CHAPTER 11 - The Favored and The Cursed

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Just as Arty went inside, she couldn't stop but stand by at the entrance gazing around in wonder and awe at the beautiful sight of the church she has entered into.

All around her, the building structure inside seemed to be bigger from the outside and it is all colored in beautiful combinations of pure white, gold, and silver in an intricate Celtic-like design.

In all of the windows inside the church, there are beautiful colorful glass designs, depicting each one of the images of the Trinity Goddess in all her glory.

Some would show of the goddess' kind and good side, her reaching out to her favored to show them hope, her touching some heads of the favored to heal them, and some of her spreading her arms out to show the favored and the people of the magnificence of her enlightened godly being.

But then some of the glass window designs show her the bad and fearsome side, her striking her enemies both mortal or inhuman with a bolt of lightning or a fiery wave, her casting punishing curses to those who were judged by her and have deserved it, and her seemingly dressed in the appearance of grim reaper robes as if she's coming for your untimely instant deaths.

Finally, some glass designs show her the neutral side, where you can't predict whether it is good or evil. Some show her in hooded grey robes and holding a fading lighted lantern to guide those who are lost and go through a grey misty plain. Some show her in the same hooded dark robes in the middle of two kinds of people who are the good and the bad and looked as if judging them first before making a final decision where they would go. And finally, some show her of looming over the dead people as if judging them to see whether they should truly lie amongst the dead or be risen again among the living.

All the images depicted on the glass designed windows were wondrous, yet at the same time, eerie and creepy. But from the looks of the people that are visiting in and out of the church, they didn't seem to be disturbed on having these kinds of images engraved on the windows of the building and the worshippers seemed to be praising the pictures as if the Trinity Goddess is truly great and just amongst all the kinds of beings in the world of Eden.

Just as Arty had looked around and seemed to be a bit hesitant to sit down on a pew and make a prayer, since this is her first time and everything, deep down she knows that she's not that much of a worshipper to the Trinity Goddess since she still does not know much about her.

But as she was thinking of this, she didn't notice that one of the people of the holy church had noticed her and approached her kindly to help her out or something.

"Is there something I can help you with, miss?" the one who asked her is a priestess.

Arty was a bit startled on being caught surprised by someone slightly sneaking up behind her and she turned to face her with a little nervous smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I was just looking around," Arty said. "It's my first time being here and I'd like to know more about the Trinity Goddess."

However, her curious inquiries got the priestess to frown and looked at her as if judging her by her appearance.

Arty was a bit curious and confused about why the priestess is looking with judgment like that until she saw the slight glinting in her eyes.

She managed to make herself look calm and steady when she realized that she has the magical eyes that can see through anything, including truth and lies, gifted by the Trinity Goddess herself.

'Great, of all the people who are favored by the goddess--I get the one who's gifted with the magic lie-detecting eyes.' Arty thought to herself as she waited for the priestess to stop studying her like a new specimen on a jar.

When the priestess seemed like she couldn't find anything that is distrusting about her, she asked her blankly. "And may I ask what kind of knowledge you seek about the goddess, miss?"

With that question, Arteria didn't hesitate to give her the answer easily. She knew that the priestess is assessing her closely with her gifted all-seeing magic eyes to see whether she's lying or not.

"I have heard so many stories and tales about her. And I would like to know more to understand why she is known to be the Trinity Goddess. I'm aiming to be a traveling scholar, of course. And I thought that the goddess would be a good starting subject for my project." she answered back to the priestess calmly.

Arty hoped that her slight 'white lie' might work as she knew about the goddess' favored and what she gifts them like the magic eyes, and she knew how to be able to counteract against them since she was once the former writer of the story.

The priestess seemed to believe her and nodded, making her internally relax with relief and the priestess smiled kindly and gestured with a hand to follow her. "Follow me, young one. I will show you some literary works that you can look at and read about our grand goddess."

Arty smiled widely at this and nodded, and then she followed the priestess as they're going towards what the place is known to be the holy library and archives.

Arty was very glad to have first met one of the favored ones of the Trinity Goddess. She knew that the only way to find out, learn and discover more about the Trinity Goddess, she'll have to search out the people who are the favored and the cursed of the goddess.

She knew that the work and tasks that she'll be going through in searching for answers and making plans will be difficult to complete. But she is determined to get everything all of this done so that she'll continue on her journey on finding and obtaining the Fiery Blade.

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