Chapter Text
"As our world fades into abyss,
A single glow will penetrate the darkness.
Care and knowledge will nurture that light,
And grow into a beacon,
Guiding the hopeless sinners towards a paradise.
Hope will spread across the land,
As our Heaven emerges."
It felt like a dream.
Your body and its essence were cradled by an inky, infinite void. Everything felt hazy and disorienting, as you tried to figure out up from down, and where exactly you existed in this place.
How long had you been here?
…
And where was here, anyways?
Time didn't seem to exist either. Had it been minutes? Hours?
…Days?
Your mind fought to try and make sense of it all while you remained in the unknown.
Until something shifted.
A tiny, tiny speck of light started to shine dimly in the dark.
Your heartbeat picked up, as if your very soul was screaming at you that this was your chance to leave this place.
You struggled to move your limbs, as they felt like they were being weighed down by the darkness itself.
And yet, you persisted.
You started to reach upwards, kicking your legs, and practically swimming towards the tiny ray of hope. The speck started to grow in size, ever slow, but the hope inside you grew along with it.
Reaching, reaching…Higher and higher…
Until finally the light was becoming blinding. Squeezing your eyes shut, you kept pushing forward. The pure white was visible even with your eyes firmly shut.
Almost…Almost-!
-
"GASP!"
Your body shot up and your chest heaved, inhaling like it was the first breath of air you had in a long time.
Struggling to ease your breathing, you shut your eyes and tried to calm yourself.
It was okay.
You were alive.
…
But…Where exactly were you?
Slowly allowing your eyes to open, as you regained control of your breathing, the world around you didn't match what you last recalled.
The world was dark. Not nearly as dark as the void you lay in before, but like a place encased in night. Glancing around, you noticed you were sitting in a field it seemed. Tall, wispy grass billowed gently around you, save for the spot you had flattened with your body.
It was nearly silent. The gentle sound of wind was the only thing that could be heard, and in any other context, it might have even been relaxing.
But it was eerie. Too quiet, Too peaceful. It felt artificial.
You began to slowly stand up, the view beyond the tall grass finally making its way to your vision.
The first thing you noticed was a warm light in the distance. The orange-yellow hue shone bright in contrast to the dark surround it. As your eyes tried to focus more, you realized it appeared to be coming from a building. More specifically, from a high point on the building.
A beacon.
It was difficult to make out, but as you tried to force your vision to focus on it more, there was no mistaking it. It was a church.
Your heart beat began to pick up again. Everything was becoming too much. The disorientation of it all was making your head swim.
That place of worship seemed to be the only thing around, at least within what you could see. You had a sinking feeling deep in your gut, but what else was there to do?
With hesitancy, you stepped forward. Despite this seeming like a horrible idea, your mind was too focused on figuring out just where you were, and maybe this place had answers.
You trudged through the tall grass, bare feet trampling the nature around. It was now as you had a moment to take in your surroundings as you made your way towards the beacon, that you were wearing a different outfit then you last remembered. You had a plain white long-sleeve, alongside matching pants. They were almost pure white, save for a few grass stains you had acquired from being among the grass.
You would have questioned your change in attire, had it not been for the fact that the church was now only a little ways away. By now, there was a small gravel path that began to form, and lead up towards the dark wooden doors of the sanctuary.
You carefully made your way down the worn path, the feeling in your gut growing more and more apparent as you drew closer. Finally, as you were just a few steps away from the door, you paused.
Your breathing was shallow, and all you could do was stare at the door ahead of you. Trying to convince yourself that everything would be okay was the only thing you could do, as you reached out with trembling hands towards the doors.
'Creeeeaaakkkk'
With a painfully loud sound breaking through the quiet, you now were in the door way to the church. The interior was fairly standard, from what you knew. Frosted stained glass windows, lanterns along the walls…Rows upon rows of wooden pews filled the body of the church, leading up to an alter.
And behind that alter, was a figure.
You felt your body freeze in response. All you could do was stare wide-eyed at the figure, mouth slightly agape as you tried to determine how they would react to your presence.
The figure, a man, was glancing back at you. His dark eyes seemed kind, and the gentle smile her adorned had an unsettling sort of warmth to it. In contrast to his porcelain skin, His attire was black, save for a bright magenta stole with yellow accents.
A long, heavy moment of silence was exchanged between the two of you, until he placed a hand above his heart and spoke.
"Welcome, Lost lamb."