Lucian remained silent, his presence blending with the darkness he resided in, yet it seemed the scarred man who had called out to him was overly certain that he was there.
The young boy was well aware of the kind of men these were; they were not untrained scavengers like the thugs he disposed of, nor were they corrupt cops reliant on advanced weaponry.
Disguised in the gentle façade of holiness, they were skilled killers.
Seeing the scarred man's unrelenting gaze, Lucian took a single step, emerging from the darkness that concealed him, and in a gesture unbetraying of any panic whatsoever, he met the gaze of the scarred priest.
A flash of recognition flickered in his eyes.
"Areth?" the man muttered to Lucian, surprise flooding his expression.
"Areth... that is my name, isn't it?" Lucian muttered to himself.
When he had woken up in the alleyway, he had completely lost all memories of his life prior, only having flashes of his trial in heaven and who he was.
However, after the appraisal of the priest and the activation of the runes, something seemed to change. All his memories of the slump child he was flooded back to him.
"Did you do this, Areth?"
Lucian thought for a moment. He could lie; after all, it was unlikely a child like him could kill someone as skilled as the head priest. However, like he had mentioned earlier, Lucian had worked for these men in the past, and they were very aware he was more than just a child.
"Yes."
The scarred man, along with the other priests, looked at the boy. An odd composure engulfed his form. He was not flustered by the fact he had just committed murder or by the fact he was before four armed men.
"Take the holy one's body and leave," the scarred man commanded. The other priests hesitated as if to object but remained silent and did as they were instructed, picking up the body of the murdered priest and leaving Lucian with the scarred killer.
The priest gazed at the frail child for a moment before turning and walking towards the row of chairs not far from where they stood.
Without uttering another word, he reached and sat, and almost as if in a moment of shared thought, Lucian did the same, seating himself on the row of seats beside the priest.
Both stayed quiet for a while, simply gazing at the front of the cathedral. Once a shrine sacred and holy adorned with the idols of gods, it had now become a mural for vandalism and blasphemy.
"The Gods are dead."
"The Gods are evil."
The words were spray-painted across the altar of worship, and in the jittery continuity of the red paint, one could almost see the frustrated, trembling hands that were driven to such declarations.
"He deserved to die," Lucian muttered, referencing the murdered priest, his gaze not shifting from the altar.
"Perhaps. He was a man of many sins... as we all are."
Lucian's eyes peeled away from the altar, turning to the scarred priest.
"What will you do? I am certain you don't draw the line at murdering children."
"No, under normal circumstances, we would have done all in our power to take your life. But I'm well aware we are unable to. You are a chosen, are you not? No one else could so easily kill the holy one."
"What does that change?" Lucian turned back to the altar.
"Although he was a man of many sins, the gods still spoke to him, and he had made a prophecy: by nightfall tomorrow will be the doom of Namek—a hellgate will open."
For the first time since speaking with the scarred man, Lucian showed emotion. His eyes widened and his heart's pace quickened.
He felt fear.
Just as the scarred man said, the head priest indeed heard from the gods, hence why he had the ability to tell the sponsors of chosens. And if he said a hellgate would appear in Namek, then it was most certainly true.
"You know it as well. If that happens, we all die horrible deaths... however, we have a plan to escape Namek, but we need you as assurance."
"Assurance?" Lucian raised a brow.
"Yes. If in the process we do encounter a demon, anyone not a chosen is a dead man," the scarred priest explained, Lucian catching on to what he was proposing.
"You're saying I be your bodyguard in the event of an unlikely dire situation. For what in exchange exactly?"
"A ride out of Namek."
Lucian leaned back into the seat, contemplating his options. Namek was a heavy containment city, meaning all who lived in it could never leave it.
The world's system kept the filth mingling among themselves, along with their crimes and diseases safely contained. Its borders were heavily manned and guarded—leaving was basically impossible.
However, Lucian could not remain here, especially not with a hellgate going to open. And if this gang of priests were going to be his only chance out, he had no choice but to take it.
"So my choices are: Working with you or dying in this city?" Lucian admitted.
"Yes."
***
Night had come.
The cathedral was dimly illuminated by a spread of candles, the traditional illumination contrasting the neon glare of everything else outside.
Perhaps in the dancing yellow flame burning on the dying thread of its wax, a sense of peace could be offered, a calmness that held against the raging chaos of the outside.
Lucian now sat at the back of the cathedral, his hand gripping a loaf of bread with desperate intensity as if he was told it'd be snatched away at any second.
Occasionally, he'd take large bites from the loaf before gulping down some porridge from the bowl held in his other hand to follow.
He ate like a person who hadn't seen a lick of food in days, which was quite fitting as he indeed hadn't.
Lucian watched as the priests discoursed in the front.
They whispered lightly, but from the facial expressions of some, he could tell they opposed letting him live. After all, killing the high priest was akin to walking into a gang's den and killing their leader.
Yes, this group of holy men were more of a gang than could be discerned.
Assassination, distribution of illegal substances, human trafficking—the long list of their crimes couldn't be counted on two hands alone. So, knowing the kind of men they were, Lucian did not expect to leave easily without a fight, but things seemed to have somehow worked in his favor.
He had already been racking his head trying to come up with a plan to leave Namek, but somehow a one-way ticket had fallen right into his palm.
Then, ringing through the cathedral, the loud bell of the clock echoed from above. It was now midnight, which indicated the day the high priest had prophesied the gateway opening had come.
What this meant was from any time and anywhere, black gates could erupt from the ground and demons could exit and begin their slaughter.
The priests visibly jerked into a state of action and panic as they heard the bells ring.
They all shared a look before they began progressing into a nearby door to the left of the altar. Lucian sat quietly and watched them disappear into the room while he finished up the food he was given.
Not long after, the priests returned from the door they went into. However, they no longer wore the holy attires and now were clad in dark cloaks.
They also held weapons—rifles and beamers he had only ever seen in possession of the police force.
The scarred priest walked over to where Lucian was sitting and stretched out his hand, handing him a long sword. It had a blood-red hilt, and its blade was made of dark reinforced steel, and its edge was so sharp it could draw crimson in a single touch.
"You can handle a weapon?" the scarred man asked as Lucian took the sword from him, then turned away before the child could speak.
"Of course you can," the man answered his own question.
The priests took positions, ready to leave at the first news that necessitated it. They had a radio that seemed to listen in to the communication between the NPF, so if the hellgate did appear along with the police force, they would be the first to hear of it.
Lucian gazed down at the sword, and as much as he tried to remain calm, he could feel panic settling in his gut.
On one hand, he had vague memories of the invincible angel he was—unafraid and formidable. However, a memory even more clear was the stories he had been told as a mortal child of the evil that were the demons.
No human ever survives an encounter with them.
'Can I really fight a demon?' Lucian wondered internally.
He had never had any sort of combat training, and he couldn't really remember much from his time as a celestial, as the memory stat displayed.
He only had an advantage with his above-human strength and speed. However, that would be no advantage against a demon.
Truly, Lucian's only chance at survival was leaving Namek, but staying till the hellgate appeared alone could mean death.
"Your plan—could it not get us out of Namek before the hellgate comes?" Lucian asked the priest who listened closely to the police force radio.
The scarred man turned to Lucian, with an expression indicating he expected him to already know the answer to that. Perhaps he did, but still hoped for some possibility.
"If it could, we would have been out of this city long ago. I'm sure you are aware of the kind of military force at the border. We would be turned to dust before even getting close. The entire basis of our plan requires the hellgate, because it's only through its appearance that the border military will be thrown into chaos as they are moved to set a closer perimeter. That'll be our chance."
Lucian turned away from the priest with a nod. He already knew the difficulty of getting through the border, so the answer he got was mostly what he had anticipated. He clenched his fist, realizing a possible encounter with a demon could not be avoided.
Then suddenly, Lucian's eyes widened, his body tensed, and his hairs stood on end. A rune had flashed in front of him, and the words written upon it sent a wave of fear through his veins.
He then turned to the priests, and it seemed they were yet to realize, probably because the NPF hadn't as well.
He turned back to the rune and swallowed nervously.
[A hellgate has opened in close vicinity]