Sister Orline had known Olivier since he was a small boy. He was always sensitive to those in need. Perhaps a bit of a cry baby, he cared for the smallest of hearts and was incredibly protective of those without a voice for themselves. She could see it now with the way he immediately attached himself to Belle. With that being said, the new blush on the boy’s face from naming her was new. She raised a curious brow, looking between the two. They were clearly about the same age. Olivier being 19 years old and the girl appearing about the same. Even so, His Radiant Majesty Be Her Witness, she will protect their chasity. 

“Belle, it is then.” She said, clapping her hands together to get both of their attention. “With that settled, Belle, you should come with me to the church.”

“Can’t I stay here?” She looked a little crestfallen, glancing at Olivier.

His face heated up pink at being put on the spot and responded. “A-Ah . . . I wouldn’t mind.”

“It wouldn’t do for a lady to stay with a man while unmarried.”

At this point Olivier was turning a deeper shade of red. “R-Right.”

“Besides, you don’t have a spare bed to offer Olivier.”

“Couldn’t we share one?” It seemed big enough to her.

“Not at all.”

Sister Orline left no room for argument. She gave Olivier a look that could rival the royal crusade; daring him to challenge her holy campaign. But Olivier had no ambition to do such a thing, especially in his flustered state.

“S-Sister Orline is right Belle. Don’t worry, you can always come by to visit. I’ll introduce you to the sheep.”

That seemed to brighten Belle’s spirits and she gave a nod, hopping off the stool to follow the sister out of the home. She waved goodbye to Olivier as she followed the nun down the road and over the horizon. Part of him was sad to see the girl leave, but it was getting late and he was certain Sister Orline would take good care of her. 

The church was one of the most prominent buildings in the town of Heather aside from the castle a distance the a way. The deeper they went into the town, the closer the castle came into view. Even from far away, it was incredibly daunting. Belle couldn’t imagine someone living there; it didn’t have the same warm and cozy feeling of Olivier's home. At first she assumed the church to be just as cold. From the outside, its stone architecture stood as a pillar to Heather with intricate designs and depictions of the story of the Immaculate Radiance.

The Radiant Majesty, The Immaculate Father, Volant the Majestic of the Immaculate Radiance. He went by many titles, but the religion itself is depicted as the Immaculate Radiance. The story of Volant follows a tale of a world oppressed by the gods. Scriptures state that the gods were fickle beings with unimaginable power and dominion over mortalkind. Their whimsy and feuds among each other often left mortals in the middle of their tirades. When Volant stood to reason with them, they were impressed by his audacity rather than insulted. In turn, they blessed him with their power to support their will, earning him the moniker “The Radiant One.” Volant used his gift to support mortals, leading to centuries of peace and prosperity. This era was known as The Sanctuary Period. However, one day, the gods grew bored of the mundane communion, and instructed Volant to slay the Sultan that was said to rule all of Rosalia. Volant did not hesitate to do so, but this single act marked the change in Volant’s endeavors. After slaying the Sultan, Volant took up the reins as the first king and led the world to slay the gods, seeing them now as a direct threat to humanity. With this action, and the slaying of the first god. Wymer. The gods attempted to remove Volant’s divinity. However, after a millennia, Volant had made the radiant light his own and essentially ascended to godhood. The Golden Massacre, marked the end of tyranny under the gods, and in its wake, Volant became “Volant the Majestic, His Radiant Majesty” making his throne on the body of the Gilded Titan; the last deity to die by his blade and the first to have granted Volant his blessing. The Radiant Rose Lian now represents the heraldic badge of Volant’s noble house. 

Centuries have long since passed since Volant’s rising. His tales have long since become a myth with wars separating the lands into various countries. While many follow the Immaculate Radiance, some believe it to be mere propaganda to support the ruling of King Ophelia, who is said to be a descendant and part of a long lineage of Volant. When questioned about the fractured sky, Sister Orline explained that while the gods were slain, deities do not truly die; they simply return from whence they came. But when forced out, the fury of the deities left the skies shattered as if their world had just been a glass sphere to watch from the heavens. 

Sister Orline worried how much knowledge of the world Belle had lost and how. She had gotten her settled in a room in the church.  She looked to be barely an adult herself, but old enough to not be placed with the orphaned children. It was concerning to her that Belle knew so little. While it could be understood that she didn’t know the story of the Immaculate Radiance, the fact that she knew of no other culture nor country was far more unexpected. But what was most sombering was the blunt way Belle registered information. She took everything at face value, lacking any understanding of nuances and contexts. 

Belle’s room was modest with a warm straw bed with a thick blanket, a small window with dainty curtains , and a wooden vanity and chair. She also had a quaint nightstand with a simple portal candle. Sister Orline knelt on the old rug by the bed, adjusting and tying the strap of the white shoes over Belle’s feet.

“If I am to rest, why am I being given shoes? Do you sleep in shoes?” Belle asked.

“No, but when you awake in the morning, you should have shoes to wear. It wouldn’t do to have you walking around without any.” Sister Orline explained.

“Why?”

“There’s a tale that evil spirits enter your body through your feet. So you must wear shoes to preserve your health and soul.”

Belle’s expression didn’t really seem to change at the explanation, but her gaze did drift off to the side as though she was looking at something. She was quiet for only a moment before her gaze finally did return to the nun. She gave a light tilt of her head in the same way she usually did when curious about something.

“What does an evil spirit look like?”