Catherine was stunned; she never imagined that Solamus would leave without saying goodbye.
The foreign woman had arrived unexpectedly and left just as silently.
She was like a cloud, sweeping by, yet the sky remained.
After her mind went blank, the music lover felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.
The maid quickly supported her, and Catherine caught her breath and asked,
"When is your master coming back..."
The maid shook her head, saying,
"We don’t know, she left abruptly, oh, she left a note, but we do not know for whom it was intended."
Catherine’s eyes glead with desperation, and she urged,
"Bring it out, quick, bring it out!"
The maid naturally did not dare to delay. She hurriedly walked back into the depths of the mansion, rummaged through boxes and drawers, and finally pulled out a note, placing it in front of Catherine.
Catherine clenched the note in her hands, examining the handwriting,
"Though you were ant to die, God wanted you to live."
Catherine was perplexed; she did not understand why Solamus had left the note, nor did she comprehend its aning.
Moreover, the note might not even be intended for her, as the maid ntioned that it was unclear for whom it was left.
But it was left here, in the Royal City of Danschel.
Catherine took a deep breath, seized the note, hastily bid the maid farewell, and then dizzily returned to the Music Academy. The foreign woman had left without warning, and Catherine had no preparation; she didn’t even have ti for mourning.
The music lover had no desire to play the harp anymore; she collapsed onto her bed, gazing intently at the ceiling, reflecting on all of Solamus’s actions...
"Oh God, this foreign woman is truly unpredictable... always catching us off guard."
Speaking, Catherine muttered to herself,
"She is indeed like your own strings."
............
The foreign woman was like a cloud passing by, but the sky remained, and life must go on.
Her departure did not make Catherine relinquish her quest for her Lord; rather, Solamus’s departure only intensified Catherine’s determination, bringing no sorrow to the music lover.
Before long, Catherine visited those True Believers spreading the True Religion in Danschel.
In this era, preaching among different city-states, kingdoms, and even different races was not unusual; with deeper exchanges, conversions to new faiths were common, even mixing up different Divinities.
Embracing a Divine was so easy that abandoning one was not difficult either.
Catherine had thought that the True Believers would be like the followers of other Divinities; however, to this woman’s surprise, the True Believers shunned any Divinity other than their Lord.
In her interactions, Catherine discovered that the True Believers were not irreligious toward other Gods; at tis, they would refer to the tales of other Divinities to illustrate certain principles or to caution those around them, yet she never heard a belief in other Divinities in their voices.
This was unseen in other polytheistic religions.
"In the glow of this Star Do, is there not one light worthy of your faith?"
Facing a Vice Elder among the True Believers, Catherine couldn’t help but ask.
"Those stars are too distant,
while the light of God has long been inside our souls."
"How could one forsake what is near and seek what is far?"
The response from the Vice Elder was profoundly philosophical.
Even Catherine, who was usually generous-hearted, couldn’t help but marvel.
The True Believers from the distant Sect were deeply devout, living a life akin to that of ascetic monks, and finding joy in it, untouched by negatively connoted words like ignorance, laziness, pride...
What surprised Catherine the most was that they bore their burdens knowingly, often saying that even if their burdens should crush them to the grave or drag them deeper than death, they would live a life steeped in tears and prayer.
Facing the Great Elder of the Sect, Catherine asked,
"Why are each of you so... wise?
I know that word isn’t exactly right,
so... please forgive for not finding a more fitting word."
Having interacted for many days, Catherine had already grown familiar with these True Believers, and the Great Elder had beco one of her closest friends, often sharing heartfelt words with her.
Hearing Catherine’s question, the Great Elder answered,
"Because before we embarked on this path, we already knew its hardships."
The answer from the Great Elder was equally philosophical.
Yet, for so reason, Catherine noticed him averting his gaze as he spoke.
Why was this?
All the preachers in the Sect were incredibly devout, yet the leader of the Sect seed to harbor doubts about God in his heart.
Catherine wondered if she was mistaken.
It must have been a mistake.
Catherine didn’t dwell on it, continuing her engagent with the True Believers, and over ti, they ca to see her as one of their own.
From the mouths of the True Believers, she not only learned more about their God but also about their magnificent and stirring history.
Grand, majestic, towering...
The mythic epics passed down by word of mouth were thrilling, and their Holy Scriptures, every word and sentence, felt endlessly ancient.
Over centuries, the True Believers had naturally not just three Holy Scriptures, but, as Catherine knew, many Creeds were established through the Great Council, which ford the consensus of the True Religion and the standards of faith that everyone adhered to.
The Holy Scriptures and Creeds were deeply embedded in the daily lives of the True Believers.
"Compared to these scriptures, we are but dust."
The True Believers held them in profound reverence.
Yet, compared to the deep veneration of the True Believers, Catherine was startled to perceive that the Great Elder seed to subtly express doubt about those scriptures.
This ti, Catherine didn’t think she was mistaken.
In his heart, the Great Elder seed to harbor an inexhaustible doubt about God.
"God is all-powerful, bright and splendid, God is all-wise, infinite and vast..."
In teaching the Believers, the Great Elder always showed deep faith, but in solitude, doubts would surge forth like a backlash, overflowing.
It was truly like two different faces.
As she deepened her understanding of God, Catherine understood why the believers were so devout; honestly, her own soul was also drawing closer to the God on the high mountains.
Thus, it was sowhat baffling to Catherine why the Great Elder, who knew every scripture by heart, harbored doubts about God.
Then one day, by a twist of fate, the Great Elder confided his innermost thoughts.
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