Ajax hears it. The holy entity before him is speaking. Its voice can be perceived by him.

There are two distinct voices which speak at the same pace and say the same things.

The first one is deep; it speaks with gravitas. A voice with power. A voice with greatness. He can feel the tone of this voice vibrate in his bones. He can feel his heartbeat change rhythm in response to it.

The second voice is... not exactly a voice, it isn’t sound; rather, this voice is like a transmission of thought. Somehow, it feels like how his own thoughts feel in his head, like a second internal monologue; but... there is a distinctness, an alienness to it... It can be heard alongside his own internal monologue rather than over it.

It feels creepy.

The perceived deviancy of this second internal monologue forces him to grapple with the fact that he is hearing thoughts not of his own mind.

Thoughts from this entity before him.

This is telepathy. A voice not real, yet nonetheless real and distinct, invading his mind from the divine eye before him. Perhaps a voice capable of hurting him.

Ajax shrinks slightly in fear at this thought. This being is capable of destroying his body and his mind down to the very last thought, to the very last blood cell, to the very last neuron. It can do so with the mere intention to do so. Such a monster has chosen to introduce itself to the two of them.

Another realization hits him.

Even though he hears these voices, he cannot comprehend how he hears them. It doesn’t have a mouth to speak. It doesn’t have a head where a brain would be housed to produce conscious thought. It doesn’t behave like any life-form he has ever seen before yet it is clear to Ajax that he is looking at a living creature.

It cannot be anything but alive.

Shaula is beside Ajax, hearing this voice as well.

Shaula was in awe of this being as light engulfed her and Ajax’s bodies. Everything in the classroom had vanished as if the world was remade to its foundations. However, Shaula, now hearing the sacred creature speak, snaps out of her constricted perception.

She shifts her attention to her surroundings. She looks around the area where she, Ajax and the being who brought them here are standing. The intense light has disappeared. The area they are in is pure white but not of overpowering intensity like before.

It is like a snowscape without the colours of rock, tree or animal anywhere to be seen. Neither the colour of blue sky, dark clouds, bright sun.

Shaula takes a look around. She can see her body again. Her clothes are clear to her as are the details of her hands, her feet and Ajax beside her.

Shaula looks over at Ajax who looks at her in return. He has also realized that he can see her clearly now.

The expression that Ajax displayed in the classroom has subsided. His panic has been shaken away and replaced with a dull uncertainty and dread.

Before the gaze of this eye, Ajax hesitatingly extends his hand to Shaula.

Ajax is feeling shame at how he had fallen apart in the classroom. His behaviour had forced Shaula to strike him; he was struck so they both could meet this situation with sound mind and body.

Now that he can see everything again, he can see Shaula’s face.

An expression of trepidation mixed with shame and sadness is displayed on her face. If he doesn’t reach out to her, she could fall into shock. If she doesn’t reach out to him, he would return to his panicked earlier state.

Shaula feels shame at having struck him. She feels fear at this aberrant situation and the being before her, at the fact that she might have pushed Ajax away with such an impulsive action taken out of fear, about how she doesn’t want him to leave her, to turn his back on her.

She considers how he is still reaching his hand out to her and feels guilt. She struck his face and made him bleed; yet, he still relies on her.

She holds back her tears and slowly extends her hand to meet his. Under his own shame and anxiety emerges a soft smile. Her face twists into a wide and bitter grin; her eyes break however and tears fall.

“...”

The being before them does not act. It seems to be waiting for something. Perhaps, it is waiting for them to get over their actions and meet it with clarity of purpose.

Shaula looks over at the thing looking at them, her grin fading. The eye has also returned to its original form; it floats 7 feet in the air before them, about the size and diameter of a small saucer at a distance of a few feet in front of them.

The white of its eye (the sclera) is black with white capillaries snaking it. The iris is white and the circular pupil has returned to its red colour. Shaula realizes that this eye hasn’t been blinking.

The average human eye blinks every 2 to 10 seconds but this eye hasn’t done so even in the classroom. It has only opened, never closed.

Or perhaps she missed it blink, its very abnormality was more of an issue for her rather than how many times it blinked or not. Right now, it isn't blinking however.

A creepy eye. It stares at them, their souls, their hearts, their minds. It will never blink. They can’t escape its sight for the briefest of moments.

Yet it doesn’t make any actions.

Shaula glances to the left area around the being, making sure not to take it out of her peripheral vision. Ajax follows her gaze, not knowing what she is trying to figure out. But he has to rely on her now as best he can.

He cannot hold her back anymore. He has to pay attention. He has to hold back his fear. If he doesn’t... if he doesn’t, she could die... they both could die...

Originally, light had shrouded everything in their surroundings away but now that the light has reduced... where is everything else? Shaula feels a slight increase in her tension level.

Where is Ms. Rowfield? Where are her classmates? Where are the tables and chairs in their classroom, the windows, the chalkboard? There’s nothing in this area they’re in.

All that Shaula can tell with a high degree of probability is that both she and Ajax are not in the classroom anymore.

“HMM, YOUR NOSE IS STILL BLEEDING, AJAX...”

Suddenly the being before them speaks. Ajax wipes his nose of its blood, making sure to not take his eyes off of the sacred eye. It speaks to him familiarly. Ajax and Shaula are, of course, petrified and dare not speak until it asks them to.

“...”

“I GUESS IT MAKES SENSE BUT STILL...”

“...”

“DID YOU HEAR WHAT I TOLD YOU BEFORE? YOU BOTH APPEAR TO BE IN FEAR, I NEED YOU TWO TO CALM DOWN.”

“...”

“SPEAK.”

The being prompts their response. It doesn’t do so in a commanding tone, but rather, it understands that they are deferring to its authority. Ajax and Shaula have accepted the divine creature’s absolute dominance for now. There is no other option for them.

“Could you... rep-repeat what...y-you said?”

Shaula asks this question hesitatingly to this divine being before her. It can only be expected that, in this situation, paying attention to the words of this creature rather than its unprecedented actions and almighty power is asking for too much.

“VERY WELL, SHAULA. FIRST, I WISH TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU TWO BUT I AM SENDING YOU AWAY... I... I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO INTERFERE...”

“...what? Send us...”

The being’s pupil constricts at Shaula’s confusion. Shaula feels agitation at this change. Probably just like humans, its emotions can be seen through the movements of its eye. The pupil constriction however, could it refer to annoyance? Anger? Amusement?

Normally for a human being, their eyes would convey their feelings along with their facial expressions, tone of voice and body language. Ajax and Shaula both have to be more careful; just deciphering the emotions from this sole eye and its tone of voice might be too difficult. They might miss signs of its next actions...

Shaula asked this entity a question in confusion. It wishes with reluctance to send them somewhere. Somewhere... where they can’t interfere? Ajax tries to consider the details of his thoughts as well.

But wait. Send us away? Where? From that classroom? Out of the school building? From the school area? Or...

“YOU WILL LEARN ALL ABOUT THIS PLACE ONCE YOU REACH THERE. I’M AFRAID THAT YOUR TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY COMES TO AN END NOW, AJAX... LUCKILY FOR YOU, SHAULA, YOU WILL BE WITH AJAX IN THE NEW WORLD...”

Ajax freezes. If he were a delicate glass structure, this statement by this holy entity would be akin to a large fracture forming.

“Wait... wait, no, hold on. W-what are you talking about?”

Ajax starts to comprehend the implications of this being’s statement. Ajax understands that this being wants to send them somewhere far away. Somewhere where... he will not be able to be with his family. But if that's true... Ajax will be separated from his mother... his father... Rita...

Meanwhile, Shaula considers the knowledge that this creature possesses. She feels chills knowing that this creature knows about the two of them, even about their deep friendship, about Ajax's parents... it has been watching them. For how long? How long has this been... ordained?

Shaula thinks about the part about a “new world”. A new world? Not this one then? Does that mean another planet? Another galaxy? Another dimension? Another universe?

“I WILL EXPLAIN THIS ONCE MORE. I AM SENDING YOU TO ANOTHER WORLD CALLED OMICRON. YOU TWO ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. YOU TWO ARE... FOREIGN ELEMENTS... YOU MUST BE PURGED IN PREPARATION FOR THE SUPREME DOMINION...”

A world Omicron. Foreign elements. Supreme dominion. Shaula disregards Omicron; she’ll learn about that later but for now...

Foreign elements? Both me... and Ajax? What does that mean? Are we not... human? Are we like aliens born on another world? But... that doesn’t make any fucking sense! No, Ajax has... Ajax has parents... if he were adopted they would have told him a long time ago... He looks exactly like his mom and dad...

Shaula is considering the circumstances of herself and Ajax, the meaning of ‘foreign elements’. Now is the best time to consider it. This being knows something. Something about them. Something that they didn’t even consider.

When my real mom and dad died, my aunt would have told me if I was adopted... She would have wanted to stick the knife in any opportunity she got... No wait... both myself and the person I cherish most are ‘foreign elements’? What kind of fucking coincidence is that? I only met Ajax two years ago... I didn’t even like him when I met him and we’re not related, we’re not even the same ethnicity...

Realistically, how could such a coincidence happen? Shaula considered this to herself for a few seconds while Ajax’s face slowly grew more and more terrified. Finally, he yelled out his questions.

“Wh-what’s going to happen to my family? What’s going to... what’s going to happen to my mom and dad? What’s going to happen to Rita?”

“THEY WILL BE UNDER MY PROTECTION. NO HARM SHALL FALL UPON THEM WHILE YOU ARE AWAY. AFTER MY WORK IS COMPLETE, I WILL BRING YOU BACK...”

“...so we’re not leaving forever?”

Ajax asks this question while looking in concern at the divine being. He feels a slight hope understanding that he can return but he can’t really smile at such a silver lining yet.

“ONCE I COMPLETE THE SUPREME DOMINION, I WILL BRING YOU BACK. YOU WILL BE REUNITED WITH YOUR FAMILY. IT IS THE LEAST I CAN DO FOR FORCING YOU TWO AWAY.”

Ajax feels slight consolation at this. Yet... yet, he’s still going to be taken from his family. He doesn’t understand why either. Foreign element? What does that mean? Supreme dominion? Why should he believe this unfathomable creature speaking to him both with sound and telepathy? Why does he have to accept this situation so suddenly?

He’s going to be separated from his family.

“How long... how long will I...”

“YOU WILL BE GONE FOR AT LEAST TWO DECADES. PERHAPS THREE TO FOUR.”

No... no, this doesn’t... this doesn’t make any sense! Two fucking decades minimum!? No!

“...no... no... NO! No, you can’t take them from me for that long! There has to be something! There has to be something that you can do to keep us here!”

Ajax responds with a cry of panic. The panic he had tried to get rid of temporarily, returns just as easily.

“THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE. I AM POWERFUL BUT I AM NOT OMNIPOTENT. YOU CANNOT REMAIN HERE.”

“There... there has to be a mistake! We aren’t evil! We don’t even know what... what you’re talking about! We aren’t 'foreign elements'! We aren’t going to do anything bad! We can stay here and we won’t do anything to make you mad! My parents... Rita... please let us stay with them... please! Please!!”

“I’M AFRAID YOU CANNOT REMAIN HERE... I CANNOT BRING THEM WITH YOU EITHER. YOUR SISTER IS TOO YOUNG TO SEND WITH YOU TO OMICRON. IF YOUR MOTHER LEAVES WITH YOU, YOUR SISTER WILL BE TRAUMATIZED AND WITHOUT SOMEONE TO CARE FOR RITA, SHE WOULD BE IN DANGER OF FALLING INTO SHOCK. YOUR FATHER IS TOO FAR AWAY AWAY TO SEND HIM WITH YOU... THE PROBLEM OF SENDING HIM TO OMICRON FROM WHERE HE IS AS WELL WOULD BE... TOO GREAT ON YOUR MOTHER AND SISTER. BY SENDING ONLY YOU AND SHAULA, THEIR PAIN WILL BE REDUCED AND... THE SACRIFICES TO THIS WORLD WILL ALSO BE MINIMAL.”

“You’re... you’re trying to protect my...”

“AJAX, YOU WILL NOT BE GONE FOREVER... I WILL DO MY UTMOST TO PREVENT YOUR DEATH ON OMICRON. YOUR FAMILY WILL AWAIT YOUR RETURN.”

Ajax doesn’t hear any further words. His face descends in despair. He can’t do anything. He... he can’t... he can’t stop this...

He doesn’t have the power to stop this being. He can’t risk either his or Shaula's life by falling to anger right now. All he can do is... nothing... He is powerless.

Ajax has never been so powerless before. Never been so weak... Rather, he has never been more so aware of his weakness. He’s pathetic. He’s useless. He is nothing. Before a being like this, this is all he is. Nothing.

Ajax falls to his knees. Ajax had been standing on a floor made of white but his body isn’t casting a shadow on the ground.

He can’t see the floor or the distinction between the floor and the air, ceiling, sky or horizon of the space around him.

Ajax looks away from the being before him. Tears start to fall from his face. He places his palm over his eyes as salty liquid starts streaming down his face; as he starts to fully fathom what would happen if he disappeared from his family.

In his dreams, he can accept the worst scenario without thought or consideration but now... he had tried to deny it. He had tried to bargain with it. He had tried to worm his way out of it.

Even now, he’s trying desperately in the back of his mind to come up with a solution, to no avail...

Will his family know why he disappeared? Will they think he died? How much will they cry for him? How much will they blame themselves?

How much will they fall into anger... will they wait for him in madness?

What if they become depressed? What if... what if they commit suicide?

What would Rita feel? Ajax knows in the deepest parts of his heart that he is important to Rita’s life. Maybe more integral to her life than his parents.

When Ajax’s mom returns home from her job, she gets to work on chores around the house, grocery shopping, etc almost immediately; since their dad is working in another city, she has to do more work than when he was at home with them. Ajax and Shaula meanwhile are kept in charge of taking care of Rita, making food for themselves, keeping their rooms clean (including Rita's) and helping Rita with her homework.

Rita is often sitting on the couch in front of the television to Ajax’s right while Shaula is to Ajax’s left; the three of them spent many, many hours watching all kinds of nonsense.

Rita has told him everything about herself. So many times she’s run to him excited about some new thing she discovered, some new friend she’s made at school, some new food she tasted, some new video she saw... but now... now she’ll be...

Ajax cries deeper. He feels his emotions reduce to the purest desolation.

Shaula kneels next to Ajax. She places her right hand on the back of his head, her fingers running through his thick black hair. Her right arm is over his left shoulder, and her left hand on his neck. Ajax’s head rests between her breasts, being cradled in her embrace. Ajax’s arms wrap around her body and he starts to sob.

Tears start welling up in Shaula’s face.

She starts considering what Ajax is about to lose. Shaula hasn’t felt familial love like what Ajax feels towards his family. Actually... actually, she has. Ajax leaving his parents and sister is like... like if Shaula were to leave Ajax.

She starts crying at the thought. Ajax is going to lose everything but her. Shaula looks up at the divine eye looking down at the two of them. Shaula speaks while Ajax continues to sob in her embrace.

“Please... We were... We were born here... We don’t want... to leave... Don’t... don’t make him leave... Please...”

“I’M AFRAID I CANNOT... I HAVE ALREADY STARTED THE RITUAL OF WATER. IF I STOP THE SUMMONING NOW, WHAT IS LOST WOULD BE LOST IN VAIN.”

“What? What is the ritual of...”

Shaula cannot let that go. Something important was just revealed to her.

“IT IS THE COST OF THE SUMMONING TO OMICRON. SENDING YOU THERE IS NOT WITHOUT SACRIFICE. BUT IT IS FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THIS WORLD.”

Sacrifice... What does that mean? Are... are others going to suffer just to send them there? She doesn’t like how he said “the greater good” just now... the connotations of that... But Shaula has to make the most of this right now. More pressing questions are on her mind.

Ajax is still in her arms, expressions of frustration and anguish upon his face. He is trying to incorporate this new reality into his consciousness... the reality that right now his life is being destroyed and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

Shaula however has to know more. More about this entity. More about their future.

“Please tell us who you are.”

“...”

Ajax’s tears slow. He... he can't just... he can't just wallow right now when Shaula is still trying hard for both of them. He can't accept his fate just yet. There has to be some way out of this. Something he can do...

“Please... at least... at least your name...”

Shaula made her plea. As she does so, Ajax leaves her embrace and kneels beside her on the ground. He sits to her right and takes her right hand with his left. His face still has fear and sadness on it but he has to listen to this being’s words.

“...YOU MAY NOT KNOW ME... BUT I AM THE SUPREME GOD OF THIS WORLD, OROMASDES. I AM ALSO KNOWN AS AHURA MAZDA. YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF MY FAITH, MAZDAYASNA OR ZOROASTRIANISM.”

Zoroastrianism. Shaula had heard of the religion before but didn’t know too much about it. She did know however that it was even older than Christianity. She didn’t know its deities or even whether it was a monotheistic, polytheistic or pantheistic religion.

If she had heard the names Oromasdes or Ahura Mazda she would not be able to recognize this deity from just that.

“Supreme god?”

The supreme god... for a moment, Shaula has an expression of surprise. She didn’t know what she was expecting. This holy entity has to be something powerful but a truly high deity is speaking before her. Shaula swallows her current awe and speaks with deference to his ascendancy.

She cannot disrespect the supreme God. She doesn’t want to die.

“Lord Oromasdes...”

“JUST OROMASDES OR AHURA MAZDA ARE FINE.”

Ahura Mazda sounded more easy to pronounce so Shaula spoke again, trying her best not to disrespect this holy being before her,

“Right, Ahura Mazda. Will... will you swear on your name that Ajax’s family won’t be harmed? Will--”

“I WILL SWEAR UPON MY NAME AHURA MAZDA AND TITLE AS SUPREME GOD OF THIS WORLD, NO HARM SHALL BEFALL THE FAMILY OF AJAX LEONID. HIS FATHER, MOTHER AND SISTER AS WELL AS HIS GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS, UNCLES AND COUSINS DESCENDED FROM THE SAME GRANDPARENTS WILL NEVER FACE ANY HARM OR HARDSHIP. THEY WILL LIVE IN PROSPERITY, THEY WILL NOT SUFFER ACCIDENT, DISEASE, POVERTY, NOTHING OF ILL CIRCUMSTANCE... I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO SELF-HARM EITHER.”

Silence. Ajax’s face is one of astonishment. Ahura Mazda, a being who is known as supreme god, has promised them so much. If Ajax and Shaula survive in this other world then Ajax would meet his family again. It is... guaranteed. Or was it?

Ajax and Shaula both have doubts. Doubts about Oromasdes. He is saying too much of the right thing. Naturally, suspicion would fall on him. If Oromasdes was a human, he would be seen as a scammer, or at least a person who makes promises outside of their power to keep.

However, Oromasdes is almost certainly a divine being even if they aren’t convinced he is the Supreme God. The two of them have never heard of the name Oromasdes before. God, Jesus Christ, Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Vishnu, Shiva, Buddha, Zeus, Ares. Ajax could list these deities off the top of his head but Oromasdes and Ahura Mazda are not names he recognizes.

Unlike Shaula, Ajax had never heard of Zoroastrianism before. But Shaula didn’t speak further on his identity, she didn’t have the opportunity. Ajax remembered something else.

There is a more pressing concern. The reason why they are being sent away. Oromasdes had said something important regarding that.

“...Ahura Mazda... what is the Supreme Dominion...”

Ajax asks this question because he cannot feel any consolation at Oromasdes’ pledge to him right now. The people he’s lived with since he was born, the people he loves more than anything, are being taken from him.

“...I CANNOT SHARE THAT WITH BEINGS SUCH AS YOU TWO... JUST UNDERSTAND IT AS MY WILL. THE WILL OF THE SUPREME GOD. FURTHERMORE, IT APPEARS OUR TIME HAS STARTED TO TIGHTEN. THE RITUAL OF WATER IS NEARING ITS END AND THE RITUAL OF FIRE WILL COMMENCE SOON. IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES, I WILL GRANT YOU TWO MY PROTECTION.”

Ajax feels dejected. He wants to know why he is leaving them. Why he is being forced to leave his family. He is being abducted.

He wanted his family to see him graduate high-school. He wanted them to see him succeed in life. They had given him everything so selflessly. But now, even if he does return, so much time will pass. His time with his family would be reduced by whole decades.

Shaula looks at Ajax’s face pale. His eyes look around desperately as if his solution were somewhere around him. Would it be with Shaula? Would it be with the being? No. Neither of them would do anything.

“A-Ajax, are you o-ok?”

Ajax doesn’t hear her. He considers the consequences of leaving his family. He will miss his sister’s childhood. He will miss her growing up, becoming a young woman, graduating high school, maybe even graduating from a university and entering her career.

He will not see her find someone she loves. Her future children might be born and grow up never knowing him. He would miss years and years of his family's joy and happiness. His nieces or nephews would not know him until he returns.

He’ll miss everything.

When he returns, he’ll be a stranger to his sister, to his parents. He will have changed and they will have changed. Their relationship will be beyond repair.

Ajax starts to panic at such thoughts. His eyes start to dart back and forth around him looking for an answer. Someone can still give him an answer. There's still hope. He won't be leaving just yet. Something is going to save him. Something is going to work out for him.

Ajax starts hyperventilating.

“A-Ajax!? Breathe slowly, Ajax! Breathe slowly!!”

Ajax doesn’t stop hyperventilating. He wants something to save him. He believes deeply that something will save him. Something will save him. He won't have to face this. Something will save him. He won't have to endure this pain. Something will save him. This may be a nightmare but even if it's not the solution will arrive in the nick of time.

Something will save him.

Shaula holds his back, trying desperately to think of what to do in this situation, how to stop him from hyperventilating. If this keeps going on, he'll get light headed and dizzy, he might even fall unconscious and require medical attention.

What do I do? I don’t have a bag to control his breathing. Should I cover his mouth and nostrils? Yeah, that--

The pupil of Oromasdes changes colour for a moment from red to green. A small flash permeates Ajax’s body. His consciousness sinks into sleep and Ajax collapses. He falls backward into Shaula’s arms. Luckily, they’re both still kneeling so Shaula simply holds his unconscious body in her embrace.

Her knees however start to hurt from the extra weight of the unconscious Ajax.

“What... did you...”

“I’M AFRAID SPEAKING FURTHER IS POINTLESS WITH AJAX. ALL I CAN DO NOW IS ASK YOU TO TAKE CARE OF HIM IN OMICRON. I’VE MERELY PUT HIM TO SLEEP. I WOULD NEVER HARM HIM.”

Shaula looks up at Oromasdes in fear, unable to trust his intentions. He had put Ajax to sleep but such an action was neutral at best. He could so easily reduce a human being to sleep...

Truly this being could destroy the both of them. Now it was just the two of them, Shaula and Ahura Mazda.

“YOU TWO MUST SURVIVE... I CANNOT COME WITH THE TWO OF YOU TO ENSURE YOUR SURVIVAL... IN ORDER TO REUNITE WITH AJAX’S FAMILY, I HAVE TO GIVE YOU TWO THE POWER TO SURVIVE. IF YOU TWO DIE OVER THERE, YOU TWO WOULD NEVER REUNITE WITH THEM. THEY WOULD BE HURT BY THAT.”

This being speaks with concern for their well being. It truly wishes for Ajax and Shaula to survive. Yet... there is a contradiction... Ahura Mazda is sending them away from the world. Yet, it holds the two of them with importance and treats their existence with care.

It had called them foreign elements. But with what importance did Oromasdes view such foreign elements? It couldn’t simply be that they were defective entities to be purged from humanity.

Shaula feels Ajax calmly breathing against her. He is ok. For now, it looks like he is ok. Ajax... is like her... a foreign element.

If they are such unknown entities, why is Oromasdes sacrificing anything to send them to Omicron? The ritual of water that he mentioned earlier appeared to be a sacrifice on the planet and possibly other people.

Why would foreign elements be worth more than actual human beings? Why didn't Ahura Mazda simply kill them? There must be something they can’t see yet.

They could not truly know what Oromasdes is thinking. Shaula continues her questions with haste and urgency as their time with Ahura Mazda seems to be coming to an end...

“Are... are you really God?”

“OF THIS WORLD, YES...”

“Can you really not explain to us why you’re sending us away?”

“I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE ABLE TO COMPREHEND WHY JUST YET... AFTER ALL, IF YOU DON’T ALREADY KNOW THEN IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOU TWO TO REALIZE IT ON YOUR OWN.”

A vague answer. Something they don’t realize? Obviously something to do with their alienness to this world. Shaula adjusts Ajax’s heavy body so he is lying with his head on her lap. In frustration, Shaula responds,

“God, I don’t understand that...”

“SHAULA, IT CAN’T BE HELPED AT THE MOMENT. JUST KNOW, I WILL RETURN FOR YOU TWO. RIGHT NOW, I WILL GIVE YOU THE POWER TO SURVIVE THERE.”

The eye of Oromasdes before them starts pulsating. The white capillaries expand and contract in waves from the outer perimeter of the eye to the iris. The pulsations increase in frequency slowly. The eye is preparing for something.

“I WILL GRANT YOU BOTH MY PROTECTION. THIS WILL GRANT YOU THE ABILITY TO SURVIVE IN THAT WORLD. ALONG WITH THE DIVINE PROTECTION OF THE HERO... YOU TWO SHOULD HAVE THE RESOURCES TO SURVIVE...”

The white iris of Oromasdes’ eye turns black as well. The white capillaries of his eye extend over the newly black iris, snaking into the red pupil. The capillaries reach the red pupil, and as they do, the pupil transforms into white, emitting a light as intensely bright as the sun on the brightest day of summer.

In reality it is far brighter than that. If the sun on its brightest day is intense, this light is extremely intense. Humans cannot look directly at the light of the sun so it is hard to tell extremely intense light from intense light.

The light from Oromasdes’ eye, however, is perceived differently than light in reality. Its brightness doesn’t affect Shaula's eye like real light would. But its extremely intense brightness is perceived still by the vision centre of Shaula's brain.

The light permeating the space around them also increases in intensity just like it did before.

“Wh-what are...”

“BY THE JURISDICTION OF THE SUPREME GOD OF THIS WORLD, I, OROMASDES, GRANT YOU, SHAULA SEIKENNITH AND AJAX LEONID, THE DIVINE PROTECTION OF FIRE AND WATER.”

The pupil of Oromasdes’ eye emits a wide area light against both Ajax and Shaula’s bodies. Shaula feels herself being enveloped by the light. She feels it permeate her body as if it wasn’t merely light but... a pure water flowing over her body, into her skin and through her organs, muscles, blood vessels, bones and heart.

She feels it as comforting to her. It almost takes her mind off of Ajax's pain. It almost makes her forget that this being is robbing them of their lives. It almost makes her forget that they are leaving for a place they know absolutely nothing about.

It feels... holy. For God is giving them his blessing.