It would be easier, especially in the face of irrevocable proof if it existed. However, I am a woman of faith, so I see why belief guides them. [And, therefore, she cannot speak with judgment, either.] Belief in the unproven steers too many hearts to be that way, and even something impossible or fabricated can exist on the boundary of reality. It just can't stay that way.

[If it were otherwise, perhaps she would have asked for another shard, like so many who chose Zenith, instead of settling right away into familiar, unrewarded toil. Caren glances down at Yima's hand on her arm, able to feel the warmth of it even through her sleeve. Respect and admiration were rarely paid to her; uncomfortable with the comfort it brings her, she continues to speak.]

I...appreciate that you see it that way. What's to be done if what some of your followers want can't be reconciled with others?