Chapter 154: Antipathy (Part 1)
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"How much longer shall we travel until we reach Crescentia?" Xendros asked, peering out the window. The dust from the wheels flew off into spiral the farther they went on the dirt road.
"Not too long now." Maelle promised, beaming as bright as the sun outside. It felt like the temperature had gradually changed as they went on to the Crimson Wolf's domain.
The Land of the Holy Dragon Lord is not really gloomy, but there's just a lot of rains and storms there that give a damp and sluggish air. For people who are used to a livelier atmosphere, they might feel sleepy and drowsy themselves. Not to mention that there is a pretense of calm, so people keep quiet a lot. Carriages have a lining on their tires in order to block off the rickety noise, and people gossip only in hushed tones, or inside their homes while having tea. Xendros doesn't like living in such a slothful town, but he got used to it.
Yet even just going on the road, he can already feel the change.
The air itself has become different. It was less stuffy and suffocating. There's a certain, unexplainable freshness to it. He can feel already that Crescentia is nothing like Ilvedia at all.
And of course, it's already obvious from the tales his companion had told him along the way to pass time.
"You should be careful on Crescentia, people you don't know might call out randomly and offer you free things. Haha, it's a lot like Alfend when I visited it for this convention, have you been there?"
"No." Xendros prompt a hand on his chin. "Tell me more."
"This is your first time being a representative? I see. I have been to five out of thirteen kingdoms now. But nothing would compare to Min Domine, my home." Maelle smiled fondly, fiddling with his necklace. "When you're in Crescentia, you should do as Crescentians do. You should wear our clothes and try our food. The reason I told you to be careful is you might get lost in all the sensations and the talk with the people that you forget the time. That often happens to me even as a local!"
Xendros raised an eyebrow. "Forget the time? How so? And what is the matter if I did forget the time?"
Maelle smiled mysteriously, placing a finger to his lips. "I shall not spoil it for you. Your own tale in this land of mine is not for me to tell, but for you. You shall wait and see."
This caused the Ilvedian priest to ponder about many things. There are many rumors about the priests of Crescentia. They are truly different compared to the rest, like a crow among the doves. They stand out because of how lax the rules are, but also because of their glamor and mystique. You can never guess what they will say next, especially when it is related to spirituality. The words they spoke do not make sense to your ears, but do resonate in your heart somehow.
Because of this, they are even thought to be practicing psychics. A subtype of sorcerers.
It was rumored that they can foretell the future, and keep it in vague riddles. He wondered if Maelle really have such gift.
And if so, what shall he feel about it?
In Draconian religion, seeing the future is only reserved for the highest of saints, the prophets. Prophets are usually Bishops of Santimieda. And even this is rare, only given out by the Fifty Holy Mothers during times of need. Bishop Pontificus doesn't have such gift. Xendros have only read of prophets through books, and had secretly felt that they are just stories that are exaggerated. Fantasies.
But thinking that way would be heretic, so he forced himself to believe in miracles. He does believe some to some extent, but can't bring himself to believe the most spectacular and otherworldly ones. He is naturally skeptical since birth, and thinks more realistically than other priests in Ilvedia due to him spending long time gathering knowledge.
Maelle continued to speak to help ease Xendros boredom from the long travel. "Crescentia is a land full of wonders. We like red things, and believe that red symbolizes joy and life, because red is the color of our blood."
"But blood can also symbolize suffering and warfare."
"Precisely. Blood is a necessity of life, and if it is shed, joy will be lost. But people's suffering is a joy to some. Beware of such people."
Xendros felt like these words are too foreboding to ignore, so he leaned closer and asked in a hushed tone. "Can you sense me suffering from such people?"
The Crescentian priest's golden eyes just sparkled, as he observed Xendros from head to toe. This person really has so much beauty to offer, both outside and in. His soul is pure, and that's what draws someone so lackadaisical as him. Someone who is neutral and goes on whims.
"No. I'm simply warning you in general, since I have more experience than you." He admitted with a smile. "As I have said, I have traveled to five kingdoms already, excluding my own, and you are new to this emissary business."
"Have you met other emissaries before then? Did you meet someone that is the reason for you to tell me not to trust people too much who might harm me?" Xendros asked, becoming more and more intrigued by this person."
"I haven't.... yet. But the Crimson Wolf had told me I will in the future."
"The Crimson Wolf?"
"Yes. I sometimes talk to him over some nice snacks and tea." Maelle chuckled. "He's a very fun guy to talk to, he always has so many things to say yet none at the same time. Most of the things he tells me get forgotten anyway. It is what it is."
"You can talk to your God." Sangfroid was feel like he is falling deeper and deeper into curiosity for this person. It's like having a drop of water a long day of working hard, and you start to seek more with every drop you take.
It reminds him of the tale of a crow who would like to have something to drink. The crow had found a deep pitcher with a little bit of water, and couldn't reach the bottom. And so, eat picked up pebbles so the water level would rise, and he could finally drink. But he didn't spend all day just taking and taking pebbles until it reached the top. He would reach his tiny beak as far as he can to scour as much water as he could, a drop leaving him to want more.
Xendros feels like that crow at the moment. The pebbles are each question he asks to Maelle, and the water is the knowledge that his insatiable curiosity seeks. He knows that he will soon get to have all his questions answered, and take all that knowledge, but he can't help but relish this little information he gets, and the emotion they make him feel.
"What is it like... Talking to your God?"
Maelle chuckled. "You are a priest, Brother Xendros. Why would you ask that?"
This made Xendros stop and analyze himself for a bit. The more he learns about other things, the more he also learns more about himself and reflects.
Why would he ask something like that?
He is a man of God. And yet, he doesn't know what it's like to talk to his God?
He really wants to experience it. He is a devotee after all. H head did all he could to reach priesthood. Yet why...
Why is spirituality, deep spirituality beyond knowledge, so hard to find for him?
Why is it so easy and comes naturally to people like Maelle?
Does it even exist?
No. Why is he now asking that?
But..... The Holy Dragon Lord never talks to him, never shows himself through apparition nor even through vision. How can he tell that something is real if he hasn't seen it yet? Yes, he knows emotions is also something intangible yet real but it's different. Gods are beings, entities, personalities.
How can you be sure of the existence of someone you haven't met?
All gods.... Not just his own. This higher being, higher than humans, and yet supposed to exist in the same plane, watching and guiding them. How can people be so assured? How can they quickly accept words from a book so easily?
As his thoughts went further and further down these thoughts, he start to hold some sort of hostility towards Maelle. His defenses keeps on being tested, and his walls had risen up to protect him. This person has gone too far. He is boggling his mind, turning him to have heretic ideas that he had never had before.
He has still the same fascination and admiration for Maelle and his kingdom, which they are soon arriving to, but along with it slight distrust and aversion. He himself said that he must be beware of people who find joy in others' suffering.
"Hmm? What is it, Brother Xendros? Why are you creasing your eyebrows so... Ah, we have arrived."
What if the person he was warning about was himself?
And he further enjoys this suffering of the mind, this paranoia he had made from him. He smiles so widely and so frequently.
What does that smile hide?
"Nothing." He replied shortly, as they got off. The carriage driver with a low-hanging straw hat and Crescentian attire opened that door for them, and gestured to take their briefcase from them.
But then, Maelle said....
"No need, Your Highness. I don't feel it's right for a prince to carry a peasant's belongings."
Xendros blinked.
Your Highness???
Faestien looked up from his hat that once veiled his face, and smiled at the both of them.
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"How much longer shall we travel until we reach Crescentia?" Xendros asked, peering out the window. The dust from the wheels flew off into spiral the farther they went on the dirt road.
"Not too long now." Maelle promised, beaming as bright as the sun outside. It felt like the temperature had gradually changed as they went on to the Crimson Wolf's domain.
The Land of the Holy Dragon Lord is not really gloomy, but there's just a lot of rains and storms there that give a damp and sluggish air. For people who are used to a livelier atmosphere, they might feel sleepy and drowsy themselves. Not to mention that there is a pretense of calm, so people keep quiet a lot. Carriages have a lining on their tires in order to block off the rickety noise, and people gossip only in hushed tones, or inside their homes while having tea. Xendros doesn't like living in such a slothful town, but he got used to it.
Yet even just going on the road, he can already feel the change.
The air itself has become different. It was less stuffy and suffocating. There's a certain, unexplainable freshness to it. He can feel already that Crescentia is nothing like Ilvedia at all.
And of course, it's already obvious from the tales his companion had told him along the way to pass time.
"You should be careful on Crescentia, people you don't know might call out randomly and offer you free things. Haha, it's a lot like Alfend when I visited it for this convention, have you been there?"
"No." Xendros prompt a hand on his chin. "Tell me more."
"This is your first time being a representative? I see. I have been to five out of thirteen kingdoms now. But nothing would compare to Min Domine, my home." Maelle smiled fondly, fiddling with his necklace. "When you're in Crescentia, you should do as Crescentians do. You should wear our clothes and try our food. The reason I told you to be careful is you might get lost in all the sensations and the talk with the people that you forget the time. That often happens to me even as a local!"
Xendros raised an eyebrow. "Forget the time? How so? And what is the matter if I did forget the time?"
Maelle smiled mysteriously, placing a finger to his lips. "I shall not spoil it for you. Your own tale in this land of mine is not for me to tell, but for you. You shall wait and see."
This caused the Ilvedian priest to ponder about many things. There are many rumors about the priests of Crescentia. They are truly different compared to the rest, like a crow among the doves. They stand out because of how lax the rules are, but also because of their glamor and mystique. You can never guess what they will say next, especially when it is related to spirituality. The words they spoke do not make sense to your ears, but do resonate in your heart somehow.
Because of this, they are even thought to be practicing psychics. A subtype of sorcerers.
It was rumored that they can foretell the future, and keep it in vague riddles. He wondered if Maelle really have such gift.
And if so, what shall he feel about it?
In Draconian religion, seeing the future is only reserved for the highest of saints, the prophets. Prophets are usually Bishops of Santimieda. And even this is rare, only given out by the Fifty Holy Mothers during times of need. Bishop Pontificus doesn't have such gift. Xendros have only read of prophets through books, and had secretly felt that they are just stories that are exaggerated. Fantasies.
But thinking that way would be heretic, so he forced himself to believe in miracles. He does believe some to some extent, but can't bring himself to believe the most spectacular and otherworldly ones. He is naturally skeptical since birth, and thinks more realistically than other priests in Ilvedia due to him spending long time gathering knowledge.
Maelle continued to speak to help ease Xendros boredom from the long travel. "Crescentia is a land full of wonders. We like red things, and believe that red symbolizes joy and life, because red is the color of our blood."
"But blood can also symbolize suffering and warfare."
"Precisely. Blood is a necessity of life, and if it is shed, joy will be lost. But people's suffering is a joy to some. Beware of such people."
Xendros felt like these words are too foreboding to ignore, so he leaned closer and asked in a hushed tone. "Can you sense me suffering from such people?"
The Crescentian priest's golden eyes just sparkled, as he observed Xendros from head to toe. This person really has so much beauty to offer, both outside and in. His soul is pure, and that's what draws someone so lackadaisical as him. Someone who is neutral and goes on whims.
"No. I'm simply warning you in general, since I have more experience than you." He admitted with a smile. "As I have said, I have traveled to five kingdoms already, excluding my own, and you are new to this emissary business."
"Have you met other emissaries before then? Did you meet someone that is the reason for you to tell me not to trust people too much who might harm me?" Xendros asked, becoming more and more intrigued by this person."
"I haven't.... yet. But the Crimson Wolf had told me I will in the future."
"The Crimson Wolf?"
"Yes. I sometimes talk to him over some nice snacks and tea." Maelle chuckled. "He's a very fun guy to talk to, he always has so many things to say yet none at the same time. Most of the things he tells me get forgotten anyway. It is what it is."
"You can talk to your God." Sangfroid was feel like he is falling deeper and deeper into curiosity for this person. It's like having a drop of water a long day of working hard, and you start to seek more with every drop you take.
It reminds him of the tale of a crow who would like to have something to drink. The crow had found a deep pitcher with a little bit of water, and couldn't reach the bottom. And so, eat picked up pebbles so the water level would rise, and he could finally drink. But he didn't spend all day just taking and taking pebbles until it reached the top. He would reach his tiny beak as far as he can to scour as much water as he could, a drop leaving him to want more.
Xendros feels like that crow at the moment. The pebbles are each question he asks to Maelle, and the water is the knowledge that his insatiable curiosity seeks. He knows that he will soon get to have all his questions answered, and take all that knowledge, but he can't help but relish this little information he gets, and the emotion they make him feel.
"What is it like... Talking to your God?"
Maelle chuckled. "You are a priest, Brother Xendros. Why would you ask that?"
This made Xendros stop and analyze himself for a bit. The more he learns about other things, the more he also learns more about himself and reflects.
Why would he ask something like that?
He is a man of God. And yet, he doesn't know what it's like to talk to his God?
He really wants to experience it. He is a devotee after all. H head did all he could to reach priesthood. Yet why...
Why is spirituality, deep spirituality beyond knowledge, so hard to find for him?
Why is it so easy and comes naturally to people like Maelle?
Does it even exist?
No. Why is he now asking that?
But..... The Holy Dragon Lord never talks to him, never shows himself through apparition nor even through vision. How can he tell that something is real if he hasn't seen it yet? Yes, he knows emotions is also something intangible yet real but it's different. Gods are beings, entities, personalities.
How can you be sure of the existence of someone you haven't met?
All gods.... Not just his own. This higher being, higher than humans, and yet supposed to exist in the same plane, watching and guiding them. How can people be so assured? How can they quickly accept words from a book so easily?
As his thoughts went further and further down these thoughts, he start to hold some sort of hostility towards Maelle. His defenses keeps on being tested, and his walls had risen up to protect him. This person has gone too far. He is boggling his mind, turning him to have heretic ideas that he had never had before.
He has still the same fascination and admiration for Maelle and his kingdom, which they are soon arriving to, but along with it slight distrust and aversion. He himself said that he must be beware of people who find joy in others' suffering.
"Hmm? What is it, Brother Xendros? Why are you creasing your eyebrows so... Ah, we have arrived."
What if the person he was warning about was himself?
And he further enjoys this suffering of the mind, this paranoia he had made from him. He smiles so widely and so frequently.
What does that smile hide?
"Nothing." He replied shortly, as they got off. The carriage driver with a low-hanging straw hat and Crescentian attire opened that door for them, and gestured to take their briefcase from them.
But then, Maelle said....
"No need, Your Highness. I don't feel it's right for a prince to carry a peasant's belongings."
Xendros blinked.
Your Highness???
Faestien looked up from his hat that once veiled his face, and smiled at the both of them.
"How much longer shall we travel until we reach Crescentia?" Xendros asked, peering out the window. The dust from the wheels flew off into spiral the farther they went on the dirt road."Not too long now." Maelle promised, beaming as bright as the sun outside. It felt like the temperature had gradually changed as they went on to the Crimson Wolf's domain. The Land of the Holy Dragon Lord is not really gloomy, but there's just a lot of rains and storms there that give a damp and sluggish air. For people who are used to a livelier atmosphere, they might feel sleepy and drowsy themselves. Not to mention that there is a pretense of calm, so people keep quiet a lot. Carriages have a lining on their tires in order to block off the rickety noise, and people gossip only in hushed tones, or inside their homes while having tea. Xendros doesn't like living in such a slothful town, but he got used to it.Yet even just going on the road, he can already feel the change.The air itself has become different. It was less stuffy and suffocating. There's a certain, unexplainable freshness to it. He can feel already that Crescentia is nothing like Ilvedia at all. And of course, it's already obvious from the tales his companion had told him along the way to pass time."You should be careful on Crescentia, people you don't know might call out randomly and offer you free things. Haha, it's a lot like Alfend when I visited it for this convention, have you been there?""No." Xendros prompt a hand on his chin. "Tell me more.""This is your first time being a representative? I see. I have been to five out of thirteen kingdoms now. But nothing would compare to Min Domine, my home." Maelle smiled fondly, fiddling with his necklace. "When you're in Crescentia, you should do as Crescentians do. You should wear our clothes and try our food. The reason I told you to be careful is you might get lost in all the sensations and the talk with the people that you forget the time. That often happens to me even as a local!"Xendros raised an eyebrow. "Forget the time? How so? And what is the matter if I did forget the time?"Maelle smiled mysteriously, placing a finger to his lips. "I shall not spoil it for you. Your own tale in this land of mine is not for me to tell, but for you. You shall wait and see."This caused the Ilvedian priest to ponder about many things. There are many rumors about the priests of Crescentia. They are truly different compared to the rest, like a crow among the doves. They stand out because of how lax the rules are, but also because of their glamor and mystique. You can never guess what they will say next, especially when it is related to spirituality. The words they spoke do not make sense to your ears, but do resonate in your heart somehow.Because of this, they are even thought to be practicing psychics. A subtype of sorcerers.It was rumored that they can foretell the future, and keep it in vague riddles. He wondered if Maelle really have such gift. And if so, what shall he feel about it?In Draconian religion, seeing the future is only reserved for the highest of saints, the prophets. Prophets are usually Bishops of Santimieda. And even this is rare, only given out by the Fifty Holy Mothers during times of need. Bishop Pontificus doesn't have such gift. Xendros have only read of prophets through books, and had secretly felt that they are just stories that are exaggerated. Fantasies.But thinking that way would be heretic, so he forced himself to believe in miracles. He does believe some to some extent, but can't bring himself to believe the most spectacular and otherworldly ones. He is naturally skeptical since birth, and thinks more realistically than other priests in Ilvedia due to him spending long time gathering knowledge.Maelle continued to speak to help ease Xendros boredom from the long travel. "Crescentia is a land full of wonders. We like red things, and believe that red symbolizes joy and life, because red is the color of our blood.""But blood can also symbolize suffering and warfare.""Precisely. Blood is a necessity of life, and if it is shed, joy will be lost. But people's suffering is a joy to some. Beware of such people."Xendros felt like these words are too foreboding to ignore, so he leaned closer and asked in a hushed tone. "Can you sense me suffering from such people?"The Crescentian priest's golden eyes just sparkled, as he observed Xendros from head to toe. This person really has so much beauty to offer, both outside and in. His soul is pure, and that's what draws someone so lackadaisical as him. Someone who is neutral and goes on whims."No. I'm simply warning you in general, since I have more experience than you." He admitted with a smile. "As I have said, I have traveled to five kingdoms already, excluding my own, and you are new to this emissary business.""Have you met other emissaries before then? Did you meet someone that is the reason for you to tell me not to trust people too much who might harm me?" Xendros asked, becoming more and more intrigued by this person.""I haven't.... yet. But the Crimson Wolf had told me I will in the future." "The Crimson Wolf?""Yes. I sometimes talk to him over some nice snacks and tea." Maelle chuckled. "He's a very fun guy to talk to, he always has so many things to say yet none at the same time. Most of the things he tells me get forgotten anyway. It is what it is.""You can talk to your God." Sangfroid was feel like he is falling deeper and deeper into curiosity for this person. It's like having a drop of water a long day of working hard, and you start to seek more with every drop you take.It reminds him of the tale of a crow who would like to have something to drink. The crow had found a deep pitcher with a little bit of water, and couldn't reach the bottom. And so, eat picked up pebbles so the water level would rise, and he could finally drink. But he didn't spend all day just taking and taking pebbles until it reached the top. He would reach his tiny beak as far as he can to scour as much water as he could, a drop leaving him to want more.Xendros feels like that crow at the moment. The pebbles are each question he asks to Maelle, and the water is the knowledge that his insatiable curiosity seeks. He knows that he will soon get to have all his questions answered, and take all that knowledge, but he can't help but relish this little information he gets, and the emotion they make him feel."What is it like... Talking to your God?"Maelle chuckled. "You are a priest, Brother Xendros. Why would you ask that?"This made Xendros stop and analyze himself for a bit. The more he learns about other things, the more he also learns more about himself and reflects.Why would he ask something like that?He is a man of God. And yet, he doesn't know what it's like to talk to his God?He really wants to experience it. He is a devotee after all. H head did all he could to reach priesthood. Yet why...Why is spirituality, deep spirituality beyond knowledge, so hard to find for him?Why is it so easy and comes naturally to people like Maelle?Does it even exist?No. Why is he now asking that?But..... The Holy Dragon Lord never talks to him, never shows himself through apparition nor even through vision. How can he tell that something is real if he hasn't seen it yet? Yes, he knows emotions is also something intangible yet real but it's different. Gods are beings, entities, personalities.How can you be sure of the existence of someone you haven't met?All gods.... Not just his own. This higher being, higher than humans, and yet supposed to exist in the same plane, watching and guiding them. How can people be so assured? How can they quickly accept words from a book so easily?As his thoughts went further and further down these thoughts, he start to hold some sort of hostility towards Maelle. His defenses keeps on being tested, and his walls had risen up to protect him. This person has gone too far. He is boggling his mind, turning him to have heretic ideas that he had never had before. He has still the same fascination and admiration for Maelle and his kingdom, which they are soon arriving to, but along with it slight distrust and aversion. He himself said that he must be beware of people who find joy in others' suffering."Hmm? What is it, Brother Xendros? Why are you creasing your eyebrows so... Ah, we have arrived."What if the person he was warning about was himself?And he further enjoys this suffering of the mind, this paranoia he had made from him. He smiles so widely and so frequently.What does that smile hide?"Nothing." He replied shortly, as they got off. The carriage driver with a low-hanging straw hat and Crescentian attire opened that door for them, and gestured to take their briefcase from them.But then, Maelle said...."No need, Your Highness. I don't feel it's right for a prince to carry a peasant's belongings."Xendros blinked.Your Highness???Faestien looked up from his hat that once veiled his face, and smiled at the both of them.
