"The Almighty God, eternal without beginning or end, existed before anything else."
Yuzuriha spoke. She was hesitant at first since she was put on the spot, but as she continued, the words began sliding off her tongue like she was dusting off an old memory.
"There was no sky, no land, no sea. Only The Almighty God, illuminating what was with Radiant Light and Perfection.
They shaped the firmament, the deep, and set the foundations of the cosmos. Mountains, oceans, winds, and skies. The day and the night. Light and Darkness. The stars were placed. The world was formed.
And then, from the radiance of that divine presence came the first two deities"
Yuzuriha lifted a finger as if she was ticking off names in her mind.
"The first was The Mother Goddess of Immortal Springs, from Her hands spilled life. She carved half the races from breath and clay. Humans, elves, demons, goliaths, dragons, mermaids and others"
She took a moment to pause after a realization.
'That crab monster Marcille was talking about during dinner is starting to make sense now. And here I thought she was just overexaggerating'
From the perspective of someone who came from a completely normal world without powers or anything supernatural like that, her way of thinking was totally justified. However, it was limiting her potential to grow and know more about this world.
It made her seem like a narrow minded individual. Beside her, Yuzuriha heard shuffling sounds. It must have been Grace checking up on her since she suddenly went quiet.
"Oh, sorry. I'll continue now…Um, The second deity was The Eternal Shining Star Above or Ancient Cruel Sun, who set the world alight…"
As she went on, her memories began to become blurry and hazy. She was struggling to recall certain information regarding this particular deity, instead of fighting against it, she simply moved on to the next.
"The third of the deities was the Lord of the End, who stepped forth from The Creator's shadow. To bring balance He brought the concept of death, to rule over stillness, over the last breath and the hidden path that waits from beyond…
And then, The Almighty God vanished"
Fascinating. Really Fascinating. It was all truly fascinating!
Yuzuriha had never been a religious person, but hearing something like this for the first time sounded all too ridiculous to be true. She even found herself grinning.
It made her wonder why she didn't learn about stuff like this sooner. She was a busy businesswoman, but she still could have made time.
'Seriously though, how could anyone believe this?'
And that question answered part of why she didn't learn it sooner. And also, that sudden ruffle to her hair snapped her out of her thoughts. She had gone quiet again.
"I cannot get enough of that endearing smile of yours. Simply precious, Almost makes me want to…ahem"
Grace lifted her hand and cleared her throat before continuing.
"...However, you forgot to mention the Howling Evil God of Chaos, the one whose Origin Should Not Be. It is madness, change without shape, destruction without purpose. In other words—"
"The source of all Chaos in the world"
Yuzuriha said those words with such dread she shivered for a second. They just slipped out her lips, interrupting Grace in the process. For a long moment, her dear neighbor said nothing.
It made her want to apologize for being rude but before she could, a soft hum overlapped her.
"That…was wonderfully put, Yor. Did Marci teach you all this?"
She gave a small head shake.
"I learned that when I was little. From Sunday school of the Church of the Cruel Sun. It was free so big sis didn't want me to miss a single lesson"
Of course, Sunday school is free. With an origin like that, why wouldn't it? That way they could brainwash everyone with their bull.
Feeling a bit of frustration rising from her chest, Yuzuriha took a calming breath and exhaled.
Magic might have been a real thing in this world but a line had to be drawn somewhere, come on!
"You remembered all that? That's quite a lot for someone your age. More than what most of my own learners can recall. You're really sharp compared to—"
Grace immediately stopped herself from continuing, a moment after, there was a sorrowful moan which surprised Yuzuriha. There was more movement too, a bit of wind swaying here and there.
"I shouldn't say that. It's terrible. I'm supposed to nurture my students, not talk down on them. I'm sorry Anne. Sorry Lily, Mabel, Bertie…and you too Eva"
Her voice was filled with so much guilt that Yuzuriha didn't know how to respond to this situation. She simply remained quiet. The students she was talking about must have been those from the Miss Bellrose's Seminary for Young Ladies of Good Standing.
'I still can't get over of how long and silly that name is'
Anyways, she didn't think Grace meant them any harm. Wanting the best for their students was the motivation of every teacher. Some chose it because it was often a stable career with regular employment opportunities but still, passion was the subject matter!
"Well!..."
There was a slight creak in the couch just before the sudden whoosh of movement. Then came the sharp clap of Grace's hands.
"That's enough class for today. We still have more than enough time left before I clock in, so how about we do something else?"
Yuzuriha knitted her brows, this was the second time something like this had happened. She was feeling sad a second ago and all of a sudden she's bright and full of energy. Grace was humming, the sound of her footsteps light, like she was already walking across the room.
"Hmm? I was thinking we do something fun"
'I should stop thinking too much. It makes me come off as rude when I go silent when people ask me questions'
But in this scenario, thinking things through wasn't a bad thing. Knowing what kind of person Grace was, her definition of fun was probably vague at best and concerning at worst.
She took a breath and asked.
"...What kind of fun?"
Grace chuckled.
"Oh, just a little tinkering. Some potion crafting. And I need to finish that Sacrament I've been putting off all week. The fun part is that you can help"
Ignoring the implication of free child labour, a certain word caught Yuzuriha's attention.
"Sacrament?"