."
Finally lifting his feet off the table, Kestos's posture straightened with many others.
It was finally beginning.. and anticipation and anxiety were woven into the air. -So.. what is this meeting going to be about..?-
However, there was truly nothing that could have braced us for what was coming.
"As I'm sure many of you know, many of the gods in the Aesir have been silent as of late. So, today, I'm going to be blunt."
The air stiffened.
And the Guardian's voice firmed. "Tyr, Freya, Heimdall, Loki, Hel, Magni, Vidar, Odr, and the seven Valkyries," He paused as he looked over the table, giving each and every person a targeted glance that made them shiver. "They have all fallen."
Almost instantly, half the table choked—those who merely felt their breath leaving their lungs going wide-eyed.
Even Forellri. "W..What..?" Her voice barely escaping with a quivering breath.
But not another word was allowed. "However," Not allowing anyone to even breathe, the Guardian held his posture tall, still refusing to sit. "With every fall from grace, there is an opportunity to rise and take their seat."
Suddenly losing her drunken air, Katherine's eyes finally moved off her wine, to the Guardian.
"Today, I am presenting you all with that opportunity." He paused, knowing everyone understood what he meant. "Today, I am offering the blessing of Gullveig." The sister of Skuld: the goddess of divinations and witchcraft.
A god said to have been killed beside Sol, the goddess of the light, and her brother Mani, the god of night, in ancient times.
-T..That means...-
"I hope that on this day, I welcome new gods to the Aesir." Finally easing his posture, he motioned his hands out. "You may eat and discuss freely."
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