FGO Specter of Glass

Xiatian la Vue Ch4

"I think the Platted Knight and Ophelia are connected," Alisha said. "Before the Platted Knight attacked, Ophelia was asking about the spires. It seemed like she was interested in how they were being destroyed."

"We know that Ophelia is friends with the White Bishop," Carmen leaned on the desk to whisper when Ophelia trotted in with Sofitia following her. "I don't doubt she has connections to all the Crypters."

"If she does..." Alisha also leaned in. "Be careful with her. She's been bugging me ever since she got here, and now I think it's because the Crypters want something."

"What are you hiding?"

"Presumptuous, aren't you?" Alisha tapped under her desk. "Come tonight and I'll show you."

Carmen returned to the inn where the others were waiting for her. Mitra was curious about what Alisha wanted. She wasn't just a traveler from Scandinavia. From how she spoke of the Platted Knight, she was infuriated about the Crypter destroying her home. Yu offered to accompany Carmen to the library when nightfall arrived. It was safer for them to be together in case it was a trap. Judging from how Xiatian was full of secrets, she knew it would be naive to expect Alisha to have pure intentions.

The group split into teams to continue their exploration of the town. With no directions on what to do next, they had time to do as they pleased. Galatea took Van Gogh to the museum again. Abhimanyu joined Helena at the library to watch Ophelia. Mitra went with Nero to hunt monsters for the blacksmith. And Carmen was left with Cleopatra to check the church since its doors were open.

Carmen opened the ivory doors to see that the church was filled with wooden seats, white crystal flowers hung from the ceiling, and the stained glass was colorful, like a rainbow hitting the crystals that illuminated the room. Ephraim was at the altar, cleaning the floor, and waved to the two. She was stationed in the area to protect the people. The enforcers were weakened due to the spire's destruction, making the church weary of losing power in the town. Ephraim shrugged. She wasn't enthusiastic about how controlling Philip was. He was determined to keep the peace. Or what he believed was peace.

The priestess gestured for the two to follow her into the courtyard. There was a statue of Q'yth-Az made of marble standing in the center, with a stone pathway circling it and flowers planted in the grass. The statue was surprisingly human in shape, a man stood with a staff in his hand, and on his back were crystals in the shape of wings. Cleopatra noticed that the feathers were connected by a small wire for the statue to hold. She asked if the wings could fly or if they were decorations. Ephraim swung her body as she thought. She lacked an answer.

The statue was based on a form Q'yth-Az took when he had a human host. It was rare, but there were times when a person was born who was connected to the god and was chosen to become a vessel. With a new body came greater powers for him, and the wings were one of them. From what Ephraim heard, the spires in towns were created when Q'yth-Az had a human body. She believed it amplified his power to connect to a mana source rather than the artificial bodies the church created, which lacked magical properties. Those were made from crystals gathered from the mines and were stable enough to hold for a few years.

Carmen remembered the form Q'yth-Az had when he visited the festival. It reminded her of a sea urchin more than anything else. Ephraim chuckled. She found it funny that Carmen made such a relation. Q'yth-Az's forms were never appealing to her, either. The last one was her brother's creation, and he was never the creative type. If it were up to her, she'd make a dragon, but she was shut down by Phili, who wanted to keep it simple. She showed the girls her sketch, and they were amazed at her skills. She was a talented artist, her linework was smooth, she added small details to every section, and her work had a holy appeal. She was proud of her talents, although the church didn't like it when she got creative.