Zenith's Academy

Chapter 13 | Church of Paradise

Remigius never thought of himself as an anxious person. Under most circumstances, he remained calm and at ease; the only indicator was the pulsing of his heart. Yet, the entire ride to the Church's Castle edged him out of his seat to the point where Maven told him to take a walk around the airship.

The air of tension within the airship didn't help Remigius's nerves settle down, so he distracted himself by playing 'I spy with my little eye' with Yun. The game left him irritated since Yun kept picking such inconspicuous items like a gear in the wall or a keychain dangling from someone's purse that he ended up in a state of anxiety again. 

He wondered how many people were already at Church's Castle. Remigius expected a large crowd after news broke out about the Chosen being among one of them. Though, it was difficult to go to Church's Castle which was at the center of the Heavens on the island, Aheart. He was sure the Aviation Unit was at work.

"Remigius, we're here." Maven's voice woke him from his trance as she shook his shoulder and got up. 

Remigius followed her and Yun out to the balcony of the airship where landing would soon take place. He no longer stared at the endless sky, but a floating island with a tower in the middle. 

The pounding of his heart seemed to intensify. The Church of Paradise. It was unworldly magnificent—a tower of white limestone bricks stacked high to the clouds with a large staircase spiralling around the outside. Nature crawled from the ground; vines and moss taking settlement in the crevices of the stones. Unlike most towers, the top didn't have a pointed tip but instead was bare and flat. Remigius wondered how far it would feel to look down from there.

All of the Church members resided in Church's Castle, which was an honour in itself, but the Church of Paradise was a completely different story. This was the place where the Chosen would arise. This was where Paradise's aura filled the Heavens the greatest. Chills ran through Remigius at the mere prospect of getting to go inside that building.

Of course, Yun said something disrespectful. "What an ugly-looking tower. Whoever is the Chosen, god, good luck living in that place."

"The Chosen won't live here, Yun," Maven said.

"Maybe they should so they could clean up the place."

The airship landed and the students lined up to exit. The ramp deployed out and Ms. Bello, Mr. Ochet, and Ms. Felicity led them to the carriages that would ride toward the Church of Paradise. Unexpectedly, Remigius shared a carriage with Yun and Maven.

The ride would only be an hour long. Remigius just wanted the trial to start already. All the sitting and waiting around was so annoying. Strangely enough, Yun and Maven were quiet, both in their thoughts. 

Remigius never got to ask if Maven wanted to become the Chosen. She didn't seem to have any interest, though the way she looked right now made him think twice. Then again, Yun had no clue about his aspiration for years, so he supposed she could be a hard read.

He focused on the clip-clop of the krests pulling their carriage and rested his head against the window. It wasn't until the end of the ride that a noise startled the three.

"What was that?" Maven asked, eyes wide 

Remigius peeked through his eyelashes, squinting from the sunlight. At first, the noise sounded like water crashing against pebbles, but as it got louder, he straightened up with a raised brow. 

Yun opened the latch to the window and peeked outside. "I only see the carriages ahead of us."

Remigius pushed Yun back to peek out too. The tower was nearing closer, but the carriages ahead blocked the view. "Applause?"