Celestial Domain — Church of Destiny
Inside a grand hall lit by torches, 25 people sat around a table.
Their auras were suppressed, but the overwhelming power radiating from them was still tangible. Yet among those 25, 24 kept their heads lowered with respect, not daring to speak.
"No problems arose in my absence, I hope?"
The voice came from the only one among them who wasn't lowering his head — the one none of them dared look in the eye.
Three chairs around him were empty, and it was clear the others had kept their distance. Still, this wasn't out of fear — those seats belonged to the other three Great Cardinals.
"Great Cardinal, while you were gone, we managed to locate the Book of Destiny."
One of the closer cardinals spoke up.
The man referred to as the Great Cardinal turned his head slightly, his gray eyes locking onto the one who had spoken.
"So, where is the book?."
His words sent tension through the room. This time, no one even tried to lift their gaze.
In the Church of Destiny, these 24 were known as Cardinals — the highest-ranking members. Above them were the four Great Cardinals, and at the very top stood the Pope.
But the ranks weren't only a matter of influence — they also reflected personal power. Compared to the Great Cardinals, the ordinary ones were no more than insects.
"My lord, we apologize. We sent one of our bishops along with some knights to retrieve it, but it's been a week since we last heard from them," one of the cardinals finally said, mustering his courage.
"Oh?"
"We thought perhaps other religions were interfering, so we decided to wait until one of the other Great Cardinals returned."
Silence followed his explanation. Logically speaking, their decision wasn't wrong — they had acted cautiously.
The Book of Destiny was of the highest importance to them. They couldn't allow any other religion to catch even a whiff of it.
"Which bishop did you send?"
"My lord, you wouldn't know him — a novice bishop, only C ranked Climber."
The Great Cardinal gave them a heavy look. It was clear he was furious that they had sent such a weak and insignificant person on such an important mission.
Still, he understood the reason, and after scaring them a little, he looked away.
"Where was the book?" he asked after a moment.
"My lord, the book was last in possession of the final heir of the Irenwald family. We tracked her to a village near the Broken Valley."
"Irenwald, huh? Those annoying bastards."
The Great Cardinal muttered and waved his hand. A mirror appeared in front of him.
The cardinals around him held their breath. It was the Mirror of Destiny, the Church's most powerful artifact.
A mirror that could show both the past and the future.
"Show me the outcome of retrieving the Book of Destiny from the last Irenwald's heir," the Great Cardinal said calmly.
The floating mirror shimmered, then displayed a scene — a battle between one of their bishops and a white-haired boy.
It showed the bishop using a relic to transform into a half-angel — and how he was torn apart by strange, terrifying creatures.
After the bishop's death, the image slowly faded.
The Great Cardinal frowned as he watched. Who was this boy? Could he be a messenger from another religion? If not, why was he interfering?
Maybe he was the girl's friend… or protector?
"Show me the Irenwald heir's last known location."He spoke again, calmly.
As long as he didn't ask about the past or future of a powerful person or object, using the mirror came with no cost — which is why he didn't directly ask where the book was.
The mirror shimmered again and displayed the Irenwald heir hugging the white-haired boy. The Great Cardinal zoomed in slightly and identified their location.
"She's in the Free Zone of Erin. Hire Wanderers or a mercenary group to retrieve her. Don't use our own forces for the Central Plains." He then looked around at the cardinals.
They all nodded in understanding.
"Anything else? I need to prepare — I'm planning to challenge the Ninth Floor again."
"My lord, there is one more thing. Kaelos Rigar, leader of the Saironblade Guild, came here personally to request the Mirror of Destiny."
"Oh? Why?"
"It seems his son was killed while clearing the First Floor of the Tower. He wants to find out the truth."
"What does he think we are? A church that investigates people's deaths?"
One of the cardinals snorted.
"He said he's willing to pay any price."
The Great Cardinal paused for a moment, saying nothing.
The Mirror of Destiny couldn't be lent to others — that was a strict rule, unchangeable.
Still, this was a good opportunity to tame someone as powerful as Kaelos.
He looked at the mirror floating before him.
"Anyone know his son's name?" he asked. He didn't want to ask the mirror directly to show him the scene of the death — that would cost too much.
"My lord, if I'm not mistaken, his dead son's name was Aron."
The Great Cardinal then commanded the mirror to show him the scene of Aron Rigar's death. The mirror glowed and revealed the moment Aron and his team were decapitated — by the same white-haired boy.
As the scene ended, the Great Cardinal frowned. Wasn't this the same boy again? Once he was sure, a smile crept onto his face.
"Is Kaelos coming back?"
"Yes, my lord. He said he'd return next month. We weren't sure if you or any of the other Great Cardinals would be available, so we asked him to come back later."
"Good. When he returns, let him use the mirror and witness the one responsible for his son's death. But show him a picture of the Irenwald heir and tell him that, as payment, he must bring the girl to us."
After that, both the mirror and the Great Cardinal vanished.
His thinking was simple
If Kaelos made a move, no one would ever suspect the Church — and the other religions wouldn't care either.
Besides, Kaelos would take care of the white-haired boy and bring them the girl they were after.
Wasn't that a win-win situation?