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Description
They called it the Age of the Golden Earth. It was said that Earth had been united under the teachings of the Prophet Mani, and that humanity was progressing towards their journey to enter the World of Light. However, if simply the followers of Mani were to escape the confines of this universe of matter then the rest of mankind would not be saved. This is what Matthias was taught, and understood, from a young age.

He was not born into Manichaeism, but his family was converted when the New Apostles reached the moons of Jupiter. Six Apostles left from Earth, and while Roger of Euclid did not make it to his destination, the remaining five did. They established communities of Manichaean Perfects and Hearers on the Jovian Moons, giving the teachings of Mani a foothold in its spread across the Solar System. Andrei of Elk reached Matthias’ home-moon of Europa, dissuading the eating of fish collected from under the ice and instead encouraging the cultivation of deep sea plants. This could not be done by a true perfecti, and instead others had to burden the sin of killing the plants for consumption.

Matthias was one of these individuals. Farmers like him were few in number on Europa, but integral to society. Not only was their indispensable work applauded, but their voluntary taking of sin for the health and greater good of the community was respected. Each day Matthias would plunge into the icy depths beneath the ice, into water darker than night, to collect as much kelp as he could. Agricultural equipment was not capable of withstanding the pressure and coldness of Europa, as only recently was their need made apparent. Matthias collected everything by hand, cutting through each stork with a small saw and illuminated by a dim torch affixed to his helmet that could barely penetrate the gloom and microbes of the abyss.

Description
They called it the Age of the Golden Earth. It was said that Earth had been united under the teachings of the Prophet Mani, and that humanity was progressing towards their journey to enter the World of Light. However, if simply the followers of Mani were to escape the confines of this universe of matter then the rest of mankind would not be saved. This is what Matthias was taught, and understood, from a young age.

He was not born into Manichaeism, but his family was converted when the New Apostles reached the moons of Jupiter. Six Apostles left from Earth, and while Roger of Euclid did not make it to his destination, the remaining five did. They established communities of Manichaean Perfects and Hearers on the Jovian Moons, giving the teachings of Mani a foothold in its spread across the Solar System. Andrei of Elk reached Matthias’ home-moon of Europa, dissuading the eating of fish collected from under the ice and instead encouraging the cultivation of deep sea plants. This could not be done by a true perfecti, and instead others had to burden the sin of killing the plants for consumption.

Matthias was one of these individuals. Farmers like him were few in number on Europa, but integral to society. Not only was their indispensable work applauded, but their voluntary taking of sin for the health and greater good of the community was respected. Each day Matthias would plunge into the icy depths beneath the ice, into water darker than night, to collect as much kelp as he could. Agricultural equipment was not capable of withstanding the pressure and coldness of Europa, as only recently was their need made apparent. Matthias collected everything by hand, cutting through each stork with a small saw and illuminated by a dim torch affixed to his helmet that could barely penetrate the gloom and microbes of the abyss.