The church was colossal, carved entirely from white stone that shimmered faintly in the candlelight. Towering columns lined the sides, each etched with silver scripture and divine seals. High above, an arched ceiling stretched so far it vanished into shadows. Incense drifted lazily through the air like ghostly silk, perfumed with myrrh and moonflower.
At the center of the altar chamber stood a massive statue of Aeternitas—the Goddess of Eternity. Her marble arms stretched outward, cradling a ring of stars above her head. Her face was serene and timeless, eyes closed, as if listening to the prayers below. At her feet, offerings had been placed: white roses, glowing coins, small mirrors, and engraved gemstones.
Beneath her, twenty robed summoners formed a wide circle etched into the marble floor. Each wore flowing white robes with golden crests—the emblem of the Eternal Church—stitched across their chests. They trembled, sweat glistening on their brows as they poured every ounce of mana into the runes at their feet. The summoning circle pulsed with divine magic, its edges glowing a pale silver-blue.
Behind them, a choir of nearly a hundred more faithful lined the pews, robes immaculate. They sang and prayed in unison, their voices rising like a tide—
"O Aeternitas, guide us through the veil of stars…O Eternal One, grant us the light of the hero…"
Their chants echoed through the chamber like waves crashing against stone.
At the edge of the summoning circle, standing barefoot on a raised platform, was Priestess Kalien.
Her white-and-gold robes fluttered as the magic surged, her long blonde hair clinging to her forehead with sweat. Her green eyes burned with faith, fear, and urgency.
"Is the summoning circle holding?" she shouted.
"Yes, Priestess Kalien!" one of the summoners answered, his voice strained.
"Good. Don't stop—even if it hurts."
She stepped forward, hands raised to the statue of Aeternitas.
"This is our last chance! If we fail, the kingdoms of men will fall—our people, our children, even our gods will be forced to kneel before the demon hordes!"
A summoner groaned loudly and fell to one knee, his fingers burning from overexposure to divine magic. Another began to cough, blood on his lips.
Kalien's voice cracked—but she did not break.
"Stand up!" she commanded."The Goddess is watching! If you stop now, you will be marked as a traitor to the Church of Eternity!"
The man struggled, trembling, then forced himself upright. The circle flared brighter in response.
A nearby priest—older, voice gravelly from decades of worship—stepped up beside her, gripping his staff tightly.
"They can't hold much longer, Priestess."
"They have to," Kalien said, eyes fixed on the glowing circle."Aeternitas will not abandon us. We must show her our devotion. Even if it breaks us."
The priest's eyes lowered. He did not argue.
Behind them, the chorus of prayers grew louder. The singing turned to cries.
"Deliver us from night eternal—""Grant us a flame, Goddess!""Send us your sword! Send us your hero!"
Kalien's lips quivered. She stepped closer to the edge of the circle. Her voice now wavered—not from fear, but from something deeper: hope.
"Come forth… whoever you are," she whispered."Answer the call of the last faithful… before the light fades from this world."
And the circle began to pulse—no longer from strain, but from something responding.
The air thickened. Candles flickered. The runes on the floor glowed brighter than ever before.
The statue of Aeternitas seemed to watch… not passively, but knowingly.
Something was coming.
The floor trembled.
A deep rumble echoed beneath the marble tiles of the holy cathedral, as if some ancient beast had stirred in the foundations of the world. Dust fell from the high arches. Candles fluttered violently, some extinguishing, others flaring like torches.
Then—
CRACK.
A stained-glass window shattered high above, shards raining down like colored stars. Screams erupted from the back rows as acolytes and elders ducked for cover, shielding their heads with trembling arms.
"The ground—it's shaking!"
"Is it a demon?!"
"No—no, the circle's collapsing—!"
The twenty summoners at the circle's edge cried out in pain, staggering as the energy surged through them like fire licking across their bones. The once-controlled runes flared violently, white-hot and unstable, searing into the stone floor beneath them.
"Priestess! The circle—it's too much! We can't contain it!" one of the summoners gasped, his robes scorched at the hem.
But Priestess Kalien didn't flinch.
She stood firm, wind whipping her blonde hair across her face, eyes blazing with emotion. The white shawl around her shoulders snapped in the rising current of magic. Her chest heaved, not in fear, but from the overwhelming pressure of holy presence.
Behind her, the hundreds of praying worshippers faltered. Their voices broke. The unified chant dissolved into scattered whispers.
"O Eternal Goddess… protect us…""Forgive us if we've gone too far…""Aeternitas… please… please be watching…"
Many dropped to their knees, clutching their hands together, crying quietly, whispering prayers of safety as the very walls of the cathedral groaned.
Another window burst. A column cracked.
"It's breaking apart!""The summoning is cursed!""Run—"
"ENOUGH!"
Kalien's voice sliced through the chaos like a divine trumpet.
She raised her arms to the towering statue of Aeternitas, her voice trembling—not with fear, but exaltation.
"Glory to the Eternal Goddess!" she cried."She has heard us! She has answered us!""We are not forsaken—she has given us a hero!"
Silence fell.
Only for a second.
Then—
The circle exploded in light.
No fire. No heat. Just pure white radiance.
It shot outward like a tidal wave, rippling through the cathedral. Runes on the floor blazed so brightly they turned invisible. The gold crests on the summoners' robes glowed with divine brilliance.
The very statue of Aeternitas began to glow.
Soft at first—then brighter, brighter, until her marble face gleamed like the moon. Her outstretched hands pulsed with energy. The ring of stars above her head spun once, slowly, impossibly.
"Look! Look at the goddess!" someone cried."She's alive—she's shining!"
Worshippers fell prostrate, pressing their foreheads to the floor. Others collapsed in tears, overwhelmed.
"Forgive us!""We are unworthy!""Have mercy, Eternal Flame!"
Some screamed in awe, others in panic. A few tried to flee but were stopped by the blinding light now building at the center of the circle.
The floor beneath it cracked outward. Tiles exploded from the pressure. A blizzard of wind and holy magic swirled into the air like a tornado of starlight.
Kalien did not flee.
She did not flinch.
She smiled.
Her arms opened wide, head tilted back, green eyes filled with tears.
"We welcome you, chosen one…" she whispered."Bearer of fate… flame of our salvation… come to us."
And then the light consumed her.
The cathedral vanished in a flood of white.
No shadows. No bodies. No marble. No sound.
Only light.
And screaming.
"It burns!""It's too much—!""Aeternitas—Aeternitas forgive us—"
But Kalien felt no pain.
To her, the light was warm. Comforting. Like being held by the very goddess she had worshipped since birth. Her body stood in the center of the storm, robes flaring out around her as she accepted it all—the burden, the terror, the miracle.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"You've come," she whispered. "Please… let it be you."
The light faded.
The world began to return.
Stone by stone, the cathedral reformed in the wake of the summoning. Cracked walls. Smoking pillars. Dozens of followers groaning, covering their eyes. The statue of Aeternitas now dim, but untouched. The candles reignited one by one.
And there, at the center of the circle—where no man had stood before—
A figure now knelt in silence.