Her approach to the Cathedral became more and more intense. The ground shook as if an earthquake was taking place. Whispers began to hum in Raven's mind, overriding everything she said within the confines of her own mind with chanting she could not decipher. The sickening landscape surrounding the monument was littered with hundreds of statues in different poses expressing a sense of despair and pain. Through their wounds a foul smell escaped. Every crack had a green glow to it, followed by a smell not unlike sulfur should anyone be "daring" enough to take a wiff. It was an eerie atmosphere nonetheless, and the closer Raven got to the large, closed doors, the more her vision would be impaired by a thick smog appearing out of nowhere. All of it fell quiet. Dead silence as she took one, seemingly random step forward.
Caretakers, they were called. Shadowy figures just barely floating above the ground, patrolling the Courtyard. Some were vicious, some were merely tending to the statues. And then there were Preachers. Hulking monstrosities with tendrils hanging from their backs and a bright light resembling floodlights coming out of their head. Every step they took was an imposing stomp, leaving marks into the dead grass. Their pattern was so fixed that there were no steps taken outside of their normal routes.
Among all the whispers clouding Raven's mind, one stood out. Thousands of voices merged into one, speaking louder than all the others. Its words were coated in a familiar warmth, not unlike the Harbinger's. Yet there was something else. A feeling she could not identify even if she tried her best.
Come, Bird. Cast your sins away at the door. Let your soul wander the path of freedom. Of enlightenment. Your arrival has been long overdue.
"Test the sharpness of your sword against another. And when that is not enough, unsheathe your cunning as the hidden dagger that ends the fight."
