Countless candles are floating over the Maluri Port under the night sky. The light is not strong, and it appears rather dim under the reflection. Accompanied by the whispered prayers, a mysterious veil is cast over the whole city.
The man walked in the alley at the edge of the street. Looking up from here, he could just see the cathedral hidden among the buildings and guards.
That is the Herne Cathedral, now the residence of the Orthodox Pope, surrounded by monks and soldiers and heavily guarded.
Reporters wanted to interview this mysterious Pope, but after the coronation ceremony, he never appeared in the public eye again. At the same time, the actions of the Orthodox Church became more and more intensive.
In just less than a year, this trading port city was about to become another capital of faith. It was difficult for men to understand such a change.
"What's going on?"
The man whispered, excitedly picking up the camera and notebook in his arms.
The more mysterious the matter is, the more people want to find out the truth. Various newspapers have secretly offered huge rewards. Anyone who can get the inside information of Orthodoxy will receive a large bonus.
The man's eyes were full of bloodshot. He had been wandering here for several days. He disguised himself as a homeless man and tried to bypass the sight of the guards, but their guarding was too strict, giving no chance for outsiders to get close.
Even disguising as a believer is not possible, as it seems that Herne Cathedral is a territory that belongs only to the Pope. Even if other believers want to enter, they have to go through layers of declaration.
But today, the man finally figured out the soldiers' patrol route and discovered a secret route.
He could hardly suppress the curiosity rising in his heart, not only the desire for the bonus, but also the thirst for knowledge about the mystery.
All of this urged him to move closer to Herne Cathedral without stopping.
The panting sound became clearer and the air was filled with tension.
The cold current was so strong that it made him shiver.
Winter is coming, everyone says, and the cold gradually engulfs the port city, leaving the men nowhere to escape.
He was trembling with joy in the desolate darkness.
It seemed that he himself did not notice the changes in his psychology. It was as if he had fallen into a deep vortex. He was a chaotic crawler in the darkness, moving towards the light, step by step.
"Hearne Cathedral is so mysterious and magnificent. It seems to have some magic power. It seduces me and calls me..."
He wrote crooked words on a notebook in the cold moonlight. Any movement would alert him. He would stop writing abruptly and stare into the darkness in the distance.
The darkness began to creep slowly. Perhaps it was due to the intense mental stress over the past few days that the darkness was distorted into a hideous shape. This might be an illusion, or it might be real.
The man witnessed with his own eyes the darkness baring its fangs. The strange feeling of suffocation brought with it the waves at the seashore, causing ripples and kneading his mind vigorously. Just when he could no longer hold back and screamed in shock, the "darkness" ran away swiftly, staying in the moonlight, outlining the figure of a black wild cat, and then quickly disappeared.