Andre shook his head, his body still, and spoke slowly, "No. When I held the sword, I only felt what you just described, as if someone was teaching me how to wield it. There were no other sensations."
Upon hearing this, Alka couldn’t help but frown. Nothing? Then what had he just seen? Especially the final image: a beautiful white city engulfed in flames. Alka had immediately recognized it—the straight road leading to the city gates, flanked by flowers. It was Meister Island, the exact area of their last mission.
"Perhaps you could describe what you saw," Andre said. "I might be able to offer some insight."
At Andre’s words, Alka looked up, nodded, and began to narrate, "The moment I grasped the sword, it felt as if my entire soul was dragged into a pitch-black space. There, I saw three images."
"The first image was of a person with a dagger, ambushing someone."
"The second image was of a fleet sailing on the sea. By the moonlight, I could see it was a Pirate Gang."
"A Pirate Gang?" Andre interjected, then asked, "Did you get a clear look at their flag?"
Alka nodded. "I did. It was a black Scythe piercing through a skull."
"The Prayer for the Dead. That’s the banner of the Prayer for the Dead," Chadite said, having opened her eyes at some point. She slowly climbed off her father’s lap and rubbed her eyes.
"The Prayer for the Dead, hmm? Why would you see that image? Sailing on the sea..." Andre trailed off, lost in thought.
At that moment, Jason hurriedly asked, "What about the third image? What was it?"
He was the most curious about these visions.
"In the third image," Alka continued, "I saw the flower city on Meister Island engulfed in a raging fire. I could even hear cries from within the city. The walls were breached and collapsing in places, and there were corpses."
Upon hearing this, everyone froze. They had expected Alka to describe some unknown scene, but it was Meister Island, a place they had left less than a month ago. The appearance of such a familiar location in the vision made them focus intently, and they all fell into deep thought.
Just then, Gami spoke up, "It could be a revelation from the Holy Mother—either a premonition or a warning." Noticing their gazes, Gami explained, "Alka is from Home Island, a child of the Holy Mother by birth, and thus naturally under Her protection. The Holy Artifact, moreover, was left in this world by a Deputy of the Holy Mother and possesses Her power. Legend even says the Holy Mother can directly channel Her power into the world through a Holy Artifact. Combined with the images he saw, it’s highly probable the Holy Mother wishes to offer some guidance. Perhaps this is Her blessing for him."
Hearing Gami’s words, everyone nodded involuntarily. It sounded fantastical, yet entirely plausible, as there were indeed such stories within the Church. For instance, Meniyex, the wielder of the Sword of Love and a Deputy of Love. According to legend, she was inspired by the Holy Mother in a dream, freed from suffering, and received blessings. Afterward, wielding the Sword of Love from her dream, she put the Holy Mother’s teachings into practice. So, Alka’s experience wasn’t entirely out of place; in fact, it seemed quite fitting and reasonable.
"It’s not a premonition; it should be a warning," Andre suddenly stated.
Everyone turned their attention to him. He continued, "Remember when we were at the Southeast Corner? When I landed on the island, I gathered some intelligence. The Prayer for the Dead’s Pirate Gang was already operating within the Blood Gold Alliance’s territory. The first place they ravaged was Meister Island, a famous tourist destination holding immense wealth. Subsequently, they clashed with the responding Third Naval Fleet. Although outmatched in naval combat, they escaped easily, even managing to eliminate many naval personnel from the fleet."
Hearing this, Alka sank into contemplation. So, the images he’d seen had already occurred. Was this the Holy Mother’s way of trying to warn him about something? But what kind of warning could it be? Alka was puzzled; since these events had already transpired, what message could they possibly convey?
"Alright." Andre stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and said, "With such revelations, you never know what they mean until the event actually occurs."
Everyone looked at Andre, inwardly commenting, He seems to be saying something very dangerous. Doesn’t this mean the Holy Mother’s hints are often useless? Ambiguous visions and meaningless revelations only foster anxiety and wild speculation. Instead, they’re more likely to lead one into danger. Countless past examples serve as reminders.
After speaking, a metal box materialized in Andre’s hand, engraved with intricate religious symbols and patterns. His five fingers spread out and pressed atop the box, as if performing some kind of unlocking procedure. The patterns on the box then shifted and moved aside. After layers of intricate movements, the box opened to reveal a blade-shaped recess inside. It was obvious what this was meant to hold; he had come prepared.
Andre picked up the Sword of Love from beside his leg and placed it into the box. As the Sword of Love settled into place, the layered patterns above moved again, closing together until the box once more appeared to be a seamless, solid piece of metal.
When Andre lifted the box, Alka finally noticed a strap-like metal Iron Chain on its back. He then watched Andre strap the box to his back.
"Why not put it in a storage artifact?" Alka asked curiously. Carrying it wasn’t as convenient or safe as using a storage artifact, no matter how you looked at it. And it wasn’t as if Andre lacked a storage artifact.
Andre shook his head, secured the box on his back, and said, "I don’t know either. Anyway, that’s what the Archbishop said: the Sword of Love, or any container holding it, cannot be placed in a storage artifact, even by force."
Upon hearing Andre’s explanation, the group nodded; they didn’t give it much thought.
Lucilia’s voice chimed in, "Perhaps it’s because this Sword of Love is, in essence, also a Treasure."
"Treasures can’t be stored in storage spaces; these small, portable spaces simply can’t contain such powerful items."
After listening to Lucilia’s explanation, Alka mostly understood. After all, the Sword of Love could be transformed into a Treasure through a simple ritual. In its current state, this seemed more like a method the Holy Mother Church used to protect valuable items. In other words, each Treasure was itself a powerful concentration of Energy. A glance at their current surroundings made this understanding clear. How could small storage artifacts possibly contain such powerful items? They were hardly worthy.
"Everyone, prepare to leave," Andre said, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he patted his head. "Right, before that, we need to find the remains of these people and bury them. After all, they were once our colleagues."
The doctrine of the Holy Mother Church emphasized letting the dead rest in peace. Only by interring the remains of the deceased into the earth could they enter the Holy Mother’s Divine Kingdom. Guided by the Soul Crossing of the Holy Mother, they could then enter death safely and peacefully to welcome new life.
"Alright, everyone who has recovered their strength, search within this Great Cathedral."
Except for Chadite, who still needed rest, the others began to wander through the Great Cathedral, looking for the bones that might be scattered about. However, as Alka walked, he didn’t see any carelessly discarded bones; on the contrary, some areas had been swept quite clean.
Finally, Gami’s search led them to a hall where bones were neatly stacked. These bones likely belonged to members of the Church, judging by the relatively well-preserved scraps of clothing on them. It was unclear if they had been unable to leave this place, which was why their bones were stored here.
Andre approached the bones, folded his hands, and closed his eyes. A faint golden light emanated from the box on his back, flowing into the containers holding the bones. As the golden light suffused the containers, the bones within, enveloped by the light, turned to powder.
Each of them took some of the powder and went to a cemetery-like area outside the Great Cathedral. There, they dug pits and buried the powder. Andre then performed the rites for the departed, asking the Holy Mother to receive their souls.
Although Alka wanted to say that their souls had likely already been guided away during the previous battle, he knew that saying so in the current situation would be rather disrespectful.
"Alright, the task is finally completed. Let’s return to the ship."
Everyone nodded. Alka once again directed the lantern to float beside them, with the Mirrors revolving around it.
Looking at the Great Cathedral behind them, the densely packed buildings, and the collapsed ruins, Jason couldn’t help but ask, "No other exploration teams have been here yet, right? Shouldn’t we search around a bit? Uh... I mean, hunt for treasure."
Alka also felt it was a pity to leave just like that, especially since they had spent considerable time getting here.
Seeing their expressions, Andre sternly shook his head. "No. We’ve stayed in the Realm of Pitch Darkness for too long. Including the voyage out, we’ll be here for at least another month. Our minds will suffer." Then he looked at Jason and said, "Didn’t you already hear the whispers? Vanessa heard them before too. Our situation isn’t absolutely safe right now."
As Andre was speaking, Chadite, who had been standing beside Alka, suddenly slumped against him. Chadite grimaced, clutching her head with both hands.
Seeing this, Vanessa unhesitatingly spread her hands, and five thin threads pierced Chadite’s chest. A bottle of Potion appeared in her hand. It was the same kind Jason had consumed before—a toxic Potion capable of expelling mental afflictions. The Potion flowed into Chadite’s chest along the threads.
After a short while, Chadite opened her eyes, her face, which had just regained some color, turning pale once more.
The weakness from the previous battle, combined with being on the island without the protection of the ship’s Spells and the invasion of dark mental energies, had made Chadite even more fragile.
Seeing this, the others said no more and hurried towards the ship. As for staying to scavenge further, they’d better forget it. The dangers posed by the environment now seemed more lethal than the skeletal Evil Spirits on the island.
As they made their way back, skeletons suddenly emerged from somewhere and attacked them. Andre met them with powerful punches, a blue radiance sweeping forward. The skeletons fell in droves and were entirely cleared out in less than ten seconds. The group didn’t even have to break stride.
Soon, they arrived at the port where their ship was moored. The scent of blood, carried by the gentle sea breeze, drifted into their nostrils.
"Something’s happened? Hurry!"