Nahida

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata created Sumeru's rainforest and bestowed wisdom upon the people of Sumeru through the Akademiya. Despite her departure long ago, her name is still praised in the stories told in every household in Sumeru.

On the other hand, Lesser Lord Kusanali, who was whisked back by the sages to the Sanctuary of Surasthana following the former's fall, has been more of a symbol — one that signifies that the protection of divinity never ceased to exist on this land.

But the answers to who she is, how she descended, and what powers she has, are rarely known.

From the highest sage's vague response and evasive attitude toward people's inquiry about Lesser Lord Kusanali, the people in Sumeru deduced that they should no longer expect merciful wisdom to descend from on high as before.

The Akasha, the sublime legacy left by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, is just as handy and helpful as it has always been. What people are not aware of is that the Akasha today has become the ears and eyes of the newborn deity.

Through the Akasha, she has observed every bit of human emotions and attitudes. She is aware of their devotion to the old goddess, their disillusionment with their new deity, and the many comments that "The God of Wisdom will never come back."

She knows in her heart that she must keep learning and grow up as quickly as she can to stand up and face the threats from the most abysmal corners of the world. This is her inevitable duty.

Thus, whether she is misunderstood or underappreciated, Nahida makes no argument against it.

The process of learning and growth is joyful, and knowledge concerning this world always satisfies Nahida's exuberant curiosity.

Gradually, Nahida came to grasp the principles of nature and the elements, understanding the ecology of the sky and the sea. She could even compose what she learned into fascinating dreams that are logical, yet beyond imagination.

Such dreams are, in essence, the same as Nahida's marvelous metaphors — they all lead to a dawning understanding of the similarities between two otherwise unrelated things.

But there are times when she meditates on things yet struggles to figure them out, and such incidents usually concern events related to people or society.

For example, when honesty and truth could exempt a person from punishment, some people might turn silent and deceitful; and when with their beloved ones, some people would hurt others with brutal words.

It feels as if the contradictions of the entire world are focused through and manifested by human beings, whose fickle emotions are perplexing to Nahida.

In such moments, her metaphors would not work. Nor could she find any system in this world as a reference for such chaos.

She could only explain it by the fact that the difference between every person's uniqueness creates diverse reactions when they undergo similar emotions.

But this was not a satisfactory answer to Nahida. To better know human beings, plain knowledge and dogma alone would never suffice.

Perhaps it was from that moment on that Nahida came to understand why "she" had to stand firmly by human beings' side and even made tremendous sacrifices for their sake.

For each and every one of "them" is a unique existence in this world.

Nahida's life might be uniform, but she owns the most fantastic and lively dream in all of Sumeru.

The knowledge she learns through the Akasha during the day is presented vividly in her dreams at night. As she learns more knowledge, her dreams become even more intricate and full of life.

The dreams not only relax her mind, but also give her chances to examine her new knowledge to see if it goes against common sense or if she is missing any details.

When Dusk Birds first appeared in Nahida's dream, those birds soared through the sky in a standing posture with their wings folded.

It looked abnormal and caught Nahida's attention immediately. Nahida thus learned how wings worked, after which the Dusk Birds could fly freely in her dreams.

Next, she adopted similar methods to fix Shroomboars that slept underwater, Radishes that grew on apple trees, and crystalflies with mismatched wing colors.

Knowledge shall not be a mere approach to justify things in this world, it could also be used to satisfy her need for pure innocent fun.

Technically, Shroomboars can only walk on the ground. Now that she understood how wings work, wouldn't Shroomboars with wings fly all the same?

And where there are flying Shroomboars, it is only natural to have crocodiles that walk on their hind legs and Harra Fruits who speak human languages...

The way Nahida develops her knowledge system has subsequently created a little amusement park for her, free of disturbance. In her dreams, she is in the embrace of boundless happiness.

Children have yet to be well-informed and are easily swayed by emotions, but it does not mean that they can be disrespected or mocked.

Frustration and disappointments do indeed grant them a taste of reality — but at the cost of robbing them of innocent thoughts and exuberant emotions.

The children who unluckily run across such negativity would always hear a gentle, warm voice on some ordinary night.

She listens attentively to the children, uses her wonderful metaphors to clarify principles to them, plays with them, and talks about their favorite games and snacks... until dawn.

Though the night is short, such company would let the children believe that there is still someone in this world who understands them.

Hatred and frustration are thus melted away by the warmth in their hearts, and the children would gain an opportunity to make a change in their lives such that they can grow in confidence and gladness.

However, none of them could recognize to whom the gentle, warm voice belonged. Everyone knows, after all, that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had departed a long time ago.

A group of children gathered in secret and discussed this mystical phenomenon. Suddenly, a child who seemed to know a lot more than their peers mentioned a somewhat unusual name, "Lesser Lord Kusanali."

They soon accepted that theory. And, of course, none of their parents believed them.

But what did that matter? Lesser Lord Kusanali was already their friend.

The greenery-planning personnel in Sumeru City once received a mysterious letter. The sender was, apparently, "An Enthusiastic and Perfectly Leisurely Citizen of Sumeru City."

The letter contained detailed suggestions and thoughtful planning that took both the weather and practicality into consideration.

Judging by the professionalism of the letter's contents, it was natural to assume that the letter was from a well-known Amurta researcher who would prefer to stay anonymous.

Despite the writer's anonymity, the greenery-planning personnel carried out their work in the city exactly as stated in the letter, as if they were implementing orders from their superior.

The outcome reaped high praise. Later one day, Nahida borrowed Katheryne's body and took a walk on the streets in the city. To her great joy, she found out that the arrangement of plants was exactly the same as she had expected.

The letter was from Nahida, of course. She had written it because she thought that though knowledge is important, practice is also essential.

But with the exceedingly strict control the sages exercised, Nahida had to persuade them with great effort before they agreed to let her send this seemingly useless letter anonymously.

But so encouraged was Nahida by the great success of her first attempt at putting knowledge into practice that in the following days, even when she walked, she was ever so full of elated confidence.

But then she rounded a corner and noticed unexpectedly that several flowers of completely mismatched colors had been planted together.

After careful examination, she found out that it was because she had not considered the possibility that one of the flower species might change colors, nor had she specified the cultivation environment for the flowers very strictly in her plans.

Then it occurred to her that this bunch of flowers could have been here for dozens of days, during which everyone might have witnessed her "complete lack of aesthetic sense"...

That day, many claimed that they saw Ms. Katheryne, who usually stood behind the reception desk with a confident smile, crouching next to a pot of flowers, her hands covering her blushing face.

How might one eradicate the threat that forbidden knowledge poses to Irminsul?

Nahida used to believe that she was the one who had the answer, but never did she realize that she was also the answer herself.

One who takes action will certainly leave one's traces behind. When one wishes to eradicate oneself, a paradox would thus occur.

That is why it is inevitable that one must depend on others to accomplish this goal.

By the time Nahida had figured this out, time was running out, leaving her no room for further consideration. The knowledge accumulated through the years could not even help her find a solution to the pressing dilemma before her.

But just as ████ said, as one with wisdom, one should feel joy upon the discovery of the answer.

She was not born just to accomplish such cruel deeds. Only after eradicating forbidden knowledge could she focus on Sumeru's future and plan for the prosperity and happiness that her nation could call its own.

Will a nation walking into the future still remember a name that no longer exists? It does not matter.

"Does it really not matter?"

Nahida would have definitely proposed otherwise. Shame, then, that their time was too short. In that blink of an eye, ████ did not even leave her a chance to retort.

Though it looks no different from a regular box, this container has a variety of experimental replicas within it.

Nahida has a strong interest in popular games of all sorts. Their rules are simple, but they are also fun and profound. Be it puzzles or battle games, the fascination they inspire can be long-lasting.

Games are simple but not simplistic, exemplifying the wisdom of their designers. Deconstructing and reshaping things also make for valuable opportunities to learn.

However, the Akademiya researchers never supported her novel ideas, nor would they satisfy her wish for more toys. So, she compromised and asked for only wood and some tools.

Following the instructions offered by the Akasha and applying her imagination, she managed to create various toys, such as chessboards, cards, puzzle pieces, and three-dimensional locks...

The sense of achievement from finishing making toys brought Nahida brief satisfaction, but she soon found this out:

She could not find an opponent for any battle-type games, and as the maker, she knew the solutions to all her puzzle games.

"If only there were someone else around to try these out."

So she has always hoped. But before that suitable person shows up, these toys shall stay in their box for now.

The existence of the Akasha is the means, not an end in itself. The moment when the forbidden knowledge was eradicated was the moment when the Akasha had accomplished its mission.

The one who had coveted the power of the Gnosis had written the entire drama from the start, and would show themselves as the curtains fell.

Nahida, using the Gnosis of a foreign land as leverage, deprived the cunning foe of his "segments" as insurance.

But the enemy immediately requested for a bargain as well, offering up critical knowledge of the world's "truth."

His knowledge of the values rooted in this land was without peer, and thus had he intended to take advantage of Nahida's curiosity and sense of responsibility from the very beginning. Indeed, the way he saw it, there could be no bargaining chip more suitable than knowledge.

With one Gnosis still in her hands, Nahida could not help but hesitate. She barely knew more about the Gnoses than she knew the "truth" of the world.

The Gnosis, to her, was but a core that gathers a mass of elemental power at her discretion. But if there is nothing more to a Gnosis, why was a god so eager to gather all of them together?

Shaking hands in bargain means an equal compromise for both sides, a far cry from any victory. On the other hand, turning down the bargain indicates a certain type of "ignorance," which, obviously, would more easily invite a loss of control.

Thus did the "God of Wisdom" instantly find her answer...