Noa El-Lah snapped his fingers and a small antique clock materialized on his desk, looking a bit more old-fashioned than the current designs Elias was used to.

He took a moment to check the time, before glancing back at Elias and Lars.

"I should probably get round to answering your questions now, as you two won't be able to remain here for much longer. This is for your own safety, as the library will start to register you as 'librarians' rather than 'guests' if you stay beyond an allotted time, which would ultimately prevent you from leaving here.

"That was how I got stuck here after all."

He snapped his fingers once again to recall the table clock, before waiting for his two visitors to ask their questions.

Elias and Lars moved to consult each other, spending a few moments before deciding on what questions needed to be asked.

They knew that they had to make the most out of the situation, as fated opportunities like this were very very hard to come by.

Even if they had an entire archive of historical knowledge and information at their convenience due to their part-time job, they still hadn't been able to get the answers to some very specific questions.

This was mainly because they had limited time to peruse the archives, while also having to make sure that their secretive snooping went unnoticed by their senior. They also had to find the particular book that pertained to what they wanted to know, which was a little difficult when one considers the sheer amount of books present within the Silent Archives.

However here, these problems were more or less irrelevant.

They now had the help of a knowledgeable historical figure who was capable of calling on any known piece of knowledge, eliminating most of the problems and risks that might come with their own personal investigations.

The only point they had to pay attention to was the knowledge restriction, which basically meant that they had to make sure that the questions asked didn't surpass the level capacity of their Realm Of Thought.

This made them spend quite a bit of time in consideration, before finally arriving at a satisfactory result.

"We are ready sir," Elias said.

Noa El-Lah simply maintained his leisurely expression, gesturing for him to speak as he didn't want them to waste too much time.

Elias steadied himself with a deep breath, before asking his question with a firm gaze.

"Then our first question is this. Sir, were the circumstances surrounding Father Bernard's death, our guardian... in any way related to us?"

Lars floated at the side, his gaze fixed on Noa El-Lah, eagerly awaiting the answer.

This was a matter that weighed heavily on both their hearts, one that they urgently needed to resolve before considering their way forward.

Noa El-Lah also noticed this, causing him to glance long and hard at the twins, before issuing them a gentle nod in agreement.

This confirmation caused Elias to almost lose his breath, with even Lars appearing dejected as his face was riddled with pain.

They both had similar suspicions about the entire ordeal for quite a long time now but had never gotten any factual confirmation.

It seemed a bit too 'convenient' for their blessing of death to manifest right after their guardian's death, causing the entire heart-wrenching experience to appear like a catalyst for its awakening, making it a lot more painful for the aggrieved teenagers to bear.

They felt directly at fault for their guardian's death, the man who had taken them in and cared for them, the one individual responsible for shining a ray of light onto their previously dark world.

Elias felt his heart rate speed up while his Inner Body of Truth suddenly became slightly unstable, looking like it was about to shatter and lose its main illusory form.

The inky black mist appeared from the depths of his subconscious, crawling over his Inner Body of Truth to insulate and become one with him.

The mist responded to Elias's sadness and grief, further intensifying as he wallowed in those negative emotions.

He kept thinking about Father Bernard, his image becoming hazy and disgruntled in his memory before being overlapped by a shade of bright crimson.

Elias didn't know what to do, nor could he do anything, as his body had already given way to the raging ether mist in his subconscious, handing over complete immediate control to it.

All Elias could do was continuously think about his guardian, think about how his death had all been his fault and his fault alone.

Lars noticed the sudden change in his brother and narrowed his eyes, as he could also subtly feel the pain Elias was enduring through their unique spiritual connection.

He looked towards Noa El-Lah with urgency in his eyes, his voice slightly shaken and scared.

"Sir quick do something, it feels like Elias's soul is being eroded!"

Noa El-Lah sprang up from his chair, covering the distance between his table and Elias in no less than a second as he quickly moved to examine him.

He noticed that Elias didn't look any different from normal, but could still sense a subtle ripple emanating from deep within his mind.

He could feel the signs of ether pulse alongside this ripple, which allowed him to quickly pinpoint the origin of the anomaly and move to intercept it.

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He placed his hand on Elias's forehead, his eyes taking on an otherworldly glow, almost as if he were a magician who was casting a spell. Numerous letters and mystical calligraphs swirled within his pupils, carrying with them a gentle aura of calmness and solemnity.

Noa El-Lah made sure to pay attention to the entire placating process, least he made the matter worse by not cutting off the root cause of the issue.

This went on for a few more tense moments before the light slowly returned to Elias's eyes.

He looked around his surroundings in brief confusion, before finally remembering what had happened soon after. He glanced weakly at the man now standing before him, managing a few words in between his labored breaths.

"What—what happened?"

Noa El-Lah examined him for a few moments longer to make sure he was alright, before moving back to his seat with a relieved sigh.

"You were overtaken by grief just now, which then caused the dormant ether within your consciousness to flair up and threaten to consume your soul. You synchronize with ether too easily, which ended up being the root cause of your brief instability. The ether within you will always act in tune with your state, which means that you will eventually have to regulate how you give yourself up to your feelings and emotions.

"The reason why the reaction was so exaggerated just now is because of where you are currently, as the Spiritual Sea contains ether in its purest and densest form, which makes it a lot easier for it to resonate and act in tandem with you. If I didn't move to calm you down as quickly as I did, I'm afraid you might have eventually spiraled into madness, becoming nothing more than an Odd Entity if you managed to make it through the pain."

Elias's eyes were unfocused and his brain a little fuzzy, but he could still make out the implications that accompanied his earlier display.

He didn't even want to think about what would have happened to him if he hadn't gotten timely help, as he could already see himself being reduced to nothing more than a maddened beast.

Lars floated in front of him with worried eyes, not planning to hide his expression of panic.

Elias reassured him that he was okay before settling back into his seat, but could still feel a subtle sense of ache emanating from deep within his very self.

"I've calmed down your ether for now, but you should still try to pay attention to your emotions and feelings from now on. It is easier to control now because you are only an Apostolic Deacon, but your ether will increase in volume as you break open each one of your seals, leading to an increase in risk regarding its instability. You have to be careful going forward." Noa El-Lah said.

Elias nodded grudgingly, feeling too weak and tired to say anything.

The Benign Philosopher turned his attention towards Lars, giving Elias some time to recover.

"We are short on time, so I will have to bother you with the remaining two questions. Remember, we have to be quick."

Lars glanced at Elias, receiving the go-ahead before finally deciding to speak.

"Ok so for our second question... we would like to know how many orthodox deities there have been, irrespective of both the old and new world history."

Noa El-Lah looked at both him and Elias with interest, before chuckling and giving his response.

"Six. There have only ever been six known orthodox deities at any point in time."

'I see...'

Elias heard the response and got to thinking, as he had already recovered a sufficient amount of strength.

At first glance, this was a simple and straightforward question, but that would only be the case for Elias and Lars, both of who had a little bit more context.

They both remember the message accompanying the unlocking of their first seal, a message that contained a foreshadowed clue of a long and forgotten part of history.

It states that on the day of the second creation, which was also the nexus of the first calamity, the first six were born, carrying with them the authority of a new world. These six heralded the dawn of a new age and were praised as beacons of light within the darkness. However, unbeknownst to all was the silent birth of a seventh, forgotten in slumber while awaiting the one who shall one day gain its acceptance.

If this was taken not as a symbolism but as a literal meaning, wouldn't it mean that there were actually seven deities rather than six?

Could it be possible that the interpretation was false and was instead eluding to something else?

Or maybe the birth of the seventh was something that existed beyond the capacity of truth, which was why it was perfectly concealed and obscured from even the authority of omniscience?

These were questions Elias could ask but not gain answers to, as he was more or less stuck and confused about what he was supposed to believe.

He decided to share his thoughts with Noa El-Lah, as he seriously needed an alternative perspective on the issue.

Noa El-Lah pondered on the message quietly, his eyes deep and calm.

"This is interesting. This is the first time I've seen a message accompany the opening of a seal, which makes me quite curious about its origins. The message also confirms knowledge unknown to truth, as even the Infinite Library can only confirm the existence of up to six gods."

"Then does that mean we should disregard the message as nonsense?" Lars said.

"Well of course not. As I said this is the very first time a message is accompanying a seal, so we should definitely treat this as a unique case. I would recommend not pondering over this for the time being, at least until we are able to look into it further." He paused to think for a moment, his expression one of curiosity. "It is possible that a new message might accompany the opening of your second seal, so how about we wait for that before rushing to any conclusions?"

Elias and Lars both thought about it for a brief moment, before collectively nodding in agreement.

It wasn't an immediate issue for them so they didn't need to worry too much, as they weren't in a position to even think about such grand world concerns.

Noa El-Lah hurried them up to ask their last question, as there wasn't a lot of time before he had to send them back to the real world.

This time it was Elias who moved to ask, his voice still a bit weak from the previous ordeal.

"Our final question is actually not a question itself, but more of a request. I want to ask if you would be willing to translate a sentence for us."

"Are you sure you want to use this chance for a simple translation? Can't you just learn the language and do it yourself later?" Said Noa El-Lah curiously.

He didn't understand why they wanted to use such an important opportunity for such a meager task, especially one as simple as word translation.

Elias remained firm in his stance, not giving in.

"It is... important to us sir. I wouldn't be making this request if it wasn't urgent."

Noa El-Lah remained skeptical but still decided to accept their decision, as he noticed the resolution hidden beneath their gazes.

He moved to place his hand on Elias's temple once again, before maintaining the position for a few moments in silence.

He eventually removed his hand away, his gaze now one of understanding.

"I see... It's inscribed in the divine language of Shalom, so you would have to wait at least two more years before you would be allowed to learn it, before being able to then translate it yourselves. It makes sense that you would want to know its contents now, as I can already tell that it means a lot to you."

Elias and Lars both nodded their heads in affirmation, with the former taking the initiative to speak.

"Yes sir, it does indeed.

"Can you tell us what it means?"

"Why of course, that is but a small matter. I was present when this language was made to be after all."

Noa El-Lah then abruptly clapped his hands, causing the brothers to suddenly feel like they were being forced out of the library, similar to the feeling of departing from the fake into the real.

He looked down at the exiting teenagers with a calm gaze, before proceeding to speak.

"I don't know what this is supposed to mean, but all I can tell you is that you shouldn't take this message lightly, as I can instinctively feel that it bears more similarities to a warning rather than a message. It is in both of your interests that you pay attention to these words."

He paused for a moment, before resuming with a deep tone, similar to that of a narrator.

"This is a desperate call from the other side of the world. I am you, as you are also me. Please, never let yourself... fade into gray."