The Vessel

The domed ceiling of the cathedral was so far above it seemed almost impossible to reach, the only reason I could even see it was due to the purple stained glass decorating the ceiling. 

Light pierced through, taking on a purplish hue, giving the cathedral an ominous air. 

The length of the cathedral was not something to scoff at either, if it were to be used for worship it could easily hold a congregation of well over a thousand people. 

The pews all seemed to be facing the same direction, towards me, as I stood on an elevated marble platform.

My new body was clothed in nothing but a dark black woolen cloak, I curiously observed the frail looking hands that I now controlled. 

Smooth and unhealthily pale skin and from the occasional hair obstructing my vision, rather long hair adorned my head. 

It felt unnerving to be in control of a figure that was not mine though I could not recall what was 'mine' either. 

Was this some kind of transmigration? 

It was nothing but a fantasy trope, but I found it hard to explain this in any other way.

'At least I have a physical form now.' I thought, deciding that these questions could wait until I found out more about where I was. 

To the side of where I was standing there seemed to be two items on display on a pedestal, one of them emitting a soft white light. 

It was an orb like structure emitting a tantalizing glow held in place by a metallic stand. 

Involuntarily my hand reached out towards it, and my hand made contact with the warm surface.

*TSSSS*

Suddenly the orb crumbled into dust, as the light contained with was released and flew directly towards my chest.

I jumped back in surprise but the light seemingly disappeared after reaching my chest, leaving nothing but a soft warmth.

As I was processing this strange occurrence, something stranger happened causing me to question my eyes.

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Vessel core initiated.

Integration process will be completed in 10:00

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A translucent blue screen appeared out of thin air with strange text in white writing. 

It reminded me of the 'systems' that were a common trope in manga and light novels.

I looked away from the screen, but it followed my vision, as if it wasn't present physically but more like it was imprinted into my vision. 

Now even more it reminded me of the stories I had read in my past life as my fascination with it grew. 

However, seemingly satisfied that I had read it disappeared, leaving me staring blankly in confusion. 

'Vessel core?'

The contents of the screen were incredibly cryptic and left me with more questions than answers.

However, it said that I would have an answer in ten minutes, and I could recall the screen to check the timer go down, so I decided to move on. 

The only other item on display was a dazzling tri-colored jewel, being segment into equal parts red, green and blue. 

The jewel unlike the orb didn't dissipate upon touching it but prompted another screen to appear in my vision.

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Vessel is advised to carry artifact "Base Element Stone" until initiation is complete.

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Cryptic again but I could infer that 'Vessel' referred to me and the jewel was the 'base elemental stone', and I was supposed to hold onto it until the timer hit zero. 

As I had no reason to distrust the messages, I picked the jewel up and held onto it as I explored the rest of the cathedral. 

The only other thing of note were the gigantic stained glass paintings that painted the cathedral floor in a variety of colors. 

They were divided into four parts with a number on top of each painting, chronicling their order. 

The painting marked with 1 resembled a congregation of people with the same cloak as me, kneeling reverently to... nothing? 

The painting depicted their surroundings as a verdant green field but the object of worship for these people seemed to be a crack in reality represented by a black fracture in the colors of the painting. 

Almost as if the painting was unfinished but the intricate pattern made it seem intentional. 

The second painting depicted tendrils of dark reaching out to these figures seemingly corrupting their bodies as their eyes became pure black. 

The third the corruption grew worse, inky black tears fell from their eyes, as they broke into a wide grin, their smile two depicted simply as a crescent of darkness. 

The fourth and final painting was the simplest, representing a humanoid figure with a glowing black sphere where its heart should be. 

I stared wordlessly at the paintings for some time, they were unnerving downright horrific, but they told a story. 

My mind ran wild with speculations as I wondered about the nature of my existence in this world. 

'No... now's not the time.'

I would gain nothing from creating baseless theories, I didn't know what was going on at all, it was better just to move on from this place. 

I redirected my attention to the grand doorway at the end of the cathedral moving towards it with hurried steps. 

Grabbing onto the handle of the large metallic doors, they opened with surprising ease, and I covered my eyes with my hand as sunlight filtered into the room. 

The warmth felt nice on my skin, I did not know how long it had been since I was last exposed to the sun. 

My eyes took some time to adjust as I stepped outside the cathedral, the doors closing behind me with a resounding thud. 

I drew a sigh of relief as I heard the whistle of wind and swaying of grass, a sense of normal in this bizarre situation. 

As I moved my feet made contact with grass as I seemed to be standing in an overgrown and unkempt garden. 

The imposing black cathedral stood behind me, its size even more staggering on the outside.

It was located seeming on the outskirts of a city as metallic fences enclosed the church and its perimeter.

At the end of the grass pathway was a slightly ajar fence gate pushing it open, revealed a seemingly abandoned roadway which led to what appeared to be a city. 

A white and red sign was dug into the ground close to the fencing with a cross sign and writing on it. 

However,

'I can't read that.'

The sign was rusted but the writing seemed to be in a different language making no sense.

The letters were close to English, but the words made no sense. 

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Knowledge deemed necessary for survival will be imparted to Vessel.

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"What? ARGH-"

I yelled in pain as a mind-numbing migraine assaulted me, causing me to fall to the ground clutching the sides of my head. 

It felt like information was being forcefully jammed into my brain, as knowledge entered my brain at a speed I couldn't even process. 

My eyes grew watery as I bit down on my lip to prevent screaming. 

Just when the pain began to feel unbearable it subsided, as I drew heavy breaths, clutching my temples. 

Looking back at the sign as I lay on the ground, I could now read the words.

'Dangerous Area- Entry not permitted.'

'I could have guessed that.'

I thought as I recovered from the reeling headache getting accustomed to what I had learnt.