Chapter 184 - Sublime Sunset

A pale sun hung over the forest plateau, waning into the evening in a sky that appeared like it had been ripped in two. A giant rift streaked unnaturally across the heavens, revealing a crystal clear pitch black sky filled with glimmering stars. On either side of the tear the sky appeared like a watercolour painting with streaks of magenta and cerulean sky reflecting off an endless sea of wispy, flurried clouds.

It was as if the very atmosphere had been torn apart by the cataclysm that had just been narrowly averted.

The edges of the tear slowly came together and healed as the sun slowly set toward the horizon.

Below this chaotic sky the forest had completely mutated into a dark, monstrous jungle. The wide path that connected the city to the shrine had been swallowed up, stranding the shrine’s visitors on the plateau. The rows of carts and carriages that were parked at the base level had been swallowed up by vines and underbrush, giving the appearance that they’d been abandoned for a long time.

A few of the horses had been saved and were hitched on the plateau, but many of them had been violently swallowed up by the forest.

From afar, the plateau appeared like a small, green island floating on a rolling black sea.

A small town was being hastily constructed around the ancient stone shrine. The worshipers and workers worked anxiously, erecting structures to provide shelter for the people who were trapped on the plateau. Oval and rectangular pavilions with white fabric walls and peaked roofs were constructed in several rows on either side of the shrine. In addition there were two more permanent wood-walled structures erected as part of the original shrine plans. Furnishings were light and there was not nearly enough bedding materials to go around, but for the eighty people that were stranded on the plateau, they would at least have a roof over their heads for the night.

Several small patrols had been designated to walk around the perimeter, watching out for any signs of danger encroaching on their sanctuary. Strange creatures roamed in the trees and underbrush around the plateau, growling and erupting in piercing cries and wails. However there was a clear threshold between the jungle and the shrine maiden’s domain that neither creature nor plant dared to cross.

This invisible threshold put the hearts of the people at ease. They had the distinct feeling that as long as they stayed within the influence of the shrine, the White Maiden would protect them from the terrifying things that were happening in the forest around them.

In the shadows behind one of the tents a rift in space opened up.

The first person to step out of the portal before was a female officer in full uniform with an oval face and black hair that was tied up in a bun. This was officer Minnie Kim, formerly Finn’s senior in his original department of the DVMP. Now their roles had been switched, and she was working directly under him as part of the newly restructured special investigations team.

She looked around cautiously, then quietly called back into the portal, “It seems safe.”

Shortly after, Finn Mckenzie stepped out of the portal in a grey trenchcoat. He was followed by Char Char, whose clothes were still in the same rough condition from the battle. Hanging at her waist was Hakuya’s sword in a scabbard provided by the police department that was suitable for the blade.

As the portal closed behind Char Char, the tiny blue sapphire in Minnie’s hand crumbled into dust.

“Where do we go now?” Minnie asked, “Should we try to conceal our presence? We wouldn’t be able to explain how we got here if someone noticed us.”

“I don’t think that matters.” Finn said, his eyes falling on a colossal structure far in the distance.

The evil looking black hand towered above the forest to the southeast. The unnatural structure was clearly visible from their elevated position exuding a terrifying aura.

Minnie was about to give her comment when Char Char walked past the two of them without a word. She stepped out of the shadows and headed straight for the shrine.

She walked by a number of people, receiving strange looks as they shied away from her battered appearance. Despite her rough physical state, her eyes were clear with determination as she walked out onto the central field surrounded by the tents and pavilions.

At the end of this field was the main prayer area filled with worshipers praying to the Maiden on their cushions. Beyond the prayer area was a long table filled with fruit, incense and other offerings. There was a man in a white robe standing at the front of the table directing the worshipers in their prayers.

“We thank Her for her hospitality and her protection from the encroaching darkness, and pray to Her to look after our loved ones in the city.” He spoke in a clear, holy tone that evoked a sense of peace on the crowd.

“Praise the Maiden.” The crowd responded.

His voice floated on the air as Char Char walked across the field directly toward the shrine. Several people gasped and called her name under their breaths as they recognized who she was, and before long the entire congregation had paused in their prayer and turned around to look at her.

She ignored their gazes as she walked down the side of the prayer area, passing by the prayer leader and the offering table. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides in anxiety, betraying her otherwise decisive attitude. Her lips were taut as she walked up and stood directly in front of the shrine.

She looked down at the waist-height shrine with weathered stones with a cold look in her eyes. Lagging behind her, Finn and Minnie cautiously stayed to the outskirts of the prayer area, stopping before passing the offering table.

Even to the citizens of Noga, who had minimal spiritual knowledge or belief, they understood that Char Char’s actions were irregular and unusual. The area behind the offering table was a sacred space not to be trespassed onto.

Char Char had no words to say at first. She only trembled slightly. After a moment of trying to gather her thoughts she realized that the main emotion she was feeling was not anxiety or fear or confusion, but anger.

She bit her lip as the urge to shout a curse at the Maiden bubbled up inside her.

Just as she was about to open her mouth she felt a gentle presence descend on her. Illusory strands of long white hair played at the periphery of her vision.

There was a long pause, and then a soft voice spoke into her ears.

Hearing those words, Char Char bowed her head, clenching her fists even tighter as even her arms and back trembled with enough intensity for everyone to see.

Char Char inhaled slowly, then exhaled, a pained look on her face.

“I know.” She whispered softly.

After these quiet words Char Char’s body relaxed as she felt the anger in her subside. She contemplated the Maiden’s words, standing in front of the shrine with her head bowed as gold and coral colours washed over the sky. The shadows on the plateau grew longer as the sun touched the peaks of the mountains to the north as night approached.

After watching Char Char speechlessly for a few minutes, the priest at the front quietly motioned for the worshipers to stop staring and instead engage in private prayer.

Soft chimes began to ring across the field as several believers in white robes lit torches and hung chains off of the posts with little bells that tinkled in the evening breeze.

Finn and Minnie shared glances with each other, then bowed their heads. In this reverent, twilight atmosphere it only seemed appropriate to offer their greetings and prayers.

As the darkness of night fell across the plateau, the main priest carefully entered the area beyond the offering table and placed six lanterns around the shrine, illuminating the ancient altar in a soft orange glow.

Char Char remained standing with her head bowed in front of the shrine throughout all of this. The worshipers observed this action as an act of reverence befitting of one of the Maiden’s blessed. Though they didn’t understand what was happening, the girl who had a sword at her waist and damaged, blood stained clothes and skin, evoked grand and fantastic scenes in their imaginations.

But the truth was, Char Char wasn’t praying. Though she initially felt like cursing the Maiden and demanding an explanation, after the Maiden’s words she didn’t have the heart to do anything.

She only quietly contemplated those words over and over in her mind. In doing so, she gained a small understanding of the reasons behind the events in that blood filled glade.

The White Maiden had only said two simple sentences to her, but those words were deep with meaning. There was deliberate purpose, and within it regret. Power tempered with vulnerability. Divine will grounded with earthly commiseration.

These words echoed within Char Char’s mind as the last traces of the rift in the sky faded into a dark, starry night.

“Fate rarely turns out the way we want it to. We can only do what we can.”