The church was a large, well-constructed building in the center of Etron. There were only two entrances, and they were narrow enough to defend with only a handful of soldiers. This, paired with the large amount of floor space in the church’s main chamber, was why the First Church of Etron always ended up being used as a stronghold in scenarios where Etron was attacked for one reason or another. All major military barracks in the city were either located in the Merchant or Noble District, so the First Church was the only major contender for a base of operations in the Gate District.
We walked through a small marble antechamber, which held a basin of water that was just big enough for someone to bathe in. I suspected that the basin was filled with holy water.
Beyond the antechamber was the main chamber of the First Church. Typically, the large chamber would be lined with large oak pews, but the pews had been pushed to the sides of the room to make room for a large group of people to congregate in the chamber’s center. Light was cast on the huddled masses through a set of three stained glass windows.
The glass windows portrayed three women: Nyx, Sondrith, and Saint Alicia. Those three people were typically considered the most important figures in the Church of Nyx. While the reason for Nyx’s portrayal was self-evident, the significance of the other two was less clear. Sondrith was considered the first Priestess of Nyx, even before the Church of Nyx was created. Saint Alicia founded the Church of Nyx several decades after the death of Sondrith, and it soon became the largest religion in the world.
In the stained glass, Nyx wore a deep hood that cast a shadow that completely concealed her face. Despite this, two bright orbs of light shone out of the darkness of the hood, gazing upon those standing in the church with a cold gaze. The face within the stained glass seemed unknowable, cold, and distant, yet oddly comforting.
To Nyx’s right, the stained glass window portraying Sondrith had been partially destroyed. The lower half of the window was missing, and the upper half of the window was marked with jagged cracks, revealing the purple sky behind the glass. Some creature had most likely thrown a rock through the window.
Another coughing fit overcame me when I had walked less than a few meters into the main chamber. Weakness seized my legs, and I had to sit on a pew to stop myself from falling to the ground.
“Are you okay, Thale? Are you hurt?” Miriam asked once I was stationary on the pew.
“Sister Miriam,” Father Galen warned. “There is no reason for you to speak to Lord Feldrast in such a familiar manner.”
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I’d imagine that her being my sister is a pretty good reason for a familiar tone.
A moment after that thought formed in my head, I paused. How did the priest not know that Miriam was my sister? Surely, there weren’t that many Feldrasts in Etronia.
“By any chance, Father Galen, could Sister Miriam heal me? My companion is much more injured than I am, and I think he would benefit from your significant experience,” I said with a tired smile.
For a moment, Father Galen looked between Miriam and me, confused by our previous interactions. After a moment, however, he bowed slightly to me and said, “As you wish, Lord Feldrast.”
When Father Galen was out of earshot, I whispered to Miriam, “What are you doing here?”
“I-I left Northwind as soon as I was old enough. A month after you left, Merrick left to become a squire. Solana spent all of her time helping Uncle Edwin run the realm. Even Nina disappeared after a while. I was so lonely for such a long time, so I left Northwind two years ago and started going by Miriam Sellack. After a few months, I ended up here.”
“Things have been tough for you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure you left for a good reason. You’ve always done things for a reason. Just, please, tell me why you left.”
“I…” My voice got stuck in my throat as I considered telling her the truth.
Don’t.
Why not?
If you tell her the truth, she’ll ask to come with us. We’ll inevitably end up fighting A-Tier [Characters] and seven-star beasts. She could easily die.
It would break her heart. No, I won’t lie to her.
If she dies, I’ll kill you.
“Thale?” Miriam asked, fear and sadness mixing in her expression.
“Okay, here’s the truth,” I said, clearing my throat.
As succinctly as I could manage, I told Miriam the truth. I told her about my nature as a Reincarnate, I told her about the coming war, I told her about Lothar, and I told her that the attack on Etron was tied to all of that. While I spoke, Miriam healed me with the [First Prayer] and [Second Prayer]. My illness was cured, and the ache suffusing my body disappeared.
“And you’ve been like this…?” Miriam began to ask once my explanation began to wind down after ten minutes.
“Ever since the moment of my birth, yes. I’m sure you probably don’t believe me, but…”
“No, it all makes sense now. That explains everything. Goddess Nyx, it should have been obvious. There’s no way a child could have 18 [Intelligence] at ten years old.”
“Don’t feel bad about it. You had no reason to believe that people like me exist.”
“And there’s another person like you? Haydith, is that her name?”
“Yeah. There are others. In fact, I’m pretty sure that this whole attack was planned out by another Reincarnate.”
“What? You’re not all on the same side?”
“It’s… complicated. Anyway, what are you going to do now? It will be safer to stay here with the church.”
With a smile, Miriam said, “Well, it sounds like you need a priestess.”