Anastasia
After classes Bishop Sebastian took me to the part of the city where the cult occupied. The church, the surrounding homes and small shops were all filled with people part of the cult. Currently, children were playing just outside the church. Their older brothers and sisters were also outside, mostly talking amongst themselves. The parents were inside discussing things, probably related to the meeting later tonight.
"Wait outside a while, alright," the Bishop suddenly said, "I'll be inside talking with the older members."
"What? What am I supposed to do?"
"How about talking with your age mates? It will do you some good."
Before I could respond, he turned away and walked into the church.
"Hey, wanna play with us?"
The small voice startled me. Turning, I masked my annoyance with a smile.
"S-sorry. I'm not interested, really."
"Oh, pretty please. We only need one more person. It won't be fun without you. Please."
The child who was speaking was no older than seven, and neither were his friends. There was no way I was going to entertain playing with children.
I was about to reject their request again when I mistakenly looked at the boy. He made the face of a pleading dog, seeming to plead with me to play with them. My instinct was to turn quickly before my heart melted, but then I heard one more plea and made a second mistake. Looking again.
Now all of them made the same face, and I slapped myself for being so stupid.
"Fine."
We played a game called hide and seek. I had never heard of hide and seek before today, and their explanation of the rules left me uncertain if it would be considered 'fun'. But when I hid and felt the child who was 'it' walking near, I actually felt… nervous. Not just that, but a strange fire in my chest too. It was the same when it was my turn to be it.
Not using my anima to sense the location of the other children made looking for them pretty difficult. But when I found them, I felt good. Like I had achieved a lifelong dream. It was something I had only ever felt when I tapped into my divine power for the first time. Not when I first awakened my anima, nor when I hit Master Octavi for the first time in training.
Without realizing it, an hour had passed, and the children were tired, dripping with sweat. I wanted to play more, but it was obvious the kids had had their fill for the day. That's when one of the older kids walked over.
"You look like you had a lot of fun. I've seen you around and you don't smile ever."
I had never seen the girl before. Her eyes never seemed to fully open, her smile was small, and she wore a white robe.
"I was never the best at mingling with others," I reply, colder than intended.
Her smile stretched eerily.
"Ah, I remember when I was like that. Alone, lonely, never experiencing love. But now-"
She took a long, exaggerated sigh, and the most pleasant smile stretched across her face.
"I'm free. I am no longer bound by such useless things. Who needs them when our Lord provides something far more valuable?"
Looking closer at her, she doesn't seem all the way there. Like her mind is somewhere else while her body is here.
"As a matter of fact, where did she come from? She wasn't here earlier."
Bishop Sebastian suddenly walked out of the church and called for me.
"C'mon, Sophia. It's time."
Recalling my original purpose, my chest tightened, and I nearly lost my breath.
"Sophia," the girl beside me said, "What a lovely name. I'm Zoe. Look closely at me when I'm up there."
Then she eagerly turned and walked toward the back of the church.
"What a strange girl."
~
Shockingly, I didn't care for the filthy walkway into this meeting place. Despite feeling my feet sink into the muddy ground and droplets of poorly drained water fall on my shoulder, it was the man who guided me that had my full attention.
My eyes couldn't leave his back. When had I become such a weak, optimistic child? I know where this path leads. Yet still, I feel myself drawing nearer to him. How pitiful. Though I do like this feeling.
"We're here."
My thoughts stopped as I had to react quickly to avoid bumping into him. Looking around him, I saw a worn wooden door. A low golden glow and grumbling escaped from behind it. I took a step back on instinct. But then firm hands grabbed mine. He said nothing when I looked at him in surprise. Only smiled, and all reason left me.
Inside the room, four rows of people knelt on the ground, bowing to a statue. I recognized it as the one I saw when Bishop Sebastian brought me under the church for the first time. Instinctively, I looked at the eyes of the statue, but they weren't the golden color like before. Just ordinary stone.
Footsteps made their way towards me, and when I looked towards the source, something in my core shuddered. The person, a boy, was not much older than me. His eyes were hollow, as if they were already staring beyond this world.
In his arms were white robes matching the ones the other members were wearing.
"Thank you," I say as I take the robes from him.
But when I tried to pull away from him, his grip tightened, and suddenly he whispered something.
"…run…please…run…"
"I think the boy is tired," Sebastian said.
The boy's head then turned to the Bishop, and I thought he was going to tear out his throat. But he composed himself and only seethed in his hate. Sebastian must have seen my confusion because he answered the question I was thinking.
"I could have helped his lover when she died. He must resent me for it."
His voice was weak, and regret flowed off of him like a river. I didn't expect such emotions to come from him.
"I'm sure you did all you could," I replied.
He looked a bit surprised by my comment. I guess it was out of character for me.
"Thank you. But I am more guilty than you think."
I barely heard the Bishop's. My mind was more focused on the words the boy said. Everyone in the cult I've met so far has lived in relative happiness. He is the only one who looks like that.
"Maybe the cult had something to do with his lover's death."
The thought rooted itself in my mind. No matter how I tried to rid off it, I couldn't ignore that possibility. Or that Sebastian could be part of it as well.
"No! He wouldn't. He would never allow such an injustice."
But how could I know that? In the time we spent together, he never spoke about himself. I asked questions concerning his personal life, like how and when he joined the cult, or what he was doing before he joined, but he always avoided answering those questions.
So do I truly know what he is capable of?
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and focus my mind.
"I'm only here for information. Anything more is a distraction."
No matter how much I tell myself that, I can't help the ache in my heart that I was again misled.
Quickly, I put on the robes over my clothes and placed myself between two people. I turned to see Sebastian standing in the back of the room. I couldn't see his face. The room was too dark, lit only by candles. But his anima was weird. He felt anxious, maybe even fear.
"Something's not right," I thought to myself.
Then I felt it. A power I had never felt in my life. If I had to compare, it was like my father's. But while both were overwhelming, fathers was never so vile. I thought I was going to puke as the source got closer.
I quickly planted my face on the floor. My body kept shivering and I couldn't control my breathing.
But wait, I feel two people, not one. And the other person was one I recognized.
"Zoe!"
The creature's eyes turned to my prone body like a predator catching a scent. It must have seen me twitch when I recognized Zoe's anima. That horrible gaze remained for only a few more moments before its anima twisted and I could feel it smiling at me.
"Rise."
The voice was that of a man, but there was barely anything human in the one word he spoke. The word was full of uncanny excitement.
As if rehearsed, everyone leaned back while remaining on their knees. I almost forgot to follow and scared the two people beside me with how quickly I straightened.
The man was disgusting. Rotten teeth, putrid scent. Dried blood tarnished his red and potentially gold robes, and his auburn hair and beard were unkempt and matted in places.
And yet my disgust was nothing compared to my fear. He was filthy, yet no one dared to step out of line. Quickly scanning the room, I could tell there were many more who also were scared.
"PRAISE THE GREAT SAINT CLAUDIUS," everyone boomed.
The man then took a deep breath, relishing in the praise. Again he looked at me, matching my eyes. I thought he was going to call me out for not speaking the words of praise, but all he did was lick his lips and turn his gaze away. Chills still ran up my spine.
"Today is a blessed day," he spoke, "for today, we honor and give ourselves to our Lord."
Taking one last glance at me, he turned to Zoe. She appeared relaxed, but her hands were fidgeting behind her back. Her eyes also never met his as he stood disturbingly close to her.
"Zoe. You have been chosen to give yourself to our Lord. This is a great honor. Why are you nervous?"
"Give herself to him? What is he talking about?"
The girl looked out into the crowd of people, and her eyes locked onto mine. Seeing me, she seemed to calm herself a little and gave me a wink.
"I am not nervous, O great saint. This is the greatest honor."
Slowly, she untied her robe and bore herself to the saint. He took in her form and wormed a smile.
"Good."
He did as she, and a terrible uncertainty fell upon me. I knew I had to intervene to help Zoe. I readied my anima, and was about to leap forward, but a familiar power held me in place. Then the sound of wet meat echoed through the room.
Blood splattered everywhere, and soon, the sound of a body hitting the floor rang throughout the room.
"…zoe…" I whispered uselessly.
"Oh, great lord of this world. Bless these people with your grace. Have they not proven themselves? One has given their life and placed it into your hands, Lord, so that you may bless those who still cling to this world. Does this not please you, Lord? Does this not satisfy our deal?"
The saint then turned and placed something on the hand of the statue. It was Zoe's heart.
"Do not let this sacrifice go to waste, Lord. Bless these people with your gifts. Bless them, bless them, O Lord."
It sounded as if the saint were crying. He fell to his knees and his back rising and falling the way someone would when weeping. But his anima told a different story.
"Is he… laughing?"
Suddenly, all the other members prostrated themselves fully and sang their songs of prayer. They said different things, but the want was the same. Then, an odd aura engulfed the room.
"…ha..hahaha… my… my finger…"
I turned to my left to the woman who spoke and realized that she was missing a finger. Nothing could prepare me to see a new finger tear through the healed skin and grow to its original length.
"It's a miracle. A miracle," someone else yelled across the room.
The words of prayer soon turned to ones of astonishment and reverence. Some people grew back limbs, some were healed of their sickness, others had swiftly grown hair or looked noticeably more attractive. Miracles were happening right before my very eyes.
"PRAISE BE TO THE ONE WHO BLESSES THESE PEOPLE! PRAISE BE TO THE ONE WHO GUIDES THIS YOUNG SOUL INTO PARADISE! PRAISE HIM! PRAISE HIM!"
The eruption of praise was lost on me. All I could focus on was the dead girl on the floor. Her eyes glazed over, staring into nothing. A life gone, just like that.
My stomach lurched, and I fell forward. I could barely see out of my eyes. The world was spinning.
All that training, hardship and sacrifice, just to sit here and do nothing. Someone needed me, and I did nothing. A fire began blazing in my soul. A horrible fury I had never felt before. But just like before, something doused it out. A strange power, but one I recognize.
"Beatrice?"