Reaper's Crown

Ch. 75 - The Human Tool

One of the ancient scriptures of the Pasto religion is called Ganmon. It's a book which entails all the details of prayers sung in various places on various occasions, and basic facts or statements about the belief in the Hands of Gods.

Did you know there are only five physical copies of Ganmon in this world? Each belonging to a city where this religion is the richest, namely, Hakh-Nivena, Fort Apharel and, obviously, the Eversky Mountain.

This stems from the very first words written, mentioning the five truths about its people. One came from the Orange Mountains, where the church in Hakh-Nivena stands, a man prayed and sought refuge in the harshest of environments. It is believed that the hands of God came down and erected the kirk out of black stone hidden beneath the surface.

The second came from the Western Tributals before the first war was creeping in to conjure wrath and destruction. Their leader climbed to the tower and prayed for survival in the name of everybody in their race. A miracle formed a massive lake beneath Exeter, deep and dangerous, preventing the demons from ever crossing the later-built bridges.

The third, fourth and fifth aren't known to many, except for what was already written down, yet, their origins are neatly hidden in between lines only the brainiest can decipher. With all the time on Zuimu's hands, and all the books that she already had read, eventually, one of the copies landed in hers.

It didn't take her long to discover that the last three were in Eversky, well, considering how she had one in her hands, but wandering through the grassy plains and various gardens it wasn't hard to notice prayers or small meetings in the outside areas, where each figure she met over her resting period had the same book that was always left by her head doctor, Semita.

Semita was unlike the others in Eversky. He was the only one who spoke Manjuno amongst the silence of his brethren, and Zuimu swore that if it wasn't for his company, she would've gone insane with how quiet it was at times. The words she uttered from underneath her mask, while muffled, became louder than footsteps or running at times.

When every book she could find was already read, Semita became the only person who connected her with the outside.

It was a great refuge, but then again, how long has it been since she saw Shimori and... everything else in this world?

Looking into Ganmon, the book detailed stories of travellers going on great adventures to fulfil the hands' prophecies written down on stones left in the places of prayer. One particularly caught her interest, detailing a tale of a woman who went to the other side of the world and accustomed herself to the traditions of the Ulung people in further Errarion.

Her partnerships and relations extended far, as sooner than later, she became the queen's right-hand woman, and essentially saved the country from an attack of the mushroom people.

Zuimu didn't necessarily know what was fantasy or not here, but then again, it was strange, but oddly... reassuring. The woman in that tale, although unnamed, is clearly hinted to not be human in the slightest. Her struggles through the sea were seen through the eyes of a demon. She didn't worry about food or losing stamina, and her wounds seemed to disappear in a few minutes. Although she wasn't a Demonear, her powers entailed something along those lines.

Zuimu wondered if Pasto didn't have any connections to the other side of the conflict. Then again, Axel swore off his belief to protect Hakh-Nivena, as Bancho once entailed. It was strange to think about, but Zuimu was half this and half that, and she had to choose a side, after a while.

If Pasto managed to combine both, what was in it for her then? Can any demon become human if they try hard enough?

Too much time to think over lengthened periods led to too many unanswerable questions, but Zuimu didn't necessarily trouble herself much when the head doctor arrived.