Walking side by side while trying to act as normal as possible is easier said than done, especially with the girl having so much energy in herself despite having known each other for a short amount of time. The young boy glanced to his left where Cinder was, and he saw her happily skipping towards the exit, ignoring the guards and servants alike that passed them.
He was only following her; that's because he has no idea what to do or where to go. Honestly, the boy felt like he was back in those days where he's exploring his surroundings with no real purpose in mind, wandering around aimlessly without knowing his destination.
The hallway they are in is a long stretch of the corridor, filled with multiple doors and walls made of gray stones, supported by wooden columns every few yards apart. It is a wide space for people to walk through in case of emergency, but not quite as spacious as some of the others within the castle itself.
Still firmly holding his holy cross, he clutched it tightly to make sure it stayed close. Since it's not an object that should be misplaced or stolen, Seth is rather wary of having it go missing from his possession because of what it means to him.
"Can I ask you something, Seth?" Her curious tone rang through the silence: "Why do you always have that object with yourself all the time?" He pointed at the object within his right hand, causing them to stop altogether in their tracks.
"Its...complicated..." Seth replied, trailing off at the end as he shifted uncomfortably under her inquisitive stare, "And important," his voice carried strong emotion when adding this statement while avoiding all eye contact from her because of his distrust for people.
Instead, the girl laughed with amusement, "I don't think something like that is a weapon, not a toy or ornament either," commenting with curiosity but also playfulness at the same time, "it seems important to you though, I guess...but it doesn't explain why you keep it close all the time," sounding more confused with every passing moment.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists tightly while narrowing his eyes in her direction. "Why do you keep asking me so many questions?" His words were blunt and cold: "I don't have to answer them if I don't want to," retorting back with an irritated voice before walking past her angrily.
Cinder looked taken aback by his sudden outburst. "But—" She never had expected him to react so harshly towards her, especially after how apprehensive he had been towards her since their meeting. Was it because that thing is related to his past or something?
Seeing her shocked display, he quickly apologized. "Sorry," Seth said in shame of himself, "I shouldn't lashed out at you like that." He regretted everything and lowered his head downward in shame for losing control over himself.
She smiled reassuringly and patted his shoulder, "No harm done," forgiving him the second time, "but you should apologize to the object your holding since it has feelings too." Her joking remark caught him off guard as well as causing him to chuckle in amusement.
"Um, okay, maybe I should do that later," he said, bringing it towards her. "You can hold it if you want," a sign of trust between them after offering to allow her to touch it. "See it like a peace offering," he said, gesturing at his hand while nodding towards her.
Grinning widely from ear to ear, Cinder quickly grabbed the cross in her own hands, examining it with curiosity as her eyes gleamed in deep fascination. "It's heavier than I thought," she remarked on its weight before raising the holy artifact towards up in the air, "and the cross feels strange somehow." She mumbled to herself.
"You think so? Its pretty ordinary-looking cross to me," he commented while scratching his head in confusion. "Do you believe in God?" Seth asked curiously if she was a religious person or not, as the unexpected answer might reveal something about her personality or beliefs.
"God..."
The word lingered in her mind momentarily until she remembered a particular memory that made her smile: "Are you talking about the great divines?" She lowered her raised hand while keeping the crucifix still grasped firmly within its grip.
"The Great Divines?" The term is unfamiliar to him. "What is that?" His expression showed nothing but confusion; despite having heard it from Ada, he isn't too keen on learning other religions other than his own that were taught by his adopted father.
She looked surprised before realization dawned on her: "Oh yeah, your not really from our realm," nodding as if agreeing with something to herself, "they're beings that spiritually live across reality in itself, exiting also as concepts. They have no physical bodies but rather exist as pure energy or a presence," she said, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. "They are comprised of four beings; they are commonly worshiped by many who believe them to be benevolent, perfect, and in harmony while being dependent on our worship." continuing onward, describing more about the divine entities.
Eden is the order goddess of hope, growth, and cure. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman wearing green clothing and a crown of flowers. She is associated with springtime and the renewal of life. Eden is often seen as a patron goddess of nature and the environment. She is also associated with the power of healing.
Remnas is the order god of honor, war, and justice. He is often depicted as a warrior clad in armor and carrying a sword. Though not cruel per se, he's often seen as a stern, harsh father figure to his children. In art, he's typically shown as a man with a shield and spear, or a lion-headed warrior. His symbols are a shield and a sword.
Riella is the order goddess of love, charity, joy, peace, and labor. She is represented as a beautiful woman who always wears a red dress. She is depicted as having a sweet voice and an enchanting dance. In her right hand, holds a lyre, and in her left hand, a bouquet of flowers.
Zodther is the god of wisdom, patience, discovery, and knowledge. He is associated with the element of air and is often depicted as an old man in a flowing robe or as a winged serpent. He is revered by scholars and magicians alike and is said to have been a god of magic as well.
"Wow..." Her response stunned him in his tracks, for that is a lot to take, especially for children like themselves. "That's cool to learn about this stuff." Not having encountered those types of deities before or heard people speak about them.
Cinder hummed in approval, "Yes, it is." Her response sounded more like a confirmation of his bewilderment: "What about yours?" Asking in an uninterested tone while handing back the cross, which he gladly took, "Do you have anything interesting to share?"
Thinking for a bit, he nodded with a slight smile.Well, "the divine entity I believe is in only one," Seth explained as his mind went back into a distant memory that is hard for him to recall. "He has many names, but back in my world, we call him simply God," deciding to share with her one of his biggest secrets.
"God? That's it?" Sounding unimpressed by what he told her, "How come?" Folding her arms in disappointment, she asked, "Can you explain more about your religious views or culture? Like, what do they teach or believe?" Trying to understand him better through their conversation.
The boy flinched as if someone had struck him in the face, being hesitant at first due to how complex it is for him to comprehend how everything works. "Uhhhh..." Seth stuttered while trying to gather his thoughts properly: "There are many diverse groups of it that believe in the existence of God but have different or similar beliefs around it," trying to keep calm in his attempt to make sense of himself.
Taking a deep breath, Seth continued to elaborate his explanation: "He is a simply loving entity, benevolent and forgiving while being responsible for creating everything there is or was," starting out slow as he tried to figure out what next should be added to it: "He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, who has many different names in many different cultures." His sentence trailed off into a pause, unable to speak further due to how overwhelmed he was.
"What is else there?" She urged, her voice showing immense interest in what he had to say, "What does he do aside from being nice all the time?" The girl was intrigued by the sound of this, wanting to learn more from him, as it is always interesting to get to know new things for the first time.
Gulping nervously, "In where I believe, there is heaven for good people who died and hell for bad people to be punished for their sins," mentioning punishment reminded Seth of his time being burned alive and tortured by the evil demonic entities that live within the fiery pits of hell.
She frowned at the mention of hell. "Is it a real place?" The term is among the most common words in the vocabulary, representing sending someone to a burning inferno for eternity: "If he is a perfect who is all good, then shouldn't the existence of a terrible place be impossible?" Cinder inquired with disapproval written over her face, "Whoever created a realm like that is unjustified and cruel."
"Uh...."
Looking down at his crucifix, what she said is true, because if God is perfect with no flaws, then why would he allow suffering, pain, and eternal punishment? This isn't adding up to him due to the complexities and contradictions that it is telling.
It's so difficult to even understand his own religion since some things just don't make sense. "I'm not sure about that one." He finally admitted, feeling uncomfortable with this notion because of how conflicting it is for him to comprehend.
On the one hand, Muriel told him God loves all, but if he does, then shouldn't eternal punishment and other problems he listed be allowed to exist in the first place? Perhaps it's a test of causality and fate or something like that.
He doesn't know anymore as he continues staring at his beloved, holy instrument, wanting nothing more than to ask why it allows all these horrible things to happen. Why do people die every single day? Is he even capable of changing his own fate? And most importantly, who will save him from this horrible life of constant suffering?
Before Seth or Cinder could respond, the door behind her opened, revealing no one other than the blue-shirt boy himself, Billy the Kid. "What the hell are you two doing out here?" Angrily standing in his supposed small room, he then said, "I heard the two of you bickering about something outside my room." Scowling at the both of them.
