A group of carriages arrived in the bustling town as early as the morning hours. The sun shone brightly above them while they traversed narrow streets filled with many citizens going about their daily routines. This was certainly not a good time for them to arrive, especially when there were already large crowds of people rushing back and forth across busy intersections.
Stopping in the middle of the streets, Mathias and the remaining survivors left the carts with sorrowful expressions on their faces, each carrying heavy burdens on themselves. Some cried hysterically while others comforted others in silence; the journey was far from over.
This deserted settlement is only a resting stop before heading to the capital of the Empire itself and hoping that they don't get executed right away since there is nowhere else to go since they are clearly targets by the soldiers of the kingdom, as he remained silent while the townsfolk either ignored them entirely or watched the newcomers carefully with suspicious looks on their faces.
But he doesn't care anymore; Lighthaven has been burned to ashes. The Temple of Lamb was raided and destroyed by the corrupt knights, with most of the innocent citizens either being killed brutally or captured and enslaved for their sadistic pleasures.
It's all over; there is nothing left for them anymore. All of them have lost everything dear to them. Family, friends, lovers, and fellow companions in war died horribly at the hands of these tyrants. How much of a failure had he become in protecting their holy place?
Mathias was never prepared for this kind of horror; he should've known better and foreseen this outcome. It's all Seth's fault—their heretical founder and prophet—that ruined everything they worked so hard to build, unable to let go of the blame in his fragile heart.
"Brother Mathias," a man around his forties with a trimmed beard and blue eyes approached the distressed priest, "where are we to stay from now on?" He questioned him earnestly with a worried tone, "Please tell me that we won't be sleeping outside in the wilderness at least."
Kaine is a rugged man who stands at about six feet tall. He has short, well-kept hair that is graying at the temples. His piercing blue eyes stare out from behind his glasses, which are thick-framed and round. Kaine's nose is strong and straight, and his jawline is square and sturdy. His hands are calloused from years of hard work, and his skin is tanned and leathery from spending long days outdoors.
Aside from his black cassock clothing, Mathias considers Kaine to be a close friend and ally in times of need: "The sisters are gone; many of our brothers died in the name of our father." Sadness filled his heart as he spoke with regret, "We are only the ones left," the pained expression evident in his voice.
Upon hearing this news, the older brother's eyes widened in understanding. "Yeah, the sisters..." Stomachs twist into knots as he recalls their terrible fate of being raped and killed mercilessly by those bastards. Tears formed at the corners of them as he choked back sobs before embracing his comrade firmly.Ah, "Lord, forgive me; I am ashamed of my weakness. Please guide me back to light." The man prayed with shaky breaths escaping his quivering lips.
Despite the sadness weighing heavily on them, Mathias knew he had to stay strong and keep moving forward. He pulled away from his brother's sorrow and spoke with determination in his voice, "It is not over. Our path shall not end here, and so we shall carry on in the name of God, for salvation awaits for us once more," she declared proudly.
But Kaine was too shaken up to agree fully: "But where will we go? They will find us eventually! We lost so many brothers and fathers in arms! How will we survive?! Brother Mathias, please say it's not true!" His eyes glazed over with despair as tears streaked down his face once more.
Mathias was angry at everything, especially Seth, who had brought them to ruin. If that bastard of man had just listened to them from the beginning, none of this would have happened; their temple would still be standing with its followers happily serving God, but instead, they suffered tremendously.
Not only men and women were killed, but also children; no age or gender mattered, for they were slaughtered like pigs at slaughterhouses. How much humiliation he was forced to bear upon seeing their corpses tossed away like trash.
He can't forget the screams of their loved ones screaming their heads off when soldiers forcefully carried them to their doom or having to witness them being decapitated while the corrupt knights laugh madly in their drunken stupors.
Failure is the only word that describes himself; he had failed as a priest and brother of his people. Every single brother and father of the church had failed, including Seth. Every single one of them was a failure in God's eyes; the world is in ruin because they failed.
Gnashing his teeth together, Mathias growled at his own incompetence in letting himself fall apart like this! He needs to perform a mortification of the flesh. Fitting punishment for their sinful nature in allowing this to happen in the first place.
A voice from the passing crowd spoke out loud, "The messiah is here!" A little girl's voice was heard through the sea of noise as everyone turned to the source of the sound with surprise. Her words echoed through his ears as every person around stopped what they were doing and stared at her in anticipation.
She pointed at the approaching figure, and with companions at his side, all the townsfolk dropped whatever they were holding as they surrounded the holy man once again. A hushed whisper fell upon them, murmuring in hushy tones while some stepped back in shock.
Mathias clenched his fists angrily, staring at Seth, who ran away like a coward when they were being massacred. "YOU!!" He shouted angrily at the top of his lungs while pointing accusingly at him, "YOU LEFT US TO DIE, DIDN'T YOU?!" His blood boiled in fury.
Stopping in front of Mathias, Seth held a mixture of confusion, surprise, and regret. "Mathias? What happened, and where is everyone?" The holy man noticed the absence of many other priests and nuns before looking around at the carriages and carts behind them.
Then it hit him like, "Oh Lord..." Eyes widening in horror: "What happened to the temple?" His voice was shaking while sweat ran down his forehead anxiously. The acolyte's head spun wildly, and nausea began creeping into his stomach.
Before another word could escape from Mathias, Kaine approached his friend's side and spoke on their behalf: "They are dead," a serious look on his face as Seth's mouth gaped open wide, "all of them. Dead. The knights of the empire didn't just kill everyone in the village but also our church as well." The priest's gaze grew colder by the second.
The holy man trembled in fear as realization dawned on him. "I'm sorry" were the only words he could utter, unable to look at his brothers in the eye. However, he can still feel their murderous gaze boring holes into him, blaming him for all their suffering.
All these accusations stabbing deep into his heart made the guilt eat him alive. This caused him to glance down onto the dirt beneath them before inhaling sharply, "I know its not enough for what I had done, but..." Bowing in apology, the holy man spoke softly, "Forgive me." He apologized genuinely, with a guilty expression plastered on his pale features.
Every member of their order glared at him in disgust at such a pathetic display of apology. None of them accepted his remorse or sympathy; in fact, they found it repulsive. Unable to contain their rage towards Seth, the youngest among them sprinted to the holy man and grabbed him by the neck aggressively.
Pulling Seth closer until their faces nearly touched, the priest scowled at him with narrowed eyes. "We have known you were alive ever since the rumors started about your miracles," his voice dripping venom as he spat out words viciously. "We had our doubts, but seeing you here in the flesh confirms it." The priest then increased his grip.
Mathias wanted them to stone him again, but what is the point anyway? Everyone is dead already. "Let him go, brother," he ordered the young priest. "There is no use in getting angry over it now when things have come to this. So I say, Calm yourself down and step aside," ordering him in a low tone.
Despite their hatred for Seth, the young priest complied and let go much to their displeasure while stepping backwards and joining his fellow clergy members once more. The holy man coughed violently as air entered his lungs again, breathing rapidly to regain oxygen within them.
Solomon wanted to kill them after mistreating his father figure but remained, knowing that Seth wouldn't want him to do it in the first place. So he kept silent and watched, despite how much his muscles tensed for revenge, ready to defend his loved ones at any given opportunity.
Then Kaine fell on his feet, unable to take the pain anymore. "I can't do it," his words were barely audible as if speaking from a great distance away. "I can't accept it anymore, brother..." Looking up to meet Seth's dark orbs, "I can't hate you," the response took his fellow brothers and fathers aback.
Seth nodded sadly; his face was also full of sorrow. "Don't let your hearts be troubled, for that's what our enemy wants," he reminded them in a slow manner. "While many of you won't forgive me, I have already forgiven each of you and myself," causing many of them to speak in hushed tones.
Mathias was enraged once again, but instead he also fell onto his feet, causing every priest to do the same after realizing the pointlessness of fighting amongst themselves. They know deep inside that Seth would want them to set aside their differences to become a unified group against a greater enemy.
None of them uttered a single word while the crowd surrounded them with silence, watching their behavior intently. As if expecting them to make any sudden movement like lash out violently or commit suicide in public for religious purposes.
"Our family...where did you bury them?" Seth's tone was quiet, trying to ignore stares from others around them. "Tell me, pleas"tell me please..." His heart was greatly wounded, and he wondered if he should even continue this conversation in the first place.
Then Mathias answered, "There were too many bodies." He paused for a brief moment. "We couldn't bury all of them, but we did manage to bring them with us to bury." An image flashed before his mind, bringing immense grief onto his entire being. He was unable to protect her from harm. "She was a nice lady, you know?" He said so in a melancholic voice as he struggled to contain his emotions.
Eyes widening, "Her name?" His body shook with anticipation, despair, and fear, mixed altogether with the possibility that he might hear who it was. However, it was already too late when the man finally spoke to the nun, whom he considered to be like his mother.
"Sister Tera."
Seth's whole world shattered the moment those words reached his ears. A gasp escaped from him as he looked up to the heavens and asked, "Where is her body?" He asked in a shaky voice, "I must see her one last time," trembling incredibly. It was difficult for him to remain strong in this situation.
Closing his eyes for a short period, he answered with a broken tone, "Come and see," Mathias answered, sadness hanging heavy in those simple three words, "she was the only corpse who wasn't mutilated beyond repair." His gaze pierced through the holy man's shaking form.
Forcing himself to raise his shaky hands together in a prayer gesture, "Father in Heaven," he began with a strained voice that quivered terribly as if struggling against an invisible force that held him firmly in place. This made everyone watch him carefully, waiting for what he was to say.
However, no response was made, but a simple tear trailed down one cheek and splattered into countless droplets on the ground beside Seth's legs, which began to grow bigger by the second due to the continuous flow from his eyes.
The Son of Man wept.
