Last night was rough, and this morning wasn’t any better. Sleep consisted of dreams about the woman in the alley and breakfast was awkwardly silent. It was obvious Prisha didn’t entirely believe Trevor’s story, but since he was part of the Arcana, she seemed to be trusting him for now.

  Now we are all at the local church awaiting information regarding the string of murders that have happened here and in surrounding towns.

  The appearance of the church felt like someone didn’t know what religion they were trying to be inspired by. Aspects of it felt very Gothic and Catholic inspired, but there were obvious Islamic and Arabic vibes as well. Bright pops of color in the tile work and various works of art scattered around the church, but the columns felt very medieval, and it had flying buttresses.

  Slowly the locals packed into the church and filled the benches that lined the walls. Even though it was full of people, it was oddly quiet. No one was talking loudly, only in hushed voices and whispers. I wasn’t sure if it was out of some respect for the religion or due to the anxiety of the situation.

  “How long will this take? I don’t like being in here.” Avis whispers to his sister, his leg tapping gently on repeat.

  “I don’t know. I just figured hearing them out, see what all they knew about it.”

  Avis nods but doesn’t respond. Trevor looks to me, confused.

  “What’s that about?” He asks, motioning towards Avis. I glance back to Avis who is looking around anxiously, and then back to Trevor.

  “I’m not sure.” I lie, I feel its probably better not to air Avis’s personal business out.

  “Kinda reminds me of home.” Trevor smiles looking up at the decor. “There was a church back where I’m from that looks kinda like this.”

  “Eh, I’ve never quite felt at home in churches. Organized religion has always given me the wiggins.” I reply, not really wanting to delve into this topic. It’s obvious he is religious, that much was obvious from him praying last night. So I’d rather not have discussions regarding my issues with religions, including the one that runs this world.

  “Welcome citizens of Anz?, and all travelers who have joined us on the solemn morning. Traditionally when we gather under the eyes of the Saint, it is for happier times, but today that is not the case.” The Cleric began as he slowly walks around the circular altar that sat at the center of the church. “Last night, tragically, there was another murder that happened in the streets of our home. A young woman’s life was taken tragically by the hand of this monster. Thankfully, travelers from afar attempted to aid her. While they were unsuccessful, they at least allowed her to be laid to rest quickly rather than waiting for us to discover her body some time in the future.”

  The Cleric pauses, and stares down at the floor, seemingly contemplating his next words.

  “The Saint has guided us for millennia, watched over us and made sure that we can walk in the light of the gods. This man, this monster, has chosen to not walk in that light. He has strayed from the path of the Saint, and when he is discovered, it is our belief that he must be cleansed.”

  “Yes!” Several voices ring out in unison. Many voices in the room make a sound agreeing with him, but don’t voice so proudly.

  “And to think we live in a world with such monsters.” A familiar voice echoes though the church, and I immediately stiffen. A chill runs down my spine. Avis reaches out and grabs Dardania’s hand and grips it tightly. I slowly turn to see Saint Anthony standing several feet away in the entrance to the breezeway. He slowly looks around the room until his gaze lands on me and we lock eyes. He smiles gently.

  The room fills with gasps and awes and several people start praying, but I can’t move. His gaze is locked with mine and his smile just reeks of vitriol. All of the people see him as a Saint, but when he looks at me all I can see is a villain. How could two people view him so differently? He slowly starts walking towards the altar in the center.

  “We’d like to think that every person that walks among us is a saint, no pun intended. But far too often, we discover the inverse. That those who walk by our side through the world hold a sinister secret. A secret that has led to the death of countless individuals.” He dips his hands into the water, fills his hands, and runs the water over his head.

  “Even I, as your current Saint, can not wash away all the sin and sit purely before you. I think of the man who stands up and causes harm to the citizens of this town and it’s surrounding cities, and I can only think violent thoughts. Thoughts of retribution, thoughts of revenge, thoughts of justice. But, unlike him, I will not give in to these dark thoughts.” He runs his hands through his hair, pushing the water through as he cleanses himself before the citizens. He slowly turns on his heel and again lays his gaze upon us.

  “There are those who think themselves gods that walk among man. Those who wish to destroy all we hold dear. Those who wish to see the Order fall; people like this serial killer. Stay vigilant. Stay safe. Stay clean.” Anthony lowers himself down onto his knees, and lowers his forehand until it touches the ground.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I humble myself before you followers of the Order. May you walk the path of the Saint.” He rises, and exits the building without saying another word.

  A hush falls over the church, but it doesn’t last long. After everyone has a chance to catch their breath, they immediately erupt in chatter. Some people immediately fall to their knees and start praying, while others look as though they are ready to pass out from shock.

  “Avis.” Dardania whispers gently as she raises her hand. Her hand is beat red and her knuckles white. He quickly lets go of her hand and whispers an apology in return. Madison was slowly breathing in and out, trying everything in her power to remain calm.

  “That was the Saint?” Trevor asks, not even paying attention to what was happening at his side.

  “Yes.” I respond, opting to not add any additional information.

  “He’s more normal that I assumed. For some reason I imagined him as a giant. Like some Titan that stood over man.” Trevor turns towards me, his eyes ablaze. I wasn’t sure how to take that. This was the look of a religious man who just laid eyes upon the most important religious figure in the world.

  “How much do you know about the Order?”

  “Not much to be honest. I never really asked about the Order.”

  I nod, makes sense. If he knew of their complete disdain for the Arcana he might have a different opinion of it.

  “It feels very much like religions from our world, so I’m on board with it.”

  Avis and Prisha both immediately snap their heads towards Trevor.

  “What?” Avis asks, raising his voice. Dardania tries to hush him, but it doesn’t do any good.

  “Yeah, I mean, as far as I’m concerned there is only one God in the universe. He may have many faces in many different worlds, but that’s my God. That’s my bro.”

  At this point, most people in the church have moved into the courtyard to continue discussions on curfew and hand out wanted posters, so there weren’t many left before the altar. Those who did remain were all praying and seemingly were ignoring everyone else thankfully.

  “I—” Avis opens his mouth but Dardania grabs his hand and he immediately shuts it.

  “Is there a problem?” Trevor asks, a confused look slowly forming on his face “There’s this massive religion in this world, I just assumed everyone worshiped this Saint guy.”

  “It’s not that simple.” Avis stood up and walks out of the church, the women all follow suit.

  “I don’t know what I did wrong?” Trevor exhales.

  ****

  I slowly walk down the dock towards the end where Trevor is sitting, his legs dangling above the water. I sit down next to him.

  “Man, I fucked up back there, didn’t I? I said some shit I shouldn’t have.”

  “It’s complicated, for all of us.” I take a deep breath and exhale loudly. “My family dropped me like yesterday’s trash cause I was gay. All because of their beliefs.”

  “I— Shit man I didn’t know.” Trevor lowers his head, staring at the stagnant water inches beneath his feet. “God has always been there for me when I needed him. Life is rough and the world never quite makes sense, ya know?”

  “Yeah, very much so.”

  “Like, violence seems to make the world go round. When I look out and see what everyone is doing to one another, I can’t help but look to a higher power to make sense of it all. Despite all the bullshit, God helped me learn to connect with people.” A small smile forms on Trevor’s face as he continues to stare at the water beneath his feet.

  I’ve spent so much of my life running from religion because of bad actors. There is a lot of really horrible stuff written in pretty much every religion but it really depends on how people choose to follow that. My family chose to throw me out like yesterday’s trash, that’s what they thought Jesus would do I guess. Trevor on the other hand had a drastically different way of looking at it.

  “I… I just don’t have much faith in it all.” I mutter.

  “Not everyone does, but hey man, I get it. People suck.” Trevor nudged me slightly with his shoulder. “I’m glad I met you guys, I was feeling bummed being the only one here.”

  “I never even considered that. I’ve been with them since my first day here so I was never alone.”

  “Yeah dude, it sucked.”

  That’s it. It sucked. I chuckle, I was expecting a bit more than it sucked but I guess when it comes to religion he is much more willing to express himself. Not everyone is as open to share their feelings like I am. Hell, keeping it all bundled up is not fun, I learned that the hard way during all the fun angsty teen years.

  “So, Strength card, what does that let you do?” I ask. Trevor grips a piece of dock between us and squeezes, the dock shatters under his grip. “I guess that should have been obvious.”

  “Eh, could have been a metaphor or something.”

  “I guess, mine is quite literal as well. Wheel of Fortune, that one is… confusing.”

  “What does it do?”

  “Ask Prisha, she knows better than me. I saw it work and it was freaky, but not sure what it did. Super human strength seems a lot more practical than all this magic.”

  “Seriously? Magic lets you do whatever the fuck you wanna do. Like, limitless dude.”

  “I guess.” I haven’t had much time to think on what it allowed me to do. Over the last few days I’ve been working with the team trying to figure out what style of magic best suits me, and we have failed miserably. When you watch all the anime, they all just seem to fall into it and become overpowered during the story, which in my case hasn’t happened. I’ve still been really lost on what all of this magic was supposed to be for me, and what I can do with it. Oh my god, is it going to be some literal thing where I’m having trouble finding myself in this world therefore I’m having trouble finding my style of magic? Ugh, how cliche.

  “Dude, you good?” Trevor is staring at me, a look of slight concern on his face.

  “Yep, just lost in thought, that’s all. We should get back, figure out what our next move is and pray the Saint has moved on.”

  “Do you mind if I join you guys? I don’t really have any idea on how to get home, and literally zero direction in this world.”

  I stop for a second and think. Personally I think I’d be fine with it. I feel like sitting on this dock with him has allowed me to get to know him a bit better, but it’s not entirely up to me.

  “I’m down with it, but the group mind has to decide. So, to the group!”

  We climb off the dock and begin heading back to the inn to meet up with the rest of group. I’m not sure if they will be as open to him, Prisha is definitely suspicious of him. I guess we will see.