Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

The Moonlight Greatsword in Shard's hand did not disappear. Due to the increase in his own power, the semi-transparent silver blade of the sword now bore some fine runes. Of course, it still could not compare with the one held by Miss Orland in the Forest of Thousand Trees.

His eyes vigilantly watched the blood mist, only to see the remaining dozen or so bats converge into one. They transformed into a pale-faced, middle-aged man with blond hair who looked as if he might die at any second.

The frightened little boy ran up to the man and took his hand. The boy also had blond hair, which suggested a familial relationship between the two based on their hair color.

"Thank you for your help."

The middle-aged man cautiously thanked Shard, using the Carsonrick language, and he appeared quite wary of Shard. The boy he was holding hid behind the man as if frightened of the stranger.

"Are you saying, you came in from outside to rescue people?"

Shard asked in Draleon language. The middle-aged vampire understood but probably could not speak it, so he nodded and continued in Carsonrick:

"Yes, our clan has a special talent, which allows the communication of souls through the connection of bloodlines. I made use of this talent in reverse to set up a ritual, allowing my nephew to pull me into this place too. When we tried to return, unfortunately, we encountered this thing... Did you also come in here on your own initiative?"

Shard nodded but did not explain what he had done. Instead, he asked:

"Are there any other living people here?"

"I don't know; I haven't been here very long myself."

The middle-aged man said apologetically, squinting his somewhat long, effeminate eyes, then turned to look at the little boy behind him. The boy, still in fear, spoke in fits and starts:

"There are people, there are many people here. A sir with wings, a winged sir helped everyone."

"With wings?"

Shard and the middle-aged vampire both frowned simultaneously:

"Lester, what race is the other party?"

"Don't know, couldn't see clearly."

"What else is lurking around in this place?"

The vampire muttered softly, then said to Shard:

"Sir, I am Armand Bernhard, and this is my nephew Lester Bernhard. We are leaving now, I wish you success in your endeavors. If there's a chance in the future, I will repay you."

It seemed he was extremely afraid of this place.

"Wait a moment, where are the rest of the survivors?"

Shard asked again. The middle-aged vampire had no answer, so he looked to his nephew, encouraging him to say more.

The little boy looked timidly at Shard:

"The survivors, they are in the chapel over there."

Shard looked in the direction the boy was pointing to, which was indeed towards the Dawn Chapel:

"The power of that sir allowed us to survive here longer, but I ran out only because I heard my uncle's voice..."

"Is that sir also in the chapel?"

Shard hurriedly asked again.

"No, he's not there anymore, he said he had a mission to complete, so he left."

"He left?"

Shard was puzzled, not understanding what sort of mission Priest Augustus could have in such a haunted place.

"Alright, I understand."

"Also, sir."

It seemed that feeling no hostility from Shard, the boy gathered the courage to say more:

"Never cross that door."

"What door?"

"The real door to death, all living who stray into this place can sense it. There exists a door here, and to cross that door is to truly enter death."

Shard had heard Sister Michelle speak of such a thing before and nodded to show he had no such intentions.

Thus, the vampire uncle and nephew, along with the masked Shard, said their farewells. They needed to return to the dreamland corresponding to reality, where middle-aged Vampire Kind slumber, in order to leave. As for Shard, following the guidance of the pendant on his chest, he continued to move forward, not minding any other living people who might still be in the chapel until he found Priest Augustus.

The vast Midshire Fort City reflected here in a form that was almost recognizable, and Shard, journeying alone, could clearly feel the repulsion this place held for the living. Not only the occasional Evil Spirits, but the environment itself was corroding the Life Force of the living. Although one would not die immediately upon entering here, even if one managed to escape, they would likely fall seriously ill or suffer a permanent affliction.

Even though he intended to avoid the lingering Evil Spirits, Shard still inevitably ended up fighting a few battles along the way. These battles were simple for Shard in his current state, but the consumed Spirit and Stamina were difficult to recover. Despite having support from the Divinity within his soul, recovery was far slower than the consumption.

Eventually, the pendant around his neck led Shard to the chapel of the Church of Nature and Malice in the city center. Standing dubiously at the entrance of the chapel, Shard wondered why Priest Augustus would come to such a place.

The Nature Chapel of Midshire Fort, visible from the hills behind the Ruined Tower, was one of the few buildings Shard could clearly recognize. The Church of Nature, the first of the Church of the Five Gods to settle in this city, boasts a chapel both vast and majestic.

Confirming that the pendant around his neck was still resolutely pointing to the building before him, Shard ascended the nine stone steps at the chapel entrance, passed by the elegant white colonnade, and then stood in front of the closed gray-white metal doors.

This was the first time he had seen the chapel doors closed; they are usually open twenty-four hours a day. Placing a hand on the metal chapel door, Shard found that the Key of the Door did not respond, indicating it wasn't locked. Applying great force, his face turning red with effort, he finally managed to push the door open a crack, yet it made no sound.

Shard then sidled through into the interior, where he discovered that not only had the fog cleared considerably and the temperature returned to normal, but the air was also infused with the scent of high-grade spices, and, surprisingly, there was Glimmer.

The chapels of the Church of the Five Gods have a consistent structure: upon entering the main door one finds the nave. The soaring ceiling, stained-glass windows, and religious paintings and sculptures scattered everywhere together create a sacred atmosphere.

Although the nave he now faced had everything it should, it also had things it shouldn't.

Candles, unevenly sized white candles bearing the Holy Emblem of The Five Gods on golden candelabras, almost covered the entire ground, spreading among the long benches, all the way to the pulpit at the forefront of the nave. There was barely any room to step, and the slight penetration of fog from outside due to the door being opened caused the flames of these candles to flicker, casting Shard's immense shadow on the metal door behind him.

Golden Divine Runes were engraved on the floor, walls, and ceiling, and even on the glass of the windows where runes of various sizes and densities filled every space. Silver metal wires crisscrossed overhead, interwoven and entangled, from which Metal Talismans, Parchment Scrolls, Holy Bells, Holy Emblems, and a series of items heavy with the elements of "[[miracles]]" were hung.

Upon entering the chapel, those heavy "[[miracle]]" elements nearly entirely overwhelmed the other three elements. And this sight, should it appear in the real world, would probably be highly effective even in suppressing demons like "[[Human Pus]]."

"Has the Church ever entered here before?"

All these Divine Items were colored, indicating they had been brought here from the real world. And this immense Divine Ritual before him, containing Holy Emblems of Mr. Dawn, Lantern Bearer, Lady of Creation, Father of Peace, and Lord of All Things, could only have been arranged by a senior Circle Sorcerer of the Church of the Five Gods.

"So, it turns out the Church not only has means to seal this place in the real world but also here... Could this be the core between life and death?"

He observed his surroundings with some confusion, then actually heard a reply.

"Of course, this is not the core," said a voice.

It wasn't "her" speaking in his ear, but rather a man's voice.

Shard immediately turned to look behind the door, where a man in brown leather boots and black hunting attire, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, was leaning against the pristine white wall beside the metal door ajar.

"Can you read minds?"

"No, every living person who sees this place thinks it's the core of the Interstice, so I guessed what you were thinking."

His body was transparent, allowing Shard to see the colorful mural of the True God preaching and the Divine Runes on the wall behind him. Moreover, hanging from his chest was a similarly transparent Holy Emblem of the God of Nature, Lord of All Things, indicating that he was formerly affiliated with the Church of Nature.

"I thought that all souls here lacked self-awareness."

Rather than being surprised, Shard seemed curious as he examined the soul before him.

"The souls sucked into this place, due to the special nature of the Relic, mostly lack self-awareness, and the likelihood of Evil Spirits emerging here is greater. I am one of the few souls that retained self-awareness, not due to natural causes, but because I conducted a ritual inside the chapel before I died."

The man spoke, his severe eyes also appraising the masked Shard:

"So, sir, who are you?"