Maya's tea had gone cold, untouched. It was hard to stomach how Lady Kiana spoke of such terrifying concepts so lightly. Perhaps if she looks at her more like a historian than a practitioner of religion she spoke of, it would suit her demeanour more.
Maya didn't expect to receive the lore about the darker 'true' faces of their gods or that it would be so elaborate and more detailed than the one they follow nowadays.
"I see you must be wondering why would I speak of our gods with old names that may sound like blasphemy," Lady Kiana saw right through her. "Because my role isn't to convert you into our fate. I am simply talking about our history and helping you understand why humans would misunderstand us."
She returned to her academic approach. "If we worship gods with such dreadful names in times when Church was in reign, it is only natural they would be afraid. To people back then was unimaginable to affirm such horribly-sounding gods, let alone treat one's gods with reverent aversion."
Maya began to fiddle more and more with her hands. Although Lady Kiana started by telling a story with a hypothetical tone, after she was done with explaining, Maya couldn't help but feel as if the bleak side of gods was the one the High Priestess firmly believed in.
"Witches have always lived for themselves. As gods' creations, we don't owe them anything. Being thankful is our own choice and everyone's relationship to gods is their own. However, I wouldn't look at life so negatively. Existence itself is a miracle. To them, we may be a colony of ants, but we still prevail."
"Lady Kiana… do you not like gods?"
"Did I sound like I carry ill will toward them?" she elegantly scratched her chin with her finger. "Certainly, they do not sound like gods you can adore, but on the other hand, you can't hate them either. I think they are great teachers. Just how our gods' true nature lays in the shadows, who knows what else might not be as it seems on the surface."
"But that is not what gods really are like, right?"
"I wonder…"
"It… it can't be."
"Oh, my… I guess I better refrain from sharing this in the future." The priestess chuckled to herself softly, shaking her head.
'Should someone in a such position really be so frivolous and eccentric?'
She did mention that she would try a different approach than usual. It must mean others didn't receive such unorthodox lessons and know nothing of the dark side of their gods. Thankfully so. Who could live on without feeling depressed after knowing the gods that created them could be evil?
"You don't actually want people to follow your fate?"
The High Priestess chuckled.
"On the contrary. However, it just wouldn't feel fair to indoctrinate all students who arrived from the modern world to worship gods they never even heard of, let alone such bleak ones. Faith and religion are a choice. One you are left to decide on yourself. In the end, it's not like it matters whether you worship our gods or not. They'll still look at you the same."
Maya struggled to form a clear opinion of Priestess Kiana. The woman exuded an aura of benevolence and otherworldliness, yet seemed oddly disconnected from reality. Maya couldn't shake the feeling that this ethereal demeanour was merely a façade, concealing something inscrutable beneath—and that hidden depth somewhat scared Maya.
Lady Kiana focused on the person who waved at her from the distance, seemingly reminding her she had other duties for today.
"Now for a pop quiz," she said ecstatically, clasping her hands.
Her mood was in complete contrast to Maya's and it unnerved her.
"Why is one of the temples more grand?"
Maya thought for a moment and gave an answer. "Because this temple is dedicated to the God of Light."
"Correct. As I mentioned before, we do not want one god to prevail over the others so at each temple there are spaces dedicated to the other gods even if the temple as a whole is meant for one of them. Next question. Since this is a Temple of Light, which goddess do we worship here?"
"Goddess of… Death?" Maya answered insecurely.
"Correct. And the most rightfully so. Since Goddess of Death is the one we need the most."
From her last statement, Maya finally confirmed her wariness of the priestess to be just. Who can say something like that, not only with a straight face, but with a beaming smile? Maya didn't quite like the High Priestess because what she spoke was hard for her to understand and it gave her the creeps. In a way, she hoped everything she said about gods was a lie.
'What kind of beings would create us only to wish for our destruction?'
Coming here, she was hoping to get answers, but left with deep unrest from learning that gods watching over her could be evil.
'No. It can't be. Elements are a representation of gods' powers, and elements have chosen us and given us a second chance in life. Therefore, gods must care about us.'
Deriving her own conclusion, a strong sense of relief washed over her.
'Was… Was this a test?' Maya wondered to herself.
Since she wasn't interested in theology and the mandatory temple work didn't require them to be devoted worshipers, Maya decided to cut her visits to the temple to a minimum.
Maya looked at the tea she hadn't touched, feeling glad she didn't. The High Priestess beckoned someone behind to approach them.
"You already know Tanya? If I remember correctly, you mentioned she was your mentor?"
"Yes."
Tanya joined them, bowed respectfully to the High Priestess and was instructed to walk Maya out.
"May light follow." Lady Kiana sent her away with those words.
Maya was quiet, still under deep impression from Lady Kiana's lecture.
"I understand temples aren't everyone's cup of tea. From how pale you look, I'd guess you'd come from a séance and not from some light lessons," Tanya tried to lighten the mood.
"It isn't an experience I'd want to relive."
Tanya laughed. "Well, Lady Kiana is a bit eccentric. I wouldn't take her too seriously, though. She likes to have fun in strange ways simply because she can."
"Do you think what she said was true?"
"I don't know what she said to you, but I'd say it's fifty-fifty whether it was true or not."
"You seem to know her well."
"I am a rather frequent resident here. So much that they almost accept me as an unofficial priestess."
'It must mean she doesn't do anything related to temple work, then.'
"Why do you come here?" Maya wondered.
Tanya scratched her chin and looked into the distance. "…Because God of Light took my friends away, so I often come here to curse at him."
Maya chuckled, unsure if she was joking.
Happy to have lightened Maya's mood, Tanya smiled. "If you ever need extra lessons, this is where you can find me."