Grabbing his nose, Elia says, "Then know how to do better, idiot!"
"I am doing bette-." Stopping his words, Orb grabs and pulls Elia close, making her stare at him in utter disgust. But before she can say something, he reaches his hand up and grabs the leg of a giant bird that flies by them.
Looking up, Elia sees a bird with two giant wings and two small wings going vertically down the top of the giant ones. It has a primarily white body, but it is embedded with hard red feathers across itself. It looks sharp like a blade meant to strike down all its foes while keeping a breath of divinity that moves around it.
And as they both hold on, Orb says, "Look who saved you."
Peering her head off the side, she says, "Maybe falling would have been better than being so close, making me catch the stink."
"I don't smell."
"Your thoughts do!"
"You know you have kind of a stinky attitude."
"Maybe because I have been forced into going on this date."
"Hasn't it been somewhat fun?"
"Your suffering has been quite entertaining, yet I would rather choose that soft bed with my adorable little Iancu."
"I would want to sleep with him as well. Did you know that when he gets tired, he grabs onto the clothes of the person next to him?"
Elia shakes her head rapidly and says, "I know, I know. Did you know that if you poke at his veins, it makes him get flustered because he is extra sensitive to the movement of blood throughout his body?"
"That's so cute. I am sure he tries to hit you, but he feels his mother staring at him from the afterlife, and always stops short."
"That's exactly what he does. Then he runs away to his dad and starts complaining with the cutest expression he could possibly make. It really is so fun! Sometimes he gets really angry and says some mean words, but then he always writes me a letter of apology and puts it with my things."
"That reminds me of Maple. Whenever she struggles with her studies, I ask for help and she tells me to go die, but then eventually she cutely walks her way into my quarters and then places her stuff in front of me, and points at the question with a fully red face. And when I answer it, she jumps up and down, and gives me a hug before leaving, so adorable!"
Elia looks slightly ticked and says, "Well, Iancu never fails any question put in front of him; he is extremely stupendous."
Orb's hair turns rosewood, and he says, "Maple is really popular with people; she goes above and beyond to understand others, and thanks to her, people, especially those in Aplos, are getting integrated into the Niflheim rather well."
"Oh well, Iancu spends lots of time with the kids from Skydust. He plays with them and allows them to bounce some ideas off of them, for the sake of allowing their artistic expressions not to die."
"Maple spends hours with Senán learning about the Beastkins culture, and whenever she nods off, she quickly slaps herself in the face, forcing her awake."
"Iancu is a great son, always making sure to argue with his father to make him go to sleep when he is overworked."
"Maple is a great wife, who takes proactive steps to care for Willow during the trying times he is dealing with. MAPLE IS ADORABLE!"
"IANCU IS AN ANGEL!"
Location: Cursed Land District of Căderea-dracului
Φ As Suzuka, Iancu, Willow, Maple, Cyrus, Dumnorix and Abbán stare at the parade from a distance with joy and wonder in their eyes, Dumnorix takes two steps forward and says, "I guess it is time for the main attraction."
Abbán screams, "CYRUS, SUZUKA GRAB HIM!"
Both jump and hold him down, and Willow says, "It looks like staying far away for Suzuka had another benefit, isn't that right, Maple?"
But as he turns his head, he sees that both Maple and Iancu shake with fright. "What's wrong with you two?"
"This dominating feeling," Iancu says.
"This obsessive nature," Maple says.
"What?"
"It's THEM!"
Location: Cursed Sky District of Căderea-dracului
Φ "I concede that Iancu has his cute moments, but the coolness takes up a certain portion as well, unlike Maple, whose cuteness is far greater."
"Nonsense! Iancu has no coolness; he is just adorable."
"You very clearly lack taste if you can't see how cool Iancu is."
"I don't want to hear that from you. Maple is a leader, don't infantilise her."
"I think the timing for this date might be coming to an end."
"I think so as well. No more playing around now, I will be claiming my prize."
"Try it."
Elia pulls her hands back and quickly moves them to the armpit of the arm Orb is using to grab onto the flying bird, and starts to tickle him. "Wh-at, a-re, y-ou, do-ing!" Orb says as laughter overtakes his body.
"Don't worry about it, just relax, and let it take over your body and mind completely!"
Soon Orb let go of the bird, and soon a red and white flame emerged from it, moving through the sky.
Falling through the sky, Orb says, "What part of your plan was smart!?"
"The part where you land in the one place I can defeat you," Elia says while pointing her finger past him.
Turning his head, Orb sees the Church of the cursed Sky and says, "WHERE GOING TO CRASH INTO A NATIONAL LANDMARK!"
Elia holds one of the burning feathers from the wonderbeast and says, "You should do something about that," with a fiendish smile on her face.
Orb quickly generate heaps of snow around them, shaping them all into an ice man that flies through the sky and from beneath them, kids look up and says, "SNOW MAN!" As they point towards the sky where it falls down, and jump with excitement.
Though as the organising of the event stares at it, one says, "Boss was the Cursed firebird supposed to drop a snowman? I thought its jump was to sprinkle its pretty flames through the skyline."
"Roberts, listen closely and listen well."
"Yes, boss?"
"I have no fucking idea."
"I see."
Soon, the snowman crashes right into the church and then breaks apart. And Orb, whose closed his eyes from the impact, opens them and looks at the shivering girl in front of him, and says, "Did you really think that was smart?"
"I didn't know your ice and snow got this cold. I thought the firebird's feather would be hot enough to keep me warm."
Picking Elia up and carrying her in his hands, he says, "Let's get you heated up."
Elia points her finger, and looking within the church, Orb sees a series of statues all around him, seven in total, depicting five animals: a lion, a shark, a buffalo, a condor, and a tiger. Each statue is pointed and faces a single direction, which is a bigger statue that has what looks to be a priestly figure under a tree.
"Take me there."
Orb carries Elia forward, and as he does, he says, "What are all these animals around here?"
"They represent the five miracles carved into the planet by the messiah. The Lion represents the victory humanity gained over the others races long ago, the buffalo represents humanity's perseverance through the 2nd cycle and our abilities to keep our culture alive through such time, the shark represents the great vortex of Molstoria and balance it brought to the seas, the tiger represent the claws of god sent down to protect his children from the manipulation of the devil that have kept us from utterly destroying each other, the condor represents king Charles the great uniter of humanity, and the tree represents Cordum, the first give the Messiah ever laid upon us all."
"I don't really understand what is meant by the tiger?"
"There have been many times in history that people have sought to wipe each race out of existence. Yet it is said that when such a tragedy shall occur, the messiah will wield its claws to protect those in need from annihilation. It's the promise made by the messiah to the races whose gods were defeated. A declaration of eternal love for those conquered and a promise of the defence of them towards their children, accepting them as his own. Or at least that's how it's read."
In front of the statue of the saint and altar lies, and Elia throws the burning feather into it, causing it to produce warm heat that covers it and warms up the area.
With fright, Orb says, "Is this ok?"
"Yes, I can guarantee you that no harm will come to the altar from this," Elia says as she kneels in front of it.
Joining her, Orb says, "What does this figure here represent as well then?"
"You ask all of this as if you didn't read the texts yourself?"
"I read some of them. There are about 91 chapters split into three sections known as the three worlds to my knowledge, with the 91st chapter being known as the fourth world. Each tells a continues story of the start and fall of their world in order, with the fall of the first world being inherited by the second, and even the third, with the fourth being an exception being so vague that one would think it's just some where addition written by someone who just wanted to make everyone tragedies from the second world happy.
Throughout the texts, I could count the prominent female figures with my fingers. It would obviously be blasphemous to place the queen of perfection or the queen of depths as a statue from the first world. The queen of the beginning of the second world could be considered for the statue due to her being chosen as the genesis figure for all life in the second world. Or maybe even the queen of the fulfilment within the third world who would say the legacy passed down from the first two worlds bringing peace to existent, if I had to guess, it would be the third."
"Drumroll, please!"
Orb pats his hands against his legs at high speed, and Elia says, "The answer is all of them are incorrect. It is no figure from the holy scriptures, it's an image depicting Cordum?"
"Cordum's a tree?"
"You saw her in Setanta's memories. The woman who went by the same name as the divine tree."
As Orb stares at her the his golden eye becomes transfixed to her face, and he says, "In the times of King Charles, it was said there was a traveller who used the name of the divine tree to teach and educate the humans scattered throughout the world. She went by the name Cordum. Many tried to find her, but records of her after the rise of King Charles were sparse, yet in the city of Cordum, the home of the adventurers' guild, a statue of her stands to honour her contributions to the world."
"Apparently, when the churches were being built, the queen ordered the creation of this statue in each Church, as a way to honour her. She helped majorly in the early days of Blestemate, and the queen believes that to be remembered forever."
Staring up at her with a smile, Orb says, "I think so too."
"Did you know, despite the majority of the villainess figures in the first two worlds being women, the saviour of the third is apparently called the Messiah's eternal bride. Almost as if women are the more favoured, and should be honoured with a great amount of-."
"Not buying you anything."
"Do you not honour god!"
"Didn't you say god refers to all humans as his bride, so your logic falls apart."
"That's it, Orb, no more holding back, I am taking it right now!"
Waving it by his face, Orb says, "You've already said that before. Let's hope you have the plays to follow through with it."
Elia smiles and says, "You don't even realise it? Did you even think for a moment why I led you here?"
Below Orb feet, he falls a bit, and then all of his senses become disoriented for a moment, causing him to say, "Did the room's pressure just change?"
Feeling a tight grip on his hand, Elia says, "Don't you realise, this entire building is made from cursed parts?"
Staring at her demonic face with fear in his eyes, Orb says, "Oh no."