Her Light - Chapter 9

En Glory of Her Light Index

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Kaela’s gaze lingered on the glowing skyline of Sanctaria as the sunless warmth of the bell bathed the holy city. A mixture of awe and unease settled deep in her bones. The world she now inhabited was impossibly vast and heavy with untold history.

“So,” Kaela muttered, turning to Serelith, who stood nearby with an air of serenity, “this is it now… I’m here. I guess now’s the part where you explain how you all ended up in this…place. Gideon said something like thirty years?”

Serelith smiled softly, though there was a distant sorrow in her eyes. “Indeed, child. We were not born of this realm. Much like you, our people were pulled here by the grasp of great darkness.”

She gestured to the city walls that gleamed with sacred runes. “When we arrived, there was only ruin and shadow—a remnant of those who came before us and their fall met us. This world claimed entire cities, entire civilizations… and we were but one more drawn into its maw.”

Kaela blinked, her mind whirling. “So…you really were like me. You had nothing and were confused…but fought all the monsters that came out of the darkness?”

“Yes,” Serelith confirmed, folding her hands before her. “The Great Pilgrimage, we call it. We were pulled into this battle, including our goddess. Altheria’s light allowed us to survive and reclaim the land the civilization before us had lost.”

A shiver ran down Kaela’s frame while staring out at the expansive city, grand and defended with impossibly tall walls. The thought of other people living here before Gideon arrived made her hug her shoulders.

“Other people have been pulled here, too? They failed. How can you be sure you won’t fall?” The slight tilt of Serelith’s head and her smile made Kaela sigh. “Faith?”

“Faith.” The prophetess shifted to look up at the bright bell in the black sky. “At first, we were led by a prophet of great wisdom… The prophet of my youth and city, but time…time is the great marker of rest. He was aged and weary after the many battles that first year establishing ourselves. When the foundations of the Dominion were set, he chose to join Altheria beyond the veil. I was called to step into his place.”

Kaela straightened. “So, you didn’t want to be in charge?”

“Want, need, or forced into positions…” Serelith had a distant look in her eyes, as if looking back on a cherished but hard point in her life. “I was the Sacred Priestess at the time, overseeing the Purifiers. Altharion Venis took over my seat. But leadership is not about wanting—it is about answering the call of faith. Many are called, few choose to stand and answer. I accepted this role freely.”

Kaela crossed her arms, the sarcasm bubbling up to mask her awe. “Right. No pressure or anything. Your leader is kicking the bucket and you’ve got creepy monsters attacking every day. Just lead an entire world or…you know, die trying. No. Worse. Become a monster yourself. Peachy.”

“We come from very different cultures, Kaela,” Serelith chuckled, gently shaking her head. “Has it been challenging at times? Yes. But in opposition does the bounty of success become the sweetest flavor. Our path is not governed by fear but hope that moves us to face it. My task is incredibly easy compared to those who face the darkness every day. My burden is not one of battle…but the knowledge of the fragility of our position and what is to come.”

Tucking under her bottom lip, Kaela released a nervous laugh. “Wow. Really selling me on this place… I don’t even know the rules of this place! What if I break everything…like I did with my family?”

Serelith scooted closer to pull her in again to rest against her warm chest. Kaela breathed out her stress, closing her eyes and feeling a warmth she craved.

“You may feel guilty for many of your choices. Understandably so, even. Yet, when the fire of guilt assaults us, it is a call to turn toward the light and allow it to burn our failings to arise anew from the blood and ashes back into Her glory. Kaela, this is your battle to not stay in the shadows and to never surrender to it. Whatever you broke, it was not your family… You saw them. Do they look broken or filled with hope in finding you?”

Sniffing back yet more tears, Kaela couldn’t help a small smile while hearing the ageless woman’s heartbeat against her ear. “You really are good… Max charisma. Nice… Do I get a complimentary bible or something? I still don’t know what I’m even supposed to do.”

“No books or articles.” Serelith whispered, holding her fast. “We walk with the light, guided by Altheria’s wisdom. The laws are not etched into stone tablets but inscribed in the hearts of those who choose to open the door and walk with Her. What is good grows in the light, while corruption festers in shadows.”

“Yeah, that’s helpful,” Kaela muttered under her breath but it did lighten the weight against her chest. “No guidebook. No list of dos and don’ts. How am I supposed to know what doesn’t get me executed in this place?”

“Questions are the fruit of the light, Kaela,” Serelith warmly stated. “Doubt clouds the mind in fog. To seek clarity is not a sin but a strength. What you should know is that you should question everything. Fight for the light you feel growing like a seed within you. Fight the night to reach the morning. Agency is our greatest gift and damnation. If ever you feel lost, ask—light will always reveal the way when you open the door for it to shine through.”

Kaela hesitated, then spoke, her gaze distant as a question bubbled up. “What’s beyond all of this?” She lightly pulled away to gesture toward the distant walls and the endless horizon. “I get that you’ve got this safe zone here, but…you said there are others out there? Other cities? What is it like for them? Have they…asked for help?”

Serelith’s expression faltered, a melancholic shadow crossing her face. “Yes…some, but they rarely ever remain. Often, they cannot stand the idea of powerlessness before the shadow and to remain in Altheria’s light. They choose to return to what they know most…sometimes with the idea of returning with loved ones. None have succeeded.”

“So…that means their whole civilization died out?” Kaela mumbled, thinking about Earth and how all of it could just…disappear overnight. Everything and everyone she knew. “Don’t they have their own powers or gods? Is…Altheria the only one?”

“No. There are many powerful beings,” the woman said, looking up at the glorious bell hanging over the city with a sad smile. “However, even great and powerful beings fall to this realm’s hunger… The failing is not in them, though. It is in the loss of faith and courage of their people. Not all gods and goddesses are benevolent, as well, and there are those who have chosen to join the corruption.”

She directed her toward the walls. “There are those who resist the corruption still… Through the sight Altheria grants me, I can peer beyond the haze and see their struggles. It is dire for those around us as we thrive. However, it is challenging for other people and cultures to devote themselves to Altheria when they have their own guardians. Many of which feel threatened by her welcoming arms.”

Kaela’s curiosity sharpened. “So, what? Are they aliens or something? Beast people? Monsters?”

“You wish to know the specifics? Hmm. I suppose this is where your heart leads you,” Serelith considered, studying her with the tender care of a mother that pulled at Kaela’s heart. It made her want to know if she did have children. “You have a strong heart and desire to help others due to the pain you have felt.”

Hugging herself, Kaela glanced at the amazing city and its scale for the number of people she saw in the streets. “I still don’t know what I want to do but…I at least want to see these other places and compare what they say to what you do. You know, get all the details.”

“Completely reasonable. However, just know that while you have agency to choose your path, so too does everyone else within Sanctaria. Patience and long suffering is the way. You may be frustrated by those you meet and their choices…but the one rule Altheria has is that choice is everything. Their choices, even if they seem unintelligent to you, are their own, and so are their consequences. You are not to blame for their decisions.”

“…Yeah,” Kaela mumbled, swallowing the lump in her throat and thinking about her parents. “It’s not my dad’s fault that I…was a stupid brat. But they’re dealing with my consequences, right?”

Serelith’s palm rested against her cheek, drawing her gaze up to her glowing eyes. “You are dealing with your consequences, yes. But your parents have chosen to support you in your ‘stupid’ choices…because they love you. It is their choice to love a stupid child that is struggling to find her way in the world. Right?”

“Right,” Kaela sniffed, wiping away the tears that left her eyes. “And it’s my choice right now to…to rise out of the ashes. Right?”

“Correct. And you are making wonderful strides.”

Allowing herself to be pulled back into the prophetess’ embrace, Kaela took in a shuddering breath and strengthened her resolve. It took another minute for her to regain her composure, wiping away the tears with the piece of cloth Serelith had given her.

“So…these other nations?”

Sweeping back her messy bangs behind her ears, Serelith gave her an encouraging smile before rising to her feet and motioning for her to follow. She took her to a specific window and directed her to the horizon.

“To the west, there are people bound to nature’s ancient power. A people who give thanks to the earth and draw strength from it. They are resilient but slowly losing ground due to small seeds of doubt brewing within certain factions. Their forms may seem strange to you, animalistic in nature, but they are no monsters and highly intelligent. Yet their ways might challenge your understanding.”

Kaela raised an eyebrow reigning in her emotions. “Okay, so…cat girls or something else? Because I’ve seen enough anime to know that can go either way.”

Serelith’s lips twitched with restrained amusement. “They are more than tales of fiction, and I cannot tell you that your internal vision is correct since I cannot read your mind. However, they are noble people with honor.”

“And what about the others?” Kaela pressed.

“There…are currently only two nations close to us. The previous one to the north was swallowed by their own greed and fear with your arrival. The last is to the east,” Serelith continued, her tone more solemn, “a human nation of iron, steam, blood, and ash—starving, falling to despair.

“One of their nobility has rejected Altheria’s light before and turned to their own strength, failing to tell their people about our existence and using the bounty we gifted them for their own personal gain. The corruption consumes them as a result. It runs…far deeper than I am comfortable explaining to you at this time. It won’t be long before the corruption runs too deep for them to fight.”

Kaela’s brow furrowed. “If Altheria’s so powerful, can’t She just…save them?”

Serelith’s gaze grew distant. “Salvation cannot be forced. Altheria walks beside those who open their hearts to Her. Faith is a choice. Without it, even She, with all her power, cannot intervene.”

Kaela scoffed inside, remembering an old proverb a counselor had once spat at her: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

“I get it,” she murmured. “It’s on them to call out for help. Doesn’t mean it’s easy to watch them drown… My dad always tried to help me, despite his whole world falling apart…”

“Exactly… They must choose, as you have chosen to see your faults and not fall to them, but rise from the ashes,” Serelith softly agreed. “You cannot carry their burdens for them. But you can walk alongside them, offering light when they seek it.”

Kaela was silent for a long moment before nodding. “Yeah. Okay. So…if I wanted to start somewhere, where would you send me first?”

Serelith tilted her head thoughtfully. “The western lands are strong, though faltering. They could endure with aid. The eastern kingdoms…their chances are slimmer, but perhaps your presence could ignite a spark of hope. However, personally, I would advise against the east.”

Kaela exhaled slowly. “Great. Life-or-death decisions already. Guess I’ll figure it out as I go.”

“You are not alone,” Serelith assured, placing a hand on her arm. “Wherever you walk, Altheria’s light walks with you…if you choose to allow her as your companion.”

Kaela gave a wry grin. “Yeah, well… I’ll reserve my judgment on Altheria for later. Maybe I should talk to Gideon and Isolde about it. Because…I need to get them on board, right? Or…can you convince them?” she asked with a strained smile.

The prophetess’ gaze drifted toward the east with tight lips. “As I said, it is a choice, and this is me, not Altheria’s guidance… I do not support you going to the human settlement. It is far too dangerous for you, but it is not my decision to make. I would support your journey to the west. That is my choice.”

Feeling an edge of defiance pulled at her chest, Kaela forced a laugh, running her fingers through her auburn locks and shook it out. “Well, you shouldn’t have said that because now I feel like it’s a challenge! If I’m supposed to have Altheria’s lantern or whatever is here,” she stated, placing a hand over her chest, where the symbol shone, “then I’ll put Altheria to the test.”

Releasing a resigned sigh, Serelith shook her head. “Stubbornness like this is not something I’m accustomed to, Kaela. Typically, people follow my advice…and I feel somewhat anxious, which is a rare feeling for me… But I will have faith in your decision and who you convince to join you. Can we make a concession?”

Folding her arms and gripping her borrowed dress like an anchor, she gave the pretty, ethereal woman a light glare. “Now we’re getting somewhere. What kind of deal do you want to make.”

“Well, I would consider a concession on both sides less of a deal and more of an expression of shared understanding in each other’s desires,” the woman chortled. “But however you wish to see it is up to you… I will support your travel to the east if you can convince Gideon and his crusaders to join you as protection. I have a pain in my chest that compels me to not see you harmed…physically or emotionally. I want someone with you who you can rely on for protection.”

Kaela bit her bottom lip. Dammit! When you ask like that, how can I say no?!

“You just want someone who does have Altheria’s power nearby to help me if it gets too crazy, huh? If I’m stupid and bite off more than I can chew, like what I did with my dad…”

Serelith gave her a perfectly innocent smile. “Faith without our actions preceding it is dead. How can we expect seeds to be grown from Altheria’s rain when we have not planted the seeds to be grown? It is through action we show faith… And I have faith in you. But I am not stupid,” she added with a wink that had Kaela giggling.

“Fine! Concession made. You just watch, I’ll get them on my side and we’ll save a whole nation!” Her face turned pink as she heard herself, the hair on her neck standing up. “Not that I’m any heroine or anything!”

“No. Of course not,” Altheria chuckled, opening her arms. “You are merely a young woman trying to find her way in a confusing…terrible world.”

Mouth pulling in, she accepted one last hug before a knock came at the door, making them both jump.

“Wait, who’s that?”

Serelith looked toward the bell with a short hiss that sounded unlike the serene woman. “Probably…my husband. I’ve stayed longer than usual. I’m usually home before he returns from the fields so he can cook me his new experimental sweets. I’m in trouble.”

Kaela couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up as she imagined the most revered and loved woman in a holy nation. A saintess of a goddess, scared of getting in trouble with her husband for working too late and being unable to try new sweets he made for her.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet your final boss! Plus, I can go for some more sweets,” she chimed. “Bring on the sugar tooth!”

The conversation ended on that note as she met the humble and judging, worried eyes of the beautiful woman’s husband. It made her want to learn more about their marriage customs, such as the tension between Isolde and Gideon. Especially that.

Because High Sister Serelith’s husband was a rather simple yet rough-looking man, with large worn hands that toiled in the sugar cane fields. Hands that created some kind of creamy puff balls that tasted a little like vanilla ice cream for his beloved prophetess wife.

In the end, she left the prophetess to discuss how she needed to rest more and take care of herself.

This place feels too perfect… like it’s something I don’t deserve. Like I don’t belong here. But still…it makes me want to change. To be better. Mom, Dad… please don’t lose hope. I’m coming home. I swear it. Just have faith in me, like you always did.

I’m sorry… I wish I could tell you how sorry I am. And how much I love you.

Altheria… if you’re really listening, that’s all I ask. Let me tell them I love them. Please… just that.

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