“Belief is an important attribute to have for everyone.”
Much to Simon’s bewilderment, as the two of them walked side by side with each other, the Elder had begun a strange monologue seemingly for no particular reason.
“Huh?”
“Humans can survive on strength, intelligence and love,” he continued, disregarding Simon’s confusion entirely, “but belief is just as important as those three factors, if not more. In fact, one can say that without beliefs, a human being cannot function on their own. They would have no purpose in the world.”
“I’m sorry, but—”
“Humans believe in how they should breathe. They believe in how they should act. They believe in how they should live. That is why beliefs are so important, because it drives humans in more aspects than they think.”
“Elder, please explain… eh?”
He had been too preoccupied by the strange monologue to notice it, but Simon had just realized where they seemed to be heading towards. As they followed the narrow path, which led to a set of hidden stairs that seemed to stretch down into the abyss, he immediately recognized the area they were in.
“Wait, why are we—”
“And that, Brother Simon,” the Elder spoke louder than he had before, interrupting and forcing him to keep listening, “is why the Church of Enlightenment exists. We believe that the Goddess and her chosen guides will lead us all to a better future, and it is through that belief that we keep going, even in this harsh reality.”
As they reached the stairs and proceeded to go down into the chamber that housed the Goddess’ Gift, Simon’s doubts only began to grow even more as he continued to obediently follow the Elder.
“It is because of our beliefs that we must be careful as well. Many abhorrent individuals and groups have approached us before with the intent to ruin the image of the Goddess. They make a mockery of our solid beliefs and will ruin our current world as we know it, making it a worse hell for everyone. Therefore, we cannot allow them to get away with it without first teaching them a lesson.”
“Elder…”
“Listen to me!” the Elder abruptly stopped in the middle of his descent and suddenly thundered at Simon, startling him to silence again, “we are in a crisis right now, and I need your undaunting belief to solve it. Do you understand, Brother Simon?”
“I… err... yes?”
“Good.”
Appearing to be satisfied with his answer, the Elder resumed going down the stairs, with Simon slowly and tentatively continuing to follow him as they went deeper and deeper.
“As I take it, you must currently be unsure of what you have to do, am I right?”
“Y-yes.”
“It is simple,” he firmly explained, “this Church has been infested by doubters. Dirty usurpers who sneak around behind everyone’s backs and try to pose as one of us. Those who intend to use the Gift for evil purposes, not willing to accept the Goddess as who she is at all.”
“You don’t mean…”
“The Enforcers have already told me everything. Candidate Anten, along with the intruders from last night, are most likely cooperating with each other for their own nefarious schemes.”
“…”
“That is why we must act now and clean up the mess. If not, it might be the end of the world as we know it. We must not let that happen; do you understand?”
“… yes.”
… no…
Simon did not know how to process all the information he had just been given. On the one hand, he had already known that Anten was shifty and had another motive of her own besides helping the Church, but on the other hand, she had already revealed her true colors earlier in the arena for all to see, including him.
“I am an angel,” her words repeated in his mind, “sent down by God himself to collect the Goddess’ Gift, in order to make the world better and minimize human suffering.
Unlike before when they had first met, he could tell that she was not lying at that moment. There was no smoke and mirrors, no façade, no deception; he knew without a doubt that she was being completely genuine with her real intentions of infiltrating the Church.
Understandably, that meant that while he still supported the Elder and what he said, he had found strong issues with his fierce declaration. From his tone, he was not suggesting a clean-up, but rather he was suggesting a complete eradication of Anten’s entire group.
“…”
“Here we are.”
Before he could even come to terms with it, the two of them were already standing in front of the locked door separating them from the chamber, and the Elder had already pulled out the key ring before slowly beginning to open all the locks to allow them to enter.
What do I do? What do I do?
They appeared to be alone right now, and he was not currently being held at gunpoint to follow the Elder’s instructions, but even so, he still faced an intense dilemma.
I could leave, or stop him from unlocking it…
However, in spite of all his problems and worries, he remained still and watched blankly as the Elder finished unlocking the door and quickly opened it.
I… can’t.
Stolen novel; please report.
There was no debate. He still wanted to believe in the Church. He still wanted to trust that they were doing things for the good of the people, that they were right. His three years with them had already ensured that he would feel that way towards them for a long time to come.
“Come through.”
Hence, without any questions, he obeyed the order and entered the chamber with the Elder, where he could see the Goddess’ Gift hovering above the palm pedestal, remaining untouched and unspoiled.
“…”
He had already seen it before at that point, but he could still only be speechless and awestruck by the orb in front of him yet again as he took in the simple yet powerful sight with his own two eyes.
“This is your chance, Brother Simon,” the Elder declared as he stood beside him with his hands on his hips.
“Huh?”
Snapping out of his pure childlike awe, he turned his attention back to the leader, who was looking at him with a hopeful yet determined gaze.
“…”
There did not need to be any further elaboration; he already knew what he was being tasked to do. Even after he had lost, he had now been given another chance to prove himself.
“A-are you sure?”
“Of course,” the Elder insisted, “I saw you create that weapon out of thin air during the fight with the strength of your beliefs. No one else has done that before, not even the usurper angel, so that is why I believe that you are currently the most qualified person out of all of us to wield the power of the Gift.”
“…”
“Go on, go ahead and take it. Seize that belief with your own two hands!” the Elder whispered in her ear soothingly as he patted him on the back before firmly pushing him forward.
“… hhh…”
“I believe that you are the only one who can save us.”
The young man’s legs felt like lead, the stony, wet ground like thick mud beneath his feet as he approached the Gift, feeling its overpowering embrace terrifying and yet inviting at the same time.
No, I can’t. I didn’t deserve it, and I really don’t think Sister Anten or her friends had any bad intentions! Do I not trust the Church and the Elder? Are they… wrong?
Yes, I do deserve it. She has been lying to us all this time, and if she really is connected to the intruders, they surely don’t have our wellbeing in mind! I have to stop them once and for all!
Two opposing fronts clashed inside his head as the distance between him and the pedestal closed even further. No matter how much he deliberated in his movements, he did not know which side he should put his full belief in.
Perhaps the Elder was right after all. Belief drove every single person in the world and made them survive. Without it, their lives would have no purpose.
“…”
“Based on the time I have spent with you, I know that whatever happens, you will do the right thing in the end. That’s what I have believed and that’s what I will believe, no matter what.”
“Heh,” he let out a light chuckle out of habit as he finally reached his destination, with the glowing white Gift, his dream, right in front of him and ready for the taking.
Why did I think about her? I still don’t trust her, right?
“Take it! Be the Goddess’ champion!” he could hear the Elder yell, but he no longer needed his advice or guidance to continue.
… I’m tired.
As he stood still, gazing at the bright light being emitted by the orb, he could feel its power guiding him to where he needed to go, telling him what he needed to do.
From now on, he could place his belief in it, and it would help him do what needed to be done. It would give him the strength and the means to do so. It would decide for him.
It gave him everything he ever wanted. It gave him his true purpose. It gave him clarity and truth, with no strings attached. He could, at last, not feel powerless or deceived if he took it.
… I’m sorry, everyone. Looks like I have to do things my way after all.
And so, not needing to say another word, he willingly reached out and grabbed the belief with his own two hands.
**********************
“Brother Simon?”
The Elder stepped back and covered his eyes as the space around the pedestal began to flash a bright white, and the chamber lit up with the strongest light he had ever seen before.
At the same time, he could hear Simon, the one who had taken the Goddess’ Gift upon his own urging, yelling. A yell that he could tell was mixed with pain but somehow pleasure at the same time.
“Yes… good, very good!”
Throughout the entire process, he had a big smile on his face as he watched it happen. After all, even if he wanted to stop it, he could not at this point.
For the last 20 years when he was the leader of the Church, he had believed that one day, he would be the one to birth the person blessed by the divine Goddess herself, and that he would lead them and the Church to greater heights under her tutelage.
“I… am the prophet!”
He kneeled to the ground, threw his hands up and declared it out loud without any semblance of humbleness or modesty. He did not need to hide his true motivations any longer, now that he had what he wanted.
Soon, the yelling and the flashes both stopped, and the chamber was quiet once again, indicating to him that the conversion was complete. Almost immediately, he stood back up, recovering and calming himself down as much as possible as he watched his brand-new creation step away from the pedestal and back towards him.
“…”
The being that slowly approached him was still Simon, but there had been some drastic changes made to him that truly made him something different from an ordinary human now.
His blood-stained and ragged clothes from the second trial were gone, replaced with robes of pure white, but they were far from the ones that the Church followers usually wore.
If it had to be described, the entire outfit looked like the one worn by the Goddess herself, or at least the one worn by the statue in the main square, complete with a crystal-clear scarf floating around his head and an unknown material that, by the way it was flowing, made it look as though it was made out of air.
The scarf, which would be almost invisible in bright light but clear to see in a dim environment like the chamber, was connected at the front near the top of his torso by none other than the Goddess’ Gift itself, shining and glowing like a magnificent jewel.
To complete the divine ensemble, he not only had a halo above his head and a pair of white wings on his back, but he also carried a long staff in his right hand, something that was not present on the statue at all.
The staff’s design itself was elaborate and grand on its own, with a detailed wavy pattern on its shiny reflective surface. Its top was comprised of eight rings each vertically arranged next to each other in a circular formation, ending at the top with two spheres of decreasing size stacked on top of one another, creating something that looked beautiful and at the same time incredibly powerful on its own.
“…”
Simon said nothing as he simply walked closer and closer to the Elder, who was welcoming him with open arms and an eager, joyful grin on his face.
“Oh, Guide of the Goddess,” he bowed down before addressing him formally and respectfully, “I am but your humble servant. Please heed my words and listen. There are currently sinners, usurpers, and impostors in our Church’s compound that are out to dethrone and replace the Goddess. You must stop them all. I, along with the entire Church, can assist you if needed. That is all I ask from you, great Guide.”
“…”
His plea was met with complete silence as Simon stopped and stared at him with blank white pupilless eyes.
“… great Guide?”
Perhaps he had phrased his request wrongly, so he patiently composed himself and tried again. However, before he could start over, he received a response.
“…yes.”
As he answered, Simon had the exact same voice he had, only it now sounded louder, stronger, and more reverberating, as though multiple copies of his voice were layered on top of each other and being played over with slight delays in each of them.
The Elder heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he heard the reply, and immediately followed it up by speaking to him again.
“That is wonderful news, great Guide! Please, allow me to show you the way out of this place, and I will point the usurpers out for you to take care of!”
“Not needed. I will locate them myself.”
“Oh…”
He was slightly put off by the instant rejection, but regardless of that, he still wanted to cater to his needs as much as he could, so he cleared his throat and began to suggest something else as an alternative.
“Okay then, what about—”
“I don’t need you either.”
“… what?”
Before he could register it, he saw red. It was blood, his own blood, spraying out of him like a geyser before it gradually slowed to a trickle.
Simon had, in just the span of a single second, created a longsword in his left hand, the same one he had used during the second trial, and without hesitation, he had used it to slash the Elder’s torso open.
“Gargh… argh…”
It was a deep cut that stretched from the top left to the bottom right, which included the heart, meaning he stood no chance of survival. With his face completely frozen in shock, he slowly dropped to the stone floor where he soon stopped moving.
“…”
Looking down at the motionless body for a moment, Simon quickly tilted his head back up and began to walk towards the entrance of the chamber in a dignified manner.
Now that the liar had been taken care of, it was time for him to take care of all the usurpers, including the one who he had formerly known as Renare, and her dirty companions.
“I believe…”