It worked!
Kallen looked at the child Pike lying in the wheat field and said:
"Follow the rules of Order."
"Yes, Boss."
The next moment, Kallen opened his eyes. There was no exhaustion in them, but an unusual brightness instead.
All along, he had been testing a conjecture through practice: the relationship between Order and the God of Order. He had already traveled that path himself; this time, he had effectively gone through it again with someone else.
This meant that Order really was Order, and the God of Order was merely the God of Order.
Anyone could walk this path, but the God of Order had monopolized it long ago. Now, he could take part in it too.
Although Pike, whom he had guided over, was utterly insignificant compared with the vast ocean of believers in Order, this was a beginning.
The hardest part was going from zero to one, but he had taken that step.
This was the scenery Kallen sought, the view he wanted to admire, and the hope Dis had placed in him.
Kallen believed that one day, laden with the rewards and insights of his journey, he would return home, cook a meal, and wake Dis. Grandfather and grandson would eat together while he told his grandfather what he had seen and heard along the way.
Pike opened his eyes too. Looking at Kallen, he placed both hands before his chest:
"Praise Order. Praise the boss."
Kallen also placed both hands before his chest and said:
"Praise the great God of Order."
This method was different from brainwashing, because Kallen had not changed Pike's understanding. He had always believed in Order. In Pike's original understanding, Order was the God of Order; he had never even had a concept of distinguishing between them. But now, he