The Erratum-Chapter 53: Cathedral.

A chill ran down Cetas’ spine as he casually gazed back to see if someone were prying upon his body.

Someone was casting their murderous intent towards Cetas and Elishia, however, none of them could distinguish where and why..

Cetas had a few deductions though.

One, someone had noticed that Cetas and Elishia weren’t originally from the Third Layer, causing them to constantly watch over the two as they suspected that they might do something that can cause harm to the people.

This is quite possible as citizens are naturally wary of pirates.

Well, unless they somehow had a Unique Zeal pertaining to prying on people’s secrets then Cetas and Elishia would be primary suspects to gaze upon.

But would they really? Cetas and Elishia are far from the best people to take watch on. In a big city such as Flag, there would be quite a lot of individuals to stay wary of.

Somehow.. it didn’t make sense.

So, Cetas moved on to another deduction of his..

He thought that this sudden pressure was caused by his meddling with the sands behind the Prince, to which the Prince actually noticed and locked eyes with him!

So, it would be obvious if the prince told his subordinates about this right? Somewhere inside Cetas he felt as if he had unlocked a door. It was as if his instincts and thoughts about the mysterious pryer was right.

Nevertheless, Cetas and Elishia continued to walk towards the path leading down to the fourth layer.

Within minutes of constantly being pried upon, the two made it towards the stairs.

There were two sets of stairs beneath them, one made for ascending and the other made for descending down.

Separated by a simple steel fence, people were casually walking by as they made their way to their destinations.

Naturally, Cetas and Elishia descended down.

There were quite a few sets of stairs leading upward and downward, but the one that Cetas and Elishia is at was the nearest and most populated.

As if they were trekking on a mountain, the two’s legs became weak with every step they took.

No one looked to have quite the peculiarity when descending down the stairs as everyone remained dignified and noble.

With each step down the third layer, the pressuring gaze seemed to have dwindled.

When Cetas and Elishia made it down to the fourth layer, they both sighed a breath of relief.

Walking a couple meters forward where there were less crowds, Elishia began to ask:

"What the hell was that?!"

Cetas shook his head.

"I don’t know.. Perhaps someone was aware of our presence."

"Maybe.. But if they were truly aware, then why did the gaze stop in this layer?"

Cetas placed his fingers on his chin, "Maybe it is due to the Church’s influence? A cathedral is located in this layer, after all.." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"You’re right," Elishia agreed, letting go of her tense shoulders, "For now let’s keep going to the Cathedral, if any unknown curse were to have befallen us then we could pray to the God of Power and seek the help of a Priest."

Cetas nodded.

After that exchange, the two of them traversed the streets while still being unfamiliar with the path towards the cathedral.

Since the cathedral loomed over the entire city, it wasn’t too confusing to walk around the corners of the fourth layer and make their way to the cathedral.

Of course, Elishia had to ask the citizens every once in a while. Mostly, they were met with disgusted gazes, but for the few that were good individuals, they told them the proper way to go.

The fourth layer didn’t seem as big as the third layer, only accounting for at least 60% of its size.

That said though, the streets were far better than the prior layers that Cetas and Elishia have encountered.

Just like the third layer, they had lampposts. Except now, those very posts were made out of sparkling gold that radiated the ’richness’ of the area.

Furthermore, the people were significantly different. Most of them came from a higher-higher-class than those layers above so they gazed at Cetas and Elishia with disgust.

Cetas can already see Elishia’s kind smile cracking, as if her negative thoughts were leaking out.

Still though, the two of them made their way to the Cathedral where many people of different statures and accomplishments made their way inside.

Blending in, Cetas and Elishia casually entered, washing their hands at a basin in front of the Cathedral in order to ’cleanse’ themselves before entering the Church of the God of Power.

Upon ’cleansing’ their palms, Elishia and Cetas noticed the layers of varnished wooden seats with a reclined soft cushion below it.

Some people were sitting down while praying while others kneeled while having their hands up to symbolize the praying notion for the God of Power.

The two sat down on one of the long empty seats and began to act like they were praying.

In actuality, Elishia whispered gently to Cetas, "In order to see if there were any curses casted upon us, we need to head to the confessions and talk to a priest."

Shifting his gaze towards her, Cetas said with curiosity, "But where is that located?"

"Over there." Elishia turned her head to the side, pointing towards a small polished wooden booth built into the wall of a church. Ivory curtains were laid down on the side.

It had vintage designs depicting the nature of the church both as ancient and sacred.

There was only one booth in the side where Elishia pointed and it seems to have been occupied due to the position of the curtain.

Then, as Cetas finished studying the booth, he opened his mouth and let out his voice, "Who goes first?"

"I’ll go first, naturally."

"Alright.." With a whisper, Cetas agreed and gazed in front of him.

There were altars made for different saints and depictions of the God of Power. Sculptures that were created for the sake of praising Helios. Candles and candelabras that are dimly lit, exuding an almost mystical presence, and layers upon layers of seats facing forward towards the altars at front.

After a few moments of waiting, Cetas gazed at the wooden booth at the side. As the curtains were still set down, Cetas patiently waited for their turn to come.

However, before that came into view, a distinct individual sat a few feet away from Cetas’ right side.

Donning a tight black gown that encapsulated her curves and slender legs, the individual had a black veil covering her face, lengthening down to her neck.

She had a prim figure, looking dignified and modest.

Cetas couldn’t help but strike a glance to the side, his eyes filled with familiarity as he remembered to have seen this individual before.

Racking his brain, Cetas thought back from the past few days.

Then, after a while, he remembered that the figure beside him was the lady in the underground market!

What is she doing here? It seems too much of a coincidence for her to be in the same area as us in this vast city.

Cetas shifted his head to the left, whispering at Elishia, "Hey.. Isn’t that-"

Before he could finish Elishia, who had her eyes straight forward, already voiced out her answer, "Yes. I’ve noticed too."

Cetas mustered all of his will to ignore the lady to his right, however, there was quite an allure that made him want to gaze at her slender figure.

As if he had whiffed a distinct scent, Cetas’ head moved without his control, gazing at the sight of the black-clad lady.

Suddenly, the lady spoke, "I shall heed thou a warning."

With a tone and pronunciation that Cetas had never heard before, he noticed that the lady was not from Helios.

"Head not into the confession.. For ye shall reap benefits that thy mustn’t desire."

Her charming voice calmed Cetas down, making him feel a sort of ease inside of his mind.

As if the lady was releasing her pheromones akin to an insects, Cetas’ organ below his waist began to rise.

What is this unusual sensation? Mrgnh!

Focusing his gaze on the lady made a part in Cetas’ body rage uncontrollably.

Activating his Zeal and making it flow through his mind, Cetas used Sands of History and tapped into the Metaphysical Realm.

Black billowing smoke protruded out of the lady’s body, making its way to encompass the entirety of Cetas.

Gritting his teeth, Cetas summoned the Sands of History and raised them up to block the billowing smoke.

Although he could only handle the grains of sand for a couple of seconds, it was enough to sever the connection between the smoke and Cetas.

Gradually, Cetas calmed down and the alluring presence of the black-clad lady vanished.

He exited the Metaphysical Realm and stared back to his right. To his surprise, the lady was gone, as if she had not existed at all!

Cetas looked to his left, aiming to speak to Elishia. However, she too, was gone.

He sat in the middle of the Cathedral, darkness covered the sheer size of its magnificent structure only dimmed by a strange light in front.

A candle emanating a cold black flame.

Gazing upon the candle with a cold black flame, he noticed it slowly shift its shape.

It bended to the right slowly as the melted wax pattered down on the golden casing that held it.

Then, after seconds passed, Cetas’ eyes became widened in fear.

The candle bent to form a perfect angle - a 90 degree angle.