"What are we going to do?" Raphael asked, trying to understand the situation better. For now, he was sure that they weren't under attack. That meant they were the ones who were going to be attacking.
"We'll be attacking the Church of Flames," Gabriel replied while bringing out a full-face mask that he placed over his face to hide his face as much as possible. His real face was already seen by people at the Academy of Elements, but those people also knew that he had a face changing treasure so he didn't worry much about that.
He was sure that they definitely weren't going to believe that what they saw was his real face enough to promote it. However, the Church of Flames was different. He didn't want to reveal his face here for the time being.
As for Raphael, he didn't need a face mask. As much as he wanted to hide his identity, he wanted people to know Raphael! Raphael had a bigger role to play in the future and he wanted everyone to know. Moreover, since Raphael stayed in the realm of Undead most of the time, there was no need for him to worry about his face being revealed much.
"Seal the entire area," Gabriel commanded after he finished donning the mask. "That building is our target. No one should be allowed to disturb us while we're taking care of things inside."
Gabriel also changed his attire to a much darker shade of Clothes. The one thing which he didn't change were his gloves since they hid his strange elemental marks. Instead, he wore another set of gloves over his usual gloves to hide their real colors so they couldn't be linked to him in the future.
Even though Raphael didn't know what the Church of Flames did to offend Gabriel, but he still believed that it was significant enough for Gabriel to attack them. Usually Gabriel was someone who tried to avoid direct confrontations afterall.
****
While the Holy Church of Flames was facing a danger like never before, the Holy Priest of Flames entered the Royal Capital of Arecia Empire, being accompanied by only two Head Priests.
"This is the City where the crystal was broken. Seal the City," he commanded the Head Priests, not wasting his time with such a small thing personally
The two Head Priests brought out their Peak Tier Flaming Staffs and chanted a strange spell that was never heard in the Empire.
As soon as the two finished their spell, a flaming wall shot up from all around the Royal Capital, meeting up at a single point in the sky, sealing the Royal Capital inside a flaming dome!
The sky was lit up by a brilliant orange light as the dome of flames encased the Royal Capital of Arecia. High above, atop the castle walls, Royal Knights could be seen gathering to witness what had become of their beloved city.
From within the dome, an eerie silence descended upon all who were still inside. The air was thick with smoke and ash that threatened to choke those who dared breathe it in. Everywhere there was evidence of panic and despair as people tried desperately to find a way out but failed at every turn.
The citizens of the Royal Capital of Arecia were in a state of shock and disbelief as they looked up at the dome of flames that had suddenly appeared around their city.
Everywhere people crowded together, talking to each other in hushed voices as they tried to comprehend what was happening. Everyone's eyes were wide with fear as they realized that their city had been sealed off from the outside world. They couldn't help but wonder if their city was under attack!
Noticing the situation getting chaotic, the guards on duty quickly shouted for everyone to stay back and remain calm but it was too late; panic had already set in among the populace.
People began shouting questions at one another, asking what this meant for them and how long would this last? No-one knew for sure but all were certain that things would never be the same again inside these walls. It was certainly the work of Mages!
They knew that even though Mages and their Empire didn't have the best of relationships in the past, but it wasn't bad enough to be attacked either. They still treated mages with respect! But for them to seal the entire city like this? This wasn't normal!
Some of the Royal Knights rushed to the Royal Palace to inform the Emperor about the City being sealed, only to be stopped before they could enter the palace by the captain of the Royal Knights.
The Captain of the Knights was being accompanied by the Duke of Darkness. The two of them were the only ones in the city who knew that the Emperor wasn't here! In fact that wasn't the only thing they knew. Gabriel had already told them that something like this would be happening!
"When he told me this would be happening, I didn't quite believe it. But now that this has happened, we can't back off. Handle things according to the plan... I'll be going into hiding since I can't be seen by them," Duke Callum told the Saint Knight before he entered the castle, disappearing into the darkness.
The Saint Knight clenched his fist, looking at the flaming dome in the sky.
"The Holy Priest of Flames is here..." he muttered, not knowing if they could even survive this Knight. The Holy Priest was here for answers and if he didn't find the answers satisfying, this entire Empire was in danger.
"I don't think I'll be able to delay him for more than a day. Your Majesty, I hope you can succeed..." He held the hilt of his Sword as he stepped ahead.
*****
In the Leviria Empire, another wall of flame rose up, but unlike the flaming wall in Arecia, this wall of fire was pitch black! It was a darker shade of flames which weren't as violent as the flames of Lerian, but these flames were more threatening. They had an aura of death, as if they could even burn the souls of a person!
The citizens of the Royal City of Leviria were focused on the battle for the throne. The person who had challenged the current Emperor seemed closer to victory. It was clearly a matter of time. However, before he could deal the finishing blow, he stopped, looking at the towering flames in the distance.
The Emperor also stopped, looking in the same direction as everyone else. Everyone could see that the area was where the Church of Flames was established! The Church of Flames was surrounded by Dark Flames of Death!
