What had started as idle banter between two people passing the time gradually left them both silent.
Because he shared Kallen's secrets, Neo also thought of the finger sealed inside the tail of the cat at Kallen's home.
As their conversation continued, its tenor suddenly changed, becoming somewhat sacred, somewhat taboo, leaving both of them at a loss.
Kallen even recalled the moment he had undergone purification in the Opera House at Allen Manor and formally become a Divine Servant, when the Light Finger had touched the spot between his brows and a voice had spoken:
"Order, come out and see me."
The atmosphere in the private room abruptly grew oppressive.
Neo picked up the bottle of red wine and took a long swig as though it were beer.
They both knew the mythological accounts. Throughout the Church World, the relationship between the God of Light and the God of Order was understood, yet still debated.
"Could that really be the case?"
Neo asked.
Kallen pursed his lips and smiled. "I thought you deliberately steered the conversation that way."
Neo shook his head. "I thought you did."
"Two little ants happened to do something extraordinarily coincidental at a particular moment on a particular day. What could that possibly amount to?"
Neo pointed at himself, then at Kallen. "Two little ants with that much coincidence between them?"
"It's meaningless," Kallen said.
"Yes, meaningless." Neo agreed. "But that sudden silence made me feel as though I'd lived through history. Whether it's true or false, looking back on it gives me pleasure."
"Would you seek out the truth behind it, if you had the chance?"
"I'm rather lazy." Neo tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. "I probably wouldn't do something like that. People who enjoy archaeological research tend to be