Chapter Thirteen - Surya (Believer of Preservation)

 Hm?

What?

HUHHHH?!

“I mean what!?” I shouted. “You’re in ‘The God of Innovation’s’ lover’s body? Do they know?”

Halette nodded. “Yes. They’re very aware.”

“And they haven’t done anything to you?”

“No.” She bowed her head. “Well, it could be my fault that my fellow believers of ‘The God of Preservation’ are treated so harshly. But because of the simple fact that I share the original owner's memories and emotions, I can’t seem to leave them alone.”

“You mean that you…”

Halette looked over at me. Her mouth looked like it was smiling, even for a split second. “Master Surya may hate me. But I can’t help but love him.”

‘Him?’

Before I realized it, I was back in front of the statue again.

So that’s why she looked familiar. The statue, is it the original owner of Halette's vessel?

“Veer!” I turned around upon hearing Julian’s voice. He was limping while Noren held him up. They were followed by the masked people. “Don’t trust her! She’s the ‘traitor’!”

“Huh?” I tilted my head.

“Mister Julian!” Janica said excitedly, while running towards him.

“These people…” Noren turned to look at the masked people. “I fought them with my hammer for as long as I could until I noticed their fear of me.”

Noren described that when the bushes shut in front of Julian, Noren quickly grabbed him before the masked people could get to him.

She fought the masked people off until she saw them cower away from her, as if realizing she could actually kill them.

They fessed up who the traitor is, along with the key’s location, in return for their lives. Both answers lied with only one person.

So the monster with the key and the traitor are the same person?

I looked over towards Halette, while now clutching my hammer.

“That is true.” Halette said while taking something out of her pocket. “This is the key.” She held out a square ended, transparent key in front of her. “And I am the traitor. Please eliminate me and escape. The exit should be somewhere in the middle.”

I took the key with my free hand and glanced back at her. “I thought you said you needed to be by ‘The God of Innovation’s’ side?”

“I wanted to.” Halette started. “But this is Master Surya’s decision. It seems he’s finally decided to move on. So please, set both me and that poor soul free.”

Once again, a beam of white light overtook my vision.

…

CRASH!

In an aquatic setting, two older people with blurry faces, with fin ears, in black mourning clothes, one man and one woman, tumbled in front of an open casket.

“Why’d it have to be him?” The older woman sobbed, bowed down on the floor.

“Our baby!” The older man crouched down to hug the woman.

“Mama? Papa?” A young girl, with a blurry face and smaller fin ears, walked over to the two. “Why is big brother sleeping in a weird place?”

The older woman and man, who were now known as that blurry faced girl’s parents, ran up and hugged her. The father looked down at her. “You’re too young and innocent, our dear Halette.”

Halette’s parents prayed endlessly to an old God, ‘The God of Vengeance’.

“Please avenge our son, my God.” the older man asked, visiting the God’s shrine. “Make sure that bastard pays for it!”

“Papa.” Halette grasped the older man’s hand. “Why are we always asking for favors from this huge house for big brother?”

He patted the young girl’s head. “He was taken from this world too early. We have to make sure we can watch over him even if he’s long gone.”

“‘Taken from this world’? ‘Long gone’?”

Halette grew up into her mid-twenties, still visiting the shrine with her parents continuously. She never understood any of it. Worshipping a God for years just because one person died unfairly.

She always pitied her parents because they lived like that.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” A blurry face with fin ears, stopped Halette as she was leaving the shrine. “Do you want to live for an eternity?”

“Eternity?” Halette tilted her head.

“Yes!” They said excitedly. “‘The God of Preservation’ is making a new promise to their believers. Eternal life. As their believer, we are looking for more people who might be interested in becoming a believer!”

They gave Halette a seashell and waved goodbye.

Later that day, Halette opened the seashell. It showed carved information about ‘The God of Preservation’ and where to find them.

‘To live for an eternity…’ Halette quietly thought to herself. ‘If I were to live for an eternity, would my death not ever become a burden for my parents?’

And so, Halette became a believer of ‘The God of Preservation’s’.

But she didn’t know that to live for an eternity, meant giving up your whole life.

Halette watched her parents become a mess once more at the loss of their daughter. She watched time move as her parents died from depression and how the world changed around her.

Halette didn’t remember her time as a spirit or who she’s met. But she did remember ‘The God of Preservation’ granting the wish of becoming mortal once more. Halette, desperate to live normally just once more, begged to be a mortal.

The ‘God of Preservation’s’ instructions were clear. Find a vessel and live as them.

So she did.

In the war (or more accurately a protest) between both the Gods of Preservation and Innovation, many of the spirits found vessels that were easy to access. Halette saw a girl, who was once so strong willed, lose the spark from her eyes.

‘I want to live life as her.’ Halette thought.

Before Halette knew it, she woke up in that girl’s body.

So many memories and emotions flooded Halette. This girl had both a fiance and a lover. She had a family. She was smart and made many inventions. And she had a dream. A dream of a world of technology.

‘I want to fulfill that dream.’

Halette made it to a high tech door. One that only two beings can open. A God, and the owner of Halette’s current body.

She placed her hand on the door and it opened immediately.

A man, who looked neither young nor old, had dark skin with bright red eyes, and semi-long mint hair, turned their face with tears.

“Nance?” He walked up to Halette and grabbed a strand of her hair.

Halette’s heart began racing. ‘So this is who he is? The ‘God of Innovation.’ She thought. ‘This is the person I must protect?’

But that fluttery feeling only lasted for a few seconds.

“You’re not Nancy.” He said. “Who are you?”

“I’m not Nancy.” Halette replied calmly. “But I’m willing to live as her.”

She soon found herself sitting beside him on a cushioned seating area that she’s never seen before. They were watching something on an old TV. However, Halette barely paid attention to the TV. Instead, she focused her attention on Surya, whose eyes slowly turned as listless as hers.

Halette thought at that moment, it was probably when he broke.

The world around Halette quickly changed. The world of technology took its course and spirits using vessels were easily identified. Surya’s security advanced and so did meeting the God of the believers of Surya himself.

Halette was the only person who could reach him. Surya neither pushed her away nor kept her close. Halette believed that it was due to her living as the body of the person he loved.

“Master Surya.” Halette called out, sitting beside Surya. “If I could, I would return this body.”

“I’ve already tried.” Surya replied indifferently.

“Yes.” Halette bowed her head. “But there is still something you can do for her.”

The ' God of Innovation’ made a test. Whoever passed the test could speak to him directly, giving the people of Surya a way to finally speak to him.

Or so she thought.

“Master Surya.” Halette frowned. “This test is almost impossible to pass. No one knows anything about your name's origin.”

“Silence.” Surya demanded. “You will die once the right person passes this test. When they do, everything will go back to normal for both me, you, and the people of Surya.”

Halette remained silent before bowing her head. “Understood, Master Surya. When it’s time, I’ll make things right.”

…

I clutched the hammer and quickly swung it towards Halette. She remained still, expecting her final moments.

SHATTER!

The beautiful statue fell as the bottom broke into hundreds or even thousands of pieces.

“Oh please!” I said, sluggish while dropping the hammer. Halette’s soulless eyes still managed to look shocked at the situation. “It was your decision! Not his!”

I examined Halette’s expression before sighing. I pulled her in for a hug and softened my voice.

“Halette, you are forgiven.”