Aylin glanced down at Jiang, who waddled at her side. Prayer murmured through the church. Shoes clicked on marble. Jiang counted exits instead of saints.
"Yes, that's correct," Jiang muttered quietly. "Let's head to the main altar."
They moved through the nave, passing worshippers deep in prayer. Aylin's gaze shifted across the stained glass and the sculptures surrounding them, her pace quickening with every step. Jiang followed closely, his small flippers making faint taps against the polished floor as they approached the front desk near the altar.
Aylin froze mid-step, her eyes fixed on her wrist. A glowing system notification appeared, displaying a grim message: 28 hours remaining to defeat the Yokai, or Aylin will die.
Jiang noticed the notification too, his heart sinking as it faded away. He sighed and looked up as a priest, dressed in traditional robes, approached them with a polite smile.
"Hello, how can I help you?" the priest asked, though his eyes quickly drifted down to Jiang. "It's not every day you see a penguin in church, but I suppose stranger things happen in Rome. How did you even get a penguin?"
The priest bent down, patting Jiang on the head. Jiang let out a squawk, irritation evident, but kept his composure.
Aylin spoke quickly. "We're looking for the Cardinal. We need his help to kill a Yokai. Can you help us?"
Jiang shot her a look, tapping her ankle lightly with his flipper. "Don't be so blunt," he said. "You need to sound more polite."
The priest raised an eyebrow, confused. "Yokai? Are you referring to some kind of... mythical creature?"
Aylin folded her arms. "They're monsters from my world. One of them is after my penguin, as strange as that sounds."
The priest sighed, his expression turning serious. "I'm sorry, but this is a house of worship, not a place for pranks. If you're here to joke, I'll have to ask you to leave."
Jiang quickly nudged Aylin again. "Show him the item the priest in the U.S. gave us," he whispered urgently.
"Oh, right," Aylin said, rummaging through her bag before pulling out the card that the priest had handed them back in the States. She offered it to the priest with a steady hand. "The priest back home told us this card would allow us to speak with the Cardinal. We tried getting help from him, but he said the Cardinal would be more knowledgeable about what we're dealing with."
The priest's skeptical expression softened slightly as he took the card and inspected it. He glanced back up at them, this time with a look of cautious understanding. "I see," he said quietly. "If the priest in the U.S. directed you here, then there must be some importance to your request. The Cardinal is indeed the right person for matters involving ancient relics and spiritual creatures."
He handed the card back to Aylin, nodding. "Please, follow me. I will see if the Cardinal is available."
As he turned and began walking toward the back chambers, Aylin let out a quiet breath of relief. She slipped the card back into her bag, her gaze still fixed on her wrist where the timer relentlessly ticked down. 28 hours...
Jiang waddled closer to her side, his voice low. "We're cutting it close, but we've got this. stay focused."
Jiang felt a cold prickle at the back of his neck, a subtle reminder that the Yokai was still out there, waiting. It couldn't enter, not with the presence of humans around, but its eyes, unseen and unblinking, watched from a distance.
The priest finally stopped in front of a large wooden door, intricately carved with symbols of faith. He turned toward them, his voice low but clear. "The Cardinal is inside. He's aware of your request and will see you now."
The door opened. Inside, an older man in red-trimmed robes stood from a long table. His eyes moved past Aylin, past the priest, and stopped on the penguin at Jiang's feet as if he had been expecting him.