15^th Illumis, 460 AG, 14:50PM, Heodal Kingdom

The church was already filled with dust and golden light when Xyron stepped in, making an effort to drag the large door open.

To the boy, the air always felt thick inside the building, as if his soul refused to be in there, so he avoided that place as much as he could, much to everyone’s discontent. Colored rays of sunlight edged through the stained glass windows, warming the long rows of benches pointed towards the back. 

There was a large statue honoring the goddess they worshipped, Viana, allowing the villagers to come and pray to it as they saw fit. Even if there wasn’t enough budget for a lot of things, the church and everything related to it was always a priority, even for a relatively poor village.

Xyron moved past back benches without stopping, following a soft voice that echoed throughout the whole building. It was soft and caring, as if listening to it allowed you to fall asleep with no issue. She was reading to orphan children in her usual spot by the altar, a squat semi circle of little boys and girls leaning forward with their full curiosity. 

The girl, Luzia, sat with her legs crossed on the cold stone floor, with a thick bound volume on her lap. The way her cyan eyes snapped up to meet the new visitor, suggested she had already registered his arrival before she’d even finished reading the previous sentence.

“…and so, Goddess Viana led us to this place, free from the monsters that once tormented our people.” She paused, lifting her head up towards Xyron, who was finally next to the group.

“Alright! Time for a break, you can all go play in your room alright? I’ll be there soon.” Luzia told the children, wishing to speak with Xyron alone. They all got up in excitement and made their way to the open door to the right, leading to the dorms. The last war caused a lot of death, so the church took in these orphans since they did not have any place to go. Aolyne was also there, looking at Xyron like a puppy waiting for approval. His big brother nodded, knowing he wished to go play with the others.

After he left, Luzia set her book aside and analyzed Xyron’s body, wondering where he got hurt this time.

“How did that happen?” She pointed at his arm after getting up and lifting it with her hand.

“Well… If Goddess Viana wanted me in good shape, she’d bless me with immortality or something.” He replied, stretching his legs out in front of him and making a deliberate show of laziness. “Can you uh… Help me with this?”

Luzia suffered from the lack of respect her friend had for their deity, but even still, did everything in her power to help him as much as possible. She sighed, and her lips thinned into a line.

“Close your eyes.”

He held her gaze for a second, before obeying. She hovered her hand above the wounds on his arm, and closed her eyes as well. Xyron felt it once more, the light from Luzia’s magic making its way into his body. But there was something else, something he couldn't explain. Luzia was a light magic user, thanks to her being blessed by Goddess Viana, her healing prowess surpassed most other people capable of wielding such magic. 

It was supposed to feel good, to feel right. For Xyron, the longer he let her heal him, the longer he remained inside the church, all he could feel was his heart beating faster and faster, like a small panic, maybe even despair. Even so, it was either that or waiting weeks for his body to naturally heal.

“All done.” Luzia said, lowering her hands. “Please don’t get yourself killed.” She looked away toward the window, and for a moment the sunlight painted half her face, highlighting her beautiful features. The only reason Xyron allowed himself to stay there was for her.

“I see you’re getting better at it.” The boy complimented her, realizing she healed him even faster than last time.

Luzia did not answer him with words, but rather what might have been the start of a smile, which Xyron returned, but only lasted for a few seconds.

“It isn’t funny, Xyron!”  She said in full seriousness. “Your brother and the other children look up to you, they always see you and Kai going out to hunt! If you act like the rules don’t matter, one day they’ll follow you into places that…” She stopped, and started once more, this time softer. “Not everyone comes back.”

I feel like I’m listening to my mom again… He thought, but still understood her side.

He averted his eyes, partly in shame, but mostly because looking directly at her face made his heart skip a beat.

The monstrous wolf in the ruins returned to his mind, reminding Xyron of the danger he really had gone through. 

“My apologies…”

For a moment, it almost seemed she would laugh. Instead, Luzia looked at him with an intensity that landed somewhere between anxiousness and desperation. “You make everything into a test.” She said, “I know you’re trying to follow in your father’s footsteps, but please remember, he had way more training than you.”

Xyron opened his mouth to reply, but found he had nothing in his defense. Luzia simply told the truth.

The pause that followed was heavier than any argument. For a while, neither of them moved. The dust particles hung motionless above all around. Outside, the muffled ring of hammers from the smithy reminded Xyron that the outside world still existed, and his mother’s request sat in his mind.

He sighed, accepting his defeat. “I should go back, my mom is scary when she’s angry…”

“Mhm. Should I go get Aoly for you?” She asked, knowing the boys’ mother definitely asked to be back before dark.

“Yes please.”

The girl quickly disappeared through the door all the kids ran into, before appearing again just as fast, this time holding hands with Aolyne.

“Can I come again tomorrow?” The little boy asked, always more than happy to be with children of his age.

“You’ll have to ask your parents! But I’ll make sure to drop by your place again just in case, alright?” She gently patted his head, and he ran off to his brother’s side.

As they were leaving, Xyron realized Luzia was still watching him, with her head tilted just slightly, lips pressed together, as if she might say something she had never quite said before. But then she blinked, breaking the contact, and looking away as the boys exited the church. Xyron wasn’t sure what that meant, but regardless, he was happy to have spoken to her.

The door creaked again as they left the building. All Xyron could feel was a brief dash of freedom, finally rid of that weird ache in his chest he got every time he entered the church.

Above him, the orange colored sunlight kept shifting, not quite as fast as the wind, but just enough to know it was getting late. He tried to remember the last time Luzia had looked at him like that and decided that even with all the rules and boredom, the village wasn’t the worst place to be stuck at. Not for one more day at least.