This story thread is reserved only to @Zyliath, @StDH, @Moonwalker - hence the only ones to know about this. Any other found with knowledge of this story is to be considered a metagamer and will be dealt with appropriately.
Only a day after the events with Nomads around Malta, Shadow received a message from one of the Oracles. At first he thought the invitation includes him aswell.
Shadow: "Dad, Oracles invited us to their Temple to get baptised"
Moon: "I don't want to"
Shadow: "What, why?"
Moon: "It's not my thing. And besides, you did all the job"
Shadow: "I can't go there without you. And they want to baptise both of us"
Moon: "I will go only because you want me to. But, don't forget i'm a independent Maltese"
Few days later Shadow received another message which said he should take his father alongside him. At that point he kinda felt left out by the Oracles, which was very strange, since they invited both to their temple at the day of the ceremony.
Shadow: "I've received an answer from that Oracle"
Moon: "And?"
Shadow: "That they invite you to the Temple..."
Moon: "Okay? What about you?"
Shadow: "I have no idea. It seems like they've changed their stance..."
Moon: "You did all the job. I'm going there only because of you. If they don't want you there, then i'm not going aswell."
Shadow looked at his father, exhaled air through his nose, hugged him, smiled and said "Thank you". After few seconds he stepped back and proposed "We can always go there and see how it ends up", father was swift in his answer "Fine, but lets gear up in case".
Following that, Shadow and Moon changed their clothes. Expensive tailored black suits with long black coats to shield themselves from sandstorms and dark blue ties. Shadowwalker wanted to take regular army boots but was swiftly denied by Moonwalker for obvious reasons. They both resembled Italian mafia. Afterall, it is in their blood. Therefore they've taken pistols and put them behind their backs.
As they were approaching their Rapiers, Shadow was doing something on his PDA so Moonwalker walked back to him to see what made him not board his ship.
Moon: "Son, what are you doing"
Shadow: "Um,.. weeeel. In case something goes wrong, MNS-SHADOW has order to strike"
Moon: "Do you want us both killed?"
Shadow: "No! But i never before had a chance to do this."
Moon: "Disable it. If we're going to die, then as warriors." - These words struck young Shadowwalker and he felt a bit ashamed
Shadow: "Sorry,.."
Moon: "Don't be sorry. Let's go"
"Dad resembles a true warrior far more than me." Shadow thought and both boarded their ships. Nobody else knew where they're headed, except a small note in MNS-SHADOW's AI, and the ship was left around Razgriz black hole.
It took some time until they found the place according to the image. Landing would be impossible if they didn't find rocky place around 300 meters away from the temple. As both Father and Son walked on the sand, there was no need for coat as the weather was calm, so they held their coats on their left hands before them. Strange markings resembling human-spirits and snakes took Shadow's attention thinking if it is some place where Maltese can share their body with a Nomad. As they hit some sand-rocky pathway which made clicking sounds with their boots, Shadow spoke.
Shadow: "Are you ready?"
Moon: "Always"
Shadow smiled and with expectations they reached the entrace while standing on each other's side awaiting and thinking what will happen next. While the guns they had behind their backs might not be a sign of trust to others, it was an unknown territory, anything could happen.
High Exarch Abrolhos, in secrecy, reached the temple ahead of its guests in order to prepare it for the ceremony that had to happen, and he had to make sure he wasn't being followed. As he reached the great doors, he contempled them in awe as memories flowed inside himself.
"It has been too long since these doors were wide open, ready to welcome any soul within its walls. It is time to open them once more."
Without further ado, he pushed a nearby brick, which activated an ancient and complex mechanism that slowly opened the golden doors in front of him. As he stepped inside, lights flicked to life on both walls of the corridor, until a grand hall opened up in front of him. The last time he had been in there, it was for his initiation in the Oracles, which felt like ages ago.
As he correctly remembered, one of the last rites held in the Temple prior to its dismissal was a Baptism of Light, in which the Cultist - or faithful - had to stand in the center of the hall, and be covered in a light beam while an Exarch or the High Exarch read the rite words. Everything was exactly like it had been left - like being frozen in time.
The only thing he didn't know if it worked or not was the beam mechanism. To test it, Abrolhos approached the altar and looked for a pressure plate. After finding it, he kept it pressed for a few seconds. At first, nothing happened, and then, all of a sudden, a huge beam of light appeared right in the hall center, as it was intended to. Releasing the plate, the beam disappeared.
Letting a small breath of relief go, Abrolhos sat on the chair behind the altar, waiting for his guests. After a long while, he heard footsteps approaching the hall. He raised from his chair and moved in front of the altar.
"You must be Shadowwalker and Moonwalker. Welcome to the hidden Temple of the Church of Sirius. I am Abrolhos, High Exarch of the Oracles. You both asked to be baptized, correct? If so, come forth."
With a clap that echoed within the walls, the temple doors closed.
The ceremony was about to begin.
Massive and tall golden doors began to slowly open, uncovering the hall within it. Sound of ancient technology moving the doors could be heard, giving an immense feeling of structure's age to both Father and Son. When doors made the final move and stopped, signalized by a click sound, both stepped in, stopped before the circle, and put their coats and disabled pistols on the ground to not dishonor the temple.
After what Abrolhos said, Shadowwalker humbly smiled while quietly looking at every marking inside, remembering other Oracles calling Abrolhos - Thomas. Moonwalker looked into the High Exarch's eyes and both walked towards the center of the circle. Doors closed, and the wind noise from outside quieted down.
Moonwalker: "It's an honour to be among those few allowed to walk in this shrine"
Son didn't say anything, only smiled as he was inside the saint temple of the Oracles, with his father. After few more steps which echoed over the entire shrine, both stopped at the center of the circle, looking at Abrolhos, and awaiting his further wise words.
"The honor is mine. It has been too much since a son of Malta last stepped through those doors in search of knowledge. Unfortunately, the Maltese governing today, the National Council - and patriotic movements like the Legiòn Maltesa - are not trustworthy anymore, and percieve our Cult as a danger to Maltese society. But I digress."
The High Exarch moved to a nearby decorated lectern, and prepared one of the holo-books he brought from his travelling Shrine. Said book was employed in ancient times to perform the ceremony that Shadowwalker and Monwalker were about to be involved in. Before starting, he looked at the couple again, noticing their expressions.
"You think I'm Thomas, yes? I understand, since you remember what happened in orbit of Malta. Yet, I am not Thomas - for he is our Master Teacher and middle-ground between the Oracles and the Spirits themselves. I am just one of the successors, after Haog, to the mantle of High Exarch. But let us not waste time, and let us begin."
Abrolhos removed the mantle that covered most of his body, and beneath it a dark space suit with a flowing, eerie blue-violet light was revealed - it seemed like it was powered by some strange energy. In that moment, the High Exarch started to speak.
"You have asked to be baptised in order to support the Oracles. I, as High Exarch, accepted to do such an ancient ceremony in our Temple. I now call upon the Light to invest you with its shine!"
As he stopped speaking, he approached the altar and pressed the pressure plate located on it. The sound of another hidden mechanism was heard.
"Close your eyes."
As they did as he asked, the beam of light invested them in full, without the possibility of opening their eyes. And after a couple minutes, as it appeared, the light beam vanished in thin air.
"It is done. Although you are now reckognized as Oracle supporters, remember that you are still sons of Malta. History tells that some Maltese revered the Spirits, without intruding their space. If a Spirit is angered by your presence, respect their will and leave, lest be struck by Their spitfire. Should you ever require, contact me."