Kat stood in front of the university library. Looking upwards at its imposing gothic architecture. It had the look of an ancient European church. High vaulted ceilings, graceful arches going from the ground to the sides of the library. Stained-glass windows depicting various scenes lined each wall. Statues of notable people dotted a small garden, plaza that surrounded the building. People walking around the gravel paths, some talking, others reading books, some merely taking a break from their hectic activities.

     She hadn’t felt the need to read since starting the game, preferring to learn things in a hands-on manner rather than from books. After her parents died, she had always chosen actions over thoughts. Because her sibling needed her, she had to grow up in a flash. It was difficult at first, but she eventually made it work. Their parent’s insurance refused to pay out at first, saying that their disappearance indicated fraud. After getting a lawyer and a couple of years in court, they finally paid out the plan.

     After that, things became more manageable, but she still had to work. Though the payout was fairly significant, she wanted to make it last as long as possible. She knew she developed a bit of a complex concerning her sibling, but with their parents gone, as well as them being only children with no living relatives, they only had each other. However, standing here woolgathering wouldn’t get her anywhere.

     She made her way into the library. There were many different ways of acquiring skills in this world. While leveling up was the easiest method, knowledge from books could grant new skills, and magic. The greatest repository for knowledge is this very building, the Royal Mage Library, the name a holdout from when this was a kingdom. 

     “Welcome to the Royal Mage Library. May I help you?” asked a small, mousy-looking apprentice in royal blue robes.

     “Yes, I'm looking for information about the gods, particularly Moria.”

     “Of course, they are in the Theism and Natural Sciences section right here.” He pointed to a map of the library. It was on the second floor, centrally located. The floors were organized by use, with the most commonly accessed information on the first floor, up to the sixth floor, which contained forbidden texts that required special permission to access.

     After making her way to the section, she browsed for any books she could parse. Most of the ones she found were about the more worshiped gods. Most of their contents were guides to rites and ceremonies. She pulled a few books from the shelves detailing the other gods. Finding a few specifically related to Moria. They were enchanted to return at the end of each day unless you borrowed them, then it was a week. 

     The books she chose were an overview of the various gods, the history of the gods, and a couple of books of personal opinions on the gods. The gods of Loreth were generally agreeable, which flew in the face of the stories from Earth. Most of the Earth gods were pieces of shit or worse. She settled down and opened up the first book. While its contents were interesting, she was looking for specific information.

     Shuffling through the pages, she found the section she sought and began reading.

     The goddess Moria. Goddess of plants and nature, the mother of all plant spirits. Her dwelling lies in the forest that bears her name, where she lives with many of her children. Moria is known to be a devoted, protective mother. While outsiders are generally not allowed into the forest as a rule, she is known to make exceptions. Anyone who threatens her daughters would prefer death. 

     While they rarely leave the forest, when they do, they almost always become heroes of note. Having a considerable influence on the world. Her children are blessed with the strength of lesser gods. People often seek the favor of these individuals, mindful of Moria’s protectiveness. However, most seek to avoid provoking Moria’s and simply ignore her children. 

The goddess sounded decent, though she knew looks could be deceiving. The rest of the passage was about her powers: her domain, the surrounding area, and the history of her worship. Being the goddess of Nature, she had small statues and shrines in nearly every public park. She closed the book and set it aside, before grabbing the book of personal opinions. After opening it, she knew it would take a while. It was written in an older prose and took some effort to parse, so she settled in and began to read.

 

*****

 

     Myrra woke up from the nap she hadn’t intended on taking and was confused. She was lying in an unfamiliar room. It was plainly furnished but nice. She got out of bed and found a note on the table. It was from her sister, telling her that Kat had business to attend to and explore on her own. It also told her to be careful. Myrra scooped up the few coins her sister left behind.

     The door locked behind her with an audible click. She made her way downstairs, wondering exactly where she was. At the bottom of the stairs was a noisy dining room. Filled with people eating, drinking, or simply telling stories. She looked around in awe, impressed with the scale of the building.

     “Hey, you Ms. Red’s sister?” Myra nodded to the man, who gestured her over. “She asked me to tell you to have fun but be safe. An’ to give you a key to her room.” He put a key down on the counter.

     “Thank you, have a great day,” she said, giving the man a small bow.

     “Sure thing, Missy,” he smiled.

     Exiting the inn, she saw the union headquarters across the street. She debated accepting a mission, but decided to go to the park she saw. Following the direction she had walked in earlier, she tried to find it again. All the while, she examined the buildings. They looked like old European buildings from fantasy games. Though more modern than other fantasy settings she knew of. Some newer buildings were even more modern, with clear glass pane windows and automatic doors, like the Union building.

     “Ooooo, you’re so pretty,” exclaimed a young boy, breaking her from her thoughts.

     “H… hi. How are you?”

     “Good. Are you a flower fairy?”

     “Kinda.”

     “That's so cool!” the beamed, his eyes lighting up. “Wanna play?”

     “Sure,” she said with a smile. “Could you show me to the park?” 

     “Okay. I was just going there, my friends are there,” the boy laughed and took her hand. He was leading her in another direction than the one she originally was walking. After around ten minutes, they came to a large park filled with people. Some were walking the paths, others sitting on benches, and even having late afternoon picnics. There were a lot of kids playing games, and in the center of the park was a giant statue of her mother. There was a gentle expression on her face. She started walking over there, forgetting the boy who silently followed her.

     “Hi, Mom,” she said to the statue. “I’m an adventurer now. And I already have my first story to tell you,” she smiled and giggled. For a moment, it seemed like the statue's eyes stared at her. But when she blinked, it was staring straight ahead.

     “She’s pretty, too,” the boy said.

     “She's beautiful and kind.”

     “You know her?”

     “Mhmm, but it's a secret,” she didn't trust the boy to keep it a secret, but people would assume that the kid was just making things up. “She’s my mommy.”

     “That's so cool. She must be an important person then.”

     “Very,” she proclaimed proudly. “Let's play a game.”

     “Okay,” he agreed, leading her away.

     They went to a small corner of the park, where there was a jungle gym, reminiscent of those back on Earth. There were many other kids there, many of them came over to see the new girl. Like the boy beside her, they started fawning over her. But quickly, as kids do, they begin to treat her like a friend. And before long they were running around playing. 

     She never seemed to tire, not even breaking a sweat, even when the other kids were lying on the ground recovering. Some complained that it was unfair.

     “Are you a flower spirit?” a small girl asked. “You’re beautiful.”

     Myrra giggled and smiled. “I am, but it's a secret. I’ll come to play more if you keep it.”

     “Yes!” the little girl exclaimed.

     The kids were led away by their parents or returned to their houses as the sun descended. Myrra began to return to the inn when a church caught her eye. On a whim, she made her way inside. After passing the threshold, there was an immediate change. It was calm and peaceful, a quiet atmosphere lay upon the inside. At the far end of the church was a giant statue. A beautiful woman with a look of extreme gentleness on her face. She reached forward as if she was giving a blessing. She had a large pair of wings that sprouted from her back, spread wide as if embracing everyone who would sit in the chairs. 

     There was an expression of serenity on her face. Looking upon her, Myrra felt a strange connection to the woman. However, she couldn’t understand why she felt like this. She knelt in front of the statue, she wasn’t praying, more like paying homage. As she knelt there, she felt warm and happy.

     “Hello, young divine,” came a voice from her right. She jumped and let out a squeal of fright.

     “I'm sorry,” she apologized. “The door was open, and I felt an urge to come inside.

     “There's nothing to apologize for, your grace. Everyone is free to come into the church at any time,” she said, kneeling before Myrra. The small girl looked at her with a stunned expression. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she continued speaking. “If there's anything I can do for you, that would please me greatly.” 

     “Um, there's no need to bow to me…” she instructed uncomfortably.

     “It is only right for a servant of heaven to pay respect to a goddess.”

     “Um, you can stand then. How did you know?” she asked, a little shaken. Telling a bunch of kids was fine. No one would believe them. But this woman had immediately figured her out.

     “I’ve devoted my life to the gods. As the head priestess of this church, I am the highest-level cleric in the clergy. Recognizing the divine is a simple matter for one of my station. Judging by your appearance, I believe I am correct in assuming that you’re the daughter of Moria.”

     “Yes, she is my mom,” she answered, even though the sister didn't ask a question.

     “It’s been a while since one of her children has blessed the church with a visit. I do hope she is well. You all may be divine, but you do still have emotions like us mortals. You exist in the world much the same way we do.”

     After seeing her mother and sisters and living with them for almost a week, she could attest to that. Her mother loved nothing more than to pamper her daughters. She carried a genuine joy in her heart for her children.

     “You’re right, Mom is so nice. She loves all her daughters. She taught me how to use my powers. And gave me many gifts. Then allowed me to leave and explore. I miss her, but I know I can go back and visit.”

     “What do you know of the god's young divine?”

     “Mom told me a little bit.”

     “Would you like to know the gods?” with a nod from the small divine, she began. “In the beginning there was nothing, and from that nothingness came the First Mother. The First Mother began to explore her new existence, but she grew lonesome, and decided to create companions. Her first attempt resulted in mere copies of herself. Which did nothing to abate her loneliness.” As she spoke, a visual depiction of what she said floated above them.

     “Her next attempts at creating life went better, but still resulted in failure. With each failure, her knowledge grew. Finally, when she knew everything she must do, and set about creating all things. She created the divine realm. To house the souls of the dead, and provide them the energy they need to reincarnate. She created the mortal realm, to house the souls of the living. Giving us opportunity to live, grow, and die. And finally she created the gods, and spirits to regulate the energy between the two realms.”

     “So she created all the worlds?” Myrra asked wide-eyed. 

     “Yes, and no. Although she created reality, she doesn't create individual worlds. When a new world is discovered, gods are assigned to watch over them.”

     “That's really cool, thank you for telling me.” she giggled, “I have to get going now.”

     “Of course Goddess. If you would like to hear more about the gods, I’ll be here anytime you need,” she said, kneeling again, crossing her arms across her chest. She stood and escorted Myrra to the main door. The devs certainly went all out for the game. The priestess's faith felt so real, yet also unlike anything she knew about real religions. She needed to head back to her room at the inn and take a break.

     After getting lost for a bit, she asked directions from a passing guard, then made her way back to the room just after it turned dark. 

     “Welcome back, little lady,” the proprietor's wife greeted her. “Are you hungry?”

     “Maybe in a little, I have to go talk to my sister,” she replied, her sister's message floating in front of her eyes.

     “Ok, just let me know, and I’ll make you something nice,” she smiled.

     Myrra nodded to the woman and made her way back upstairs. When she put the key into the door, there was a click and a slight glow as the door unlocked.

     “Hey Myrra, eat, and let's talk,” Kat said the moment the door opened.

     “Ok, Kat,” she replied, sitting down at the table. “Want to talk while we eat?”

     “No. In reality.”