Rhys stood near the unused road to the center. He hid himself away in the trees, not wanting to cause a ruckus in the off chance someone saw him walk off with an angelic being to a den of sin. He hefted his bag of food and miscellaneous supplies, bringing him some comfort. A simple scabbard clung to his side, holding the very same sword he used a mere day ago. It was poorly made, as he could only use what scraps of leather he could find in the splinters of his home, but for his first attempt it seemed well enough.
Mehira hadn't given him a precise time, merely when the 'sun reached its highest point in the sky'. He must've been standing there for several hours, and with good reason. Rhys didn't need anyone catching wind of his plans and talking him out of it, or worse, holding him back at the village. So he waited, and waited, looking out for any traces of the golden woman ready to journey with him to a place he wouldn't have dared venture to in all his dreams. It was exciting when put that way, so he held onto it as long as he could.
A glint of hope appeared on the road. Mehira had finally arrived. She spread her wings and bowed for Rhys.
"No formalities, please," he said, emerging from the brush.
"I think it pertinent when you seek to go with me on a dangerous task." She raised herself and folded back up. "Are you prepared?"
Rhys nodded.
"Then I suppose we should be going." She turned and began to march. Rhys trailed behind her, not wanting to interfere with her obviously strict regime.
The pair walked on and on without exchanging a word. Mehira was strictly focused on the road ahead, naturally. Rhys took the time to look around him. The forest had thinned out and had been replaced with squat hovels with fences around them. Most of them seemed untouched, and yet others were badly burnt to a crisp and ravaged to a black smear upon the ground. Occasionally a metal husk sat in one of the pathways of these hovels, completely stripped bare.
"Keep alert, Rhys, you do not know what lurks under every shadow," Mehira said.
"Yes, Mehira," he replied.
Her words made him worry there might be more to these innocent homes than meets the eye. As far as he knew, demons could only take hold of a lesser creature, but being so close to a center he supposed that sin could make itself known in any way. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, bringing him some comfort. He then looked back to Mehira, affording him a shred more of relaxation.
The towers in the distance grew closer, shining the blue sky clearly back out with their many windows. With such a dazzling bit of architecture it was hard to believe that it could harbor anything evil, or even the slightest bit malicious, but admittedly Rhys hadn't a clue what was actually in them. Perhaps a long, writhing mass of flesh made up a disgusting spine of the thing, with only an outer shell luring the innocent like a beacon of hope. Rhys shook his head. Most likely not that sinful.
Buildings grew in height, noises began to echo, the life that made up the road had vanished to a sparse trace of greenery here or there. No longer was there the hum of insects or the rush of wind. A feeling of dread crept up on Rhys, slicing up his spine and nestling itself in his head. Either this was the effect of sin or the stories spoken of the place were getting the better of him. Mehira hadn't changed, marching forward with conviction. Rhys briefly wondered what would happen if she were to somehow... die. Did she get safely returned to the heavens? Rhys left it at that, not wanting to think of what would happen to her in a place like this. Whatever the case, he would do his best to save her.
The buildings now towered over the couple, peering down at them. In the distance two figures stood guard. Fortunately their white and gold coloring confirmed their good nature, or at least their non-hostility. They were cherubim, and had Rhys not seen the others move, he would have assumed they were also statues. They made no movements upon Rhys and Mehira's approach, but she stopped all the same as if they did.
"As directed by the heavens, I have come to this center," Mehira said. She hit her spear against the ground, bringing the cherubim' attention to her. A moment later they snapped to Rhys. "This soul from the flock has--" Before Mehira could finish, the cherubim stepped aside. She nodded and continued forward, beckoning Rhys in the process.
Rhys glanced back at the cherubim as he followed her, expecting their heads focused on him, but they hadn't moved.
"I am surprised they let you past with no resistance," Mehira said. "Perhaps not even the cherubim are above service to your souls."
"That aside, what are you supposed to do here?" Rhys asked. "There doesn't seem to be anything here whatsoever." Nothing angelic or demonic, that is. More metal husks sat on the street, battered and broken. The buildings also received a spatter of carnage with dried blood and their own array of broken features. What was lacking were corpses. The way they were spoken about, Rhys expected the place to be littered with skeletons and the remains of the sinned. It was possible that the protectors kept the place clean. "Was there not sin to vanquish?"
"This is the first center to be cleared of evil," Mehira replied. "That's not to say nothing will creep in underneath."
Rhys wanted to keep on his guard, but he found himself gawking at everything. The sheer size of the buildings were impressive. At a distance they were a strange sight, but up close they were absolute behemoths. To think people used to live here was something alien in itself.
"I imagine my purpose will be revealed further in. Whether this is a test or not, I will seek it out. You may still leave if you wish," she said.
