[Author's Note: Chapters 1–4 will be prologue. The main story begins in Chapter 5.]
South of the Nile, Nubis City.
Night.
Located near the desert, the city was dry and hot during daytime, but at night, the air turned bitterly cold, cold enough that those with weaker bodies felt like they might freeze.
Still, the chill couldn't silence the city's pulse. From afar, Nubis gleamed with life. Streets glowing, people traveling on foot, chattering while munching chopped lamb meat wrapped in bread, homes lit up, skyscrapers shining like beacons in the night.
But on the edge of downtown, one villa stood in stark contrast.
It was completely dark, with no lights and no signs of life. Every window was shattered, with torn white curtains swaying gently in the breeze. The yard was overrun, wild grass climbing to an adult's knees. The iron gates and fences were rusted, parts broken, or missing entirely. From the outside, it looked abandoned. Forgotten. Like no one had lived there in years.
At this moment, a stream of people emerged from the darkness just outside the path leading to the villa.
They walked in formation, like soldiers marching to the battlefield. Leading them was a tall figure dressed in a white robe embroidered with golden threads. A hood attached to the robe concealed its face.
Suddenly, the figure pushed the hood back, revealing a caucasian face with sharp features, blonde hair, a high-bridged nose, lips pressed into a firm line, and eyes glowing with golden-yellow irises.
As her golden eyes scanned, the surrounding air started to change. The oppressive, creepy atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a sense of warmth and holy presence. The darkened neighborhood brightened, as if someone had lit a powerful lamp in the night.
"A smell of death, underworld, and... hell." said the caucasian woman, her last sentence coming after a brief pause.
"A smell of death, underworld, and hell?" repeated Adam, a man with tanned skin, a clean-shaven face, and a tight buzzcut in a puzzling tone. As a member of the Inquisition, he wasn't unfamiliar with those terms. What confused him was the way the woman had said them.
'Death, underworld, and hell? Aren't they all the same? Why is she talking like they're completely different?'
"Yes," the woman replied with a nod, offering no further explanation.
Adam instinctively wanted to ask, but held his tongue. The pale-skinned woman clearly had no intention of clarifying.
Just then, a man dressed in similar fashion took a spot next to her and said, "Your Grace, there's some kind of interference jamming all our communication devices. Should we still proceed with the operation?"
"Yes. The interference had been considered during planning, so there's no need to worry. If anything happens, I'll send someone to relay my orders. Your job is to make sure that message reaches the Church."
"Yes, Your Grace! Praise the Father!" he replied, then quickly returned to his post.
Lifting her chin slightly, she addressed the remaining people, "Split into five teams of four. Two teams will follow me. The rest, secure the perimeter."
"Yes, Your Grace!" Adam and others answered in unison.
Then, raising both hands to the sky, palms open, she declared, "Be careful, everyone. Praise be to the Heavenly Father!"
"Praise be to the Heavenly Father!" Adam and the others echoed with fervor. Their hands too raised to the sky with palms open.
Led by the woman, two teams, nine people in total, entered the villa through a broken gate, pushing into the sea of tall grass. The rest of the groups fanned out into different parts of the villa.
Adam took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. This was his first time participating in a major operation involving so many Inquisitors, and the weight of the matter pressed down on him. He couldn't help but become nervous!
Though he didn't know the full details of the operation, one thing was clear to him. If it required the presence of an Archbishop and more than ten Inquisitors, the operation had to be extremely dangerous!
The moment Adam stepped into the overgrown yard, a wave of discomfort washed over him, and his body instinctively trembled. It felt like he had crossed into the territory that belonged to wild beasts, and they quickly became aware of his presence. In that instant, he felt exposed, as if countless unseen eyes were watching him from the shadows, studying his every move.
But when he looked up, there was nothing.
He forced himself to breathe, to stay calm, and pushed the thought aside.
Then, without warning, a scream tore through the night.
Adam nearly jumped in fright, quickly spinning toward the source of the scream. The others turned as well.
"I-I felt something grab my ankle just now!" stammered a tanned teenager with a nervous, boyish face.
Adam recognized the teenager. Omar.
Well, "recognize" was too simple a word. He didn't just know Omar. He had once saved the lad's life, and his sister's.
The memory was still fresh in his mind as it had happened only a few months ago.
Omar's father had been an archaeologist who often explored pyramids, sphinxes, and other ancient sites. One day, driven by greed or other reasons, he smuggled a piece of jewelry out of a pyramid. That was when his family life took a drastic turn as though a curse had been exacted.
His wife fell ill and died shortly after. His own health began to decline rapidly. Within weeks, he followed her to the grave.
The siblings were left alone. But the curse didn't stop there. Omar's little sister was next. She fell sick and became bedridden. Most of the family's money had already been spent on the medical bills of his parents, and with no support left, Omar was desperate.
While searching through his father's belongings, he found the jewel. Innocently, he tried to sell it at a local jewelry store. The police arrested him not long after for trying to sell a stolen historical artifact.
But when he told them his story, how his family had died one after another, and how the jewel might be the only way to save his sister, the case was passed on to the Inquisition.
The police had long known that when they encountered cases involving strange or supernatural elements, they could request assistance from the Inquisition.
Adam and his team were the ones who handled it, and they managed to locate and contain the curse.
Through study and divination, it was discovered that the jewel had once belonged to a female oracle. She had suffered a grave injustice in life, and even in death, her spirit could not find peace. Consumed by rage, she became a vengeful spirit, bound to the jewel. Ever since, anyone who came into possession of it would fall under her curse.
Yet even after the curse was contained, Omar's sister didn't recover. It was already too late. Her body was still alive, but only thanks to modern technology. Her soul had been deeply damaged, and no ordinary treatment could restore it.
The only hope for her recovery was the Rejuvenating Soul Potion, which was only available to Church members and members of the Inquisition.
Joining the Church was out of the question, at least in Adam's opinion. Omar would need to rise to the rank of High-Ranking Deacon just to qualify for the Rejuvenating Soul Potion. That could take years, with no guarantee of success.
The only viable option was to join the Inquisition. By fighting supernatural threats, he could earn contribution points and eventually exchange them for the potion. A few years at most, if he performed well.
In the end, Omar joined the Inquisition, just as Adam had expected.
Back in the present, Adam watched as Omar, still shaken, described what he had felt.
The blonde woman studied him for a moment, then gave a calm nod to him and the others.
"Keep moving," she said.
At the same time, she raised her hand, and a soft yellow light burst forth from her palm. The light split into several glowing strands, flying toward each member of the group and wrapping around them. In seconds, a shimmering layer of golden mantle formed just outside their clothing.
Adam felt the night's cold, which his clothes couldn't keep out, begin to fade, replaced by a warmth like summer heat flowing through his body. Along with it came a surge of courage. His trembling stopped. The fear of the hundreds of unseen eyes watching him began to vanish.
Adam immediately recognized what she had done.
Solar Mantle!
Detailed information from the Church's textbook about the supernatural ability surfaced in Adam's mind.
Solar Mantle:
Shields the wearer from physical attacks, including bullets and blades.
Grants strong resistance to cold.
Enhance spiritual resistance and courage.
Repels undead and wraith-like entities.
...
Adam couldn't help but see the blonde woman in a new light. Simultaneously, a few information about her surfaced in his mind.
Amelia Watson.
One of the eight Archbishops.
Blessing: Angel Of Light
Primarily responsible for Church affairs across Europe.
For this mission, the Inquisition had requested the Church's assistance. In response, they had sent none other than Archbishop Amelia herself.
At first, he and the other Inquisitor were puzzled by the Church's decision. Why send an archbishop all the way from Europe, when Archbishop Salman, stationed in Cairo, much closer to Nubis was available?
But now, it was starting to make sense.
The threat inside the villa had to be closely related to undead, wraith-like entities, or possibly demons.
It aligned perfectly with what Archbishop Amelia had said earlier about the villa. This place reeked of death, the underworld, and hell.
Archbishop Amelia was someone whose power lay in the domain of light. She was a purification expert, well-suited for dealing with curses and undead. She's basically the nemesis of those dark, filthy creatures.
Archbishop Salman, on the other hand, was renowned for his Blessing or power related to life and plants. Rumor had it he could summon an entire forest in the middle of a city.
Salman's Blessing was impressive, no doubt, but when it came to undead or cursed beings, the better choice was clear.
As the thought passed through Adam's mind, he realized he had fallen behind the others. Snapping out of it, he hurried forward, running to catch up.
A couple of minutes passed. Adam began to feel strangely heavy, like something was weighing down his limbs. Worse, it felt as though their destination kept drifting farther away. The more they walked, the more it seemed like they were going in circles.
They were still stuck in the yard with tall grass everywhere.
"Something's not right," someone muttered.
At that moment, a familiar scream pierced reached his ears
Adam turned around and saw Omar. Somehow, the latter had fallen behind the group by several hundred meters, and no one had noticed!
'How is that possible?'
Then Adam saw Omar clutching his own neck, fingers digging in tightly. His eyes bulged, his face had turned blue, and his tongue hung unnaturally from his mouth.
The boy was choking himself!
Adam's first instinct was to rush in and help, but as he took a step forward, a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him.
He turned and saw Archbishop Amelia standing beside him.
'When did she get here?'
Her golden eyes were fixed on Omar, reflecting the image of Omar strangling himself.
Then, without a word, she spread her arms wide.
A pillar of light shot down from the sky, engulfing Omar in an instant.
Once again, Adam recognized the ability Archbishop Amelia used.
Purification!
Through the translucent glow, Adam and the others could see the grass within the light writhe as if in pain before suddenly igniting, bursting into flames, and crumbling to ash in seconds.
Adam had expected Omar to cease his action the moment the light showered him and for whatever creature was possessing him to be forced out.
But instead, Omar, still caught within the pillar of light, suddenly looked up and smiled.
It was a cold, mocking grin, aimed directly at Amelia.
"No!" Adam shouted.
Snap.
The sound of his neck breaking was relatively vivid in the quiet night.
Omar's body collapsed into the charred grass.
His eyes were still open, wide with confusion and regret. His lips curled up into a smile.