Well, now that you know how things are in the kingdom I live in, it’s time for something to happen, right? Fear not, things are about to go south for me!

It was a particularly gloomy day in autumn. The days were getting shorter, and the weather became more temperamental than a lass during her period. The Nu temple was as busy as a beehive, with all kinds of local and foreign practitioners coming in and out. The streets were decorated with white flags. News spread quickly that the Representative of Nu herself, Aat, was dropping by. Lilly therefore suggested, we stalk the temple entrance to catch a glimpse of this particular celebrity. Most of us weren’t keen on it, though.

While most of the people were faithful servants to whatever deity the city had dedicated itself to, there were enough who shared their doubts. Obviously, only behind closed doors. After all, you didn’t want to feel a deity’s wrath personally, or? My parents, as well as the parents of the other boys, definitely didn’t think too highly of Orders. “Money-hungry” and “Absolute obedience” were some of the kinder terms that flew around. And so, our parents had always told us to stay away from the temple.

But even at a young age, love can be compelling. And we all loved Lilly. And where she went, we would go as well also if it meant breaking a promise or two. We can just apologize later.

Being so small, the lacquered heavy wooden doors of the temple seemed grand. From behind the doors and the tall stone walls, you could hear the sound of metal upon metal, meditative chanting, and the occasional whirring sound of a spell being cast. Whenever the gates opened, people could catch a short glimpse of several large ground-level buildings and an even more enormous courtyard, where dozens and dozens of practitioners were busy meditating or honing their blade skills. Outside of the gates, a crowd was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Aat.

And the Representative didn’t disappoint. Like an artwork, she was standing on a bronze chariot pulled by a giant but tame griffin. Its beak was muzzled to prevent it from shrieking. Aat was an ethereal-looking woman. Because she was a direct descendant of Isis, a Celestial, she had dark skin. Thick strands of hair were braided and held together at the top by a bronze headdress. Her eyes were golden, black veins running from the corner of her eyes towards her temples. These types of eyes were unique to all Representatives. They came in all shapes and sizes, but their eyes were always golden. I guess it was a sign that they have received a special blessing from their deity.

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While Aat definitely looked human, she still moved intoxicatingly graceful, her white robes reflecting the muffled sunlight like a rainbow. The practitioners accompanying her paled in comparison to her. I remember gaping in awe at her, only for my spell to be broken by a “Hello! Hello there!” coming from my right. Yes, it was Lilly. And yes, even if the entire perimeter fell silent upon seeing the Representative, Lilly was waving like a lunatic, begging for their attention. By the love of Nu! As if we hadn’t told her before not to create a commotion, or else we’d all be in trouble! But there she was, putting those bull’s eye markers right on our heads.

Hoping that Aat would nod and pass us by as would be expected of her (like, why would she bother with us kids anyway?), the boys and I slightly ducked to escape the practitioners’ field of view. But alas! Instead of ignoring us, the Representative stopped right in her tracks, with her entourage almost stumbling into her. Her cold gaze fell upon all of us. It felt as if daggers were piercing us. Even Lilly stopped waving and abashedly stared to the ground. After a long silence, Aat suddenly spoke, “blessed be the Mother of gods! You, five children, will have the honor to pray for peace this year!”

The voices of deities and some Celestials are genuinely creepy. They may be nice to look at, but their voices can be a nightmare. Depending on your magical aptitude and whatever, you would either hear a simple voice, a choir of different ages, or, in the worst case, a horrible screech to make your ears bleed. This representative seemed to belong to the latter for the most. I saw a lot of people held their ears in pain. Only me and a few others barely understood her. Okay, not cool, lady. Maybe let one of your fellows speak for you instead? You just made half of Capilla deaf.

However, once the ringing in the ears faded away, people noticed the expectant stare at us and shifted their attention. It took a moment for us to realize that she meant our group.

Okay, even less cool, lady. I’m so deep in trouble right now.