[Edanian Journey] Elion

Chapter 3: Back Through the Ages

As we pressed on, a priest stood before the blocked path, endlessly demanding that sin be offered. Before him, sinners knelt and confessed their sins over and over.

When we passed judgment upon them, another passage appeared in the <b>History of Iron</b>. It spoke of those who had valued greed above faith, twisting scripture to justify their own desires. Having witnessed the corruption of the Church herself, Margarethe could not help but wonder why such sins and their records remained within a sanctuary.

We continued onward, reading the records we found along the way. There was the story of a girl once called the avatar of Elion, and of sacred power bestowed upon those who prayed. But the peace that followed only stirred the jealousy of those in power. The avatar was branded a heretic and burned at the stake.

Margarethe remembered the Valkyries sacrificed during the Kzarka subjugation. The Church, it seemed, had repeated the same sins again and again.

Following a clue in the records, we made our way toward the <b>Tower of Will</b>. Along the path, we spotted someone standing ahead. At the sight of her back, Margarethe froze and called out Enslar's name.

But the woman who turned around was <b>Venslar</b>.

Venslar tried to stop us and asked us to leave the sanctuary, but Margarethe and I defeated her. Even then, Venslar pleaded with us not to defy the will of God. She said she had begged Elion countless times, but Elion had only listened in silence.

The god now sat with eyes closed, shedding tears while awaiting the day of judgment. The holy water flowing through this land was <b>Elion's Tear</b>, a grace that still raised the dead. But compassion was no longer all those tears carried. Elion's anguish, despair, and regret brought sinners back to endure repentance, and warriors back to deliver judgment.

Venslar explained that she had chosen to follow Elion's silence rather than burden the weak with fear of the coming end. Margarethe did not mock that resolve, but she could not accept a choice that denied them even the chance to survive.

I told Venslar it was still too soon to give up. When she learned that I had already stood against the power of other gods, Venslar hesitated.

In the end, she asked only that I show Elion that mortals still had the will to move forward, and that hope remained.