Volume 2: Moonfall
Chapter 1: Divine Miracle
Deafening salvos of ceremonial cannon fire rang out, shaking the entire city of Riel to its foundations.
Countless fireworks blossomed in the night sky, as if the gods had opened the very gates of heaven, scattering boundless splendor upon the mortal world.
Points of candlelight, like all the stars of the firmament fallen to earth, illuminated countless ordinary, joyful faces. Riel's million citizens had all emerged from their homes, giving thanks for the gods' favor over the past year and praying for family safety in the new one.
The aerial terrace of the "Spirits in the Dark Night" was packed with nobles, magnates, ladies, and young misses, all there to view the spectacle. Sable furs and brocades, the shimmer of jewels and pearls, reflected each other, composing a perfect picture of mortal wealth and luxury.
Naturally, the crowd included Rogue and his band of nobles.
They were no longer the men they once were. Now favorites of Ophirock and controlling the lucrative "Hammer of the War God," they certainly had the means to secure seats here in the "Babylon," the most famous aerial garden of the "Spirits in the Dark Night," where a single seat cost a hundred gold coins on New Year's Eve. The high-ranking nobles with status and position were, of course, celebrating with Duke "Lionheart" Reinhardt von William at the Ducal Palace, making this "Babylon" the perfect place for minor nobles and wealthy merchants to flaunt their standing.
Blossom after blossom of fiery flowers erupted in the night sky, seeming truly endless. Among them, magical flames condensed into seven-colored tulips shot towards the heavens, leaving dazzling fiery trails against the black curtain that lingered for a long time. The shifting radiance of the sky played across Rogue's face, making it flicker between light and shadow, yet his eyes remained clear, like deep, still pools into which all the riotous colors vanished without a trace, leaving no reflection. Rogue smiled and muttered to himself, too softly for anyone to hear:
"These dazzling colors are nothing but the deluded hearts of men."
On the other side of Riel, upon the highest tower of the Ducal Palace, the sky-full of fireworks could not overshadow the golden light overflowing from within. Ophirock's Battle Aura erupted at full force, his entire body wreathed in what seemed like tangible golden flames. On the ground below, a massive Magic Array was inscribed, and the peerlessly beautiful figure of Elexis stood at its center. Black flames also rose continuously from her, but they were all drawn into the Magic Array.
Ophirock's brow was furrowed tight; he was already exerting his full power. Whenever the golden flames surged to a certain height, a strange shadow would cut through the space, absorbing them completely. Occasionally, stray tendrils of flame tried to escape the tower, only to be blocked and driven back by black flames emerging from the Magic Array, forced to return to the rising golden inferno.
Rogue, too, was waiting.
*Boom...* *Boom...* The distant toll of the Ducal Palace's great bell even drowned out the thunderous roar of the cannons.
Amid the cheers of a million mortals, the year 686 of the Sacred Calendar had finally arrived.
The very earth suddenly trembled. A vast and brilliant hymn resounded between heaven and earth, its volume so immense it was as if a choir of a million holy maidens was singing in praise.
All mortal creatures stood in silence; all other sounds ceased to exist. At this moment, nothing remained in the world but this hymn that cleansed everything.
All eyes gazed upwards; all souls waited, waiting for that which was suddenly arriving...
The Divine Miracle!!
Above the Ducal Palace, clouds gathered with frantic speed, roiling, churning, growing thicker and thicker, hanging lower and lower. An intangible, overwhelming pressure descended upon the land.
All living beings knelt.
The clarity in Rogue's eyes turned turbid, and he knelt with the crowd.
At this moment, in the entire vast city, only Ophirok remained standing, firm as a mountain.
Elexis gently pulled at Ophirock; her jade-like fingers, usually delicate as spring onions, now felt as heavy as mountains. Ophirock slumped to his knees, a single, clear tear dropping into the dust.
The cloud mass ceased its churning and gradually began to brighten, until eventually, the pure, holy light illuminated the entire city of Riel as brightly as day.
Above the clouds, a hundred-meter-high giant gate gradually became distinct.
With a "BOOM" like a thousand thunderclaps striking simultaneously, the Gates of Heaven finally swung open.
Within the radiance, a gigantic figure emerged from the heavenly gate. Behind it, three pairs of immense light-wings radiated a golden brilliance impossible to look upon directly.
The six-winged angel held a massive vial, its majesty peerless. It tilted the great vial; smoke rose, and a stream of holy water poured straight down into the Ducal Palace. Then, a white line of water appeared, rapidly spreading to cover the entire city of Riel.
The multitude of mortal beings felt the holy water pass through their souls without the slightest hindrance, and they were naturally ecstatic with joy.
When the waterline reached Rogue, however, it split in two, merging again only after it had passed him, continuing its surging course.
Rogue remained kneeling motionless, a faint smile playing on his lips: "You gods in the heavens, since you have acted thus, from this moment on, what if I become a Necromancer?" No sooner had the words left his mouth than countless "Divination" school incantations vanished completely from Rogue's mind.
Elexis was curled up like an infant, her black flames reduced to a thin layer. Outside the black flames, a sphere of light formed from Ophirock's golden Battle Aura was battered by the waves of holy water, flickering between brightness and dimness. Ophirock's hair was disheveled, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
From the six-winged angel's great vial, several dozen globes of light finally flew out, scattering in all directions, falling to the mortal world.
In the blink of an eye, the six-winged angel turned and stepped back into the Gates of Heaven. The clouds scattered, the light faded.
After a span of a hundred years, a Divine Miracle had finally descended upon the Gloria Continent once more.