A few people passed by as we stepped through the church's massive arched doors.
The interior opened up immediately, far larger than it had any right to be from the outside.
Rows of seats stretched toward the altar in the distance, the space almost swallowing the people inside.
"Trinkets... gold... silver..."
Anathasia stared blankly at the candle holders lining the altar.
"People really love using things that are a pain to get, huh?"
"They probably think it earns them favor," I said with a small shrug. "Offering something valuable and all that."
She paused, frowning slightly.
"Since when did I-"
"Ah, there's a missionary," I cut in smoothly. "Let's ask about the library first."
I walked past her before she could finish, leaving her standing there for a second.
With a polite smile, I approached a man dressed in robes, the church's insignia resting at the center of his chest.
"Excuse me," I said. "May I ask something?"
He turned to me, returning the smile with a small nod.
"Of course. How may I help you, sir?"
"Is there a library here? Somewhere we can read the scriptures?"
He gave me a brief once-over before glancing toward Anathasia as she stepped up beside me.
Something in his expression softened.
"There is," he said, stepping slightly aside as he gestured toward a corridor beyond the altar. "You'll find it just behind the main hall."
He hesitated for a moment before adding-
"If it isn't too much to ask..."
His smile remained polite.
"Are you interested in our faith? In the Supreme Being, Anathasia Veridielle Augthoria?"
Beside me, Anathasia stiffened.
Her expression tightened into a faint scowl as she looked elsewhere, pretending to be distracted.
"...Something like that," I replied casually.
My eyes flicked toward her for a moment, just enough to catch the subtle twitch in her brow before returning to the man.
"My wife wanted to read your scriptures. She's... something of a theologian."
The man blinked in surprise before nodding, clearly pleased.
"I see! A scholar of religion."
His expression brightened.
"Then she may find our faith quite fascinating. The Faith of Augthoria is the fastest-growing belief in Aegea."
He straightened slightly.
"Especially with Lady Divine Merciful Equilibrium and Lady Causality actively aiding the people. It is the first time members of the Pantheon have descended so directly to guide us."
I tilted my head.
"By 'aid,' you mean...?"
He paused, as if catching himself, then cleared his throat.
"Ah-my apologies. I may have gone off-topic."
"It's fine."
He gave a small nod before pulling a booklet from his sleeve, flipping through it quickly.
"Yes... one of the most notable events was the abolition of slavery two to three hundred years ago."
He closed the booklet gently.
"The Outer Gods Equilibrium and Causality worked together on a large-scale effort. Lady Causality handled negotiations, while the Divine Merciful Equilibrium carried out enforcement."
He spoke calmly, as if reciting something well-known.
"Illegal slavers were apprehended. Those who attempted to evade them were sentenced..."
A brief pause.
"...to lifetime imprisonment."
I hummed, folding my arms.
"Just imprisonment?"
"In one of Aegea's moons," he replied.
My body stilled.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his.
"...Moon?"
He simply smiled.
"Yes. They enforced strict laws regarding the rights of humans and demi-humans alike."
As he spoke, he turned. Gesturing toward the statue behind the altar.
A woman carved from stone.
Her hair cascaded down her back... then spread outward, swallowing everything beneath it.
"While they have their own followers," he continued calmly, "everything still converges toward the Supreme Being."
A pause.
"As the ineffable source of all. The origin from which everything emanates-including the Outer Gods we now worship... and all that came to be."
And then-
I saw it.
That look.
The same one I'd seen back on Earth countless times. Especially when people spoke about their 'God.'
A quiet, almost manic certainty.
Hidden beneath something that looked like calm righteousness.
It vanished just as quickly.
His expression softened again as he turned back to us.
"Ahem... the tomes are just behind the altar. Would you like me to guide you?"
I shook my head, reaching out to shake his hand.
"I appreciate it, but you seem busy. We'll manage."
He took my hand.
"Kyle Veridielle Augthoria. Pleased to meet you."
For a split second-
he froze.
His eyes widened.
But I'd already let go.
Before he could respond, Anathasia stepped forward.
A faint, wry smile played on her lips as she took his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
The moment their hands met, he went completely rigid.
His grip slackened.
"I'm his wife."
A beat.
"Anathasia Veridielle Augthoria. A theologian."
Silence.
The man didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even breathe, from the looks of it.
Anathasia pulled back almost immediately, turning toward me.
"Alright, let's go."
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me away without another word, leaving the man standing there in the middle of the hall.
Frozen.
-
A few steps later, we reached the doors to the library.
Anathasia huffed, rolling her eyes.
"Ineffable, my ass... what did Rania and Roselia even tell them?"
I glanced at her as the doors began to open.
"Well... at least they got your hair right."
"You just have a hair fetish," she replied flatly before stepping inside.
The moment we entered, rows upon rows of towering bookshelves filled our view.
They stretched upward, nearly touching the high ceiling above. And beyond that-
another level.
More shelves.
More books.
"Woah..."
"This is... more than I expected..." she murmured, shaking her head slightly before glancing back at me.
I was still staring, my jaw slightly slack.
"It's knowledge across meta-narratives," she said, her gaze sweeping across the shelves.
"Especially since Rania and Roselia are the ones who built... all of this."
A book drifted toward her.
Slow. Weightless.
I couldn't quite make out the title before she casually plucked it out of the air, flipping it open as she skimmed through the pages.
"'Existence started with light...' yeah, sure..." she muttered under her breath.
I turned toward one of the shelves, reaching out to pull a book with a deep green cover.
She Who Writes.
The title was etched in something that looked like gold.
"...She breathed existence into existence... what?"
Anathasia's voice cut in before I could open mine.
She leaned back slightly, putting a bit of distance between herself and the book, then immediately pulled it closer again, squinting.
"Is this supposed to be a pun or something...?"
I walked over, still holding my book.
"What is it?"
She shot me a look before turning the page toward me.
"'With a breath, existence came to be. No words were uttered. Creation began not with intent... but with motion.'"
I glanced at the text, then up at her.
"...Is this their version of Genesis or something?"
"Probably," Anathasia shrugged, letting the book drift back into place.
Another one immediately slid into her hand.
"That being said..."
The book opened on its own. A single page flipped, her eyes moved across the text.
"'In the beginning, there was no light, nor darkness. Only the profound absence of all.'"
She continued, her voice quieter this time.
"'It has no origin. No trigger. No presence. Existence came to be within it. There was no outside, only Her.'"
A pause.
"'But even "Her" is not what it is. It simply... is.'"
Her eyes widened slightly as she stopped reading. Then her head tilted a small smile forming on her lips.
"...Not bad."
I stepped closer, glancing at the page.
"...It's just describing what you're not, though?"
She snapped her fingers lightly.
"Exactly."
Her smile widened just a bit.
"That's the closest they've gotten so far."
She flipped to another page, a quiet laugh slipping out.
"People back on Earth had a term for this..."
She tapped the page lightly.
"Apophaticism. Describing God through negation-what it isn't, rather than what it is."
A small pause.
"...It's still missing a lot," she added, more casually. "But this one's pretty close."
She leaned back slightly, resting her cheek against her knuckles while holding the book loosely in one hand.
"Well..."
A faint exhale left her lips.
"Close-for a few states, at least."
I frowned slightly.
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
Anathasia closed the book gently, letting it drift back into the shelves. Her shoulders lifted in a casual shrug.
"It means they got a fraction right," she said. "Not the whole thing."
Her gaze shifted to the book in my hands. She gestured lightly.
"Let me see that."
I glanced down at it for a second before handing it over.
She studied the cover briefly.
"Well... I was never meant to be definable anyway."
She opened it.
Her eyes moved silently across the page while I leaned in slightly, arms crossed.
Then she began to read.
"'The beginning is not the beginning.'"
Her voice was calm.
"'Jord looked up at the sky, his eyes burning. Before him stood a presence that was not a presence.'"
A slight pause.
"'It gathered-condensed-until it resembled something human. The outline of a woman. Hair tied. Garments unfamiliar. Eyes that reflected what could not be seen.'"
Her eyes narrowed just a little.
"'She spoke: The Beginning is not the True Beginning.'"
"'Jord staggered. He saw her-but did not. Her presence remained, yet her form slipped beyond him.'"
A quiet beat.
"'The Beginning... is only the end of what came before.'"
She turned the page.
"'You ask what the Supreme Being is.'"
A pause.
"'There are many that claim such a name.'"
"'But the Source... is what even they cannot name.'"
Her voice softened slightly.
"'And so, it remains-eternally beyond naming.'"