God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The temple of Balangol has grown cold.

It had always been dark, but at least there had been some warmth. However, with Balangol's departure, the aura of divinity had gone with him and the celestial presence disappeared too.

In other words, the temple was empty, discarded, and destitute.

However, there were still Pilgrims going in and out of the temple every moment of the day.

The doors of the temple were opened at all hours, with Pilgrim's of various ranks in various states of disrepair ferrying through.

Looking at the terrible state of the Pilgrims, Abigail had a calm expression on her face.

Regardless of how they looked, they didn't have masks on. Their demeanors were tough regardless of the obvious hardships they were going through.

Standing on the stairs leading into the Temple, her eyes scanned the influx of Pilgrims searching for someone.

Eventually, she found her,

"How was the hunt? Looks like there were a few more casualties this time."

Two figures broke away from the crowd.

One was an expressionless, but fairly handsome young man wearing a black robe with a sword strapped to his back, the other was a pompous looking young woman wearing a deep azure robe, the color of the deep ocean.

The azure robed lady, the Earth Ward, July, spoke, her face a bit dark,

"We hit a few... bumps along the way. The shoreline is becoming more and more dangerous each day."

Edward, the Sky Ward turned to her, his face scrunching up,

"Things would have gone much better if you hadn't suggested we change after that thing!"

July snorted, "How can you blame me here?! It's not my fault we encountered such good bounty, is it?"

Edward rolled his eyes,

"Alright, sure. Whatever."

Abigail raised a brow but decided not to inquire further,

"Rain and Seisha?"

Edward answered,

"They are still out there making sure no one is left behind. The Golden Asura are also pulling their people out of there and into the ship. It's too dangerous, even with our numbers. Our best bet is for a number of us to ascend to the Second Tier. If we don't, we will only keep dying."

Abigail nodded, "I see."

Then she smiled,

"Luckily, the Second Trial is not as impossible as it seemed previously."

Edward raised a brow,

"You mean..."

Abigail nodded, "I just received news. Cain has completely the trial."

July's eyes widened and a frown appeared on Edward's face,

"That means that idiot, Carrion, wasn't lucky at all. Shit..."

Abigail shrugged, "Indeed. We should be getting ready to take the trial ourselves."

July paused,

"If that guy, Cain has passed it, does that mean Gilead should be getting back soon?"

Abigail's smile turned a bit strange,

"Actually, Gilead has also passed the trial as well."

Both Edward and July shot her annoyed looks,

"I think you should have led with that."

"Yeah, my heart can't handle the limbo, especially after all that I just went through."

Edward threw another dirty glance at July before turning to Abigail again,

"Where is he?"

Abigail chuckled, "He got back a few hours ago. Let's go meet him. I believe Seisha and Rain will be getting back soon, so we can start discussing once the get here."

They all entered the temple together.

There were more artificial lights within the temple, chasing the ambient darkness away.

The cacophony of sounds was enough to drive a man mad. Looking around, Edward's mood worsened.

The world around him had always been cursed.

There was only pain, woe, and suffering.

And unfortunately, things didn't seem to get any better.

Everyday, it only got worse. Out on the streets, people struggled, some killing themselves in order to find sustenance for the day.

Otherwise they starve to death.

In here, there was plenty of food to eat. However, it could potentially cost an arm and a leg.

Acquiring mutant beast meat was a rather risky endeavor that could go either way;

You could either get food, or become food instead.

They quickly made their way into the inner temple and into the white meeting room that housed the portal to the Otherworld.

Seated on the floor adjacent to the portal wa Gilead.

His eyes were closed and he had both legs crossed.

His breathing was even and steady, and different runes of all shapes and sizes crawled around his skin, glowing with electric radiance.

He also had his beard grown out to cover his face, making him look a bit more mature than he usually did.

Around him was a roughly spherical field of buzzing, charged particles and runes bouncing all around.

Every breath Gilead took in caused the runes on his body as well as those swimming around him to become more and more erratic.

July and Edward exchanged glances, unsure to make of the situation.

One thing was sure though. The Gilead they were seeing was not the same one they had known.

In fact, they felt like two different individuals.

The old Gilead had been strong and steady. A reliable character.

This one radiated nothing but power. Raw, unfiltered power.

He was like a mountain and a sword.

Huge and overbearing, but sharp and deadly all the same.

Abigail walked forward,

"Gilead..."

Gilead's eyes slowly opened.

July shivered and took a step backward,

"Goodness.

Hiss eyes had changed. The white sclera had turned black and his irises had turned a deep electric gold, like the color of saffron.

It was rather eerie.

His strange breathing stopped.

The runes around him and on his body slowly disappeared until the ones jumping around were completely gone and those on his skin were left as still patterns.

He closed his eyes again.

When he opened them again, they had become normal.

He glanced at Abigail,

"What is it?"

The two behind her caught his attention,

"You two are here as well..."

Edward walked forward and gave a curt bow,

"Congratulations on reaching the Second Tier."

Gilead nodded,

"It's nothing special. Very soon, you all should be doing the same."

He calmly retrieved a few clothes from his inventory and began putting them on.

Abigail cleared her throat,

"We are waiting on the others. They should be getting here—"

Gilead cut her off,

"Where's Cain?"

Abigail raised a brow,

"That eager to see him?"

Gilead nodded with a frown,

"I am. Has he ascended as well?"

Abigail nodded.

Gilead sighed. He went silent for a few seconds,

"If he has come back, he should be heading here soon. Delay any gathering until then."

Abigail frowned, "Are you sure?"

Gilead nodded,

"He is an important asset to us right now. No— the most important asset we have right now. Depending on how a meeting goes, we might be seeing significant changes soon. Changes that might lead us to salvation..."

"...Or our deaths."

Abigail fell silent.

Then her eyes widened,

"Well, I guess we are in luck."

Gilead's eyes narrowed,

"What is it?"

Abigail smiled,

"Rain and Seisha have arrived."

Gilead nodded, "I'm glad they aren't dead, but I don't see how that—"

Abigail cleared her throat.

Gilead's words clogged in his throat.

"Cain and his entourage have also arrived. I'm guessing they are here to pay us a visit."

***

Cain stared Gilead down with a contemplative expression.

Gilead did the same.

Or rather, he scanned his entire entourage.

He wasn't sure whether to be displeased or relieved. Besides Cain he counted two more Second Tiers. At least from what he could see.

"Congratulations on your ascension." Gilead said after a moment of awkward silence.

Everyone in the room shifted awkwardly.

Abigail chuckled uncomfortably and turned to Cain,

"How was the trial? Was it incredibly dangerous?"

Cain thought about it,

"I'd say it wasn't too bad. All we had to do was survive battles with creatures from the realm of gods, survive in the stomach of a world-devouring entity, live through a horror-filled fog that drove one into madness, And last but not the least, defeat a creature born of Eternity itself."

Gilead's face turned ugly,

"That was nothing like what I faced. I'd love to say I had it harder than you, but that sounds like a nightmare."

Cain raised a brow,

"How was you trial like?"

Gilead's brows furrowed,

"I had to singlehandedly defend a city wall from invading Abyssal creatures and beasts. Then I had to put a stop to an internal revolution and a civil war. Stressful, yes. Impossible, I don't think so."

Cain placed his index finger on his chin,

"I see. They are a bit different. Could it be because of the number of people participating in the trials?"

Gilead shook his head,

"It could be but I doubt it."

If that was the case, then any information they gave to others that were about to take the trials would be rather useless.

Cain suddenly realized why Azazel had been unable to provide him any useful information.

Cain shrugged.

Then he crossed his arms,

"Well that is all in the past. Let's focus on now, shall we?"

Gilead nodded,

"Indeed. In that case, why don't we talk on the most pressing issue now? I'm sure you know what I have in mind, don't you?"

Cain nodded with a grin,

"Indeed I do. Let's break this bubble. What do you think?"