Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

4 a.m., Tuesday, at the priest quarters in the Church of Serenity. Roger was already awake; he had risen about twenty-two minutes ago. Anticipation and sheer excitement had prevented him from sleeping his normal duration. The crusade, however, was designated to start by 9 a.m.

Some minutes ago, he had called Ivan, seeking advice. Ivan offered his best counsel, based on the little knowledge he had about public gatherings. It was somewhat peculiar, as Ivan had never appeared as a significant speaker at a public gathering himself, and so he had never truly experienced the immense pressure associated with such an event.

"Don't worry about it, bro. All will be fine," Ivan assured his friend, his voice steady.

Roger was sharing an apartment with Priest Rio. This was his second night in the priest's humble apartment. Roger sat down, resolving to read the scriptures of the Goddess to find inspiration in preparation for the proselytising and faith-growing crusade.

Meanwhile, in the Pope's apartment, the pontiff was yet to retire for the night. The moment after he had retreated into his chambers, he began his ritual. In his expansive, luxurious bedroom, he placed the Ring of Banishment on the floor and knelt down behind it. His hands were clasped, and his head lowered, as he chanted a profound incantation that concentrated divine powers within the church premises and beyond, within a defined radius.

The incantation specifically concentrated divine powers of agitation and event catalyst. The pontiff's arduous effort was in meticulous preparation for the chaos brewing to explode later that very day.

By 9:00 a.m., a vast multitude of people had gathered inside and outside the Church of Serenity. The number far exceeded the estimation the Unds had made. There were over eight thousand people assembled for the crusade.

Large screens and high-capacity speakers were strategically placed outside so that those gathered there could follow what was happening within the magnificent cathedral. The live feed was on, and the cameras were fixed on the empty altar.

The time for the crusade to kick off had arrived, but the pontiff and the other priests were yet to appear at the altar. A subtle unrest crept in among the expectant crowd. Doubtful murmurs began to ripple through the congregation.

Suddenly, a bright golden light erupted and completely engulfed the altar. The light's blinding luminosity forced those who gazed upon the altar to avert their eyes. It even momentarily blinded those outside who stared at the screen. A soft, holy symphony then began to play. To the organists, the dazzling light was a clear signal to begin.

The light quickly receded, revealing thirty-one priests seated in two rows of sixteen chairs each behind the altar. The Pope had explicitly instructed that no altar servant be present at the altar for the crusade; the priests were to handle all the duties of the altar servants.

Thirty-one priests were seated behind the altar, but where was the priest who was supposed to make it thirty-two? As the priests seated behind the altar quietly pondered this question, the pontiff and Roger entered the scene, positioning themselves prominently at the altar.

Pope Sarr's entrance prompted the priests and the multitude of supplicants to stand reverently on their feet. Following the solemn beat played by the organists, the Pope, Roger, the priests, and the supplicants religiously sang the accompanying lyrics.

At the front pew, directly in front of the altar, Priest Erling was standing among the supplicants on that very pew. Initially, he was oblivious to his true identity, his mind subdued by lingering nightly weariness. His current actions seemed guided, like a sleep-laden child who had dozed off at the wrong moment, now being gently guided by their parents to their bedroom.

Priest Erling's gaze felt strongly attracted to Roger's face. He couldn't take his eyes off him, feeling a strong familiarity and a fleeting sense of purpose intrinsically tied to the Pillar's identity.

The truth of the matter was that there were only three genuine priests at the altar, and they were Priest Rio, Priest Makelele, and Priest Edwin. The other twenty-nine priests were nowhere to be seen. The trio wondered what caused their absence. Rio, possessing knowledge about the insidious conspiracy, worried the most.

Standing at the altar for this crusade felt like a death sentence to Rio. He felt that the twenty-nine missing priests had deliberately avoided the crusade to unleash their weapons of destruction upon the church. He gazed expectantly at the Pope but discerned no sense of urgency or unrest emanating from the pontiff. He decided to act composed, trusting that the Pope may have already dealt with the problem or had a formidable way to address the impending crisis.

Priest Erling and the other twenty-eight priests all perceived the exact same situation. Simultaneously, they were at the same precise spot on the pew directly in front of the altar. Suddenly, they all experienced a profound epiphany:

'I'm not supposed to be in the cathedral,' every single one of them realised with a jolt.

The twenty-nine priests were, in fact, concealed in individual space pockets that reflected with a touch of illusion, creating a surreal, immersive experience of being present in the cathedral.

Meanwhile, in the real church, the spot on the pew where the priests all appeared to manifest was utterly empty. The Pope gazed impassively at the vacant spot. In the perception of the twenty-nine deluded priests, the Pope gazed with a malicious intent at them. The pontiff's face then broke into an exaggerated, vile grin, and he transformed into a small, unassuming boy standing at the altar.

The rest of the church seemed utterly unbothered by the fact that a little boy dressed in tattered clothing now stood at the altar.

The boy's lips moved, saying, "The arms of the Goddess are welcoming, giving warmth and nourishment to her devoted believers. But the arms of the Goddess are also dark, merciless scythes that cleave down her enemies."

The twenty-nine priests' ethereal forms contorted violently, ferociously rotting away as if under the torment of a strong acid.

BOOM! The rotting bodies exploded with devastating force, obliterating everything around them and bringing down the entire building.

In the real church and outside it, what the people felt was a strong tremor that threatened to break the very surface of the earth. The tremor brought an eerie silence to descend upon the church.

After twenty seconds of anxious silence and inaction, Pope Sarr raised his hand to heaven and bellowed:

"Praise be to the Goddess, for her arms are like merciless scythes that rip away the treacherous weeds from her cornfield."