The Temple of Light stood its outer terraces open to dawn winds,
Dawn spilled its pale light across the temple halls, where the girls still lay tangled in sleep, their breaths soft in the hush.
A visitor came to the Temple of Light, a girl clad in layered black, the dark cloth kissed with crimson embroidery at the collar. Her skin was deep forest green, the color of moss after rain, and she carried a scent warm, clean, like crushed mint and damp earth—that drifted ahead of her as she crossed the threshold.
Two other groups of girls of her kind, flanked her in silence, their boots whispering against the marble floor. The high priestess, her robes rustling softly, received them at the entrance, bowing her head just enough to acknowledge the gravity of their presence. They had come with a message for the Order of Wnea, and so the head priestess turned to summon the temple's young leaders.
At the heart of dawn's hush, the head priestess moved with silent urgency She moved swiftly down the corridor, her sandals tapping out a measured urgency, until she reached the inner sanctum where the girls slept. The inner sanctum was a ring of four chambers circling a shared main room. Each room held a single cot, their doors opening into the central chamber where pale sunlight pooled through a high crystal dome.
She paused first at Hawo's door, raising her hand to knock.
The priestess knocked sharply once, twice, a third time. Inside, Hawo groaned, burying her face under her pillow. She was a fortress of sleep, unmoved by the morning bells that now began their slow, measured toll.
"Hawo," the priestess called through the door, her voice stern.
A muffled, annoyed noise.
"Hawo, up."
A thud—Hawo rolling from bed to floor, cursing under her breath, limbs tangling in her blanket before she finally yanked it off. Her dark eyes, groggy and narrowed, glared at the door.
"Fine. I'm up. I'm up."
the priestess rapped on Cathie's door next "Cathie" she called, gently .
Cathie, a human girl with a waterfall of warm brown hair spilling across her pillow, stirred first. She was the leader among them, though she still clung to the last remnants of sleep, her hand fumbling toward the edge of her blanket as her eyes fluttered open.
Malaliel's door was next knock. Knock.
Inside her room, Malaliel was already awake, sitting cross-legged with her wings tucked close, eyes alert but shadowed with whatever dream she'd just left behind a faint rustle. Then the door creaked open, just a sliver, revealing Malaliel's pale white hair spilling loose around her shoulders, her silver eyes calm but edged with sleep's softness.
"I'll be out in a minute," Malaliel whispered, closing the door quietly.
The head priestess nodded once, her robes shifting softly as she moved to the next door.
Azrael's room was the last . The angel with blonde hair, golden piercing eyes, cracked one open, the other squeezing shut as she groaned into her arm before forcing herself upright before stepping toward the door Azrael second in command pressed her fingers against her eyelids before blinking at the priestess, a small yawn catching in her throat as she fought to replace sleep's softness with readiness.
One by one, the doors opened, and the girls stepped into the main room that joined all four chambers. Here, the floor was inlaid with a circular sigil of interlocking suns, and above them, the crystal dome refracted dawn's rays into dancing prisms that spun across their bare skin.
"Visitors," Azrael said, letting the word hang, heavy and cold, in the soft-lit room.
"What kind of visitors?" Hawo snapped, her bare feet hitting the cool floor with a slap. The scent of morning incense from the outer hall crept in, curling around them as the girls exchanged glances.
"Foreigners, draped in black," The head priestess murmured .
Cathie pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her eyes flicking to the others. "Then we shouldn't keep them waiting."
Hawo ran a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose before letting out a sharp breath. "This better not be about more border patrol duties."
Malaliel's wings twitched, the feathers shivering faintly,
"You sense it too, don't you? The air's different this morning."
None of them wore clothes yet, the chill of morning brushing against them, heightening every breath and every movement, They gathered in a circle bare feet pressing against the sun-carved marble. Each placed a hand over her heart, Together, their voices rose, clear and resonant :
"Shining light, purge the night! Darkness falls before our light!"
In an instant, light flared around their bodies, flowing over skin like warm water before hardening into shape. Bands of gold glowed as they curled around their hips and chest, forming sleek golden bikini armor with minimal coverage, the metal kissed with dawn's glow. Golden short gloves encased their hands, golden heeled booties formed around their feet, rising to just above the ankle, while golden guards locked into place over knees and elbows. Their hair lifted slightly with the hum of power, wings shimmering as they flexed against the dawn.
Azrael , her blonde hair catching the gold light, tested the movement of her arm. Malaliel, her white braid swinging, adjusted the drape of her wings. Hawo, with dark eyes still half-lidded, clenched and unclenched her gloved fists, her lips curling into a crooked, determined grin. Cathie, brown hair shining, stood at the front, her eyes calm but alight with purpose.
The head priestess stood by the arched entry, watching them with pride. She turned, and the girls followed her through the corridor, the hum of their armor leaving a faint vibration in the air.
They descended a flight of marble steps, each footstep echoing like a heartbeat, until they reached the front hall of the Temple of Light. Here, towering statues of radiant figures lined the chamber, their stony gazes watching as the temple doors swung open.
Beyond the threshold, in the temple's receiving hall, stood the girl in black.
Behind her, two other women of her kind stood like shadows, silent and watchful.
The girl in black lifted her head, her eyes like the depths of a pine forest under starlight, meeting Cathie .
And in that breath, with dawn breaking over the high windows and the scent of incense and cold air filling their lungs, the four warriors of the Temple of Light stood ready.
Ready to hear what this girl in black had come to say.