Chapter 12 - Chapter 12- Archbishop Belanor

As Helios and Bow continued their journey across the desert, they both noticed how much their control over mana skin had improved. They could maintain it far longer than they had just two days ago. Helios squinted at the horizon, then pointed. "Bow, look! The stone wall Shidan told us about, it's getting closer." "You know, I think you're right." Bow smiled. "We're finally closing in." They continued their march, enjoying the comfort of each other's company. The brutal heat slowly faded, and Helios realized the air felt cooler. They had finally reached the massive wall's shadow. The wall loomed so tall, it looked like it brushed the heavens themselves. Rushing forward, they spotted a charcoal-drawn arrow at the entrance of a cave, the mark left by Shidan and Malvek. "Alright! We made it, Bow." Helios laughed, clapping his friend on the back. "We actually survived that awful dune of death." Bow laughed with him. "Yeah, yeah, don't celebrate too hard. Let's keep moving." Together they entered the cave, the descent leading them deeper into the earth. The farther they went, the darker it became. "Hey, Bow, you got any kind of light?" Helios asked. "Nah. Not really my thing." Bow shrugged. Before Helios could reply, the ground beneath them gave way. They plummeted into darkness, but in the distance below, a glimmer of light. When their eyes adjusted, the sight stole their breath. An enormous underground temple lay hidden beneath the desert, surrounded by shimmering water. Waterfalls poured from cracks in the walls and even the ceiling, and the cavern glittered with gemstones that illuminated the space. "Bow!" Helios grinned wide. "This is amazing!" Bow, equally stunned, nodded. "I've never seen anything like this…" In the center of the underground lake, a ruined temple sat on a lush island. Smoke rose faintly from it, proof that someone, or something, was inside. Splashing down into the water, they swam across and pushed through thick vegetation until they reached the temple entrance. Inside, they froze. Malvek and Shidan stood with grim expressions, facing a man dressed in ornate, expensive robes. Unlike the others, this stranger smiled pleasantly, his expression almost too kind, yet something about him felt off. Before Helios could speak, heavy footsteps echoed. A tall man in gleaming armor entered, his presence suffocating. He brushed past Helios and Bow without a word, yet the oppressive force of his mana pressed against them like a mountain. Bow leaned close and whispered, "That has to be him… the Holy Knight Malvek and Shidan warned us about." The man in the jeweled robes raised his chin proudly as Helios and Bow approached. His fingers glittered with gold, and the massive gemstone ring gleamed under the temple's dim light. "So you two… you are acquainted with these sinners?" Belanor asked, his tone syrupy sweet, but his eyes sharp and judging. Helios clenched his fist. Sinners? The word stabbed at him. But the knight's oppressive aura still weighed heavy in the air, one wrong move and they'd be slaughtered before they could even draw breath. "I don't know," Helios answered carefully, though his voice carried a hint of defiance. "I would like to ask though, why call them sinners?" The Archbishop rose from his golden stool, his robes trailing along the cracked temple floor. His smile was wide, but there was no warmth in it. "Because they deny the Lord's grace, and thus they deny salvation itself. It is my holy duty to root out such heresy wherever it festers." He lifted his hand, showing the oversized ring. "I am Archbishop Belanor. If you wish to show your respect to our savior, then kneel… and kiss the Lord's chosen seal." Helios's jaw tightened, his teeth digging into his lip hard enough to draw blood. His body screamed to strike this pompous fraud down where he stood. Bow caught the tension in his friend's shoulders and quickly placed a hand on him. "Don't," Bow whispered sharply. "We can't fight here. Not now." Then, swallowing his own pride, Bow knelt before Belanor, lowering his head and pressing his lips lightly against the golden ring. Belanor smirked in satisfaction, his nose wrinkling with smug superiority. Helios hesitated, his glare locked on the Archbishop, until Bow shot him a look, firm, almost pleading. Slowly, with a storm raging inside him, Helios dropped to one knee. His lips brushed the ring, cold metal tasting bitter on his tongue. Belanor chuckled softly, patting Helios's head as though he were some obedient dog. "Good boys," he cooed, his voice drenched in condescension. "Perhaps there is hope for you yet." Helios's fingers twitched near his blade. "One day, you'll regret that…" Then Belanor smirked, his voice dripping with false piety as he spoke. "These two men have fallen from grace. They are lowly sinners who ought to be put in their place. But… consider yourselves fortunate. Today happens to be my day of rest. I came here only for peace and tranquility." The golden stool screeched against the floor as the Holy Knight effortlessly lifted it, carrying it behind his master. "Have a blessed day," the knight said coldly, before following Belanor into a portal of swirling light that the archbishop conjured with a wave of his jeweled hand. The portal closed, leaving only silence in its wake. Malvek and Shidan both released a heavy breath they'd been holding. "MAN, we really lucked out," Shidan groaned, stretching his arms. "That knight is seriously bad news. Back in my prime, it'd be a different story though." Malvek rubbed his face with both hands, his relief evident. "At least we made it out in one piece…" Bow stepped forward, his tone calm but insistent. "Hey, you two. Mind explaining what that was all about?" Helios said nothing. He stood frozen, his jaw tight, his teeth grinding. The image of Belanor's smug face lingered in his mind, the urge to stomp it into the floor burned hotter than any sun. "When he said 'fallen from grace'…" Shidan started, pausing to glance at Malvek, "…he meant that we no longer receive blessings from any god." "Blessings?" Helios asked, his brow furrowing. Malvek nodded. "Yeah. When you worship a god, you gain certain attributes. For example… if you devote yourself to, Peace, the God of our solar system, you receive buffs in holy magic as well as a percentage increase to your mana output. But when you're stripped of it… you lose everything." Helios and Bow nodded in understanding. "Well, is that gateway still around at least?" Bow asked. "Oh, for sure," Shidan replied with a grin. The four of them pushed through the thick vegetation until they came across a ruined stone archway, half-swallowed by moss and vines. Shidan pressed his palm against the cold surface, and the ruin shuddered to life with a surge of ancient light. As the gateway rippled open, they stepped through, and Helios's eyes widened. The air was thick and damp, filled with the hum of unseen creatures. Before them stretched a vast jungle, alive with color and motion. Towering trees clawed their way skyward, their roots weaving across the ground like giant serpents. "Alright, y'all. Stick close," Malvek said, stepping forward with a sly grin. "We're headed to a ruin." Helios trailed after him, still in awe. Each breath reminded him: this wasn't just another land, he was standing on an entirely different planet.