Chương 41: Chapter 40: Return to Normalcy?

Evelyn was sprawled over the bedside, her arms unfurled as though she owned the place, and her mouth stretched wide open. A low, guttural snore came from the depths of her nostrils as she slumbered ever so peacefully. Alice looked away with a light grin, restraining a laugh. Is she a bear? How can a human make such a noise? She glanced at the clock, and it was nearly nine in the morning. Her stomach churned for food, but the time for breakfast had long since passed.

"Hey. Wake up." Alice tapped Evelyn's arm.

"We still have class." Evelyn blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light.

"It's… morning already?"

"It is. We're going to be late soon." Evelyn rolled over on the bed, nestling her face into Alice's neck.

"Do we have to go? I don't want to…"

"I don't want to either, but we need to. Or else Father Orlando might drag us there himself."

"That old fart… I don't wanna go… I just wanna… wanna rest…"

"I know, I know. But you don't want him getting worried, do you?" Evelyn went silent for a moment, and then said, "No…"

"Then we have to go. We don't want to be late." Evelyn looked at the clock and hummed.

"Okay, fine." She climbed off Alice and jumped down the side of the bed. Alice let out a breath of relief and quickly stood up herself.

"I'll be quick. You better not make me wait out there." Evelyn walked out of the room.

"I should be the one saying that. Now go." Alice closed the chamber door. She waited for a few seconds, until she heard Evelyn's footsteps echoing down the corridor, slowly fading with each step. She makes me really happy. It's strange. I should be annoyed at someone like her. Alice went into her closet and grabbed a fresh set of clothes—a simple long-sleeved dress, with a skirt that reached down to her knees. She looked at herself in the mirror, placing her palm atop her crown. Have I grown taller?

I should really be keeping note. She grabbed a wooden comb and began untangling the twirls and coils of her nearly waist-long hair. After patting down her garb, she walked out of her room and hurried down the corridor. Evelyn was standing by her chamber door, clad in pants and a buttoned shirt. If not for the weather, Alice wouldn't be surprised if she started wearing shorts. The older girl also had a notebook and pen in hand, though Alice doubted there was actually anything useful in there.

"I told you I'd be faster," Evelyn said.

"You hardly did anything. We should hurry; we're running late." Alice went down the stairwell.

"Well, not yet. We still have a few minutes." Evelyn ran after her. My feet are still sore. Father Arno never told me what those healers did. Alice took a deep breath.

"You alright?"

"I suppose I am. I'm just a little sore," Alice said as she touched down on flat ground. Alice followed Evelyn into the classroom, closing the door behind her. When she stepped inside, she felt all eyes turn toward her. Even Father Orlando was staring straight at her. Alice frowned and wrapped her hands around her back as she strode down the aisle alongside Evelyn. They're looking at me. What? It's not like I came back from the dead. Alice joked to herself.

Alice sat down beside Evelyn, and she looked to her left, almost expecting to see that fat, pig-like face. Instead, there was Jack.

"Hey. Are you alright?" Jack's voice croaked, as if he was still unsure.

"Yeah… I guess." Alice murmured. What should I say? I was never really close to Jack.

"When did you… you know, come back?" Jack said.

"Last night. They had me do a few tests, and they let me go. The healers did… a pretty good job," Alice said.

"That's good to know." Jack turned his head back to the whiteboard, his expression dulling. Huh. I expected… well, I didn't know what I expected. Father Orlando cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.

"We shall resume our lesson as normal. Even if certain events have occurred, I want you all to know the Clergy will protect you as best as we can." He spoke, but his eyes were solely on Alice. Alice lowered her head without saying another word. I wonder what they've learned while I was away. Three days… it should have been a lot.

"Today, we shall learn about the very beginning of this world. And those that came after it." Father Orlando walked up to the center of the blackboard and drew a perfect circle with his left hand.

"Back then, there was no life, no earth, nothing physical to speak of. There was only the Ether. Pure, unadulterated spirituality. It was like this for millions, if not billions, of years. And then something caused a ripple in the Ether. We call it the Origin Bang, and it caused the spirituality to merge and split, again and again, until eventually, beings started to emerge." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Alice glanced to her right and raised her brows in surprise. Evelyn had her back up straight, and she was looking right at the blackboard. She was even writing in her notebook for once. Alice leaned a little, almost expecting to find some doodles or drawings, but all she found were a handful of ever-growing notes. Wow. I guess some people do change. He drew symbols around the circle: a two-headed raven, an upside-down cross, an open palm, a tree, a wave of water, and a half-closed eye.

"These are our Gods. Death, Life, Control, Nature, the Sea, and Fate. They are the first generation, and all beasts and demihumans descend from their line." He drew another smaller circle beside the Ether and trailed curving, intersecting lines across it.

"Together, they made our world. Life and Death created the first creatures, Nature and Sea grafted the earth and the oceans, while Control gave free will, and Fate designed the course of destiny. We call this the First Era. And it occurred four thousand years ago. We may worship Death in this land, but the other Gods deserve our respect as well."

"The Gods gave us everything we have, and everything we will ever have. And yet even then, there are those that chose to stray from the Gods' guidance. You know well of them. You may hear their names in hushed whispers, perhaps in fear or in worship. They are what the Gods shield us from. Amygdala. Vermilion. Aurene. Lagush, and so on and so forth. They are descendants of the Gods, just as we are, but they sought their own path, and their own power.

They seek to destroy and to corrupt, and they will come to you in your darkest moments and offer you all that you desire. They will spout lies and treachery. They will control your mind and break you from the inside if they could. All of you are victims of these beings. Awakened your souls, they did. Tore you apart from the cycle of generations." He tapped the chalk on the blackboard.

"Never forget. They are the enemy of mankind. Do not trust them. I teach you this, for surely in the future they will come for some of you. They are attracted to all things strange and unnatural, and you must be prepared." Father Orlando went on about the creation myth, of how the world was unmade and created from the sheer power of the Gods. Alice rested her chin atop her palm and thought to herself. Is everything he says true? Father told me not to trust everything the Church said.

Even that one acolyte warned me about the books. If the Gods taught everything, how can we be sure everything they say is right? The thought swelled within her but quickly retreated to the back of her mind. She knew better than to speak on it. Eventually, the church bells rang and Father Orlando stopped midway in his speech. He cleared his throat again, placing the chalk back on his desk.

"That will be all for now. We'll continue tomorrow. All of you, head to the infirmary for testing." Alice's ears perked up. Testing? So they're testing everyone else now. She glanced at Evelyn again and wondered, How well did she take it? It hurt like… like hell when I got tested. Will she be alright?

"And Alice. I need to talk to you, so stay." Father Orlando sat down by his desk.

"Everyone else, go to the infirmary." Evelyn pocketed her pencil and stood up.

"Wait for me outside the infirmary, 'kay?"

"Yeah." Alice slowly nodded. Alice looked to her other side and found that Jack had already left without saying a word. As everyone else walked out of the room, Alice snaked around the line and went over to Father Orlando. Father Orlando flashed a light smile.

"Come, sit down. Let's wait until everyone is out." Alice grabbed a chair and sat down in front of him. She looked at the exit and waited until the last student, Evelyn, went out and closed the door. Father Arno did say he had some questions for me. I wonder what this is about.

"What is it, Father?" Alice leaned forward and asked. Father Orlando took a deep breath.

"What happened that night, it wasn't your fault, child. It was mine. If I had noticed the signs earlier, it could have been prevented. Please, forgive me."

"I… I forgive you, Father," Alice said. Father Orlando let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. Truly, you have no idea how much that means to me. If there is anyone to talk to, to speak to, I am here to listen. I will help you to the best of my ability." Alice smiled back at the old priest.

"I am alright, Father. What I killed was just a monster. It wasn't Marley anymore." Father Orlando's smile slowly faded away, his brows furrowing in concern.

"If there's nothing else, Father, I'll be going now." Alice stood up from her seat.

"Take care now, child…" Father Orlando said. Alice bowed once more before going out of the classroom. He's a good man. To think I was a little afraid of him at first. Now, to the infirmary. Where was that again? Evelyn always knew her way around this place. An idea emerged in her head. They're probably leaking spirituality… maybe if I… Alice clicked her tongue and peered into the world of spirits. She spotted more than a dozen brightly colored footprints leading down the corridor.

That should be them, being brand new and all. She followed the footprints across the coiling and twisting halls of the Church, and it took her a good minute until she reached the infirmary. She deactivated her sight when she arrived by the door, her silver eyes scanning the small group of children waiting. There were five of them, and some were clutching their chests, others wiping the sweat off their brows. Still, there were no signs of her two friends. Alright… guess I'll wait.

Alice leaned against the wall and looked at the cold infirmary doors. She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit worried. She's fine. She was doing fine when she woke up. It'll be alright. The door swung open, and a tall, blond-haired girl stepped out. After a few more minutes, a boy around her age and height hurried out, clutching his chest. One by one, the lads and lasses walked out of the room and reunited with their friends.

By the time ten minutes had passed, the folk that waited had already turned and left with their friends. And still, there was no sign of either Evelyn or Jack. Should I… check on them? Can I even go inside? Just as the thought came to be, the door opened wide and a familiar lass with bright red hair hobbled out. She was a little paler than normal, and Alice could hear her rapid breathing from all the way over here.

"Oh, hey Alice." Evelyn looked up and straightened her back as she saw the younger girl. Alice smiled a little.

"Was it panful?

"It was. Felt like something was about to explode. I can't believe we have to do this twice a week now," Evelyn said.

"Where's Jack?" Alice raised her brows. Evelyn shrugged and looked back at the door.

"I didn't see him. They took the boys to the other side. I thought he'd be out by now."

"You don't think…"

"No. He's doing fine. I think." Evelyn's lips curled into a frown. And soon enough, Jack walked out of the infirmary room, his face a tad darker than before.

"See? He's fine." Evelyn chuckled.

"What took you so long?"

"I was near the end of the line," Jack said plainly.

"Alright. Do you want to go to the… I mean, do you want to hang out somewhere?" Evelyn said.

"Isn't there church still?" Alice said.

"If it's testing day, we're not required to go to church. Unless you want to." Evelyn laughed. Jack's stomach growled in hunger.

"You wanna go eat instead?"

"Right, yeah, we haven't eaten too," Evelyn said. Alice nodded. If Evelyn was going, then so was she. The three of them went down the hall, heading straight for the cafeteria.