People in the crowd talked among themselves because the man could use the device again. After that, he gave Eli the microphone again and hugged his wife.

  ‘God forgave his sin, and that causes your afflictions. Some of you have sinned, and the blessing given to you by her was removed; it's as simple as that.’ Eli's calm voice echoed through the room, bringing a sense of reassurance.

  ‘But what are the rest of the divine laws?’ One woman spoke from the back.

  ‘She is merciful, so there are only eight divine laws, and they are simple, so we will hand them to everyone on a piece of paper so you know, they are self-explanatory. These laws, bestowed by our Goddess, govern our actions and guide us towards righteousness.’ He waved to two Shafrans on the right side.

  As the two gave it to everyone, a younger male raised his hand to call for Eli's attention.

  ‘But how shall you not bear false witness against your neighbor, which translates to his situation?’ The young male scratched the back of his head.

  ‘Well, if you bear false witness, it means you are lying, and those close to you are against your neighbor, but that could also mean your fellow believer. Can you lie to those who don’t follow our Goddess? Yes, I did that to pass a guard before coming here.’ Eli's voice echoed through the room.

  Murmurs of them talking with one another and reading the laws. Most people there were positive about the laws, while others were confused about how to interpret them. Eli noticed that just by the look on their faces.

  ‘Don’t fear, I will explain all the laws, and you will also know they are simple. God is merciful.’ Eli spoke with a calm tone.

  Ariadne was getting out of the carriage on the duchy's capital when Leah came running and stopped before her.

  ‘I can’t make the devices. I can’t use them. Some people are experiencing the same thing, duchess.’ Leah had a desperate tone in her voice.

  Ariadne said nothing; she just stood there, petrified? . She didn’t know what had happened to her, but one thing was true: her connection with Leah was gone. As she considered explaining herself, Edmund spoke.

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  ‘You don’t see her as your God, just as your leader, as the duchess, not as the Goddess Ariadne, simple as that.’ Edmund got out of the carriage as he spoke.

  Ariadne ?held Edmund’s hand, and some people around saw it and talked among themselves; she was nervous, not out of fear, but that if she said something wrong, more people would just abandon her; it was something she could not control.

  ‘Yeah, because she is our duchess, our leader, but in the end, she is just like us.’ Leah spoke, confused.

  ‘Just like us?’ Did you watch the raid? She is not like us. She is a God, our Goddess.’ A Shafran female spoke from the back.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t say it like that.’ Leah turned around.

  Leah felt surrounded by judging eyes all around, punching straight through her.

  ‘Look, Leah, worshiping Ariadne and following her as the God that she is and following her divine laws will give her blessing back, as simple as that.’ Edmund looked at Ariadne and smiled.

  Leah remembered the images of the battle. She remembered all the devices she had built or helped build, and if that was a blessing, she made her own decision. Ariadne felt a drop in her heart, but now it was larger. As Leah turned around to face her, their eyes met. The connection was instant, a bond of understanding and forgiveness, and Leah was the one who felt more excited by it; the experience was something she had never felt before.

  ‘I’m sorry, Goddess, I was wrong for not seeing what you were doing for me, and now I can feel all the love you are giving me besides your blessing.’ Leah saluted Ariadne as she closed her eyes for a moment.

  Because of this, Ariadne felt a rush of hope. She smiled at Leah, put her hand on her shoulder, and looked deep into her eyes. Edmund pulled her a bit because it looked like she was lost, but the two were also lost in each other's eyes.

  ‘You have done so much for us, not just me, but everyone in the duchy, so be proud and move forward with your head high.’ Ariadne smiled.

  An A-Dam man came forward with his Chatzi wife, holding an A-Dam child in her hands while pushing a young Chatzi male toward the duchess.

  ‘I’m sorry, Your Highness. My name is Tolb, and this is my wife, Sintra. My son lost your blessing.’ Tolb saluted Ariadne.

  ‘Did you disrespect your mother or father?’ Edmund looked at the young Chatzi.

  ‘No, sir, he would never do that to us.’ Tolb put his hand on his son's shoulder.

  ‘Tell us the truth, boy.’ Ariadne spoke with a soft voice.

  ‘I’m sorry. He didn’t mean to do it. I think it was just that he was young and energetic.’ Sintra moved to the young boy's side.

  Tolb was confused; He didn’t know about any of this, and at the same time, the boy was just standing there in silence. Deep inside, he regretted what he had done. His mother didn’t want him to train to become a soldier; he wanted to go on the next dungeon expedition.

  ‘I just wanted to serve our Goddess. Look at everything we have now compared to before, but Mother didn’t understand, and I snapped at her.’ The young man stayed looking down while he spoke.

  Ariadne let go of Edmund’s hand, raised the young man's head by his chin, and looked into his eyes while smiling.

  ‘You must respect your mother and father and talk to them. You can serve me in multiple ways, okay?’ Ariadne said softly and calmly as she let go of the young man's chin.

  The young man looked at his mother, hugged her, and kissed the baby's forehead; Tolb felt relief when he saw them hugging and coming along, and they all hugged one another, and with that, Ariadne felt another drop in her heart as she saw them hug.