Father Marius watched them from his desk like an executioner choosing where to drop the axe.
Oriel sniffled, pointing a trembling finger at Lucian.
"They beat me up last night!" he squealed. "They left me lying in the cold like a dog!"
Lucian stood next to him, keeping a relaxed posture and a look of total boredom while staring straight into Father Marius' eyes.
"That's not true, Father," Lucian said blankly. "We weren't together last night and Oriel is making it all up, Father."
Oriel's face turned red with fury and he spun toward Lucian, spitting out words almost without breathing.
"But I heard you guys arguing! You were talking about something weird, something about darkness and... and a prophecy!"
Father Marius raised a hand and silence slammed into the room, so Oriel shut his mouth instantly.
"So, are you confirming that all three of you were out of bed after curfew?"
Oriel's eyes went wide as plates realizing his mistake and he opened his mouth to protest.
"But I just..."
"No excuses," Marius cut him off sharply. "All three of you will be punished. That kind of behavior isn't allowed at St. Celeste because you are here to study and serve Zhalyr, not to wander the hallways looking for trouble."
The man sighed and rubbed his temples, as if just looking at them gave him a headache.
"Honestly, boys, I expected better from you. Especially from you, Raziel. Usually you have more common sense than this."
They stood there in silence, processing the blow.
Oriel, despite the scolding, had a smirk of satisfaction on his face because, even though he went down too, he managed to drag the other two into the mud with him.
***
Hours later, the afternoon sunlight burned through the stained glass, but Raziel only saw the grime on the portrait of the Goddess Zhalyr.
He kept replaying what happened in the crypt, trying to understand his new powers and Seraphina's betrayal, but the dirty rag in his hand brought him back to reality.
Beside him, Lucian was fighting the cleaning tools as if they were armed enemies.
In a clumsy move, he splashed dirty water from the bucket and some drops hit Raziel's face.
"Sorry," Lucian muttered, and for the first time he looked ashamed. "I've never done this before."
Raziel shook his head and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand because he didn't have the energy to scold him.
After last night, he saw Lucian's rich-kid clumsiness with different eyes.
They had survived something terrifying together and that created a weird bond, even if Lucian was useless with a mop.
He went back to scrubbing the glass, but then he noticed Oriel watching them from the other corner with that smug smile that made you want to wipe it off with a punch.
Raziel let out a tired sigh.
He knew Oriel would run to Father Marius to report anything they said, so they had to be careful.
Lucian leaned toward him, lowering his voice.
"Do you think Oriel will snitch on us again?" he whispered.
Raziel thought about it for a moment while wringing out the rag.
"Probably," he admitted. "But maybe this is a chance to do things differently."
Lucian's eyes shined with interest.
"You mean we can do something about it? Get revenge?"
Raziel raised a hand to stop him before he got too excited.
"We have to be smart," he warned, side-eying Zhalyr's image. "We can't go around attacking other initiates because we'll just get into more trouble."
Lucian sighed and leaned against a column.
"Fine, but I'd love to wipe that smile off his face."
They kept cleaning in silence for a few more minutes, but Oriel couldn't stay quiet and his smile got wider.
"What are you two whispering about?" he mocked from his spot.
Lucian's jaw tightened, but before he could say something stupid, Raziel intervened.
"Just discussing cleaning techniques," Raziel said with a dry tone. "Shouldn't you be helping? Or are you too busy spying on us?"
Oriel's smile wavered for a second, but it came back stronger, loaded with poison.
"Do you want me to tell Father Marius everything?" he threatened with fake concern. "You know what happens to people who break the rules, I could call the Inquisitors."
Lucian's patience snapped.
"This idiot wants a fight," he growled, starting to roll up his sleeves.
Raziel grabbed his arm hard.
"Don't do it," he said in a low but firm voice. "It's not worth it, we'll just sink deeper."
At that moment, footsteps echoed in the hallway and the three of them froze, looking at the figure approaching.
It was Brother Thomas.
"What is going on here?" Thomas asked, and there was a touch of amusement in his voice. "Shouldn't you be working instead of fighting?"
Raziel's stomach dropped when he saw him.
He remembered Brother Thomas from his past life as a wise and kind mentor who had guided him many times, but now the man looked at him with only friendly, impersonal curiosity.
Lucian relaxed a bit seeing it wasn't Marius.
"Brother Thomas," he greeted, sizing him up.
Raziel took a step forward, feeling the weight of the memories.
"Brother Thomas, I..."
Thomas smiled gently.
"Come on, come on, let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said, looking at the three boys with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Did I hear something about a fight?"
Oriel straightened up immediately, puffing out his chest to accuse them.
"Yes, these two were..."
"Just having a lively discussion," Raziel interrupted smoothly, shooting a warning look at Lucian.
The noble bit his tongue, though you could tell he wanted to scream. Brother Thomas let out a chuckle.
"Ah, the joys of youth. Always full of energy and drama," he said, reaching out to ruffle Raziel's hair. "I remember when I was your age."
He sighed with nostalgia, looking up at the high ceiling of the chapel.
"Times were simpler."
Raziel felt a lump in his throat and swallowed hard.
He wanted to tell Thomas everything, ask for advice like he used to, but the words wouldn't come out because they weren't the same people anymore.
"Now, get back to work," Thomas said warmly. "Those windows aren't going to clean themselves."
He patted Raziel on the shoulder and went on his way, leaving them alone with their task.
While they went back to cleaning, Raziel felt a deep loneliness hit him suddenly.
The man he had once respected like a father was now a stranger, and their connection had been erased by the whims of fate.
Lucian gave him a soft nudge.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Raziel nodded and forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About what?" Lucian insisted.
Raziel hesitated a second, but then shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. Let's just finish this."
Raziel looked sideways at Oriel, who still had his little victory smile.
Then, blue text flashed aggressively on his retina.
[MASTERY INCREASED]
Condition: Suppress emotions in front of an Ally.
Skill [Acting]: Level 3 ➞ Level 4.
Raziel dismissed the notification with a blink and went back to scrubbing the glass hard.
Oriel thought he was winning, but he didn't even know what game they were playing.