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Axin looked upon the grand cathedral of Illuxio, a massive stone structure which dwarfed everything in the surrounding city. It was practically a work of art compared to the modest wood-and-stone houses that surrounded it. Even the city’s town hall and castle keep were no match for its splendor. The populace seemed to think so too, as countless souls flocked to the region’s new center of religious worship. A spiritual revolution was about to unfold right in front of him, and Axin could think of only one thing.
“How quaint,” the dusty-haired man scoffed. ‘This primitive little planet was supposed to be quiet and uneventful. It was so far out of the way and worth so little attention that those damn Federation pigs would never spare it a second glance. And I just had to land right at the epicenter of this kooky nonsense. Was this cathedral even here last septocycle[1]? I knew they were building something since I landed, it wasn’t exactly discreet, but they finished this way too quickly for such a backward planet.’ Axin briefly wondered if he should play along with the worshippers to blend in, or if it would be best to keep his distance in case this situation turned from holy revolution to holy war. Before he could make his choice, a mass of people began to gather up around him, trapping him in the crowd as a figure stepped out from the cathedral, adorned in white robes.
“My fellows, followers of the faith, I come bearing news of another divine visit,” the figure announced. By the sound of their voice, they were clearly a youngish woman, a far bit younger than what Axin expected from a so-called prophet on this planet. At least his universal translator was still working. “Our prayers have been answered, the goddess shall send her messenger to provide me guidance. Today I shall be granted wisdom, tomorrow you all shall be granted wisdom, and the next day the kingdom, and the following the entire known world!” The people cheered, much to Axin’s confusion. All this prophet was saying were vague promises of wisdom. This was a religious leader who took the kingdom by storm this last septocycle?
‘Something doesn’t sit right with me, this is all happening too fast,’ Axin thought. “Either that or these people are more gullible, stupid, and desperate than I thought.” He shook his head, counting the seconds until the crowd would finally disperse enough that he could leave. However, his attention was soon drawn back to the white-robed prophet.
“I promise you, divine blessing awaits us all,” she raised her hands to the sky and suddenly put on an impromptu light show. Glowing balls of light orbited her as she was bathed in a golden aura that gave the illusion that she floated off the ground. The crowd fell into shocked silence before cheering even louder than before. Axin was stunned too, not because of the “miracle,” but because he had seen it before.
‘That was an Illumin 9000, it was hot shit about a heliocycle or two ago,’ Axin noted. ‘It’s great at making fancy light shows, but it was stupidly expensive and overpriced for what it did. How the hell did one end up on this backwater planet? I know there was a rumor about a shipment that went missing in the outer rim, but I thought it was nonsense made up during a slow news week. Regardless, either this so-called prophet bought one on their own, stole it, or is a proxy for someone else who did one of the former. Suddenly I don’t feel so safe right now. If the Federation dogs don’t sniff out this tech disparity, the one responsible might sniff me out before long, and I doubt they’re fans of witnesses.’ Axin desperately looked for a way out of the crowd, but found none. In fact, the crowd was moving towards the cathedral now, forcing him to move with them if he didn’t want to be trampled.
“Hold steady, fellow believers, come pray as I await the divine messenger,” the prophet welcomed in the crowd. Axin cursed his bad luck as he was practically herded inside. Maybe there would be a backdoor or something he could sneak out through once inside. He doubted he’d be getting out the front door anytime within his lifetime.
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Somehow the inside of the cathedral felt even more massive than the outside, which was impressive considering how claustrophobic Axin felt right now. With how close the crowd was packed in around him, he might as well have been in an airtight can. It would take a divine miracle just to find enough space to breathe, let alone escape this frenzied crowd.
‘Well. I’ll be,’ Axin spotted a side hallway ignored by the crowd coming up ahead. If he wanted to escape, he’d have to act now. He could see the main hall approaching fast, and once he spilled out into it, he’d likely have to wait until this whole event was over before he could slip away. With a strong push and a little agility, Axin wiggled his way through the crowd and barely managed to squeeze out into the side hallway. He took a grateful breath of air now that he wasn’t being crushed from all sides.
“Praise the Goddess, the messenger comes soon.” He could still hear the prophet from all the way back here. That all but confirmed in his mind they were using an Illumin 9000. The speakers on that thing were so powerful they were the subject of controversy, if he recalled correctly. Either that or this girl missed her life’s calling to be an opera singer or a sports announcer.
‘Now, let’s hope this isn’t just a dead-end hallway for the bathroom,’ Axin thought as he looked down the long dark hall. While there was a bathroom, there was also an obscured, unmarked door at the end of the hall. Perhaps a service entrance or maintenance area. ‘Hopefully, it’s not just a closet.’
Axin rushed down the hall and opened the door, which thankfully wasn’t locked, and stepped out into an even larger side hallway that seemed to run the entire length of the building. The self-proclaimed space rogue smiled at his good fortune. There was a way out after all.
‘Or maybe not,’ he realized to his frustration that his escape would not be so easy. While the hall did run the length of the building, heading back towards the entrance only led him to an unfinished section of the cathedral still under heavy construction. There were no workers for whatever reason, but there was also no exit. And if there was one, it was blocked by all their equipment and materials. It was fairly rudimentary equipment, all things considered, although the steel scaffolding seemed a little out of place. ‘More alarm bells. Whatever, if I’m really lucky, knowledge of how to build a fire exit is one of the things my fellow visitor brought with them.’
Axin turned around and trudged up the other direction through the long hallway. The whole area was beginning to disturb him. The out-of-place scaffolding was one thing, but the gradual decrease in lighting was another. He wasn’t sure how this place was lit and had initially assumed it was by candlelight, but the remaining lights on the walls were most certainly not candles. And there were gradually fewer and fewer of them the further he went down the hall. Whatever their method, it was clear neither end of this hallway had been finished yet.
‘Maybe this was a mistake,’ Axin considered as the sound of the crowd outside became louder and more audible. The main hall must have been right past the wall next to him.
“…I go now, the divine messenger awaits!” The prophet’s voice boomed through the hall, scaring the wits out of Axin. It seemed he passed a threshold where her voice was no longer muffled.
‘Lovely, I bet the crowd is about to hit a fever pitch,’ Axin shook his head before spotting a better lit section up ahead. ‘Stairs? Where there are stairs, there might be an emergency exit, or at least a window.’ He dashed forward, looking for his salvation, but only found the stairs and another door that likely led back into the main hall. ‘Just great. Okay, new plan, I’ll go up the stairs and climb out a window and then-’ The door opened, and Axin’s heart dropped right through the floor.
“Hmm, hmm,” the white-robed prophet entered the back hallway and proceeded up the stairs. She just missed Axin, who had tucked himself behind the stairs to avoid her sight.
‘Maybe I won’t go up the stairs,’ Axin realized his predicament as he looked back the way he came. ‘Or I could just wander back and forth in this hallway for the rest of my life. Or better yet, I can run up there, jump out a window, land in a bush, run and never look back.’ Axin considered his options. The space rogue quickly decided that he had spent his whole life taking risks, so what was one more?
Axin slowly climbed the stairs, which thankfully didn’t squeak with his every step. After an agonizing several minutes, he made it to the second floor and was met with a narrow, decorative window. He cursed the universe for mocking him and decided to proceed forward, looking for a room with a larger window. This place was massive, so it stood to reason there had to be some opening up here he could safely jump from.
‘Maybe I’ve pushed my luck too far, there’s no way I can…the heck is that sound?’ Axin paused as he heard…something. It wasn’t a sound he’d heard anywhere in his life. It wasn’t a person, technology, an animal, or even the building settling, but something else. ‘Where is it coming from?’ He looked around and saw an ornate door, blinding light bleeding out from beneath it. The prophet’s voice was faintly audible from behind, but so was something else, nearly drowning it out. And tantalizingly, the door was ajar.
‘Don’t,’ Axin thought as he stepped closer. ‘I need to go any other way,’ he went closer and closer. ‘I’m not going to like what I see, she’ll spot me, or worse, whatever that is will,’ yet he still came right up to the door and peered through the crack.
“…And what of the rest?” The prophet asked someone Axin couldn’t quite see yet.
‘YOU ALREADY KNOW, YOU’VE ALWAYS KNOWN,’ a voice boomed in Axin’s mind, in sync with the indescribable sound from before. Against every survival instinct, he peered deeper into the room, adjusting his angle until he finally saw them. He didn’t need to make any guesses as to who he was seeing. There could be no doubt. That was the divine messenger. He saw them, and they saw him, and smiled. He was seen, his presence was known, they always knew. He needed to escape, he needed to see more, he needed to flee. Could he flee? As the messenger reached out their hand to him, Axin finally fled, racing back down the stairs and into the dark hallway.
To Be Continued…
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Faith is a very personal journey, but sometimes you need a little help to find your way.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
