Elias reached out. His fingers, accustomed to the smooth glass of touchscreens, felt the cold, rough texture of the metal. He grabbed the striker.
Elias was a "Data Sanitizer." His job was to scrub digital archives of old-world religious imagery, ensuring that the citizens of Aethelgard remained unburdened by the "irrationality" of the past. To the society, the word profane didn't mean "unholy"—it simply meant "real," "observable," and "useful". A Sociedade Profana
He began to notice the cracks in the Profane Society. People walked with their heads down, their eyes reflecting the sterile glow of their handhelds. They were perfectly fed, perfectly housed, and perfectly lonely. They had replaced the ritual of the feast with the efficiency of the nutrient pill, and the mystery of the stars with the mechanics of the atmosphere. Elias reached out