“Why is Vania producing Lantern and Chalice spirituality?”
Dorothy, who had been lounging on the sofa reading, sits up straight upon realizing something is off, her brow furrowing.
“Although Vania prays at this time every day for me to cleanse her spirituality, the spirituality I extract usually comes from the mystical texts I lend her. This time, the only text I gave her was a Shadow-themed one. Where did the Lantern and Chalice come from? Did Vania get her hands on new mystical texts from somewhere else?”
Still in her pajamas, Dorothy ponders the unusual situation, feeling a faint sense of unease.
"Even if I don’t know the specifics... I should probably check on this."
Muttering to herself, Dorothy takes out her magic box, retrieves the Literary Sea Logbook, and flips to the page where she communicates with Vania. She begins writing.
"Sister Vania, how has your recent reading of mystical texts been? Has the cognitive poison been affecting you? Have you noticed anything unusual or felt anything off?"
After writing, Dorothy tugs on the spiritual thread connecting her to Vania to alert her.
This spiritual thread is connected through a Marionette Mark Dorothy placed on Vania. Somewhere under Vania’s clothes, the mark remains, allowing Dorothy to alert Vania when needed, prompting her to check the logbook.
Essentially, Dorothy uses this mark to add a notification feature to the logbook. It’s more convenient than using prayers to relay messages, which can be cumbersome and not always appropriate.…
Church District, Tivian.
In Vania’s dormitory, Vania, who has just finished praying, feels the cognitive poison in her mind dissipate. The strange emotions she had been feeling vanish, replaced by a sense of clarity.
“Thank you, Lord…”
After feeling the cognitive poison cleanse, Vania thanks Aka in her heart. She opens her eyes, a hint of confusion in her expression.
"It feels... like this cleansing was more thorough than before. My mind feels clearer. Is that just my imagination?"
Vania murmurs in confusion. Just as she prepares to continue reading the mystical text, she feels a strange sensation.
"Is this... Miss Dorothy’s reminder?"
Pausing, Vania recognizes the sensation. It’s Dorothy using her Beyonder abilities to alert her through the mark hidden somewhere on her body.
After receiving the alert, Vania quickly takes out her Holy Scripture and flips to the page where she communicates with Dorothy, reading the message.
“The effects of cognitive poison... At work, the protective measures are sufficient, so I haven’t been affected. And when I read mystical texts at home, I can pray to Aka... So the effects are only temporary... So everything seems fine, right? Why is Miss Dorothy suddenly asking about this?”
Reading Dorothy’s message, Vania carefully recalls the day’s events. Just as she prepares to write that everything is fine, she pauses, sensing something amiss.
“Wait... Not everything is fine! There’s something wrong! Why did I think about ordering a rare steak at dinner tonight? That’s barely cooked on the outside and raw inside! Almost no one in the church would think of eating that... And... Why did I feel that sudden longing for my mom during my conversation with Aurora? I’ve never even met my mother…”
Vania’s thoughts race, and she feels a chill run down her spine.
The realization that her thoughts had been subtly influenced without her noticing, only to suddenly become aware of it, fills Vania with a deep sense of fear.
“Why did I think it was normal at the time... but now it feels so wrong? What’s happening to me? What’s happening to my thoughts?”
Clutching her forehead, Vania’s eyes widen in shock. As a nun who has worked with mystical texts for a long time, she quickly realizes the answer.
“This phenomenon... It’s the effect of cognitive poison! A subtle, gradual influence on the mind. I must have been infected with cognitive poison when I went to the cafeteria. The reason I can now sense something was wrong is because Aka’s grace has cleansed all the accumulated cognitive poison.”
Realizing this, Vania immediately understands the gravity of the situation. She picks up her pen and writes in the Holy Scripture.
"Miss Dorothy, thank you for the reminder. There is indeed something wrong. I seem to have been infected by cognitive poison from an unknown source. Thanks to Aka’s grace, I’ve recovered."
Vania finishes writing, watching as the words sink into the page. Soon, Dorothy’s response appears.
"All cognitive poison has a source. Think carefully—where did the poison come from?"
“Where did the poison come from?”
Reading Dorothy’s response, Vania’s frown deepens. She begins to carefully consider where she might have come into contact with unusual cognitive poison.
“I read the mystical texts Miss Dorothy gave me every night and pray to Aka to cleanse the cognitive poison. Last night, after cleansing, I went straight to bed. That means... the poison must have come from today, between morning and dinner.”
“But that was during my work hours... At work, I use instruments to observe the church’s mystical texts. I use instruments! How could I have been infected with cognitive poison?”
Vania is puzzled. After double-checking, she confirms that the only mystical text she came into contact with today was the one she observed at work. There were no others.
In other words, the cognitive poison must have come from the mystical text she was working on. There’s no other explanation.
“Strange... Could it really be the church’s mystical text? The content of that text could indeed cause the effects I experienced…”
“But... That’s the church’s instrument! Proper operation should make it impossible to be infected with cognitive poison. I’ve been doing this for so long without any issues... Why now…”
With a troubled heart, Vania writes down her situation in the Holy Scripture. The words slowly sink into the page, and after a while, Dorothy’s response appears.
"Could your instrument be malfunctioning?"
Seeing this response, Vania immediately writes back without hesitation.
"Impossible! Our instruments were just inspected yesterday!"
As soon as she finishes writing, Vania freezes. She suddenly realizes that she might have stumbled upon an even more serious problem.