Eternal Elysium

The temple was almost empty; even after some hours had passed, no one came. This let the temple maintain its serene presence, taking different corners of the temple for their own work.

In truth it was no work; everyone was doing their own stuff. Currently outside, a curfew was ongoing after the battle beyond the walls. No one was allowed to leave except a selected few. It was annoying surely, but surely not an unwelcome change.

We all wished to relax, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Summer and Chris had dozed off at the benches side by side. They remained motionless, taking short breaths one at a time. Liber had also taken the liberty to close his eyes after a long while and slept on the chair with his hands folded under his chest.

"They all fell asleep so soon."

Anny whispered, looking at their sleeping faces.

I nodded, leaning back, my mind still thinking about what the priest last told us.

Just like no matter how much you look into the sky and count an unfathomable number of stars, there still exist more beyond that. I was in a situation similar to that. The more I find out about the world around me, the more lost I become about my surroundings.

Thanks to the priest's tale, I at least have an idea of who sealed the calamity below the swamps. Or was the swamp itself the calamity?

The only problem was…

"But it's really weird that the priest can't say the name of that woman."

Anny said her mind, similar to mine, was still stuck on the tale the priest had woven for us.

Enzo turned his head toward us, his neck still covered by the scarf as his deep black eyes looked at us calmly. In his hand he held two daggers made of sharp steel. He had been sharpening his weapons to pass time, mending any damage done to his gear. But seeing his gaze, Anny's words had taken his interest instead.

"That's true. If he remembers so much about her appearance and the words she said, then him not remembering her name is extremely eerie."

"...Or he could simply be lying."

His voice was low and cautious, afraid the priest might hear him.

But he was not present so Enzo could continue speaking a little more boldly.

"He has no proof to verify his story as true. Even if the flower is accounted as mystical, it could still just come from a lucky encounter."

Anny frowned and shook her head.

"No, I don't think he was lying. The way he conveyed his emotions about her… the way he described her so perfectly, even his wrinkled face looked like it was blooming with happiness the longer he talked about her. They are nothing one could just fabricate so easily."

'She likes this kind of story, huh?'

I chuckled secretly and continued to hear their conversation; it was pleasant. The way they didn't care or show what could happen at any moment, unlike me. That was a little enviable. However, I knew that was only my thought, not theirs.

Noticing my silence and the expressionless face I held, Enzo stared in my direction. Anny did the same, tilting her head and letting her yellowish hair sway along with her head. Their expressions were almost identical if not for Anny holding a faint and gentle smile on her face.

"What happened? You have been silent for a while, Asher."

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It was Anny who had asked this question but seeing Enzo's expression with his brows raised, I could tell he was feeling the same as her.

I blinked twice before sitting up straight on my seat with a groan escaping my lips. I felt like my bottom was glued to the seat with how long I had been sitting in the same posture. Surely that was not really the case; I was tired. That's the only reason I could think of.

"Nothing, I was just sitting without thinking anything." I said with a sigh and turned my head to look at the flowers curling inside. Seeing them, my mood naturally improved.

Then after a small pause, I smiled, looking at both of them.

"I don't think the priest is lying as well. There are several reasons for that but maybe the most important one is an assumption I know of."

"What assumption?"

Enzo asked curiously, the dagger in his hand rolling along with the flick of his wrist.

I opened my eyes. "Names carry weight," I said. "You know rune charms—they use names like keys. It's possible her name is part of the effect; speaking it might be dangerous, or impossible for some to recall."

"So you are saying that the woman's name contains supernatural elements; that's why the priest can't speak of it even if he knows the name?"

"Yes."

I nodded as Enzo listed his understanding with a deep voice.

Meanwhile, Anny remained unnaturally silent, deep in thoughts. The only sound now coming was of small breaths coming from sleeping figures beside us.

'Did she not understand this?' I frowned as I looked at Anny. I had already told her about charms and how they work in a brief summary. There shouldn't be anything too hard to grasp about the nature of this conversation.

But then, as if sensing my gaze, Anny looked up, her eyes shone brightly with an innocent charm.

"Then why can we say the goddess's name?" Anny asked, puzzled.

"Like you said, it's mystical. What's more mystical than a god itself?"

"Ah… I didn't think like that." Enzo mumbled, his eyes shrinking back with surprise.

I pursed my lips, taken aback, before opening them again.

"Because she's a god," I said slowly. "She can allow it. Mortals don't get to set those rules." I pointed at the interlaced rings above the hovering star.

The idea of talking about a god in her own temple felt blasphemous, and I didn't want to take any chances regarding that. The main concern certainly was not out of fear… It was rather something else, something that I never had been aware of until now.

It was impression.

'I don't want her to see me arrive at some wrong conclusion regarding her.'

I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my head, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. It wasn't a big thing, really. I also had an answer by now about the reason… it's just that I wasn't sure if it was correct or not.

'There was no proof that "Celestia" was her real name… right?'

This could certainly explain the mystical nature of it just being a title associated with her.

"Alright."

"You are right with that…"

Luckily they didn't question my decision any further and accepted it naturally. Nobody wants to be on a god's bad side. And certainly the goddess herself was not the problem; it was her believers. If someone, even a little religious, were to hear us speak of her name like this, it would result at best in us getting kicked out of Temple.

For what else could happen? I simply didn't wish to imagine.

I sighed and leaned back.

They accepted that and fell quiet. Anny borrowed my book on ruinic charms; Enzo returned to his blades.

The whole thing started because they doubted the authenticity of the story.

I could have given one more reason to tell why the story was true, but that wasn't necessary. They don't need to know about such things.

I licked my lips and leaned back.

My legs crossed as I placed them on another empty bench ahead, relaxing greatly.

Before long I closed my eyes again, trying to untie the yarn of my mental thoughts. The single string I had been pulling for months had finally loosened enough that I could feel its length stretch beyond.

However, it was simply a mental image I had created. It had no real meaning except for visual practice to learn the skill I had been trying all this time.

And I was terribly close—

I could feel it after all.

My mind—it has become a lot lighter than before.

I could think a lot faster and smoother even without the enhancement of [Kairosflow].

Maybe when we ascend in status and ranks, the only thing we gain is not just skills and body enhancement but something much more profound and hidden inside us.

Something similar to a trait.

The trait I was trying to gain or more like unravel, was having multiple thoughts at the same time… It was also an ability on its own.

As some time passed I didn't felt tired like before… This time I had cautiously and slowly approached this training with patience.

I didn't find blood dripping from my nose.

This was also a kind of success.

I let the exercise run itself until the temple's hush and the soft creak of benches dulled my edges. Footsteps broke the stillness. The old priest returned, and in his hands was something he hadn't carried in before.