Jack tapped his foot as he waited beneath the light of the crescent moon. The Flower Knight stood concerned beside him, not having ceased to peer into the dark ever since they had arrived.
"We shouldn't be here, we need to leave. The flowers whisper betrayal," the Flower Knight whispered.
"You think Kenji would betray me now? I've fought and drunk with the man, he might be a mimic, but his also a damn hero. Have a little faith," Jack laughed, but truth be told this whole situation concerned him too.
Was Kenji really leaving them? After only just having begun to set up the Hero Guild?
Through the dark came three lanterns. Kenji, Violet and Tenko wound their way through the winding trail and into the secluded area they were to meet.
"Kenji, Violet and Tenko! It saddens me you've asked to meet under the cover of darkness, do the people not deserve to say their goodbyes before you leave?" Jack said, knowingly full well that dozens of those in Warden Company at least would be furious they could not wish their idols the best of luck.
Kenji had to get quite a bit closer before Jack could discern the confusion in those golden eyes and the frown on his youthful face.
"What do you mean Jack? You're the one that invited me here," Kenji said, Violet immediately beginning the summoning of her crystal knight while Tenko transformed into her giant wolf form.
Both collapsed to the ground sound asleep before they could finishing doing either, Jack barely managing to activate [Bountyheart] to withstand the effect himself.
"It's a trap," the Flower Knight hissed, although quite unaffected by the sudden debuff. Casting [Golenheart] thrice more, Jack awakened his friends from their forced slumber. Yet in that tiny timeframe the landscape erupted, zombies with golden eyes meeting his own while Ghouls with pristine white hair and holy auras approached in overwhelming numbers.
"Come with me Jack, or see these heretics burned alive," announced Phillip, moving forward with a flash of speed to place the ancient silver knife at Kenji's neck.
Patting himself down, Jack paled as he only just realised the knife had vanished. With everything going on Jack had never even thought of the blade, only just understanding it might have been taken from him as long a time ago as when he and Phillip last fought.
From the sky descended Dana, although now with pristine white wings and a body bound in corruption. Her eyes were pus white pools filled with bright golden pupils, her skin sallow and smooth yet barely restraining horrible black veins that slithered just beneath the surface. Smiling white and pure, she seemed pleased to see Kenji's horror as beneath hher church vestments leaked a sour mixture of necromantic and holy magic that snapped and crackled at each other like angry hounds.
"You are supposed to be dead," Jack spat, having drawn his blade. Yet as he did so Phillip pressed his own remorselessly into Kenji's throat, a streak of grey goo dribbling free even as Kenji dissolved back down into his old man form.
"Through the work of the Undead God, and the Everseeing I have been reborn. The first Corrupt Saint, they are calling it. By continuing the service to the Everseeing I fulfill my purpose in life, but with every spell I also bring the Undead God's resurrection closer. A...win-win as they call it," Dana's shining smile sickened Jack to his core, feeling absolutely certain this was not what the church was about. Where was the purity in this?
What was even the point?
"Jack, stop thinking," Phillip said evenly, "and obey me. You are confused, but come with me and we can solve that. Your heretic friends will even be left alive as a show of good will, trust me when I say I only want what is best for you."
"I want that to not exist," Jack said pointing at the Corrupt Saint, "I want Holy Undead to return to whatever horrid nightmare the concept appeared from!"
"Jack, these all make sense to one with faith. If you have a grievance then come speak with the Bishops at least, they can then raise your concerns all the way to the One himself. There is a way with dealing with what we do not understand, but becoming a child and wishing it were not so? Come on Jack, you were raised to be smarter than that. Let this business be done with, let us return to where we belong. With a Saint, one of the 18 dead and this monster army slain, there is no way you would not be again appointed as a Templar. Join me, Jack, come home."
"I...I don't know...," Jack whispered, wanting desperately for Kenji and his companions to live. The Flower Knight would at least survive this fight, her strength enough for her to flee but he would have to-
"I'll come with you where ever you go," the Flower Knight sighed, pulling out her own steel despite the threatening atmosphere. "To the Church, back to Warden Company, you name it. Just don't make me regret stumbling unto a light as bright as yours."
Jack turned to the Flower Knight and saw her as a woman for the first time. His heart skipped a beat, and the decision now felt made long before he said the words.
"She gets given immunity, and I get to speak to the Bishops directly," Jack said carefully, heart set on rooting out whatever corruption had rooted itself within the Church. Within his home.
"Agreed, now we must go before the forces in this region detect us."
"Jack no-" Kenji was cut off as the knife cut deeper, Violet and Tenko too afraid he would be killed to so much as a whisper.
"Don't worry Kenji, just stay off the Church's radar for a bit. I'll see that they don't come for you anymore, we only ever really wanted the gateway making demon anyway. And it's clear to me she's long gone. But have some faith in me, I've learned a lot in my time outside the church, and now I need to make sure I'm not the only one to see the light," Jack said, wishing his true intentions shone through his eyes, and seeing Kenji soften, thought that perhaps they had.
For Jack planned not to return to the fold, but to burn out the rats from within.
"Well said, my boy," Phillip said, letting Kenji go only as Jack walked over to stand on one of the retched Holy ghouls. "You have a brighter future yet, just you see. You will become one who shapes the world."
Altogether, Phillip, Dana the Corrupt Saint, the Flower Knight and Jack, rode away on Holy Ghoul's backs. Meanwhile, Kenji was left feeling terribly worried, one of the greatest heroes he had yet to encounter forcefully returned into the church's clutches.
"We need to go, now. The warriors must be mustered, we have no idea if the Inquisitor will hold to his word or attack at dawn," Kenji snapped a little harsher than he meant. But as he returned to govern the creation of what should have been a collective effort, Kenji felt as if the weight of the future was resting a little too hard on his shoulders.
"Idiot," Kenji said sullenly to the distant flickering of holy flame in the distance.
Taking Violet's hand in his own, he helped her onto Tenko's furred back and rushed back to Tariak as fast as they could travel.