《Prophet of the Old Gods》


 Chapter 1

    Deep in a mine, the clacks of pickaxes against stone echoed. The miners had almost broken through what seemed like a hollow cave in the rock, so they were quite excited. Considering that the nearby city was built around ancient structures, they were likely to find buried ruins that contained possible treasure. Of course, most of the potential profits would go to their supervisor, but a discovery like this could mean a notable raise in their wages.


    As the day was winding down and the sun was starting to set over the eastern sea, one of the miners struck a rock in just the right way and the entire wall crumbled. She stumbled back in surprise with a gasp. Stale air wafted through the newly-opened hole and hit her right in the face, causing her to cough. She could tell that she had found a chamber that hadn''t been stepped in for centuries, maybe even millennia. Pushing her trepidation aside, she called to her fellow miners about her discovery and then crossed the threshold into the dark. She reached up to adjust the light on her helmet as she walked. Particles suspended in the air were illuminated by the beam, but she couldn''t see the end of the cavern. She turned her head from left to right and back again to get a wider view of her surroundings. The cave was supported by regimented columns of stone that were obviously made by korine hands. Jackpot.


    Before she got too far into the ruins, her fellow miners joined her. They started to chatter amongst themselves about the discovery. Words of wonder and caution echoed together in the large cave, but silence fell over the group when one of their beams shone upon a strange sight on a pedestal. A busted console was attached to it at the front, and on top of the pedestal was a large, clear crystal. Trapped inside the crystal, there appeared to be a man.


    His appearance was quite foreign to the miners: darkened skin, long white hair, ears that extended at least four inches, and strangest of all, amethyst-colored crystalline wings that sprouted from his back. Even his serene countenance belonged to a foreigner with prominent cheekbones and strange eyelids. He was clothed, thankfully, but his clothes were strange to them as well.


    Without hesitation, the miner who had broken into the chamber equipped her pickaxe again and climbed up onto the pedestal. The other miners tried to persuade her to stop, after all, shattering the crystal could kill the man, but she didn''t listen. She raised the pickaxe above her head and struck the clear crystal. Despite its tough appearance, this single strike caused several cracks to form and spread in the crystal. Ridges became canyons in an instant and it shattered around the man. To the relief of the miners, his body was left completely intact but collapsed as soon as it was free.


    Consciousness returned to Renso and his eyes fluttered open. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head felt like it was just barely submerged in water, and the stale air did nothing to help. As soon as the feeling faded, he looked up and blinked in the countless lights that shone in the darkness like muted suns. His eyes adjusted, and he saw the faces that were directly below the lights. Who were these strange people who looked so foreign to him?


    He wrapped his wings around himself loosely as a form of protection when his thoughts suddenly turned to the fact that these people could be invaders. They didn''t have any visible weapons, but that meant nothing in an age where someone could turn their own body into a weapon. Sure, his wings weren''t meant for defense like other augments, but they could work in a pinch and were self-repairing.


    The uneasy silence was finally broken when one of the miners decided to speak up. From the tone of her voice, she was asking a question, but the man didn''t recognize any of the words she used. His dark eyes narrowed slightly.


    "I do not know what you said. Who are you people? Where are you from?" he asked in return. From the confused looks he got from them, he realized that they spoke a completely different language from him. "Nevermind. You will not be able to answer," he muttered in exasperation as he stood up.


    Despite what were probably protests from the miners, Renso folded his wings against his back and walked past them. As he did so, he wondered what the outside world would look like. After all, he had no idea how long he had been frozen. It could''ve been months, years, or even decades. Perhaps if he prayed to one of the gods, he could have his questions answered. If he remembered correctly, there was a shrine to Kione in this city. He was apprehensive about the idea of involving himself with her when his patron goddess was Ruzona, but he had little choice. His wings probably weren''t ready for a long journey quite yet.


    He lost track of time as he walked and thought at the same time. Before he knew it, he''d walked straight out of the mine''s entrance and into the cool evening air. The sky was still dimly glowing in the faint light of the set sun, but he knew that he''d end up flying in the dark if he set off now. That was less than ideal. But if he waited for the morning, he would have to deal with the locals. The idea of it made him uncomfortable, and a strange shiver ran through his inorganic wings. Plus, he had nothing to protect his eyes at high altitudes. He brought his hand up to his chin as he debated on what to do, and he didn''t even notice that another person had appeared.


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    "Oi," the miner called. He then proceeded to ask a question in a demanding tone. Of course, Renso didn''t recognize a word of what the man said. When he looked however, his eyes were caught by something. A pair of what looked like goggles rested on the miner''s head. Perfect. In a swift motion, Renso took a step toward him and snatched the goggles.


    As soon as the shock faded, the miner shouted something at him in anger and reached for him. Renso fluttered his wings and sent himself out of the man''s reach with a chuckle. Predictably, the miner froze in shock from seeing a person fly. It seemed like the augmentations that had been so commonplace in the past were now a lost art. This idea made Renso rather sad as he inspected the goggles for anything to adjust the strap length. There was a buckle that looked like it''d do the trick, so he put the goggles right on and tightened the strap so they''d stay snugly over his eyes.


    With the goggles, he was ready to fly. He took to the air with a single flap of his wings and stayed hovering as he looked around for the pyramid that marked Kione''s shrine. The purple crystals of his wings glowed dimly with the power of the wind. He caught the sight of it, framed on all sides by the lights of the city. Oh, good. It seemed like these people were advanced enough to illuminate their streets at night. He tucked his hands into his sleeves to protect them against the cold. Due to his wings being specialized for speed, he got to the top of the pyramid within minutes of flight. He circled the top for a few passes to find a safe place to land before he alighted in front of the shrine.


    When he saw the state of the shrine, he froze in place. The stone was worn down and cracked, and some parts were even crumbled away. There were no signs of any offerings. He realized that people probably hadn''t come up to even pray to Kione in a very long time. It was time to fix this. He dropped to his knees and intertwined his fingers, then turned his thoughts to the goddess. Within a few moments, the air around him began to heat up. He opened his eyes again and looked up to the shrine. His breath caught in his throat from the sight he was met with.


    The woman sitting on the shrine glowed like a campfire, her skin itself flickering as if her body was hollow and a great fire raged within. Her hair was vibrantly red, flaming and lifted by the air currents that came off of her burning body. She was covered by a "dress" composed of fire and her facial features couldn''t even be seen against the brightness of her skin. There was no doubt about it: this woman was Kione herself.


    Renso brought his hand up to his eyes to shield them from her brightness. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it. "What''s your name, boy? Nobody''s prayed to me in an eternity," she remarked. "Wait, those ears and wings. You''re a Kessho-hito! I thought you all died out. You barely even look like an adult for how old you must be." She tilted her head as she considered the possibilities of why he looked so young. "Oh, right. Your name?"


    "It''s Renso. Shiroken Renso," he answered.


    "Shiroken? So you''re a follower of Ruzona, most likely. Am I correct? Well, it doesn''t matter. You''re the only person now who truly knows who us gods are. Why not help to fix that?" she suggested.


    Renso stared at her in shock. His suspicions were finally confirmed: every living person was a heretic. Anger rose to his throat and made it tight. "If they''re heretics as you say they are, then they don''t even deserve life. Their eyes are closed, and will likely stay that way even if I try to help them."


    Kione''s mouth fell open in surprise. "What a violent kid you seem to be. It''s not like they had a choice. They can''t open their eyes if they''ve been sewn shut. These people had nothing to do with worship of us stopping."


    He frowned when she quickly pointed out the flaw in his thinking. "I couldn''t help them if I wanted to. I don''t know the language they speak, and I wouldn''t know where to begin in learning it."


    "That one''s easy! You could just ask Vudona to give you her knowledge of their language. I''m sure that she knows it. I''ll even let her know that you have my blessing!" Her tone changed to an excited one in the blink of an eye. It was almost like a switch was flicked. She hopped off of the shrine and took his hands in her own. They visibly dimmed as she cooled them down so as to not harm him. "You''ll help, right? It''s been so lonely with nobody praying to me. I haven''t even been given a cake in millennia."


    Faced with an eager goddess like this, all he could do was nod his head. "Fine, fine. I''ll help. Does the shrine of Vudona to the west still stand?" He turned his head in the direction of the rising moon. Against the city lights, he could just barely see the silhouette of a pyramid.


    Kione followed his gaze and nodded. "It''s a bit crumbled like mine, but it''s still there. I''m sure she''ll be happy to talk to someone again." She let go of his hands. "I''ll let her know that you''re coming. See you later!" She took a step back and then her body then burst into flame and disappeared.


    Renso released a breath and pushed his sleeves up. Being so close to the goddess of fire hadn''t been the most comfortable for him when he was wearing such warm clothing already. His eyes rested on the patch of blue crystals that covered his left forearm. Might as well test that augment to make sure it was still working properly. He turned his arm so that his palm faced toward him, then expanded the crystalline growth. It formed into a rather small shield. The size made sense; Kione had likely burned away most of the water just by being there and the shield size depended on the humidity of the surrounding air. He shrunk the shield again, then walked to the west side of the platform. His wings glowed again when he took off toward Vudona''s shrine.

 Chapter 2

    As the wind rushed past Renso''s ears in his flight, he turned his attention downward. The blurred shapes of houses outlined in lights rushed past as soon as he saw them. If he squinted, he could just barely see the many people who still crowded the streets. The many heretics, he reminded himself. Really, he had no idea why Kione still believed in them. It would take a miracle for them to change their beliefs to the right ones.


    Like with Kione''s shrine, he only landed after he had circled the top a few times and found a safe spot. The sight he saw made him stop and stare. On top of the stone surface were a basket of what he assumed were fruits, a thin sheet of an unfamiliar white material weighted down by a rock, and a small piece of charcoal. He stepped closer to the shrine to expect the white sheet and found it covered in scribbles that could''ve been writing, most likely made by the charcoal. The fruits were fresh, which meant that someone had come recently. Did this mean...?


    He shook his head and pushed these thoughts from his mind. He came here for a reason and shouldn''t get distracted by something like this. In one motion he dropped to his knees and intertwined his fingers, then closed his eyes and turned his thoughts to Vudona. Even now he had reservations about praying to a god other than Ruzona, but he hoped that she would forgive him for it. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a crunch. He wondered if it was the mystery worshiper or Vudona in equal measure before he opened his eyes to find out.


    Leaning on the shrine was a woman with a very otherworldly aura to her. She wore robes in a style that seemed old-fashioned even to Renso and hung loosely off of her form. Her hair was long and black, parted directly in the middle to expose the strange slit that resembled a closed eye on her forehead. The back of her hand which held a fruit had a similar slit. She regarded him with her two open eyes. They resembled cut, lavender-colored gems with how they shined. Her lips curled into a warm smile when she finished her inspection.


    As expected, the goddess spoke first. "A follower of my wife, are you? She thought so highly of your clan in those times, Shiroken. I have much to teach you, though I am not sure if you are ready to know it. Before I get into that, I should give you what you came here for."


    Vudona set the fruit down on the shrine''s surface, then held her hands up and pressed her fingertips together so her hands were in a pointed shape. The eyes on her hands and her forehead suddenly opened and glowed like they were full of starlight. Renso flinched and brought his hands up to his head. A dull pressure had started within his skull and he subconsciously knew that it was knowledge being poured in. It only lasted for a few more seconds before fading. He rubbed his temples before he turned his attention back to the goddess.


    "Now, I must ask if you think you are ready for what I can teach you. It concerns what happened to your people and how long ago it was. Such knowledge may be overwhelming for someone who feels as if they were living normally yesterday. I will only give it to you once you are ready." She sat back on the shrine and idly twirled a strand of hair.


    Renso narrowed his eyes in thought. It probably had something to do with the worship of the gods stopping, which Kione told him before that the people living here had nothing to do with. If he could know what happened without it tainting his opinion of them, it would surely mean he was ready to take on Kione''s task. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts before he spoke. "I''m ready. Teach me what happened."


    Vudona frowned lightly and stared into his eyes. Whatever she saw in them made her hesitation disappear. "Very well. Take care to remember that this happened long before the nation you see here was established, or any of its people born." Once again, she put her hands in a pointed shape and her extra eyes opened and shined.


    Renso felt his consciousness fade as the events played out in his mind as the memories of a divine. The refugees from Esmus arrived in Kesshotochi and were welcomed in. Young Kessho-min workers found themselves unable to compete with the Esmusans who took lower wages than them, so they petitioned over and over again for the refugees to have their rights stripped away. They finally got the support of a few politicians and had the law passed. The Esmusans were enslaved for over ninety years before the god Sateusu took pity on them and orchestrated a plan to overthrow their masters. They told the Kessho-min of the 10,000 Year Crystals which could make a person immortal if they were encased for a week. Without hesitation, the military started a project to use these crystals to create an entire branch of exceptional soldiers with immortality. The Esmusans then staged a coup as soon as all of the best were frozen and faced little resistance. They took over the entire nation and cast aside Kessho-min technology and gods. The frozen soldiers were forgotten. Ten thousand years then passed, and countless nations rose and fell where the Kessho-min had once lived.


    He pushed himself up as soon as he woke up again and looked around. Vudona was gone, and he could see the sun rising to the west. He shifted so that he was in a sitting position, then stood up. Grief and anger lapped at the surface and a scowl formed on his face. He wouldn''t be able to call himself a warrior if he let them free, so all he could do was control his breathing and push these emotions down. Neither the Kessho-min nor the Esmusans had been in the right back then, which made it that much harder to swallow. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs of the pyramid. He wheeled around to face whoever it was.


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    Coming up the steps was a korine woman, her gaze downturned and locked on a strange object that seemed to be full of many white sheets. She had bluish-grey hair in a bob and dark brown eyes. It seemed like she spent a lot of time in the sun, so her skin was rather tanned. A patch of milky white crystals adorned the right side of her jaw.


    She only noticed Renso when she stepped onto the shrine platform, and when she did, she jumped and dropped the object. "Eek! Who- who are you and why are you up here?!" She demanded. Then, she noticed his rather odd features. "Wait, I''ve never seen someone with crystallization that extreme. And I''ve never seen a foreigner with crystallization. That must be heavy, how do you even walk?"


    Renso blinked in surprise when he understood her perfectly. Then he decided to answer. "My name is Renso, I flew up here, I''m from this area, and my wings aren''t really that heavy. They''re enchanted with wind magic, so they''re much lighter than they look." He squinted at the patch of crystals on her jaw. "And what about you? Are those crystals part of an augment?"


    The woman reached up to touch the crystals when they were mentioned, then shook her head. "No, I was born with them. My mom and grandpa had similar ones, too." She then smiled. "If you can fly with those, does that mean you''re a crystal person? Like the ancient ones?" She took his hand and shook it rapidly. "My name is Minna! I''ve been looking for anything I could learn about this shrine, but I still don''t know the name of the goddess it''s dedicated to. I know that some of her domains are magic and knowledge and that she was the goddess who created us. If you''re an ancient one, then you probably know her name."


    "Vudona. Her other two domains are inventions and creativity. Do you worship her?" He pulled his hand away from her.


    "So her name is Vudona. I wonder if she wasn''t able to hear my prayers because I didn''t know her name. Oh! Do you want to come back with me to the museum my family runs? After I pray to Vudona, of course. I''ve been keeping my worship secret from my parents for the longest time. They just think that I''m studying the ruins here." She laughed quietly.


    Renso looked to the side as he considered the offer. It would definitely be a good idea to have an ally in a world so different, but her enthusiasm was rather off-putting. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, I''ll join you. Just not in prayer, I''m devoted to another goddess."


    Minna smiled when he accepted the invitation. "Great! I have so much to ask about you! Now, I''ll be done in a bit." She promptly knelt by the shrine and intertwined her fingers.


    Renso crossed his arms and looked at the white sheet on the shrine. Several names were scribbled on it, each bearing an only slight resemblance to Vudona. It seemed like Minna had been trying for a while to learn her name. He then looked at the strange object she had dropped and picked it up. The cover had "The Old Gods" written on it, and opening it revealed the many inscribed white sheets within. Reading some of it made it clear that it was a heretical piece that demonized the old gods, but as he read more, he realized that it was a cleverly hidden informational piece. It detailed the Kessho-min pantheon and what their domains were, but not all of the information was entirely accurate and a lot was simply missing. Perhaps worship of them was forbidden.


    He read more until Minna was done praying, at which point she climbed to her feet and turned to him. She snickered to herself when she noticed that he was still absorbed in reading and crept forward. She grabbed his shoulder suddenly to spook him with a "Boo!". His wings quickly expanded into spikes and he turned to smack her with the object he was holding, but he stopped just short of hitting her.


    "Don''t try to scare me like that. I could have injured you." He glared at her and his wings shrunk again. When he noticed that she was trying her best to not burst out laughing, he whacked her gently on the head.


    "Ouch. You remind me of one of those elite soldiers. Lightning-fast reflexes to repel surprise attacks. Were you a soldier?" She was unfazed by almost getting impaled on a spike of crystal, her curiosity now much more intense. "Well, let''s go now. We can talk on the way to the museum."


    Renso nodded in confirmation, then followed her as soon as she started walking. "Yeah, I was a soldier."


    Minna looked down, obviously watching her step as she descended the stairs. "So, were you alive back in ancient times, or are you just a descendant of the crystal people who kept their technology and knowledge?"


    "I was alive in ancient times. Easiest way to explain why I¡¯m still alive is that I was frozen."


    "Strange. You do look a little old because of your hair color. How do your wings work? Are they just like an arm or a leg where you can move them at will?"


    "Yes. I can even reshape them if I want, but that practice is frowned upon. It undermines the work of the craftsman. As for how they work, they were fused to my essence. It''s done with a spell."


    "A spell? So were the craftsmen also wizards? That seems amazing, I never thought that magic and inventing could be used together. I suppose it makes sense if Vudona''s domains involve both. Ooh, does this mean that most of your people''s technology involves magic?"


    "A lot of it does. Instead of those strange flimsy sheets, we used scribe crystals to record information. They would etch writing or illustrations into themselves if a small amount of magic was applied. There were also ones which could hold a large amount of information by changing the words shown. Most people learned how to use them at a young age. I wouldn''t be surprised if they survived this long."


    "Flimsy sheets? Oh, do you mean paper? Yeah, paper tears and burns easily, and gets much more flimsy if it gets wet. I guess you''ve never seen a book, either. What you''re holding is a book!" Minna then glanced around. "Oh, the museum is this way. C''mon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.


    They arrived in front of a building with a grand entrance supported by pillars. A plaque proclaimed the building as the Cloudshore City Museum of the Ancients. Renso frowned at the idea of his people being considered "ancients", but wiped the expression from his face when Minna turned to look at him.

 Chapter 3

    "Well, here we are! Let''s go inside, I''m sure my parents will be stunned when they meet you."


    The interior of the museum was just as grandiose as its entrance with a high ceiling decorated by numerous etchings. Renso recognized them as his own language, but it was clear that whoever decided to put them up there had no idea what they actually said. Hey, at least they managed to put together complete words sometimes. They tried.


    As the two walked through the various exhibits displaying ancient relics that used to be commonplace items, Renso felt a new kind of annoying grief rise up. It was hard to believe just how displaced in time he was, but the walk through the museum was making it much more believable. Along with the grief, he found himself with a much more relieving sense of closure. This was his reality, and he just had to accept it.


    "Ooh, we have a much more interesting display over here! I''m sure you''ll like it, being a former soldier and all." Minna chirped with a grin. She grabbed his hand to lead him into another room. Inside the room was an exhibit of several weapons and armor, with a centerpiece that made Renso''s eyes widen in surprise. Within a much more secure case was a large sword he recognized as his own.


    The sword had a single-edged blade with a clear, crystalline spine on the side without an edge. Numerous runes were etched into the crystal. The hilt was made out of a strange, dark material and was long enough to be held by two hands. With the width of the blade, it seemed like it would be very heavy and almost impossible for a regular person to swing without the proper training.


    "That one, where did you get it?" He pointed to the case.


    Minna looked over at it. "Oh, that? Seller said that it was found in the ruins of a castle, but not exactly where the castle was. Really, I don''t know why my father bought it. The seller was shady and he charged a ridiculous price for it. I think it''s a fake."


    Renso stepped closer to eye the hilt of the sword, then shook his head. "No, this is real. I used to have a sword just like this one. It was charged with the power of water and wind, and it could create bolts of lightning if I poured enough energy into it. The hilt had to be insulated so that it wouldn''t shock me as well."


    She looked from him to the sword, then snickered. "So you''re saying this sword belongs to you and you want it back?"


    "Exactly. If you took it out of its case and let me hold it, then I could prove that it''s mine. I''m the only person in the world that it responds to." He crossed his arms.


    Minna smirked mischievously. "How do I know you won''t run off as soon as you have it? You could be the most clever museum robber in the world."


    "Your jokes aren''t that good. Hurry up and unlock it."


    "Hmph. Fine, just let me get the key. Wait here." She stuck her lower lip out, then turned around to walk out of the room.


    Now alone, Renso decided to wander the exhibit. Most of the weapons were very worn down with age, but others were in much better shape. He figured that it was because of differences in the skill of the craftsmen. Though all of a sudden, his idle browsing was cut short when another person entered the room. He turned to look at them, but didn''t realize that his mere appearance would shock pretty much everyone he came across.


    "Who- how- what are you?" The man stammered out. "By the Three, are those crystals attached to you?! How are you standing?" He had shoulder-length dark brown hair that was rather messy and eyes in a lovely golden hue. Several scars dotted his exposed arms.


    "I''m a korine just like you, yes they are, and they''re lighter than they look." Renso crossed his arms and shifted his wings to highlight the fact that he had control over them. "Any other questions?"


    "Your name? I''m Sparra. I''m a relic hunter, and I''ve even made a few contributions to this museum myself." He beamed his pride for his accomplishments before he continued. "Are you a crystal person? You look similar to some of the art pieces I''ve seen."


    Only a slight frown appeared on Renso''s face to reflect the exasperation within. He had no intention to be on speaking terms with a heretic, but he couldn''t forget his task. "My name is Renso, and I am. I''d rather not talk about how I''m alive right now, so don''t ask me. You can ask Minna when she comes back if you decide to stick around."


    "Oh, alright. If I may ask, what do you plan to do now? I''d love to speak with you more about the artifacts of your people, and I have some extra space in my home. You could stay with me." Sparra extended his arms in a welcoming gesture.


    Renso narrowed his eyes. "Such kindness to extend to someone you don''t know. Though a place to stay in exchange for answering questions is rather tempting." He brought his hand up to his chin in thought.


    "It''d be more of a privilege for me to have the last ancient living with me. It''s such an amazing opportunity." Sparra''s eyes took on a pleading look.


    "Fine, I do have a condition though. Stop worship of that silly "Trinity" of yours. It''s a perversion of the true gods. And stop that pleading of yours, it''s unseemly." Renso turned his gaze away from Sparra and to the archway leading out of the room. When would Minna get back?


    Sparra stared at Renso, then spoke in an oddly even tone which was likely a mask. "You want me to stop worshiping the Trinity? The old gods are evil. They destroyed many civilizations before this one." He sucked in a breath, then looked over Renso''s wings. "You''re serious about this though, aren''t you? Tell me about what your people knew the old gods as."


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    Renso looked back at him. "Very well, if it''ll help you decide. Take a seat, this may take a while to explain."


    Sparra nodded and walked over to one of the benches in the exhibit to sit down. "It''s fine if you only explain some of them, I''ll probably be able to decide from that."


    Renso gave a single flutter of his wings to hover off of the ground and then shifted into a leaning position mid-air. "Then let''s begin. There were the gods who created the world itself, then the gods who created and maintained the korine. I''ll explain the ones who created the world: Kione, Arutsune, Furoto, Maren, and Aruken. Kione is the goddess of the sun, light, fire, summer, and meteorites. She''s known to power the world and has endless energy. Everything depends on her in some way or another."


    "So there''s a goddess of the sun? The church taught us that it was Rozon''s forge fire, the one that she forged the world and the moon with. Endless energy, huh? She must be a lot to deal with." Sparra chuckled.


    Renso nodded. "She is. She even put an impossible task on my shoulders." He sighed and shook his head. "Anyway, Arutsune is the god of the moon, darkness, ice, winter, and comets. He balances out Kione''s energy and allows the world to rest at night. No living being can survive without resting periods. He also prevents Kione from acting too rashly."


    "I thought a god of darkness would be evil, but Arutsune seems to have an important role in keeping us alive. Guess I have him to thank for those nice winter nights where I can bundle up under as many blankets as I can and sleep cozily."


    "Every god is important in some way. If there were an unimportant god, they wouldn''t exist. Now, Furoto is the god of the sky, weather, wind, and electricity. He stands as the veil between the heavens and our world. Most of the time, he''s calm, but the summer months where he has to deal with Kione much more than usual annoy him. He unleashes terrible storms of lightning and thunder during those times. There were rumors of him descending to the mortal world in disguise, but I personally don''t believe them."


    "How come Furoto''s name sounds different from the others? The other gods have names that end in -ne or -en."


    "Kione and Arutsune are of the heavens, while Maren and Aruken are of our world. Furoto belongs to neither, so his name reflects that. Maren is the deity of the oceans and other bodies of water, water itself, aquatic creatures, and forbidden secrets. It dwells within the largest and deepest ravine of the eastern sea, listening to the secrets of the world. Its body is apparently thousands of miles long, but nobody has seen the entirety of it. Even when I was alive, it hadn''t been seen in its physical form for hundreds of years."


    "Oh. Maren sounds a bit scary. Guess I''ve been right to fear the ocean if something like that lives in there. And if it can hear all those secrets, it must have a crazy sense of hearing. Think it can hear us right now?"


    Renso chuckled. "Most likely. There''s a goddess who likes to listen in on us mortals as well, but I''ll tell you about her later. The last deity I''ll talk about for now is Aruken. It''s the deity of the land, nature, animals, the cycle of life, spring, and autumn. It likes to stay distant from mortals, and it only cares about maintaining the land. Unlike most other gods, it doesn''t bless or curse us. Instead, it only offers lessons. Everything that lives will die, and everything that dies will revitalize life."


    "So Aruken wouldn''t even curse someone if they burnt down an entire forest or something? That seems a bit counter-intuitive to maintaining the land."


    "That person would eventually face consequences. They wouldn''t have any food anymore because the plants were burned and anything they could hunt would have left the area. Then the seeds from the plants would eventually grow into an even more lush forest from the ashes. Aruken doesn''t interfere unless the matter is very important, as interference could easily upset the balance."


    Sparra looked down in thought. "If everything you told me is true, then the Church of the Trinity must be hiding evidence of it on purpose. I¡¯m unsure if I can follow them anymore. I''d like to hear about the gods related to us korine when we get to my house. When are you leaving?"


    Renso drifted back down to the ground. "Once Minna comes back with the key to that display." He gestured to the case with his sword. "The sword inside belongs to me, and I want it back. It''s rather strange to see it being shown off as a relic."


    Sparra followed his gesture to the case. "Oh. That one." His tone was full of bitterness. "My older brother, Farrok, found that one. He decided to become a relic hunter like me after I told pa that I didn''t want to be a blacksmith. He''s treating it like a competition! He became insufferable after mom died."


    Renso crossed his arms. "My clan would have disowned me if I reacted to a death like that."


    "Really? That seems pretty harsh. All pa did when I told him I wanted to be a relic hunter was stare at me with disappointment." Sparra laughed quietly.


    As Renso thought of his reply, Minna and an older man who looked vaguely like her entered the room. "See? I actually did find an ancient! Do you believe me now?"


    The man audibly gasped upon seeing Renso and shuffled over quickly. He adjusted his glasses and began to look over every feature. "Wings? How fascinating. And I''ve never seen hair in that color or facial features like that. These clothes seem exceptionally crafted." He finally stopped his examination and muttering to himself, instead settling on standing in front of Renso. "Forgive me, I never believed that one of your kind could still be alive today. It''s an incredible privilege to have met you. My name is Dannus Spirit-Song, and I''m the owner of this museum."


    Renso shifted uncomfortably under the inspection, and his wings shrunk slightly. When it finally ended, his wings expanded back to their normal size. "I''m Renso. Do you have the key to unlock that case? I''d like my sword back."


    "Of course, of course. I''d love to see what it does in the hands of its owner." Dannus shuffled over to the case and took the keyring out of his pocket, then looked at each one until he found the one for the case. He unlocked it and pushed the glass cover up. "There you go." He backed away from the case to give room for Renso.


    "Thank you." Renso walked over and picked up the sword with little effort, then held it with both hands. He closed his eyes and exhaled. The crystal spine began to glow with a soft white light, then veins of crackling electricity started to shoot from the blade at the surrounding air like striking snakes.


    Dannus backed away farther and reached up to adjust his glasses. "By the Three. How marvelous."


    Minna''s eyes practically glowed with excitement at the sight of the activated blade. "It''s so beautiful."


    Even Sparra, who had shrunk when other people entered the room, stared in amazement. "I''ve never seen anything like that."


    However, Renso grimaced when an all-too-familiar voice echoed in his head. "It''s been forever since you held me. I almost allowed myself to be reincarnated!"

 Chapter 4

    Renso opened his eyes again, then lowered the sword. The crystalline spine stopped glowing, and the sparks stopped flying off of the blade. At least he had his sword with him now. This fact gave him a measure of comfort. After all, no warrior wanted to be without their weapon. Well, it was time to store his weapon. He focused on assimilating the sword with his essence again, which caused it to disappear into glowing white particles. The particles trailed light as they flew into his chest and vanished.


    Dannus stared in amazement and horror. "How did you do that?! It just vanished! I had to pay two thousand boris for that, and it''s the main exhibit here!" Seeing the sword disappear clearly made him have a change in heart about giving it away.


    "But dad, it belongs to him. He''s the only one it responds to, and we both saw it shooting lightning. Plus, you already said you''d give it away." Minna crossed her arms and sent her father a stern look. As soon as he turned his gaze away with a defeated expression, she looked back at Renso and eased her face. "It is pretty amazing that you''re able to make something disappear like that."


    Renso''s eyes narrowed while he wondered if he should give away how it happened. Explaining really did no harm, but he doubted that they would understand it. And if they didn''t understand as he expected, he would just need to explain even more. Thankfully, Sparra gave him a good excuse to just leave. "I would stay and explain how, but I have other things to do. Should we go now?" He turned his head to address the relic hunter.


    Minna followed his gaze, and he could see out of the corner of his eye that her expression soured for a moment. She quickly went back to her usual cheerful face, though. "Oh, Sparra. You were so quiet that I didn''t notice you here. Guess you''ve met Renso, too."


    "Er, yeah. I came here to look at the exhibit and met him by chance." Sparra edged closer to Renso uncomfortably. Did these two dislike each other?


    "Well, don''t let me keep you here. Go on." Minna gestured for them to ''shoo''.


    Sparra released a breath, then turned to leave. Renso followed behind him. That was a weird exchange, but it really wasn''t his business to ask them about it. After all, he didn''t know either of them very well. Right before he walked back out through the entrance though, Minna stopped him by grabbing his arm.


    "Oh, Renso. One last thing." She leaned in close and kept her voice low. "Don''t trust Sparra''s family. Those Silver-Hammers are shady, especially Farrok. There''s a rumor that those brothers conspired to kill their mother. Be careful." She let go of his arm.


    Renso shook his head and continued on his way. It was such a strange rumor that it made him wonder who started it. How did these people get their news, anyway? He didn''t think they had the technology for long-distance communication. Maybe they used birds. The idea reminded him of his old uncle who used trained birds to carry messages because he thought the government was spying on the courier crystals. Well, the old guy was long dead by now. No need to be thinking about him.


    "Wow, what are you?" A female voice called out from the bottom of the museum''s steps. "You could be my next big scoop! How do you feel about answering some questions for me?¡± Sparra stopped in his tracks.


    Renso eyed the source of the voice: a woman who was staring intently at his wings while holding some kind of parasol. She was quite pretty, but definitely not to his tastes. Her hair was long, wavy, and as black as the night sky, though the reflected sunlight gave it a bluish shine. It contrasted greatly with her pale skin. She obviously didn¡¯t spend much time outside unprotected.


    Sparra sent a worried gaze back at Renso, which made him wonder if this woman was some sort of bad news.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be anything too intrusive, so don¡¯t worry,¡± she continued as she walked up the steps toward the two. Her attention went to Sparra for a moment. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Sparra, aren¡¯t you? One of my juniors spread some rumors about your family. My apologies for that.¡±


    Sparra turned his head to the side with a sour expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to apologize for someone else.¡±


    Renso watched the two, tucking his hands in his sleeves. ¡°What are these questions you want to ask?¡±


    The woman looked back at him, smiling. ¡°I just want to know about you. You¡¯re an interesting sight, that¡¯s obvious. We could chat over some food if you want. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    Renso thought for a moment. This was an opportunity to see what kind of food these people ate. Maybe the culinary arts had come a long way in the time he was frozen. Once he was done thinking, he spoke. ¡°Food sounds nice. I am rather hungry. Are you alright with this, Sparra?¡±


    Sparra let out a short sigh. ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯ll come along. It¡¯d be nice to have someone else paying for my food.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The woman exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m Neere, by the way. You are?¡±


    ¡°Renso.¡±


    ¡°So foreign.¡± Neere commented. ¡°Is there anything in particular you feel like eating? I know all the good places to get food around here.¡±


    ¡°Any places with seafood? Eel, maybe?¡± Despite himself, some of his eagerness managed to slip out.


    Neere nodded. ¡°I know a place like that. It¡¯s a bit of a walk, though.¡± She turned and walked down the steps, both Renso and Sparra following her lead.


    Sparra sent a stare Renso¡¯s way, his eyebrows furrowing. ¡°Eel? You mean those slimy snake-fish? And you eat them?¡±


    Renso looked back at him, a rare smile forming on his face. ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re great when simmered and have a sweet flavor. The soft texture is very appealing as well.¡±


    Neere snickered quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that eel blood is poisonous. I guess you must like living on the edge.¡±


    Renso glanced over. ¡°If I really liked living on the edge, then I would be asking for pufferfish. While the poison in eel blood can be cooked off, no amount of fire alone will make pufferfish edible. It must be prepared specifically.¡±


    Sparra¡¯s mouth fell open in shock. ¡°You mean your people ate pufferfish as well?¡±


    Renso nodded. ¡°Yes, but it was considered a delicacy. I had it once before when I attended a nobles¡¯ party. It was fine, but it wasn¡¯t able to compare to eel.¡±


    Neere spoke up again. ¡°What about squid? Or octopus? Have you eaten those before?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°No. They¡¯re considered sacred animals. They have the blessing of-¡± Renso stopped himself, then shook his head. ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯ll wait to explain it until we can sit down.¡±


    He went quiet for the rest of the walk, allowing Sparra and Neere to idly chatter. None of the topics were particularly interesting, so he didn¡¯t pay them any mind. What he was more concerned about were the staring that he got from almost every person on the street as soon as they saw him. He scowled, making his wings shrink until they were much less noticeable. This made him involuntarily shudder; hiding his wings gave him an uneasy feeling that sat poorly in his gut. He still looked quite foreign, but at least he wouldn¡¯t draw nearly as much attention.


    The trio ended up in front of a lively-looking building somewhat near to the beach. It had large windows facing the street. Looking inside revealed that the building was heavily occupied by people, most sitting at tables or the bar. Though he was too far to know why, two of the patrons looked familiar.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s head on in,¡± Neere declared, pulling Sparra into the building by his arm.


    Renso followed calmly, his gaze focusing on the two that looked familiar. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize who they were now that he had a closer view of them. They were two of the people who had been working in the mine. Reaching up, he took the goggles that had previously been resting on his head and lowered them so they were around his neck. He fixed his hair accordingly.


    Neere led them to an empty table and sat down, waiting for the other two to do the same before she started talking again. ¡°I have a pretty good idea of what to get for you, Renso. Are you alright with a bit of a surprise?¡±


    He nodded, watching the two miners out of the corner of his eye.


    ¡°What about you, Sparra? Do you want any recommendations?¡± Neere rested her head on her hand.


    Sparra chuckled nervously. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not really sure what I want to eat.¡±


    ¡°Well, the fish pie here is really good. I¡¯m planning on getting a slice of it.¡± She idly twirled a strand of hair as she spoke.


    ¡°That sounds fine,¡± Sparra muttered.


    Renso turned his attention back to Neere. ¡°Pie?¡±


    ¡°Basically just various ingredients stuffed into a crust, then baked. They can be filled with anything from meat, to fruits, to custard. Personally, I like skyfruit pie. Hard to get around here, but delicious enough to make up for the rarity,¡± she remarked happily.


    Renso simply nodded along, listening to her speak. This information was rather strange to him though, as skyfruit had been rather common in this area before he was frozen. It made him wonder what else would be different from what he was used to.


    Neere called over one of the waiters afterward, ordering the food and something to drink for them. Once she was done, she turned to Renso with a sly smile on her face. ¡°How about some warm-up questions while we wait? Nothing too serious, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Renso shrugged. ¡°Sure. Wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Neere¡¯s smile changed into a happy one. ¡°Alright. So, where are you from? You¡¯re obviously not from around here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from this area. A very long time ago, though. It¡¯s a story that I don¡¯t feel bothered to share.¡± He rested his hands on his lap.


    ¡°Huh. So you really are a crystal person. I considered that when I saw your wings, but then I thought to myself, ¡®That¡¯s silly, there¡¯s no way an ancient¡¯s alive now¡¯. I just thought you had some sort of mutation,¡± Neere mused, obviously entertained by whatever theories she had. ¡°So, can you fly with those wings? What¡¯s it like?¡±


    He looked down in thought, wondering how to describe the feeling of flight. ¡°I can. It¡¯s like falling off of a cliff from the summit of the world except I never hit the ground. Very cold and the wind I¡¯m rushing into can be biting sometimes. I have to be protected from it, which is why I wear such warm clothing.¡±


    Sparra listened, speaking up when Renso stopped talking. ¡°Is it tiring to fly? You haven''t told me how exactly your wings work.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat. They can absorb the energy from the wind during flight, but it takes a lot to activate them. Apparently, I have a much larger appetite than most people because of the energy consumption.¡± He tilted his head for a moment before continuing. ¡°It does make some sense though, as the hunger pangs I felt after particularly long flights were nearly unbearable.¡±


    Neere smiled when he finished talking. ¡°It¡¯s good that I ordered one of the largest dishes then, huh?¡± She snickered, obviously quite pleased with the information she was getting.


    Just then, a waitress carrying a tray came over. ¡°Two slices of fish pie, a bottle of mint, and the ocean surprise will be ready soon.¡± She set the plates down on the table, followed by three utensil bundles, a large bottle, and three cups. Reaching over, she used an unfamiliar device to take the cork out of the bottle.


    ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll be sure to give you a good tip.¡± Neere took her plate, then picked up the bottle to pour the liquid inside into the cups.


    The waitress smiled and nodded. ¡°Call me over if you need anything else.¡± She then walked away.


    Renso eyed the bottle. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°One of the popular local drinks. It has a cooling flavor.¡± Neere set the bottle down, sliding one of the cups over to him. ¡°You¡¯re old enough to drink alcohol, right?¡±


    He shrugged, picking up the cup. ¡°In a way. I never had much aside from water.¡± He brought the cup up to his lips, taking a sip of the liquid inside. The cold, somewhat sweet taste made him blink. ¡°It¡¯s almost like candy,¡± he muttered.


    Sparra pulled his plate over, unbundling the utensils and picking up the fork so he could take a bite out of his pie. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s pretty good. Do you want to try some, Renso?¡±


    Renso stared at the pie for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure if I¡¯d like it. The crust appears rather dry and unpleasant.¡±


    Neere snorted, taking one of the cups and drinking a small amount of the mint inside. ¡°What, are you a picky eater? Even children like the fish pie here. You should learn to appreciate a lot of foods, you know,¡± she teasingly chided.


    Renso shrugged. ¡°I suppose I will have to, if the foods here are very different from what I usually ate.¡± He rested his head on his hand, going into thought. Idly, he wondered if any of the sources of some of his favorite foods had gone extinct in the time he was frozen.


    ¡°Why not try now, then?¡± she insisted.


    He looked down, seeing a fork hovering by his mouth with a small bit of the pie resting atop it. With a sigh, he opened his mouth to let Neere feed it to him. He considered the flavor, then frowned when he swallowed it. ¡°Not to my taste. I would rather just eat the filling.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you are a picky eater,¡± Neere teased. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have to try a lot of foods until you find something you like.¡±


    Renso shrugged, then watched as the waitress came back to the table with a rather large plate. It was packed with an assortment of seafood, the most eye-catching being the eel. The arrangement was very appealing which helped to increase his appetite.


    ¡°Hope you enjoy,¡± the waitress chirped before walking away again.


    Renso finally unwrapped his bundle of utensils, picking the fork out. What a strange thing to eat with. He hesitated slightly to figure out how to use it before he started to dig into his meal.


    Neere waited for a while before she spoke up again. ¡°You seem to like it. How about some more questions now?¡±


    Renso swallowed the bit of food that was in his mouth before nodding. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Since you were alive in ancient times, what was it like back then? We find a lot of working technology from the crystal people and it helps a bit in figuring out what lives your people lived, but there are a lot of gaps,¡± she explained.


    He considered his answer, his gaze resting on the table. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I led a very conventional life for the time. I was a member of one of the warrior clans. Most of the time, I busied myself with training. Unfortunately, someone else would be much better to ask for information on the life of civilians.¡±


    Neere frowned. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a shame. I wonder if there¡¯s others of your kind out and about. That¡¯s a fanciful idea, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Renso shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that unlikely. Many were frozen under the same circumstances as me, but most of them will not have lived the life of a civilian. Perhaps one of them was lucky and was broken out by a miner like me.¡±


    Speaking of miners, he glanced back at the pair. However, just as he did this, he caught the gaze of the female miner. She nearly spit out her drink when she recognized him, quickly turning to the other miner and nudging him. Renso let out a sigh.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have company soon, I¡¯m assuming. What a coincidence to see them here,¡± he remarked, taking another bite of his food while he still could. After all, he was most likely going to have to deal with socializing with even more people.