Chapter 24 - Chapter 24- The Saintly Man

Helios awoke to the bustling sounds of the morning, only to find Bow looming over him, a mischievous grin on his face. Before he could react, Bow's elbow slammed into his stomach. "GOOD MORNING, BUD!" Bow shouted, practically vibrating with excitement. Halo glanced over at Helios, the expression on his face clearly saying he did not approve of Bow's antics. Helios groaned, clutching his stomach, but eventually got to his feet. The trio wandered through the streets of Sanctus, taking in the sights. Shops overflowed with ancient tomes, gemstones, and strange artifacts. Bow and Halo argued playfully about who was stronger, their voices bouncing off the white stone buildings. Their attention was soon drawn to a small crowd gathered around two men, heatedly debating. "You're clearly blind if you don't see that Cardinal Belanor is the one destined to guide us toward the next Holy Priestess," the man on the left insisted. "Have you heard his sermons? They are sheer brilliance!" "Brilliance?" scoffed the man on the right. "No, no. Cardinal Caelus Veylor is the one who deserves our faith. Discipline, sacrifice, and suffering, that is what cleanses humanity. That is the path the Radiant One demands!" The first man's face turned red with outrage. "Discipline alone won't grant salvation! Sacrifice is the key! The more you give, the closer you come to purity! You should know this, it's all written in the Book of Atonement, the very first text written by Elyndor herself! Helios stepped closer to a woman listening to the debate. "Excuse me… I'm sorry to bother you, but what's going on here? My friends and I are foreigners, we don't really understand." The woman bowed politely. "Welcome to Sanctus, travelers, and thank you for coming. What you're witnessing has to do with the selection of the Holy Priestess." Helios frowned in confusion. "Holy Priestess? What is that?" The woman smiled gently, as though expecting the question. "The Holy Priestess is the highest position of power in our country. Sanctus has six ranks of authority: Followers of Elyndor, the goddess of the sun, occupy the lowest tier, followed by Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, and finally, the Holy Priestess." Helios's eyes widened slightly. "There are three main factions in Sanctus," she continued. "Cardinal Belanor leads the Order of Sanctity. Cardinal Caelus Veylor guides the Doctrine of Purity. And Cardinal Seraphiel commands the Covenant of Grace. Each faction emphasizes the study and teachings of their own sacred texts above the others. When all the positions of Cardinal are filled, the people of Sanctus vote to decide which Cardinal will ascend to the role of Holy Priestess. It is… a very sensitive matter, one that shapes the direction of our entire country." Helios nodded in understanding and thanked the woman for her time before rejoining Bow and Halo. The three of them wandered through the streets, sampling food, laughing, and enjoying the sights of Sanctus. After a while, Helios felt a weariness creeping in. "Hey… I think I'm going to walk around by myself for a bit. I need some time to think," he said quietly. Halo's gaze sharpened slightly. "Just make sure you return to the inn. It's not safe to be out too late." Bow, ever the carefree one, gave Helios a thumbs-up. "Don't get lost, buddy!" Helios smiled faintly and set off alone, following the cobblestone paths that wound through the city. He peeked into various shops, curious about the goods on display, before gradually finding himself at the edge of Sanctus, near the towering walls that marked the boundary of the holy land. The sun hung low, casting the city in a rich golden light, making the blue of the sky seem even deeper, more vivid. Helios's eyes caught a small shack in the distance. As he drew closer, he saw a man sitting alone on a rock, utterly still, his hands folded in prayer. The man's focus was absolute, a quiet aura of devotion radiating from him. Helios slowed, unsure whether to disturb him, but couldn't tear his gaze away. There was something about the serenity of the scene that made the world feel both immense and intimate all at once. Helios couldn't help but be drawn to the sight before him, the sheer, unshakable determination radiating from the man at prayer. As he stepped closer, the man's voice broke the silence without opening his eyes. "What may I help you with, child of Elyndor? Are you lost, little lamb?" Helios hesitated, his eyes fixed on the man. His lips parted, faltered, then finally found their words. "I don't mean to trouble you… but why? Why must you sit here and pray like this? Your knees are bruised, your skin is pale, your body frail. Why do you put yourself through this?" The man did not move. His lips still murmured faint prayers, his eyes shut in devotion. Only after a long pause did his voice answer. "You see… I am a man of faith. Since the day I placed my trust in the goddess Elyndor, I vowed to devote myself wholly in the way I thought most sacred, most true to her teachings. So I sit here, sleep, wake, eat, pray, repeat. This is not for my protection. It is not for blessings. It is my offering of faith, my plea for forgiveness, and my prayer for the well-being of all who live in this blessed country… and all who walk this world." Helios's chest tightened. Disgust stirred in him, but it was not hatred. No, he felt a sharp respect for this man. Respect for his endurance, his conviction, his ability to live without ever questioning his goddess. A life Helios knew he could never live. A tear slipped unbidden down his cheek. His voice cracked as it left him. "Why? Why must you give your full faith, your entire being, to a false being? What has she done for you? What has she done for the ones around us?" The man did not open his eyes, his voice steady as if carved from the stone he knelt upon. "False being, you say. Perhaps to you, child. But what is truth if not the fire that keeps a man alive in the cold? You ask what she has done for me, she gave me the strength to wake again when grief told me to remain in the dirt. You ask what she has done for others, look at those who forgive when vengeance would taste sweeter, who rise from ruin and still sing. Do you think that is born of man alone? No, that is her light working in the marrow of their souls. You see chains in my devotion, I see freedom. You see futility in my prayers, I see meaning. To kneel is not weakness, it is choosing to bow before something greater than my own rage, my own hunger, my own despair. Without her, I am nothing but dust. With her, even dust has purpose. You speak of gods and falsehoods, but tell me, if my faith gives breath to the broken and turns pain into mercy, what makes your truth stronger than mine?" The sun had begun its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of fire and gold. Shadows stretched long across the field as the man continued to pray, his lips moving in whispers only the heavens could hear. Helios stood there longer than he realized, caught between disgust, respect, and a strange, gnawing curiosity that unsettled him more than the sermon ever had. Finally, he drew in a breath. "I'll be back," he said firmly, almost like a challenge. "I don't agree with you, but I'm not done with this." The man did not lift his head, but a faint smile crossed his face, as if he had heard these words before from countless other restless souls. Helios turned away, walking down the quiet path, the evening air cool against his skin. Each step felt heavier than when he had first left the inn, his mind replaying every word the man had spoken. The walls of Sanctus loomed larger in the distance, torches beginning to flicker to life along its towering gates. As Helios reached them, he glanced back once, the shack and the praying figure already swallowed by the falling night. As Helios made his way back toward the inn, the streets were thinning, lanterns flickering to life in the cool night air. He slowed when he noticed a small group of figures slipping hurriedly out of an alleyway, their movements sharp and guarded. Curious, he hurried over once they vanished into the crowd. The alley ended in a solid stone wall. Helios frowned. Why run into a dead end only to rush back out? He stepped forward, senses sharpening. That's when he felt it, a faint ripple of mana clinging to the air. The closer he moved, the stronger it became, until the truth revealed itself: the wall wasn't real. A veil. An illusion hiding something beyond. His pulse quickened. He lingered for a moment, debating whether to step through, but caution pulled him back. Not tonight. Helios turned on his heel and returned to the inn. When he opened the door, he found Bow and Halo already fast asleep, sprawled in their beds without a care in the world. Quietly, he set his bag down, the strange discovery still burning in his thoughts. "I'll tell them in the morning," he muttered to himself. For now, he would wait.