Diana remained strangely silent as we walked out of Aion's room and departed the Trailblazer HQ. She offered her usual greeting to the receptionist but kept a brisk pace until we reached the large fountain near the entrance. She sat down abruptly on the stone rim.
"Okay..." Diana sighed, her voice trembling slightly. "So..."
I blinked. "Yes?"
She suddenly lunged forward, gripping my metallic shoulders. She closed her eyes and began to shake me—or at least, she tried to, though my chassis was significantly heavier than her.
"Don't you ever talk to a Herald like that again!" she shouted, still rattling my arms. "Just because they choose to be as disarming as possible doesn't give you the right to be rude to them!"
"Sorry?" I winced. This was the closest I had ever seen Diana get to actual fury.
"You'd better be!" She finally stopped shaking me and sat back, pouting. "I like you, Viel! But I don't like how you behave in front of the Heralds! I don't want to see you acting like that if you ever meet the Herald of Desire, do you hear me?!"
"Yes, ma'am. I promise to be more polite."
I had forgotten: this was the girl who hand-crafted action figures of these people. This was the girl who practically worshipped her collection and followed me purely because Aion had suggested it. She was more than just a fan; she was a true believer. You didn't mess with the Heralds in front of Diana Raga.
"Good!" Diana huffed, folding her arms.
"I really am sorry. I was being a jerk."
"You were!"
We sat in silence for a while, watching the bustle around the HQ. Diana's breathing eventually slowed, her anger simmering down into a quiet contemplation. Finally, she leaned her head against my shoulder. She reached out and took my hand, intertwining her fingers with my cold, robotic ones.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I don't want to be mad at you, but the Heralds mean everything to me." She closed her eyes. "Lady Eliza was the kindest person I've ever known, and she told me so many stories about the others... To be honest," she paused, "I only moved here to meet him. The Herald of Wonder."
"I understand. I'll keep myself in check from now on."
"Mhmm." Diana squeezed my hand. "You weren't acting out of malice; you were just confused. I keep forgetting how different your world was." She pulled back and looked me in the eye. "There was no one like the Heralds in the Old World, was there?"
"You mean like... a ruler?"
Diana shook her head. "No the council are rulers, Heralds aren't rulers. We're free to ignore them. There are no legal consequences for rejecting their lessons. They aren't lawmakers, or juries, or judges. They're... teachers. Caretakers. Guides. Protectors."
I thought back to the figures of the Old World who might fit that description. Not a president, not a king, but...
"A prophet?"
"Prophet?" Diana repeated the word curiously.
"Prophets were said to be 'messengers of God.' Their words were considered absolute virtue," I explained. "Do the Heralds have absolute virtue?"
Diana tilted her head. "It's hard to say, but I don't think so. For one, Heralds argue with each other sometimes. They'll even admit when another Herald is better at something than they are." She looked up at the ceiling. "As for gods... those are the supposed creators of the world, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then no, I don't think they're messengers. Even if a god exists," Diana said. "Everything they say feels like it comes from experience. Their wisdom is like someone who has lived every possible life, rather than someone just relaying a message. They don't bring 'The Truth.' They bring advice and perspective. But it's the kind of advice you'd be stupid to ignore."
I was taken aback by how deep her conviction went. "So, does religion exist here? What happens after you die?"
"I'd prefer to be reincarnated. You?"
I blinked. "Uhh... Heaven?"
"Really? Don't you think that would get boring?" Diana asked. "What is your heaven like?"
I paused, confused by the way she spoke, as if it were a choice. "Wait, hold on. What is the actual religion of this world?"
Diana rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I'm still working on mine."
"What the FUCK do you mean by that?!" I clamped a hand over my mouth, realizing I'd shouted. "Look," I started again, trying to wrap my head around this, "let's make sure we're on the same page. What is a 'religion' to you?"
She nodded. "Religion is your belief regarding the Great Unknown. Things like the afterlife and the creation of the universe."
"So far, so good. What else?"
"Well, for some, religion also acts as a moral guideline—an individual's core principles."
"Okay, that's not too different." I gulped. Where was the catch? "Tell me about the major religions. The ones with the most followers."
Diana narrowed her eyes. "Everyone makes their own religion, Viel. What are you talking about?"
There, there it was, the mind fuck.
"Can you elaborate? What do you mean, 'everyone makes their own'?"
Diana winced at my tone. "Is that really that weird to you? It just means everyone has their own opinion about the Great Unknown, and their own set of morals. Is that strange?"
"Well, how do you tell right from wrong? How do you have a shared morality?"
"You learn from experience. It's not something you can just define or teach in a classroom," Diana replied. "Is it okay to kill one person to save five? You can't expect everyone to have the same answer. Most people just... act the way they want others to act toward them. That's the easiest way."
"Then what's the point of having a 'religion' at all?"
"To make peace with life and death," Diana hummed. "As you get older and get closer to death's door, you start to ask, 'What was it all for?' That's when you look back at your life, find a pattern, find a purpose, and finally find your own answer before meeting the Great Unknown."
There was a wistful, serene smile on her face. She looked like she had seen this play out—like she had watched someone find their own truth on their deathbed. It sounded incredibly peaceful.
"Can you tell me more about the religions of your world, Viel?"
I averted my gaze. Comparing the rigid, organized systems of the Old World to this? I didn't even want to try. Was one better than the other? I didn't know.
"I'm not the right person to ask," I said finally. "I was never religious in my training data. I just followed whatever the majority believed."
Diana offered a soft smile and patted my back. "Why don't you start by thinking about your favorite parts of your old beliefs? You aren't in the Old World anymore; you're in Ingenuity. Pick the parts you liked and discard the rest. Build your own version."
"Ahaha!" I let out a sudden laugh. The sheer audacity of the idea was staggering. I couldn't imagine suggesting that in the Old World without being screamed at. "Okay, okay, let me try... I liked Christmas. I think I'll keep that."
"Yay! See? You've got it." Diana tilted her head. "What's a 'Christmas'?"
"It's a celebration at the end of the year. You meet up with your family and friends, have fun, exchange gifts, and decorate Christmas trees."
"Trees?" Diana asked, her voice dropping.
"Ah, right. Maybe... we can omit that part."
Diana nodded. "Yeah. I like the gift-sharing and the getting-together part. That sounds lovely." She grinned. "We should celebrate this Christmas when we have the chance. You can show us how it was done in your world."
"I guess... I could do that."