The room was not very spacious. But it was like a small bedroom with a back door and a small window that peered into the alleyway behind the store.
With one small bed, and two chairs around a round tea table the room was rather homely.
Matthew rubbed his feet on the wooly rug as his hair started to stand a bit Heikel hit him lightly on the head.
"Go sit on that chair and stop fooling around."
Matthew rubbed his head and grumbled,
"Old hag."
"What was that?" She quickly looked at him.
"Nothing." Matthew gave a smile as he sat in the chair.
Heikel took out a bowl of jerky and put it in front of Matthew.
"What do you know about Apogee?"
Matthew grabbed a jerky and bit into it.
"Not much apart from the bullshit told by the church." He spoke as he ate.
Heikel chuckled.
Apogee is a punishment from The One. Should human prosper too much or gain too much knowledge The One sends an Apogee to control it. That's how the Church of The One defines Apogee.
But that's not the truth. It is an illusion to keep peoples faith. A method to control knowledge and information.
"It's a phenomenon when the boundary between the Abyss and this world becomes thin." Heikel tells Matthew. She never liked the whole hiding the truth.
She took out a book and opened it. From the book, a holographic image started to project into the air.
It depicted the Earth with a large and dense dark smoke surrounding it.
"Think of it as our world and the dark smoke as the Abyss. And these..."
Heikel pointed at a few strands of dark smoke connected to the world.
"These are a gate connecting our world to the Abyss." Heikel used the tablet to show Matthew a picture of a black hole in the middle of the ocean.
"They are called the Abyssal Gate. And this is the Point Zero. The oldest Abyssal Gate."
Matthew has heard of this. But nothing as descriptive. He looked with astonishment.
The image changed from a world surrounded by the dark smoke to a world covered in dark smoke.
"Sometimes the boundary between the Abyss and the World becomes so faint that they are one and the same. This phenomenon is called an Abyssal Apogee."
She typed something and showed an article.
"On 3rd October, Yeat 537 AW, was the rupture of the third Abyssal Apogee."
Matthew took a deep breath. The memory was a painful one. But Matthew didn't linger on it.
Heikel stopped to see Matthew's reaction before continuing.
"That day, millions of people died worldwide. Yet there is no proper explanation for it. Even the Church failed to give a satisfied explanation."
Heikel put the tablet aside and said,
"And since then any investigation regarding the Third Apogee is strictly forbidden. And any attempt will be eliminated by the RCUVA."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Matthew felt he was missing something.
Heikel sighed as she spoke,
"Because The Church of The One is the firm believer of the New Faith."
"New faith? Oh, you mean their catchphrase?"
Heikel chuckled.
"More or less. No believer of the New Faith will allow you to reach the truth about the Third Apogee. Or any truth for that matter."
Heikel clenched her fist as she said,
"They see knowledge as corruption."
Matthew was stunned at Heikels anger.
"Knowledge is not corruption. It is a burden. But to never seek knowledge is like swimming in a sea of ignorance."
She looked at Matthew,
"Ignorance is a sin, Matthew. and Ignorance will not be tolerated. That is the Old Faith."
She asked Matthew,
"If you want to find the answers you must follow the path of The Old Faith. Can you sacrifice everything you know for the sake of truth?"
Matthew put down the jerky and asked,
"And what? Become a heretic? Get hunted down like a dog by the RCUVA? Endanger my family?"
There was a slight edge to his voice. But Heikel shook her head,
"Normally yes. But with this..."
She showed him a medallion,
"You'll be able to do it without any problem."
"And what's this?" Matthew grabbed the Medallion and asked in confusion.
"This is proof of membership for RCUVA. As long as you have it, apart from the Elders no one can touch you."
Matthew widens his eyes. It's like having the key to the house that opens every door except the master's bedroom.
"How did you get this?" Matthew was astonished. Elders are the highest authority in RCUVA. So to have power just below that was beyond anything Matthew ever imagined.
His hand shook slightly as the weight of the medallion increase by ten fold in his hand.
Heikel smiled,
"Path of Old faith is not like other faiths. So what do you say, Matthew? Will you abandon The One and follow the Path of the Old Faith?"
Matthew closed his eyes contemplating. After a while, he opned his eyes and said,
"Aren't you afraid I will report you to the RCUVA?"
Heikel flashed a smile as she said,
"You can try." There was a lingering threat behind those words.
"But you won't." Heikel said with a smile.
"No. No, I won't." Matthew took the jerky and bit into it.
"In time you'll understand what a great decision you made Matthew." Heikel looked extremely pleased.
Matthew gave a simple nod.
Heikel took Matthew's phone and was doing something as she spoke,
"I know a person who knows about the Third Apogee. But before you ask, he won't tell anybody except those he deems worthy."
"Oh and who is this person?" Matthew asked with a neutral expression.
"Ingrith O'Jakle," Heikel said a simple name but Matthew was once again blown away.
O'Jakle is the founder of the Agents Commerce Association. A foundation that directly opposes RCUVA. Not in terms of ideals but business.
RCUVA have Agents that fight against the Abyss. But they are deployed by the RCUVA.
ACA also has agents that are called Free Agents. They are like freelancers. They take any type of job from security to hunting void creatures.
As one of the most influential man on the planet, Ingrith won't even let a single fly come close to him without permission.
"That- what- i-" Matthew didn't know how to speak. Heikel never looked like someone with connections.
"You need to become a free agent and earn his trust. Only then he will help you."
After taking his fingerprint Heikel handed him the phone. Matthew shifted through the phone.
[Commission grade E: Search the Ikar Family house. 3 drm.]
[Comission grade E: Chase away the ghost. *Address*. 5 drm]
[Commission grade E: Find the lost manuscript in the tomb. 50 drm]
"The hell are these?" Matthew scrolled through countless commissions.
"These are rookie commissions. For newcomers. Complete ten successfully and you'll be promoted to the next rank."
"Rank?" Matthew looked at Heikel.
"Yes. Rank. Each commission has a rank from A-E. E-rank rookies can complete only E-rank commissions. Higher the rank more dangerous the mission." Heikel pointed out.
Matthew nodded and looked back at the phone,
"So I need to just become an A rank Free Agent?"
"Yes and no. A rank will allow you to get commissions from Ingrith." Heikel nodded.
"Oh?"
"After you have successfully proven your worth he might help you." Heikel replied.
'Might. I see.' Matthew caught the crucial word in her sentence. He kept his face neutral as he fiddled with the phone before asking,
"What about this money thing?"
"Rewards. Complete the commissions successfully and you'll get rewards."
Matthew was a bit more interested in it.
Heikel looked at Matthew and asked,
"So what do you say? Will you become the follower of the Old path?"
Matthew without missing a beat said,
"Sure. I see no harm in that."
Heikel beamed with happiness.
"Great! Welcome to the light, Matthew."
Heikel took a small doll from the nearby wall and gave it to him.
"It will protect your life three times. After that, it'll explode. Think of it as a gift for accepting the Old Faith."
"You should have started with that." Matthew smiled as he shoved the doll into his pocket.
Heikel was very good at making charms. But she doesn't sell them to anyone random. So Matthew was more then willing to take it.
After a few more small talks Matthew said goodbye to Heikel.
He fiddled with the phone as he smile crept on his face.
"Old Faith, New Faith... None of it matters."
Matthew looked at the Pastors who were packing up their things. Is Knowledge a burden or corruption? He doesn't care. If it doesn't help him find his mother, it is useless to him.
"As long as I find my mother, nothing matters." He smiled as he thought about the conversation with Heikel.
"I wonder Heikel why after all this time you decided to tell me everything," Matthew said to himself. He of course knew the answer. He knew it from the moment she gave him the incantation.
"What exactly did I prove, for you take such a risk?"
Matthew however didn't dwell on it. Because he knows sooner or later he can bring it out of her. But for now, he was thinking about how to break it to April and Ann.