Spiritual Medicine (2)

Carael seemed to glean something from Pontius' words. "I see. So, due to its own ego, it mistakenly attached the title of 'Theme' to him, and is treating him as such. That fits the character of The Lord that we have read about. It will not be ready to accept that there is another kind of being that it cannot understand."

"Hohhh..." Earl finally understood what Pontius meant.

Mariam took a breath, then exhaled slowly, "Any ideas on what kind of being that could even be? If Gilgamesh isn't a Thematic Being, then what the hell even is he? A remnant of a forgotten Era? Someone that has traversed time and space to arrive in an alternate reality?"

"All of those are still beings that The Lord should be able to see through," Carael sucked his teeth. He had also considered those possibilities, and had dashed them just the same.

"He can only be someone from another Sphere. Someone who exists under the jurisdiction of another Heaven." Pontius made his suggestion.

"Hoh!" Earl nodded in agreement, "That must be it. We still do not know whether 'Heavens' of separate Spheres can communicate with one another, so it checks out if Gilgamesh's Heaven cannot tell The Lord about him."

Mariam was not keen on accepting the idea, but she also did not disregard it. "We also don't know whether the idea of 'different heavens' is fact or not. The Lord could easily be the ruler of every Heaven in every Sphere. There is just too much we still don't know, and The Lord has always been careful to cover itself and not reveal too much."

Pontius sharply interjected, "We should not underestimate The Lord- or Heaven overall. Without having a proper scope of its power, any assumption we make is just make-believe. Relying on that would be incredibly unwise." 

The three elders and Mariam then fell silent.

They were so engrossed in thought that they did not even take notice of Darla producing herbs and powders before refining them. Neither did they seem to notice the intense heat of the multicolored flames being breathed to life under Darla's pill furnace.

Mariam just gave the woman a sideways glance before continuing on with her discussion. "I would like to think that, based on what we know of how The Lord acts, it mistook Gilgamesh for a Theme. It sent him here for his Idea to be exposed, then to deal with him accordingly."

"If we assume that," Carael licked his lips, "then if we can figure out what he is without relying on you, we will be one step ahead of The Lord this time."

"Precisely," Mariam smiled excitedly, but started to massage her brows as soon as she realized just how hard a thing it was to do. "Unfortunately, if I do not take him to help fix my field, The Lord will eventually become suspicious."

Suddenly, Carael interjected, "What if we're blowing this out of proportion? What if Gilgamesh is just an insignificant matter, and The Lord doesn't even have eyes on him?"

Pontius shook his head, "We know better. The Lord does nothing without a reason, and it always has its eyes on us. Now, we know that it has its eyes on Mariam as well- if it has been sending Thematic Beings to her so she can expose their Ideas to it."

Earl suddenly let out a massive breath, and he slammed both his fists into the floor again, but softer this time. "When Mariam exposes ideas, it is not because her power enables her to see more than The Lord does, but because she relies on the power of an Idea to do it. Not so?"

The others nodded, wondering where Earl was going with this. Although he was not exactly the sharpest of them, his perspective and opinion was always valued.

"Then, if Gilgamesh is not a Thematic Being- meaning he is not an Idea in human form- what will her power actually be exposing?" As soon as Earl said this, realization dawned on them.

"When used on a regular cultivator, Mariam usually exposes their pre-mature Way, which can help us guide them on the right path." Careal stated matter-of-factly.

"In rare cases," Pontius added, "she exposes the truths of them as a person, and can show us the essence of their spirit."

Earl nodded, and looked to Mariam with intense fervor in his eyes. He knew that he had just given them everything they needed to consider what he had also been considering.

"So, maybe The Lord knows that Gilgamesh isn't a Thematic Being. Maybe The Lord's egotistical behavior has always been an act, so that in a moment like this, we would underestimate it." Earl swallowed his spit in a loud gulp.

"Maybe. Just maybe. The Lord has been testing Mariam all this time, to see the limits of her power. Gilgamesh is now the perfect test, is he not? Someone that is not a Thematic Being, yet cannot be seen through."

Carael immediately shook his head, becoming energized as he did so. "Earl is right, but I do not think that this has been a test of Mariam's power. The Lord knows that she can expose Ideas, and it has always been using her for this purpose."

"I think that it has been testing the people that it continually sends here. I think that it has been testing them, hoping to find someone that both it and Mariam cannot see through. Hoping to find a Way that cannot be exposed."

"Ahh," Pontius let out a solemn breath. "So it has been searching for someone? Someone that cannot be seen through, nor exposed by Mariam's power. Someone who does not embody an Idea... but who embodies a Way."

Mariam folded her arms while biting down on her thumb, "So I am the final test, to reveal whether or not Gilgamesh's Way is the Way it has been searching for all this time. That means it knows he is not a Thematic Being."

"The Lord really is fucking cunning. I would never have seen it coming." Mariam sucked her teeth.

"Even if you now see what The Lord is planning, you cannot stop playing along now, or it will know that you know." Pontius stated, his white eyes staring firmly at Mariam. "You must take him to the field, and allow his Way to be exposed. There is no way to avoid it."

Carael and Earl nodded, leaving Mariam to decide for herself what she would do from there.

"I will take him to the field once he is restored. Whatever happens, happens."

Hearing her agree, the elders were incredibly relieved.

"Good then," Earl closed his eyes and took a few breaths.

"We shall be watching," Carael smiled, picking up his book and opening it to where the bookmark was carefully tucked.

"If The Phantasm acts," Pontius lifted a pale, decrepit hand before forming a fist, "we will be there."

Suddenly, a soft explosion shook the hut before a thick medicinal fragrance filled it. Darla blew softly, scattering the mist coming from her furnace before removing the lid and taking out a spherical white pill.

Its aura was immense but entirely spiritual, thus it was lacking true substance. This was a medicinal pill geared towards spiritual healing- exactly what Gilgamesh needed.

At the same time that the pill was produced, the unease that had been filling the hut vanished. This pill signified that everything was now underway.

Whether or not Gilgamesh's Way would be exposed. What The Lord would do afterward. Just what exactly Gilgamesh was, if not a Thematic Being.

All these things would soon come to light, or they would not. Only time would tell.

The elders watched Mariam leave, and then, when they could no longer see her, shut their eyes and focused their minds' eyes on her. They followed her every step of the way, never once taking their attention off of her.

______________

A few days later.

Gilgamesh was walking stiffly, up and down the room, marveling at how rapidly he had healed once his spiritual wound was taken care of. The pill that Mariam had given him didn't really seem like much at first, but after taking it he felt more rejuvenated than anything else had ever made him feel.

Now, he could walk around and move his limbs without any real pain whatsoever. As for the injury on his chest, it had closed up in a matter of days, and was now just a bright red scar.

His red eyes were full of vitality, and his golden hair glowed in the abundant candlelight. Hearing a voice at the door as he was completing his fifteenth lap around the room, he watched as Mariam entered.

"Today's the day, Gilly-Mesh. You ready to start your farming saga?"

Gilgamesh smiled and nodded, "I think I'm ready to help clean up the mess I made. I'm also curious to see what happens with Heaven."

Mariam smiled thinly and nodded. She had not told Gilgamesh anything. The less he knew going in, the better it was for both of them. Only once the results were revealed would she know how to proceed.

If Gilgamesh was whisked away by The Lord, then it would be better if he knew nothing that he did not need to know.

Following Mariam out of the room, Gilgamesh slid the door shut and adjusted the purple shirt. It was among a number of other clothes that Mariam had brought for him a while back, and he was now wearing it and some black pants that reached his knees.

He took in the sights of the massive mansion, intrigued by the architectural technique and the material used. He asked Mariam many questions on the way down, and she answered each one expertly.

Under the early morning light of the numerous silver stars in the sky, Mariam and Gilgamesh stepped out of the main house and into the humungous grounds of the Felis Clan's villa.

Gilgamesh simply gasped at the scale of it all while putting on the sandals that a servant had given him.

They departed for the corn field. Gilgamesh taking in the sights, and Mariam awaiting, with dizzying anticipation, the end of this test. Too many things weighed on her mind, and the reassurance of an answer was much further away than she liked.

Even so, it was something that had to be done. Gilgamesh's Way would be tested, and that would determine all their fates.

The worst part of it all being that Mariam- nor the Elders- had any idea if they were right about it all.