The chapel wasn't small; in fact, it was quite spacious thanks to the space cleared out by whoever lived there.
If one had taken proper care of it, the chapel could have been remodeled into a comfortable shelter or at least restored enough not to look like a used-up relic, thrown aside to rot in whatever outskirts this place was placed in.
The cradle was quite simple in design, even though it was a structure straight out of the comics or sci-fi movies presenting 'perfect' civilizations living in peace and attaining absolute harmony.
The giant dome of glass, of course, surprised him at first, even scared him to an extent that worst-case scenarios ran through his mind.
'What if it fell?'
'What if one of those wyverns crashed into it?'
'Wouldn't it heat up real fast?'
There had to be some measures in case something like this happened, but how would he know that?
Anyways.
After exploring a part of the monotone world, he got a mild grasp on how this place worked visually.
Easily noticed by him was the fact that residing at the foot of the mountain also came with worse living conditions, or just barely enough to count them as proper by humane standards.
The higher you lived, the better it got.
Yeah, it's not that complicated. The government had to have come up with a set of laws that actually made it make sense, while naturally being in the middle area or just slightly above to get the most out of their paychecks.
Valentine was closer to the bottom.
He didn't know when or why someone decided to put him there, but he didn't really mind; the landing site itself seemed to be under construction and looked hastily set up, which would make his arrival here quite cheap and lackluster.
The middle wasn't any better since it looked too old for him to adjust to; he would rather be in a place void of any rules than follow a set of entirely new ones.
The chapel was one of the better-looking buildings there, which even by Valentine's standards was quite lacking; his cheap mindset couldn't quite accept this as his new 'home' until he heard of him having a... Roommate?
And it was someone of the opposite gender at that! He could not have gotten any luckier than this... Right?
However, what Valentine couldn't notice when entering the old chapel was that there was a second floor available for him to enter via the set of stairs on the other side, hidden behind a small cracked door torn in half by something or someone.
It was unseen by him until he focused on the gigantic hole piercing the crumbling roof, which, by some strange coincidence, was shining light down on his face.
A small opening just a tad lower from the picturesque sky could be seen there, most likely leading to the second floor.
How hadn't he noticed it before? Perhaps the light was too dim for him to pinpoint every little thing; he might be sharp, but he's no superhuman.
Once again, the strange glass-like sound resonated throughout the chapel's aged walls; it didn't differ from the one before, but because he had snapped out of his fantasies, he could somewhat pinpoint what it was.
Valentine's neck snapped back down to the altar-like structure behind him, contemplating whether or not doing something with it would help him.
He shook his head after giving it some thought.
I'd rather not get burned alive for touching things.
He didn't know what people in this world were like; he definitely got lucky with Sunday, but Noah or that Knight captain were not someone he could trust. Putting faith in people he had yet to know would be a fool's mistake, and he didn't plan to do it any sooner.
It would be quite a pathetic death too, considering his short life was saved yet again by a kind soul with nothing in return.
I still have yet to figure out who they are...
Even so, with the tiny white spark spinning around the handle, there was no 'pull' that made his desire grow large enough for him to do something out of pure instinct.
Then, out of nowhere, Valentine stepped back.
His face paled at the growing presence around him.
His hands were already out of his pockets, fingers trembling out of self restrain, memories of his brawl with Noah flashed before his eyes briefly, and both of his shaky fists fell to his sides a moment later.
His heart soon skipped a beat, almost stopping from awe.
Sitting on the sharp edge of the second floor was a tall ghostly woman dressed like a priestess.
Her skin was smooth and fair, reflecting in the eyes of the dumbstruck boy who, in a daze, stepped back, almost falling over the cracked altar.
She appeared there like a dove on water, unannounced and unbothered by the ruined chapel or the sudden guest barging in without a word in advance.
Calm and tall, arms relaxed, one leg over the other.
Illuminated by the cold breeze caressing her soft pinkish skin, she sat there under the light of the evening.
Her long, ashen hair flowed down her scarlet robes in waves, mixing with the crimson of her folded robe so naturally that, in his eyes, their color overlapped with one another, turning into a rosy hue that didn't quite suit the aura surrounding her figure.
Looking like a goddess.
She, hanging above Valentine's head, moved her fingers before her chest, tapping on thin air with practiced precision and grace.
It wasn't a loud tone, but in the quiet of dusk, it was the only sound that could cut through the shadows falling down the cracked roof.
The sound she made was that of an old piano, worn, yet still able to make melodies pleasant to the ear.
As she sat there quietly, her presence became clearer to discern.
Valentine's eyes were focused on her figure, trailing every line and crevice of her robe pressing against her thin skin.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Her captivating expression, which carried only a slight sense of aloofness and nobility, made it even more unbelievable that a person of such... weight resided in a rundown place like this.
Despite her eyes being closed shut, it seemed that she was gazing up at the dim sky above the clouds, watching... waiting... and playing a soft melody of resonant notes that flowed through the wind, carried by its current.
Yet ignoring the calm atmosphere, Valentine's face remained solemn, stone cold despite the warmth invading his heart.
Valentine sensed his chest shaking uncontrollably; it wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, since whenever those strange powers influenced him, he was drawn towards them. Yet right now, he couldn't help trying to deny what he was currently seeing.
There's... no sparks?
Her face, unlike anyone else's so far, was not obscured by any stray sparks crackling over her outline; it was clear for him to see, letting him make out every tiny detail of her calm expression softly changing.
She was empty, without a trace of light inside her.
He felt strange...
It wasn't a bad feeling... but it wasn't anything good either; his whole body felt as if it were breathing on its own, without his intention or thought.
It felt like it had gained a life of its own, while his eyes were sitting at the back of his head, watching him slowly lose control of his own shell.
He wanted to hold up his hand and grab onto his chest. Wanted to wipe away the sudden sour aftertaste on his tongue.
But he couldn't.
Only after a few moments of mental struggle did it finally listen to him and do what it was told, but even then it was too awkward.
Sluggish movements that could only be described as those of a drunkard were what he could manage under the intoxicating melody pressing down on his pulsating temple, resonating against his ringing ears while he helplessly fell to one knee with an empty thud.
The woman did not look down from the sky.
Her long fingers were only increasing the intensity of the melody created out of nothing but flames.
Yes, flames.
Flames that existed but also did not, balancing on the edge of reality that crackled before Valentine's unblinking eyes.
Sparks and smoke poured out from her fingertips with each tapping motion, slowly sucked in by an invisible outline forming in front of her delicate frame.
Was it his imagination?
Unlikely.
No, it could not be.
Under her fingers, an image of a grand piano slowly revealed itself the longer her song was played, manifesting itself into existence using nothing but a few light movements of her body.
He was glaring at it from below, his mind going haywire from the new information seeping into his mind.
Something different was happening inside him while his eyes were trying to figure out how to escape this scenario.
A sense of familiarity washed over him as the smoke in front of him was captured in his memory, seemingly overwriting something that had been erased and was only now becoming whole.
Wanting to escape, he also wanted it to last as long as it could.
The pain of his brain banging against the bone of his skull was nothing compared to the unfamiliar discovery and a sense of euphoria overwhelming his insides.
Or maybe it was his gut telling him to focus and learn.
Valentine had already pathetically fallen to the floor, hunched down on the ground, trying to drown out the notes from his mind.
But it was the only sound existing in the chapel.
The silent clash of cold keys being pressed with just as cold fingers was digging into his skull with drill-like precision.
It rivaled the heat growing in his chest, a warmth that felt so strikingly familiar that if he could have gotten a true taste, it would let him remember what it was exactly.
Just a moment longer...
He thought, feeling himself getting pulled closer and closer towards it.
As her song started affecting him, he realised that the sound itself was transporting heat into his body, stirring something in his chest which in turn made him lose control and sense of balance.
Not only could he barely move his fingers, but the song caused him to get heatstroke just by listening to it.
If nothing changed soon, his body would collapse, and his mind would fall unconscious once more, leaving him at her mercy.
Suddenly, his face twisted into a grin.
"It's... Similar." He managed to say through his lips, straining to maintain his gaze on the woman's figure.
As his palm reached his chest, his fingers dug into his skin to the point that they almost pierced through it.
With a grunt, he stood up to his knees, or at least tried to.
His body failed and slipped onto its back, sprawling all over the dusty carpet.
With a sneer, he held his chest, sensing a sense of warmth pulsating beneath his chest.
Looking at the woman without a trace of excitement in his silent stare, he asked in a questioning tone, not bothering to hide his intent.
"Do you know... of a man named Sunday?"
The chapel fell silent the moment the woman's fingers froze mid-air, just a breath away from continuing her toxic song and bursting Valentine's eardrums.
The grand piano dispersed into smoke, crumbling into tiny sparks that drifted down and turned into nothing before they could touch the floor.
She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of familiar golden gems that glowed in the darkness of clouds.
After a moment of silence, a simple female voice that sounded cold on the surface but carried a trace of warmth inside its words echoed in Valentine's ears.
"So it is you..." She said, placing her head on her palm while a friendly smile decorated her lips.
"The stray my Master sent here."