The next day, I hurried through my morning routine so I wouldn't have to face Anna. Afterwards, I fled like a dog with his tail between his legs. Shameful and cowardly, yes, but I didn't have the courage to look Anna in the eyes.
Last night she touched upon something I wanted to hide from everyone, including myself. Thinking about it made me feel vulnerable and pathetic, which I loathed.
Maybe the wounds in my heart weren't as healed as I thought.
However, dealing with that was a problem for future Gabriel. Present Gabriel had other concerns to worry about. Dealing with the grand priests, talking with Kiki about Unity of Flesh and Spirit, consulting with Tempest, etc.
For that last one, Grand Priest Darius still hadn't made a decision. He hadn't said yes, but neither had he said no. I took that as a good sign. As long as he was still considering it, there was a chance.
Of course, if I took Marcella's offer, I could force the issue. However, I didn't want to do that. Grand Priest Darius was an old family friend. More than that, he had always treated me well, barring the occasional slap to the head. I didn't want to repay his kindness with ingratitude.
The problem was, there were too many questions eating away at me. I needed the answers to those questions. My intuition told me that they were important, though I didn't know how yet. While I didn't want to sour my relationship with Grand Priest Darius, I would if I needed to.
After I finished getting ready, I tasked one of the paladins to send a message to the Grand Inquisitor, informing him of what happened yesterday. I wanted to go meet him in person, but I knew I wouldn't have enough time. With everything going on, I needed to prioritize and complaining about a group of rogue inquisitors was far down on the list.
Later on, my companions and I met with the grand priests, one by one rather than all at once. They didn't have much time to spare, so they came early and left as soon as they finished making their offers. Thankfully we only met with a few of the grand priests. It would've taken days to meet with every single one of them.
Most of them were unhappy with us, and they made their displeasure known. As grand priests, they weren't used to being summoned by others. Usually they were the ones doing the summoning. However, they swallowed their pride and limited themselves to a few harsh words.
It helped that Grand Priest Darius sat in on these meetings and made sure none of them tried anything funny.
That's when I realized that joining our group was more important to them than I first thought. The regressors among us were tasked by the gods to save the world from the demonic invasion, yes. However, the grand priests' attitudes made me suspect there was something more going on.
As I suspected, the grand priests offered us all kinds of things. Resources, manpower, and so on. Grand Priestesses Quinn made the biggest offer. Hers included enough resources and manpower to rival that of a lesser House. This made for a tempting offer, especially when combined with the resources and such we already had access to thanks to our respective families.
It was noon by the time the last grand priest left. We ate a light lunch, before we gathered in the room that contained the gods' relationship board. I stood in front of the board, while the others sat facing me. Except for Kiki, who stood behind Lord Dominic.
Grand Priest Darius also joined us for this meeting.
"Don't you have duties to attend to?" I asked him. "You seem to spend more time here than in the Temple of Tempest."
Grand Priest Darius shrugged, before grinning at me.
"This is important," he said. "Besides, Kaya is looking after things in my absence. It'll be fine."
I raised an eyebrow at that. Kaya was Grand Priest Darius' aide. I had met her a few times in the past, though this happened before I transmigrated, so only vague impressions remained in my memory.
From what I recall, she was a fiery and fierce woman with little tolerance for foolishness. She was one of the few people who could keep Grand Priest Darius in check. Sooner or later she would make him pay for slacking off.
"Well, it's your funeral," I said. "Don't blame us when Kaya comes after you for abandoning your duties."
Grand Priest Darius made a dismissive gesture. I shook my head, before facing the others.
"So, now that we've met with the grand priests, what are your thoughts on the matter?" I asked.
"The only offer worth considering is Grand Priestess Quinn's," Cally said. "The rest pale in comparison." She paused. "Except for Grand Priestess Marcella's."
Grand Priest Darius frowned.
"I understand your position," he said. "However, if you accept Grand Priestess Quinn's offer, be prepared for the consequences. Lord Tempest and Lord Aeros are enemies. If you accept her offer, this may hinder your chances of talking with him. Not to mention, Lord Aeros has other enemies as well. They may act against you as well."
I frowned at that. He made a good point. The amount of help we received from the gods for our task depended on how much they favored us. I found this more than a little annoying, especially since we were facing the end of the world, but complaining about it would get me nowhere.
"It's still worth considering," Lord Dominic said. "Don't expect any support from my House. I'm not on good terms with them. In fact, it's a wonder that they haven't kicked me out yet."
I wasn't surprised by this. While I didn't know Lord Dominic's story, I knew he wasn't on good terms with his family. However, no matter how bad their relationship became, I doubted they would ever let go of him completely. I mean, as a genius artificer, Lord Dominic was worth more than his weight in gold.
"And the help we can expect from the rest of our families is limited," Anna said.
I nodded.
Cally's family, which included House Icefall and Clan Frostheart, were regional powers. They had limited influence outside of the Icefall region. Besides, Cally had run away from home, so I didn't know if they were even willing to help us in the first place.
As for House Sturm and Clan Thorne, while they were among the most powerful families within the Solarian Empire, they only had so many resources and manpower to spare. The rest were tied up protecting and furthering their respective interests. Neither Anna nor I were the heirs to our families.
Of course, we had Clan Sturm. However, Mother was still busy building it up. Clan Sturm didn't have the strength to help us much. Not yet at least. Maybe in the future, sure, but not right now.
As for House Thorne, Anna's birth family, I didn't know how much aid we could expect from them, if any. She never talked much about her relationship with her birth family, and I never asked.
This was why Grand Priestess Quinn's offer was so tempting. The Church of the Sun as a whole was already supporting us. However, the more we had to work with, the more we could do. The demonic invasion would soon encompass all of Lumina, and there was a limit to what we could do on our own. The more resources, manpower, and connections we had, the lighter our burden overall.
Ideally everyone else would give us everything we needed for our task. However, reality had a way of kicking you in the face. Just because demons were invading didn't mean the rest of our problems had disappeared. The Church of the Sun, our families, and so on had other concerns to worry about.
"Why do we choose between them?" Leroy asked.
The rest of us looked at him.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Leroy shrugged.
"Why not pick both?" he asked. "Grand Priestess Quinn is offering us resources and manpower. Meanwhile, Grand Priestess Marcella is offering favors and connections. We need both, so why don't we pick both?"
Cally grimaced.
"Doing that means letting the Church of the Sun gain more influence over us," she said.
Leroy shrugged.
"And? We're not in a position to be picky."
I covered my face with one hand and started laughing.
"Gods, I'm an idiot," I said. "I got so caught up in my own thinking that I never considered other possibilities." I removed my hand from my face and looked at Leroy. "Thank you for reminding us about how narrow-minded we were being."
Leroy nodded, before looking away with a bashful expression on his face. I looked to the others.
"So, as Leroy pointed out, we have a third option," I said. "Pick both. I'm leaning towards this as well. Any objections?"
Cally nodded.
"Yes," she said. "I don't trust the Church of the Sun. Anyone they send to us will be a spy that will report back on our movements and such."
I glanced at Grand Priest Darius, who made a conceding gesture and nodded.
"So, are you saying we should reject the church's offer then?" I asked.
Cally snorted.
"Of course not," she said. "We need them too much. I just wanted to warn everyone about what we're getting into."
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"Noted." I looked to the others. "Any other objections?"
Anna pinched her chin and wore a thoughtful expression.
"We need a name for our group," she said.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
"My love, that isn't an objection."
"I know, but it's something we should consider. We're no longer a lone band of adventurers. With the church's support, we're a proper organization. So, we need a name to call ourselves. I mean, calling ourselves the Regressors is a bit on the nose."
I opened my eyes and glared at Anna. She flashed a grin at me.
"Fine," I said, a little annoyed. "We'll figure out a name. However, let's get through this first, shall we?" I looked at everyone else. "Any objections? Otherwise, we're going to accept both offers."
The others looked amongst themselves, before shaking their heads.
"Good," I said. "Now then, as Anna pointed out, we need a name. Any ideas?"
We spent the next hour trying to come up with a name for our group. However, we soon discovered that coming up with a good name proved more difficult than expected. Hell, coming up with a name that everyone agreed upon proved more difficult than expected, let alone a good one.
Every time someone came up with a name, at least one other person objected to it. We argued about the merits, or lack thereof, of each one. These arguments grew so heated that we almost came to blows because of them.
In the end, we decided to continue the discussion at another time before each of us went our own way. Otherwise, I feared an actual fight would have broken out.
I headed towards the rear to cool my head off, while Grand Priest Darius followed me with an amused expression on his face. The sky above was dark and cloudy, as if mirroring my mood. It looked like there would be a storm later on.
"Ugh!" I said, kicking up some dirt. "How could they be so blind? The Thunderfrost Chargers is a great name!"
Grand Priest Darius chuckled.
"Well," he said. "That name would just apply to you, Gabriel. You're the only one with an affinity for Lightning and Ice." He paused in thought. "Also, it sounds like the name of a cavalry unit."
I threw a glare in his direction, before I sighed. My anger drained out of me like air leaving a balloon.
"Still," I said, pouting. "It's not like the others came up with any better names."
"I don't know," Grand Priest Darius said. "Lady Annabelle came up with 'The Guardians of Lumina'. I thought that was a fitting name, all things considered."
I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, but it's also boring," I said. "We need a name with more flair, more oomph."
Grand Priest Darius chuckled.
"There are times when you seem mature for your age," he said. "And then there are times like this, when you act like a child."
I shrugged.
"Well, I did go through two childhoods," I pointed out. "It makes sense for me to be twice as childish as most other people."
Grand Priest Darius chuckled and shook his head.
"What are your plans after settling everything here?" he asked, blatantly changing the subject.
I shrugged.
"That depends on the actual regressors," I said. "Right now, we're relying on their memories of the First Timeline."
Of course, that knowledge would become less and less useful the more we changed things. After a certain point, we wouldn't be able to rely on that knowledge at all. By that point, we would be sailing uncharted waters.
"Otherwise, we'll see what the Inquisition and Crawford can dig up," I continued. "Personally, I want to go after the people responsible for the demonic incursion in the Icefall region."
We had little information on this group. All we knew was that they were demon worshipers hell-bent on bringing their infernal master into Lumina. However, with the Inquisition's help, I hoped to change that.
If we could stop this group of demon worshipers, maybe we could stop the demonic invasion before it gained too much momentum, or at least slow it down.
"That's a good start," Grand Priest Darius said with a nod.
The next few seconds passed by in silence, as a lull fell over us.
"Gabriel," Grand Priest Darius said, breaking the silence. "Do you still wish to speak with Lord Tempest?"
I looked at him and nodded.
"I need answers, and I believe only a god can give them to me."
"Do you believe those answers will aid you in your mission?"
I took a moment before responding.
"Yes, though maybe I'm just trying to justify my own selfishness."
Grand Priest Darius sighed.
"I see," he said. "Well, in that case, let's get going."
I blinked at him in surprise.
"Right now?!"
Grand Priest Darius nodded.
"Right now."
It took me a moment to recover my composure.
"I thought you said that accepting Grand Priestess Quinn's offer would lower my chances of speaking to Lord Tempest."
Grand Priest Darius grinned at me.
"Yes, but you just decided to accept the offer. You haven't actually accepted it yet, have you?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Do you really think that sort of reasoning will work with Lord Tempest? Even a child wouldn't fall for something so flimsy!"
Grand Priest Darius shrugged.
"It's worth a try, isn't it?"
I opened my mouth to object some more, before I gave up and closed it shut.
"Very well," I said. "You're the grand priest here. However, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Worry about yourself. I'll be fine."
I let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a derisive snort, before my mirth faded.
"Thank you," I said. "I appreciate this. Truly."
Grand Priest Darius gave me a nod with a solemn expression on his face.
"Come along then. If we hurry, maybe we'll reach the Temple of Tempest before that storm hits."
With that, the two of us left the residence and headed towards Mt. Sol.
The journey to the Temple of Tempest proved uneventful, though it took a while since it was located near the summit of Mt. Sol. A part of me expected the rogue inquisitors to make another move. However, they must've been scared off by Grand Priest Darius' presence, as well as the team of paladins that ended up accompanying us.
As time passed, the skies above grew darker as more and more storm clouds rolled in. However, other than that, nothing else happened. There was no thunder, no lightning, no rain. Nothing. The wind didn't even pick up either. If it weren't for the dark clouds gathering above, I wouldn't have thought there was a storm brewing at all.
That said, I sensed tension and anticipation in the air. It felt as if the world itself was waiting for this storm to break. This was an omen of some kind, I could feel it in my bones. However, I didn't know if this was a good omen or a bad one.
When we arrived at the Temple of Tempest, I took a moment to appreciate the view. It was a tall and majestic tower, several stories tall, built from gleaming white marble. It started out broad at the base, but grew thinner near the top. The tip was scorched black, as if it had been struck by lightning countless times. However, this added to the tower's majesty rather than take away from it.
A tall wall surrounded the tower, with a reinforced wooden gate serving as the only way in or out. Two paladins stood guard. In addition to the wall, I also sensed several layers of Holy magic and blessings protecting the place. They seemed powerful enough to withstand a sustained assault from a Sixth Ranked Awakened, and maybe even a Seventh Ranked Awakened.
The gate opened as we approached, while the paladins on guard saluted Grand Priest Darius. However, it wasn't until we passed through that I realized that no one had opened the gate. It had opened of its own accord.
On the other side I saw a stone courtyard decorated with oak trees. Priests and priestesses of Tempest occupied the courtyard, kneeling in prayer, gazing at the gathering storm clouds above. There was no rhyme or reason to their placement. It was as if they had stopped what they were doing and knelt in place as soon as the storm clouds began to gather.
I found this odd. However, when I glanced at Grand Priest Darius, he appeared as if nothing was amiss.
He maintained his composure until we reached the base of the tower and a strange sound reached our ears. His composure faltered, and he stepped behind me.
"Damn it," Grand Priest Darius said. "I was hoping to avoid her."
Before I could ask what he meant, the strange sound grew louder and I realized it was someone shouting a word over and over.
"Darius!"
A woman emerged from the tower. Based on her garb, she was a priestess of Tempest. She stood a head shorter than me, with tanned skin and a lean build. Her hair looked odd. It was white in the middle, but black on the sides. I couldn't tell if she had dyed it, or if this was her natural hair color.
The woman marched towards us, her dark eyes blazing with fury.
"There you are, you old goat!" she shouted. "How dare you run off to play while leaving me to do all of your work?"
It took me a moment to realize that this was Kaya, Grand Priest Darius' aide. I hadn't seen her in a while, nor was I familiar with her, so I hadn't recognized her at first.
"I wasn't playing around," Grand Priest Darius said from behind me. "I was busy with very important work."
"Lies! You just wanted to slack off!"
Kaya tried to grab Grand Priest Darius, but he avoided her grasp, using me as a shield. She started to chase him, but to no avail. Grand Priest Darius was nimble, despite his age, hiding behind me the entire time. I glanced at the paladins. From the exasperated expressions on their faces, it was clear that this wasn't an unusual occurrence.
I sighed, before I stepped aside, giving Kaya full access to Grand Priest Darius. He gave me a betrayed look, just before she grabbed him by the front of his robes and lifted him off of his feet.
I raised an eyebrow at that. Given her physique, Kaya looked like she would struggle to lift a pot full of water. Then again, she was a priestess. Maybe she used Holy magic to enhance her strength.
"You are going to go into your office and spend the rest of the day working," Kaya snarled. "Or I am going to quit being your aide. Let's see you try and run this place without me."
"Kaya, please," Grand Priest Darius said, his tone frantic. "I spoke the truth earlier. I am busy with something important." He gestured to me. "Lord Gabriel petitioned to speak with our lord, and I accepted his petition."
Kaya looked at me and started, as if she just noticed my presence.
"Lord Gabriel?" she asked. "Is that you?"
I gave her a faint smile and nodded.
"Hello, Priestess Kaya," I said. "It's been a while."
Longer for me than her.
"Yes, it has." Kaya looked me up and down. "You seem different than before." She squinted. "You made a contract with a spirit."
I blinked at her in surprise. I opened my mouth to ask how she knew that, but then Grand Priest Darius spoke up, cutting me off.
"Kaya, please put me down."
Without taking her eyes off me, Kaya obeyed Grand Priest Darius. She even straightened out his robes after putting him down.
"I promise to get back to work after I've recovered from speaking with Lord Tempest," Grand Priest Darius said. "However, for now, Lord Gabriel and I need to reach the top of the tower."
Kaya looked back at him and nodded.
"Very well," she said in a stern voice. "I'll hold you to that."
With that, she turned around and marched back into the tower. I watched her go the entire time, still puzzled.
How did Kaya notice Aurora? Or rather, how did she know that I contracted with a spirit? The only other being who realized this at first glance was Kiki. However, Kiki was a spirit, while Kaya was not.
Or was she?
If she was, then that had some serious implications.
I looked at Grand Priest Darius.
"Is Priestess Kaya a spi-?" I started to ask, before he clamped a hand over my mouth.
"Some things should not be said aloud," he said, a serious expression on his face. "Everyone has their own secrets. It's best not to pry unless necessary."
I studied Grand Priest Darius, before nodding. Very well. Whether or not Kaya was a spirit mattered little to me. I had my own concerns to deal with.
With that, Grand Priest Darius and I entered the Temple of Tempest, followed by the team of paladins.