East Road Quest

Chapter 30: The Temple of the Pagans

The Temple of the Pagans, a place Jade had visited once before, proved difficult to find again. Without a map and no knack for distinguishing the ever-changing desert terrain, the task was daunting.

Moreover, the night atmosphere differed starkly from the day she had come with Daniel.

Jade grew weary before her horse did.

The water skin Rendel had packed in the saddle was nearly empty.

“It’s a dire situation. If the morning sun rises and day breaks, the heat will be the death of me,” she thought.

Fortunately, as dawn approached, Jade discovered the Albite Gorge.

It was a long gorge that traversed the red desert from north to south.

At intervals, the gorge narrowed drastically to less than ten steps across, occasionally hidden by sand. Unwary travelers sometimes fell to their doom, so Jade drove her horse with caution as they neared the gorge.

Walking along the edge of the gorge, Jade found a path that led down.

The gorge’s floor bore traces of an ancient riverbed, long dry.

The width was comfortable for travel, about thirty steps across, and the lack of direct sunlight made it cool.

The temple lay hidden in a crevice of the gorge, concealed by red sand and rocks. Even travelers standing right above the temple could not see the entrance, which receded inward like a glove. Only by walking down into the gorge could one find it.

The temple entrance, both then and now, remained unchanged. The entrance, carved directly from the gorge’s rock, was still guarded by a grotesque statue, as if to ward off intruders.

The statue, with a long tail and scales covering its body like armor, had a beak where its mouth should be. It stood on two legs, but it was certainly not human. Its significance was a mystery.

Though people called it the Temple of the Pagans, its original name was the Temple of Baipel. Baipel was said to be an ancient demon, and perhaps this statue represented him.

Once revered and feared, offerings and prayers were made to Baipel. His name was spoken only in hushed tones, if at all.

It was commonly believed that merely uttering a demon’s name could bring a curse upon oneself, and sometimes the demon itself. Baipel, known as one of the most powerful and malevolent demons, was especially feared.

Neither the Nine Scriptures nor the Old Scriptures mentioned Baipel. His legend was passed down only by word of mouth.

The stories Jade had heard about Baipel were numerous, but one fit the narrative arc perfectly:

In times before humans could forge iron, a demon named Baipel opened the gates of hell and emerged into the world of man. Back then, the red desert was not a desert but a grassland. Baipel rooted himself here, draining all nourishment until nothing but desert remained.

To prevent the entire world from becoming a desert, the Four Archangels led an army of angels to confront him.

After a prolonged battle, an angel decapitated Baipel, and his blood turned the land into the red desert.

The angels built a temple to ensure the gates of hell would never open here again…

“Regardless, I’ve arrived without perishing in the desert,” Jade sighed in relief, intending to rest inside the temple. But then, a voice echoed from above the gorge.

“Huh? Hey, over there!”

Looking up, Jade saw a man wearing a red turban.

She was taken aback, having not expected to encounter anyone in such a place.

More figures appeared atop the gorge, pointing and murmuring among themselves before descending.

Jade’s heart sank.

“Whoever they are, they’re not here to welcome me.”

She dismounted and ran into the temple as a distant voice commanded.

“What are you waiting for? Fire!”

As Jade ascended the temple steps, arrows flew past. Missed shots struck where she had just been.

She let go of the reins and sprinted into the temple.

Entering the temple was like passing through a curtain that blocked out the sunlight, plunging her into darkness. It felt like stepping into another realm, though it was likely just her eyes adjusting to the dark.

The sounds of pursuers and galloping horses filled the temple.

Jade dashed past dozens of pillars supporting the ceiling, stirring up dust that had settled on the stone floor.

The temple was a straight line from the entrance to the opposite wall. Pillars lined up on either side, supporting the high ceiling, and cracked statues stood against the walls. Some were decapitated, with only torsos remaining.

Signs of weathering and looters were evident. The broken statues might have been the work of religious zealots.

Jade looked around the statues and pillars for a place to hide.

The voices of the pursuers grew louder, their dialect and curses clear. Piecing together their words, they seemed to say, “The fool has walked right into our trap.”

Just as they said, Jade found nowhere to hide or escape by the time she reached the end of the temple. She knew from her past visit with Father Daniel that there were no other passages in this temple.

She regretted fleeing into the temple but then remembered she had no chance against the men on horseback with bows. Just yesterday, she couldn’t even elude Brother Franco.

“Did I hesitate? ‘Fire,’ not ‘Capture him,’ they said! They’re not here to confirm my identity.”

If a demon had pursued her, her book might have served as a weapon. But against bows and swords, it was just a volume of scripture.

Now, Jade could only hope that Father Daniel’s stories were true.

“Page 144!”

Clutching the book, she continued to run. The carvings on the pillars and stone walls blurred past her.

Memories of her previous visit with Daniel resurfaced.

“Why are there so many legends and tales about the Temple of Baipel?” Daniel had asked, illuminating the temple walls with a torch.

“When dangerous rumors spread, Rotin chooses one of two options,” Jade had replied. “They either completely suppress the rumor or spread false ones even further. Perhaps this is the latter?”

“Young Jade theorized well,” Daniel had said. “But I believe, in the case of Baipel’s temple, they inserted a falsehood to hide the truth.”

“Are you saying there’s truth in the old tales I’ve heard?”

“What do you think the Baipel of this temple represents?”

“The answer seems too simple to state. A demon, of course.”

“Then why do people not call this the Demon’s Temple but the Temple of the Pagans?”

Raised in the church, where ‘pagan’ equated to ‘demon,’ Jade struggled to grasp Daniel’s point.

“So… are you suggesting Baipel was once a god?”

“Indeed. He wasn’t always a demon. Even if a god is malevolent, a god is still a god.”

“How can a malevolent god be a god? Gods are sometimes merciful, sometimes strict, but always good. There is only one God, and only He is divine. Sometimes, Father Daniel, you say the strangest things. Like the tale of the boy who believed himself an angel and, after losing a bet to a dwarf, was bound somewhere in the red desert for 500 years.”

“Those are stories from a time when many gods were worshipped.”

“Is that angel bound here in Baipel’s temple?”

“I’m merely passing on what I know and have heard. Someday, you might do the same to your children, disciples, or a passing child. That’s the nature of oral tradition.”

As Jade observed the politics of Rotin, the rivalry between the Rom and Rafal priestly orders, and the intrigues of monastic and royal life, she often recalled her conversation with Daniel.

The truth is safest hidden within rumors. To deceive for a few years, threaten those in the know. For decades, spread false rumors. But to deceive for centuries, throw in the truth. Then people will doubt the real and create the fake…

Daniel’s intended message remained unclear.

In summary, the red desert was both the battleground of Baipel and the angels and the site of the last wager of a wingless little angel.

Jade often imagined these tales, refusing to let them end as mere fables.

Why hadn’t the wise Angel Chief slain the wingless angel? If the Angel Chief was so remarkable that even the Four Archangels sought his wisdom, he could have easily killed the little angel. Yet, he did not kill but only imprisoned him.

Out of pity for the child?

He had merely captured and not even delivered him to the Angel Chief who had commissioned the task.

Upon reflection, there were several oddities.

Back then, Daniel had leaned against the wall at the very end of the temple and said something he would repeat countless times thereafter.

“If the time comes, open page 144 of your book.”

When young Jade attempted to immediately open the book, Daniel stopped her.

“Not now! When the time comes. Then you’ll know if the old tale I told you is true or not.”

“When will that time be?”

“When it’s dangerous? When you feel the need? When you impulsively want to come here? I’m not sure myself. Just know that when the time comes… you’ll know it’s the right time.”

At the Zuphea Cathedral, Daniel had already hinted that the time had come.

Jade was convinced that now was that time and had reached the exact spot Daniel had touched while mentioning page 144.

At the end of the temple, a vast mural filled the wall. The painting was so faded and cracked it was unrecognizable. Some parts had been deliberately overpainted to erase them. Someone had removed what they called the mark of the devil.

Jade touched the mural as Daniel had. The wall was cold as ice.

Jade opened page 144 of the sacred text. Given the circumstances, it was not easy to turn the pages.

Jade read the sentence on page 144 silently and backwards. The original phrase meant ‘A latch made of light locks the door,’ and read in reverse, it meant ‘A latch bound by light temporarily vanishes.’

White light emanated from his hand, as when dispelling a demon. The light transferred to the wall, which flashed briefly. Then, like the maw of a giant beast, it swung open to both sides.

Stone grated, ringing in the ears, and dust tickled the nose. There was no time to marvel.

Men armed with swords and bows were already halfway into the temple.

“There they are!”

Another arrow flew.

Jade didn’t have time to check inside and leaped through the opening. The stray arrow struck the mural and the floor with a thud.

Behind the wall lay stairs leading underground.

Jade nearly missed a step and tumbled down. Each step was thrice the height of a normal one, as if made for a giant.

Jade turned and read the passage from page 144 in its original order, extending his hand.

Theoretically, reading any passage backwards should produce the opposite effect. But he had never tested this theory, nor had there been a situation to do so. Reading the demon-dispelling passage backwards wouldn’t resurrect a demon, nor could it.

‘Theory or not, the reverse passage worked, and the door opened. So the original must work too. It has to! Please work.’

Jade placed his glowing hand on the open door. The stone door began to close with a loud noise.

The swordsmen had already advanced about five paces. One shouted something, but the sound was drowned out by the sliding stone.

Soon the wall closed, and the light vanished completely. At that moment, all outside sounds were cut off. Not even a murmur could be heard.

‘It’s as if I haven’t just crossed a wall, but flown into another world.’

Jade slowly found a flat spot on the floor to sit, his breathing still ragged.

“Now what?”

Jade pondered while seated.

No light entered the stairway leading underground, but a clean, cool breeze rose from below.

“What else? I have to go down and see if it’s the wingless angel or the demon Baifel.”

Jade took a large candle from his backpack. There were only three, and one was already broken amidst the chaos. It was fortunate the rest were intact.

He struck flint and steel to light the fire.

It took more than ten minutes to kindle the flame, but he was neither panicked nor hurried. Instead, he used the time to organize his thoughts about the situation outside.

‘They must have anticipated my arrival here. To ambush with bows ready! Could they be following the orders of someone named Yol? Who is Yol to predict I’d come to this pagan temple? No, no. It can’t be certain it’s Yol. They could just be thieves, and it could all be a coincidence.’

Finally, the tinder caught fire.

Jade lit the candle with it.

“Shall I go?”

Muttering to himself, he held the book in his right hand and the candle in his left, descending the stairs.