The Void

L̶̝͑é̵̲n̷̞̅i̴̘̿e̵̹̓n̷̦̏č̷̖e̸̺͆

After a few minutes of dressing up in some new, freshly ironed clothes, I rushed downstairs, eager to see what the Void Intuitive, or, hopefully, my new home, would look like. 

I pushed open the red front door, and saw what looked like paradise. The sky was a beautiful, vibrant blue with the occasional cloud, and the grass was a vibrant green, full grown trees and blooming flowers growing all around. A few yards ahead of me was a small pond, surrounded by a small path and a small patch of flowers.

"Whoa," I whispered under my breath, taking in the scenery. I walked towards the path around the small pond, and marveled at the beauty of the place. Behind the pond was a huge, jet black temple, crowned with the same symbol Robert bore on his chest. Curious, I walked over to the building and pulled open one of the heavy, white doors, hoping that I wouldn't get in trouble for doing so. 

"WHO DARE ENTER?" An unfamiliar voice blared from the inside of the temple, along with the clank of a metal object. 

I jumped back with surprise, shutting the door quickly and debating running away, in fear of getting caught. I heard the shuffling of footsteps, gradually growing louder until the door itself opened, revealing Robert, followed by multiple other figures. 

"Oh. It's only the outsider," the same voice hissed, this time with a face I could connect to.  They had a similar figure to Robert, except they had a bigger crown, no wings, and a black aura. Their mask, though, only covered half of their face, and, instead of looking sad, they seemed to have a more strict and angry demeanor. In his hands he held a sharp, black, patterned scythe. 

"Next time, ask for permission before entering the temple, especially when uninvited," he added, trying to walk towards me menacingly, but got held back by Robert's arm. 

"Cut her some slack, Norman," said a feminine voice, coming again from one of the figures behind Robert, "she's new here after all." 

Norman simply grunted, while the girl simply looked away, out of annoyance. The girl also looked similar to Robert, even all the other figures did, including having the strange symbol on their torso. The color of each of them, though, was different. One colored orange, another colored blue, Norman, colored black, and, finally, the girl who stood up for me, colored green. 

They must be his siblings, I thought, they look quite similar anyway...

Robert looked straight at me, interrupting my thoughts. The figures behind him started filing away from us, while Robert motioned towards the temple, then walking inside. I followed him, hoping that this time, I was invited. 

I pushed open the door, and was immediately greeted with an icy cold breeze, and the dark interior of the temple. I walked inside, and noticed multiple rows of black benches leading up to a small stage, which held a podium with a book on it. The wall behind the stage were held up with a few pillars, which had an imprint of the same, strange symbol on Robert's torso.

Robert stood next to the podium, looking down at me, as if studying me. I gulped, uncomfortable at his gazed and darted my eyes around the room, trying desperately not to look at him. 

"Welcome, Song," his voice boomed, startling me a little and causing me to jump. I looked back at him immediately, my eyes flickering away and back to his gaze. 

"A-Ah, hi!" I squeaked, waving my hand as a greeting. "S-Sorry, you can tell I'm a little nervous, hehe."  

Robert merely nodded and turned towards the symbol on the wall. 

"W-What is this place?" I asked, looking around again, the chill of the room seemingly getting colder. 

"A temple. A place to worship our god, Noli." Robert responded, seeming extremely interested in the symbol of the wall.

Noli. I had heard stories about him when I was younger, but, I had thought he were just a myth... and all of his followers had disappeared along with him too. 

"N-Noli? Wasn't he just a myth? A-A legend?" I stuttered, tilting my head with interest and walking towards the stage. 

"Oh, Noli is real," Robert merely said, turning his gaze away from the wall and back to me. 

"Noli is the faith of the Intuitive. Our hope, our light. As long as we keep Noli happy, he will generously return us with protection from the plague. Which, is precisely why we must make sure everyone here does accordingly as Noli wishes, including having your belief of her," he continued, his glare seemingly growing stronger at me with each word. 

"I-Is that what you meant by joining you? Becoming a part of your..." 

"Cult, yes," 

"Cult," I sighed, debating what to do. I could either join a group of, seemingly strange people in praying to a non-existent god, or, die from the plague, without any protection. Both seemed equally un-enticing. 

"You'll still have a few days to think about it. Regarding you still have to heal." 

I nodded, but decided not to include the fact I was feeling fine already. I needed those few days to think over it. 

"Thank you for your lenience then Robert, I'll let you know in a few days," I said, scratching my head. 

Robert nodded, and turned to look back at the symbol. I slowly left the room, at a loss of words on what to do.