A phone rung loudly coming from the desktop of the High Priest's office.
"Yes, hello?" He answered.
"Raphael!" The other voice spoke excitedly. "Your province was chosen this year. Are you ready?"
"I sure am, Uriel. It's been a long time since the Reverence was hosted at Santorium." Raphael looked outside his windows, seeing that the freezing January frost settled along his window still. "Though I envy the warmer climate provinces like yours have down south."
Uriel chuckled in response. "It's alright. Nothing like a little bit of cold weather to keep the kids awake during the Reverence."
"You're right," Raphael laughed. "Either way, the Reverence is going to be different this year. No one will want to miss it."
"Any update on the rocket at all?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid. Seems as though Michael and his workers have been putting in the work for quite some time now. It should be ready by the end of January though, and by then, we can make the official announcement for this year's Reverence."
Uriel smiled. "The first time ever we'll be paying a tribute to MONA in person… It truly will be a blessing!"
"You can thank the centuries' worth of development in technology up to this point. Even just a few decades ago the masses couldn't have ever fathomed flying up to the Moon to visit MONA upfront. But look at us now. Menesism has peaked, and we can only thank Mother for that."
"Praise MONA! We shall grant her our offerings when we land on her well-being with the rocket."
"It'll be a revolutionary moment for Elysia when that moment arrives. We must ensure that the landing is broadcasted live for the entire world to see."
Uriel's grin faded for a moment. "It's important that our statement is made clear to overshadow them…"
"Them…?"
"The Cardinal Nexus…"
"Right…" Raphael sighed. "The only political party trying to compete with us in the upcoming election… It's been a long time since a party has joined the competition."
"It really has been. I wasn't even a high priest yet the last time a party opposed the Elysian Congregation."
"For good reason though. The Elysian Congregation is for the people. We mark our words by the text of the Talitem, and so do the masses. Our beliefs and morals align, because that's what She wrote in the Talitem."
"The Talitem is the text of truth."
"It is indeed. So I wonder why the Cardinal Nexus dare oppose our very own beliefs? Have you heard? They are outspokenly 'anti-religion'."
Uriel's jaw dropped. "You're joking!"
"I'm not. They are targeting us directly." Raphael gritted his teeth. "But they won't win. Not when the people of Elysia are all under the influence of MONA. Everyone worships her, falling directly in-line with the values that the Elysian Congregation puts forth, the values that we High Priests put forth!"
Uriel nodded in approval. "Hosting the Reverence in your province has clearly made you more enthusiastic."
"Having competition this election has made me more enthusiastic… And what better way to make our statement than to visit the Moon, MONA herself, and prove to the people that she truly does watch over us, just as the Talitem says!" Raphael's tone grew with more passion by the second. "Having the people bear witness to MONA will be the greatest miracle known to mankind! As if everyone's faith is not already strong, with their witness to this year's Reverence, their faiths will be solidified in stone! Set in stone! Embedded like fossils in the stone!"
"Relax, relax… I get it, Raphael." Uriel couldn't believe the High Priest's excitement. He had to hold in the excitement of his own. "We'll prove it to everyone, the people. You, me, and the other five… The day is nigh. The people will surely be on our side. The Cardinal Nexus is a matter we won't even have to worry about!"
"You're right!" Raphael brushed the thought off his mind. The election was following the Reverence anyways, which worked directly in the Elysian Congregation's favor. If the High Priests could make the point to the people that the Moon was in fact a goddess known as MONA, and that MONA was real, then the Menesis faith would grow. The biggest threat against Menesism at the moment was the skepticism surrounding the idea of worshipping a Moon. People wanted to believe that MONA truly was up there, and that she wasn't just some fictional entity written to give people false hope. As long as the Reverence went according to plan, then the Elysian Congregation was sure to win against the Cardinal Nexus.
It was a test of faith. A battle between the faithful and non-faithful.