Alicization: Steel and Lycoris

The True Axiom Church

Mildea Plains, Wesdarath

Eydis holds tight to my waist as thunder cracks in the sky of the MIldea Plains. “Th-This is some noise…”

I gently pat our horse, hoping the storm is distant enough to keep all of them settled for the time being. As we get closer to the source, we may have to travel on foot for their sake. But Eydis is right. While it is raining here in the plains, the light intensity of the rain doesn’t match the distant thunder. And where there’s thunder, there’s lightning, but based on the science of counting seconds between lighting and thunder to determine distance, the storm has not moved. “I guess you don’t have to get that close to the ravine to hear the thunder, huh?”

“It’s kind of scary… But did we Integrity Knights really have to remove our armor? I don’t believe it is necessary yet. Although, in these wet condition, all that armor would be a hinderence.”

“Sorry, but I just wanted to be cautious in case the lightning moves from the ravine. I wouldn’t have asked that if we didn’t find cloaks to cover you girls up, though.”

“Hey, look up ahead,” Alice says from right behind us, partnered with Renly (who Eydis found almost immediately after beginning her search). “There’s a Clamp up ahead,and people around it.”

“Why so many,” Tiese wonders. “And why so close to the Clamp? Is there a beast nearby?”

“Looks like they’re praying.”

“So we try talking to them? We do need to ask around about the lightning.” I agree with Alice, and ask Ronie to hold our horse as Eydis and I join Alice in our approach of the Clamp worshippers. Not even out of the innermost region of Wesdarath and we find something weird going on.

“Excuse me, mind if I ask what’s going on here?”

One man steps forward and talks to us. “We’re praying to the Pontifex to stop the lightning.”

“We’re waiting for salvation,” a woman continues.

Alice raises an eyebrow. “Salvation?”

The man nods. “Yes. I have a Calling as a woodcutter, but lightning burned down all my trees. So I lost my Calling and my way.”

“I’m a farmer. I can’t feed my family after taxes, and my daughter has fallen ill…”

Eydis sympathizes with the woman. “That’s awful.”

I agree, but it still doesn’t add up. The only thing noteworthy is that my caution was correct, lightning has spread this far east. “Okay, but why pray here instead of at a church or your homes?”

“We’d been given a task by the True Axiom Church, led by the savior of the world.”

“The True Axiom Church?”

“‘The false Axiom Church defaces the law and brought about these disasters. Seek salvation with the True Axiom Church, the savior and her chosen people.”

“The savior and her chosen people?” Alice turns to me. “Sounds awfully familiar.”

“Indeed… But just to clarify, have any of you met this savior.”