The night was black as ink, staining the slums on the city's outskirts in shades of gray and black.
Deep in a particularly secluded dead-end alley, several slender figures had gathered.
They were young girls. In the faint light from the distant sky, traces of youthful prettiness could still be made out on their faces, but prolonged malnutrition had left their cheeks sunken and their complexions dull.
Their clothes were threadbare, patches layered over patches and covered in stains that would never wash out. Their exposed arms and calves trembled slightly in the night wind, making their desperate poverty plain.
Facing them stood two mysterious figures in loose gray cloaks.
The slightly taller one stepped forward and lifted her hood a little, revealing honey-colored hair that looked soft and lovely even in the dim light, along with a pair of calm, resolute green eyes.
Her name was Wendy. She was a child Ellie had happened to pick up after accepting Greg's commission, and she possessed an excellent way with words and impressive organizational skills.
Without her, Ellie would probably still have been agonizing over what to name the church.
Now Wendy was nominally the Night Church's third-in-command, the Night Raven who spread its gospel.
"May your night be peaceful, sisters who have lost their way."
Wendy's voice was quiet, yet it carried through the noise and unease that filled the slums at night:
"The Night Sanctuary opens its doors to every soul who feels cold in the light, constrained by order, and powerless before fate."
"The Goddess of Night presides over secrets, peaceful sleep, and change. She hears prayers offered in silence, grants direction to the lost, and gives the weak inner strength. Joining the Night Church does not mean you must turn your backs on anything. It means finding