The Shrine Hall was silent. Pale moonlight streamed through the skylight at the top of the ribbed vault, falling like milk over the burning incense.
The blind Shrine Priest stood before the dehydration bed, his clouded eyes fixed on the ancient book in his hands. Outside, the night wind rustled the date palms, mingling with the swish of pages beneath his fingers.
The characters in the ancient book were tiny. The blind Shrine Priest traced them with his fingers as he murmured aloud.
"One question has puzzled many people: why does the empire's priesthood call itself the 'Sun Priests'? Many have investigated, but none have found an answer."
"As the empire's High Priest, I have a duty to spread knowledge. What follows is knowledge I obtained from a powerful being in the Other Dimension, at a cost."
"Boundary Mountain is not the end of the world. A vast world lies beyond it, and the region we inhabit is only a small part of our Planet. The god known as the Sun created Boundary Mountain around us to protect us from the Meme Curses ravaging the outside world."
"But in the distant past, the Sun used the Intercalation Ritual to divide its mind into three, becoming the three gods we know today: Philos Arne, the Deer of Abundance, and Golden Sand Midnight. Its body remained in outer space, becoming the sun that rises and sets each day."
"Of the three gods, Golden Sand Midnight is closest to the Sun before its division. He represents Rationality and Order and always looks to the future. The Deer of Abundance is the finest embodiment of life itself, representing vigorous Life Force and an outward-reaching will. As for Philos Arne, she embodies the desires the Sun strove to restrain..."
The Shrine Priest's voice echoed through