The Church Of The Light
The white beam approached him as quickly as any of his spells and slammed into his shield. It managed to stop the attack at first, until It started to crack under the pressure. A few seconds later, it broke, and the beam hit Archer.
Sending him crashing through the townhouses until he shot out of the last house and smashed into the town wall. Falling to the floor, he was covered in blood.
He tried to get up but was struggling. Then his ears picked up the heavy footsteps of three people coming his way. Forcing his body to cooperate, he got up and cast Blink to appear on top of the wall.
Archer looked into the distance and Blinked there, and he cast it a dozen times because, after a while of doing it, he blacked out from mana depletion.
***
[The Deacons POV.]
The spell hit the boy, and he was sent flying, but they couldn't find any sign of him. Oxfair town residents managed to put out the fire and rescue people with Emmeric's the hric. That's when the Deacon and two knights searched for the boy for a few hours but couldn't find anything beyond the dent in the wall.
After searching, he ordered his soldiers to store all the dead bodies of their fellow knights in storage rings. After completing their tasks, the three jumped up on their horses. They raced back to Starfall City to report what had happened to the Bishop.
The Bishop needed to know that another white dragon had indeed risen. The Deacon was spooked. He only heard about white dragons from the old tomes hidden deep in the church vaults.
As he raced back, all he could see was their glowing violet eyes and the bo's manic laughing, which caused him to shake his head and try to clear his mind. Five days later, they arrived at Starfall City and rushed through the gates with the unique church passes, making their way towards the Shrine of Light.
When they reached the church, the two knights went off to receive treatment as the Deacon rushed towards the Bishop's office. Once he arrived in front of the door, he started pounding on it.
A middle-aged man's voice could be heard from the other side.''Come in! You better have a good reason for pounding my door down like that!''
The Deacon opened the door as a middle-aged man with red hair and green eyes looked up at him. Closing the door behind him, the Bishop motioned him to sit down before speaking. ''Deacon Lothar, you better have a good reason why you're here!''
He nodded his head before explaining. ''Yes, bishop, we have found the white dragon.''
The Bishop's eyes went wide as his mind went blank. He then shook his head and asked for more information. ''Explain, Deacon, I need all the details,''
That's when Lothar told the Bishop everything he could remember from five days ago.
''We asked around the town and found a food stall owner, who one of the knights spotted talking to the boy, so we asked the owner about him, and the man told us his name was Archer, and he was an adventurer from Vassia City.''
Lothar finished speaking as the Bishop sat there thinking before he jumped up and rushed out of the room. ''Come on, we must inform the Archbishop about what has happened.''
They both made their way out of the church and into a carriage permanently stationed outside. The Bishop told the driver to take them to the Archbishop's villa. Every human empire and kingdom on Thrylos has a church in it.
Due to past wars, they hate dragons with a passion. The church can't purge or prosecute Dragonkind within the Avalon Empire because the Emperor's laws protect them, but they made an exception regarding the White Dragon.
However, they also needed the Avalon Empires' support to grow their influence on the country, so they tended to operate in the shadows to avoid their soldiers. The Church of Light survives by getting donations from the worshippers and noble families that want our favorite Favour with the church and its influence within the Novgorod Empire.
Not all noble families followed the church's game, but they didn't stop them. The church wields tremendous power due to being entrenched in the Novgorod Empire, which took the place of the dragons five thousand years ago as the most substantial empire in Thrylos.
Everyone knew the church was egotistical, corrupt, and rotten to the core, but no one said anything due to the severe consequences anyone who stood against them would suffer. After an hour in the carriage, the two men arrive at a lavish-looking villa.
Exiting the carriage, the Archbishop's guards let them through the villa's gate. After a ten-minute walk, the two men arrived at a veranda. Ansat is drinking tea with the king while looking out over his garden.
Both men felt pressure slamming into their bodies as they tried their best to stay standing straight. The elderly man spotted the two men on the side and gestured to approach."Come, come, step forward. We are all children of the god of light; there's no need to feel anxious."
The men walked forward and bowed before addressing the older man. "Archbishop Hadwyn, it's wonderful to see you in good health. It's been years since our last meeting."
"Ah, Bishop Caryk and his young follower. How may I assist you, gentlemen, on this fine day?" The Archbishop commented.
He observed that the two seemed hesitant but quickly reined in his aura, and instantly, they both relaxed. "Please, have a seat," he invited, motioning toward the chairs.
The two men sat down as directed. Bishop Caryk started telling him everything that happened. After finishing, the Archbishop stared at the Deacon, who got nervous. ''Tell me, Lothar, what did this child look like?''
Lothar got nervous under the gaze of an Archmagus-ranked mage. Before he could panic, he started speaking. ''White horns just above his ears, scruffy snow white hair, had these deep violet eyes that looked like they wanted to suck the soul from my body. When he defended against my justice strike spell, I noticed he had white scales on his arms.''
Archbishop Hadwyn nodded his head before confirming both men's fears. ''I'm afraid this is some grave news: a white dragon has risen and will grow into a devil that will darken the world. I will mobilize the holy order, The Legion of Faith, to deal with this growing menace.''
Hadwyn stood up, left the two men sitting there without a word, and rushed off to his study to inform a particular man. Slamming open a door, the old man ran over to a drawer, pulled out an artifact, and chanted a small verse, and a different man answered.
''What is it, Hadwyn? You're only supposed to contact me through this channel in dire circumstances.''
Hadwyn sweated after hearing the man's cold voice but still told him, ''My Lord, a white dragon has emerged in the Avalon Empire. If we can get ahold of him, we can continue what the founders started.''
The man on the other side of the device sighed before speaking. ''That's interesting. We shall find out more information before acting, visit the Royal family, and tell them the dragon is ours and to keep their hands off him.''
''Yes, my lord, may Dazos rise again and wipe Thrylos clean.'' He ended the transmission and went to visit the imperial palace.
***
[Empress Chloe Avalon's POV]
Chloe rushed through the palace to speak to the Emperor. When she found him, he was talking to two people. Standing behind her, a blonde woman accompanied by a man dressed as a butler recognized the woman as Duchess Fianna Everrose, who guards the east against the Avaloch, Stormhaven, and other enemy kingdoms.
She heard the Duchess speak. "Emperor, our troops are effectively guarding the eastern border, and we have received reports of Fjordhelm raids along our coastlines. However, there have been no signs of aggression from the Stormhaven Kingdom."
Chloe had a thoughtful look before completing her report to the Emperor. ''The Alora Kingdom have started trading with us more, while the Nysa kingdom has been building up their forces, according to our spy reports.''
The Emperor nodded. ''There will be war in the next five or ten years. I want you to start ramping up recruitment and training of soldiers for both your Duchies, considering they will be the frontlines.''
That's when she noticed her husband looking at the brown-haired man with green eyes, who regarded him with an admiring expression but inquired, "Duke Ashguard, is there anything you wish to report?"
Leonard glanced at the Emperor and started speaking with respect in his voice. ''My Emperor, Lazica, and the Lionheart kingdoms are building their militaries. The Sabat dynasty hasn't made a move. They've just stationed more troops to their borders for security and to keep the Church of Light out.''
After Leonard reported everything to the Emperor, a knock was heard on the hall's massive doors. The Emperor told them to come in, and the head maid entered the hall before approaching.
The maid bowed to him before reporting. ''Your majesty, Archbishop Hadwyn has requested an audience? What should I tell him?''
Osoric thought briefly before telling the maid to get the man and bring him here. ''Bring our guest here.''
She bowed as she left the room to fetch the Archbishop. A sickly-looking old man came walking in a minute later, but he was anything but that. He bowed at the Emperor before speaking.