Capítulo 25: Part 01: The Church of Alia
Though Rey and his party had finished eating, they were still sitting in the pub. Mostly because they were waiting for a dessert to be served. It was some sort of tiramisu mousse cake. Seven recommended that Rey should order a dessert for Leon. He had once told Rey that Leon enjoyed eating sweets, but for some reason, Rey just didn't believe him. Even now, Rey is reluctant to feed Leon sweets, but he still buys them anyway.
Rey knew Seven was right; he could see the little change in Leon's expression. It was just hard for him to comprehend.
To accept.
Accept that this wasn't the Leon he once knew.
The Leon he knew wasn't a fan of sweets, or at least Rey had never once seen him take a single bite of any dessert. When they were back in the academy, Evelyn used to bake for them all the time, but Leon would never accept them. He would always call it 'icky sugary fluff' and dramatically runaway. Rey thought he was just being dumb.
Leon had a few admirers who would gift him sweets from time to time, but he would always throw them away after accepting them. Rey saw it happen a few times but didn't comment anything on it. He just thought Leon didn't reciprocate their feelings and didn't want to embarrass them in front of everyone.
Then one day, when they had visited Evelyn's home, Leon was offered a slice of cake by Evelyn's own mother. Leon had accepted the offer but never once ate the cake. It was left on the table untouched. Evelyn thought Leon didn't like the cake, as he never ate anything that she baked. Rey remembers thinking how rude Leon was to accept something so halfheartedly, but he never confronted Leon about it.
It was just cake, after all. There was no reason to get mad over some cake.
But now that Leon is no longer alive, why is it that a single slice of cake can bring the tiniest pinch of light into his eyes?
A cake that Rey has seen Leon reject time after time.
It just didn't make sense.
If Leon liked eating sweets so much, why didn't he just eat them?
There was literally no one there to stop him.
"Here is your order!" the waitress said as she sat the small slice of cake down on their table and left.
Rey took a spoonful and fed it to Leon. Though you couldn't see the happiness in Leon's eyes, there was a small difference that only Rey could notice. For Seven, on the other hand, he only knew because of his keen observation. The one thing he knows about Leon is that he stares at the things he likes. Not just looking at the ground or stuck in a daze, but actually moving his eyes to look. Which was how he usually figured out what Leon liked. There wasn't much that he found. At least, not yet.
"He must really like cake," Seven commented.
". . . I guess,"
Seven felt like there was some backstory behind those words, but decided that he was done being nosy for the day. Curiosity does kill the cat, after all.
Then again, satisfaction brought it back.
Anyway, Seven had bigger things to worry about now. Like, how are they going to clear his name?!
"So what's the plan?" Seven asked as he watched Rey feed Leon another spoonful.
"Do you know any places of worship here? Somewhere I can find a priest or priestess?" Rey asked.
"A place of worship?" Seven asked perplexedly, 'How was that supposed to clear my name? Are we going to plead for mercy from the gods?'
"I know a place!" their waitress suddenly chimed in out of nowhere. "There's a Church of Alia not too far from here! The priestesses there are always happy to help those in need!"
That's right, Rey had forgotten. There was that goddess. The one that that one priestess worshiped at that first village he visited. It was also the goddess that most, if not all, healers followed.
If he remembered correctly, Alia was the Goddess of Health and Fertility.
That sounds like someone who will help him.
"Thanks," Rey replied and went back to taking care of Leon.
"So, how is going to the Church of Alia supposed to help me?" Seven asked as the waitress, who had appeared so suddenly, conveniently left.
"It's for Leon," Rey replied instantly.
". . . Oh," Of course, it was for Leon. Seven should've known better.
Rey has four goals right now:
1. Take a leisurely stroll around Tevalon and check out things to do (Vacation).
2. Take care of Leon.
3. In hopes of fulfilling Goal 2, he should seek help from a priest or priestess.
4. Clear Seven's name.
Goal 1, 2, and 3 came hand-in-hand, but they were all Rey's main objectives anyway. He will clear Seven's name somehow though. Eventually. Whenever he gets there.
After Leon had finished eating his cake, they set out to find the Church of Alia.
It wasn't really that hard to find. In fact, it would be more ridiculous if you missed it. The church was incredibly huge.
There were murals and carvings on every wall, stained glass creating a beautiful rainbow, and marble floors that covered the entire ground from the outside in. There were priestesses walking to and fro, helping people in need and blessing those who asked. There were even classes taking place. The biggest thing about this place was the large statue of Alia in the center of the courtyard, clear of snow and glittering under the sunlight.
Rey and his party walked through the grand entrance and into the marvelous courtyard. They didn't know who they were supposed to ask for assistance from, but luckily someone came to them instead.
"Good afternoon, my treasured guests!" a priestess greeted them with a sweet voice, "I am Tabitha, a follower of the great mother Alia. What ails you to visit the Church of Alia?"
". . . My friend needs help," Rey replied.
"Your friend?" Tabitha glanced at the two people beside Rey.
Right then, Rey swiftly removed the shadowy cloth that hid Leon's appearance. Seven had almost died of shock and distress on the spot, but luckily he maintained a still stature with all his strength.
When the priestess saw the state of Leon, she seemed to have forgotten all about the shadowy cloth that somehow dispersed into nothingness.
"Your poor friend!" Tabitha wailed, "Let's get him to the high priestess, he needs to be checked immediately! Please follow me!"
They took quick steps toward the largest building. The largest building was the actual church that people prayed and worshipped in. It was the main building that anyone who entered went to. Along the sides were smaller buildings with long hallways. The left building consisted of smaller shrines and praying areas as well as a healing sector for those who were injured. The right building was where the priests and priestesses slept and held classes. It was also where they kept those who were in need of major assistance.
When they entered the large building, they were met with a crowd who were presently worshipping the beautiful statue of Alia. At the front of the crowd was the high priestess, who was blessing them with prayers.
"Please wait here," Tabitha said, quickly walking away.
"We're really meeting the high priestess already?" Seven whispered, "I didn't think meeting the high priestess was this easy,"
Rey agreed. He also thought it was weird that they were able to meet the high priestess so easily. It usually took some sort of quest or some sneaking around to be able to meet someone of high standing. Then again, the high priestess here was right in the open, helping those in need, and not hiding somewhere behind their followers. Maybe he was just so used to shady people that now it feels weird to see when someone actually does their job.
As they waited, Rey eyed the statue of Alia.
It looked different.
Just very slightly.
Rey wasn't interested in any gods, but he had seen many statues of Alia before, and every time, it was always one of the three. The only reason he knew this was because he was taught about them at the academy. It wasn't really interesting, but he needed a good grade, so of course he listened and studied.
The first and most notable one was the big one standing right outside. She stood in a graceful manner with her eyes closed as she held flowers in one hand and a child in the other. The second was her kneeling on her knees as she clasped her hands in a prayer; her mouth was slightly open as if she were singing a song. And the third one was where her arms were open wide as she graced us with a gentle smile, welcoming anyone in need.
Each of the statues had a story, but every church used a different one depending on how their church was formed. If the church has the first and most notable one, it means that it was built out of love and worship. If the church has the second one, it means that it was built in times of war and disaster. And if the church has the third one, it means it was built for just about anyone, not really for a specific reason. Usually placed with other gods or put in smaller shrines. Sometimes they are even carved right out in the open.
Anyway, this statue that Rey was observing looked like the first and most notable one. The only difference was that the statue's eyes were open.
Alia's eyes were open.
Her eyes were never supposed to be open, they were always closed.
Because, as the story goes, she was blind.
Her eyeballs were gouged out.
It was so she could never see evil. To treat everyone equally. To heal anyone in need, no matter if they were good or evil.
It was the reason she had so many followers. Why she was loved by even those with demonic origins.
It was also the reason why Rey could even enter this holy ground without feeling any sort of discomfort.
But this statue that Rey was looking at had eyes. She had pupils and an iris.
"That statue-" Rey was about to comment on it but was interrupted by Tabitha.
"This is the one in need of help," Tabitha said as she presented Leon.
The high priestess walked and stopped directly in front of Leon. She was dressed in white and gold. Everything from her head to her toes was covered in a white robe with gold lace and accessories; the only thing that wasn't covered was her young, pale face.
The high priestess reached out her hand and was about to touch Leon, but Rey immediately smacked the hand away.
Seven and Tabitha both gasped at the disrespect.
Seven pushed Rey and Leon aside and desperately bowed ten times in apology, saying, "I am so sorry! He has no manners! Please forgive us! Please forgive us-"
"-No, I apologize. I should have asked beforehand," she said as she rubbed the spot where her hand was smacked, "I am Ivory, the high priestess of this church. May I take a look at your friend?"
"You can look," Rey replied in an indifferent tone, but the meaning was clear.
Look, but don't touch.
Seven chuckled nervously, 'We're definitely going to die now,'
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