Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 849: Chapter 846: The Sunlit Voyage

Fenna stood atop the tallest tower of the Storm Cathedral, gazing out through the open window. Her eyes swept over the cathedral’s rooftops, the twinkling lights deep within the mist, the city districts whose buildings no longer matched her memory, and the direction of the distant sea.

Beside the tower’s spiral staircase, the steam-powered pipes emitted a faint hiss. Copper incense burners hung from the pipes’ valves, wafting threads of smoke. The aged Archbishop Valentin stood silently nearby, his murky pale eyes, clouded from blood no longer flowing, looking into the distance with Fenna.

It was only after an indeterminate time that Fenna softly broke the silence: “I remember… I often stood on this tower too, whenever night fell, I watched over every corner of Prand, with the hissing of the steam pipes always present, and the scent of the incense bringing tranquility.”

“It seems like that was only recently,” murmured Archbishop Valentin.

“Yes, it feels like it was just recently,” Fenna nodded slightly, “those nights were always restless, with all sorts of things emerging from the darkness, disturbing the lives of ordinary people. Back then, I was full of confidence, feeling capable of confronting any threat to the City-State—be it the shadows of the Heretics, or the creatures summoned by them.”

The elderly Archbishop said nothing more, merely lowering his gaze toward the direction of the cathedral’s garden. Through the foggy night, faint roars and spine-chilling crunching sounds seemed to suggest a colossal creature trapped deep within the mist.

“Trennie is dining again,” Valentin spoke slowly, “at this time each day, she devours herself, and twenty-four hours later, she is reborn from the soil. There are also twelve Nuns and twelve Fathers wandering near Trennie, entering the small arcade next to the garden at specific times—the very place you used to walk by every day.”

Fenna let out an imperceptible sigh, speaking softly: “Do they ever run outside the cathedral?”