Priest Parry descended from the high platform, his steps slow and steady. He carried himself with dignity and sincerity. The floor beneath him echoed in a constant rhythm as he walked toward Leon.
Leon, just a step away from the door, stood there hesitantly, unsure whether to stay or run. At last, he chose to stay. Dourgon had said that mages were hated by all, regardless of status. Although Dourgon hadn't specified how or why, Leon had a faint suspicion that religion had played a major role.
Priest Parry stopped just a step away from him. He lowered himself to Leon's level. Despite his fine white robe, he wasn't bothered by the dirt on the floor or the street smell that clung to Leon and his clothes.
Priest Parry spoke in a soft voice.
"Are you hungry, child?"
Leon hesitated for a moment, then nodded."Yes… sir. I thought maybe… you might offer food here."
The priest studied him for a moment, then gave a gentle nod."You thought right. Though our bread is humble, it's shared with all who enter in good faith."
Leon bowed his head slightly, unsure of what to say."Thank you."
Parry's gaze lingered for a moment longer, then softened."What's your name?"
"Leon," he answered.
"Leon," Priest Parry repeated. "That's quite a strong name. Do you know what it means?"
Of course, Leon knew what his name meant, but he still shook his head.
Smiling kindly, Priest Parry continued,"Leon comes from the word 'Lion'—a creature of strength, pride, and solitude."
Leon understood the strength and pride part, but solitude? Lions usually lived in prides.
"Uhh, I've heard about lions, but don't they live in groups?"
Priest Parry smiled in return."Yes, they do. But more often than not, male lions die alone. They spend most of their later days as nomads, wandering alone."
Leon felt a strange similarity in that regard. Hadn't he also died alone?
"I've been feeling that... the solitude part."
Priest Parry chuckled."Solitude isn't always a curse. Sometimes, it's when we are alone that we hear the clearest voice."
Leon looked at him curiously."Whose voice?"
"The voice of the Divine." Parry placed a hand gently on his own chest."When the world quiets down... the soul begins to speak."
Leon had been an atheist in his past life, but now he wasn't so sure. The whole transmigration thing had shattered all his beliefs.
Leon frowned a little."I'm not sure if I've heard anything like that..."
"Perhaps," Parry said, his voice patient,"but perhaps you just didn't know what to listen for."
He stood up slowly and looked toward the altar, then back at Leon."Would you mind if I shared something with you? A passage I've found comfort in, especially in times of doubt?"
Parry stepped back slightly, placed a hand over his heart, and began to recite in a clear, steady voice:
"And the child, though covered in dust,shall be seen not with the eyes of men,but with the sight of heaven.For the Divine does not gaze upon the robe,but upon the soul beneath.Blessed is the one who knocks,even if with a trembling hand,For the gate shall be opened not by status,but by sincerity.But let the proud beware,For when falsehood stands before the altar,The heavens shall answer not with silence,but with blinding light,And in that light burns the wrath of the Divine."
Leon's eyes widened. The words felt strangely… personal. But what caught his attention most was the last part:
"The heavens shall answer not with silence, but with blinding light."
"What's that from?" he asked.
"The Book of Kindred," Parry said."One of the first texts in the Holy Book. It reminds us that we do not judge by appearance because the Divine never does."
"The blinding light from yesterday... was that the wrath of the Divine?" Leon asked. That was what he wanted to know most. He knew, of course, it wasn't divine wrath. At first, Leon had come in hope of food—but now his objective was to glimpse the truth. Why were mages hated by all? What had they done? A powerful institution like the Church had to know something.
Parry didn't answer right away. He stood there, looking at Leon with the gaze of someone measuring more than just what they saw.
Leon stood silently. The priest's gaze was making him nervous, but he forced himself to remain calm.
Parry finally spoke a few moments later. His voice was steady and firm.
"Why do you ask?"
Leon looked straight at Parry."Because it felt like one. I saw night turn to day in a second. That has to be God… right?"
Parry gave a small nod."Yes, I thought the same. But rather than wrath… I see it as a warning."
"Warning?" John, the clergyman who had been sweeping the floor, spoke.
Parry looked away, his eyes gazing toward a stained-glass window that depicted a knight kneeling before a glowing sun.
"It's not something for you lot to worry about," Parry said with a wave of his hand and began walking away.
Leon wanted to ask more, but he held back. He understood from Parry's tone that asking further might prove dangerous.
Leon had to walk a fine line—acting as a child, especially in the Church. If he acted even slightly different from a child his age, they might very well consider him a devil-possessed child and burn him alive. That thought alone sent shivers down his spine.
Parry returned soon, a basket full of bread in his hand.
"Our bread is humble," he said with a smile as he handed Leon the basket,"but it's shared with all who enter in good faith. Stay until the morning prayer."
And with that, Priest Parry left.
Leon sat in a corner and began nibbling on the bread. Soon, people started entering one by one, forming a small crowd that sat on the benches arranged in the church. They paid Leon no mind as Priest Parry began the morning prayer.
Leon waited until the prayer finished and then left with the basket. It was still full of bread—Leon had only eaten until his hunger was satisfied. He planned to share the rest with Mathew and the others.
Seeing the child leave with most of the bread untouched, a smile found its way onto Parry's face.
Back on the street, Leon faced a new dilemma. He still hadn't completed his quota, but with a basket of bread in his hand, he couldn't just go up to someone and say:
"Hey, I'm hungry, can you give me some coins? Oh, what about this bread? You ask? Well…"
That would be hilarious in its own way.
"Damn, I wish my system had dimensional storage..."
And just then, a screen popped out in front of him.
*************
Dimensional Storage:Size: 1 Cubic Meter
(Note: To store objects, host must be touching them)
*************
Leon was pleasantly shocked. He had tried to activate the same function multiple times before. So what had he done differently this time?
His eyes then focused on the bottom right corner of the screen. In tiny font, it read:
"Note: To store objects, host must be touching them."