Cathedral Of Light

When Malik placed his hand on the thin metal tablet, magical runes came to life. He watched as they flowed toward a ring that suddenly glowed as well.

"There we go, Name, Malik. Age is set to one day, must be an error due to high stress. You don't have a class so you have a lot of potential to find one. And your race is… eldritch vessel?" Clara's confusion at this statement made Malik flick. 

When he slammed his hand on the counter, it cracked slightly. "No! I am human. That's my race not whatever error you said. I'm eighteen too. Not one day old!" 

The tones of panic in Malik's voice brought Ellen's hand to his shoulder. A slight pulse of light bathed him for a second. "There you go. My calling light skill can help you. This must be an error. You're right." 

Malik was too panicked to notice the telling glances between Markus, Ellen, and Clara. They all said all they needed to with those looks. "Then we will check the runes properly. They are fairly old. But for now, this is your identity ring." 

After calming himself with the assistance of Ellen. Malik took the ring and put it on. While plain looking, it felt nice to have something to hold on to. Something that could tell everyone just who he was.

"So, now would you like a tour of the city a little? Or would you like to rest for today?" Ellen looked like she wouldn't be angry at all. 

"This is the guild master's place. Can I see yours?" Malik decided that he would rather see where Ellen worked. Especially since he knew it would be just as magnificent as she was. He also had plenty of energy even though he had just woken up. 

That just came with being healed and unconscious for some time though. He had yet to move around now that he was steady on his feet. Actually, compared to how he remembered feeling before all this, he felt that he was full of much more energy than before. 

"That's a great idea. I can show you the goddess of light statue. You can also meet the warriors of light and light mages that helped rescue you." To Ellen, this was a great way to boost morale within the church. 

It was also a welcoming environment to introduce Malik to the world. Out of all the churches, the church of light was right there next to the church of life when it came to kindness and reputation.

"Good, that gives me time to set things up. Tomorrow you will start yourself down here in reception. It isn't the hardest job, but it is an integral part of the adventurers guild." Markus gave Malik a pat on the back as Ellen led the way out of the guild. 

"Guild master, the runes were not wrong. He has the race of eldritch vessel and age of one day. It does not make sense." Clara confirmed what Markus was worried over.

"He may have been human before the cult got their hands on him. Now though, besides those unreadable scars, he faces a reality we can't understand either. They made him in to something else for their gruesome god. I have an eye on him though." Markus had long since sent a shadow to watch over Malik. 

Out on the street, Malik managed to see all the crowds he had seen from the window upstairs. The slight breeze and warm sun that hit his face was relaxing enough. He felt free. He also felt something nagging at the edge of his senses but before he could try and catch it, Ellen pulled him forward.

"This is one of three main squares. You have the adventurers guild here, and the crafting guild right across the street. They work with one another a lot. Plenty of materials from adventurers for them to buy and use." 

The large building with too many smoke stacks to count was also making a great deal of noise. However, that noise was rhythmic. Beating of metal on metal or the sizzle of flames. It was something that would draw anyone in. 

"The second reason why this street and square are so popular are the churches. The entire road ahead is lined with the main cathedrals of each major church." Now this made Malik curious. He could feel that there were many churches. 

"The city of light has the largest cathedral of light in honor of the goddess of light. We also have a large church of life, and of fire. The church of earth, water, death, and wind are less popular here. Various other smaller churches have small chapels here and there too. But I wouldn't talk about them since I don't know enough about them."

The honesty was refreshing. Ellen didn't want to disrespect the churches she knew little about. Therefore, she would refrain from talking in depth about them and their deity. 

Meanwhile, Malik couldn't think about much else other than how he was walking with what he could call a literal goddess. Every word held kindness for others in it. No desire to harm another or their beliefs. 

"But this large building here is the entrance to the cathedral of light. This is the entrance way. Behind it is the pathway garden to the main temple of our city of light." Ellen beamed with pride, making quite a few people nearby stumble. They recognized the somewhat famous paladin of light now that she stood near the temple. 

The entrance was tall enough to be called a gate wall. The carvings of angelic figures matched the artistry of a master. Beyond that, there were various gold embellishments along with the large script spelling out the word LIGHT.

A few light warriors were guarding the entrance, they were much friendlier than what Malik had expected. From what he could recall, guards should be serious. Stoic. These guards, though, waved and spoke to passing people they saw every day. 

It made Malik understand that this was a city in peace. If there was a war, the stress would show everywhere. People wouldn't be smiling so much. 

Passing the gates was simple. With a paladin of light like Ellen, she was welcomed and allowed to walk inside without having to speak to anyone. 

The inside was matching the outer beauty and art of the gate entrance. It held statues of prominent priests, saints, and the goddess of light. Not to mention the perfection in the gardening itself. 

Sitting here and there were nuns of light or young warriors of light. Naturally, they had other classes than just those, but they were following specific titles that condensed those classes. It was simple for the majority of people. 

The walk through the garden in white brick pathways was quicker than Malik wanted. He would have been more than glad to walk for much longer with such a goddess like Ellen. 

"If you have questions you can ask me." Feeling Malik looking at her, Ellen made sure he was comfortable. 

"It's not that. I am just too focused on the beauty." This made Ellen stutter in her steps, but she recovered quickly.

"Yes, the temple grounds are very elegant. I used to rest her a lot when I was training. I was adopted by the church of light since I have an innate light affinity." 

This surprised Malik. While he could comprehend that the churches must adopt many, he began to think of himself. "I guess, now I would be an orphan. Not that I can recall my parents or my sister."

"Oh, I have a sister." 

Ellen didn't say anything seeing that Malik was trying so hard to recall something basically wiped from his mind by trauma.

"Ellen, I did not expect you to come here after being awarded a vacation from your duties. You worked hard, you should rest more!" The voice that broke Malik from his thoughts came from a tall and elderly man. 

"High priest James. I am on vacation. I am spending time showing around Malik. He was the survivor from the last incident." Ellen made it clear that this was an important visit. Enough that the high priest changed his focus. 

"Well, young man, welcome to our temple of light. Feel free to look at everything. Since Ellen is with you, you can even visit the library to learn a little about our goddess of light." High priest James smiled softly. 

From his demeanor alone, it was clear that he was one of the most welcoming to others. But a few of the younger priests were glancing at him with odd emotion in their eyes. From what Malik could guess, it was envy. They wanted what he had. Potentially the title of high priest? 

Those thoughts didn't linger long, having permission from the high priest, Ellen grabbed Malik by the hand. She made a direct line up the stairs towards the large temple of white marble.