Yesterday proved to be an unusually strange day for Hikaru. It began with an incomplete combat assessment, only to conclude with both Lydia and Loyd displaying an unsettling level of friendliness towards him. He even suspected that they were buttering up to him because they had some ulterior motives.
Today Hikaru’s day started in a similar fashion, with breakfast shared among him, Loyd, and Lydia. As Hikaru settled into his seat, he couldn't help but notice that Loyd had prepared more dishes than usual.
“Whooaa! Why did you cook so many dishes, Loyd? Is there a special occasion?” Hikaru asked, his mouth watering.
“Oh, no special occasion,” Loyd replied with a grin. “Just felt like spicing things up and treating ourselves to a culinary adventure.”
“By the way, what’s on your agenda for today, Hikaru?” asked Lydia.
While satisfying his hunger with a savory bite, Hikaru replied: “Nothing special, I'll probably do some training in the training hall,”
“Hey, want to come with me to the temple?” Lydia asked, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
“Hold up, the temple? Last time I went was for my baptism! What do people even do there?” Hikaru's curiosity was piqued.
“What do you mean? People go there to pray, obviously,” Lydia replied with a smile.
“Speaking of temples, where were you baptized, Hikaru?” Loyd chimed in.
“I was baptized at the Deva temple. Does it matter where you get baptized?” Hikaru asked, curious.
“Not really, people choose different temples based on their needs,” Lydia explained.
“In Bailey, the Deva temple is the most popular one, attracting worshippers who seek guidance, as its celestial divinity is closely tied to one’s luck and fate,” Lydia continued her explanation, her voice thoughtful. “Following closely is the Olympian temple, where worshippers seek blessings of both health and wealth. Lastly, the Titan temple also draws worshippers seeking abundant harvests and robust health.”
“Huh, temples and their celestials. I'm personally not a fan of any of them. I prefer to pray to deities,” Loyd interjected with a shrug.
Lydia arched an eyebrow as she remarked: “Well, there aren't any temples dedicated to deities in Bailey, are there?”
Hikaru's brow furrowed with confusion. “I thought celestials and deities are the same? Is praying to them even effective?”
A playful smirk graced Lydia's lips. “Of course it works, or no one would worship them otherwise!”
Loyd leaned forward, his expression earnest as he explained: “Looks like your clan didn’t teach you about it. Both celestials and deities possess unique body constitutions unlike our own. From what I've heard, unlike humans who generate chi as our essential energy, both celestials and deities generate what is called Halorine. This energy isn’t derived from food and drinks, but instead is produced automatically by the Universal Law through their special body constitution when they are being worshipped. That’s why both celestials and deities are immortal beings who don’t require regular sustenance from food and drinks, but instead rely on other orbies to worship them.”
Lydia nodded in agreement, her tone contemplative. “But also, due to their constitutions, celestials and deities often vie for more worshippers. That’s also the reason why they’ve established rules that limit the number of temples each of their groups can establish.”
"I still don’t understand the difference between celestials and deities," Hikaru said, while furrowing his brow. "They both seem the same to me."
“Well, from what I know, their difference mainly stems from their origin. Celestials are genderless beings directly created by their respective Gods. They resemble humans but are distinct from them. Their primary task is to govern the entire universe, not just our planet.” Loyd explained.
Loyd's explanation continued, his words measured and precise. “On the other hand, Deities are chosen by the World Consciousness from among humans, dwarves, and elves. They are selected based on the sincere prayers directed toward them before they passed away. Despite becoming deities, they remain members of their original race, albeit different variant of their own race. They retain their original gender and can still procreate with others of their race. Their main responsibility is to govern their own planet.”
Lydia nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful. “So when any of us die, we can be selected by the World Consciousness to become a deity, but we can never ascend to become celestials.”
“Well,” Loyd added his tone reflective, “I prefer to worship deities because, although they are generally weaker than celestials, I feel they are closer to us. Unlike celestials, who often seem distant and possess agendas beyond our comprehension, deities are always present in our world, Erudite. They are generally more responsive to our prayers.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
As Hikaru heard their explanations, he was intrigued to check out the temple. ‘Let’s see what it’s all about,’ he mused. ‘Perhaps these celestials will lend an ear to my prayers!’ With a hopeful heart, he decided to accompany Lydia for the temple visit.
“Hikaru, you know, you don’t have to make a trip to the temple just to pray,” Loyd remarked thoughtfully. “In fact, prayers are heard wherever you are, as long as you direct them to the right source! How about this: I’ll open the shop soon, and once my employee arrives, I'll let them take over and teach you illusion magic?”
Hikaru nodded appreciatively at Loyd’s offer. “Thanks, Loyd,” he began, “but I’m really curious about the temple. So I’m going to join Lydia on her visit. However, if your offer still stands later, I’ll gladly take you up on it.”
After a satisfying breakfast, Hikaru followed Lydia's lead, joining her on the trip to the temple as previously discussed during their meal. Lydia motioned for a carriage parked at the side of their shop to come over.
*Clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop* the carriage moved and soon parked in front of them, waiting for them to board.
Hikaru’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wow! That’s handy! When did you get the carriage, Lydia?”
Lydia chuckled softly, a hint of amusement dancing in her voice. “Oh, no! It's not just for our trip. This carriage will be permanently stationed here in Purple Walnut, serving as our shop’s facility. Feel free to use it whenever you like.”
Lydia gestured toward the carriage. “Hop in,” she invited.
“Alright,” Hikaru replied, following Lydia’s lead as he climbed into the carriage.
Seated inside the carriage, Hikaru turned to Lydia with a curious expression. "Ehemm! Lydia, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead," she replied, turning her attention to him.
Hikaru hesitated for a moment before voicing his question. “Why have you and Loyd been extra nice to me lately?”
Lydia tilted her head slightly, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. “It's just who we are. We like to spread a little kindness wherever we go.”
‘Looks like she still insist on hiding the reason, but it doesn’t affect me negatively, so I will just let it go,’ Hikaru thought to himself.
As they made their way towards the temple, Hikaru curiously asked: “By the way, which temple are we headed to?”
“We’re headed to the Deva temple, the very place where you were baptized! Are you excited?” Lydia chimed in with enthusiasm.
A troubled sigh escaped Hikaru's lips as he pondered Lydia's sudden change in demeanor. ‘It’s really unsettling,’ he mused to himself, feeling a chill run down his spine.
“Not particularly,” Hikaru responded. “Aside from the grand architecture and the polished marble floors, I can’t say I recall anything particularly special about it. I just want to try praying there, to see if it truly works.”
Lydia's response carried a note of caution. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she cautioned, her tone tinged with a hint of skepticism. “The temple is often bustling with countless prayers, so the likelihood of your prayer being heard amidst the prayers of other Deva faithful worshippers is really slim.”
Not long after, they finally arrived at the temple. They disembarked from their carriage and entered the bustling temple. However, to his surprise, the temple was unusually crowded today, even more so than when he was baptized with a group of children his age.
As they approached the gate of the temple, Hikaru couldn’t help but notice the unusually large number of people going in and out of the temple. “Lydia, is the temple usually this crowded?” Hikaru asked.
“No, not at all. Something seems to be going on today,” Lydia replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Determined to uncover the reason behind this large gathering, Lydia approached a passerby who was exiting the temple. “Excuse me,” she called out politely, “could you please tell us why the temple is so crowded today? Is there a special event?”
The stranger paused, casting a glance at the bustling crowd before turning to face Lydia and Hikaru. “Oh, you guys didn’t know?” he began, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “There’s this big fighting tournament happening at Bailey University on Wednesday. And let me tell you, most of these folks you see around here? They’re praying their hearts out, hoping to strike it big at the betting booth on that day.”
‘Ooh, that reminds me, Masaki also participated in that tournament. If the people here are praying for something as trivial as winning a bet, maybe I should pray for Masaki’s safety and for her to win the whole tournament!’ Hikaru thought to himself.
After navigating through the bustling crowd, they could finally enter the temple. The inside of the temple resembled a grand cathedral on earth, a sight to behold. With a sense of reverence, Hikaru and Lydia knelt down to offer their prayers. Once they completed their prayers, they exited the temple and made their way back home to Purple Walnut.
On their way back, Lydia asked: “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you praying for?”
Hikaru told her honestly and said: “I prayed for the safety of my little sister that participated on the fighting tournament held on Wednesday. I also prayed for her to win the whole tournament.”
“Wow! I didn’t know your little sister was going to participate. Are you planning to cheer her?” Lydia asked.
Hikaru shifted uncomfortably, his thoughts drifting to his family and the delicate balance of secrets he maintained. “I wanted to, but my family probably still thinks I’m at the military camp, so I don’t want to alert them. I also don’t want to involve my clan in my Kaito problem, nor do I want them to know about my relationship with Kaito and question me about my innate ability.”
Understanding flickered in Lydia's gaze as she nodded in agreement. “Well, that was a wise decision. You can visit your family, but don’t live with them. You should keep anything related to Kaito a secret from your family. As for alerting them, you won’t need to be afraid of that starting from tomorrow onwards. The Aran War has already concluded, and all the surviving soldiers have earned their military merit. They will return to their families starting tomorrow, so you going back to your family won’t be strange.”
Hikaru furrowed his brow, a new concern bubbling up. “Hmm, that’s good to know! But another concern I have is being spotted by the Elvira soldiers, especially the Cathunter brigade. What do you think are my chances of being hunted by them?”
Lydia's expression softened with reassurance. “For now, slim. They are too busy chasing down Kaito to do anything else. But even if one day they found out about your relationship with Kaito and decided to detain you, you don’t need to worry! As long as you’re with us, we will never hand you over and will even smooth things out for you!”
‘What’s with her suddenly deciding to defend me? Bailey already handed me over once. What makes you think I will trust Bailey not to hand me over twice?’ Hikaru thought to himself.
“But if you’re that concerned, why not use a mask? I have a spare one with me. I can give it to you once we return.” Lydia offered.
“That would be perfect,” Hikaru responded with gratitude, appreciating her offer.
Upon their return to Purple Walnut, Lydia handed Hikaru a mask adorned with a striking Red Oni pattern. From that day onward, Hikaru also began learning about illusion magic from Loyd whenever he had the time. Meanwhile, that night, Lydia informed Clay about Hikaru's plan to attend the tournament as a spectator using a Telelink Messenger.
‘Hmm, a tournament held by Bailey University on Wednesday should be really fun to watch,’ Clay mused to himself.