Legend of the Creator

"The Creator?" Xialuote blinked a little dully, only then digging up the origin of the term from the depths of her memory. In the holy canon of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the section on ancient legends mentioned a creation myth. Legend had it that in the very beginning, the world held only boundless chaos and darkness. The Creator's awakening brought forth the first ray of light, and He subsequently merged completely into the cosmos: His body transformed into the earth and the stars, His eyes became the sun and the Red Moon respectively, His blood gathered into surging oceans and rivers, nurturing all life that existed today. The dragons, giants, elves, feathered serpents, phoenixes, and demonic wolves that survived only in ancient myths had likewise evolved from various parts of His body, while His split spirit became the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. That era when chaos first opened was known as the First Epoch, also called the Chaos Epoch. The Church's holy canon placed particular emphasis on the fact that the sun formed from one of the Creator's eyes was precisely the Eternal Blazing Sun that illuminated the world today. Yet strangely, the holy canon of every Church contained similar records, each acknowledging that the Creator had made everything. Apart from specifying different deities as evolving from different parts of the Creator's body, none explicitly claimed that their own revered deity had been born earliest or held a more exalted status. Either this was simply fact and could not be altered, or the Seven Great Churches had reached a consensus over prolonged disputes. Of course, there were still notable differences among the legends. The Evernight Goddess, Earth Mother, and God of Combat seemed to have awakened somewhat later, sheltering humanity alongside the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom only by the Second Epoch. The God of Craftsmen had appeared latest of all, said to have truly been born only in the Fourth Epoch, which was why the corresponding Church was far smaller in scale than those of the other six ancient deities. *Perhaps the Craftsman Church simply developed late and truly had no way to date the deity they worshipped any earlier without being easily exposed...* Xialuote muttered inwardly, her gaze lingering on the crude shrine. Before truly coming into contact with the Beyonder world, she had never believed in the existence of gods. Yet in a world where even potions and monsters were real, the existence of several gods capable of responding to prayer did not seem quite so difficult to accept. But why was the Creator enshrined in this church different from the figure in the holy canon who had already dissolved into the cosmos and existed solely in creation legends? Seeing her remain silent with flickering eyes, the blond priest lowered his outstretched arms and said with a smile, "It seems you recall the legends concerning the Creator." "Only a little," Xialuote said with measured care, not revealing her faith. "After creation, the Creator merged entirely into the world, and no unified faith ever formed around Him." The priest shook his head. "In the era when humanity had just been born, the world was ruled by all manner of mad, cruel, and powerful monsters. The dragons, giants, and elves of later generations were merely the offspring of those beings. "At that hour when monsters ran rampant and the world verged on ruin, the Creator awoke from slumber, reclaimed the powers held by those ancient monsters, and bestowed them upon humanity, granting mankind the gradual strength to resist and bringing about our present civilization and history." *This is completely different from the records in the Church's holy canon...* Xialuote grew wary, her brows knitting slightly. As if oblivious to her thoughts, the priest continued, "Before falling asleep once more, He left behind a prophecy: when madness, cruelty, and bloodlust rule the earth anew, He will awake from His deep slumber and reclaim everything scattered throughout the world." Reclaiming scattered powers—did that include the powers held by the seven orthodox gods? Xialuote instantly detected the most dangerous part of this doctrine. Although the Seven Great Churches had experienced many conflicts throughout history and competed with one another, they never disparaged the other orthodox gods in their holy canons. Yet the legend told by this white-robed priest placed the Creator in a supreme and solitary position, even hinting that the authorities of all deities today had originally stemmed from the Creator and would ultimately return to Him. *This sounds no different from an evil cult...* At this thought, Xialuote quietly put her guard up. Still, because the priest showed no signs of madness, made no demand for her money, participation in rituals, or conversion to the faith, and merely wore a constant smile, she did not leave immediately. Instead, she asked cautiously, "Since legends of the Creator exist across all the major Churches, why have I never seen His churches or believers anywhere else?" The priest looked toward the statue bearing the cross, his tone remaining placid. "Because the gods of today do not wish for that Creator to wake again. "Once He awakens, He will reclaim the authorities and powers scattered across the world. The gods who maintain the world's order today might very well disappear as a result." *So the Seven Gods are all worried their power will be taken back by its original master? Even evil cults aren't so arrogant. At most, they claim the Seven Gods deign not to answer believers, whereas the entities they worship always grant returns if given sufficient sacrifice...* Xialuote let out a quiet chuckle and said half-jokingly, "The holy canons of all seven deities acknowledge that the Creator made everything, yet should the Creator actually awaken, They would rather not see it happen?" "Precisely so." Paying no heed to the faint trace of mockery in her tone, the priest nodded with a smile. "A Creator who exists only in symbols will not truly share the faith of believers, but a true Creator is another matter. "The Seven Gods will not publicly deny the Creator, for He is indeed the source of all life and power. Yet neither do They wish for ordinary mortals to believe in Him, lest the sleeping Creator hear ever more voices." *This rhetoric is dangerous. It feels like the sort of thing that could get someone arrested at any moment...* Xialuote instinctively glanced around, promptly recalling the practices explicitly forbidden by the Church: praying to unknown entities and directing rituals toward them. If what this priest said was true, would praying directly to the Creator elicit a response, or would it attract corruption just like chanting the Honorable Name of an evil god? As if discerning her thoughts, the priest clasped the cross on his chest—shaped identically to the one borne by the Creator's statue—and said with regret in his voice, "Regrettably, not everyone who professes faith in the Creator understands the true meaning of faith. "Some believe the Creator never slept, but dwells within every person, and that His remaining core is still active, still capable of answering prayers. Some among them even view the seven deities as false gods who stole His authorities, or merely as more powerful angels. "Distorting this faith will only invite catastrophe, and will cause true believers to suffer the hostility of the orthodox Churches." Saying this, he sighed and shook his head again, a hint of helplessness in his expression. *Is this the difference between moderates and extremists? The former claim is already unsettling enough, while the latter directly challenges the foundation of faith of the Seven Great Churches and would inevitably be deemed heresy... Still, the man before me might not be a 'moderate' either; perhaps he's just better at hiding it...* Xialuote observed the priest for a few seconds. Finding no flaw in his expression or tone, she had no choice but to change the subject: "Then how do you spread your faith? I haven't seen a single believer since I walked in, and the townsfolk don't seem to care about this place at all." The white-robed priest turned his head slowly, his pale eyes settling on Xialuote's face as an even gentler smile spread across his features. *** By the time Xialuote returned to the Bifu'er inn, night had fallen completely. A dim, yellow light filtered through the windows lining both sides of the main street, and two windproof oil lamps had been hung beside the inn's entrance. Lawu'er happened to be coming down from the second floor, having changed into a coat suitable for dining. Seeing his daughter walk in through the door, his brows knitted at once. "Where were you just now?" "Just taking a walk around town. The view on the hillside was quite nice," Xialuote answered simply. The meal provided by the dining hall was reasonably plentiful. The main dish was somewhat over-stewed mutton, served alongside bread, pickled vegetables, several varieties of locally flavored dried meat, and a home-brewed wine that, while slightly sour, helped relieve the fatigue of long-distance travel. During the meal, a girl of about ten repeatedly passed by the tables, helping deliver food and tableware. She had soft, long blond hair and exceptionally beautiful pale-violet eyes; her movements were lively, and a warm smile never left her face. From the conversations of other guests, Xialuote learned that she was Feiliya, the daughter of the couple who owned the inn. Before long, the lively girl bounded over and asked curiously, "Miss, where did you go this afternoon? I wanted to chat with you, but you vanished in the blink of an eye." Xialuote had not intended to tell her about entering the Creator's church, but when her gaze fell upon the exquisite silver necklace around the girl's neck, her heart suddenly softened, and she changed her mind. "I visited the church on the hillside. It's very quiet there, good for resting." "A church?" Feiliya blinked in bewilderment. After a moment, as though suddenly remembering something, she nodded slowly, the curious look fading from her face as if she had abruptly aged several years. The longer Xialuote looked at her, the more unnerving it felt. She reached out and patted her head, tousling the soft blond hair a little. The girl froze for an instant, then puffed out her cheeks and dodged backward, clutching her tray. "Don't pat my head!" *Now that's more like a little girl...* Satisfied, Xialuote drew back her hand and watched as Feiliya, her blond hair disheveled like a ruffled puppy, scampered off toward another table. *** At first light the next day, the masters and servants of the Suolun family prepared to board the carriages and resume their journey. Having covered less distance the day before, the drivers planned to depart early to reach a post station farther along before noon. The innkeeper and his wife took the initiative to help carry luggage, their expressions devoid of vitality from years of toil, but the lively girl Feiliya beamed brightly, waving vigorously to bid Xialuote farewell. Only when the two carriages had passed through the not yet fully awakened town and reentered the post road toward Telier did the smile on Feiliya's face fade away, bit by bit. She turned her head to glance at her parents, who still maintained their farewell posture, staring expressionlessly in the direction the carriages had departed, and then walked alone up the main street toward the hillside.