In the heart of the Capital, there was a modern-looking church. Its spires shimmer not with cold marble solemnity, but with polished white veined in gold and amethyst. Unlike the stern cathedrals of other orders, its façade bloomed with curves and arches, as though the very stone had been coaxed into a living, sensual rhythm. Incense drifted in lazy violet plumes from braziers shaped like reclining figures, perfuming the air with notes of honey, rose, and something intoxicatingly arcane.
Inside, the sanctuary was no less extravagant. Velvet draperies cascaded from the vaulted ceiling, dyed in shades of crimson and midnight. Jewelled chandeliers caught candlelight and refracted it into a kaleidoscope of warm colours that danced across the polished floor of black glass.
