The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

Heat pressed against my forehead. It was unnatural, nothing like the sun's gaze or the blazing fury of fire. There was a chill to it. Not the frostbite kind, not the familiar prickling sensation that a cold winter's day could bring. It was a contradiction. Both hotter than the brightest flame and colder than Antarctica's ice.

“Aila?” I pushed myself up from the ground, eyes foggy, yet that stabbing pain was completely gone. “Where did you take us? This doesn't feel like a church bench.”

With a groggy hand, I rubbed the sleep out from my eyes. Everything felt quiet, even for a church. There were none of the shuffling feet or choir boys preparing.

My confusion only grew when I opened my eyes. “Wha–”

An endless white void descended far behind where my eyes could reach. Just the scale of it alone was enough to send a sliver of fear up my spine. Its emptiness crept up my skin, slithered into me with a numbness indescribable.

“Mere seconds and you get drawn in. Pathetic,” A mocking feminine voice shook me from my trance. “Do me a favor and don’t die that easily.”

“Who the hell are you!” I spun on my feet and rose to them. “Where the hell is this place?”

“Oh, now you ask questions?” She sat a few meters away, an elegant woman in a black dress with a white bonnet covering her auburn hair. Her hand was clasped around a porcelain teacup that she brought to her lips.

Something about her aloof pose ticked a nerve in my brain, one that kept me on guard.

I held my stance at the ready. Every part of her, from the way she held her cup to the relaxed way her legs were crossed—all of it screamed danger. It reminded me of the sensation Francis gave, though even this mysterious woman couldn’t quite compete.

“Don’t bother,” Her voice felt arrogant, yet I could tell her confidence wasn’t misplaced. “It’s Urial for your information. If you bother attacking, it will be the last name you ever hear.”

“You still haven’t answered where this is!” I shouted.

“You wouldn’t understand if I told you.” From her free hand, she grasped a thin string from the air, holding it loosely in her fingers. “All you need to know is if I pull this thread of your weave, you die.”

My feet steadied themselves on the invisible ground. The fact she was telling the truth felt undeniable. There wasn’t a single flinch or nerve that hinted otherwise. Either Urial was the best liar in the world, or her empty threat wasn’t empty at all.

“I don’t know what a god wants with me,” I said, ensuring my words came out carefully, “But whatever it is, I would prefer to get the hell out of whatever this place is.”

“With you? You?” Urial scoffed, nearing spitting out her tea. “In what world would a god like me want someone like you? No, you’re here because I want the exact opposite. Nothing, nada, not a bit to do with someone so full of unrequited sin and a weave stained with black.”

“Then why did you bother to drag me all the way here?” I asked.

“You’re the one who stepped into my church,” Urial said with a pompous huff. “Just the fact you're in this world pains me. Took you long enough to show that face after your summoning with that girl.”

“Lilly!” I cut the annoying goddess off. “Where the hell is she?”

“How should I know? Both of you are completely untraceable.” Urial said.

I cursed under my breath. Even if Urial did know her location, I had a sneaking doubt she wouldn’t give me a single hint. “For someone who claims to be a god, you sure aren't very good at anything but threatening my life! I’ll get out of your freaky church, but I didn’t ask to get summoned here, blame whichever of your all-holy friends summoned me.”

“He’ll get his lashings in due time, but for now I’m stuck with you,” Urial sat her tea down and took a stand. “I heard you want to find out what god summoned you, so I’ll allow you to look just once, though I’m afraid all those dusty books won't end up being useful.”

“Stop playing games. If you bothered to summon me, you could at least give me a bit of useful information.”

“Someone with you doesn’t deserve information, not with that stain of a web.” As she walked closer, the difference in our heights became clear. A dark shadow covered my body, the void covered by her leaning over me with an ominous grin.

Her finger tickled my neck and pushed my head up, forcing my eyes to meet hers. “Rescorge are supposed to be people strong and brave enough to defeat the temporary evil of this world, that’s the system that East designed at this planet’s formation.” Her white teeth glimmered, forming a crescent shaped smile that glimmered with malice. “You, Rin, are no hero.”

“I never asked to be one,” I shoved my hands to get her off, only for them to phase through her stomach. “I’ll leave your church; all I care about is finding Lilly.”

“Don’t think you’re allowed back.” She laughed, an eerie, screeching sound, more alien than human

“Urial, I’ll–”

“Rin, talk to me!” Aila desperately looked down at me, the ornate ceiling of the church replacing the soulless white void.

“I’m fine,” I shot up from the pew. Priests calmly walked around the church as everyday civilians prayed at the pews. The sound of amateurish singing came from the raised wooden altar. “Holy. Aila, how long was I out?”

“Out? You’re acting kind of weird, Rin. Did you hit your head or something?” Aila asked. “We entered here barely thirty seconds ago.”

“Thirty seconds?” I let out a pathetic chuckle. “I won’t forget this, Urial.”

“Urial? Seriously, are you feeling okay Rin?”

“I’m fine, more than fine even.” I got up, stretched, and made a beeline for the exit. There was no reason to check those dusty old books where Urial made their usefulness loud and clear. “Let’s go, I'll explain when we're back at the Unit E barracks."

“Okay,” Aila sounded uncertain as she followed me outside. “You'd better have a good reason for this.”

“Trust me, I have one.” As much as the fire inside me burned, Urial wasn’t the kind of opponent I could beat with a bit of training. Sometimes, the best option was to run.