I woke up the same time everybody else did. This was my first day of school in this world. I found a backpack full of supplies laying on the kitchen table. I don't know who placed it there, but I knew it was someone inside the house.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ccPXnGVQZ
This place felt like it contained a family, one that's very distant towards one another. They didn't bother me, and I didn't bother them. I checked the fridge, finding a packed lunch that they seemed to prepare. I threw it away; I expecting a reaction, but was left with the same usual silence.
"I'm not hungry." I muttered to myself. I felt bad for them, maybe it was a little too harsh, but I feared that I would be consumed if I gave in. I exited through the front door, walking for several minutes before reaching the school.
The school was large, it was an entire campus containing more buildings than I could count. Was this the only school in Selonika? I noticed a few stray glances, and threw up my hood. I might've came off as too lost, for someone offered to help me shortly after.
She was as short as Lily, long and straight black hair; she was a complete extrovert. She was dressed in a similar school uniform as Mia, but it looked a lot more prestigious, almost like she was a class president or student council member.
"I'm Iris Iramaka; I'm in charge of all the new students here. Have you applied for the school yet?"
"No, that's what I came here to do today."
"Well, I can take you to the Administration Building. It's not too far from here."
As we walked across the campus, I asked her a few questions. "Is this the only school in the city?"
"Yeah, every district sends students here to learn. We can easily hold every student in Selonika here, but some students prefer to stay at home and work. We have a part time job available that delivers homework to those students, so if this campus is too much, you don't need to be here."
"This world just keeps getting more insane."
"I see this world as a reward. Rather than being sent to the unknown space, in which we existed in before birth, we are sent here to continue living, free from limitations. You and I have won the game of life, and this paradise is our reward."
"A world where everything is free?"
"Yes, a world filled with endless resources for us to use. As long as you give yourself to the world, the world will give back to you."
"Is that what everyone means by, 'becoming one with the world?'"
"Now you're starting to get it."
We stopped in front of a small building with a sign that read, 'Admistration'. "I wish we could talk more, but I have somewhere to be. Once you apply, they'll give you a schedule and a campus map. If you need more help, just ask around, someone will be able to help you."
"Right, thanks Iris."
"Don't thank me; thank the world for letting us meet."
She vanished into the crowd of students. I entered the office and filled out a small form. They told me about the different clubs and jobs around the campus, but I wanted to learn my way around before joining anything.
I checked my schedule and walked to the mathematics building. I found my homeroom class where I had to introduce myself. It looked like a basic classroom; for some reason I was expecting a lecture hall. I took a seat in the far back, recognizing the person sitting in front of me.
"Lily?" She heard me, but didn't react. She silently continued writing in a small notebook, occasionally looking up at the board.
This was clearly mathematics, but it felt much more advanced then I could remember. I tried my best to understand it, writing answers down as time moved forward.
As the bell rang, Lily placed a note on my desk before fleeing from the classroom. A few of the other boys in the class, stared at me with hateful gazes. I hurried up and left the class before they tried walking over.
I read the note in the hallway. It wasn't a love letter or anything, just a note telling me where to go during lunch. I assumed the whole group was here, and since the school was so big, I wouldn't imagine us bumping into each other too often.
I showed up to my next class a few minutes late, but nobody seemed to mind. In fact, they were telling stories to each other while the teacher was on the computer. "Sorry I still can't find my way around here." I told the teacher, and she chuckled quietly to herself. "It's fine, this school doesn't worry too much. There is one student who sits in the library all day."
"R-Really? Do they ever get in trouble for it?"
"Not at all. They're part of a special program we like to call, 'Self-Guidance'. It allows students with a goal in mind to learn by themselves, all we do is provide them with the resources. You could try it yourself, if you're confident enough."
"That would be a terrible idea for someone who knows nothing about this city."
"Well, I don't know about nothing. You've been here a few days, right? You should at least know your way around the Central District."
"Yeah, I guess so. What is this class supposed to be anyways? On the schedule it just says writing."
"Creative writing. I give everyone a few minutes to settle in and talk with each other. You can pair up with someone if you like, but I find it easier to be creative when you work alone. Do you not agree?"
"No, you're completely right uh..."
"You can call me Ms. Melody. I'm glad you caught onto that. I like to try and trick students by wording things differently. Class is about to start, so go take your seat."
Ms. Melody's class ended very quickly, probably due to how laid back it was. Normally, a school teaches you how to write formal and technical things, but who am I to complain? I glanced down at a poem I finished writing, and it seemed pretty good.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrErJI8aYal
I checked my schedule again. It read, 'Free Time'. "T-That can't possibly be right. The school day is so short, so why do we get thirty minute breaks like it's a job?" I asked myself. "I guess I'll just look around the campus."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdBOEctkpt
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I followed the map to a place labeled, 'Worship Hall'. It was surrounded by statues of deities that I worshiped when I was alive. There were two that stood front and center, Monoa and Magara.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyvp00DLNc
Monoa created the world, and Magara wanted to destroy it. Despite their hatred for each other, they created children that were assigned to specific elements. All these gods were worshiped equally, and humans were born as a child to one of the ten gods.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHJAAm8ujx
I entered the doors, admiring the beautiful chandeliers hanging over my head, along with the glass mosaic windows and detailed paintings. A child stood at the podium dressed in pure white.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhpDlC8ck2
"Are you the priestess? You seem quite young."
"Yes, I'm Meli Audionna Angelia, but everyone calls me 'Angel'" It was impressive how fast she said it without breaking her tongue. "Who are you a child of Echo, or would you like me to guess?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBXfwi0BQW
"I'm a child of Felema; the spider queen. The goddess who possesses the blood element."
"You are one of her favorites. I can tell just from the tragedy surrounding you. She's a god who suffered greatly, crawling through a tunnel of arachnids, annelids, and insects, just to escape from her prison."
Realizing what she was citing, I interjected. "Her blood became poison, and her lungs collapsed as she reached the end. Those who suffer are her greatest treasures, for they don't wish to see others suffers like they do."
"You are such a blessed child of hers, Echo. I'm glad someone else has read the scripts. Did you have any questions about the gods?"
"If Felema was born from Monoa and Magara, why was she once a human?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnjD5Y8xGs
"To test her soul, to help her find an element. All the children were once humans; they were put through trials to test their worthiness to be a god."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiokxB57Ov
"And Magara was the one who created these trials for them? I don't think Monoa would've agreed to such cruelty."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTG5FG2YG1E
"In order to become god, Monoa believed one needs to die as a human. It's hard to say why she believed this, but I'd like to think she was a human herself, and when she died, her heart was so pure, so creative, that she was chosen to be the master of our universe."
"It seems you understand your role quite well."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPs8LduS4h
"These sanctuaries were built to ask questions. If there is an unsolved mystery within our religion, we would slowly lose faith, becoming forsaken by our gods. It's the duty of a priestess to find these answers and keep humanity faithful. I know this is a sort of afterlife, but whose to say it wasn't created by our gods?"
She relaxed and smiled politely. "You didn't come here to ask about gods though, did you?"
"Sadly no, I was just exploring the campus. I used to visit shrines and sanctuaries when I was alive, so I thought I could find an answer to something."
"An answer to what exactly? Is it the inevitable choice you will need to make?"
"You know about that?"
"Of course, you're a child of Felema, so I could only imagine you live in one of those houses. It's extremely rare for a child of hers to end up here, for most of them end up hurting others rather then themselves. I assume you took the easier way out, and by doing so, you completed her trial without realizing it."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYtErfPIbe
"What?"
"Instead of hurting the people who trapped her, Felema escaped through the tunnel. She didn't try to get revenge for her suffering, but rather she embraced it, believing it was something that she deserved. Do you believe that you deserve to suffer just like her, Echo?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJ5wiDRso2
"I-I think so. I jumped to my death by choice, so it's likely I feel that way."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYq59zTf4J
"Then let that be the answer." She opened a nearby door that led into the kitchen. "You still have some time left before class, would you like something to drink?"
"Only if it's not an inconvenience."
I took a seat in a pew, staring at the glass mosaic as it glimmered from the exterior light. It was Monoa in her most ethereal form. I could feel her godly presence with me, but it wasn't in a comforting way. She wasn't hugging me tightly like a mother, but rather she was just watching me intensely, like we were on opposite sides of a mirror.
"Stop looking at me like that." I cried to myself. "You expect me to believe that someone cares about me? Why send me to your paradise, when I threw away your gift of life? You should hate me, Monoa."
At that moment, Angel returned. I had a feeling that she was listening it. She handed me a porcelain cup. "It's medicinal water. It's nothing strong, just a common herbal mixture to help ease the mind."
"I heard this stuff is bitter."
"It can be, but I always add a bit of fruit juice; it makes it easier to digest." I took a sip of it. It had a brief aftertaste, rusted and metallic, but it disappeared quickly after the citrus kicked in again.
"You are quite talented at mixing drinks."
"I do the same thing with food. You never know what crazy combinations work until you try it." She sighed deeply. "From what I heard, when I was listening in, you seem to believe that you're undeserving of happiness. Doesn't that sound familiar?"
"Yeah."
"You can't hide god-given feelings from a priestess, Echo. You're a child of suffering, it's all you've ever known. In a place like this, you feel like an alien, but I assure you, whether it was the gods or the world that sent you here, this is where you belong."
I remained silent until I heard a distant bell ring. "It seems we'll need to part ways. I hope to see you again, Echo."
"Yeah, likewise."
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