Sky City, Holy Ground of the Holy Cathedral

The subdued light from the stained glass windows cast colored shadows on the white marble veined with gold of the Holy Ground, where the silence was disturbed only by the faint trickle of water in a small cascade saturated with arcane mana.

Her Holiness Siel, whose presence radiated a divine authority that few dared to contest, stared at the object placed on the crystal altar. It was the Key of Saint Peter, that artifact capable of breaking the seals of the celestial domains.

At her side, Helia von Stavenger remained motionless, her usual black gothic outfit contrasting violently with the immaculate purity of the place. Her glasses reflected the glow of the grimoire as she slowly adjusted her position. She seemed lost deep in her thoughts while her gaze remained fixed there.

"We have finally managed to obtain it... the instrument that will allow us to open the gates of Paradise..." murmured Siel in a voice that seemed to carry the weight of centuries.

Helia did not flinch, her dark eyes still fixed on the reflections of the artifact.

"Possessing the key is only the first step..." replied Helia while crossing her arms under her chest, a posture that emphasized her slender but authoritative silhouette. "Opening the door is one thing... reaching it is another... To activate the Key of Saint Peter, we must go to Island Mist, at the heart of the misty continent..."

Siel turned her gaze toward the young woman, her eyes seeming to probe the depths of her soul.

"Island Mist... the place where even the most powerful in this world have difficulty piercing the veil..."

"Exactly..." continued Helia, her lips tightening into a straight and cold line. "This continent is a geographical anomaly... The arcane mana there is so concentrated and so unstable that it has acted as a mutagenic agent on the entire ecosystem... The fauna and flora there have been transformed into true abominations. We do not even know what we will find there..."

’ pfft... The reports from the rare imperial expeditions that moreover never managed to penetrate the island were ultimately just useless information... ’ thought Siel while averting her eyes.

"There is almost no reliable information on this territory..." continued Helia, her tone becoming drier. " because there have never been any survivors to tell what they saw... The warriors sent by the Empire in the past, some of whom were of respectable rank, were all consumed by the mist or by what it hides... It is a land of no return and that is precisely our objective"

" I doubt that you already have a plan... how do you intend to lead an expedition into a place that even the most powerful fear ?" asked Siel, a hint of curiosity piercing her mask of impassivity.

Helia sketched a small smile while calmly adjusting her glasses.

" Indeed I have already thought about it," she began. " This time we are not counting solely on conventional forces... Recently I learned of the existence of a mortal in Paradise,"

Upon hearing the mention of a mortal, confusion could be read on Siel’s face, but she did not interrupt her.

"...A mortal who has achieved the impossible... a woman whose abilities have reached such a level of mastery that they have provoked the envy and jealousy of the superior beings themselves..." continued Helia

Siel frowned, the mention of a mortal equaling the archangels being a notion that bordered on heresy for many, but not for her who knew the secrets about the true origin of demons or angels who were in fact the souls of dead mortals who had lost their memories.

"You are talking about a being who has reached the Genesis stage ?"

"More than that... she has reached the level of power of an Archangel while retaining her mortal essence... Her technique is so pure that it escapes the magical understanding of angels...". Helia marked a pause before resuming. "I propose to use the Key of Saint Peter not only to open the door, but to summon this person down here... She will be the keystone of our expedition... She will be responsible for the creation and the direction of the expedition destined for Island Mist..."

"An invocation of this caliber will require immense preparation... and a diversion so that the powers of the Abyss do not get involved..." noted Siel while absentmindedly stroking her long hair.

"That is where the second part of my plan comes in..." declared Helia, her gaze animating with a dark gleam. "Before proceeding with the invocation, we must weaken The Spectrum... This occult organization is becoming far too active, especially with their Key of Solomon...".

"The Spectrum... Those dogs of the Demonic Princes..." spat Siel with contempt.

"I have heard about the recent exploits of an exorcist... a man who seems to possess a deep knowledge of mystical forces and an equally great hatred for the fallen...". Helia adjusted her glasses. "Klein Konstantine... He is the one we will use... He will be the leader of the expedition destined to attack The Spectrum directly on their territory, in Tenebris, alongside the faction of the Academy..."

’ Konstantine... ’ thought Siel, her thoughts drifting. ’ Why do I have the impression of having already heard this name somewhere ? ’

"Placing him at the head of an Academy force is a strong political gesture..." admitted Siel. "It will force the factions to cooperate under the banner of the Holy Church... but is he really worthy of carrying our hopes ?"

"He has solved problems that your priests considered insoluble, Your Holiness... His talent is not in question, only his loyalty... but with the right levers, loyalty can be bought or coerced..." replied Helia with icy indifference.

Silence fell again, as the two women contemplated the repercussions of such a conflict in Tenebris.

"And what about the influence of the Hortensia Church in this matter ?" asked Siel. "The people are starting... I mean, They are talking about a change, a new era..."

Helia turned her gaze toward the stained glass windows, where the sky of Sky City was beginning to darken.

"The people need to believe in something... and if it is not in you, it will be in him..."

"You are talking about Nostradamus..." declared Siel, her tone suddenly becoming much colder.

"Nostradamus..." she repeated. "A particularly troubling existence... a prophet who sees beyond the veil that the Constellations have woven around us..."

Siel approached Helia.

"You know who he is, don’t you ? Your blessing of Jophiel allows you to see the hidden truths..."

Helia slowly turned her head toward the sovereign of the Cathedral. Her face had become a stone mask again, an impassable barrier even for a Saint.

"I have a vague idea of who he might be..." she replied.

" But that does not concern you, Your Holiness... For now, focus on the Key of Saint Peter and on the preparation of your Paladins. "