In a World without God

Like snow melting, the monster’s body slowly shrank and eventually disappeared. In its place stood a girl who was about eighteen at most. She had hair the color of a wheat field. Her body was neither maggoty nor fetid.

She stared at the ground with her head bowed low. She seemed so lifeless, as if she was waiting to be punished.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Tibea.”

She looked up and smiled softly at Ed’s words. As Ed watched, her body hardened like plaster, turned to dust, and scattered into the air. Around them, the blackened blood and rotting flesh that littered the plaza, the vines and white flowers that poked through the stone, all vanished. The white aura that had enveloped Ed dispersed into thin air.

“What the hell is going on?” Kurzina shouted.

She’d run as fast as she could to the square and was now confused by what she saw. Laying eyes on Ed, her expression exploded in shock.

“S… saint! You’ve returned!”

She knelt before Ed, her hands clasped in prayer, overwhelmed by what she saw.

“I told you not to kneel.”

“Enri! Ed! How…?”

Marie, Methena, Shumi, and Harsh had moved towards the trio, their eyes wide in disbelief.

“How are you both alive?” Methena looked from Ed to Enri.

“Lutea answered our prayers!”

Aruru ran out from between Methena’s feet and scrambled up Ed’s body to stand on his shoulder.

“Father.”

They all turned towards the solemn voice. It was Ragahd. He’d arrived shortly after Kurzina and was gazing down at Ashur’s still form. Though he had deceived Raghad and the people, he was still Raghad’s father.

Around them, people gathered their friends and family and started leaving. Some were still kneeling on the ground, praying, and some were carrying the bodies of those who had taken their own lives. Their fury to rush to Kindatu’s office had vanished.

“You really think Tibea was innocent? After all this mess?”

It was Ishkur who spoke, addressing Ed as he gestured towards the dead. Even though he knew Ed was the reincarnation of Bosha, he refused to talk to him any differently.

Ed held out his hand. Something long and slender, like a pinky finger, lay in his palm. It was the finger Tibea had spat out. It was black as charcoal, with indecipherable red lettering on one side. A pulsating black aura surrounded it.

“What is that?”

“A cursed object. The so-called ‘witch’s finger.’”

Ed’s voice trembled as his chest burned. He clutched the finger with all his might. The veins in his clenched hand were visible, but the finger remained intact. Lutea was the only one who could break the witch’s charm. Ed was confused.

Why is it still in the world? The moment the witch died, all cursed should lose their power.

“So the Le Fay family, the self-proclaimed descendants of heroes, used a witch’s cursed object. What the hell happened to this family?”

Ed started walking away.

“Where are you going?”

Ed ignored those who praised him and those who wanted to speak to him. His face was like that of a wolf who had lost her cub.

“Edulis!”

Kurzina grabbed Raghad by the arm and dragged him with her to follow Ed. She knew something was up and didn’t want to leave him alone. Ishkur licked his lips, and his eyes shone. He knew precisely where Ed was going.

Ed stopped outside the largest building on the Le Fay manor grounds. Thanks to Tibea’s rampage, the barricades were all down. Ed entered the building, climbed the stairs, and kicked down the door.

It was Kindatu’s office.

Behind a table with a black crystal ball on it, Kindatu stood with a sword at the ready.

Ed pointed his sword at him.

***

“You defeated Tibea. Well done.”

“Why did you do this, Kindatu? To use the power of a witch to kill your people! Why would you, who should be closest to Lutea, do such a thing?”

Raghad, Kurzina, and Ishkur stood behind Ed. It was Kurzina who had called out. Ishkur clutched a dagger tightly in his hand.

Ed stared at the table, and Kindatu glared at Ed.

“If you are the reincarnation of Captain Bosha, then you know what this is.”

“The Eye of Granadilla.”

Kindatu crossed his arms over his chest and looked toward Raghad and Kurzina.

“I had no choice. The Lords of the past, the Lords before them, all worked for this charm, sacrificing human blood and flesh, obeying the orders of the witch.”

“Did you just say… you followed the orders of a witch?”

“Kurzina, you are a child of faith. I know I seem hideous to you right now, but what would you do? This world is ruled by witches. Would you risk your family to protect your faith?”

Raghad interrupted.

“Lord, was there no other way to escape the witch and fulfill Lutea’s will?”

“This orb is the Witch’s Eye. Our ancestors were given this in exchange for the surname Le Fay and power. This eye is all-seeing. It cannot be thrown away or broken. The moment we betray the witch, we will suffer pain worse than death.”

Kurzina’s brow furrowed.

“But our clan is causing others to suffer as our Lords bend to the witch’s will! How can you stand by and watch?”

“What would you have me do? Do you want me to abandon my family? That’s not what the position of the Duke is for. I love the clan the most. I’m the one who can protect the family, even if it must be at the expense of others.”

“Those who follow Lutea’s will are blessed. If you stand up to the witch, Lutea will empower you, just as she did Ed today!”

Kindatu shook his head.

“Lutea is dead. The witch killed her, and her soul shattered and scattered across the world. How can an unearthly being empower us? What you saw today was nothing more than the remnant of a deceased Goddess. It may have seemed like a miracle, but it was only leftover Magick, acting on her memories.”

Ed laughed, a rough, deep sound.

“What nonsense. We killed the witch. I defeated the last of the witch’s clones, and Ygraine and the Apostles defeated her body.”

Kindatu shook his head.

“Ha! How wonderful it would have been if you had killed the witch! But you couldn’t. After Lord Bosha fell, Granadilla launched a counterattack and killed Ygraine.”

“Granadilla killed Ygraine? Nonsense! Ygraine was like the brightest sun, and Granadilla was just a shadow. How could a shadow cover the sun!”

Ed could not accept Kindatu’s words. It sounded absurd; Granadilla, who had lost all her clones, was as weak as she could be. Ygraine, on the other hand, was unstoppable.

“Look for yourself. The sun has set, and shadows cover the world. The witch Granadilla is in control of Astania! Don’t you see the black light that pulsates in this orb?”

“Bullshit!”

Kindatu tightened his grip on the sword so much that it trembled.

“What kind of authority is this that made us receive the witch’s attention?” Ed continued. “I would have preferred hiding deep in the mountains, surviving by eating fruits and herbs!”

“Kindatu, whatever the story is, it’s over for you, for the Le Fay family, for all of us,” Ishkur said, his voice firm and calm.

“You have summoned a witch’s monster, and there are no excuses. All in the House of Le Fay will be stripped of their titles, and you will all be punished.”

“I may be finished, but the House of Le Fay is not.”

“What?”

“You would not abandon your people, would you, Raghad?” Kindatu shouted. “Tell the world, tell them all! There was only one witch, me, Kindatu! The Lord, the madman, worshiped the witch, then lost his mind and slaughtered the people of the clan.”

Kindatu quickly drew his sword and pointed towards his own heart.

“Lord!” Raghad shouted.

Kindatu plunged the blade into his chest.

“Please… Raghad. Protect the family.”

***

Kurzina’s father, Hathor, was left to take over. All other potential leaders of the House were dead. The immediate priority was the Festival of Saints. It was a matter of national law to hold a Sainthood ceremony. It could be postponed, but it could not be avoided.

Unlike Ashur, Dersh, and Dumuzi, Hathor knew little of the family’s secrets. All he knew was that the Le Fay were not descendants of Bosha. He knew nothing of their contact with the witch.

The suddenness of his new position as head of the family, coupled with his newfound knowledge of the family’s secrets, the challenges of conducting a saintly ritual and keeping the people in line, left Hathor frozen.

He wanted to talk to Ed about dealing with the witch, but Ed refused. Instead, he wandered the Le Fay estate like a ghost.

Ed stood in front of a water trough. The water was deep and clear, holding the rain of the past month. It reflected the full moon and a drifting cloud threatened to cover it.

Is Ygraine dead? Is Lutea gone? What nonsense!

The Goddess is a presence like the sun or the moon. An eternal light that never disappears. It may fall to the earth or be obscured by clouds, but it will rise again in the sky someday. It illuminates the Earth with its light. Just as morning brightens after the night passes and darkness descends after the evening, it is the nature of things.

But humans are foolish, and sometimes, when dense darkness covers the sky, they wonder if morning will ever come.

Ed recognized such foolishness in himself. It displeased him, and he frowned.

There was a creeping anxiety in Ed’s mind. The witch’s fingers were not broken. The black orb radiated evil energy. It must be true that the witch is alive, but then where was Lutea?

“Lutea is dead. The witch killed her, her soul shattered into pieces and scattered across the world.”

Staring into the water, Ed checked his Magick. The white Magick was nowhere to be seen. Was it a fragment of Lutea? Kindatu had said it was simply a remnant of Ygraine’s remains.

Nonsense!

Ed stepped closer to the waterway. The moon was nowhere to be seen, and only dark clouds reflected off the water.

Does the moon disappear when clouds cover it? Lutea had only been covered by dark clouds for a moment. The light must be hiding somewhere! If only I were stronger!

Ed felt terribly sorry for himself. If he had been strong enough to defeat the witch and survive, he could have been Ygraine’s strength, Lutea’s strength, and he could have seen the journey that followed.

Ed’s face was filled with regret.

“What are you doing, Ed?”

The voice was urgent. Ed looked up. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings.

“Didn’t you say you’d be back?”

As Ed turned and caught sight of ivory hair. The smell of sun-dried grain wafted past his nostrils.

“Well, I was just…”

The force of her embrace knocked him backward. A moment later, there was a loud splash, and his vision was engulfed by water.