It all began early that morning. Pastor Elvin had risen before dawn. Like the other priests at the church, he carried a bucket of cold water to the washroom, built from bluish-gray stone. First he rinsed his mouth, then washed his face, and finally poured most of the bucket of icy well water over himself from head to toe.
After drying himself off, he changed into a clean linen-cloth priest's robe and went to the chapel to pray. The morning prayers usually had three parts. First came a passage praising the Holy Light God, then one praising God—though some sects called him the God of Gods—and finally a song celebrating the great deeds of the sages. Once morning prayers were over, he joined the other priests as they gradually made their way to the dining hall for breakfast.
His breakfast was simple: water and bread. Though their church followed the ascetic tradition, the bread was still good—soft whole-wheat bread, not the kind of black bread that could double as a weapon. What's more, the priest in charge of breakfast had thoughtfully baked it early and kept it warm in a basket under a quilt.
After eating, he took his clay plate and wooden cup to the water channel, where he washed them under the running water. Once he had returned them to the wooden rack in the dining hall, he found himself at a loss for what to do.
The other priests began heading out one after another. Some were going to collect donations or preach; some were taking shifts at the church hospital; others were going to the scripture hall in the back to copy texts. Some would go teach the children at the church-run orphanage. As an aside, Elwin had been one of the children chosen from that orphanage.
Someone usually arranged his schedule for him each day, but no one had told him what to do today. He thought perhaps he could go find Alice...
"Elwin, do you have anything planned today?" An elderly man with grizzled hair and beard came over.
"Greetings, Bishop. I was thinking of going to copy scriptures today." Elwin bowed, offering a reasonable excuse.
"Do you think copying scriptures counts as spiritual practice?" the old man asked with a kindly smile.
"Reciting scripture, copying it, preaching, spreading the faith... Those all count as spiritual practice, don't they?" Elwin loved joking with people and playing pranks, but he was always well-behaved around this man, who was both teacher and father to him.
"Not quite. Those are only the 'practice' part; you also need the 'experience.' By that, I mean traveling far and wide and seeing all the different sides of the world." The old man continued with a smile, "A child your age shouldn't be cooped up in one place all day. You haven't been out since you came back from the Southern City-states. You should get out and see more."
"Is there somewhere you want me to go?" Elwin asked, puzzled.
"Anywhere will do. Just go out and look around. Remember to come back for lunch."
And so Elwin left the Holy Light Church. So he'd given me a whole speech just to give me the afternoon off, Elwin thought. Perfect. I can go find Alice. But as soon as he stepped outside the church, he changed his mind. If he was going to practice, why not undertake a real spiritual journey?
So he cast a divine spell on himself: the Holy Light Protection, a spell unique to the Holy Light God's church. Its effect was simple: as long as the target walked in sunlight, people would be less likely to notice him. Similar skills existed in every church, after all. The less attention healers drew on the battlefield, the better. The spell could also make the caster seem "invisible" to ordinary people and unintelligent magical beasts. But if you used it while collecting donations... Well, the results were easy to imagine.
Elwin walked along, taking in the scenery. The weather was lovely: the sky was blue, with no clouds or wind. The sunlight warmed him as he made his way to Fountain Square and sat on the steps of the round fountain. It was winter, and a thick layer of ice covered the fountain pool. He sat there, listening to the seagulls calling and to the voices of passersby. Watching the crowds on the street, none of whom noticed him, he found the whole thing fascinating. When he first learned the spell, he used to play this way all the time. Sometimes Alice even caught him and made him show himself...
He didn't know how long it had been when he slipped into a state of profound clarity, a mysterious experience he didn't even recognize for what it was. Elwin rose and walked in a certain direction, feeling as if something was waiting for him there.
He passed the church and Flower Cross Street, eventually reaching a small alley. A famous bakery stood there, known for never adulterating its bread—in other words, for using only quality ingredients. It had been around for nearly a century, and many people queued up to buy bread. Their chatter grew louder: the people in line were making small talk. His pace slowed, too, because he could feel it. He was about to find whatever was waiting for him. He moved through the crowd like a fish swimming through water plants. The "fish" made no sound, and the "water plants" didn't notice him at all. Then a few snippets of conversation reached his ears.
"Bread keeps getting more expensive. It's up to three copper coins a pound now. Just the other day, it was one copper coin a pound."
"That's what happens when more and more migrants come in. There are even more coming from the southern states than from around the White Eagle now. More mouths to feed means less grain being shipped in. Who knows how much a pound will cost in a few days?"
"Exactly. I say we should stock up on grain now. We can always bake our own bread at home."
"Yeah, yeah. I heard the Alchemy Shop on City Gate Street sells something... What was it called? Oh, right, an Automatic Bread Maker. It's just too expensive..."
At last, every sound disappeared. Without realizing it, Elwin had been cut off from the world. Because he had found it!
It was a little boy—or, more precisely, a baby who wasn't yet a year old. His mother was carrying him in her arms, a basket hooked over her arm as she waited in line.
Elwin walked up behind the mother. The little boy was draped over her shoulder, sucking his thumb. He had curly chestnut hair and plump cheeks, pink and pale. His gray-blue eyes were large and clear, like a spring flowing from the rocks.
Elwin gazed at the little boy. The boy saw him, too, and gave him an innocent smile. Elwin felt as if he could see the whole world reflected in the child's eyes.
Then came a soft "pop" as the boy pulled his thumb from his mouth.
The whole world Elwin had seen began to crumble. The sky turned gray, and everything around him withered. The people nearby, one by one, went from full of life to shriveled and decayed, like walking corpses. Even the little boy gradually took on the appearance of a dried corpse. In the end, they vanished one by one before Elwin's eyes.
Elwin finally understood what this was: an oracle. God was showing him the near future. The scenes before him brought back memories buried deep in his childhood. The passersby disappearing one after another reminded him of his own family, who had died from sickness and starvation. He wanted to struggle, to shout, to reach out and hold on to everything before him. But nothing changed. Just as in his childhood, he was helpless and despairing.
Tears streamed down despite his best efforts. They blurred his vision, and the shimmering light before him became a sea of gray-blue light.
He sobbed helplessly and tried to turn away from that light, but his body wouldn't move. Then a pink figure suddenly burst in.
She patted his shoulder, stroked his head, and gently comforted the crying child.
In that moment, the figure seemed so vivid and alive to him. At last, he found the strength to move and, without thinking, clung tightly to that warmth.
At that moment, it was as if Elwin saw a rainbow shine down into the cold, lifeless Nether Sea...
This chapter was really difficult to write. I had the scene in my head, but couldn't describe it, so I took a day off to clear my mind. It's been raining and sleeting here, and I think I've caught a cold.
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