Kael walked down the streets of Fairhaven, taking in the sights that this city had offer.
The town was divided into two districts separated by rings. The outer district where Kyle resided housed the 'commoner' population of Fairhaven. But the inner district was a different thing altogether as it nobles and other wealthy merchants resided there. Compared to the outer district, the inner district was like paradise.
None of that really mattered to Kael as he made his way to his first destination for the day.
It was huge, insanely so. It was easily larger than the Adventurers Guild with a height of at least 3 storeys. It's walls were full white with golden designs here and there depicting the image of the sun.
His destination was one of the organizations he knew that still worshipped and gods.
The Church of Solana
"Praise be to the goddess." A priest approached him as another tagged along to preach to him.
"Would you be interested in hearing about our goddess?"
"Sorry, I have to go." He replied, tightening his hood as he waltzed through its doors. The sight reminded him of those at the guild. The only difference was that this one was in gold with a large depiction of the sun in front of it.
Although like him lots of people despised the gods for abandoning Terra, but there were still zealots like these that kept their faith even in tough times like these.
The Church basically served the purpose of of upholding the status of gods by preaching and converting people to their cause. Other than that it mostly acted as a hospital thanks to the unique light attribute it's believers usually possessed. Even now he could see people entering with injuries and leaving in bandages..
'I wonder if Mira might have wanted to be a priestess someday.' he mused, imagining his sister in one the church's robes as a smile crept on his face while he made his way to a counter at the other end of the building from the door.
"Good day sir," greeted a priestess at the counter. "Are you here to convert to the church of--"
"No." He cut in instantly. "I'm here to ask some questions about the gods."
Her smile wavered as he mentioned other gods but she quickly changed composed herself and replied.
"Oh.... you wish to know about the great gods that ruled over Terra all those years ago?" She pointed at door at one end of the hall. "The church's library is over there. I recommend the holy texts of our god--".
"Thanks, I'll be going now."
He didn't bother waiting for a reply to as he headed straight for the library, a hint of annoyance lining his brows as he turned.
'Whats so special about a bunch of cowards anyways?'
*****
"They really do like their whites...." Kael commented as he walked into the library. It wasn't the biggest room but it wasn't small either. What's more was the amount of books packed into this place. Other that, the only thing that caught his eye was the fact that everything in this church was in white--The tiles, the walls, the tables and even the shelves as well.
'Judging from the number of books in white covers I'd say they're all on Solana... Its impressive to be honest.'
He brushed off his thoughts and headed to the counter where he met about another priestess.
"Hello there fellow adventurer, how may I help you?"
The librarian was a young woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, with chestnut hair tied into a low braid and sharp eyes that gleamed with curiosity. Like the others, her robes and headwear was complete white with simple gold laced designs here and there.
For a second he thought she would force him to read the text on their goddess like everyone else did, but for once it finally seemed that someone in this entire building was still sane.
"Fellow adventurer?" He asked as her choice of words caught his interest.
"Yes I am an adventurer but I'm still a member of the church. As such I won't force you to join like the others." she chuckled, "Although..."
"I'll pass."
"Got it."
Now that he was actually here he didn't really know what to ask anymore. He couldn't just say that a god is inside him or something like that. Information could be beneficial but harmful at the same time, as such he had to choose his words carefully.
"I want to know about the Soul god."
"The soul god?"
"Yeah."
"You really don't hear people come in to talk about god's these days." she sighed. "Much less the soul god."
"..."
"Don't mind me I'm just talking to myself. So what do you want to know about him?"
"Everything I can if you want don't mind."
"Of course fellow adventurer I–"
"Just... Kael is fine." he scratched his chin
Startled, she smiled before replying to him. "Sure... I'm Yona"
*****
She led him between the tall shelves, stopping at a corner where dust gathered thickly on the spines.
"These are the oldest records we have," she said quietly. "Some of them predate the fall of the gods. The one you're asking about… Kaiser, the Soul God, was one of the prominent divines before Armageddon."
'Kaiser... Well that makes sense I guess.'
She traced a finger along the cover of a worn book, pulling it free. "According to what remains, he was not a god of worship like Solaria or Magnus. But in terms of power, he wasn't that far off. He ruled over souls, the entity that's neither alive or dead withiin everyone ."
"Life and death…" Kael murmured.
"Yes. Every soul that departed Terra passed through his domain before 4moving to the afterlife."
"So hes among the cowards then huh?" Kael asked, getting a surprise for his reply.
"Kaiser did not abandon us during Armageddon."
"Seriously?"
"Well it's more like he couldn't, you see..."
Long before Armageddon, there was a scuffle amongst gods. The Soul god was... banished to the infinite hells."
Kael leaned closer, curious. "Why?"
"That's the thing" she said softly, flipping a page of the open the book with mild curiousity. "No one really knows hes a complete mystery to even the church."
For a moment, Kael stared at a picture of the soul god in the book without so much as uttering a word–a shadowed figure surrounded by faint circles that might've represented souls.
'Then why?...' he lingered, tracing his finger along the edge of the closed tome. "So um... Do you have any idea what the Soul Eater is?"
"Soul Eater?" she asked back.
"Yeah..."
"I can't say I've ever read on anything like that in here... Are you sure something like that exists?" Yona asked again, curious of this new term presented to her.
"..."
'Soul eater... That's what the... god called me that day... Could it be that it's something that never existed in the past?... There's no records of it here either... Then how'd he even know what I am? Dammit, this is so annoying!..'
"I just... heard a merchant mention it." He lied
"Well ok... If that's all–"
"There something else if you don't mind."
The librarian tilted her head. "Depends on what it is."
"Ok…. Hypothetically speaking..," he began, "if something—say, a… divine presence were to appear in the mortal realm, how would that even happen? I mean, the gods are gone, right? So why would one… manifest again?"
Her expression stiffened a little, suspicion flashing in her eyes before softening again. "That's a strange question for an adventurer to ask."
"I read too much novels" he said with a half-smile, "I'm just a little curious."
She studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, as far as I know, it's not easy for anything divine to descend to our realm. There are three realms of power: the Divine, the Mortal, and the Infernal. For something above to reach down here, it usually sends a fragment of itself — an echo, or an avatar. That's why the gods could walk among men once without tearing the world apart."
Kael crossed his arms. "So coming down is easy?"
"Relatively," she said. "At least compared to the opposite. Going up—ascending into the higher planes—?" She shook her head. "That's a different kind of hell altogether. Even saints and demigods never made it. The bridge between realms was sealed after Armageddon. For a mortal soul to cross it now… it's almost impossible."
Kael leaned against the desk. "And if a god did… take over a mortal?"
Her eyes flicked toward him, sharp and searching. "You mean possession?"
He shrugged lightly. "Just curious."
"It's possible," she said after a pause. "Rare, but yes. The gods could manifest through willing vessels — though the strain usually destroys the host. Their power burns through flesh that isn't made to contain it. That's why divine incarnations were always fragments — safer for both sides."
Kael's gaze darkened, the faintest shadow crossing his face. "And does that fragment need a vessel?"
The librarian's reply came in a quiet, almost calculated tone. "A vessel would only be necessary if it was the real deal. Souls without a host can't linger for long in the mortal plane. Without an anchor, it just… fades away."
He nodded slowly, "I see."
The silence stretched before she spoke again, more carefully this time. "If you're really interested in these kinds of things, I can't help much more than this. You should speak with High Priest. He oversees the main congregation. But like everyone else, he's an overenthusiastic believer
Kael gave a faint smirk. "Thanks for the advice but I won't be needing to meet with him, you've helped out more than enough."
"Always happy to help."
He straightened and pulled his hood up once more before parting with a wave.
"Thanks."