Alun-alun Shrine tidak berbeda dari yang lain. Dulu tempat itu adalah puncak gunung bersalju, tetapi kini setelah Ash Domain menelannya, puncak gunung itu hancur berkeping, dan sungai-sungai lava mengalir menuruni lerengnya, melelehkan salju dan es hingga tak bersisa. Dalam waktu singkat, semuanya telah tertutup abu.
Sunny dan rekan-rekannya mendaki lereng gunung berapi yang baru lahir itu dengan lambat, tidak terburu-buru mencapai kaldera. Toh, ada waktu yang cukup tersisa, karena musuh mereka setidaknya membutuhkan dua langkah untuk melancarkan serangan.
'Menarik.'
Sunny menatap pilar asap yang membumbung ke langit.
Ia teringat pada First Nightmare-nya—Nameless Temple juga pernah berdiri di atas puncak bersalju. Namun sekarang, puncak gunung itu meledak dan runtuh, berganti oleh kawah gunung berapi yang mengepulkan asap. Ini berarti Shrine of Truth tidak mungkin berada di sana.
'Apakah tersembunyi di dalam gua?'
Ia bisa bertanya pada Kai, tapi sungguh, Sunny tidak terlalu penasaran.
Kai, di sisi lain, tampak sedikit gelisah.
"Kali ini, akan ada tiga figur Snow yang melancarkan serangan secara bersamaan, bukan?"
Sunny mengangkat bahu.
"Kemungkinan besar."
Pemanah menawan itu menghembuskan napas perlahan.
"Dua yang kita bunuh saja sudah cukup mengerikan. Kau yakin kita mampu menghadapi tiga sekaligus?"
Sunny ragu sejenak.
"Yah, kita juga punya Obsidian Hive dan bayangan Abundance di pihak kita sekarang. Dan kita tidak perlu membunuh ketiganya—kita hanya perlu bertahan sampai matahari terbit. Jika kita memperkuat tempat ini dengan baik, seharusnya bisa dilakukan."
Ekspresinya menggelap sedikit.
"Masalah sebenarnya adalah kita harus menangkis mereka sehari setelahnya, dan sehari setelahnya lagi, dan sehari setelahnya lagi... sebanyak yang diperlukan sampai salah satu pihak musnah sepenuhnya."
Ia tersenyum samar.
"Tapi bukankah itu memang alasan kita memutuskan datang ke sini? Untuk menjadi lebih kuat setiap kali satu figur Snow dikorbankan untuk Shrine of Truth."
Sebenarnya, Sunny berharap bisa memanfaatkan Shrine bahkan sebelum pengepungan pertama. Ia membawa dua figurin giok, setelah itu... gagasan menyia-nyiakan dua kebenaran membuatnya sakit, tapi jika figurin itu bisa dikorbankan untuk memperkuat dirinya dan sekutunya, ia rela melepaskannya.
Kai terkekeh.
"Kau masih penuh kepercayaan diri, kulihat. Apa kau tidak sedikitpun takut?"
Sunny menggelengkan kepala.
"Mengapa aku harus takut? Hal-hal seperti ini sudah lama, sangat lama berhenti menakutiku. Rasanya seolah aku telah menghabiskan seluruh ketakutan yang dialokasikan padaku sejak lahir... ah, tapi aku tidak sepenuhnya tanpa rasa takut. Kau tahu apa yang benar-benar menerorku?"
Kai mengangkat alis.
"Apa?"
Sunny menarik napas dalam dan bergidik.
"Melihat Nephis menuangkan madu di atas pancake yang kubuat. Itu yang... itu yang mengerikan."
Kai berkedip beberapa kali.
"Apa yang salah dengan madu?"
Sunny memberinya tatapan geram.
"Semuanya! Pertanyaan yang lebih tepat adalah apa yang *benar* dengan madu... siapa yang masih waras akan mencemari pancake tak bersalah dengan sesuatu yang begitu menjijikkan?!"
Pemanah menawan itu hanya menatapnya dalam diam untuk beberapa saat, lalu menarik napas bergetar.
"Dan kau bersungguh-sungguh. Tapi kalau kau begitu takut pada madu, mengapa tidak menyuruh Nephis berhenti menggunakannya?"
Sunny batuk-batuk dan membuang muka.
"Yah... mengapa aku harus melakukannya? Jika dia suka madu, aku rela mengisi seluruh Ivory Tower dengan madu. Jika itu belum cukup, aku akan mengganti air di danau dengan madu juga."
Kai tertawa.
"Manis sekali. Persis seperti..."
Sunny memberinya tatapan gelap.
"Saran saya, hentikan di sana, kawan. Kalau kau tahu apa yang baik untukmu."
Kai hanya tertawa lebih keras.
Akhirnya, mereka melewati tepi kaldera dan mulai menuruni. Tak lama kemudian, mereka mencapai ventilasi utama gunung berapi dan pilar asap yang membumbung darinya.
Shrine of Truth bertengger di sebuah platform yang menggantung di atas jurang tanpa dasar, disangga oleh rantai-rantai yang dilapisi jelaga. Berbeda dari Ash Castle, tidak ada benteng di atas platform ini. Sebaliknya, terdapat sebuah kuil hangus yang dibangun dari balok-balok batu besar, strukturnya menghitam oleh abu dan asap.
Pilar-pilar tinggi, frisia lebar, pedimen segitiga yang dihiasi relief terpahat zaman...
Shrine of Truth tampak samar-samar dikenali, seperti sepupu kumal dari Nameless Temple. Keduanya tidak persis sama, tapi jelas mirip satu sama lain, seolah dibangun dengan gaya yang sama.
Sunny menatap kuil hangus itu beberapa saat.
'Aneh.'
Ia tahu bahwa Nameless Temple benar-benar sangat purba. Karena sejak awal didedikasikan untuk ketujuh dewa pantheon, ia pasti dibangun di fajar keberadaan itu sendiri—setelah Void disegel, tetapi sebelum dewa ketujuh dilupakan, sebelum bahkan kenangannya dilarang.
Para daemon lahir kira-kira di waktu yang sama, sehingga jenis kuil seperti ini pasti baru tertanam dalam pikiran Ariel di masa mudanya. Maka, ketika ia perlu menciptakan model kasar sebuah kuil, gaya itulah yang muncul secara naluriah.
Sunny menatap kuil itu lebih lama.
The square of the Shrine was not different from the rest of them. It had been a snow-covered mountain before, but now that the Ash Domain swallowed it, the peak of the mountain shattered, and rivers of lava flowed down its slopes, melting away the snow and ice. Soon enough, it was covered in ash.
Sunny and his companions slowly ascended the slope of the newly born volcano, not in a hurry to reach the caldera. There was some time to spare, after all, since their enemies would need at least two moves to launch an attack.
’It’s interesting.’
Sunny looked at the pillar of smoke rising into the sky.
He was reminded of his First Nightmare — the Nameless Temple had also been located atop a snowy peak, after all. But now, the peak of the mountain had exploded and crumbled, replaced by the crater of a fuming volcano. This meant that the Shrine of Truth could not have been located there.
’Was it hidden in a cave?’
He could ask Kai, but really, Sunny was not that curious.
Kai, meanwhile, seemed a little troubled.
"This time, there will be three Snow figures launching an attack at the same time, won’t there?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Most likely."
The charming archer exhaled slowly.
"The two we killed were already terrible enough. Are you sure we will be able to handle three at the same time?"
Sunny hesitated for a little while.
"Well, we also have the Obsidian Hive and the shadow of Abundance with us now. And we don’t need to kill all three — we just need to hold out until the sun rises. If we fortify this place well, it should be doable."
His expression darkened a little.
"The real problem is that we will have to repel them the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that... as many times as it takes until one side is entirely obliterated."
He smiled faintly.
"But that was the very reason we decided to come here, wasn’t it? To grow stronger every time a Snow figure is sacrificed to the Shrine of Truth."
In fact, Sunny hoped that he would be able to make use of the Shrine even before the first siege. He carried two jade figurines, after all... the idea of wasting two truths pained him, but if the figures could be sacrificed to strengthen him and his allies, he was willing to part with them.
Kai chuckled.
"You are still full of confidence, I see. Aren’t you even a little bit afraid?"
Sunny shook his head.
"Why would I be? These things stopped scaring me a long, long time ago. It’s like I’ve exhausted all the fear allotted to me at birth... ah, but I am not completely fearless. Do you know what really frightens me?"
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Sunny took a deep breath and shivered.
"Watching Nephis pour honey on the pancakes I made. Now that’s... that’s terrifying."
Kai blinked a couple of times.
"What’s wrong with honey?"
Sunny gave him an indignant glare.
"Everything! The better question would be what’s right with honey... who in their right mind would taint innocent pancakes with something so vile?!"
The charming archer just stared at him silently for a while, then took a shaky breath.
"And you’re being sincere, too. But if you fear honey so much, why not tell Nephis to stop using it?"
Sunny coughed in and looked away.
"Well... why would I? If she likes honey, I am willing to fill the entire Ivory Tower with honey. If that is not enough, I’ll replace the water in the lake with honey, too."
Kai laughed.
"Aren’t you sweet? Just like..."
Sunny gave him a dark look.
"I suggest you stop there, pal. If you know what’s good for you."
Kai only laughed louder.
Eventually, they crested the edge of the caldera and started the descent. Soon enough, they reached the main vent of the volcano and the pillar of smoke rising from it.
The Shrine of Truth rested on a platform suspended above the abyssal chasm on soot-covered chains. Unlike the Ash Castle, though, there was no fortress on the platform. Instead, there was a charred temple built from large blocks of stone, its edifice turned black by ash and smoke.
Tall pillars, a broad frieze, a triangular pediment decorated by weathered reliefs...
The Shrine of Truth looked vaguely familiar, like a shabby cousin of the Nameless Temple. The two were not exactly the same, but definitely resembled each other, as if built in the same style.
Sunny stared at the charred temple for a few moments.
’Curious.’
He knew that the Nameless Temple was truly ancient. Since it had been originally dedicated to all seven gods of the pantheon, it must have been built at the very dawn of existence — after the Void was sealed, but before the seventh god was forgotten, his very memory forbidden.
The daemons had been born roughly at the same time, so this kind of temple must have just become ingrained in Ariel’s mind in the days of his youth. So, when he needed to create a rough model of a temple, he could have simply defaulted to this style without thinking too much.
Sunny tilted his head.
Was it right, to think about daemons in such simple terms? To imagine them so human?
Daemons had been born Sacred, having been torn from the soul of a god. So, they could not have been too human...
That said, they had been young once, too. They had experienced passions and sorrows, too. They had walked the Path of Ascension and elevated themselves to the Divine Rank.
So, who was to say that they had shared no similarity to mortal men like Sunny and Kai?
Shaking his head, he turned to Slayer and grinned.
"Should I toss you over the chasm again?"
She gave him a cold, sinister look... then took a graceful step toward Kai, stopping near him silently.
Sunny opened his eyes wide.
’Ah! The bitter pain of betrayal...’
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