Only God

Just after he had left, Eden returned.

"What are you doing?"

Arsia grabbed his sleeve and asked.

"Nothing."

Having said that, Eden pulled away from Arsia, took out the roasted bread and water pouch from his arms, and walked onto the wooden platform under the suspicious gazes of the guards.

"This sir..."

A guard came forward to stop him.

Eden waved his hand and asked,

"Has the Governor ever said that feeding prisoners is not allowed?"

The guard shook his head,

"He hasn't said that, it's just... it's not common."

Eden pointed to Timian, whose voice was hoarse and could no longer shout,

"In that case, let me feed him and quench his thirst, 'When one does a righteous deed, how can others stop him?'"

Eden cited Scripture, rendering the guard speechless for a moment. The guard could only step back a few paces, watching Eden vigilantly, preventing him from helping the prisoner escape.

Arsia silently watched this scene unfold.

Under the scorching sun, a large shadow fell from above, and Timian weakly lifted his head, seeing a man holding food and water standing in front of him.

This half-blood was dripping with sweat, his mouth dry and parched, he squeezed out a few shriveled words,

"You've come, you've come... oh, you truly are a righteous man; God will bless you."

Eden knelt on one knee, first extending the water pouch to Timian's lips, who gulped the water noisily as if he meant to consume the entire pouch.

After drinking, Eden broke the roasted bread, tore it into strips, and fed it to Timian, who devoured it greedily like a starving ghost.

After all the bread was eaten and some water was still left in the pouch, Eden poured some out and began to wash the prisoner's face.

Timian was a bit startled but said nothing as the priest carefully cleaned his face.

"Repent, return to the grace of God."

Eden stood up and bid him farewell in such a manner.

"I will, I will... no, I have nothing to repent for, I am innocent."

Timian's face turned red as he hurriedly explained.

Regardless of what he said, Eden had already moved away from him, his figure disappearing in the square.

Arsia silently followed Eden, watching the figure of the priest.

For some reason, Eden's actions reminded her of a kiss from her childhood.

It was an old woman suffering from dysentery, endlessly having diarrhea in the hospital, her body filthy and foul-smelling; no one wanted to approach her, not even the kindest nun.

But in front of her mother, she went over, kissed the old woman's forehead, and prayed for her, for her mother told her that a maiden's kiss is pure, and a maiden's prayer is immensely powerful.

After this, she returned to the Imperial Palace, full of expectation, waiting for a miracle to occur, occasionally sending people to the hospital to inquire.

One day, a Maid reported to her that a miracle had occurred, an Angel had descended at night, and the old woman's illness was cured, and she even appeared ten years younger.

Arsia remembered, this news delighted her for a full month; she even continuously thought that perhaps she was also meant to be endowed with a mission by God.

"How naive."

Arsia murmured to herself,

"And yet it's nostalgic."

It seemed that Eden heard her voice and turned his head.

"It's nothing."

Saying so, Arsia changed the subject,

"Hey, Priest, I see you really do practice what you preach, stubborn to the point of being somewhat ridiculous."

"Is that what you think of me?"

"More or less, I thought you were stubborn and a bit silly from the first time we met."

"I pity you."

"What do you pity me for?"

Eden didn't reply, turning away.

Arsia snorted coldly, realizing once again that there was nothing much for them to talk about.

The two walked towards the camp, hardly speaking along the way.

About halfway through the journey, Eden turned his head to look at Arsia.

I want to say something...

Eden's lips quivered, thinking thus.

What is it exactly that I want to say?

Inexplicably, he seemed to have gained some insight.

At twilight, the sun slowly set, softening the otherwise harsh and sharp world. Birds chirped in the forest, the many sins of the world unrelated to them, and the sound of church bells began to ring, as if a harmonious melody was about to resound across the earth.

The sky was transparent and shimmering with golden light, filled with tranquility and comfort. Even those bathed as youths could not avoid sinning as adults. Such is the nature of humans, so prone to falling.

Looking up at the splendid twilight, Eden suddenly spoke,

"Human capabilities are so limited."

Arsia stopped in her tracks.

Near her ear, she could hear the sound of a robin.

"What did you say?"

"I said… theft, robbery, rape, arson, desecration, treason… Counting them up, despite the world having thousands of years of history, and billions of humans, the list of sins remains so short, not even reaching a thousand.

Human capabilities are so limited that they cannot even invent more varieties of evil."

The sound of the church bell resonated, echoing through the town as Eden continued,

"Yes, humans are so limited. You tell them to fall, yet how far can they fall? You tell them to climb, and they grow weary halfway up the mountain. God sacrificed for such humans."

Dusk was slowly descending, clouds drifted in the sky and gradually passed, the sunset's twilight was drawing closer. In this twilight, as people looked back, it seemed they all could hear the robin's call.

Arsia stood there, and for some reason, she was slightly dazed,

"What are you trying to say?"

"I want to say,"

Eden turned back, his voice nearly ethereal, as if he had undergone some transformation.

"It's precisely because of human imperfection, because of human limitations, that we need a Savior."

For some reason, as these words fell, Arsia felt dazed. The circular canopy of the sky seemed to crack open, and amid the clouds, it seemed as if angels were playing a symphony, as if the Lord in the heavens was blessing him.

They approached the church, and as the last bell toll fell, in the tranquil town, a burst of singing erupted, the hymn sound resonating and echoing.

Arsia felt she had never heard such singing before, just as the martyrs, thousands of years ago, had risen to sing in the face of the sword.

"May Heaven reign forever."

............

............

After God created the Path that spread across the world, almost every Miracle Worker knew that the realm of the fairies was the Sea of Souls, and over the Sea of Souls ruled a kind and beautiful sovereign—Fairy Queen Sofia.

Everyone was curious about her yet profoundly revered her. It was even widely said that she was a Divine being who managed the God-created Path, and anyone she permitted could instantly comprehend the secrets of the Path.

Such a mysterious Queen was now disturbed.

Above the Sea of Souls.

Sofia suddenly looked up, standing and gazing in a certain direction.

The fairies around her were startled by the Queen's abrupt movement and stepped back, only slowly drawing closer after a moment.

Fairy Queen Sofia watched that direction. She reached out her hand but then paused, standing still without moving.

The other fairies hardly dared to breathe, watching her cautiously.

After a long while, Sofia exclaimed surprisingly:

"This is truly… miraculous,

I… have never seen such a Holy Chorus."

A fairy bravely stepped forward and asked,

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

Sofia pointed in that direction,

"There, there is a soul, so pure.

Before long, he will ascend again, he might even reach the realm of Prophet Xilan."

At this revelation, the fairies in the Great Library gasped in astonishment.

Reaching the realm of Prophet Xilan…

Everyone knew what such a statement implied.

Sofia slowly lowered her head, whispering to herself in a volume only she could hear:

"No, not just that,

Even… he might touch the dome."

If this murmur had been heard by others, the entire Sea of Souls might have boiled over.

Touching the dome…

The fairies somewhat realized that the dome of the God-created Path signified the power forged by God Himself.

To know, even the Great Angel Schiller, who brought the God-created Path, had not yet touched the dome of the God-created Path to this day.

After calming down, Sofia slowly sat down,

"Could it be a soul I have seen before?"

She pondered,

"Anyway, I must not let Schiller find out."

Thinking this, Sofia surveyed the fairies present and with an undeniable tone, issued a decree.

"By my name, I command you, nothing of what happened here today, no words spoken, shall be revealed. Before departing, each and every one of you must swear an oath before me."