'You've got to be kidding me,' Alex thought, his gaze drifting between Thandiwe, Felix and the System.
[Why should I waste my time lying to you of all people?]
'You lie all the time!'
[I only conceal the truth, stupid mortal. There's a difference between lying and refusing to disclose information.]
'A pathetic excuse to hide the fact that you sent me to a possible harem academy Isekai, you despicable holographic screen.'
[I don't need to tell you anything. Besides, this is your chance to gain some rizz skills before your date with your crush.]
'I really hate you.'
[Awww~ Thanks, buddy<3]
'...'
("You two have an interesting dynamic.")
Alex sighed and furrowed his brows upon glancing at Thandiwe, 'How is she a primary antagonist? Main heroine is understandable, but antagonist? How? What would cause her to be one?'
Feeling his gaze, her eyes drifted away from the front and met his, tilting her head with a smile, "Is everything alright, Mal?"
("Tilt your head, keep your voice soft and ask if she's alright.")
'Got it.'
Alex tilted his head, his voice soft with genuine curiosity as he asked, "Are you alright? You seemed upset earlier."
She sighed, leaning against his arm, "Honestly, I never liked your brother, Mal. He makes me uncomfortable."
Alex tensed at the proximity before forcing himself to relax as Jasper leaned against the bench, his gaze on Thandiwe, "But why though? I've always wondered even before that incident. Is it because he's Mallory's brother? Or he's too good-looking?"
"It's not that, idiot. It's just I don't feel comfortable around him."
Jasper rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Fine, be that way. That's why you're still single."
She raised her hand, fingertips glowing green as she pulled his ear with her telekinesis.
"Ouch...." Jasper hissed softly in pain, "Okay, okay.... Sorry, boss lady. I'll never do that again."
Alex held in his chuckled as he watched the scene, then the doors opened wider and a man— no, a woman in a silver robe and a gold head chain adorned with diamonds on her bald head.
The woman walked as though she was floating above the ground with a warm smile, her hands placed in front of her against her chest with her palms facing each other. Her eyes were closed.... or seemed close to Alex as she walked passed.
Behind the woman, were four girls in long white dresses with flowing long hair— black, brown, blonde and red— that nearly went passed the knee as they walked with each carrying an item— the black-haired girl carried a lit candle, the brunette carried a book with the front cover facing up, the redhead carried a bronze jar filled with water that shimmered in the light like crystals made liquid and the blonde carried dried herbs in a golden bowl.
The room was filled with the scent of spices from the bowl and honey. A bell chiming echoed and the wooden benches creaked and boots clicked against the tile as everyone in the room stood up, watching them walk to the podium.
'Why do I smell honey?' Alex asked Mallory as Jasper and Thandiwe helped him stand.
("It's because of the water and the scent varies depending on the individual. And in some cases, only a few people smell the same scent. However, some scents like honey are rarely known. It is said that whatever you smell defines your fate. The information is vague and backed by a few records about it being 'true', so a lot of people are obsessed with knowing the scent of the water to them and researching their destiny or the path they should take.")
He watched the girl with brown hair glance in his direction, her smile brightening for a moment as her gaze landed on Felix, who respond with a wink, before she regained composure, 'What does the water smell to you?'
("Vanilla. It's faint, but still present to me.")
'Is it faint because of your condition?' he heard Jasper snort next to him, his blue eyes narrowed at the exchange.
"I really want to know what their relationship is," Jasper mumbled, his gaze on the girl as the priest and four girls stepped onto the podium.
"Same," Thandiwe whispered for only Alex and Jasper to hear, "Do you think they're...?"
"I hope not. She's one of the four saints. If she loses her purity, she loses her status and half of her power. And that fate isn't the greatest."
"True."
They all bowed at the statue of Eleanor along with the priest and saints, and the light rippled at the center of the podium, then a table appear with a silver basin and folded clean towels.
The priest stood behind the pulpit while the black-haired girl lit the other candles, the brunette placed the book in the woman's hands with a slight bow, the blonde girl placed the bowl near the basin on the table and the redhead carefully poured the water in the basin without spilling a single drop and placed the jar on the floor by the table.
Once the saints stood by the four chairs, the priest opened her eyes, revealing azure irises that swept across the room, before she spoke in a calm, gentle voice, "Good morning to you all, dearest siblings in spirit."
"Good morning, Priest Nakia," they all responded in unison, with Alex quietly stuttering the greeting as they stood straight and sat down.
'Why is she referred to as "priest" instead of "priestess"?'
("In this church, aside from the sisters and brothers, the other titles— priest, saint, prophet— are used by all regardless of gender. It's believed that under the order of the Queen, the path led by Mother Kamaria and the watchful eye of the Great Deities we're all one and that other body structure is the only indicator of our genders.")
'So there's no gender roles here?'
("Aside from the biological roles, there's no other roles divided according to gender. Every other tasks are performed by all.")
'Interesting.'
("Very interesting as it was a law brought by the leader of the rebellion that occurred for us to regain our rights and land. The law was put in place because of the hierarchy division based on gender and the abuse of women. At first the people were reluctant, but after realizing the positive impacts on children, they grew to adapt. However, there still some..... families that don't follow this law,") Mallory's voice cracked slightly at the last words.
Alex's watched the priest preach the story of Mother Kamaria as the light from the gem on the wall above the doorway rippled, creating a detailed projection above the benches synchronized with the story.
Barely containing his awe at the sight, he watched the projections while he listened to Priest Nakia's words.
The light formed a figure of a woman in dyed cloth wrapped her chest and a long skirt made of animal skin and wooden beads, that also adorned her black braided hair. The necklace and bracelets swayed and jiggled as she struggled in the hold of two armored who gripped her arms tightly, dragging her to a tent, her eyes filled with fear and pain, tears streaming down her face.
"Mother Kamaria was the daughter of the third king of Austinia and a slave he captured from a tribe in the southern island. Her mother was granted to him against her will and she was dragged to his tent by his knights. He didn't ask for her after that night and left for his kingdom without her. Those who once envied her before that night mocked her for her loss of purity, and once the pregnancy was revealed, the tribe didn't accept her and she was chased out. Five years passed since then and her mother struggled to raise Kamaria, living a normadic life until she reached her breaking point led by depression. Then one night, she left Kamaria at the palace gates and ended her own life in the mountains."
The image shifted to the woman, older with her hair tangled, her clothes rugged and body thin, carrying a small little girl in a long shirt that fitted like a dress, wrapped in an animal skin blanket and asleep in her arms as she approached the gate with slow, trembling steps.
The woman placed the girl on the ground outside the gate, careful not to wake her and took a few steps back, then run to the mountains.
"Kamaria's life at the palace wasn't easy. Of course, her father wanted to at least raise her the best he could out of guilt, but the queen and the court wouldn't let that happen. They isolated her, made her feel neglected by father, making her resent him while he slowly became cold towards her. At fourteen, she was sent to live in the church and served the church for the rest of her teen years. Then at twenty, while she was granted powers by the Moon while drawing from the very river that granted us our abilities. After that, Kamaria lived for centuries helping Austinia flourish as the advisor for the kings with the powers given to her for centuries."
'Wow.... I really need to learn about this world.'
("I can teach you.")
'Thanks but I have to study about your world in order to complete my main quest. And there's the other quest of restoring your health.'
("Still don't hesitate to ask me anything.")
'Of course I won't hesitate. This is your life and your body after all.'
The projections faded and Priest Nakia's smile widened as she looked at everyone in the room, "From this summarized first half of Mother Kamaria's life, we all have different interpretations of the tale— some good, some bad. But we should keep in mind that we're all humans filled with complicated emotions and different thoughts towards one situation. Our perceptives attract different feelings towards the people involved. There's no one who's morally right, from our thoughts to our actions, we all look for reasons and excuses to justify them."
Alex stiffened slightly, his gaze dropped to Mallory's pale hands as his mind twisted the image into that of his fair hands covered in blood for a few seconds, his vision began to swim and his heart raced, feeling the bile raise to his throat. He froze, feeling a warm hand on his, the image faded and the warmth from the church engulfed him. He took a silent deep breath to calm himself down as he glanced at the hand to Thandiwe who stared ahead.
'She reminds me of Mia in a way.'
He opened his mouth to perhaps thank her but closed it without a words, returning his attention back to the priest.
"Mother Kamaria was a victim, her mother was a victim and in some twisted way, her father was a victim as well. Depending on who's perspective we choose to see this story in, there'll be one victim and one villain because it's human nature to find someone to support and someone to blame. We come to this world with individual purposes and we suffer according to the path we're given by the Deities above. Our paths aren't defined by our status or looks, but the life we lead and what choices we make to either follow the path or refuse ourselves from it."
"So, my siblings, today I leave you with this message of leading your paths according to your will, because at the end of the day, it's your life and no one else's regardless of what society paints you as," Priest Nakia bowed and the church erupted in applause, but a sudden thought crossed Alex's mind.
'I wonder if Max's in this world too.'
[Holder Candidate Quest Two: Don't get expelled.
—Don't die
—Pass your exams
•Duration: 4 months
•Reward: ??? + Skill
•Failure: Losing all intelligence]