The room is filled with the sound of students groaning don’t want to read what in front of them. Row and row of text dizzy their mind and many students who try to skim the book can’t even finish the first chapter.
“Well since you should already read your own scripture there should only be five books left to read right,” said Josh.
Everyone looks at Josh like he’s saying nonsense.
“You don’t read your own scripture? Even you Biscuit?” the crow caw in shock.
“I—I do. I just skip some parts that are boring.” Biscuit said in a low voice.
“I did read mind once long ago but I just prefer listening to our elder more,” said Eirian.
Everyone else has no excuse.
“Why is there a book from Fire Ant Kingdom anyway” Bill flips the page and sees that it talks about ranking and class in Fia. Queen ante worker solider and each of their responsibility.
“This is not going to be in a test right” even Calamity say with concern in his voice.
“Oh it will be in a test” sister Fay walks in holding all six books and slams them on a table in a show of strength.
“Now who is ready to study!”
Blood leaves every student's eye when they hear about a test.
“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s going to be an open-book test,” Fay says the magic word to revive her student. You should still pay attention in class, though. I promise I’ll try to make this as interesting as possible. The topic I talk about will be the focus of the test, so you don’t have to read the whole thing, so try your best, everyone.” Fay cheers for everyone.
“Did we move up this subject now because what happened in Alvern?” asked Amy.
“Yes” With Fay's answer, the student's eyes burn with hatred for those zealots in Amalthor. This is all their fault!
It didn’t take long before those burning fires were aimed at the goat and sheep sitting next to them.
“Now now everyone. I know this subject is very difficult but I think this is also a good opportunity to learn and understand your friends more, see what drives and guides them, and who knows maybe you will know more about your religion as well since I know no one actually read these things—for a long time I sure didn’t” Fay wink.
“Now let’s us start with Church of Amalthaea. Oh and since this subject is very difficult we will pause and allow students to talk among yourself after each book ok? I think this will help everyone understand each other more since I can only speak for Amalthor's side.” Fay picks up the book with a goat on the cover “Our scripture is Droverbum, the most important commandment I will focus on is the first three.”
- Let love course through you just as water nourishes this world.
- You are a vessel of holy water, herd together under one creed and be glaze in abundant
- Serve none but Amalthaea. There is no God but him and to him you will return.
She then goes on to talk about how goats and sheep pray a little differently, and how water and ice are important elements in Amalthorian way of life.
“No school in Amalthor will mention this but the third commandment is added later by the church, approved by Father Pan the 2nd,” said sister Fay “I want to mention this because this very commandment is one of the main reason zealot from Dro Degar keep practice their isolationist way. I do hope that everyone here not just those who worship Amalthaea will be more understanding of how tragedy in Alvern happens.”
Biscuit seems to be uncomfortable at first since everyone's focus is on the part of teaching that drives those zealots to attack Alvern but as time goes on Amy notices she seems more relaxed and almost seem proud at times.
‘I guess she really loves her god.’ Amy decided to not say anything to not offend Biscuit. She doesn’t believe in any of this and doesn’t plan to but she does curious about Levana who is an ant like her but believes in Amalthaea.
Sister Fay then goes on to teach about moral rules/guides that overlap in other religions each was written differently but all share a basic point.
Don’t wish for others what you don't wish for yourself.
Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not commit adultery, Do not lie, Do not consent to any wrong and some even say Don’t drink alcohol or intoxicants.
From what Amy sees the rule is not that different from basic law in an ant colony. Most workers know this without ever being taught.
“A lot of these commandments seem to talk about what not to do.” said Amy “Why don’t they say what to do to please the god or how to be good? Shouldn’t it be obvious to everyone not to steal what is not yours or lie anyway?”
“Haven’t you ever been lied to before Amy? People rely on survival instinct sometimes we have to lie to survive” said Bill.
“Not really, we ant mostly communicate with pheromone so how can we ever lie.”
Bill freezes and just says “Right.”
“But what about other royal ant?” asks Eirian “Surely some ante had lied or misled you before.”
“If they had then I’m not aware. There are some misunderstandings but that fault lies in our choice of word rather than deceit, I think.”
Amy adds “The teaching about don’t lie I get it but some religions say don’t bear false witness against your neighbour so is that mean for that religion some lies are ok just not when you blame your neighbor? Does that mean god can lie to you and that ok too?”
“Don’t think too much into these texts it’s just a guide of what not to do you know. There’s always more meaning between the lines,” said Rusul.
‘If you guys claim it’s a commandment from god then shouldn’t every single detail be taken seriously?’
“But not getting the meaning clear isn’t that the reason some goat became zealot?”
“Those people are just bad. Normal Amalthorian wouldn’t attack other races like that,” said Biscuit.
Next for the wolf, their main difference is when a wolf comes of age he must choose a virtue which he or she shall uphold for the rest of his life. If you live a good life, follow your virtue and honor m?nen then your soul will be lifted up to join other souls on the moon but if you live a bad life then your soul will be lost in the void of stars unable to find the moon forever.
Amy imagines Calamity floating in space above and has to hold a giggle.
“A wolf must uphold a virtue which you choose for the rest of your life but it’s not like there is a law that keeps track and punish you. Virtue is an elusive concept, it demands careful and sustained self-reflection and slowly integrate into one's life. Even Prof. Leon converted his virtue after accepting a position at this school to humility to reflect a change in his life path to a teacher.”
‘That wolf teacher? Humility? Virtue meaning must be fast and lose than the one human use.’
“You should all try to think of which virtue you would choose if you were a wolf. It should be fun to have some moral principles guiding you in life to try follow. The famous ones are kindness, courage, integrity, modesty, generosity, wisdom, discipline, piety, loyalty, patience, Justice, love, Prudence, Solitude, Nobility, humility, Equanimity and Transcendence. There are also many more virtues feel free to choose a word which matches your value but remember to think carefully about what that word means. This would be a virtue that will guide you for the rest of your life after all. Or at least before you go to bed tonight if everyone would like.” Prof. Fay smiles.
Everyone in class then starts to talk to each other about their choice “What would my virtue be?" Said Amy.
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“Vexation?”
Amy threw a book in Josh's face.
“Definitely not temperance” Josh swat some of the loose feathers off his head.
“What about you Calamity? What is your virtue?” Eirian asked and everyone looked at Calamity with excitement.
“Tenacity,” said the wolf.
“Well, I guess it's a virtue?” Eirian try to be polite.
‘He said before he didn’t believe in god but I guess he still chose a virtue huh.’
“Strength of mind, and the ability to stick to one's purpose” said Josh “But what purpose?”
“To study?” said Calamity.
With the way he said it no one in the team believed him.
Everyone in class then goes on to interrogate all the wolves in class about their chosen virtue.
Marco is wisdom while he says his father Eldrick Conri is Justice.
Sharik is courage.
Jason is Transcendence. A popular one for artists or doctors. It means an appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality.
Fay noted to the class that she was quite surprised no one here chose loyalty since it’s very popular among wolves. The reason is that the big clans would be more likely to choose you to join them if they don’t think you will betray or leave them later.
‘my virtue...virtue. Discipline would not be a bad choice’
“Prof. Fay, what about fighting? I thought wolf god—mone would command wolf to fight or have a warrior death to get in heaven or something since they love fighting so much” asked Brant.
“There is no heaven for warrior death, m?nen didn’t teach her people to become the strongest warriors. Wolf just loves fighting and their government is made up of powerful clans who hold much power in each sector. These clans are direct descendants of the first Fenrir and are well respected by all the wolves. Becoming a part of one of these clans is the highest prestige any wolf can achieve in their life so many wolves would train their body from young age to get an opportunity to join one of these clan forces when they come of age and receive privilege to learn special martial art of the clan they serve. Not all wolves seek this path of course some also seek other professions which have nothing to do with fighting at all. You could say we as outsiders just overblow this idea of battle craze wolf race but then again even in a stadium I still do remember how you guys shout about who is strongest all the time so you guys can blame yourself as well.
Next Fay talks about Lady Estellia, goddess of corvid and all birds. Bird believed in two gods, one is the god of death and the other is Lady Estellia, other race knew her as the star that give birth to magic. God of Death is the highest being since all life must end but they also believed in Lady Estellia and prayed to her since she was the one who awakened them and wished for her protection and guidance. For them, the magic is called Naas, a living water that permeates and originates all things, a primordial stuff that is essence of divinity. They believed in the existence of a soul and that everyone is born with two souls.
When you are born a dark spirit type in according to your time of birth comes down with you and possesses your body. They could be considered evil spirits or daemons but they are just a corrupted soul that cannot be born because of their resentment although some dark spirits who hold Malice do wish you harm and make you harm others as well.
For the most part, they come into your body in hope of cleansing their own soul by learning from you. They influence you?into vice the main ones are
Ignorant, sorrow, lust, greed, anger and Malice.
If you manage to resist their influence and gain a revelation dark spirit will leave your body, a sign that you have attained one of?virtue.
Truth, joy, steadfastness, generosity, life and last is Naas, the final virtue you must come to a revelation yourself, unlike others this one can’t be taught. Fay then explains what each of these word mean, each has many meanings and finding an expression of these virtues is an important step toward understanding and attaining them.
Once each dark spirit learns a virtue that corrupted them they are cleansed and will able to reborn and try to live a life of?virtue again. In turn, other dark spirits will now accompany them into the new life once they’re reborn in hope of learning from them next and so on and on. And you who attain all virtue will gain enlightenment and break free from cycle of corruption and join with Death in eternal slumber.
“What? Your reward is death?” said Bill.
“Eternal rest! Pay attention Bill” Josh speak in a loud voice.
‘That doesn’t make any sense.’ Amy didn’t say anything because Josh seemed really serious.
“Does practicing these virtues have any benefit at all?” asked Ava.
“Well they do say that if you don’t kill then you will be healthy, have nice skin and hair; if you don’t steal what does not belong to you then you will have luck in money, if you don’t commit adultery then you will have charm, if you don’t drink then you will gain focus, good sense and wit.”
“I don’t think people who don’t steal actually got rich.” Ava as a blue jay who loves to read reports on things saw many who got rich from corruption while normal people starved.
“Depending on religion it’s supposed to have an effect in your next life but you shouldn’t do good deeds for good reward anyway. You should be good for goodness sake and these good deeds do in fact affect the world around you and in turn yourself I can promise you this,” answered Fay.
‘Then why do anything good at all if there is no guaranteed reward...well, I did what I did because it’s my duty to the colony but what about other races? Is that why they need religion? Because they don’t know their duty like ants?’
Next is Amiel, Amiel believed in the eternal one, unlike other religions you could say The Eternal One is not a god in a way that most of you understand, for one it’s not conscious. It permeates and in all things. It is not good or evil but benevolent. The Eternal One is not its name just a way Amiel calls it, It’s the origin of all things and where all things shall return to. According to their belief, everything in this world is an illusion, emotions passions and desires will mislead you and draw a dark spirit to you. These spirits will influence you to go further from The Eternal One, it is not evil per se, it’s just their nature like fire burning wood. You are the one who chooses to light the first spark first these spirits just follow. If you harbour these spirits too long they will make you prone to obsession, anger, sorrow or emotional bursts when triggered by certain words or actions like a demon splash with holy water.
The mission in the end is to fulfil one purpose while in this world.
The first step however is to know oneself first, to find our true calling, some have a great duty and responsibility that can reshape the world while others just live a simple farm life is enough. You must look inside and listen to the divine. If your heart is open and accepts The Eternal One you can see the signs which help guide you, and show that you are on the right path, they are usually simple and obvious but those who close their eyes and hearts won’t be able to see it.
If you succeed in your purpose you will be able to ascend to a higher realm. This is a personal struggle, there is no saviour that will come and lift you off this realm. Everything you do will reflect back to you in karma. You have free will and your every action has consequences whether you deny your own free will or not. They go as far as to say that if you have a terminal illness then it’s for your own good and a result of your karma which will give you a chance to become a better person in the long run.
Everyone turns to Eirian.
“What?” Eirian looks relaxed, it seems he got used to being the center of attention somewhat being one of a few Amiel here.
“So whatever bad happens to us it's because we deserve it?”
“Yes, bad and good too” Eirian can feel a little hostility from his classmate so he elaborates “You have to understand karma doesn’t care about good or evil, there is no one above or below watching your every move and judging you. It’s like when you hit a metal bell with your bare hand an echo will ring out and your hand bruise. Everything will affect you or come back to affect you later whether you see it or not.”
“What about our intention? If we do bad thing for good reason or good thing with bad reason but result still good for other?” asked Bill.
Eirian thinks for a moment to give his example, he too wonders about this and asked his elder before “This is just my understanding of it I could be wrong; If you find out there is a serial killer in your town so you kill him without telling anyone nor follow a law because a law can’t catch him do you think this will be good or bad karma?”
“Good? Because we save other people's lives?” said Josh.
“An act of murder is still killing and as far as other villagers are concerned you kill one of their good neighbors this will have a negative impact on their life but you too will receive karma for saving others.”
“A good deed does not subtract bad deed that not how it works, you will receive karma for both saving another and killing another. One karma doesn't erase another.”
“Intention does matter but it also depends on you. Two mothers hit their child, one to teach and one to express her anger from work if the one who taught didn’t explain to the child why he was hit does it make a difference? We have free will and the ability to communicate if we do it badly then we’re not taking responsibility for our actions enough. If the child understands his mother hit him for love then it is fine but what if he doesn’t? Then two mothers are not different in the child’s eye at all and there will be consequences. There also a third mother who hits her child to relieve her anger but says it’s for the child's own good, that a lie and it’s will have its own consequence as well.”
‘An interesting concept’ Amy thinks while looking at Biscuit who seems to pay attention to every Eirian word “What do you think Biscuit?”
“A world where god is not conscious, how bold. I would never thought of such an idea before. I only heard talk about other religions where whose god is correct or from nonbelievers who say there is no god. Who knows there are so much more ideas out there in the world. Karma I heard before and thought it’s the same as sin, to think I couldn’t be more wrong.”
And lastly Fay talks about the Fire ant class but she keeps it short which Amy doesn’t mind. There is not much to say anyway since this red book is more akin to a book of law for guiding direction and court rather than scripture anyway.
“I hope you all have a better understanding now about the religion of other races.” said Fay “What happened at Alvern is a tragedy although some will try to tell you it’s their god's command. I do believe that the goat and sheep who attacked Alvern village are in the wrong, such senseless killing is not a way that any religious scripture teaches. There are indeed some pages teaching about self-defense and destroying our enemy but the first Pan wrote that because we were in the time of war fighting for our species' survival. Every single one of us no matter the races has the right to live and live how we choose. Let the action of those zealots be a warning to all of you to be careful of how you let other people interpret your beliefs for you or how you yourself will interpret them. I can’t tell you how to praise and honor your faith but I know that a relationship between you and god can only be shaped by you and you alone. Even some of you who don’t believe in any god must find some standard of how to live. I do hope that you don’t do it alone and at least share and connect with people around you. For even if you don’t love god, he loves you.”
‘my colony can’t love me but every ant loves our colony. That is enough for me.’