Hello Star-Trail Readers,
This break in chapter uploads is dedicated to making clear some of the prominent characters in this novel, particularly the ones residing in the primary setting of the plot – The Temple of Wisdom.
ARRANGED IN DESCENDING ORDER OF HIERARCHY
[THE HOLY STAR SYMBOL]
[THE HOLY WARRIORS]
[THE TWELVE PILLARS OF THE TEMPLE]
[THE KEEPERS OF THE TEMPLE]
[THE MILITARY SCHOOL OF STELL CITY]
[THE HIGHER SERVANTS OF THE TEMPLE]
[THE LOWER SERVANTS TO THE TEMPLE]
THE HOLY STAR SYMBOL:
There is ever only one to exist throughout a lifetime. A holy star symbol is considerably the most powerful entity to exist on the planet. They exist as proof that the god of scriptures remains thriving and superior in the realm of the gods.
A female holy star symbol is known as the Temple of Wisdom’s Priestess, while a male one is known as the temple’s priest.
A holy star symbol is gifted with the divine and physical attributes of the sun. [More on this will be stated in future updates.]
They are the most authoritative figures in the Temple of Wisdom and one of the most revered figures in the world.
[A holy star symbol’s purpose and responsibilities will be revealed as the plot unfolds.]
THE HOLY WARRIORS:
These are people who only answer to the holy star symbol. They are bound by heart and service to protect the holy star symbol.
A human who has become a holy warrior has been Star-Touched towards an element. [the specifics are best explained in the story.]
THE TWELVE PILLARS OF THE TEMPLE:
These are the twelve elders of the temple. They are powerful figures whose authority falls beneath that of the holy star symbol. Every action of theirs is by virtue to be done with the sole intention of promoting the excellence of the temple.
Their primary purpose is to aid the holy star symbol in the tribulations they face while spreading the teachings of the scripture god.
Every Pillar of the Temple of Wisdom possesses the power of premonition. They also possess the ability to unveil incidences of the past that took place in a particular location. This, in particular, vary among them:
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Pillars are known as Light Speakers, as they can see into the past wherever light has touched.
The 4th, 5th, and 6th Pillars are known as Sky Speakers;
The 7th, 8th, and 9th Pillars are known as Ocean Speakers; and
The 10th, 11th, and 12th Pillars are known as Earth Speakers.
Due to the varied methods, the first three are the most effective seers, thus inevitably creating sub-classes between them.
THE KEEPERS OF THE TEMPLE:
These are much younger versions of the temple pillars. They are gifted seers that are brought to the temple to be trained under the guidance of the pillars. They are divided based on their vision methods. Thus we have;
The Light Keepers,
The Sky Keepers,
The Ocean Keepers, and
The Earth Speakers.
THE MILITARY SCHOOL OF STELL CITY:
The school is responsible for producing top-tier military men and women, some of whom would go on to fight for a chance to participate in the Star-Trail Accordance Trial.
They also produce highly skilled military officers who protect and uphold the territory of the temple from those who challenge its status.
THE HIGHER SERVANTS OF THE TEMPLE: This includes numerous departments like;
The Temple preacher union,
The Medical department,
The office department,
The investigative department.
[More on this will be revealed in future updates]
THE LOWER SERVANTS TO THE TEMPLE: This includes the temple cleaners, chefs, and discrete messengers. [More on this will be revealed in future updates]
Things were starting to drive Etanai towards a new level of insanity. He was struggling with so much that he wished it would all be over, and yet, he knew he couldn’t do that. He had been fighting against multiple agents of death for a reason; there was someone counting on him.Between his episodic shifts in personality, he had found himself in various environments: from Wraith Valley where he had met that group of men and women, to now being kept in the Temple of Wisdom. The last place he remembered losing himself was in a medical room where he had been restrained. Now, his surroundings had changed once again. Despite the similarities in the designs, Etanai could tell from the metal door that looked like he was locked away in solitary confinement.Though he was getting a hang of those white clouds in his mind, it still hurt in ways he could not describe.“I need the priestess! Please, get me your Priestess!”He had been yelling for a while now, and he couldn’t help the great sadness
Gambit was furious. In a straight line, a group of security men and women stood with their heads down before him.“Who’s in charge of watch duty?”A security man came forward, slightly curled in on himself. “Head Instructor, I’m the head of this assigned unit, and I swear to the supreme watcher that none of us had left our post at all. I don’t know how the unstable warrior left the cell.”“Don’t call the god of scripture’s name in vain.”The security man stood at ease. “My apologies, Head Instructor, but once again, I assure you the cell occupant had not passed through that door. We were shocked as well when I returned from my lunch break to find him completely missing on the monitors.”“Have you inspected the surveillance footage?”The man shook his head. “I was in the middle of doing this when you ordered for my presence.”“Show it to me right now.” Gambit watched the man lead the way. “The rest of you return to your post.” He then followed him to the surveillance room.A few minut
Eshya was nervous as she entered the large room to find the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eleventh pillars in their respective seats. The meeting room is a large round hall with thirteen seats – twelve primary seats in a semi-circle arrangement to a grander seat – at the center while the audience seats are spread through the rest of the hall behind these thirteen seats. Apart from the six pillars inside the hall, Eshya found the keepers of the temple were present. It's customary, after all, to have the future pillars obtain first-hand experience on occasions like this. “Welcome, Priestess Eshya.” The second pillar spoke first. “I apologize on behalf of my fellow pillars for calling you here on such short notice.” Eshya nodded. "Sun-blessed noon to the six pillars present." She walked over to settle in the grander seat, as it is reserved for the holy star symbol during a meeting. She noticed Gambit, who had followed her into the hall, had also taken a seat in the audience
Northeast from the walls of Stell City, a canyon lies along one of the paths of the city’s great river fork – Stell- Fifth Claw Canyon. A man screamed in pain, thrashing on the ground as his body oozed thick drops of yellow liquid that had been pooling around him for a while. The most distinct oddities at the moment are his enlarged limbs and bulged torso covered in what appeared to be scales.“How long does the transformation take to complete?”“We were told it’s not fixed. It depends on how well the infected can adapt.”Here, a large number of humans converge in a large cave. These are the men and women who had publicly saved the low-district criminal the other day – The Scriptures Rejecters. Now, the arsonist himself is sitting on a large rock with the old woman who had released the first few shots. They watched as the screaming man's skin slowly gave way and he mutated into a seven-foot crocodile. The audience watching scurried away from the creature now in place of the man.“Can
"So let me get this straight." Eshya's pointed finger shifted between Bava and Garu. "You two became close during the Finalists Selection Rounds, so…. two years of friendship?" She watched the two men nod at her before she turned her gaze to the other two. "And you guys have known yourselves for how long?"“Five years, Priestess.” Cassandra also nodded at Eshya.It has been an odd morning for the holy star symbol. She had been quite embarrassed when she realized she had fallen asleep in the holy warriors' quarters; she hadn't realized the heaviness weighing on her body after she woke up a few days ago without proper recuperation. Though she kept quiet about it, she had very little experience in dealing with the great toll making a portal had on her body. She had been ignoring her exhaustion since Etanai's desperate call back then had somehow forced her to create one, which was soon followed by a blessing of light to relieve Etanai of those white clouds. The horrible meeting with the T
“A chain of compulsion?! What was it attached to?”“It’s more like who it was attached to.” Elder Tobias watched the realization settle in the second pillar’s eyes. “It was attached to a human. Unfortunately, that’s all I know as their identity was shrouded in bright light.” He turned his gaze to the extensive field of clouds beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I looked into the Seer Catalogues, and I think Elder Rowan might have a Light Keeper under her control.”“Watch those words before you throw them out, Elder Tobias. Illegal possession of a chain of compulsion? Hiding a Light Keeper from the Light Speakers? Those are two big accusations you’re making right there.”“You don’t believe me?”“This is more than that. Our visions are never at a hundred percent when it comes to clarity; you know this.” Elder Niola quickly appealed to the disappointed look on the third pillar’s face. “If this was any other culprit, I’d have commanded the intelligence unit on an investigation, but you
"Have you all gone insane?!" Gambit paced back and forth before the four holy warriors who were now detained in a different cell. He pointed at Cassandra. "You attacked the security head I assigned to keep that boy's power in check." He then waved his finger between the other three. "And you idiots didn't even bear enough sense to stop her and instead joined her. Now you've also rendered her team temporarily unfit for duty." Bava couldn’t help the angry expression on his pretty face. “How could you do something so humiliating to him?” Gambit halted his pacing to glare daggers at the usually tamed young man. “Are you questioning your superior’s actions right now?” He was slightly surprised Bava, along with the other three, didn’t show a bit of guilt at that, and he allowed himself some sympathetic reasoning. “Do you even know what that sprinkler does to him?” “It looked like it hurt like hell.” Garu grounded out in fury. “The dude was left thrashing on the ground, and that woman look
The scene had ended in a bloody mess in less than an hour. The large footprints in the area remained proof of the large beast that had laid waste to the numerous soldiers here. While the scripture rejecters had only lost a few lives, the same couldn't be said for the troops in charge of the mysterious cargo; they only had a few terribly injured soldiers left on the ground.“Should we kill them, Boss?” Though the old woman asked with a gentle smile, her eyes revealed a chill in them as she already had a weapon retrieved from the military trucks – a rifle –pointed at one of the remaining soldiers.Timber grabbed the muzzle of the rifle. “This is an Aster-Firearm, Mama Lenah. Don’t waste it on an injured man.”The old woman's smile faded and she put down the weapon. "But we have several truck-loads of these and more."Timber glanced at her, noticing the arsonist had joined them. "Trust me when I say we will be needing every single one of them for our mission if we're to ensure there's a