Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Today the faith of many will be tested and only few will pass.

The history of the worship of the divine goes back into the past for as long as civilization itself does and perhaps even further before that.

From the witnessing of the first star, to the lighting of the first fire in honor of it, our ancestors have worshiped the divine, the creators of our domain, of our flesh and spirit.

The gods of the world come and go, ebbing in and out of existence, as would the tide beneath an ever-changing moon. As people worship a god, it gains power. As generations pass and the god falls into obscurity, it loses power.

And so it comes to be that new gods arise, taking the place of the old, as would the cycling generations of the living take over the places of their fathers and mothers.

However, some gods manage to persist in other forms. Their old name becomes obscure, so they take on a new name. Their old image becomes indistinct and not relevant for the current cultural boundaries that they find themselves inside of, so they take on a new image.

It is impossible to say who the oldest god is, but we know that they are real.

Our faith tells us so.

The era in which gods had shared the mortal world together with us is over, brought to an end by the great ash. Now, only we remain. Now, only our voices remain, rising to the heavens in reverence of the entities who gave us life and direction.

They are not with us in body, but they remain with us in spirit.

This, I believe.

Let us keep the faith.