Church of Dawn

Ning Xiuyuan gazed wistfully at the towering structure before him. After a long while, he drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and pushed open the cathedral doors.

The morning was silent; the hall was empty.

Only the solemn prayer benches welcomed the Lamp Keeper's return.

Dawn filtering through the stained-glass windows illuminated the entire sanctuary.

Having just returned from darkness, Ning Xiuyuan lifted his head and greedily took in the colored stained-glass rose window set into the vaulted wall. Dazzling, radiant colors filled his black eyes—mysterious, breathtaking, serene—driving away the suffocating despair brought by endless darkness.

The God of Dawn, holding aloft the sun, lowered His gaze in pity upon all living things.

As Ning Xiuyuan looked on, the sun suddenly burst forth with boundless light—the dawn of the human world. Rings of shimmering ripples spread outward, and the scenes upon the stained-glass window came alive.

Angels played music, harps trembled, flowers bloomed, and believers cheered.

Wherever the light spread, it became the fire of hope, spilling across the mortal world!

For a moment, Ning Xiuyuan was utterly entranced.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

After an unknown amount of time, a deeply moved sigh sounded beside his ear.

Ning Xiuyuan jolted and turned around. It was Bishop Byron.

He looked to be around forty, with thinning hair, dressed in crimson clerical robes and holding a holy scripture. At that moment, he too was looking up at the stained-glass window.

Ning Xiuyuan instinctively looked again, only to discover in surprise that the sun had vanished.

—So it had been the overlap of the rising sun outside and the painted sun in the glass, creating that magnificent spectacle.

"Darkness always brings despair. But child, remember this: the Lord has never been far away. He has always watched over us!"

Ning Xiuyuan's entire body trembled at those words.

"You are too tired. Go back and get some proper sleep. I will wait for you in the prayer room." Bishop Byron raised his right hand and traced a Dawn Sigil over his chest. "May the Lord watch over you!"

Ning Xiuyuan opened his mouth, but in the end suppressed the countless questions in his heart. He offered a salute and left.

"Creak—"

The towering bronze-clad doors swung open, and numerous devout believers entered.

When they ran into Ning Xiuyuan as he was leaving, they instinctively made way for him. Their eyes held rejection and fear of the unknown.

In this city, Ning Xiuyuan was far too unusual.

His black hair and black eyes, the bizarre language that spilled from his mouth, and his utterly different complexion made him seem like a monster.

When he had first arrived, he had nearly been beaten to death.

Now, even though the Church of Dawn had taken him in, the believers merely praised Your Excellency the Bishop's kindness rather than genuinely accepting him.

Ning Xiuyuan could understand the locals' feelings of rejection and fear, but it still left a bitter taste when directed at him.

So he could only quicken his pace and leave the cathedral.

His dormitory was not far from the cathedral. It was the groom's quarters by the stables.

The groom's quarters were large—a two-story building with more than a dozen rooms—but most stood empty. At present, only four grooms lived there.

The stables were empty as well, with only a dozen or so ceremonial horses remaining.

Ning Xiuyuan guessed that this had something to do with this world's rapidly developing industry.

—Horses were being replaced as transportation by bicycles, automobiles, and trains, so the stables had naturally fallen into disuse.

Upon returning to his room, Ning Xiuyuan could no longer endure the exhaustion of staying awake all night. He collapsed onto the hard cot and fell into a deep sleep.

By the time he woke, the sun was already slanting westward.

Ning Xiuyuan sat at the edge of the hard cot, his face still carrying the dazed haze of just waking up.

He sat blankly for quite a while before coming back to himself. After taking care of his hygiene and answering nature's calls, he left the dormitory and went to visit Bishop Byron.

From Bishop Byron's words, he clearly knew something.

The prayer room was located behind the cathedral's main hall. It occasionally allowed devout believers to confess in private, somewhat like a confessional.

When Ning Xiuyuan knocked and entered, Bishop Byron, clad in red robes, was reading the holy scripture.

Not daring to disturb him, Ning Xiuyuan simply moved aside and waited quietly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

After a long while, Bishop Byron raised his face and spoke gently.

"The honor is mine."

Ning Xiuyuan replied in the manner he had heard other priests use.

"I know you have many doubts, but I cannot give you an answer that will satisfy you. You need only remember that all is the will of God, and all is God's grace."

"Come. Follow me."

Bishop Byron closed the holy scripture, stood up, and walked toward a wall.

So the Church of Dawn really is behind all this...

Ning Xiuyuan's expression remained indifferent, but his brow suddenly lifted as he saw Bishop Byron raise a foot and pass through the wall, as though entering a curtain of pearls.

This world really isn't normal!

Ning Xiuyuan took a deep breath and hurried after him.

As he approached the wall, he suppressed his instinct, opened his eyes wide, and watched himself collide with the wall—only to pass into a pitch-black tunnel.

The instant he stepped into the tunnel, Ning Xiuyuan's expression changed drastically.

For he could clearly hear familiar low barks and growls from the darkness, along with the shrill, nerve-grating sound of claws scraping against stone walls.

—Those were the monsters in the darkness.

"Only the most devout believers can pass through darkness and guard the Dawn. When my Lord sent you before me, I hesitated..."

"Heh. Now it seems my faith was not as firm as I had imagined. Perhaps that is the true reason my Lord sent you here."

"He is testing me."

Bishop Byron's low voice echoed through the tunnel.

Ning Xiuyuan's heart shook violently... Was the God of Dawn behind his transmigration?

Why had She chosen him specifically?

Or was Bishop Byron merely feeding him the usual nonsense of a religious charlatan?

"C-can I still return to my homeland?" Ning Xiuyuan asked the question he most desperately wanted answered.

"Everyone has their own historical mission. Perhaps the moment you complete yours will also be the moment your wish is fulfilled," Bishop Byron said.

A mission?

Ning Xiuyuan frowned. He did not like Bishop Byron's way of speaking—vague and evasive, as good as saying nothing.

"What is that darkness?" Ning Xiuyuan thought for a moment before asking.

"A land of impurity wandering beyond time and space. It will always shroud the earth, but so long as the candle flame does not go out, dawn will surely come."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Ning Xiuyuan looked utterly baffled. Just as he was about to press further, the two emerged from the underground tunnel, and the sight before him made his pupils constrict.

This was an underground hall. In its center hung a cage of thorns, within which an indescribable monster was imprisoned.

It looked like a heap of flesh, its surface covered in all kinds of grotesque mouths that gave off low barking cries.

Countless black iron thorned bars bound it and pierced its body, drawing out drops of viscous black blood.

The blood fell through the air as though passing through an invisible funnel, turning into pale yellow oil that dripped into a narrow-necked, sunflower-mouthed bottle.

"This is... lamp oil?" Ning Xiuyuan froze.

"It is called a Child of Flame, a Supernatural Creature born from the abyss... Arthur, if you had the chance to obtain supernatural power, would you be willing to face madness as the price?"

Bishop Byron abruptly asked halfway through his introduction.

"If gaining supernatural power would allow me to better guard the Dawn, then I am willing."

Ning Xiuyuan's heart trembled. After a brief silence, he answered carefully.

Bishop Byron nodded in satisfaction. He walked around the thorn cage and pushed open a large door.

Ning Xiuyuan hurried after him.

It was a rather cramped stone chamber containing only a wooden shelf, which was filled with bottles and jars.

"The supernatural originates from supernatural traits. So long as one masters a supernatural trait, any creature—even any object—can become supernatural."

Bishop Byron picked up a glass bottle marked with the symbol of a Sun-Devouring Green Lion and introduced it.

"Here. This is a supernatural trait extracted from a Child of Flame. It can turn any liquid into something flammable and explosive. However, once consumed, it will make you forever fear a certain type of liquid. As for what that liquid is, it differs from person to person. It will become the consumer's deepest secret."

Bishop Byron then picked up a glass bottle marked with an air symbol representing the breath of life.

"This is the Curse of Knowledge. Well, that is the nickname I gave it. Its real name is Disease Remover. Aside from oneself, it can cure all diseases in others. Of course, that is only if the supernatural being is sufficiently skilled with and knowledgeable about their power."

"What is the side effect?" Ning Xiuyuan asked instinctively.

"Is being unable to cure yourself not the greatest side effect? There are only wrong names, never wrong nicknames." Bishop Byron smiled.

"I understand." Ning Xiuyuan nodded.

Bishop Byron set down the bottle marked with the air symbol and picked up another glass bottle marked with a dreamcatcher.

"This is Dreamwalker, a supernatural trait extracted from a Nightmare Abyssal Demon. It can travel through the dreams of all living beings and reach the far shore of the real world—the Dreamlands."

Ning Xiuyuan waited for a moment, then raised a brow. "That's all?"

"Knowing too much is not always a good thing. If you choose it, you will understand without needing me to explain further," Bishop Byron said.

Ning Xiuyuan shuddered as he suddenly realized something.

"Hehe, you guessed it? Do not worry. I was curious once as well. Unfortunately, you are favored by my Lord. My Dreamwalker gained nothing at all and was even unwilling to recall what he experienced in your dreams." Bishop Byron sighed.

Ning Xiuyuan's face went slightly pale. He could not tell whether Bishop Byron was trying to comfort him or had already discovered something.

"Which of these three supernatural traits do you wish to choose?"

"Are there only these three?"

"For now, only these three. Acquiring supernatural traits is extremely difficult, and some are highly sought after, so..."

"I understand, Your Excellency the Bishop."

"Actually, you need not agonize over it too much. Once you spread my Lord's glory in the future, you may still obtain other supernatural traits."

"Can supernatural traits be consumed more than once?"

"They can."

Bishop Byron nodded. He had intended to explain a little more, but then decided it would be too cumbersome and simply let it go.

There would be plenty of time in the days ahead to explain things slowly.

"Your Excellency the Bishop, may I go back and consider it?"

Ning Xiuyuan asked cautiously. This was not a game where he could create a new save after choosing the wrong character.

If he chose wrong, then judging by the situation, obtaining a second one would probably not be easy.

"A very wise decision. Three days. Give me your answer in three days."

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency the Bishop."

"Come, let us leave. This is no pleasant place."

Bishop Byron smiled and led Ning Xiuyuan back the way they had come.

After passing through the wall, Bishop Byron sat down at his desk once again and resumed reading the holy scripture.

Seeing this, Ning Xiuyuan tactfully made a Dawn Salute and took his leave.

Bishop Byron, who had been preparing to read, stopped turning the pages. He subconsciously looked in the direction Ning Xiuyuan had left and murmured, "Was choosing an outsider to become a Lamp Keeper truly the right decision?"

"Hehe, weren't you just mocking your own faith?" A low reply sounded within the prayer room.

"Old man, I am not you. You only need to faithfully believe in the Lord, while I have to deal with all the filthy mess across the city. How could I not think more about it?"

"All is the Lord's will. You ask me, but I cannot give you an answer either."

Bishop Byron fell silent. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh and lowered his head to continue reading the holy scripture.