Mystics
Prologue

Sinead is among a wide array of Church Seeker priests and priestesses searching the ruins of the Forest Outpost. Sinead is outside at a makeshift command center made from the cleared out debris coordinating the efforts to search for survivors or any form of intel that might’ve survived that explosion 3 years ago. It is dark with the fog lights being the only source, a piece of cement from the former docking platform being propped up as a makeshift roof with a makeshift wall being constructed from the rubble. Two priests in gray robes stand guard at the doorway. They bare the insignia of the Church Seeker Priests. Different from other CSP’s these guys are elite. In the church of the Shadows Bane they are considered as dangerous as Seal Team Six, if not deadlier.

After Sinead returned from that encounter with Izume 3 years ago Yinto chose to play it safe. Over time he slowly recalled more and more of the church members from military influence. This was done over the span of 3 years to avoid suspicion from the Knights of Hell, or Azriel. That way the members of the church could begin a proper investigation of the Forest Outpost. Of course they lied to Azriel, saying that they were going to the Forest Outpost to honor the people who died here. Which wasn’t entirely untrue. This place had become full of restless spirits many of whom were simply lost and unable to move on, while others were bound out of hatred for what happened to them. The fact such chaos claimed this facility as quickly as it did after the Havoc docked, and that report that Zven Raza tried to use the warden as a hostage 15 hours before chaos claimed the facility raised far too many questions. Even 3 years later it’s still something the church wants answers to. Many believe that whatever answers they might’ve been able to cleave away from the ruins was vaporized in the pipe line explosion.

“We’ve found nothing in the maintenance passages and engineering areas below the facility. But there are trace amounts of a phase displacement anomaly near one of the hallways near the entrance of the ground level,” A man opens, shaking Sinead from her thoughts.

In understanding Sinead asks. “What’s the significance of the phase displacement anomaly?”

“We believe it was a no-clip point. I think if we have your help we might be able to reverse the flow of the anomaly and pull back anyone that may have fallen into the anomaly, as well as anyone with those who fell through. If they were from the original attack 3 years ago, they would be all the evidence we need.” The man answers.

From a tactical view using her power could yield results. But as is often the case with no-clip points, people rarely return from liminal spaces, and it’s even more rare for those who do return to ever regain their sanity. But have survivors who might have some intel is better than nothing. They only have today and tomorrow before they need to head back to Shadows Bane territory and resume their duties. Azriel agreed to at least give them two days to honor the dead. Which if everything goes according to plan is all they should need.

Sinead gives the nod to the two standing guard. They return the nod and she departs with the priest. They walk along the ruins, pieces of rubble have been carved into crude graves. While they truly did come to pay their respects to the dead their mission came first. If something truly wicked had gone on here as the Seeker Izume Minor implied, then they needed to replace evidence of it.

As they walk along the opening the priest leads her to the opening where the basement level vents let out. When the facility was constructed the venting system was designed to release gases from within the facility after a prison break, as each level was designed with a gas system to knock out or terminate prisoners during a break. It causes the lich to wonder why the gas system wasn’t used during the prison break, even with it as bad as it was. Then again she’s no tactician. That mess from three years ago taught her that. There are plenty of priests and priestesses who could top her skills on a battlefront any day. Though she hopes the day will never come that she has to prove herself on the field of battle.

The walls, and ground are covered mostly with vines and moss from three years of neglect. The metal of the vent covers being rusty and deformed. Aside from the green fire sphere in Sineads hand, there is only darkness and the uncomfortable feeling this oppressive place instills in those present. Strangely though as they walk the halls, there is a vague smell of mold, like the kind one might replace on the walls of an abandoned office building. Out of nowhere Zven materializes from the wall, as though thrown by something. He hits the wall followed immediately by Raven, and a young woman who couldn’t be any older than 20. The three hit the wall one after another. Zven hitting the wall, Raven hitting him, and the young woman hitting her.

As the three separate Zven shakes his head, saying, “Yeah, that’s the last time I take the creepy... water... slide.”

“What is i-... Oh...” Raven asks before taking noticed of Sinead and the priest.

The young woman teleports behind the lich and the priest to keep them from running. Raven’s body flares with an almost hellish flame which is a fading mix of red, black, and purple. Sinead attempts to read the type of energy behind the flame, but instead replaces her body petrified. When she tries to move nothing happens. The priest isn’t moving either.

“It’s no fun when they don’t put up a fight.” Raven casually says, crossing her arms as the flame like appearance fades, “Course that’s what happens when you try to read the chaos mana.”

Raising an eyebrow the young woman with Zven, and Raven asks, “Chaos mana?”

“It’s an extremely rare mana that composes of normal, mana, dark mana, and a touch of Ethereal mana, which in itself is simply a combination of all the forms of normal Ethereal essence and normal mana.” Zven answers, before turning his attention to Sinead and the priest, asking, “What do we do with them?”

Raven crosses her arms, saying, “I’m thinking we question them. The military was originally Galadrian’s idea. The church however was Vesperia’s creation. She always stressed that the church should never have any connection to the military.”

That would explain a lot. Sinead had always wondered why Yinto went out of his way to keep as much of the church disconnected from the military as possible. But if the founders never intended the church to work with or for the military, it only raises more questions. Why, if the founders created the Shadows Bane, does it seem to be the polar opposite of what Lilith has turned it into?