The Land of Gods

"I felt alone all the time, there was nothing to turn to, no friends to listen...I thought I was drowning, stuck in an endless sea. On the very bottom...I found a friend. I met Lucifer."

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"Ah, pardon me for my rudeness earlier", he went on as we we were led to our destination, "I assure you there isn't one aristocrat that speaks like that. I was told you'd be coming here but I needed to test things out to make sure you were who I thought you were."

His explanation wasn't necessary. This familiarly named man, Benoit Valentine, led us out of that small inn and told us that he'd be leading us to where we were needed.

"I was told by your friend that you're a country kid, Seraph. Do you mind if I say that? I don't mean to be rude", his tone was entirely different now.

"This friend...how do you know him? And why are you helping us, anyway?", I asked, perplexed, although Prophet had confirmed earlier that his was indeed the name we were supposed to meet.

"Its a rather long story. Years ago, our family suffered an incident that made a dent in the Valentine history. If it hadn't been for those friends of yours, nothing could have been salvaged. If not much...", he looked glum as he went on, "...at least, our estate was saved."

"Who exactly are you talking about, Mr. Valentine?", I asked.

"There was a man and a small woman. I can't tell you of the details as I don't know much myself. Our family estate was under attack some years ago. It seemed they showed up out of nowhere and fend off against such a large group all by themselves. They have our utmost gratitude", we were headed towards the central cathedral, "Wenus isn't much but it holds a lot of history if you know where to look."

He didn't seem to like talking about the attack. I figured the small woman he mentioned might be Lady.

"Our family holds some magical veins in this land. Valentines are an inept mage family. But we hold the key to most magical seals in the land. They are the dying legacies of many who came before. There's a reason Wenus is how it is right now. You'll find that out soon enough."

We were now getting closer to the cathedral and upon closer inspection, I noticed it was a simple yet beautiful structure. Prophet was tagging along behind me, he would almost shiver, every time I looked back at him to confirm he was there. He walked so cautiously, I could never hear his footsteps. I noticed it about the other Valkyries too. I could never sense them approaching, Lady was the only exception. She thought it proper to announce herself to every single soul, which may have been seeking peace in some dark lonely corner.

"Say, you two, would you like to stay in town for the night? I'd like to arrange for a place to get you two some good rest before you go on", Benoit was generous enough to make that offer.

I thought I'd get Prophet's opinion on the matter but it was quite obvious to me that he had no intention of sticking around for too long.

"Uh, that's kind of you. But since we've made it this far, we might as well get on with it."

"That's unfortunate. Well, I'll be in town until you return. When you come back, maybe then you'd like to enjoy what Wenus has to offer", he said as he led us inside.

There were some peasants bowing in front of the altar while a priest stood by. When he noticed us come in, he hurried over.

"Young master", he addressed Valentine, "What a pleasure to see you!"

"Likewise, Father", Benoit replied with a smile, "Do you have any spare rooms?"

"Certainly", Father replied.

"Well boys, please take some rest while I prepare for your departure."

I constantly wondered why he was keeping things under wraps until the last moment but as we were escorted to our simple, small quarter with nothing but two stony beds and a small table with a candle on it, I realized that Prophet seemed to know more than me.

"I wonder what he wants us to do here", I decided to ask, "Don't you, Prophet?"

"Uh...no...er...I mean", it was hard to get him to say things out properly, but I was patient.

"Uh! Do you know, Prophet?"

"Huh? Well...yes. It's an old story but...um...maybe...maybe, if you'd decided to stay in the city...maybe they'll explain better than me. I mean, they'll definitely explain better than me...because I..."

"I doubt I'd want to hear it from someone else if you know it already. Well, how about it? I'd like you to tell me this story, please."

"Huh? Uh....yes!", I guess he was flustered, "Eh, well, it is said that in ancient times, this is the land where the gods decided to descend. This land...where the city is now, err, well, it used to be a graveyard. The god of fertility and war liked this land and decided to come down here. But then...well, when they saw that the land was filled with nothing but bones and...well, ashes, they decided to dump this land. The god then picked the land up and turned it upside down. So then...all the dead, I mean, the bones and everything feeding on it was buried underneath and fresh land lay for people to inhabit. The god called the land Wenus."

"And then they left it for people. But the feelings of hatred...in the dead ones below...uhh, they created an underworld right beneath Wenus. There were many...err...wicked things in that place. And they'd often find their way up into the world of living. So then...umm, some people sealed the door to the underworld and built this holy place."

"Ah! So we are supposed to go to this underworld?", I asked.

He was startled, "Y-yes!"

"But I don't understand why we have to go there. Is there something wrong there?"

"Erm...probably...", he answered shortly.

He then went to bed and crawled under the thin maroon sheet. I sat watching him for a while, all curled up, probably shivering. He was always so jumpy and scared. I then laid down on my bed too, which was harder and colder than the floor and tried to catch a wink.

I think I was about midway through toward the land of dreams when Prophet spoke, without turning toward me, from underneath his thin sheet.

"Seraph...please...don't leave me be..."