“He’s not injured.” The priestess observed while smiling kindly at her, telling her to take a rest.

  Seren was relieved but upset about her wasted efforts. She sighed and lied down beside the unconscious man, feeling her sore muscles screaming in agony. That was the first time in two years that her physical strength was tested, failing miserably. Stretching slightly, she was sure she heard her back crack.

The priestess came back, carrying a small tray with refreshments for her. Seren thanked her profusely as she sat up and asked about her whereabouts and some information about her mission.

“Do you happen to know where the Head Archmage's Manor is located?” she asked after finishing a cup of tea.

The priestess calmly inclined her head slightly, watching the woman before her. “Young lady, you’re not from here?” she asked slowly. Seren nodded, the priestess smiled knowingly. “This…um, the Head Archmage’s Manor is behind this temple.”

Seren almost spits the tea at the priestess's sunny face. “Behind the temple?”

The priestess nodded slightly. “The Goddess Binah, was the patron saint of the laborers and the Head Archmage’s, being the goddess of wisdom. This small temple was built for the Head Archmage’s family.”

Seren almost leaped with joy. She thought she had to scour the whole city just to search for it.

“Then…can you please help me get inside—”

“No.” was the immediate answer. “No outsiders are allowed inside. Only family members, royalty, or Doxa employees are permitted inside. Even I have never set foot inside their courtyard.” The priestess explained evenly while sipping her tea.

Seren’s face paled at this. What now? 

As the orange light filtered through the tall windows of the small temple, Seren’s determination dwindled. It was dusk and she had nowhere to go; she thought she could accomplish this task within the day so she didn’t think to look for accommodation for the night. The priestess, sensing this, offered her some blankets to use for the night. Grateful, Seren offered some money she had but was declined.

She lies on the blanket she was given by the priestess and watched the crystal on the chandelier overhead glitter as the sunsets. Amber and purple lights glistened and danced on the tall ceiling. The cold air seeping through the small slit under the oak door of the temple crept under the crevices of her blanket. She shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep amidst the aching muscles and starvation.

It was a dreamless night for Seren, she was awoken by a slight movement beside her. Thinking that a mouse might have sneaked beside her, trepidation willed her onto swinging a punch in its direction. Her fist met with flesh and a yelp echoed through the temple.

“Argh.”

Seren leaped from the floor and crawled towards the nearest pew. Shaking with fear, her eyes slid open to see if the mouse died. Fear creeping into the depth of her stomach, she prayed it was a mouse and not a ghost or she would have flipped.

“Wha-What was that?” she grumbled sleepily.

Seeing a writhing form beside her, relief overwhelmed her. It was the young man lying down beside her. His hand held his loins while his pale face was beaded with sweat.

Seren’s left eye twitched slightly as she approached the man.

I didn’t just sucker-punch ‘that’, right? Clearing her throat slightly, she was unsure whether she must acknowledge the situation by apologizing. She was a young lady and it was the most inappropriate behavior to touch a man’s…private part, involuntary or not. But it would be incredibly rude of her to not apologize after injuring a man’s, er, most important part. Her aunt’s going to kill her for sure.

“Um, ah, Sir, I sincerely apologize.” Bowing her head immediately in shame, she waited for the man’s response.

Breathing shakily, the young man struggled to sit upright, cursing all the way. Gritting his teeth, he stared at the young woman before him and sighed.

“With your size, I didn’t expect your punch to carry that much impact.” He murmured.

Seren bowed her head lower in remorse. “I apologize, Sir.”

The young man uncomfortably twisted to a more comfortable position and sighed. “That’s-that’s fine. It was the most comfortable sleep I’ve had in a while; I can’t complain about how it must end.” His voice carries melancholy, as though he was torn away from his lover.

Seren lifted her head, darting nervous glances at the young man. “This, sir, um—”

“Kai.”

“Master Kai…Are you alright? I found you unconscious in an alley and thought you were injured, so I brought you here.” Seren explained quickly.

Kai nodded in understanding. “Oh, you’re the one who found me? Thanks for not alerting the authorities.” He politely thanked her.

“The authorities? But… I thought you were dying, so I was supposed to bring you to the hospital.” Seren muttered. But my horrible sense of direction brought me here, and that was a miracle in itself, she thought inwardly.

With a clear understanding of the situation, Kai scanned the temple. “And this is…Goddess Binah’s temple?”

Seren nodded.

The door behind the altar creaked slightly, and the young priestess emerged carrying a small bucket with her. Finding the two people inside, she beamed a smile at them. “Good morning, young lady and young master.”

Seren immediately approached her, taking the bucket from her and offering to help clean as thanks for letting her crash there for the night. The priestess was grateful for the help since the temple was big for a single person to manage.

Seren started tidying up while handing a broom at Kai. “Sweep the floor, start at the base of the altar. Be careful of the statues.”

Kai cluelessly followed her instructions and soon the small temple was spotless. Early devotees entered the temple and were greeted by the lively scene. After finishing the job, they sat outside as the morning prayers started.

Seren reached into her satchel and shared a bun with Kai as they sipped the tea given by the priestess. They watched the courtyard liven up by the followers; soon, a buzz of prayers can be heard inside the building.

Cleaning up after the morning prayers, Kai and Seren followed the young priestess into a small office behind the altar. A middle-aged priestess sat behind a desk; her dark eyes watched the pair before her kindly. Her white robes were embroidered with golden filigrees with the Goddess Binah’s symbols.

“Our temple appreciates the help from the both of you, your kindness in helping out has been a welcome donation of your time.” Her soft voice waved slightly as she stood up slowly from her chair and approached the two of them. Holding Seren’s hand and squeezing it slightly, she smiled at her.

“Daciana told me of your circumstances, Miss Arryn. She said you needed to get into the Head Archmage’s Manor to help fix the statue of your island’s Wind God? A terrible accident, my dear.” The head priestess shook her head slightly. “Although the two of us are forbidden to enter, I can ask one of our devotees to send a message inside. We could only hope that the Head Archmage’s available to help you.”

There was a slight knock on the door, Daciana opened it, and a tall figure slipped through.

“You?” Three voices yelled in surprise: one with surprise, the second one in incredulity, and the last one in annoyance.