The Holy Tower rose before them like a spear aimed at the heavens — a towering structure that nearly brushed the underbelly of the clouds. Each level was divided by colossal stone pillars carved with scenes of the Six Gods, their forms spiraling upward in an unbroken chain of divinity. Knights patrolled every terrace and entryway, their armor glinting in the daylight. Citizens clustered at the grand steps, some coming to worship, others to offer tithes, all adding to the tower's restless, sacred bustle.
Jericho followed Alice through the main gates, and the moment they crossed the threshold, his steps faltered. His eyes widened, drinking in everything at once.
The interior was nothing like he had imagined.
The entrance hall stretched out in a wide, sweeping expanse. Incense curled lazily toward the vaulted ceiling, where a massive chandelier hung — a masterpiece of crystal and engraved gold, scattering light across the marble floor. Priests drifted back and forth between adjoining corridors, their robes whispering with each hurried step. The waiting area was crowded with visitors: nobles, pilgrims, knights seeking blessings, petitioners clutching scrolls. All of them gathered beneath the towering murals of the gods that adorned the high walls.
Jericho could only stare.
{This… this is a church?} he thought.
To him It felt more like a living kingdom wrapped in holy marble.
Alice gave him a sideways glance, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You'll get used to it."
He wasn't sure he ever would.
They made their way through the bustling hall toward the reception desk, where a woman in immaculate white priestly robes stood behind a polished counter. She looked up as the two approached, her expression gentle yet trained with the professionalism of someone who dealt with countless souls every day.
"Welcome to the Holy Tower," she said, inclining her head. "How may I assist you?"
Alice stepped forward with a smile. "Hello, Carol."
The woman behind the desk glanced up — and the moment she recognized the voice, her posture relaxed entirely. A cheerful light filled her eyes as she returned the smile.
"Alice! It's been a while. What brings you to the church today?" she asked warmly.
Then her gaze drifted past Alice… and landed on the tall stranger beside her.
A slow, teasing grin spread across her face.
"Oh? And who might this be? Looks like you've found yourself a man."
Alice's eyes flew wide open. "H–He's not—! We're not like that— yet—!"
The last word slipped out before she could stop herself.
Carol's brows arched sharply. "Yet?"
Alice froze, realizing what she had just admitted. Her face went scarlet.
Jericho, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious — still staring around at the towering murals and golden architecture like a lost child in a palace.
Carol watched Alice sputter and try to backtrack, giggling softly behind her hand. The girl's awkwardness was too precious to ignore.
Alice cleared her throat hard. "We're here for something else. So please— focus."
"Oh, I'm focused," Carol teased. "But if he's not your boyfriend, then who is—?"
Both women turned just in time to see Jericho still studying the chandelier with genuine wonder, entirely removed from their conversation.
Alice let out a long sigh of relief.
Carol giggled again, her thoughts dancing mischievously behind her eyes: {so adorable.}
"Ahem." Alice nudged him gently. "Jericho."
He blinked, snapping out of his trance, and turned toward them with an apologetic smile — bright, warm, and disarmingly genuine.
"Sorry. I got distracted. I'm Jericho," he said, bowing his head lightly in greeting.
Carol actually paused for half a heartbeat. His smile had caught her off guard, and she found herself looking at him a little more closely.
"Well… how polite," she said, returning the smile with newfound interest. "It's very nice to meet you, Jericho. I'm Carol Barley. I work here at the Holy Church of the Six Crowns as a receptionist. And just to be clear— I'm not a nun."
Jericho let his eyes wander once more across the grand hall — the polished floors, the sweeping murals, the steady flow of clergy and knights crossing between corridors. Then he spoke, still half-distracted by the sheer scale of it all.
"Honestly… this place isn't what I was expecting," he admitted. "For a church, it doesn't give off the usual feeling. At least… not to me. It's interesting, though. Very different."
Carol's smile tugged a little wider.
"Ahh, so that means you're not from Righteous," she said knowingly. "Or… this is your first time in the capital?"
Jericho nodded. "Yeah. First time."
"Well, that explains it," she said, shifting her weight slightly as she slipped into a more informative tone. "Most people expect something smaller… quieter. But the Holy Church isn't like the simple temples you find scattered across other cities."
She gestured subtly around them.
"We do have many branches across the human continent — each devoted to the Six Gods, as you likely already know. But this tower… is the headquarters of the Holy Church of the Six Crowns."
Her voice carried a hint of pride.
"That's why it's so large, and why it feels different. This is where new priests and nuns are trained. It's where records are kept, decisions are made, disputes settled, and messages sent out to the other branches."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice just a touch as if sharing a secret.
"It's not just a place of worship. It's the heart of the entire church."
Jericho's gaze drifted upward again, taking in the towering structure with new understanding.
Alice cleared her throat — loud enough to cut through their conversation. Both Jericho and Carol turned toward her. She forced a smile, though the slight tightness in her cheeks betrayed her.
"Jericho," she reminded, "we're here for a reason, remember?"
Jericho blinked, then nodded quickly. "Right. Sorry."
Alice stepped forward and addressed Carol. "We're here to see the ArchPriest. We… have an appointment."
Carol's eyes widened. "Oh! You're the ones?"
Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"
Carol lowered her voice, her excitement barely contained. "ArchPriest Leon came down personally to tell me he'd be receiving an important visitor soon, and I should direct them to him the moment they arrived. Five years I've worked here, Alice — five. And that's only the second time I've ever spoken to him directly." She placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "I nearly fainted. I'm still recovering."
Then, slowly… suspiciously… her gaze drifted to Jericho.
She inspected him up and down — once, twice — her eyes narrowing like a fox sensing prey.
"…So," she said, leaning in just a little. "Is Jericho someone important?"
Jericho stiffened immediately. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his neck. Alice noticed it and fought the urge to bury her face in her hands.
"Me? Important?" Jericho laughed — a brittle, awkward laugh that somehow made it worse. "N-no, I'm just— um… normal. Very normal. Extremely normal."
Carol raised one eyebrow so high it nearly touched her hairline.
"Uh-huh," she said. "Because the ArchPriest of the Six Crowns personally informing the reception desk about a 'normal' visitor makes complete sense."
Alice jumped in quickly, waving her hands.
"He's not a big deal! I mean — he is but not like that. It's… complicated."
Carol tilted her head, clearly entertained. "Complicated, hmm?"
Jericho nodded far too quickly. "Yes! Very complicated! Confusing even! You wouldn't want to know! Trust me!"
"Mm-hmm." Carol crossed her arms, lips curling mischievously. "Terrible liars, the both of you."
Alice flushed. "H-hey! We're not liars!"
Carol only giggled. "Relax, I'm teasing. If the ArchPriest wants to keep something quiet, I'm not about to go digging. I like my job."
Jericho exhaled in visible relief.
"Thank you," he muttered.
Carol stepped out from behind the desk and gestured toward the interior hallway. "Well then, 'not-important-but-mysterious' Jericho… and jealous little Alice—"
"I am NOT jealous!" Alice snapped immediately, face going red.
Carol smirked and continued walking. "Of course not, dear."
Jericho had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
Carol led them through a wide corridor as stained-glass windows scattered gentle hues across the marble floor.
"Come on," she said. "I'll show you the way to the ArchPriest's chambers. He's been waiting."
And with that, they continued deeper into the tower — the air growing quieter, holier, heavier — as Carol guided them.
Carol led them through the corridor until they reached a guarded elevator-like platform made of polished stone and glowing runic inscriptions. Two elite priest-knights stood on either side, their armor engraved with symbols representing all six gods.
"This is as far as I can take you," Carol said, stepping back with a calm smile. "The lift will carry you to the top. Only those summoned are allowed beyond this point."
Alice thanked her, while Jericho bowed lightly. Carol offered him one last teasing look then said…
"I hope I see you again Jericho…. And good luck dear Alice" before turning and heading back down the hall, Alice sighed.
The runic platform hummed softly under their feet as a priest activated it with a short prayer. Lines of radiant light spiraled upward around them, forming a translucent barrier, and slowly — silently — the lift began its ascent.
Higher.
Higher.
The entire capital slowly unfolded beneath them. Through narrow openings between support pillars, Jericho could see the sprawling city shrinking away — rooftops turning small, streets becoming thin strokes of color, people dissolving into distant movement. The sky grew brighter, clearer, as if the tower pierced through the very breath of the heavens.
Alice glanced at Jericho, her earlier embarrassment fading into awe. "It always feels like we're rising into the gods' embrace," she whispered. "The ArchPriest's chambers are…" She searched for the right word. "Divine."
Jericho didn't reply. He was too entranced by the view — the way clouds brushed past the open gaps in the tower's outer walls, the distant glimmer of the royal castle's spires to the west, and the shimmering barrier far beyond that protected the capital.
At last, the platform slowed.
They reached the very top of the tower.
A pair of enormous golden doors stood before them — towering, intricately carved with the visages of the Six Crowns. Each figure had their own pillar of light wrapping around them: Bios with blooming life spiraling upward; Desmos wrapped in linking chains of hearts; Meta encircled by shifting seasonal leaves; Zoe entangled with vines and flowers; Nous with a burning flame of intellect and a blade; Nea Zoi cloaked in deathly feathers.
Two white-robed guards stepped forward and bowed.
"Sir Jericho," one of them said. "Lady Alice. The ArchPriest awaits."
The doors opened inward with a slow, echoing groan — revealing a long hall filled with soft golden mist and warm sunlight pouring through massive stained glass depicting the gods' creation of the world.
At the far end, upon a raised circular dais, sat ArchPriest Leon.
Older than most, with hair of pale silver and robes made of immaculate white and gold, he radiated a presence that was both gentle and impossibly heavy. His eyes — deep, calm, and unwavering — seemed to see everything at once.
He stood as they entered.
"Welcome," his voice carried across the hall with a calm, resonant strength. "Jericho, the Gods chosen… and Alice Will Hiedenham. I have been expecting you."
Jericho and Alice stepped forward, but before either of them could speak, ArchPriest Leon did something that stunned the room into stillness, again.
He bowed.
Not the shallow, polite nod one gives to nobles…
but a true, reverent bow — one meant for a being far above earthly crowns.
Alice's eyes widened.
Jericho froze, caught between shock and discomfort. He could never get use to something like that coming from someone as important as the ArchPriest.
Rising slowly, the ArchPriest smiled — a soft, knowing smile that carried both humility and unshakable certainty.
"I am honored, my lord," Leon said gently. "Truly honored that you chose to come this soon."
Jericho swallowed, his voice low. "ArchPriest Leon, please… you don't need to—"
But Leon simply raised a hand, stopping him without force, only with understanding.
"The moment I learned who you were… the moment the truth revealed itself," he continued, "there was no other way I could greet you." His eyes softened. "But worry not. I shall keep your identity hidden, just as you wish."
Alice bowed deeply beside Jericho, still rattled by the ArchPriest's reverence.
Leon stepped down from his dais, his robes gliding like drifting light.
"We must not waste time," he said, voice shifting from reverent to purposeful. "The Evolgia Ore awaits."
Jericho looked at Alice. She gave a tiny nod, despite not fully understanding — ready to follow.
The ArchPriest motioned toward the glowing passage.
"This way. The holy vault lies below the tower's heart. The Ore has been kept there. That was the only place we could keep it that could control it's divine radiant energy."
The air shifted.
Something deep… ancient… awakened beneath their feet.
Jericho took a breath, stepped forward, and followed the ArchPriest toward the unknown.
As they walked through the glowing corridor, Jericho's mind drifted back to the strange elevator platform—the humming runes, the gentle light, the weightless ascent. He finally turned to the ArchPriest.
"ArchPriest Leon… that lift we used to reach your chambers—what exactly was that? It didn't feel man-made. It felt… beyond us."
Leon looked genuinely surprised, then thoughtful.
"To be truthful, my lord… I do not know." His voice carried no shame—only honesty. "The tower was built upon an ancient ruin nearly seven decades ago. The foundation we discovered beneath the earth was not crafted by human hands. Or so we think."
He placed a hand on the smooth stone wall as they walked, reverence in every movement.
"When construction began, the platform you rode on was nothing more than a dead relic. Lifeless. Silent. But once the Evolgia Ore was placed within the heart of the tower…" He paused, eyes narrowing in memory. "It awakened."
Jericho's eyebrows rose.
Leon continued, "The runes shifted, the stone breathed… and the elevation began functioning on its own. None of our priests understood why. But when ever we say a prayer to the ore, it illuminates brighter and push the relic to life whenever we want to use it." He turned to Jericho with a soft, humbled smile. "But now, after hearing your words—after sensing the truth around you—I believe it is powered by the divine energy that sleeps inside the Ore."
Jericho nodded slowly. "I felt it. While we ascended… the energy around us was pure. Untouched. Like standing under the spring of a newborn star."
Leon's smile deepened with gentle awe. "Then it is as I suspected."
Alice listened silently, wide-eyed, clutching her hands together as if afraid the moment might vanish.
Jericho then asked the question that weighed heavily on him.
"How did the holy church come to possess something as divine as the Evolgia Ore?"
Leon did not hesitate—he had no intention of hiding the past.
"It was found in the ruins, long before the church was built," he began. "When the first explorers touched it, they were overwhelmed in an instant. Some fainted. Others fell to their knees unable to breathe. Not because it harmed them… but because their mortal bodies could not withstand its presence."
Alice shivered slightly.
Leon continued, voice soft. "We knew immediately that it was far beyond anything our world was meant to hold. A gift—or a warning—from gods we had yet to fully understand." His steps slowed as they approached an enormous door sealed by six interlocking sigils. "So we built the Holy Church of the Six Crowns around it. Not only to protect it… but to remain close to the divinity it radiates."
He stopped before the sealed chamber.
"And only a handful know of its existence. High priests. Select elders. The king of Righteous. No one else."
Jericho and Alice exchanged a look—fascination, disbelief, and reverence all woven into one.
Leon pressed his hand onto the six sigils.
A deep hum vibrated through the floor.
One by one, each sigil flared to life—white, red, green, blue, gold, black—until the chamber doors slowly rumbled open.
A gentle, holy wind spilled out.
They had reached the private chamber where the Evolgia Ore rested.
Beyond those doors… something ancient waited.