Chapter 10: Return to Vala

Benji looks at it, the orb he needs. He glances at the old lady, he hears her speak of their goddess. She loves and respects the goddess, Benji sees her happiness for her god. The lady speaks saying the orb was a gift from the heavens above. She relied on her religion, it was all she had to keep her going. Benji feels a mound of guilt over him. He hears this old woman speak, he’s sure many are like her, reliant on this one thing, and he’s about to take it away. 

At night, after they all pray Benji breaths sneaking in the church as I swipes the orb. He turns to see a group of kids. Benji holds the orb scared as he looks at the clueless kids. The kids ask what he is doing with the sacred orb? He bluffs saying he was sent to clean it. As kids do, they believed the adult. Benji watches the kids walk away as he feels guilty for lying. He doesn’t even want to do any of this yet he is. He walks out the church as he runs away. He sees the same crow squawk in the sky.

The crow flies down landing on his arm, he squawks in Benji's face. The crow has a little symbol on paper tied to its leg. Benji opens it, he grazes his hand on the symbol as he’s immediately knocked out. 

He wakes in a similar place, where he first was put. Vala, the green and bright area, the fields were pleasant and nice to be in. Benji still holds the crystal orb in his arms as he stands, the tall grass and crops reaching to his waist. He hears Diz, he quickly turns his head to see a hill with a large tree stuck in it. He sees a shape of a person slightly behind the tree. 

He walks towards the hill, it’s Diz, well that’s what Benji assumes anyways. He still wears his vail, his vail covering his face. The black lace and patterns making his face somewhat hidden yet barley visible. Benji holds the orb, just like he was told to do. Diz tilts his head towards Benji, there’s a slight blood stain on his vail. He lifts his hand up silently asking for Benji to hand him the orb. Benji does so as Diz examines it, he breaks it half. 

Benji peaks as he’s a bit blinded by the brightness of the now broken sphere. Diz takes a smaller sphere from the crack. He lifts it underneath his vail as he puts it in his mouth, he shuts his mouth closed with his hands gulping. Benji felt a little grossed out seeing him swallow the mystery. 

“ What's that for?” Benji asks his curiosity to take over him. Diz turns to look at him tossing the cracked orb away into the overthrowing fields.

“ You read my messages, yes? Good job, and for this, like I said, it belongs to another celestial.” He stares at Benji underneath his veil. Benji can barely see him but he must be using a human-like look. Benji can tell his eyes are a pitch black color, they’re a bit intense. Benji feels a slight chill looking away, he focuses his eyes on the tossed mineral.

“ it contains a bit of her essence, she has 3 in total, she had scattered them across the universe as a gift to her favorite creations. I will eat two of the three, the last, will be for you, for you to consume” Diz says blankly. Benji feels a bit awkward, why would he eat that? It’s kinda gross when he thinks about it. Thinking about swallowing the sphere makes Benji's throat hurt from the thought.

“ why?” Benji asks hesitantly 

“ You're my only disciple , well only one so far, I need you to be stronger, better” Diz answers pointing at Benji's, well, everything. “ I plan on having an army, not a huge one, around 5 at least. I picked you out of chance, don’t take my mercy and gifts for granted, okay?”  Min suddenly appears in Vala. Benji immediately tenses up, clutching his fists together.

“ Why is he here?” Benji asks, snaking his way behind Diz. Min tosses the orb to Diz as he watches it, he cracks it like the first. He eats the inside. 

“ I told him to get the second orb, I need to find them quickly before she finds me” Diz explains, Benjis not sure who “she” is in general but decides to save the question later when Min is gone. Diz explains further , “ you and Min will be working together to get the last orb while I find Simetria” he stands leading Benji towards Min as Benji stays still. He refuses to go with Min, he rather finds it by himself. Diz shifts his head to Benji's ear lifting his veil up slightly. 

“ Find it, I’ll tell you his weakness”.

Now, Benji has his motive.