NOVGO.NET Chapter 455: Congratulations, you now have a cult in your name.
Chapter 455: Congratulations, you now have a cult in your name.
After the breakfast at the Elders’ Block was wrapped up, the sky that had been blessing the Velmourns with its quiet changed its mind.
Yes, it started snowing.
Snowflakes drifted through the air, settling on rooftops and fading into the pale fog that hung over the streets.
Outside one of the smaller houses sat Vandra, wrapped in a thick, patched shawl. In front of her was a weaving tool that she used at the Weaving Hearth, the rhythmic sound of her weaving tool tapping against the wooden frame echoed softly.
She sat cross-legged, a small pile of dark blue cloth folded neatly beside her. Her hands moved slowly, with a strange calm.
Four people sat nearby—two women, an older man, and a young boy who didn’t look older than twelve.
They were all her neighbours who had come to check up on her, bringing with them warm blankets. They didn’t talk loudly; there was something sacred about the quietness of that street now.
Vandra had skipped breakfast, her face seemed paler than usual, probably because of the cold she had to endure outside, but that didn’t seem to have much effect on her. There was still a smile on her face as she worked.
“Vandra,”
One of the women whispered, rubbing her hands together, probably to generate some heat.
“How did you do it?”
Vandra paused, looking up from her weaving frame.
“Do what?”
She asked gently, her tone much calmer and steadier than before.
“Regain your faith,”
The woman answered.
“After losing your husband… and after what happened with the Divine Rations… how did you find the strength to stand again?”
The other three leaned closer, listening. Even the boy stopped playing with the snow at his feet.
Vandra lowered her eyes for a moment, her fingers brushing lightly against the half-stitched fabric on her lap.
“I was in the presence of Lord Kael, how could I not?”
She chuckled softly.
“Aren’t we all in his presence?”
The woman questioned; she seemed dissatisfied by the answer she got, as if it did not help her.
Vandra stared at her for a while and then—
“For a long time, I thought Faith was something you receive. Something that appears when you are blessed, but I found out that isn’t the case.
Faith is not given… it is made.”
The older man frowned.
“Made?”
“Yes,”
Vandra nodded, her voice remained calm and steady.
“Like this cloth. Every thread I pull, every piece I tie—this is how Faith is formed. Slowly, through patience and pain. I lost my husband, and I blamed Lord Kael. But the truth is, I wasn’t angry at him. I was angry because I felt powerless. Because I had forgotten that Faith isn’t about asking why, it’s about believing.
It is about standing up and saying I still believe.”
“Even when it hurts?”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“Especially when it hurts,”
Vandra smiled faintly.
“When it hurts, that’s when your Faith truly begins.”
There was silence for a moment. The fire crackled softly. Snowflakes landed on her shoulders, melting against the faint warmth of her skin.
Vandra’s eyes stared at the woman who had been asking all the questions, almost as if she was waiting for her to say something.
All these people were her neighbours; Vandra obviously knew them, especially this woman.
After all…
Her situation was the same as hers as well.
“I… I lost my husband too,”
The woman finally spoke what she had been holding back, her voice trembling as she clenched her fists.
Vandra stayed silent, wanting the woman, Siara, to let out her emotions.
“He went for the hunt, he said it was going to be safe because they moved in a large party, he said nothing would happen because Lord Kael would always protect them even if he wasn’t with them…
But…
But then…”
Her body began to tremble as tears rolled down her cheeks. Vandra hugged her gently, patting her back to calm her down and show her that she was here.
Siara, feeling a little safe, continued—
“Everyone says I should take care of myself, but how can I? I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t even look at my children. What am I supposed to do for them now? How are they going to live without a father? All these questions keep me up and chew me from inside, I… I feel lost.”
Siara then distanced herself from Vandra a little, then she looked into her eyes and—
“My husband had blind Faith in Kael. He often said he would willingly lay his life down if Lord Kael asked him to.
Then…
Does it mean all of this happened because Lord Kael wanted it to happen?”
She questioned with an accusing look on her face. Vandra, however, shook her head.
“There are things we cannot understand.”
But Siara didn’t give up.
“What’s there to not understand?
Lord Kael is almighty, he created this world, he is the one who blessed us with life, he is the one who decides who lives and who dies, no?”
Vandra, however, merely laughed at those words.
“Do you truly believe this world would be in the state it is now if Lord Kael was the one who made it?”
“…”
Siara turned silent at those words.
“Lord Kael may be a God, but his powers aren’t absolute.”
“He… is not absolute?”
The old man blinked.
“At least I do not think he is.
If he was behind everything, the world would have been a much gentler place to live in.”
Vandra answered with a dreamy smile.
“Then… does it mean there is someone stronger than Lord Kael…? Someone… above him?”
The old man questioned curiously.
And Vandra, she just shook her head,
“Again, we do not know.
These are things that are way beyond us, things we do not understand, and asking Lord Kael will not help because we simply do not have the capability to understand it.
What we can do, however, is we can help Lord Kael.”
“Help… Lord Kael? …How can we possibly do that?”
“Faith Energy.”
Vandra answered.
The people around her tilted their heads, listening carefully.
“We gather as much Faith Energy as possible; this way, our Lord’s influence can grow and he can grow stronger.”
“How do we gather Faith Energy?”
The child questioned, and the answer to that question was simple.
“By believing.
By having absolute Faith in Lord Kael.
By knowing that no matter what happens, Lord Kael stands with us.”
Then, Vandra’s face turned serious and—
“And by making sure that just like Lord Kael, we too, will stand with him, no matter what.
This is the only way our God’s influence will grow stronger; so will his strength—this is the only way not just the Heights, but the entire place will become a better place.”
Vandra then looked into Siara’s eyes and—
“A place where people wouldn’t have to lose their lives like our husbands did.”
Siara clenched her fists at those words, nodding as her eyes showed a different light.
“You say Faith is made, but how do I start? How do I… make it again?”
She asked in a somewhat pitiful tone.
Vandra looked at her—really looked at her—and for a moment, she couldn’t say anything. The pain Siara was feeling, she could feel it herself.
Her eyes were about to turn moist, but she quickly controlled herself and smiled—a soft, kind smile that carried warmth despite the cold air.
“Start with what you have left,”
She began.
“You still have your breath, your hands, and the people who need you. Lord Kael doesn’t expect perfection, Siara. He only asks that you try. Faith is not about always being strong—it’s about standing up after every fall.”
Siara’s eyes shimmered with tears. She nodded slowly, biting her lip to stop it from trembling.
“…Thank you,”
She whispered. She did not know if those words would help her, but she knew what she needed to do the most.
Take care of her children.
The woman clenched her fists; the others were quiet. The old man sighed, staring at the sky.
“Faith isn’t just comfort, huh…”
He muttered.
“I would say comfort is the first stage of Faith.”
Vandra answered with a smile.
“What do you think is the last stage?”
The old man questioned.
And Vandra—
“Endurance.”
She answered as her fingers began moving again. The steady rhythm of her weaving filled the space between them.
Another woman, who had stayed silent all this while, stared at her hands curiously and—
“These clothes you make,”
She asked,
“They’re beautiful. Are they… for everyone?”
Vandra smiled faintly but didn’t lift her eyes.
“I don’t know yet,”
She admitted.
“I think… they are for those who are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
The young boy asked, tilting his head.
“Ready to bear the weight of Faith,”
She answered.
“For the responsibility that comes with believing. I can’t wear them yet either. Maybe because I’m still learning.”
“So… there are rules to wear them?”
“Maybe,”
Vandra said softly.
“Maybe the rules will reveal themselves when I am ready. Or maybe they will be shown to me by Lord Kael himself.”
The old man crossed his arms, nodding slowly.
“Then it’s not just a cloth, is it?”
“No,”
Vandra smiled.
“It’s a promise. A reminder that our Faith doesn’t fade when the world turns cold.”
A gentle silence fell again. The snow continued to fall, and five Ants, who were secretly following these five people, reported everything to Imperia, who shared it with Kael.
“…”
The ’God’ who heard everything was speechless, as for the woman he loved… she just smiled jokingly and—
“Congratulations, you now have a cult in your name.”
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