The waning moon shimmered brightly through the windowsill, as the moonlight approached gently on the beds of children getting ready for bed. The moonlight split the giant marble room of the Temple in half as it crept to the footsteps of a large teak closet. In front of this closet stood a man, much shorter than the closet itself, distributing blankets from the closet to children lined up in front of him. The children, of all heights and ages, talked loudly and over each other as they left the line where they waited for their blankets. The last pair in line walked up to the front, whispering and giggling.

“El and Mel, you guys are sharing a bed and blanket tonight, so don’t stay up too late”

Mel turned to her left and whispered excitedly to El. Their giddy laughter as they approached the front of the line paused for a moment as El grabbed the blanket. El grabbed the blanket and held it over her head so that it didn’t touch the ever-so-slightly dirt-tracked floor.

“Thank you, Chen!” They whisper excitedly, in unison.

The rickety bunk beds lined up along the sides of the large marble room. Every breath of the children creaked the loose wooden joints of the beds as they turned every night restless. Eight wooden bunk beds made from the cheapest, lightest and easiest to replace wood, were all filled up. Next to the large, glass window in the bottom bunk lay Chen’s biggest concern, Ari. The newest child taken in by the Temple, Ari, is also the youngest, shortest and quietest in his room. His short, moppy, dull brown hair was cut just a week ago, but had already grown quite well. Chen knew Ari would need time to adjust to life in the Temple, but he had been so isolated from the others that you couldn’t help but worry.

Chen dusted the floor at Ari’s bedside before sitting cross-legged. Chen’s simple Temple clothes felt thin as they were pulled and stretched as he got himself comfortable. Chen brushed aside Ari's moppy hair from his pale forehead.

“Ari, which Tale would you like me to read tonight? I feel like it's been a while since we read the Tale of The Hero!”

“Chen, could we please read the Tale of Creation one more time, please~”

“Alright, but just because you were very good today”

“Long ago, before stars danced in the heavens, God roamed alone. The vast emptiness whispered loneliness to him, aching his endless heart. To silence this sadness, God created Batriel, his first child and life itself.”

Chen paused and gathered his breath.

“Batriel, seeing the universe so dark and cold, filled it with stars whose light would burn forever,” Chen exclaimed brightly and felt the gaze of the entire room fall upon him as the children’s hushed gossip ceased.

“But God knew that nothing could last without end, and so he created Azrael to ensure that all things might eventually conclude, making way for new beginnings. With a single breath, Azrael gently extinguished the stars that burned forever.”

Chen then inhaled deeply and blew his breath at the already extinguished candle on the windowsill.

“Chen, you have to continue~” A little voice whispered to Chen’s right.

Chen grinned. He paused in their anticipation before he continued, “Stars flourished and faded, and from Azrael's extinguished stars came planets—cold and barren stones.”

Chen then looked around the room and saw the many, tiny, curious eyes peeking through their blankets at him as a smile took hold of his face.

“Moved by compassion, Batriel begged God for beauty, and God lovingly created Melakabel, the Flame of Life. Melakabel embraced the flame of stars and danced with them throughout the cold planets, giving them warmth. Together, Batriel and Melakabel breathed life into these empty worlds, filling them with vibrant, growing life everywhere you could see.”

The room was now silent as Chen paused. The calls of the insects, just on the other side of the window, seemed to ring out brightly and confidently all around.

“Yet, life was orderly, predictable, and without wonder. So, God created Zagela, whose every breath brought chaos to the order before her.” Chen exclaimed as he grew more excited.

Chen stood up and opened the window, drawing in the cool night air before turning to face the curious children.

Chen began to proclaim as he paced around the room, “Thus Zagela granted life meaning through chaos and change, filling existence with hope and endless possibility. But life, ever more intricate and unpredictable, became heavy with the burden of responsibility. Thus, God created Angels, children of his own children, to nurture and guide the delicate web of life.”

“As Angels filled the worlds with wonders both beautiful and frightening, they found something miraculous had emerged—Man, a creature complex, curious, and wondrously beautiful. The Angels marvelled at humanity’s grace and named this beloved world after the Seraphim who shaped it—Batta.”

Chen could feel the pulse of excitement electrify the room. The curious eyes began to close themselves slowly and wearily, but they remained focused on him yet.

In a quiet but confident voice, Chen began to draw the story to its close. 

“And so, Batta thrived beneath the watchful eyes of Heaven, filled with wonders and mysteries, hopes and dreams.”

The children began to tuck themselves into bed as Chen checked in with each of them before heading to the large, heavy teak door. He grabbed the brass handle and slowly crept it open. He turned around to whisper a final “Good night” before closing the door.

Finished with his caretaking duties for the day, Chen hurried to his room to finally get some time to go over his research. The dimly lit corridors of the Temple of Temeluchus made every journey back to his room a quest. He had taken in the letters carried by the merchants today and was excited to finally receive the letter he had been waiting for.

Deep within the Temple’s Archive, Chen found an odd artefact that had seemingly been mislabelled. His job as an Archivist was one he had eagerly been waiting for his whole life. The Zi family had been serving the Temple of The Offspring in Puriel’s Light for generations. His parents were still practising their faith as Priests, which meant that he was certain to follow in their footsteps. However, Chen had always loved to read. When he began to read as a child no older than three, his parents knew that he would be different. As Chen grew older, he began to find himself fascinated with books that talked about discovery and the unknown. He often wondered about the very nature of life and the divines, about what it means to be alive. His love for his family, traditions and care for children meant that his faith in Temeluchus, the Angel worshipped by the Church of The Offspring, was never in question. So Chen waited until a position in the Temple’s Archives was open so that he could indulge in all his fascinations.

Archive Item number RB-109 had been mislabelled. A week into his job, and he had already found himself being useful. RB-109 was odd in that it was not an item but rather a specimen, as it appeared to be a scale of some creature. Chen had sent the sealed specimen in a sealed iron box along with a note regarding its nature to the Head Archivist, Dorian, for review and reassessment. The Head Archivist rarely stays in the Temple, choosing often to wander to nearby towns and villages to find new items and specimens for archival purposes to keep the records of the Church current. The merchant visiting the Temple today carried with him a sealed box and a letter addressed to Chen Zi. Chen left the box and the letter on his desk, so that he could look it over after his caretaking duties were complete and finish the relabeling of the item early the next day.

Chen fought against his heavy bedroom door and pushed it open. He withdrew his pocket igniters and lit the candles in his bedroom. He lit the two candles on his desk before closing the door and sitting down before the cold iron sealed box. Chen clenched the rough, paper envelope that held the letter in excitement. He pulled the letter concealed in the envelope out and began to hunch over his desk as he began to read it.

“Hey —

I just returned from a field run and finally laid eyes on RB-109.

Quick notes before the ink fades:

· Scale density + inner shimmer = probable CELESTIAL derivation

· Mucosal under-layer still pulses at faint light (odd, right?)

Left the specimen and my callipers on your desk.

Please verify before the second bell and reshelve to Archive Slot 214.

Yours curiously,

— Dorian ”

Celestial derivation? The discovery of Blessed Creatures is always noteworthy and the focus of many studies. How was this Blessed Creature mishandled so poorly? There was no description on the item, nor any information on the studies conducted on it, not to mention it was mislabelled as an item rather than a specimen.

“Temeluchus must feel so proud to have a gifted archivist under his grace at last.” Chen thought to himself.

Chen began cleaning his room, tidying his effects, then organised his clothes by colour. He gazed upon the sealed box, “It pulses?” he thought to himself, “That is odd. Maybe I can give it a closer look before I close the Archive tomorrow.” Chen blew out the candles in his bedroom as he began to say a prayer. Each word carried with it the promise of protection, hope and a better tomorrow that resonated within Chen’s soul and, deep within the sealed box.