The True Believer Novels & Stories

“The evidence that they have isn’t completely made up. I have controlled events for a thousand years. I have picked some wolves and not others. I have forged fate and meddled in the affairs of men. I have made mistakes. Many mistakes. Whether their charges are true is not the issue. Some are. The question, I suppose, is whether truth used as a weapon remains truth or becomes something else.” “Be careful at this exchange,” the Goddess continued. “They won’t try to kill you. They will attempt to shatter your faith in me. In yourself. In everything you have built. And, child, some of what they put out there for you to see, you going to have to believe. Because it is real."

They were beginning to realize they had underestimated me, no, they had misjudged me. “You think your connections will save you?” I continued, my voice growing colder with every syllable, “Don’t make me laugh. There are people here who wouldn’t hesitate to put you in the ground if you stepped out of line. You’re not in your little bubble anymore. This world is dangerous, and people like me don’t need to fake anything to make their mark.” I took a step closer, my presence imposing, and with every step, I felt them shrink back.

--- And as the system surged in response— As belief met belief with no space left between them— As everything built toward the inevitable breaking point— One final truth emerged: --- When beliefs collide— --- It is not the strongest that survives… --- But the one willing to change everything to prove it right.

"Sometimes you have to break things to build better. Sometimes mercy is cruelty in disguise." I studied him, using every bit of my Ashenvale perception to understand what I was seeing. His words were calculated, rehearsed. But beneath them, I sensed genuine conviction. He actually believed what he was saying. Which made him more dangerous, not less. True believers were harder to negotiate with than cynical opportunists. "What do you want from me?" I asked.

"Are you stupid? Get pregnant first and secure your place. Once you give him a child, no first love will stand a chance." I looked at her in disdain. What time period were we living in again? Using a child to secure a woman's place was so outdated. I lost interest and did not answer. Mindy noticed and demanded to know what the real problem was. "Is something wrong with him? Or is it with you? You could get checked if you need to..." She kept asking questions that made things so confusing. I finally caved and told her the truth. "Everything is fine. I just can't accept it."

“Do not weaken or grieve. You’ll rise above this if you truly are a believer.” I shot him a weird glance. His lips curved. “Well? Aren’t you a believer?” “Why are you teasing me?” I snapped quietly. “I’m serious.” “Tsk. Humans.” He shook his head. “Yes, yes, Allah is the best Disposer of affairs,” he waved a paw in my face. “Trust me, I’ve seen the management. Have a little faith will you?” His shadow stretched long against the street. The cool air made me nauseous.

He thought: of course it can. He had learned this in three years of the open interior. The belief in a person — in himself, in Adrian, in Miriam, in the strangers who would use the library — was not the same as the softening of reality. The belief was the prior condition, the ground from which honest engagement was possible. You could tell someone a hard truth if you believed in them. You could hold the full weight of the complex and the difficult and the unresolved if the ground of the relationship was the belief.

“You are not going to be alone. I am going to be with you. So don’t worry, I got my eyes on you.” I chewed on my lower lip.I hate this guy. He stroked my upper lip. “Each time I say things to you, especially things from my heart, you chew on your lower lip. Do you think I don’t mean whatever I say?”I released my lip. “No. I believe every word you say, I believe you. You don’t lie and even if you do, you are saying the truth.”He smiled, staring at my lips.“How is it that I can’t behave like who I am whenever I am around you? Every strong man has something that weakens him, a weak spot.

"I can assure you Miss Hunter that they weren't Christians then, because not everyone that calls themselves believers of Christ really believe." "And what makes you so sure that you're one?" "I'm not really sure but my heart being after him, and knowing that I'm nothing perfect but just a human who got favored by God just makes me believe that I'm Christian. I try everyday to be Christ-like, to not allow sin overrule me and that's what I can say for now. " "Right... I should tell you now that I'm an atheist. Just to put it out there." I bit my nails, waiting to hear the 'you're going to hell' speech embedded into my brain now.