Reaching Arcturus

As the towering gates of Arcturus slowly open, a majestic city, bathed in the warm hues of twilight, revealed itself to Thorn's group. They had finally reached the city after traveling for what seemed like a long time. After the incident where the rogue seekers escaped, nothing notable happened on the rest of the journey.

Traveling some more days, they had finally reached the city they called their home. As Zane and Slem peeked out through the carriage window, they could see the bustling streets of Arcturus, filled with people. "Woah..." It was the first time they both saw a city of this scale.

Watching Zane closely, Thorn was reminded of the time when he and Edana brought Valentina and Cadell to Arcturus. They also had a similar reaction to these two. 'Had we also met you that night, perhaps your fate would've been different.' He looked at Zane with pity. While he was reminiscing and thinking about the different circumstances the brother and sister were brought to the city, he was broken out of his stupor as they had reached the Church of Nox. After reaching the Public Church, the group didn't stop and went further in and behind the Church.

"Woah..." The carriage and the knights stopped in front of the huge ornamental gate in front of them. "It's Night Commander Thorn and the others! They're back!" The two guards in front of the gate cried out. They promptly opened the gate, letting them enter the Sacred Order grounds.

Their faces pressed against the window, Zane and Slem could see around the huge plot of land. They could see many facilities as they passed such as the learning centers, training halls, armory and the garden. While they were in admiration, they finally reached the end of the road.

"We're here, get off." Thorn spoke out. The carriage door opened and the commanders stepped out with Zane and Slem in tow, followed by Thorn and Vine at the end. The knights on their horses also stopped behind the carriage and looked to Thorn for orders.

Thorn turned around to face the knights. Sweeping his gaze through them, he looked at Edana for a moment before his gaze rested towards the wagon full of corpses. Clenching his fist, he ordered, "Edana and Lonz, you two take our fallen comrades to the cemetery with a priest and give them a proper burial for now. Roe, you take the relics back." He looked at the knights. "The rest of you are dismissed, go back and rest for today!"

"Yes commander!" The knights shouted in unison. Roe took the wagon full of relics with him while Lonz and Edana took the wagon of corpses with them. The rest of the knights went back to their barracks.

"Haah..." Thorn let out a sigh and turned back towards the building that stood in front of them. The architectural masterpiece exuded an aura of divinity. The front of the building was adorned with carved pillars depicting different angelic looking figures. The huge wooden door at the center of the building were intricately embossed with symbols and designs. "Woah... I've never seen a building like this..." Zane mumbled in amazement.

"Let's go.." Thorn passed them and went towards the door. As he was about to push the door open, someone grabbed his arm. "Commander Thorn, shouldn't we throw them in a cell? Why're you taking them here?" It was Anson who stopped him from opening the door. Thorn looked at Anson's stern face, then he turned his head around to find Marshall Buck with his arms crossed, nodding at Anson's words. His gaze turned towards Vine next, who only smiled back at him.

Turning back to Anson, Thorn opened his mouth to explain, but a voice cut him off before he could speak. "It's because he has something to say to us, isn't that right?" A soft, but powerful voice echoed from within the building, carrying immense pressure with it. Zane widened his eyes as all the hairs on his body stood on its end. 'From just his voice!' He felt all his organs trembling inside his body, then he spat out a mouthful of blood. Clenching his teeth, he turned his head down and looked at Slem, who was clenching the end of Zane's shirt tightly, his nose bleeding.

The pressure slowly disappeared along with the echoing voice. "Come in." The soft voice resounded in their ears again, this time without any pressure. The door flung open, inviting them inside the building. Zane wiped the blood from Slems nose and glared inside the door.

Watching them, Thorn shook his head. "Follow me." He headed inside the building while Zane reluctantly followed. Zane looked around the interior of the building in awe. The graceful interior shone brightly with the light coming from the chandelier atop. Two winding staircases lead up to the second floor, filled with many rooms. In front of the staircase stood an elegant statue of a blindfolded woman, her hand extended towards them with a burning flame on top.

"Is that how the Goddess looks?" Zane spoke, his eyes still glued to the statue. "No." Vine's voice resounded from the back. "The Goddess's descent. She bestowed the blue flames to mankind so we could carry out justice." He looked at Zane. "And keep the balance." Zane met his gaze and scoffed. "It still doesn't explain how you made a statue even though no one know what she looks like." He mumbled and followed Thorn to the second floor.

"Tch.." Vine clicked his tongue and followed them. After walking for a bit, they finally reached a twin-door at the end of a corridor. *Creak* The doors opened by itself slowly as they approached, revealing the grand room inside. The room was decorated with art and artifacts on the side, and on the center, there was a huge table. On the other side of the table, an old man was seated, welcoming the group with a wide smile.

His golden eyes seemed to pierce through Zane as he entered the room. "So you're here. White haired boy." The Grand Master smiled.