Aboard the Golden Dream.
Lorne was taking a new lesson with Captain Edwina.
Unlike before, however, today's lesson was not going very smoothly.
"Brando, you seem rather resistant to ritual magic," Edwina said, holding a set of notes as she watched Lorne fiddle with the mysticism materials.
"Hmm..."
"Captain, I've noticed that a lot of ritual magic requires praying to a deity..." Lorne stopped what he was doing and voiced his confusion.
"That is the nature of ritual magic," Edwina explained. "Most rituals borrow power from higher beings to accomplish things that would ordinarily be impossible."
"Compared with the various evil gods, the orthodox gods are far more reliable."
"Hmm..." Lorne acknowledged, then offered a half-truth:
"Actually... I've never believed that gods existed."
"Of course, that was before I became a Beyonder."
"Why?" Edwina asked curiously.
"I suppose I just felt I was special..." Lorne deliberately put on a thoughtful expression.
"After all, everyone else has a faith, don't they..."
Sorry, God of Steam and Machinery... Lorne silently apologized to the deity his body's original owner had worshipped.
The real reason was easy enough to understand. As a Transmigrator, Lorne was somewhat resistant to any ritual that required praying to a deity.
He was not sure whether such simple magic could expose him, but it certainly made him uncomfortable.
That was not a reason he could explain openly, though...
At his words, Edwina gave Lorne a few thoughtful looks. "So you now believe that gods exist."
"But... you still have no faith?"
"More or less..." Lorne replied casually.
"Faith itself is not a bad thing. It can give you tremendous courage at critical moments." Edwina had no intention of probing into Lorne's past.
She glanced at Lorne. "Knowledge turns no one away..."
"You could try placing your faith in an