Agnes still looked a little pale, so Edea had applied a little makeup to her, just enough to make her color more normal. Praise the crystals that Mephilia had taught her a few tricks, Edea thought, even as she felt a twinge of regret that Mephilia was no longer there. That was just a feeling that she was going to have to get used to. That said, if that was the worst she felt during this meeting, she'd be getting off lightly.
"Good afternoon, everyone." Agnes gave the rest of the World Council a polite bow, then retrieved her bag from Edea. "I have brought something of interest to the meeting today."
"Oh?" Daniel sat up in his seat, taking the book she handed to him. "What's this?"
"It's a text," Agnes explained as she handed a copy to each of the world leaders. "One recovered from the time period predating the Crystal Orthodoxy. It is the text of the foundations and tenets of Crystalism."
The Matriarch looked up at her. "You're not handing this to us for its historical significance, I'm assuming, Agnes?"
"That is correct. I wanted to give you the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the material before the temples start officially adopting these guidelines for conduct."
The king of Caldisla looked at her sharply. "Now hold on. You're talking about rewriting religion. Even if you're the only living vestal, it is not for you to determine what people believe."
"The basic tenets of Crystalism have and always will be the same, Your Majesty," Agnes replied. "And indeed, the crisis we faced has proven those tenants are true. The four crystals are intimately tied into this world, and us to them. This is more directed at the organization of the temples and their practical conduct. To be frank, there are further changes I would like to enact, as well."
"Such as?" Harena asked.
"A system that would allow for multiple vestals, that would rethink the idea that the vestal is married to the crystal."
"Isn't that one of the basic tenets of Crystalism you're talking about?" Harena asked sourly. "The vestal system long predates the Orthodoxy."
"That is true. But how humanity approaches the crystals does not change the truth of what they are, prime minister. The crystals are not human. Attaching human sentiment to them, like marriage, enables emotion to cloud our treatment of what is a force of nature."
"I can't go along with this," the king of Caldisla said with a shake of his head. "You're trying to change everything the world believes in."
"I do not agree, Your Majesty, but surely you at least can acknowledge that things cannot stay as they are? We cannot repeat the mistakes that caused the Grand Ritual and shutdown of the crystals."
"Perhaps not, but making a bigger mistake doesn't make things better!"
"Let's let her finish, Your Majesty," Edea said, raising a hand.
He turned to her. "Was this your idea, lady of Eternia?"
She shut her jaw with a click of teeth. "Your Majesty, I grew up on Anticrystalism. I am in no way qualified to tell Agnes what to do. As the only living vestal, she is more than capable of making her own decisions."
"Let's all calm down," Daniel spoke up. "Since this seems to be a sensitive subject, let's put it aside for a bit. What other changes are you considering, lady vestal?"
Agnes turned in his direction. "I would like to open the temples to the public. To those who wish to pray as well as those who would assist in studying the crystals themselves."
"That's not a move I would have expected out of you, Agnes," the Matriarch said. "Opening them all to the public? To the crystal?"
"We would obviously need measures to prevent sabotage to the crystals," Agnes said, "such as limiting access to the crystals themselves. But yes, that has been my intention for some time. The crystals do not belong to any one person or thing, Matriarch."
Edea smiled. Both Daniel and the Matriarch were watching her with interest. Starting to come around. "I'm not opposed to that," Daniel said at last. "What else did you have in mind?"
"When we have vestals established for each of the other temples," Agnes said, "I would like them to be present for these meetings as well, in a capacity not as decision makers, but as advisors and witnesses."
Harena rested his chin on one hand, regarding her. "What's your rationale for doing so, lady vestal? Not that I object to your presence, but… you wish to include more of your fellows?"
"That is correct, in their capacity as representatives of the temple. This and the idea of opening the temples to the public are two sides of the same page, prime minister. The crystals are a part of this world, not to be divorced from it. The same goes with for the temples. We, too, are at fault for walling ourselves off from society and ignoring the signs of impending conflict."
"You're committed to these ideas, lady vestal?" Daniel asked her.
"Completely, commander."
He met her eyes. "Then how do you feel about the more practical questions that will inevitably occur? Such as possible uses of the crystals themselves?"
Edea tried not to wince. Just when she thought Agnes has managed to bring some of them on board. To her surprise, though, Agnes didn't look ruffled at the question. More like she'd been expecting it. "We would have to proceed with extreme caution to ensure nothing like the past tragedy happened, of course, which would warrant further study of the crystals first. But I am not opposed to it in principle. Do we not already use the wind and waves and flames for the betterment of the world and humanity?"
All of them were staring at her in varying levels of surprise. Even Edea admitted she hadn't expected that response. "You really are determined to leave the tenets of Crystalism," the king of Caldisla said, voice more shocked than angry. "What happened to worship? You're talking about the sacred crystals as if they're tools."
"Not tools, Your Majesty. A force of nature and a part of our world. The vestals' priority will always be to pray for the purity of the crystals and the safety of our world. That is what we have always devoted our lives to. Our fault lies with not understanding that force of nature. By treating them with unquestioning hearts, we failed to identify and prevent the problems that came unto our world. We need to have the courage to question our knowledge, our lack of knowledge, for our stated purpose."
It wasn't quite the courage to disobey, Edea thought in amusement, but it was working. They were listening, they were on board. Finally, things were starting to go right. "I have another question, lady vestal," Daniel said. "What about-"
A muffled explosion over their heads shook the walls, rattling the windows and the glasses on the table. Edea immediately drew her sword, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel do the same. "Guards!" the king of Caldisla called. "What is-"
Something broke through the roof above, showering them with bits of wood and stone. Someone-no, two someones-landed on the table, clad all in black. Alternis? No, this was definitely not her dark knight-not either of them.
"Warriors of Light, Avatar of Fire and Avatar of Wind," the first figure said to them, addressing them in a masculine voice that sent chills down her back. It couldn't be. "Your presence is required."
"I must've missed your invitation," Edea replied, sarcastic. "Who are you?"
The other dark night, female judging by the silhouette, raised her sword, drawing a black line down the wall. Every tapestry came crashing down to the floor. "That was a warning," she stated in a flat tone. "Come along quietly, or we will bring you by force."
"Answer the question. Who the hell are you? And what do you want us for?" Was she losing her mind? Had stress finally snapped her to the point where she was seeing what she thought she was seeing?
"I don't answer to the likes of you," the words ended in a snarl. "Come along, now."
Agnes put a hand on Edea's arm, pushing her sword down a fraction. "Do not engage in violence," she instructed the dark knights. "Do not bring further harm to this place, and we'll come with you quietly."
Edea looked at Agnes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Agnes met her eyes, then glanced to the side. The king of Caldisla was scooting away, looking to the door for the guards, and the Matriarch was also on the floor, cradling an injured arm. Picking a fight here would be disastrous. At the same time, Agnes's straightforward gaze indicated that wasn't the only reason. Had she noticed what Edea thought she'd noticed? When had Agnes become such a leader? "You win," Edea said, sheathing her sword. "But you'd better give us a good explanation along the way."