The art of divination dates far back in human history. The idea of receiving knowledge of the future from a god is so deeply ingrained in humanity that it persists long after religions lose their power.
Divination manifests in many forms—a card, a prayer, a hand sign, or even the stars—but all of them serve one fundamental purpose, to provide answers. With the rise of mysticism, divination in this world is very real. Using various methods, one can receive guidance from divine beings on different matters.
However, the accuracy of the answers varies depending on the significance of the event. For minor events, divination is usually reliable. Finding a lost cat? Divination. Stuck on a math problem? Divination. Looking for a cure for an ailment? Divination.
All these benefits could be yours if you sign up as a divination priest today.
But even the all-knowing has its limitations. Divination is only as powerful as the god answering your call or the strength of your faith. Single divination at a lower circle takes a significant toll on the user's mind, and even a minor divination might require days before it can be used again.
To get a specific answer to a specific question, one must be prepared to pay a steep price. This is why most divinations yield vague answers—the more general the question, the less it costs.
For example, asking exactly where a lost cat is could incapacitate you, but asking which part of the city the cat is in might only cause a headache. Asking which direction the cat went in would hardly cost anything at all.
In this world, divination boils down to asking the right questions and interpreting the answers.
John was ready. He needed to clear things up and ensure Theia could escape while keeping the storyline on track.
He also had a backup plan: an oil lantern and a bed sheet tied to the balcony fence, just in case things went awry. He hoped he wouldn't need it, as he wasn't confident in pulling off the escape.
Before long, the priests burst through the door, ready to attack anything hostile. What they didn't expect was to find John calmly resting on the bed.
"What's going on here!?" Plutus demanded, trying to grasp the situation.
"Well, you're—" John began, but a new priest interrupted him.
"Hold on," the unfamiliar priest said, raising his hand. "Oh god, please witness this conversation and lend me your judgment."
The priest cast a divination spell that would allow him to detect lies. Usually, this spell would indicate whether a person's words were true or false—a useful tool during interrogations.
"Frankly, I'm quite pissed that I'm being interrogated after everything I've gone through," John said, his irritation evident.
The priest received that as the truth. He looks at John with suspicion eyes. The god might say it's the truth but he has to count every word in his mind of work.
"Don't worry, you have nothing to fear if you're not a heretic," the divination priest said. "What happened here?"
John glared at them before answering, "I was captured, then Hilda came to save me. The heretic escaped, and Hilda went with her."
"Who's Hilda?" the divination priest asked.
"The maid we told you about," Plutus replied.
The priest closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. "He's telling the truth."
"Where did they go?" Plutus pressed, eager to catch the heretic.
"Out the window," John said, pointing at the open window.
"Truth."
"Then we need to use your divination to follow them. Let's go," Plutus urged, turning to the divination priest.
John held his breath as the priest seemed to lower his guard. He sighed in relief internally.
"Are you a heretic?" the divination priest suddenly asked, suspicion still in his eyes.
"We already checked him..." Plutus began, but the priest cut him off.
"Silence. I'm asking the questions."
"No," John answered firmly, his voice steady. He wasn't a heretic. The priest frowned, seemingly displeased that his god confirmed the truth.
"Are you part of a cult?"
"No..."
The priest's displeasure deepened when the answer came back as truthful. John's sweat starts forming on his forehead. If the priest presses further he would be in a tough position.
"Stop it, Fin. We need to catch the heretic," Plutus said, urging the divination priest to focus.
Fin, the divination priest, glared at Plutus before closing his eyes again. He whispered an incantation, and after a moment, opened his eyes. Reavealing the truth he got from the god.
"They went north."
"Let's move," Plutus said, ready to go, but Fin hesitated.
"Wait," Fin instructed, bending down to pick up a strand of hair from the floor. He whispered another incantation. The hair burned away, and the room grew warmer. John's concern deepened as he watched the priest. Fin continued whispering for what felt like an eternity.
Then, suddenly, Fin screamed in agony.
"AGHHHHHH!"
Fire erupted from the priest's eyes, glowing white and yellow. It didn't spread but burned intensely. John watched in horror as the priest tried to cover his eyes, but the fire only grew brighter, burning his hands. The priest collapsed, writhing in pain.
The other priests stood by, knowing what Fin was doing. They understood the price of a precise divination.
"Ha..."
When the fire finally subsided, the priest lay exhausted on the ground. But what he said next made John's heart race.
"H... He is with the heretic," Fin managed to say with a faint voice, "He—"
Before Fin could finish, John smashed the oil lamp to the ground, setting the room ablaze. Staying any longer would have led to his capture, and without connections or money, he would be doomed to rot in the Sun Church's cells.
Without hesitation, John break through the window, grab the bed sheet tied to the balcony fence, and jumped down.
"Follow him!" Plutus shouted, snapping the priests out of their daze. Plutus, the only priest with healing abilities, stayed behind to tend to Fin, while the others pursued John.