Sitting atop a rock, Charlotte looked down upon us while she lectured.
Charlotte: [Basically, relics are items created by gods and gifted to their Apostles. This is usually done because the gods themselves (in most cases) cannot directly exert their influence on this world. Relics can be of either low or high grade, but most are low… That's all I'm saying. Keep in mind that most people in this age have never even heard of a relic.]
That didn't really seem like the world changing revelation I had been hoping for, but Raya's disposition seemed to have been changed by Charlotte's words.
Raya: [What do you mean by "gods"? The Church's teachings say that there is only one god, Sol, the god of the sun who created everything.]
Charlotte: [ehh, you ask some hard questions, Raya,] she said, as if she were explaining something she herself didn't quite understand. [Uh, it wouldn't exactly be incorrect to say that there is only one God... But that's kind of missing the bigger picture... I mean, you could be right depending on what your definition of a 'god' is... But in my experience, Gods, Outer Beings, or Deities are, by nature, incomprehensible beings.]
Raya: […]
Charlotte: [Yeah, I guess that's not really a good explanation... uhh, how do I put this?... Basically, stuff like one or many doesn't even apply to gods as they are constantly merging and splitting apart. You can sort of think of them as amorphous blobs with their own agendas. Always be careful though because just as we can't understand them, they can't understand stuff like human emotions. I mean, probably... Some might in some manner, but you've got to understand that all gods are completely twisted in some fucked up way.]
That was very different from the God that people spoke of in my old world. Was it possible that some god was the reason I came to this world in the first place?
Raya looked kind of upset at Charlotte's words but remained silent. She likely didn't know enough to try and contest Charlotte's words.
Charlotte: [Because the Church has only been around for about a century or so, I don't know a whole lot about the differences between their god and the gods I know that externally influence this world. It's entirely possible that the sun is a Relic created by Sol or whatever other god. In any case, it is clear that for some reason the influence that the gods have been exerting on Gaia has decreased in recent times, making relics like Ryuzu's Fang incredibly rare these days.]
Adam: […So that's why Raya was guarding that sword so intensely. But how strong exactly is Ryuzu's Fang?]
Charlotte: [Not sure, I've heard that it mostly depends on the user... Though, allegedly, someone once used it to create a flood in the middle of a desert, just to win a bet.]
Raya's face betrayed that she was shocked at this feat, while also newly determined to master her relic. At the moment she couldn't even unsheathe it fully, but I could see her doing crazy stuff later on in her life. I wondered what would have happened if she had been using that sword during our fight…
Raya: [Alright, that settles it! We must get back to training! Adam, get up and –HOLY SHIT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR ARM!]
Huh? I got distracted by Charlotte's lecture and had left my arm alone for a second. It looks kinda… puffy.
Adam: [Looks like the injury was worse than I had thought. It's probably a comminuted fracture, then, meaning the bone is broken apart into many pieces. The reason it's so inflamed is because of the hematoma... Wanna touch it?]
Raya: [Uhhh... hard pass. That's disgusting… Wait, did I do that to you? How are you being so casual about this?]
Adam: [Yeah, the only reason I haven't fainted yet is because I turned off my ability to feel pain.]
A faint green glow appeared as I focused more on healing my arm. I closed my eyes as well so that I could focus more.
Charlotte: [You should probably practice alone for a while, Raya.]
Raya: [Right… Sorry about that Adam.]
With that, Raya walked a few feet away and began doing sword swings by herself with Ryuzu's Fang (still sheathed).
Charlotte: [How long is that going to take?]
I thought for a second then opened my eyes and replied, still continuing the healing.
Adam: [Like 5 more minutes, but I don't plan on using this hand heavily for a few hours so that the bone can set properly.]
She nodded and the two of us sat in silence for a moment while we watched Raya train.
Charlotte: [That's a stupid way of fighting you know? Actively getting hurt like that… You probably could have won without doing that… Perhaps, Adam, are you hurting yourself on purpose?]
I didn't answer that question and just focused on my healing.
Charlotte: [So you'll keep getting hurt from now on... Again and again… Who are you really, Adam Witherton? Or Pax? And for what do you train for?]
My healing almost stopped altogether as my head snapped towards Charlotte. She was still watching Raya train, as if she hadn't just revealed that she knew one of my biggest secrets.
Adam: [I… I'm almost nothing,] I sighed as I turned away from her. [And I train to protect what's left of me.]
I don't know what I am, really, but that's not something I'm planning on telling anyone. Ever.