The land of Onnen held many treasures, and even though she had explored the land for several weeks, Paradox doubted that she had seen anywhere close to all of them. The continent was just so large and she simply couldn't travel fast enough. However, it was because of her slow pace that she found herself walking steadily still as the sun dimmed and crept toward nightfall. She was wandering in what was a small forest near the edge of the Eastern River. Her footsteps on the dirt path were masked by the sounds of crickets and katydids who cherished the lack of light. Pausing a moment, she closed her eyes and let the soft wind travel through her mane and tail. She had unbraided her long strands, instead letting them blow freely for a change, reminiscent of her youth and simpler times. 

Walking slowly forward, she extended her arms out to her sides and trailed her fingertips along the flora on the edges. She felt the bark of trees and the soft fronds of ferns and young leaves. She inhaled deeply, taking in the rich scent of the earth, the slight decay underfoot, and the clean air. Standing up a little straighter, she opened up her eyes and continued onward, perking her ears alertly. Under such heavy cover, she was unable to see much of the stars, instead using her sense of touch to keep her guided on the trail as well as her night vision. Not as great as some nocturnal creatures, but better than a person's, she was able to navigate the dark areas with confidence. Swishing her tail behind her absentmindedly, she adjusted her saddlebags and glanced back in order to see better. She felt a forefoot catch on a root in front of her and she stumbled through the brush at the edge of the trail before she could right herself. 

Her calm mood shifted to minor annoyance as she laid in the dirt for a moment before standing back up, careful not to snag anything as she did so. She bent over and brushed off her knees as best she could, the rich dirt staining her light gray fur a reddish shade of brown. She sighed, deciding that she would deal with it in the morning. As she was straightening back upright, a glimpse of light caught her eye and she turned to look at it. It was a small orb of light, just floating there. Curious, she walked towards it, noticing that once she was near it, she could tell that it was a lantern, but upon further inspection, no flame could be seen within it. She stood, pondering it a moment before turning and seeing another just a few hundred feet further. Had she not gotten off the trail, she likely would have missed them altogether.

Going against her better judgment, she turned away from the trail she had been on for the better part of the day, and instead followed the glowing lanterns to wherever they led. She felt after a while that she was going in the right direction, as they steadily got brighter, whereas the ones behind her gradually would dim out once she reached the following light in the chain. It was strange, but she wasn't getting the feeling the lights were leading her towards harm's way. Instead, quite the opposite, they felt good and bright and safe. Almost as if they were leading her towards a sanctuary of sorts, like an inn or a church of some kind. She didn't want any trouble, where ever she ended up, but she wouldn't turn down a safe place to sleep for a few hours either.

Her mind filled with thoughts of a cute little cottage, or a larger inn. Someplace mysterious, and yet safe and cozy at the same time. A noise brought her out of her thoughts, noticing for the first time that the river beside her was getting louder. Trees still blocked her view of the water, so she assumed there were rapids or other such obstacles in the water that would make it churn and roar as it did. She kept her attention to the lights, following them loyally. Just out of eyesight, the roaring water grew steadily louder. She quickened her pace as she pursued the lights, going from a leisurely walk to a swift trot, had it been light out, she would have pushed through another gait to the canter, but in the dim light, she had no intention of tripping and falling again.

She felt the lights leading her around a bend in the river and it was here that the roaring sounds were loudest. The almost seemed to echo all around her and she allowed herself to drift away from the lights. She leaped some shrubbery and pushed her way through the rest so that she could be on the edge of the river. Upon pushing away the last branch in front of her, she felt herself gasp in awe. Before she was a magnificent palace, pure and pristine white. Waterfall's rain down from its bridge and around its base. It was so large and in the center was the statue of a mighty angel, with wings outstretched and sword and shield at the ready. It seemed so out of place and yet not at the same time. She wasted no time in following the lights the rest of the way to the bridge. 

Three days, it had only been three days since the Voice had come to her in a dream and granted her the power of a Goddess. Lokir had fallen, requesting the release from the burden of being a God, she did not know his reasons for it but if that was his choice so be it. However, she hadn’t expected to be next in line to become a Goddess. The Goddess of Light and Strength, it seemed the Voice had wanted rid of the War aspect it had placed in Lokir and gave Sirona something that, she felt, the world did need more of. Dark times had come and gone rather frequently in the last few years, even since Sirona had started to explore Canelux after the insect invasion that brought the two continents into contact with each other.

Now here she was a new Goddess, the first to have her temple in Onnen, or Cathedral as it was called in common, translated from an Onnen language that gave the place its name. Sirona had been in Canelux when she had risen but the Voice had transported her here to be at her Cathedral as new devotees started to arrive hours after the news had started to spread. She hadn’t thought many would come, but already she was starting to build up a decent number of Clergy. Seemed more needed the Light to guide them than she had first thought. From what Sirona had learned it had been many, many years since Light had been an Aspect of a Deity and now it would be her job to make it shine in the world once more.

However Sirona was still adjusting to this new life, after only three days she hadn’t slept much at all. From her place on a balcony she could look down and see her own quarters there. A huge building by any standards to be sure, and something that was far too much for her, she would never have thought of living in something akin to that. Yet it was hers and pretty much hers alone. Even the whole floor where her bed chamber was had windows that made it impossible to see inwards so she could have the privacy that her sexually repulsed mind needed. She had noted also that, however that place was created, the only mirror was in her bedroom away from where she might bath, so that she would not get a glimpse of her own body. Not that she stripped down nude anymore for bathing, instead bathed in her small clothing out of a sense of near shame that had been branded into her mind recently.

Shaking her head the Angel Goddess sighed as she looked out over the grounds. She wore her armour, as always, but had the hood down to let lose her raven black hair, show her facial tattoos some more and let her brilliant blue eyes shine in the sun. It was she was she was looking out over the water that she spotted a figure coming up the walkway. It was late but she had been getting people arriving at all hours so she wasn’t too surprised.

But as the figure came into view more and more it was clear that who, or whatever it was wasn’t human. Narrowing her eyes Sirona peered through the darkness, such as it was around the lighted Cathedral, until a small smile grew on her lips. She knew that figure! It would be nice to see a familiar face, if this visitor would remember her.

Opening her wings Sirona took into the air and made no attempt to hide herself as she fly towards Paradox, landing about ten feet in front of her. ”Hello, Paradox. It’s good to see you again.” Sirona smiled. She hadn’t seen the centauress since they had first met way back just before Sirona made the trip to Canelux and not too long after Paradox had arrived in Onnen after the invasion. ”It has been too long, I hope you are well?”

Paradox stood on the bridge, high above the waterfalls below, and turned as she heard the soft beat of wings above her. She squinted her eyes as she tried to focus on the figure she got closer. She quickly realized that it was a woman with wings, an angel. As the angel got closer she recognized the dark hair in the facial markings. Sirona, the young angel from the beach. They had met once before, briefly. But she remembered her. She was pleasant and brave and like her, she sought knowledge of the world. She hadn't been in the world's long upon their first introduction, oh, but it seemed as if now she had done very well for herself in the short time they had been apart.

Such a beautiful palace was not easy to afford, so she must have been successful on whatever quests and missions she had chosen to partake. She hoped the angel had found what she was looked for. She smiled in return as the angel landed in front of her. She took a couple of steps forward and extended her hand in greeting. "It has been awhile Sirona," she said calmly.  "I'm glad to see you are doing well. I am doing quite alright myself. Still exploring as always, though I honestly feel the longer I'm here the more I have yet to discover. Onnen is such a vast place, it will take me more than a few short years to discover all of its secrets. There's always something yet to learn, if not here then on the mainland." She paused a moment before continuing.

"It looks like you have been doing well. Your palace is quite beautiful and unlike any, I have seen in a long time. What I can only assume are your lanterns guided me here. They were a very pleasant surprise in the dark, as is this visit with you." Pausing again, this time to gather her thoughts, as a sudden thought occurred to her. She tried to broach the delicate subject as carefully as possible. "I have heard stories that I knew God has a reason and taking the place of another. I don't know the particulars on how that came about, but I feel the need to ask if you know anything about it?" She stood there patiently as she talked with the young angel. In the time they've been apart, Sirona hadn't seemed to physically change. Her armor shined in the light, her hair was still black and radiant, and her skin was as clear and as bright as ever. But what stood out the strongest to her upon their first meeting as well as this, was her striking blue eyes which seemed to glow from within.

She laced her fingers together behind her and stood up straighter to talk with her old acquaintance, perking her ears forward so that she could pick up every word. She had a feeling what the angel was about to say was important and she didn't want to miss something out of neglect or carelessness on her part. She casually shifted her weight to the other hind foot and cocked her hoof upon the other. It was a common position for her kind and equines, showing that she was relaxed, but still very much paying attention to what was going on. 

Ah good, the centaur woman remembered her! Sirona smiled as Paradox spoke, saying she was doing well. She was still exploring Onnen and Sirona knew what that was like having done it herself in the past, Paradox had no small task in front of her. It wasn’t always a safe task either. Sirona took Paradox’s hand in her own in a gentle shake and took step back as she listened. Paradox started to compliment Sirona’s palace and the angel grinned but didn’t interrupt until Paradox was finished. As Paradox finished her questions the angel smiled warmly. ”I’m glad the lights helped you find you way, Paradox, those have been rather handy these past three days.” Sirona replied. ”And I’m glad to hear that you are doing well in your travels. Onnen is as beautiful as it his huge, but know that, should you need it, you always have a place to come back to here if you need a rest or some help.” Sirona offered.

After a moment Sirona decide there was no use in hiding what she was now. ”Yes, I know of the story of the God, Lokir was his name. I met him once and his Champion, a kind man, if I hadn’t been told that he was a God I wouldn’t have know that he was. From what I heard he wanted to become mortal again so that he could be with his lover and start a family, a noble cause indeed.” Sirona explained. ”I know this because, well, I am the one that the Voice has chosen to take his place. I am the new Goddess that you heard of, Paradox. Light and Strength are my aspects, this place you see is my cathedral, Kanisa Kuu la Malaika. It has only been three days now so I am still adjusting to everything, you’re the first familiar face I have seen though since the Voice teleported me here.” Sirona chuckled lightly. ”Would you like a tour, Paradox? If the stairs are something you can’t climb I can help you up to the main doors by flying you there.” Sirona offered.

Paradox smiled at the offer of sanctuary. "Thank you Sirona, I very much appreciate the offer and will likely take you up on it in the near future as I continue with my travels." She nodded as the angel explained about the gods. It was honorable, yes, to turn down immortality for family. Family was very important. Growing up, she remembered stories of what the herd Mothers and Fathers had done in the past to protect and preserve the young and ensure the security of the family. Not many creatures would be able to stand between an angry centaur and it's young, they were a formidable sight when protecting their children. It was an idea that stuck with her long after she had gone into the world of man. She had no desire to bear forth her own children in the future but hoped to adopt young of her own someday. That would be a long time yet when she had finished her travels around the world and felt tired enough to settle down. 

She was momentarily surprised when Sirona explained that she was the new Goddess. The powers of Light and Strength were fitting for the angel, as she was one who always sought to see the good and possess the powers to do that good and bring it into the world. In a way she was very proud of her and her accomplishments. She nodded enthusiastically at the offer of a tour. She had never been inside such a large palace, or in this case, a cathedral. She took a moment to respond back to Sirona's question about the stairs. She stared up at the beautiful marble steps that led towards the great entry doors. 

"I think I can manage but thank you. Going up is usually not a problem, it's coming down that has a tendency to be quite interesting. But I'll worry about that later." With a small smile, she carefully she started up the marble steps, her hooves making soft click-clack noises upon each footstep. Even in the dark the beautiful stone still seemed to glow from the moonlight above. After a short time, she reached the top of the stairs and waited patiently for Sirona to open the large doors. They were made of a heavy Oak or similar wood, beautifully stained and well maintained so that they held their own against the flawless marble around them.

She took a moment and look behind her at the great view from the top of the stairs. From here she could even see the lanterns begin to turn on as they awaited another traveler to follow them to the palace. One at a time, the would slowly brighten back up and upon reaching their full brightness, the inner light would go to the next one until it too was bright. This continued all the way down the trails. She could see the line of lights going down along the edge of the river in both directions and eventually out of sight. Curious she asked Sirona about them. "How far do the lanterns go? The trails seem to be going very far down each side of the river, I can't even see them anymore."

Sirona smiled. ”I’ll make sure you get down safely when the time comes, but, for now, there is no rush.” The Goddess replied as they made their way up the stairs, the soft click-clack from Paradox’s hooves was something Sirona was listening to carefully in case suddenly Paradox took a misstep. As they reached the top Sirona was about to open the doors when she noticed that Paradox was looking out at the view from the top of the stairs. Sirona smiled and waited patiently until the centaur asked her about the lanterns. ”A couple miles in both directions from two ways that visitors can find their way here. Both paths do turn a corner at some point which is why they go out of sight. Sirona explained.

With that done the angel opened the door, which was easy enough, and stepped in and out of the way to allow Paradox inside the well lit, and large, room. ”Welcome, Paradox.” Sirona intoned with a smile to her four legged friend. A few of the clergy closest to her bowed when they saw her come in with Paradox and Sirona gave a slight nod of her head in return. ”This is the Narthex, or lobby, beyond it is the Nave where the pews are for services.” The building was shaped like a cross with slightly stumpy arms on it, those walls at the end of the arms had doors leading out to the other buildings. ”Explore as you like, Paradox, there is no place that is off limit to you, aside from my private quarters but, even then, I don’t mind showing you around there either.” Sirona offered allowing Paradox to explore as she pleased and Sirona would answer any questions that Paradox might have. ”Ah, choir practice is starting.” Sirona noted as she walked with Paradox while half way through the building a small group of people had gathered and were starting to sing songs of Light and Strength. It still irked Sirona a bit that this was taking place but she knew she’d get used to it in time, and if that’s what the people wished to do to strengthen their faith in Light and Strength then who was Sirona to stop them?

Paradox was quite surprised to learn that the lanterns went so far away from the palace. It must have been some very powerful magic in order to illuminate them for so long at such a distance. She did find it a pleasant way to lead visitors to the palace from a great distance in case one got lost or managed to drift away from the trail. After another short moment of looking over the river and the forest just past it, she turned and let the angel lead her inside the great doors. Though, for being such large and imposing, Sirona seemed able to open them quite easily, leading her to believe that like the lanterns, the doors were also magically altered in some way.

She stepped forward into the large room and stopped to look around at the beauty of it. She had never been inside of an actual church before but had read about them in books. This place, if she had to describe it to someone, would be very similar to how she would imagine a church to appear, though much grander and elaborate than the average assembly. Before she stood rows of long benches with space in between where she would assume one would walk. She recalled that the proper word was pew, at least in a religious setting. They were wooden and polished to a pristine shine. Currently empty, she didn't have much trouble imagining them filled with eager people to learn more about the Light and Strength that Sirona brought forth. At the very front of the pews was a raised platform, where she believed the leader would stand in order to speak to those sitting patiently beneath.

One each side of the large room were two doors, directly across from each other. She imagined they led to other rooms in the palace. The glowing light of the archangel above the main room filtered down from the glass in the ceiling, casting the room into a warm glow. Combined with the sunshine, the room was likely very bright in the day time. There were a few servants or clergy members near them and they bowed respectfully to Sirona. She listened to her speak as she described the room in further detail. The large room they were in was called the Narthex and the part of the room with the pews was called the Nave. She was granted free rein to explore the premises as she liked. Though she would not abuse the privilege, she had no need to see the Goddess's private quarters.

She slowly made her way around the edges of the room, admiring the woodwork and tapestries on the wall. The building was well built and she could see that much care was taken to maintain it's appearance. She heard many footsteps towards the center of the room and turned her ears in the direction of the sound. The young angel explained what was going on before she could ask. Choir practice? She had never seen a choir in person before, only read about them. She watched as the group got together in a sort of order, the tallest in the back and smallest upfront. She was partially surprised to see some children in the group, as well as the many races involved. Very few races seemed to be excluded from the arrangement. "What are they singing about?" She asked Sirona. "I've only read about these things. I have never actually seen any of this in person before."

Sirona followed beside Paradox allowing her friend to explore as she chose, Sirona didn’t say anything until Paradox asked what choir was singing about. Sirona smiled. ”They sing about the purity and beauty of the Light, about the Strength of the body, mind and spirit, of having Faith in those things to see you through the day. About how Sin must be punished in equal measure to that harm that it does.” Sirona explained in short.

As they continued they came to a set of small closed booths and Sirona guessed she might have to explain what those were for. ”These booths are used for confessionals. Everyone is welcome to use them. One goes into one of the booths and after a moment one of Clergy will enter the other side, each separated from the other with a wall with a small window in it between them. The Clergy member will listen to any and all Sins that may be confessed to them, afterwards they will give an appropriate penance, along with offering any advice the confessor requests. Such as donating some coin to a charity, whether it’s one of their choice or one that we here assist with or run ourselves. Sometimes it could be saying a certain prayer several times in a row. After that their sins are forgiven in the Light. Whatever is said within a confessional is confidential, none of the Clergy or myself will ever reveal anything to anyone that has been said to us. The Clergy won’t even tell me anything, we’re all sworn to secrecy.”

After a moment a thought accord to Sirona and she reached into a pouch at her side and fished something out. She took a step close to Paradox with a smile and held out her armoured hand, in it was a set of prayer beads. Made from simple wood and painted in images of the sun with a strong leather cord running between each bead linking them together. ”If you wish to accept, and please feel no pressure to do so, you may have these prayer beads, Paradox. There is nothing magical about them or anything, but perhaps in a time of need they may bring you comfort.”

Paradox walked next to Sirona and turned her ears toward the angel as she listened to her speak. The choir seemed like an interesting group, their voices melded well together and created a beautiful harmony, though in a language she didn't know or understand, it still sounded very nice. It was relaxing in a way and regardless off where she and Sirona went in the palace, they were able to hear them as clearly as if they were standing right next to them. It made her wonder if there was something in the walls or charm of some sort that allowed the echo to continue and not dissipate with distance.

She was a little disconcerted that they discussed punishment of sin instead of forgiveness, but this was not her place to discuss such things. They made their way to small booths, though large for a normal person, she couldn't imagine trying to finagle herself into the small closed boxes. Sirona called them confessionals. She stared at them skeptically. She didn't have any reason to believe that such a thing was a good idea. For one to spill one's deepest darkest secrets to another was only inviting trouble. Yes, secrecy could be sworn and all of that, but people, even the clergy were never perfect. Things got out and accidents could still happen. Would it be often, she hoped it wouldn't be, but there was always a chance that a breach of secrecy could occur. They were only human after all.

She saw Sirona make a movement and turned to watch her closely. She reached into a pouch and held out her hand. When she opened it, inside was a necklace made of carved wooden beads. She squinted her eyes at them, not with the belief that Sirona intended to hurt her, but more to see the details and fine carvings better. She was reassured when Sirona said they were not magically changed in any way, and she didn't sense any magic in them either to reaffirm Sirona's assertion. Hesitantly, she lowered her head and sniffed them briefly, catching the scent of only wood and the leather. 

She looked up and locked eyes with Sirona as she straightened up slightly. She folded her ears back against her skull and dipped her head down so that the angel could easily place the necklace around her neck. Her ears perked forward as she felt the beads slide down the back of her neck and rest against her chest with her other necklace. She held them in one hand and looked at them, spinning the beads along with the leather so that she could see the writing and images on each one. They portrayed the images of the sun and other powers of light and strength in stunning color and detail for such a small size. "Thank you Sirona," she said gratefully. "I will bring them with me wherever I go. They will be a constant reminder of your kindness and generosity."

Sirona waited patiently as Paradox inspected the offered prayer beads, carefully putting them around Paradox’s neck when she bent down. Sirona smiled to Paradox’s words. ”You are welcome, Paradox. I hope they bring you peace should you find yourself in a time of need.” Sirona replied with a slight bow of respect to her friend.

Sirona did seem to have changed a bit since their last meeting, mostly in the way she carried herself. Confident, yet reserved, peaceful, yet possible on edge about something. She was doing well to control her outward emotions that was to be sure, though hard to detect for anyone that was unfamiliar with reading body language or didn’t know her that well.

The tour continued and Sirona led Paradox outside one of the doors to the outside pathways. ”That building is Mafunzo, it is the main training area for the Clergy here, and some that request training. We teach in magic, mostly Light based as you may guess, and many different types of weapons.” Sirona explained leading the way to the door and opening it for Paradox. Above the door was written in the common language, with light from within the building illuminating the lettering, ‘No Mercy for the Wicked’. A simple, yet profound, statement of the intent of this place, the Clergy and of course Sirona. For being one that had claimed violence was her last resort, it seemed possible that that line of thinking had changed.

Inside the building were four large squares of soft sand for people to train on, in fact there were two Clergy within, at the moment, sparring with each other. One held a set of tonfas the other used nunchucks, and while they knew that Sirona had entered, she had made it clear that, should she come in while training was taking place, it was not required or expected for anyone to stop in order to acknowledge her. Neither of the two sparring partners stopped as they went back and forth, wooden weapons clonking together. ”Ah, we are in time for you to see some of them in action.” She spoke in a lower tone as not to disrupt what they were doing, but did continue to speak as they fought. ”You are welcome to join us here for training any time, Paradox.” Sirona offered with a small grin.