Straightaway, Mariam entered the hut through the open doorway, and was immediately greeted by the sight of four elderly people sitting on mats, dressed in white robes.
From Mariam's left, she saw a bald-headed elderly man with forehead tattoos and bulging arms, a long-haired long-bearded old man with hazy white eyes, a woman with greyish-black hair and slits for eyes and another old man wearing large circular glasses with a book in hand.
They all watched Mariam as she came in, following her with their eyes and keeping their expressions practically the same throughout.
"Mariam," the bald-headed elder spoke up first, "we're so glad you stopped by. We were just thinking about calling for you."
Mariam waved his words off, "You always say that, Earl, but you guys never actually call for me. I'm really starting to think you all don't want me here."
Earl, the bald-headed elder, immediately broke out into a somewhat nervous fit of laughter. "Oh, you! Hahaha- perish the thought, perish the thought! Hahaha!"
Mariam shook her head as the others laughed weakly alongside their fellow elder.
"So why have you come, Mariam," the only female elder finally asked the question on the other's minds. They all perked up in anticipation of the answer.
"Well, Darla, the truth is that I need your help. You specifically."
Hearing this, everyone but Darla seemed to sigh in relief on the inside, and instantly appeared more carefree and relaxed. Darla stiffened once Mariam made it clear that she needed her help, and the young woman grinned at her.
To Darla, that grin accompanied with Mariam's bright eyes was akin to the sinister face of a devil.
"What do you need me for? Does your new guest also require some medicinal powder for their wounds?" Darla asked, hopeful that she was right.
At the mention of Gilgamesh, Mariam's eyes widened and her tongue clicked.
"That's right! I have something I need to run by you all."
Once again, they all inwardly sunk into despair.
"My new guest is a bit different. His name is Gilgamesh, and he crashed in my corn field- much like the others- but he actually still has memories of what happened."
When Mariam got to that point, genuine intrigue appeared on the elders' faces. For once, they offered her their rapt attention without any false pretenses, obviously interested in finding out the truth about the strangers that had been consistently crashing into the corn field over the years.
"He says that he had only just showed up to... wherever he was... before something descended from Heaven, speaking to him of a test..." Mariam paused purposefully here, and glanced at each of the Elders.
The one with the book adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before speaking. "Did he give a description of this... something?"
The young woman smiled, pointing at him playfully, "That he did, Carael."
"It was a humanoid thing, taller than most, wearing dirty armor and carrying a heavily damaged sword. Sound familiar?"
Swapping glances at this point, the elders all nodded to one another as they each arrived at the same answer. Finally, the hazy-eyed man opened his mouth, and a voluminous yet soft whisper escaped from his throat.
He did not even appear to move his lips as he spoke, yet each word was enunciated clearly.
"Your latest guest appears to have seen The Phantasm."
Mariam giggled, "Ding, ding, ding! Right you are, Pontius!"
Taking her words as an affirmation of the truth, the elders had mixed reactions in the way they adjusted their once comfortable sitting positions.
There was an unease that crept in softly from the shadows of the underhall around them, leaving only Mariam unaffected.
Earl sighed, "Then can we assume that The Phantasm was also responsible for all your other guests?"
"Surely that must be the case. They all disappeared after the test, did they not? The Phantasm is the Right Hand of The Lord, and so he would be the first to act on Heaven's behalf." Before Mariam could answer, Darla did.
"Yes," Mariam nodded, "The Phantasm is the only sensible answer. It has always carried with it an intense hatred of Themes, despite being one itself."
"Themes? You think that your guests have all been Thematic Beings?" Carael put his book down and placed a hand on it. "If that's true then..."
Pontius suddenly sighed, his sigh clearing the air with silence before his voice was heard again. "Then it means that The Lord knows."
In unison, the elders looked to Mariam with worry, only for her to laugh and smile back at them without a hint of fear in her eyes. "The Lord uses all of the beings under its jurisdiction in some way. Why should I care if it chooses to use me, too?"
A sudden thump shook the hut, and the elders turned to look at Earl, whom had slammed his fist into the floor. "Because it means that The Lord has already set its sights on you. For all we know, a target may have already been painted on your back."
Earl slowly lifted his fist and raised his head, looking straight at Mariam.
"You may not care for your own safety, but we do. You are far too valuable to us. Not just the clan-- the entire Silver Sky World needs you, Mariam."
The others all listened and nodded, indicating their stance on the matter as well.
Mariam eyed them all strangely. There was a degree of warmth in her expression that, somehow, seemed to reflecting everything they were aiming at her. As if she was, in that moment, feeling what they felt for her in reverse.
She cared deeply for them; they cared deeply for her.
"Regardless of The Lord's plans for me, the truth remains that it has been sending Themes here so that the Ideas they embody might be forcefully revealed." Pontius nodded, already figuring out where she was going with this.
"This confirms my theory that The Lord cannot see into beings born of all-matter, the same way it could not see through any of the past Demon Kings."
Weighing just how serious such a matter was, the other three elders began to ponder the same things that Pontius had already started thinking about.
Mariam continued. "I can say with absolute certainty that all my past guests have been Themes- Thematic Beings, as you say."
"Assuming they were targeted and attacked by The Phantasm from the moment they were born, it makes sense that they would come to me without memories, bearing mortal wounds."
Earl and Darla seemed confused by this until Carael, noting their confusion, spoke up, "All records of Thematic Beings state that they are unable to retain memories of anything at all. If a Thematic Being lives long enough to go to sleep- or be knocked unconscious- they forget everything they ever knew, remembering only the Idea that they embody."
Earl and Darla both came to the same shocking conclusion. However, they were much slower than Carael, who had figured it out just a tad slower than Pontius did.
"Then," Earl started.
"Doesn't that mean that..." Darla continued.
Carael adjusted his glasses as he nodded, and Pontius blinked a single time.
"Yes," Mariam answered them before they could even pose the question. "My latest guest, Gilgamesh, suffered spiritual wounds so severe that I cannot heal his physical wounds on my own. Add that to the fact that he remembers everything anddd...?"
Pontius answered, "He cannot be a Thematic Being, yet everything else we know about him suggests that he is."
Carael folded his arms and sat upright. "He had only just arrived before he was targeted by The Phantasm. It spoke of testing him, before attacking both his body and spirit. Then, he crashes into your field and wakes up here, just like all the others."
"What, then, makes him different?" Carael posed the question to anyone who could think of an answer, then settled down to think of one himself.
Darla gasped softly, "Then, can I assume that what you needed my help with was procuring some spiritual medicine?"
Mariam nodded; Darla clasped her hands and said an inward prayer of thanks.
"If its something as simple as that," Darla laughed, "I'll get on it right away!" Without another word, Darla flicked her finger and a small pill furnace popped out of nowhere before landing before her with a thud.
Not even taking note of it and its intricate design, the other elders continued to think about the matter of Gilgamesh.
"The Lord is one step ahead of us for now," Mariam sighed, looking slightly troubled for the first time. "However, the fact that it sent Gilgamesh here means that it either mistook him for a Thematic Being, or it wants to see if I can help it figure out what exactly he is."
"Hoh..." Earl nodded slowly, only understanding after Mariam spelled it out.
"The Lord cannot see through beings that are born of all-matter. If Gilgamesh is not such a being, then how is it that he cannot be seen through?" Carael frowned.
"Perhaps," Pontius stroked his beard, "The Lord thinks that its inability to see through Gilgamesh means that he must be a Thematic Being."
Earl stared blankly into space.