"It is the greatest privilege to be standing here today," Father Gideon says, stepping away from the altar. "I know many of you are expecting Father Eldric, but he was summoned to Etheridge for the coming weeks."
Cecil sat still in his seat, letting his cane rest against the pew, while Samuel shifted trying to find a level of comfort on the wooded benches.
"Though I cannot pretend to match his years of service here in Grandport," Gideon continued, his voice steady, as he raised his hand to hover a few inches over his rosary. "But I promise you I will serve faithfully in his absence. My heart is with this community, and I will do my utmost to honor your trust."
"I understand some of you may have met me before but for those who haven't," Father Gideon inclined his head, "Hello, my name is Gideon. I am a senior priest who was recently transferred from Dumnezeu this past winter."
A ripple of murmurs stirred the congregation before settling back into silence with a motion. Gideon moved to the lectern, lifting the pristine holy scripture resting there and opening it.
"Since this is my first sermon here in Grandport, I will start with something everyone knows: The Story of Creation."
Cecil let his fingers brush the rim of his monocle as Gideon drew a breath and began.
"In the beginning, there was only The Most Ancient One, a being who was known by countless names across history but its most popular being: Ymir. Ymir was both masculine and feminine but also neither. It was everything and nothing at once, the Beginning and End. It was too vast, too paradoxical, for the worlds It dreamed of to endure before Its presence."
"Ymir sought to fill the nothingness with creation, but all things born of It collapsed, unable to withstand the burden of Its totality. In Its infinite sorrow and wisdom, The Most Ancient One split Its soul into three pieces."
"From the first piece arose the eldest, The Primogenitor of the Natural Order, who brought forth the darkened womb of The Abyss." He gestured toward the stained-glass window marked Finitor.
"From the second piece arose Lady Almighty, and with Her came the radiant throne of The Empyrean." His hand moved toward Elyth.
"All that remained of Ymir's soul was the scraps left behind, which fused with the nothingness, taking shape as the great and unknowable domain of The Void. From all that was unwanted and discarded from the other pieces swarmed together becoming the youngest sibling, nameless and faceless."
"The youngest saw the inevitability of The Primogenitor and the rigid order of Lady Almighty and mocked them, declaring Themself as the first fool. Thus, They gained the name: The Foolish One." His hand turned toward Folros.
"Lady Almighty, in Her divine sovereignty, reached into the flesh of The Most Ancient One and made from it the Material World. She then took the bones, save for the spine, and fashioned the high and eternal halls of Heaven."
"The Primogenitor carved the veins of the Most Ancient One into the mystic realm of Vanaheim. Then, seeking a deeper essence, They beseeched Lady Almighty for the marrow hidden in the bones, and from it shaped the Underworld, the land of souls."
"The Foolish One, in jest, reached into the brain. From the left hemisphere came the Spirit World, a limbo of knowledge and spirituality. From the right, the Astral Plane, home of magic and stories."
"Together, the Three took the spine of The Most Ancient One and wove it into the World Tree. Lady Almighty decreed Divine Law to bind it; The Primogenitor let nature root deep in its branches; and The Foolish One, ever the deceiver, whispered lies that fooled the bone into believing itself a tree."
"From its vast limbs, the realms hung like precious fruit. At last, the Three took the skin of the Most Ancient One and stretched it across 'Their' creations, shaping the Veil Between Realms, a boundary separating the realms."
"The Primogenitor, ruler of Natural Order—the cycle of life and death, finality itself—could not stand before creation, just as Their progenitor could not. So They too split once more into Mother Life and Father Death: She who claimed Vanaheim, and He who claimed the Underworld." Father Gideon motioned towards Meata and Patem, respectively.
"Together They plucked the left eye of the Most Ancient One and birthed the Primordial Moon, and hung it upon the Tree, one final gift to The Primogenitor."
"In mourning for Her lost sibling, Lady Almighty plucked the right eye, forging the Primordial Sun."
"She cast it upon the Tree's Crown, and from it emerged two: From its first rays came The Holy Son and from the first dawn came The Holy Spirit, Who in turn inherited the Material and Heavenly realms, respectively." He gestured to Kaelun and Vukrel.
"Watching Their siblings create the Primordial Sun and Moon, The Foolish One laughed. And They too gave a gift to the World Tree, by plunking strands of Their own Divinity, The Foolish One hung them upon strings of mana across the World Tree, Birthing the Primordial Stars."
"From the Primordial Stars came wonder, reawakening The Most Ancient One's mind, if only for a singular moment of pure joy, From this joy rose the two stewards of Its mind:"
"From The Most Ancient One's knowledge, arose The Honored One, who took the throne of the Spirit World. And from The Most Ancient One's fantasies, came The Astral Lady, who watches over the Astral Plane." His hand lifted toward Thalyn and Nyara.
"In the stillness that followed, The Three, now Eight, gathered the shattered dreams of their progenitor. From these, they breathed life into the Ancient Gods and their Angels."
"With the Ancient Gods, by Their side, the Protogenoi spread their power into the remaining parts of the Most Ancient One's body, from which sprouted the Twenty-Four Mythological Creatures:"
"From the heart, the Cyclopes, the First of the Makers; from the ears, the wise Simurghs; from the lacrimal glands, the undying Phoenixes; from the small intestine, the three headed Hydras.
"From the pancreas, the golden-winged Griffins; from the liver, the wrathful Asuras; from the spleen, the awe-inspiring Dawn Titans and the silver-tongued Devils."
"From the nose, the serene Qilins; from the gallbladder, the fortunate Pixiu; from the brain fluid came the knowledgeable Feathered Serpents, and from its depths, the many-sighted Djinn."
"From the stomach, the ever-wandering Celestial Dragons; from the hair, the clever Kitsunes; from the tongue, the deceptive and cunning Basilisks; from the pineal gland, the winged Caith-Siths."
"From the large intestine, the Shinigami, the first of the Jötnar; from the teeth, the fierce Fenrirs; from the lips, the silent Night-Gaunts and the dreambound Oneiroi."
"From the kidneys, the wild and natural Leshies; from the lungs, the mighty Leviathans; from the blood, the Vampires, cursed and yet noble; And from the remaining bodily fluids, which poured into the Abyss, emerged the Demons and with them, all other forms of maleficent existences.
"And so the Protogenoi gifted the Ancient Gods with rulership over certain Mythological Creatures:"
"Zemrida, The Mother of Dwarves, was gifted the Cyclops and the Devils; Janus, The Ancestor of Dragons, ruled over The Celestial Dragons and the Dawn Titans; Lorethai, The Goddess of Planet, was gifted the Leshies and Vampires; Morvagur, The King of the Dead, claimed the Shinigami and Griffins; Paimon, The Demon of Knowledge, was given the Feathered Serpents and the Pixiu; and Lothric, The Sun God, guided the Phoenixes, Hydras, and Simurghs."
"Those not granted to the Ancient Gods had their rulership shared among multiple Angels."
"In due time, the Protogenoi and Their Ancient Gods turned their attention to earth and to new life."
"It was Mother Life and Father Death who shaped the first mortals, fashioning both their bodies and souls, giving them the gift of life. Lady Almighty then made for them a home: the Garden of Eden, paradise eternal. From the Garden, both the Holy Son and Holy Spirit gave guidance and structure, gifting mortals civilization and morality."
"But to the Foolish One, it was too perfect. Such stillness and rigidness was not a blessing, but the cruelest of curses. So They entered the Garden in secret and tempted the mortals with an apple made from Their essence. Upon eating it, mortals received Their final divine gift: a fragment of the Void within every soul granting them free will, curiosity, and boundless potential."
"With this final gift, mortals began to question the Garden and the world as it was. They stepped beyond Eden, thus beginning the Age of Darkness."
Once Father Gideon finished, he closed the scripture and placed it back onto the lectern.
"The core ideal of the theocracy is to live a life balancing all three aspects of reality, that birthed from Ymir's soul, only with that may we as mortals living in this world, walk the path that the Protogenoi have made for us. "
"Now please join me in prayer, this fine day." Father Gideon clasped his hands together in prayer. The congregation, including Samuel, followed suit.
"We are bodies, living within society, endlessly searching for wonder."
Before Father Gideon to speak any further a chime echoed through the nave of the cathedral signaling the end of this week's sermon.