Chapter 27: The Unseen

As Zax was waiting for Sister Iaura to wake up, whilst in the meantime reckoning how to treat Niel, someplace else, on the opposite side of the planet and beneath the blue sky, happened to share the same inaudibility but with ambiance much less peaceful.

...

Stelero Mars, Archbishop Silternjan, Cardinal Northstar, in addition to all fourth level Martial Mortal members of the church and several of the third level Martial Mortals, were seated on long backrest wooden chairs around a rectangle table from the same type of wood.

A small altar was situated before the west wall of the room they occupied. Before the opposite wall was a podium with an opened, holographic scroll, ready to be read at a moment of convenience. The north wall was black as a vast void, almost like it displayed an image of a desolate space rather than a turned off Screen. Its opposite wall had nothing particular, woodland green wallpaper and a plain looking door.

They numbered forty four, with the majority being the third level Martial Mortals. At every other occasion, any of those third level Martial Mortals would have been ecstatic for the opportunity to share a seat in this consecrated room, but if right now an outsider will enter and ask, none would answer that they desire to stay.

“Sacrilege!” Stelero Mars bellowed and once more caused many of those already restless around him to break eyesight and drop their heads in trepidation. “Do you not know her position?!” He harangued Cardinal Northstar, an inappropriate act in a public forum, even as small as this one.

The Cardinal’s status perhaps was lower and his prospects in the eyes of the church disposable, but he was still a pious devotee with higher cultivation and only The Almighty, His Holiness or those they specifically delegate held the right to indiscriminately admonish.

“His offences are unpardonable and yet you determine that we should comply with his demands?!”

“Sister Iaura is pure and hearty, cherished by esteemed parents, His Holiness an even The Almighty. No matter how aggrieved Zax Zel is, he is but a mortal and no mortal is capable of doing her harm”. Cardinal Northstar remained levelheaded as he justified his opinion. “Furthermore, he requires our help, which is all the more reason for him to keep Sister Iaura safe. Conversely, the Godly Law Template’s location is on the verge of being pinpointed. We can’t contact the Holy Palace before its discovery and even then, only Sheldon’s Galactic Communicator can provide a secure transmission. Of course, we can request his Holiness to expedite the Immortal descent for Sister Iaura, but the consequence of this is that he will be a step behind the other competitors when they will arrive”.

“His Holiness will prioritize Sister Iaura”. For the first time, Archbishop Silternjan opened his mouth and agreed with Cardinal Northstar’s conjecture. “Sister Iaura is the sole candidate to two divine legacies and her constitution even allow her to combine them. It is known throughout the entirety of the lower Valley that she is favored by two Gods. The inhabitants of this remote Plain might be ignorant to the fact, but being knowledgeable or not, a mortal can influence the will of Gods”.

“Oh, so you shy from taking action but don’t mind speaking!” Stelero Mars’s resentment for Archbishop was even graver than his opposition to Cardinal Northstar. Among the three of them, he was the only one who meekly chose to surrender when Zax abducted Sister Iaura.

“Your Young Eminence”, couple of the fourth level Martial Mortals wished to appeal in Archbishop’s name but were shut down quickly by a gaze from Stelero Mars. At the same time, they, and all the other situated in the room, realized that for this prominent figure from the Holy Palace their presence was mere formality and their thoughts no better than the surrounding decorations.

Archbishop Silternjan and Cardinal Northstar were of different mind, regarding the participating subordinates, yet they made little effort to retort against Stelero Mars’s harsh censor. As much as he disagreed he knew they were right, but he was furious nonetheless and needed an outlet, hence venting became his tool.

“The many ways your frivolousness can go wrong are one too many. Godly Retribution being passed on is unheard of and the prerequisite to get Sister Iaura back is solving this issue for Zax Zel”. He really despised him. Even when he composed himself, Stelero Mars felt the throb of rancor pulsing in his sea of consciousness. He fed on it to sustain himself during this time of crisis and made sure to chant verses whenever it threatened to consume him.

“We will begin by setting a time limit”. Cardinal Northstar proposed. “No matter how the son of Zax Zel acquired a small sum of his father’s Godly Retribution, it should not break out any time soon”.

“As long as you cannot be fully certain...” Stelero Mars granted.

Cardinal Northstar coughed twice. “Probing into the will of The Almighty is blasphemy, but if I were an apostate I would guess that this conundrum is an extension to Zax Zel’s punishment”.

He could expound, but refrained to avoid sin. Still, the meaning he wanted to convey was one they could interpret by their shared faith ... Zax’s lack of intent to repent roped his Niel to a similar, catastrophic predicament. As long as he is a caring father, this notion will suffice to gradually wear his resistance and corrode his conviction, for at the day despair will drive him a nudge from falling into the mouth of the damnable abyss, a loss of a son will make it the last push and the appropriate time for the Godly Retribution to strike as a whole.