It wasn't surprising that after the war was over, those who were blessed with powers beyond limit and imagination would result to face themselves in a battle to completely seize the echelon of sovereignty.

A battle to see which god was the strongest, and which man was blessed most by his god. A religious battleground whole with insane zealots with divine power at the tips of their fingers. It was madness!!

A full religious war was waged between the gods favoured. And this time, there was no one to stop it because humanity was no more fighting against the invaders, but against themselves.

But, as a famous Priest said "In perilous times and troubles, believe in miracles".

And so, within the dawn of a few months, the Awakened -Humans who have been exposed to mana, a type of energy that should have stayed in fiction and self-fulling fantasies, awakened powers and abilities far beyond the commonly limited scope of human capabilities.

Some were as strong as a First generation Priest, while the others were far weaker, but were still more extraordinary than an average human.

They were called the Awakened because they proved that humanity didn't need the power of the gods to play around the borders of divine abilities.

And so, because of the powers of the Awakened, the war calmed down and the churches seized their quarrel, a little.

January 3rd 2010.

A lot of things happened during those thirteen years. A lot of things that would be too much for me to put down into words or some that I would rather not even want to think about.

But, with the advent of the Priesthood, the awakened, and the portal that had appeared on our doorsteps, one thing was sure, things were now different.

And it was clear that above all things, the world had changed, significantly.

I walked down the paved road, filled with gothic buildings that would have ignited every curious cell in my body with wonder and excitement if it wasn't that I haven't been in this world for about sixteen years.

All the excitement and newfound wonder to tinker about this world have all but disappeared. My destination was the main church of Nogudi -the main god of pestilence, and medicine.

The church, like every other church, has a building, or living quarters for its workers. The quarters are where I now consider my home, as I live in it with my mother and aunt Gilda.

Although, it wasn't the best or most comfortable place to live in, but where else can two women and a child live after miraculously surviving a war too devastating that not even words to describe its horrendous events?

I shook my head, walking near the many street lamps as I wondered how far the world had changed since the moment I was born.

The change was too drastic.

A series of loud gasps and murmurs penetrated my ears the moment I got closer to the church. Trying hard to pick up on the words, as I continued my way forward, I listened.

".…. - You see"

"Yes, he deserves it -"

"May the goddess forgive his poor soul -"

"He will pay for tinting the image of the goddess -"

The murmurs got clearer and louder as I got closer to my destination. Standing at the back o the crowds, I picked out the most meaningful words among the series of widespread gibberish coming out from their mouths. And soon, I understood what was going on.

Resisting the urge to smile or let out a chuckle, I quickly shook my head in pity as I looked at the two men chained down on a platform with bags over their faces.

"I didn't think that they would be punishing them today' I thought. Or maybe, I might have forgotten since the story had made me almost spill out my food in laughter.

The two men on the platform are brothers who have both been tasked with sculpting the statue of the goddess Mentiti -the main goddess of love, beauty and debauchery. And the people clamouring for their punishment are her followers, who were upset with the result.

The elder brother was the first among the two who was given the task to sculpt the image of their goddess. It was a difficult task since he wasn't given anything to reference upon. So instead, he took it upon himself to mould the best sculpture that would personify the image of the goddess.

And after several weeks of toiling away with his chisel and hammer, making sure his creation was immaculate, he was done and presented the sculpture to the church.

His result?

A stimulating and sexually exciting piece of erotic art that left the Priest raging and furious with a stiff boner.

He claimed that the goddess was the very personification of debauchery and beauty, and so he decided such an image was the most fitting personification of the main goddess of love, beauty and debauchery.

Needless to say, the priest was not happy. Without hesitation, he ordered his arrest, and the sculptor was thrown into prison to rot until his punishment was over.

Demanding that the goddess's image should be done immediately in other to redeem her glamorous image, another sculptor was charged with this task. Unbeknownst to them, the second sculptor was the younger brother of the sculptor who was now serving his sentence in jail.

Even the second sculptor didn't know that his brother had been arrested.

Regardless, he toiled away with his chisel and hammer, creating what he thought would be the best piece of art that he would ever produce. He was sculpting the image of a goddess, so he gave it his best.

A few weeks later, he was done and presented his sculpture to the church. But since there was a mass service, his work was kept to be unveiled in the congregation of the masses. They trusted that his work won't be the same as the former.

And just when the curtain was pulled down.....

His result?

A much more erotic sculpture than the former, fully displaying the goddess's vagina, her large elaborated breast and hard erected nipples that as enough to upturn the masses.

This was equivalent to playing an x-rated film in the church while unknowingly connecting to the church bluetooth back on earth, if not more outrageous.

Regardless, the Priest had taken the result to heart and ordered that the two men be beheaded after it was discovered that they were brothers.

Though I might have forgotten the scheduled date, but it seems that the beheading would take place today.

Hah! Just thinking about it was enough to relieve my body from today's stress.

Nonetheless, it was a pity because the sculptors weren't wrong..... that's if we go by their logic. But in the eyes of the believers, who had seen the image of their goddess being reduced to nothing more than a common street whore, it wasn't an issue that they found amusing.

Nonetheless, it was a funny turn of events that led to the tragic death of two men. Truly, this world had changed, significantly!

Turning around, I moved towards the worker's building of my church which was just some blocks away from this area. Though during the crusade, I have seen a lot of deaths and things that were far more brutal and inhumane that would require an experienced man to bleach his brain to forget them, that didn't mean that I wanted to stay behind and watch as two brothers were beheaded.

Immediately I reach the entrance, a familiar figure stood in my way.

"I see that you are back just in time Simeon" Elijah, a second-generation priest of the church of pestilence and medicine, said to me. His eyes indicated that he was expecting my arrival right at this moment.

"You know I always am" I replied with a smile.

I placed my right hand in the back pocket of my shorts and brought out a small nylon sack that was filled with a bunch of posters earlier this morning, and handed it over to him.

He grinned and looked at me like some kind of unearthed treasure chest before he replied

"You know if the people you invited are present during the main service, then you will be able to gain another bonus ".

A thick, heavy snort was my response.

"Can I at least get paid for the one I have already completed?" I responded, stretching out my hands with my plans wide open.

"Sure, no problem" He replied.

Sticking his hand in the side pockets of his robe which was all black with a detailed embodiment of leaves from the chest to the waist area, he brought out a bundle of cash, all tied up with a rubber band.

I watched as he yanked a note out of the bundle and placed them on my palm.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be paid ten crowns sterling?" I questioned, feeling annoyed at his irritating antics.