Within the open space of their stadium, Annas, one of the many elderly priests who was responsible for bringing about the crucifixion of Seth, is beginning to grow more upset with every moment of their conversation since the faithful began to believe in the holy man.
"The blood is on our hands," his fellow brother told, standing among the circle who had gathered to discuss the recent situation at hand. "Seth was indeed the Son of God; how long until we admit that it was our wrongdoings that have led us astray from the truth?" the elderly man begged in front of the others.
An old priest glared at him and said, "It was nothing more than just weather phenomena or spells! After all, he is simply a magician; nothing more!" He argued defiantly, denying everything while crossing his arms. "It is why he managed to convince half of us to believe him when that was exactly the opposite of it," the priest waved dismissively.
But a different man, bearded and with gray hair, spoke out against this accusation: "He's not a magician!" He defended as everyone turned their attention to him, "That was the Son of God!" Refusing to hear another second of their baseless opinions regarding the truth.
Another brother agreed, "Indeed, what kind of man would be willing to sacrifice himself for our sake? And when the moment he died, the entire world trembled in fear of the possibility that this very man may perhaps be God in the flesh as well as his son."
"Heresy!" Annas angrily spat, "Unbelievable that you dare call yourselves brothers and fathers yet you fall prey to his lies! Are you not aware that his purpose is to brainwash everyone with his vile sorcery?!" Rebuking them of this nonsense, "Aren't you all aware that we shouldn't take word from anyone who claims to be the Son of God?! Have all of you not realized salvation is already at hand as the real messiah had died before him?!" I am trying to remind them of the one true son of God.
However, one old man who has a brown mustache and a pair of glasses refused to accept that lie. "But what is to say he was the Son of God? That man had died in a different land and place, not our own. Seth, on the other hand, had claimed that he came from a different world altogether; so what is to say about the holy man we have been sent in this world to fulfill the New Testament?"
Whispers of this discussion echoed around the circle as nearly half of them expressed their support for that statement, seeing it as a possibility from their point of view. "Do you have any proof of that?" Annas sneered in challenge, "How can you claim that when it is more likely that the Son of God has arrived in this world from the heavens above and been born into this land?" He shot back, "Think about what you are saying; do you all want to throw away our faith in this madman?!" The old priest argued aggressively.
Regardless of all these questions and skepticism in the stadium, the number of people who believe in this holy man has grown significantly beyond the expectations of the others who are against doing so. "Then let me ask this," the mustache man in glasses responded. "We had many reports of witnesses and testimonies in regards to the miracles he has performed, as well as many who have confirmed how benevolent and merciful the young man is."
Many widen their eyes, not forgetting about that very fact: "hundreds of people have seen him perform acts that are only exclusive to our Lord God himself." He continued on while removing his glasses, "including healing people through touch alone and curing even the most horrible sickness," causing the rest to stand down and ponder upon their misdeeds, realizing that what they are doing is nothing more than a mistake.
Seeing his own family being persuaded by the traitor, Annas scoffed as he began to laugh while rolling his eyes. "Pfffttt! You speak nonsense! Everyone knows that he is the only illusionist or trickster! Do you not remember that the empire's magicians can do the same? So what makes that magician any different?!" The old man tried to regain control over their minds, trying to find some sort of weakness to exploit in order to refute their belief in Seth.
A male priest raised his voice and asked, "What kind of magician could provoke such a powerful spell?" He questioned back at the arrogant brother, who is currently having a hard time keeping calm, "More importantly, do we even have a history of healing people through touch or curing diseases as he does?" The priest's words caused murmurs of uncertainty among them, unsure whether their belief was being misplaced.
Argument after argument, no one was willing to see eye to eye on the matter, and thus, the group continued their quarrel without stopping. They shouted, yelled, and threw profanities at one another, each arguing their respective points and trying to make sense of what they were doing, as well as debating whether or not they should be followers of Seth.
Then the doors opened, causing the fathers to turn and see the approaching young priest. "Mathias?!" Annas said in a loud voice, confused and bewildered by this commotion, "What is the meaning of this? Interrupting our—" Before he was able to utter a word, Mathias suddenly threw a bag of purses towards them.
Landing on the ground before them as one of them picked it up and saw what it was inside, instantly recognizing the thirty pieces of silver that were given to him for the reward of managing to successfully apprehend the false messiah, "Are you returning this now? Why?" One of them asked in confusion.
"Take your silver," the young priest said with a mixture of anger and remorse in his voice. "I don't want it." He frowned at them. This caught everyone by surprise as they all stared at each other in complete perplexity, not understanding what changed this man's mind.
"What's going on in here? This isn't like you," another elderly priest announced, finding it rather strange to see a sudden change of heart. "Is it because of that false messiah?" He questioned, hoping to find some sense into all of this as no one understands or rather; can't comprehend why someone like him is going through such drastic measures.
In response to that inquiry, he clenched his fists and growled under his breath. He bit his lips and pursed them tightly shut as he tried to hold back tears. "You're all fools for thinking Seth was simply a magician or conman!" Shouting at the old men who refused to believe, "There were many signs, many proofs that he is who he said he is!" Mathias angrily pointed it out.
"And now..." Lowering his head low, a tear slid down his cheek, dripping on the ground below. "Because of our folly, we have let sin control our hearts," he sobbed while crying out in agony over their wrongdoings. Everyone remains silent as they watch their fellow priest breakdown in front of them.
"Brother Mathias..." Annas quietly muttered, watching the young man fall on his knees as his face is covered by shadows. "You must understand it was God's will that he die," the elder priest attempted to reason, praying it would help ease the other's suffering.
Gritting his teeth, he stood up and said, "No! Not anymore!" Tears fell down on the floor and left a tiny puddle underneath his feet. "If there was anyone to blame, it's myself! I am the worst of sinners, a blind fool who couldn't see that my actions were driven by arrogance and anger."He roared, bearing witness to their disappointment. "From this day forward, I will no longer be a part of this circle." Turning around, he left while ignoring their calls.
"Come back!"
"We can still fix this!"
"If you leave, you are no better than that deceitful messiah!"
Stopping in his tracks after hearing the last sentence, Mathias halted and dared not to turn, as he is too ashamed of even looking at anyone else. "Then death is what I deserve for my own actions," he finally uttered out with no more emotion left in him. Leaving everyone stunned the moment he left.
Leaving the stadium and then the temple, Mathias walked through the crowded streets of the capital, his mind full of regret and disgust towards himself for what he and the others had done to Seth. "I am a sinner," the former priest cursed himself for the very act of putting that man's life at risk.
He was also ashamed of his actions. Angry at his own sins for allowing him to continue to be such a pathetic excuse for a human being that would follow orders rather than make choices for himself. How much longer will he continue to follow these feelings when there's no chance of redemption left?
Was there ever a chance of redemption to begin with? Wasn't it clear since the start that Seth opened his arms to a new home? Was he just too stubborn and foolish enough to not realize it sooner? Or maybe deep down, he knew it would end like this.
Every step he takes, the feeling of sadness and remorse grows louder as his mind replays those dreadful events once again. It feels like there's a huge lump stuck in his throat whenever he recalls what happened. Even the memories of Seth's death make him sick to the stomach, twisting and turning like a knife cutting through meat.
Rage and sorrow filled his heart as he struggled to continue onward through crowds of people who were discussing the recent event involving a certain individual. "Did you hear?" A woman asked one of them, "The holy man was responsible for that storm; it's also rumored that he is the Son of God." She spoke with excitement in her tone.
"No way, there's no way that could be true, right?" Her friend replied in disbelief while shaking her head in denial, "That would mean if he was the Messiah, why didn't he stop the emperor from executing him in the first place?" She wondered aloud, pondering if that man could really be him.
Scoffing silently at their pondering questions, Mathias looked away and continued forward, for they do not realize that Seth was the Son of God, for he had seen the truth in his very eyes—a truth and curse that torments him every day.
When he continued to walk, an idea came to mind, stopping himself on his path before glancing towards a nearby darkened alleyway as his own fingers twitched in anticipation. "Maybe I should..." He muttered under his breath, pondering whether or not to go through with what he planned to do.
Memories of his remorse and guilt began to replay in his mind over and over, until it became too overwhelming for the poor man. He fell on his knees in despair, clutching his head with both hands as tears formed from the corners of his eyes. The pain became unbearable, making it seem like something was piercing his heart over and over again while passing pedestrians moved around him with worried looks.
"Shut up. Shut up!"
Forcing himself to stand, he slowly walked towards the alley with nothing but a heavy burden in his heart. Following through with his decision, he went into it and found a secluded corner where he sat down on the cobblestone. The sun's rays that shined through the small spaces between buildings felt warm against his skin, heating him up as if he were sitting next to a fireplace.
Trying to steady his breathing, he wiped off his face while staring down. "I can't anymore." Holding his own wrist, Mathias could feel his pulse racing along with cold sweat forming on his forehead; his body was starting to tremble uncontrollably. "I won't go back. I won't."
A sudden feeling touched his lower thigh, turning his head to the source: "a noose?" He grabbed it and examined it closely before setting his eyes on its purpose. Taking a few minutes to breathe deeply, he stood up once more to find something to hang it on.
Looking around, Mathias saw that there was an iron bar sticking out of the building's wall across from him, making him walk toward it while dragging the rope behind him like a dead snake. He reached up and tied the end of the cord around the metal rod, pulling on it several times to ensure it wouldn't break off easily.
Once he finished securing it securely enough, the man stopped moving. He stared blankly at the noose for a minute, as though he were considering whether or not to continue through with this course of action. "What should I do...?" He mumbled quietly to himself, feeling that familiar sting in his eyes once more.
"He will never forgive you."
Raspy voice suddenly answered, catching him in surprise while looking around frantically, "W-whose there?! Show yourself!" But there wasn't anyone visible in sight, nor could he detect anything unusual as well. Confused and terrified, he called out once more, "Come out!"
Then a dark figure emerged from the shadows from behind, standing mere a few inches away from him as if he were invisible. "You will never be able to save yourself," it spoke again, letting out a wicked chuckle with a creepy grin on its face.
The shape of the shadow is roughly humanoid and somewhat obscured by the surrounding darkness, but it seems to be tall and thin, with long, gangly limbs along with glowing red eyes and horns atop its head. Its voice sounds raspy and echoes when it speaks, suggesting a large size, but it's unclear if it actually has a physical form or is simply part of his own imagination.
"But he—"
"How will the Lord forgive you, hmm?" The mysterious figure interrupted in a deep, guttural tone. Leaning in closer, it whispered softly into his ear, "Even if you spend the rest of your life repenting, he'll never look at you with kind eyes. Never forgive you for your sins," the thing said in a sinister manner.
Its words cut through his heart like blades, creating an excruciating sensation that causes the former priest to cringe in agony: "Stop..." He pleaded weakly, finding it harder and harder to resist as the creature kept speaking. Its mouth contorted into an evil grin.
"So go ahead and kill yourself, save everyone the trouble of dealing with your guilt and self loathing," it suggested in malicious, mocking tone, "death will be your only escape from the eternal torment that awaits you here in hell, and it'll be all your fault," smirking happily at this sight.
There were no words needed for him to continue; Mathias understood completely what he needed to do in order to atone for his past mistakes. Slipping his neck through the rope, he looked down on the ground and said, "forgive me, Lord." With a final tear in his eyes, he jumped as the rope violently brought him higher from the ground.
Swinging side to side, Mathias suffocated to death, choking him in slow manner while forced to watch the world before him grow darker until his vision went completely black. The only sound left was the amusing laughter from the serpent of lies, who watched this with pure enjoyment in seeing others suffer before him.
When his world turned black, new one open and came the inferno fires that consumed him entirely.
