hotmtlnovel 339. Shape Of The Soul
339. Shape Of The Soul
“Is something on your mind, Your Highness?” Laila murmured, pressing a soft kiss against Ravenna’s skin as they lay together in bed totally naked as always.Ravenna let out a quiet moan, turning her head slightly. “When do I not have something on my mind?” she retorted, her hand casually gripping Laila’s waist. They continued their intimate nightly activities for a while longer before the frenzy finally calmed down, leaving them tangled together, naked and cuddling in the warm sheets.
“I heard Herptian’s Deception has been performed quite frequently in the city recently,” Ravenna noted, her fingers idly trailing along Laila’s back from behind.
“Mmh... yeah,” Laila replied, shifting closer into the touch. “Apparently, the Herptian priests uncovered some ancient ruins directly beneath the church. The inscriptions suggest it was the exact location where Emperor Aurelius was taken by Herptian while she was disguised as Solious.”
“I did read a brief mention of it in the newspaper... so that’s the reason?” Ravenna asked, effortlessly rolling Laila over and climbing over her.
“Yeah... it’s the talk of the town right now, so the stages are capitalizing on it. It’s the perfect time to have stage plays performed about it, right?” Laila replied, wrapping her arms around Ravenna's neck to pull her into a lingering kiss.
While their lips met, Ravenna’s mind was working in overdrive. “It’s incredibly weird that those ruins never showed up on any of the geography scans I performed on the city…” Pushing the unsettling thought aside for the moment, she smirked against Laila's lips. “Enough talk... Let’s go for round two.”
Next Morning, Ravenna’s Study, Lord’s Castle, Kim City, Kim island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire
“So, you’ve been promoted to High Priest, taking over James's position now?” Ravenna asked, leaning back in her chair as she evaluated the young man before her.
Junior Priest Finn, who had been summoned to the study in the early hours of the morning, sat stiffly across from her. He took a nervous sip of his morning drink before responding. “I haven’t officially taken the title yet, Your Highness... The Archbishops sent by the holy headquarters will be arriving soon, and that is when the appointment will be formalized.”
Junior Priest Finn set his cup down carefully, his hands trembling slightly under her intense gaze. “If... if I may ask, Your Highness... what is it that you wished to discuss with me so urgently?”
“Even if you haven’t been officially ordained yet, you are practically executing the role anyway,” Ravenna scoffed, waving off his technicality. Leaner forward, her eyes locked onto his. “I wished to talk about the ruins found directly under your church.”
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“Ah, those...”Junior Priest Finn swallowed hard, the nervousness returning full force. “We are still in the middle of deciphering the structural text. The site definitely appears to be the place where Goddess Herptian tricked the founding emperor, that much is certain...”
He paused, trying to recall the latest reports from the excavation team. “The only other piece of information we’ve somewhat managed to understand from deciphering the wall writing... is that it was a sacred place built by the Goddess to look at the ‘shape of souls.’ Whatever that is supposed to mean.”
Intrigued, Ravenna stood up from her desk, her cloak billowing slightly. “Well, I would like to take a look at it myself.”
She looked down at Finn with an unreadable expression. “Have the church informed. I will visit in the evening.”
With that, Junior Priest Finn bowed deeply and bid his farewell. As he walked away, his shoulders visibly slumping in relief, Ravenna watched his retreating figure before turning to look out the window toward the open sea.
“He really doesn’t seem suited for the role,” she somberly muttered to the empty room. “He crumbles under pressure far too easily.” Her gaze drifted to the distant waves, a rare flash of melancholy crossing her face. “Your Holiness James... if only you were still here.”
A Vacant Room, New Lord’s Castle (Partially Completed). Kim City, Kim island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire
Faldeus was continuing his prayers just as he had for the past several weeks. The magnificent stone statue of Glinto loomed over the space, surrounded by thousands of motionless silver rings laid out across the floor. The heavy silence in the room gave off an eerie, stagnant feeling, stretching the seconds into eternity.
Just as the former Khan was thinking he had done enough for the day, a sudden, violent jolt shot through his entire body.
The air fractured. Instantly, the entire room filled with a blinding, golden light, accompanied by the deafening roar of phantom war chants echoing from the very walls. The quiet chamber was suddenly transformed into a mystical crucible. One by one, the silver rings on the floor began to shatter into dust, unable to withstand the sudden influx of divine pressure. Within the shimmering golden light, spectral illusions of legendary warriors locked in fierce, eternal combat flickered into existence.
Then, as abruptly as it had arrived, the phenomenon vanished.
The room returned to its usual motionless silence, but the environment had fundamentally altered. Out of the thousands of rings that had once carpeted the floor, only a handful remained intact before the Glinto statue. Four of them were vibrating violently, radiating a dense, oppressive energy that warped the air around them.
Faldeus let out a low, disbelieving chuckle. “Ha! I really didn’t think I had enough true faith in the god of war left in me to make this happen.”
The heavy iron doors burst open as a squad of elite knights rushed in, weapons drawn to check on the sudden explosion of sound. Faldeus casually stepped forward, scooping up the newly forged artifacts from the stone floor. He looked at them with a triumphant smile.
“Don’t panic... nothing dangerous happened,” he said, waving off the guards with a dismissive flick of his wrist. He turned to the lead knight and added, “Go tell my granddaughter and my disciple that we succeeded!”