The two figures stood within an alleyway, not a single prying eye daring to gaze upon them in their isolated space.
"You are unaware of the laws of these lands due to your unique situation, Eleanor Lynn, and as such, I will give you this one final warning."
He paused, snapping his fingers together and creating a flash of golden light.
The blonde girl watched while leaning against a brick wall, her nerves tightly wound, with no clue what words would come out of the man's lips next.
"First, there are the subsidiary conventions. These are newer mandates placed only after Lord Droskyn's rise to his current status."
Eleanor furrowed her brow at the false Angel's comment, wondering why the ascent of the new owner on the Throne of Souls would influence the rules of the Great Beyond.
The man, ever astute in his observation skills due to his close work with the Angel of Connection, noticed the priestess's wariness.
"Lord Droskyn visited these lands through an astral manifestation. Ever since that day, he has complained to the Great Lord about the lack of labor laws. Furthermore, he even forced a new clause to be added to his contract pertaining to the well-being of those in Neutrality."
Seeing the young girl nod, he returned to the original point of the conversation, not wasting any more time.
"These conventions enforced similar measures to your own homeland. A six-day work week, a limit on 12-hour shifts, the establishment of workers' unions, and even the implementation of a viable currency that replaced standard gold. They make up the backbone of working society and hold the economy that you know today in stability."
Eleanor nodded, not needing further explanation on the topics that she knew very well from her life in the Dimension of Waves.
One extra day of work and an additional 3 hours per day is quite extreme; however, these are souls… They don't have the worry of dropping dead before the age of 30, like most of the impoverished back home.
Repressing the hundreds of other thoughts swirling in her head, she focused on the man's speech.
"While these subsidiary conventions are useful in most walks of life, they do not limit crime itself, only meaning to create order. It is with this in mind that we abide by the ancient laws of the universe. Following the will of the former Great Lords of Time and Space, we have outlawed crimes such as murder, theft, abuse, assault, rape, perjury, and numerous others that would take days to recount."
Eleanor took note of the list, relieved to hear that it was almost exactly the same as the laws of her own world.
Lord Droskyn's influence must extend farther than they are willing to admit, hiding their reasoning behind the name of those "Great Lords", whoever they might've been…
"Your actions just now were in direct violation of the law against assault, which we treat extremely seriously."
Instantly, the girl's face crumpled.
"What do you mean? She is a thief! Furthermore, even in that incident yesterday, he was going to kill that kid!"
Anger bubbled beneath her well-kept exterior, threatening to explode at a moment's notice, depending on the man's response.
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose softly.
"In your world, self-defense laws are obvious, and such a case would be clear-cut, proving your innocence. However, in a world where death isn't permanent, you, by willingly involving yourself in an incident, thereby escalating it, will only create far worse outcomes. For example, as a result of you punching that woman, she has been deemed unfit for work, and because of that, she will have to be reset."
Processing his words, Eleanor gave the man an odd look.
Reset? What in the lord's name could that mean?
Looking up at the Angel with probing eyes, she watched as he finally revealed the item he had summoned at the beginning of their conversation.
A tiny ball of liquid light that reflected a scene that took place somewhere high above, close to the surface of a pulsating root.
Taking a step closer, she gazed into the orb, observing the picture for a moment before turning her attention back to the pink-haired man.
"Healing is expensive and takes time within these lands. If she were from Infinium, it would be as simple as a flick of my wrist; however, laws are laws, and Angels are bound to ones stricter than the ones I've mentioned to you. You will come to know these in time as you learn more about the power of miracles; however, until then, you must remember at least this one thing."
Hearing a heavy breath come from the Angel's mouth, she realized he hadn't finished, his pink eyes betraying genuine concern.
Using his brief lapse in speech to ponder what he had said, her mind rushed with thoughts.
To reset someone is to kill them and allow them to revive upon a root? How can such a process be considered humane!?
She was interrupted by the man's piercing words that rang through the air with a new sense of weight, much more grave than his previous statements.
"There is the sacred law itself as well."
The blonde child instantly felt something different about how he said it, a cold chill settling down her spine.
"For one to break it would be to defy the very laws of the Great Lord himself and to betray the will of the world. Only one has even broken such a rule and lived, albeit not in a sane state."
As if remembering a horrifying memory, he shuddered, trying to regain his grip on his words.
"The sacred law of the Great Beyond must be upheld at all costs. The Law of Angelic Order. This commandment is simple in description and needs no further introduction other than the basics."
He paused, focusing all his attention on the young interim Angel.
"Thou shalt not kill an Angel."
Eleanor didn't know what to say, her mouth opening and closing without any words coming out.
Is that not common sense already? Isn't murder against the so-called "ancient laws of the universe" that they abide by?
Noticing her dismissal of the sacred law, the pink-haired man shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips.
"None of those in Infinium pays it mind either, with the exception of the Sea Kings, of course."
The gray-eyed girl perked up at the mention of the strongest humans she knew, the former manifestations of gods, a secret fascination of hers she had fostered since her childhood days.
"When a being bearing the trace of the divine is slain, such as a Sea King or an Angel, there is a chance, exponentially small of course, that their core will collapse. Such a disaster would destroy the glands capable of creating manacules, therefore self-destructing within the confined space of their core."
He gazed off into the distance, no longer focused on Eleanor.
"Once, long ago, there was a visitor in the realm of Death who was the first in the universe to learn of its existence."
The Angel's expression darkened as he recalled the era long before his time in the world of the deceased.
"A man known as the God Slayer took refuge in this world after killing the God of Darkness, our Great Lord graciously accepting him out of the kindness of his heart."
His words were filled with awe and worship as he spoke of his master, yet the next moment, his expression twisted with bitterness.
"This act infuriated the Gods of Heaven, their uncontrollable rage causing them to send an envoy into our world. Such a being could battle against one of the Ten Great Ones of old and possibly return with the head of the said creature—that's how powerful they were."
He paused, his eyes falling to the ground.
"Therefore, that man, the one with the blood of a god upon his hands, took it upon himself to personally exterminate the servant of a god who pursued him. It was a treacherous battle, one that left the westernmost reaches of the Great Beyond completely uninhabitable and the roots of the World Tree damaged beyond repair."
For the first time in their brief conversation, Eleanor detected actual fear emanating from the divine figure's form, his eyes trembling ever so slightly.
Is that man truly so horrifying that he could kill the deities and their envoys with such ease? Damaging the World Tree itself and obliterating a section of the Great Beyond as well…
Closing her eyes, she listened to the Angel's voice, which trembled lightly.
"When the eyes of that envoy finally clouded over with eternal fog, there was a moment where it seemed as if the world itself held its breath. Yet, according to our Great Lord himself, as the God Slayer retracted his blade and watched the envoy's body fall, the impossible occurred."
As the story reached its climax, Eleanor's eyes shot open again, and she leaned forward, eager to hear the rest.
"An envoy, a being far greater than I, or even Lady Ariel, had their mana core collapse in on itself. Such potent power would've vaporized the Great Beyond if not for our Lord's protection. In the end, the nearest dimension faced the brunt of the backlash; its rich soils and beautiful terrain were wiped out of existence completely. The God Slayer was greatly wounded as well, his soul fracturing into pieces that he had to force together with sheer will."
Sighing as if feeling regret over the monstrous man's survival, the Angel finished his tale in a much calmer voice.
"This was likely the closest that man has ever come to the timeless, unblinking realm which lies even beyond here. Never again did he allow the mana cores of his victims to be left unchecked, his strategy changing in a way that has been lost to our archives. Possibly even the Great Lord doesn't know…"
Trailing off, he suddenly clasped his hands together, praying solemnly to his lord for his grace, and then turned back to the priestess.
She, after hearing all that, was left shocked, thinking that the power of a dying creature's last stand was truly formidable.
A strategy lost to the archives…
It stuck with her, begging to be answered; however, there was nothing she could connect to it, the mystery alluding her, and apparently, the greatest beings in the universe as well.
Feeling a renewed awe for the true grandeur of the wider realm of life itself, she too prayed to her lord, his guidance all she needed.
…
After thoroughly reminding the young girl of the laws of the land, the pink-haired Angel, whom Eleanor had come to know as Antoine Strano, took his leave, returning to his duty of overseeing the market district.
She, after finding her way back to the main avenue, checked the large clock tower that dominated the land, the time reading nearly 10:30 a.m.
I'll head to Aurora's now, even if I'm an hour and a half early. It's better than running into more issues like that thief or another long conversation with a stoic and serious Angel…
Sighing, she made her way through the bustling crowds and towards the door that led into the bookstore, the chime attached to the entrance ringing lightly.
"Oh, a customer!"
Repeating the same words that she had said upon Eleanor's first visit, the elderly woman who still radiated beauty emerged from wherever she resided when the store was empty.
"It's you!"
Remembering the blonde girl's face from not long ago, the woman's expression brightened even more with joy.
"What can I do for you, honey?"
Standing behind the counter wearing the same uniform that the priestess had seen before, the librarian held a bookmark between her fingers, playing with it absently.
Catching the detail, the girl spoke up with a light-hearted jest.
"Have you become a book and have to hold a bookmark to not lose your page?"
The old woman scoffed at the bad joke, raising her chin to the child.
"I'd have you know that I was reading my favorite book before you barged in again! The Tales of Cauron Thorn always make me unexplainably joyful!"
Eleanor shook her head with a smile.
"Isn't it a biography? How many times can such a text interest you?"
She didn't expect a proper answer; her trading of friendly banter was just an excuse to kill time before Abraham's arrival.
But contrary to what she thought, the woman took the comment seriously, answering with a solemn look marked with mild confusion, the source of which was hard to discern for the girl.
"The first half of the book goes by in a flash! His brilliant studies in the Library of Nautilus, his deep connection with his librarian father, even his last fight against his evil pupil, and the eventual execution of that villain! Though… There is something odd about the second half…"
She rubbed the side of her head as she spoke, her eyes clouding as if they were forming cataracts.
Eleanor frowned, thinking quietly to herself.
Is it not a vast invasion of privacy to read such revealing documents about a living man's life? Though… Perhaps similar to how it's normal to write biographies about the deceased, it is common to write them about the living here…
Hearing the woman speak up again, she snapped out of her brief trip down the wondering line.
"I can't seem to remember a single detail, even though I could swear that I've read it hundreds, if not thousands of times! And it was just getting juicy, too! He visited the Sea of Songs and found this wonderful estate where its maiden keeper…"
Trailing off, Aurora seemed to lose her sense of awareness for a bit, her emotions soothing and her thoughts clearing.
"Never mind that! What can I help you with?"
She shook her head like a person waking up from a dream and turned to Eleanor with the same bright smile from before.
The blonde girl sensed something stirring in the shadows, an anomaly that was certainly unique to this woman only.
Could she just be plagued by memory loss? Or is it something else…?
Not yet understanding the criteria for one to retain or lose their mind within the Great Beyond, she took a mental note to ask Prudentia later about such details.
"I'm here to meet a friend of mine. I'd hope that I'm allowed to do so?"
Listening attentively to the girl's explanation, the elder instantly nodded, bending down and digging for something.
"A book club, perhaps? We haven't had one of those in decades! I've been dyi—I mean, living to share some of my most intimate recommendations with others, yet for some odd reason, whenever I mention them, the customers seem to back away."
Murmuring the last part so quietly that Eleanor could barely hear her, Aurora stood back up, lifting a platter filled with porcelain cups from her counter.
"I'll prepare tea! Do you prefer ash or bone?"
Eleanor blinked, a slow thought dawning at the back of her mind.
T-those wouldn't happen to be real ashes or real bones, would they, Madame?