Noel Rivet stepped out of his checkered violet-and-blue carriage, which always managed to draw more stares than it had any right to.
It wasn't the colors alone; it was the audacity of the design, as if it were purposefully challenging the concept of subtlety. He adjusted his coat and looked up at the Temple of Umbra, a structure so dazzlingly white it seemed like it might blind anyone who stared too long.
Umbra was the goddess of shadows and obscurity, her authority involved total control over shadows and the ability to obscure anything, physical or conceptual. Her temple was called "The church of Shadows".
The temple's towering columns gleamed in the midday light, their surfaces so polished they could've doubled as mirrors. Intricate carvings of shadows— yes, carvings of actual shadows— seemed to shift as Noel moved closer, as if the stone itself was alive. The grand staircase leading to the entrance stretched out like the world's most dramatic welcome mat, daring anyone to approach without an offering of reverence— or sunglasses.
There were a bunch of people going in and coming out, it was not a holiday today, yet the amount of people present would make people think otherwise. But this was the norm here, after all, it is the capital of Eldris.
Noel climbed the stairs, muttering to himself. "Victor always has a flair for picking the most overly symbolic places to meet. What's next, the lair of a dragon?"
Inside, the brightness continued, and so did the bustling. The hallways were gleaming brightly in pristine white. The polished stone reflected every flicker of light, amplifying the luminosity to an absolutely unwanted level of brightness. It was beautiful but also unnerving, like walking through a corridor made of frozen lightning.
The only reprieve came when Noel reached the prayer hall, a stark contrast to the rest of the temple. The black walls seemed to drink in the light, creating a space that was both dark and brilliantly illuminated. Shadows danced in sharp relief, making every corner of the room feel alive with an air of unsettling darkness.
The hall was extremely large, it would take ages for a person to reach from one end to the other end. But Noel had another destination to reach, he turned left and headed straight for the grand stairway that connected the first floor and the ground floor. He made a right after climbing the stairs and headed for the door at the far end.
(A/N: This might be confusing, but here, ground level is called the "Ground Floor," instead of the standard "First Floor" used in the USA, Canada, and a few other countries.)
Quite a few seconds, maybe a few minutes, passed before Noel finally reached the door and pushed it open, entering a normal office with portraits, a few decorations, and a desk in the middle. The walls were made of smoothly cut stones put together with tiny spaces apart which were filled with cement.
He took out a five nen coin and put it through a specific crack on one wall between the smooth cut stones. Then, he took out a ring from inside his bag and placed the gemstone on it on the wall.
Silence ensued as Noel ceased all of his actions and waited there silently like an obedient dog. Soon, the stone wall shifted and a crack was opened just enough for him to pass through. He entered without hesitation, the clear view of a small room with a U-shaped table with twelve seats around it came into his view.
There was no light but it was clearly lit, the sweet smell of burning incense permeated the air. There was a long table nearby on an elevated platform near the twelve-seater table, it had seven seats, three on each side of a grand seat.
Victor was waiting there, leaning against one of the twelve seats, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. His black coat blended into the background, leaving only his sharp features and piercing eyes visible in the glow.
"Noel," Victor said, his voice echoing faintly. "Punctual as ever."
"Punctuality is the least I can manage when summoned to a temple that could double as a light festival," Noel replied dryly. He stopped a few paces away, eyeing Victor. "You didn't call me here just to enjoy the architecture, did you? And did the archbishop or cardinal allow you to use this room?"
Victor smirked, "The pope did." he said faintly.
Noel was surprised, "The pope did?"
Victor's smirk started to faint. "Yes. They have assigned a mission for you, something to done carefully and leave at the first sign of danger."
Noel raised an eyebrow. "Oh... you mean— the pope needs someone who is extremely careful and I am the most careful person in the organization? Or does he need the strongest?"
"Both," Victor admitted with a shrug. "You're already aware of the shapeshifter linked to the Church of Night. The same one we've been tracking in our previous encounters."
"C'mon joke a little, I'm trying to be humorous here." Noel took a seat.
"Noel..." Victor's face read 'I am too serious to take a joke', he leaned in on the table. "The matter is not to be taken lightly. Do you remember the cultists that we tried to investigate a while back?"
Noel nodded, and his face quickly got serious. "The one who's been slipping through every net we cast. What about them?"
Victor's stern expression lightened a bit. "We've confirmed that they're still active and potentially planning something significant. They've been operating under the Church of Night's banner, though the details of their orders remain a mystery. Your task is to investigate further— find out what they're up to and who they're working with."
"I thought we were after the shapeshifter," He too leaned in closer on the table, "Are they both related."
"Yes," Victor nodded, "Remember when I said that mind reader, Pellen, read the memories of Lester?"
"Pellen also said something else, I could only reveal so much since someone could be listening inside your house."
"I understand." Noel nodded.
"Lester had identified the divine power when Pellen read his memories." Victor frowned. "It is the divine power of the god of night."
Noel frowned, crossing his arms. "So you want me to investigate the church of night to find a shapeshifter who could be anyone, sounds fun. Any leads?"
Victor tilted his head slightly. "We have got leads on frequent gatherings at a village where the church of shadow had been mysteriously destroyed by fire overnight and the only present church is the church of night. You might find the person there."
"Great," Noel said, running a hand through his hair. "Just what I wanted— a deep dive into a den of killers. Anything else I should know?"
Victor nodded. "The Church of Night guards their god's identity with utmost secrecy. while you are there, try to find out his name— of course, don't do it if it endangers the main mission. You'll have to tread carefully."
Noel let out a long breath. "Carefully is exactly my style, and I know I'll make it work. What's my cover?"
Victor smiled faintly. "You're not infiltrating this time, Noel. Just investigate. Stay in the shadows, blend into the crowd, and gather information. Don't make yourself a target."
Noel snorted. "You are trying to make this hard for me, I swear if I find myself on the church night's hitlist, your name is the first one I'll spill."
Victor's grin widened slightly. "Deal. And, Noel?"
"Try not to get killed. You're too useful for that."
"Wow," Noel muttered, turning toward the exit. "I'm feeling the love already."
World building department here— it seems to be time to introduce the gods and goddesses of Eldris.
The gods and goddesses together make up a group of twelve, they are as given below:
1. Veritas (god of Light and Truth)
Power: Controls the truth of an object or a concept, assigning falsehoods as true and truths as false.
2. Tenebris (god of Night and False Realities)
Power: Creates and controls false realities, making them feel indistinguishable from the real world.
3. Fortuna (goddess of Chance and Chaos)
Power: Manipulates probabilities and randomness, creating impossible or unlikely outcomes.
4. Ruinare (goddess of Renewal and Destruction)
Power: Destroys any matter that has mass— renew and reshape them into altered forms.
5. Oblivio (god of Knowledge and Forgetfulness)
Power: Create, control, and erase knowledge and memories without altering the past.
6. Fidelitas (god of Bonds and Betrayal)
Power: Manipulates bonds between anything, physical or conceptual. Separating things that should exist together, or bringing together separate things.
7. Somnium (god of Dreams and Manifestation)
Power: Brings dreams, ideas, and imagination into physical reality, bypassing natural creation processes.
8. Aequor (god of Infinity and Boundaries)
Power: Expands or contracts anything, physical or conceptual, making finite things infinite or collapsing infinite spaces.
9. Fatum (god of Fate and Potential)
Power: Alters the future by controlling the potential paths individuals or events can take.
10. Anima (goddess of Life and Essence)
Power: Controls the life force, deciding whether beings continue to exist in the future, without erasing their past.
11. Lux (goddess of Light and Revelation)
Power: Reveals hidden truths and secrets, revealing anything as long as it exists.
(Special note: Lux is said to be the female identity of Vanitas, an identity Vanitas created to battle goddes Umbra.)
12. Umbra (goddess of Shadows and Obscurity)
Power: Obscures anything, physical or conceptual. Making the world unknown to the existence of concepts or things.