Path of the Human Heart

When faith in the old gods faded, the people of the second floor turned to face the world as it was. The brutal conditions—scorching heat, scarce water—naturally drew their focus inward, toward questions of how one ought to live. Over time, those questions crystallized into philosophy, and philosophy became something people held in higher regard than any prayer or incantation.

The rise of philosophers, revered above even the clergy on the second floor, was no coincidence. It was the only outcome possible.