Dia mediated on the concept of being passed through a rubber tube as the space around her rippled and squashed her onwards, but the light shimmering around her warded off any harm and damage done to her flesh. In fact, she couldn’t feel anything around her, even as wind howled around her.

The light began to wane as the journey continued, but before it could flicker out entirely, the black world spat her out, and Dia landed onto something squishy. The sickly-sweet stench of blood filled her nose a moment later, and a chill ran up her spine as Dia realised that she was standing on a mound of flesh.

“Moons,” Dia muttered.

At the same time, she saw the others get up in a hurry too. They too had realised that they had landed onto a mountain of torn flesh and blood, and in silent concord, the four of them left the stomach-churning landscape of flesh in a hurry.

It didn’t take long before they reunited, but even under the low light conditions, Dia could tell that the others weren’t in a good state of mind. Count Daybreak, in particular, had a shaken expression on his face, and he turned to Nero.

“Holy Son…help me send my people off.”

“Are you sure?” Nero asked. “Here, of all times and places? They will leave, and the living will never see them again.”

Count Daybreak nodded. “We have no choice. All this must be prepared for something, whatever that something is. We must end the mastermind’s plan.”

“…Very well.” Nero looked at the expanse of flesh, blood and bone slowly, before raising his left hand. The ring that symbolised his identity glinted once, before releasing visible ripples that stirred up the world itself. A stirring silence fell upon the world, and the wind and rustling leaves died.

The Holy Son of the Black Church took out a small, black bell and rang it once, before walking back into the field of flesh.

“A toll to calm the raging ones,” Nero muttered, his voice soft, yet carrying throughout the world. “A toll to comfort the grieving ones. A toll to guide the lost ones. Gather, O souls, and follow the chimes to the next world.”

An incredible pressure fell for a moment, and Dia felt something run down her spine as the expanse of crushed bodies quivered. Before her very eyes, the bodies reformed, turning back into complete corpses. Black light shrouded their faces and their bodies, holding them together as they stood in a column of the dead.

The bell chimed once more, and Nero fell on his knees. “On this day, I, Holy Son of the Lord, do request that a path be opened to the stars beyond.”

Black light gathered around him, surging upwards with reckless abandon. At the same time, the grey firmament that covered the world seemed to crack at that moment, and a column of black light fell from the skies.

In that instant, the sky and the earth was connected by a bridge of black light.

He began to float, unsupported by mana. The bell began to chime at regular intervals, each of them growing deeper and deeper by the passing second. Each toll made the gathered corpses tremble, and they began to moan and wail. Nothing, however, seemed to drown out the tolling bell, and black light poured out once more.

Silence fell as a huge circle opened up above Nero, a portal that led to a swath of endless night. Nero rang the bell once more, and the animated corpses looked up at the circle, longing radiating off their body.

“From the land of life to the fields of divinity. From the land of troubles to the sea of eternity. From the land of ambitions to the sky of stars. Soiled spirits, lay down thy burdens and proceed on the road beyond.” Nero’s chant stilled the crowd of the dead, and he raised his hands to the sky. “O Lord, grant the fallen eternal tranquillity. Bestow them the mercy of a dreamless rest. Gift them the gift of unperturbed night. Open the path beyond, and grant them salvation.”

Black light surged madly, connecting the ground to the circle beyond. The dead began to rise, and Nero landed on the ground. He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in the unquiet dead around him, and Nero raised his hands to the skies. His head following suit, he bellowed, “Spirits of the restless dead, go! Why stay in troubled lands when the stars beyond await? Spirits of the restless dead, go! Bloody beings of merciless minds seek to scatter you! In the fate they bring you a million needles tremble, weapons fall like rain and mana flows in rivers! Spirits of the restless dead, go! Linger not in the land of troubles and escape your suffering!”

He stamped his right foot once, and a black ripple surged out of it. The ascending dead shook once, and then shot skywards, into the shimmering world above. The circle rippled, much like a pond when raindrops fell on it, and with a jolt, Dia realised that the bell tolls were still resounding throughout the place.

The last toll echoed into nothingness as the portal closed, leaving behind Nero, who was kneeling over. Leaves fluttered around him, some of them touching his cheek and rubbing his head, before falling onto the ground in the windless night.

He looked up with a peaceful grin as the three of them approached, before opening a vial of shimmering violet and pouring it into their throat.

“We’re done here,” Nero replied, radiating an extreme serenity. “The ritual you just saw ferries the dead into the stars beyond, rather than into the divine kingdoms of the Coloured Gods, so don’t be surprised if you see other Holy Children use it. It’s not that different from a regular burial, but this sends the dead, their grudges and their karma off, leaving behind nothing.”

He took the handkerchief that Risti offered and wiped his forehead. “Thanks. And this nothing is precisely what we need. The ritual that should be happening in five minutes probably needs the residual emotions of the anguished dead, as well as their blood, flesh and lifeforce.”

“Nice…wait, did you say five minutes?” Risti asked.

“Sure did, Risti.” Nero smiled. “Let’s go and witness the Bearer of Destiny fumbling his ritual.”

Dusting himself off, he accepted Risti’s hand and got up, before turning to Count Daybreak. “While this is by no means the best result, the dead have been granted salvation. Be at peace, Count Daybreak.”

The count nodded his head, his face sombre. “Thank you, Holy Son.”

“It is my duty.” The Holy Son of the Black God nodded once. “Now…let us deal with the great murderer behind all this, shall we? Follow me.”

As Nero led the way, Dia asked, “Wouldn’t the murderer be aware of the ritual’s destruction?”

“We didn’t destroy the ritual,” Nero replied.

“Okay, but you created quite the commotion,” said Dia. “Wouldn’t, you know, the person behind all this be alerted?”

“Don’t worry. My Lord is mighty in the ways of the mind,” Nero replied. “Follow me outside, and you’ll see.”

“Outside?” Count Daybreak asked. “Outside where?”

Nero smiled, but said nothing. In silence, he led them northwards, and after walking for a few seconds, an odd ripple ran through Dia.

“Turn around and take a look,” said Nero.

Dia did as she was told, and her eyes opened and closed a few times of their own accord as the nightmarish scene reappeared before her. “An illusion?”

“Correct. It’s a skill of mine…I wonder if anyone was paying attention to my briefing?” Nero asked.

“The Black God’s Steps,” Risti replied. “Right?”

“Bingo! Have a cookie or something.” Nero grinned. “No one noticed us…but we should move stealthily from here on out. I’m not sure what’s going on, but we should play safe where possible.”

Dia nodded with the others, and the four of them began to flit from tree to tree. She could feel a growing presence as they continued on in silence; it was that of gathering mana and lifeforce. Far ahead, a fey, red glow shimmered, snapping away at the black mist that threatened to engulf it.

The great Dark…but that little pathetic tendril wasn’t giving off the sense of danger that Dia could keenly feel. No, it was that fey red glow that was the actual danger here.

Nero held up a hand, his face awful as he turned to the others. “Guys…it’s not the Dark. It’s…”

He turned back to the red light. “It’s the Red Church’s Bearer of Destiny behind this. If we press on…things will happen. And if he dies here, we’re all going to be the enemies of the Red Church and the Red God.”

Nero shook his head. “I don’t understand why this fellow just popped up here, to be honest. The Red Church is based in the Saran Supremacy, in Lacheln. There’s no business for them here…”

“Unless,” Dia muttered, “he had something to do with the other Bearer of Destiny that happened to be here not too long ago.”

“…The Third, huh.” Nero took a deep breath. “Well, as long as we get to the White Church first, they might not find out who did it. The White God can shield us…and considering how their Blessed died, I’m sure they’ll be happy to help.”

He nodded. “Let’s go cut him down after he suffers a backlash.”