First Nightmare (5)

It was a long venture down the staircase. For a while the walls and floors were just layers of dirt that enclosed around them. But once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw a large stone archway overhead and a ground paved in small round ashen cobblestone that led in three different directions. The width of each pathway would be able to fit three people if they walked side by side.

When Hope walked onto the path, he paused as the stones slightly rattled beneath his foot.

He looked down and stared at what was supposed to be cobblestone. Instead in truth they were skulls. He looked around and noticed there were numerous skulls compacted together throughout the floor making each pathway. There must have been hundreds. Thousands. Maybe millions considering how the routes were drawn like a maze on the map.

'That's…I'm not going to question it…' Hope blinked at the sight.

Although he couldn't help but create a couple questions that came to mind: What other secrets did this church have that they hid all of this underground? It couldn't have just been the sacred water, but what of its history as well?

Hope slightly frowned. More reluctant than he was before, Hope stood in the crossing where the paths converged and tried to reimagine the map in his head.

Apparently, there were sigils along the walls that would lead them to their destination. On the map, they were also drawn the exact same shape as the tracing he felt back in the cathedral: A teardrop with a flower at its center. Of course, they were spread quite a distance from each other, one still needed a map to direct themselves through the maze. 

Suddenly, the supernatural wind came back. Only this time its aura felt slightly more suffocating, and the faint screams started to reverberate more in his mind rather than through the tunnels themselves.

A cold sweat started to form on his face. Hope clenched his left hand so tightly till he felt his nails digging into his skin. His hand began to feel hot and stinging with pain.

He wiped the side of his cheek then turned towards the elder.

"I think holding my own torch would be useful."

The elder frowned at the request. Hope held back a frown at the reaction.

Well, what did the elder expect? Have Hope lead the group blind?

Moments later, the elder signaled to one of his own followers behind him. One of the men stepped forward and offered his torch to Hope. His eyes glaring down at Hope with such disgust. 

Hope of course ignored the gaze and grabbed the torch with his right hand from the man's pale thin fingers before he turned and started walking down the path straight ahead. Not long after did he find the first sigil that was shaped just as he imagined. Strangely enough it was black and seemed to be of polished material rather than regular limestone or weathered stone. Hope reached out to touch it and felt a thick layer of dust on its surface.

The priests and the one knight trailed behind him in a single file while the rest of the cult flanked their sides with their spears. Some of them started to realize what sort of pathway they were walking on as the skulls subtly rattles underneath their feet.

'Hmm...' Hope observed their reactions.

When was the last time one of them visited down here? What was the point in guarding something if they didn't know its true nature? Maybe they did and that was why they looked more reluctant to come along.

Hope frowned. 'I be damned if I have to find out all of that for my First Nightmare.' That would be too much for the Spell to ask for for his first trial. It shouldn't be that complicated in the first place.

Before Hope continued forward, he quickly glanced at the cult for a moment, recalling the mention of their Beast God.

So, did that make them a Beast Tribe?

'They certainly look like it.'

Now he knew there wasn't just a Sun God, but a Beast God and a Heart God. Just how many gods were there in the Dream Realm?

Hope recalled how the Sun God was affiliated with Immortal Flame's aspect. 

That legendary hero. 

The supposed symbol of humanity.

Apparently, his son-in-law and his cohort had become Ascended as well. Or Masters they also called them. And maybe his daughter? Hope wasn't sure if he had his facts straight but he knew they were all legendary. 

Many speculated that Immortal Flame's cohort's aspects were also associated with the Sun God. That they all worshipped under the same deity. But the mention of Beast God and Heart God made Hope now question otherwise. 

Hope peeked at the elder that walked a step behind him. 

'Maybe I can get information out of him.'

Anything was better than nothing. 

As they continued down the shadowed tangled paths, smelling the eldritch scent of musk and rot, the tunnels shook from time to time. Likely from the damned beast above. Luckily that beast was still preoccupied with causing chaos amongst the townsfolk before it sought them out. Occasionally, Hope would lean on the wall for a little support. 

But besides the periodic quakes, Hope was in a constant mind battle with the supernatural aura and the faint screams inside his head. Clenching his fist till it became hot helped bring back focus to his mind. 

Even the elder seemed to be bothered by the aura, his hands and eyes fidgeting the further they went.

Until finally a passage that they turned to had its left wall be entirely covered by murals. A depiction of carved stone panels of what seemed to be the Heart God and her people.

Some of the priests started to whisper prayers again but the Beast Tribe stared indifferently at the images. 

The knight however surprisingly stared in amazement at the archaic work in front of him. His eyes bounced from line to line, subject to subject, as if being absorbed into its details.

Hope blinked at his reaction. He seemed easily allured by its creation rather than the meaning behind it. What a weird knight. 

Hope paused before speaking. "Have you learned the history of the Heart God?"

The knight seemed to jerk at the question and looked away in embarrassment. His chainmail armor clicking with the simplest of movements. 

"Only a little. We…the Knights Templar focused more on our physical upbringing than our education. The church's safety had to come first." He waved his hands nervously. "But that's not to say I wouldn't have liked to learn! I find it very interesting too…"

Hope paused over his words. Maybe the elder was right. This knight might not have the stomach to be on a real battlefield. His heart seemed too pure for it. 

The knight's situation sounded a bit similar to Hope. Forced to train rather than to be educated. Fighting for or against something with restricted knowledge.

Although, the battles and missions would have been very different. 

The knight awkwardly fidgeted before speaking in a low voice. "Did you...smell the elder's breath?"

"..."

'How...odd…'

"I mean I did…but why are you asking?" Hope remembered the pungent smell when the elder knelt in front of him. Hope more or less assumed it was due to poor hygiene. 

The knight pressed his lips together and lowered his head and spoke in a softer whisper. "I heard that the Beast Tribe eats bloodbane."

"Bloodbane?"

He nodded. "You know, red berries that grow from spilt human blood? Apparently, they believe they can build immunity to it." The knight shrugged.

Hope frowned at the knight's calm reaction at giving such odd information. 

'Bloodbane huh?' Hope thought. 'And they are called the Beast Tribe.'

Cultists really do the strangest things. 

Hope silently turned away, not wanting to engage further in this small talk anymore and studied the rest of the murals.

The first showed the Heart God descending upon her people; arms spread wide as if to embrace them, her presence showing in all her glory. The people also had their arms raised out to her as if eagerly waiting for her arrival. Carved smiles on all their faces.

It seemed she loved her people enough to leave the heavens or whatever domain she came from. Hope expected that any form of higher beings to not care about people on an intimate level, unless it benefitted their name and reputation. 

Names…

The elder mentioned earlier that the priests of this church gave up their names to the Heart God.

Names represented the core of a person's identity, their individuality. It could represent what they stood for, their culture, their community etc. So not only did these priests become nameless, but they essentially sold their souls to the Heart God. She had them all in the palm of her hand. 

Well, it was befitting for her to be called the Goddess of Souls then.

"..."

Hope didn't want to think about his name though. That felt like a separate matter. 

To his right, Hope peeked again at the elder whose face remained stoic as he stared at the images.

Maybe Hope should take this chance to ask a question. Any additional information would help him complete this Nightmare. At least he hoped it would. 

But he was also slightly curious…

Hope turned to face the elder. "Why do you need the Tears of the Heart God? Doesn't your god offer you the same?"

The elder raised an eyebrow as he side-glanced at him. He probably thought it strange that a priest of this faction would ask such a question.

Luckily, the elder seemed amused by it. The corner of the elder's lips rose before he spoke.

"Truth be told, our god has gifted us many things. The power is beyond what you can imagine even if it has its drawbacks. But yours-"

He narrowed his eyes at Hope. "A pitiful waste in your hands."

'Don't need to be prejudiced, old man.' Hope silently thought.

Hope paused before asking another question. "…and you need ours for…?"

To Hope's disappointment, the elder ignored him and continued walking down the dark tunnel to view the rest of the murals. The conversation was too short. If he could even call it that. 

'Drawbacks and gifts huh.'

It sounded like the same circumstance for his world. Aspects and Flaws. Powers with drawbacks.

When he completes this Nightmare, he'd receive his own Flaw as well. Hopefully nothing fatal. But if the same concept could be applied here, then wouldn't there be a drawback to using the sacred water as well?

Unless it was so special that it didn't have any drawbacks. He highly doubted though. For something so precious, the security also seemed to be lacking.

'Ah too many questions.'

Hope let out a small sigh before walking after the elder with the rest of the group following in solemn silence. 

A little curiosity was fine, but too much of it only asked for more trouble.

Hope couldn't help but think that curiosity was a tiring luxury. Most of his time as a simple soldier he just followed orders without questioning why he did what he did. 

Being too curious proved to be another puzzle and mission in itself if he wanted answers. And he was reluctant because of that.

That took too much energy than necessary.

Even if he was curious, if he showed it too much on the surface then he was usually greeted with scolding. 'Answers will eventually unfold themselves later,' they would say. Or 'just drop it. Does it matter?' Both soldiers and higher authority alike.

There was truth to that Hope supposed. If it didn't really affect him now, then he shouldn't obsess over the possibilities when it would be revealed later in the future. If not, then he would have just wasted energy in all the what-ifs. 

Hope studied the rest of the murals of the Heart God that summed up the rest of the interactions between her and her people. 

People welcomed her descent; she lived among them; she gifted them the sacred water, and in gratitude, they built a temple and gave offerings.

Hope stared a little while longer at the water gift panel. 

The sacred water seemed to offer life and longevity to the lands and people. That was most likely the Tears of the Heart God…But she wasn't crying in any of them? 

'Still…Quite an extravagant gift for mere humans.'

As they continued forward, the murals repeated themselves. 

Decent. Dwelt. Gift. Temple. Offerings.

Decent. Dwelt. Gift. Temple. Offerings.

Decent. Dwelt. Gift. Temple. Sacrifices.

Decent-

'Wait. What?'

Hope paused and stared at the last mural again. Then he looked back at the other murals.

They seemed very much the same. But also, they weren't?

Hope started to frown as he felt like he missed something. It was as if someone had placed two identical photographs in front of him and no matter how plain in sight they were, it was hard to identify the miniscule differences.

'Maybe it's not important…' Hope thought.

At some point one of the priests, the strangely rational one, locked eyes with Hope. It was the first time they openly acknowledged each other. Hope expected the priest to look at him in disappointment or disdain like all the others. But to his surprise he did something different. 

His lips pulled back into a smile.

"..."

Hope immediately turned away.

"Young boy!" The elder called out up ahead. 

'I wish I didn't see that…' Hope thought as he moved back to the front of the line.

'Do I have to deal with another crazy-smiling-bastard too?'

***

[Keeper of Memory] Attribute Description: "Once seen cannot be unseen. They all remain buried in your heart, no matter the level of consequence."