Bossia met Father Hylan for the first time during the ceremony where Benedictus became her godfather. At three years old, she quickly forgot the details of the ceremony and only realized four years later that the highly respected Father Hylan in the church was the witness of that moment. Naturally, she felt a sense of pride and was very careful with her behavior whenever she had the chance to speak with Hylan. Benedictus was her only family, and the church was the home for this small religious family of two, with the other clergy acting as neighbors—sometimes, Bossia imagined them as servants, while Hylan was the key figure ensuring everything in the church functioned smoothly. In Bossia's imagination, Hylan accomplished his duties like a magician: with a wave of his hand, the scattered books would close themselves and neatly line up on the shelves; as long as he was present, the candles lit during night prayers wouldn't go out from the wind seeping through the window cracks. As the person her godfather admired most, he must possess some magical abilities.
When Bossia was about eleven, Hylan began his seclusion. Today was her first time seeing him since then. Some childhood feelings resurfaced, but the emotion they evoked had shifted from curiosity to slight unease. Returning to the public eye after more than a decade and immediately becoming the most influential person in the church, while also revealing the secrets hidden by the MI7 — this old man in front of her was far more extraordinary than the Hylan she remembered. Be cautious, be cautious. After all, she didn't yet know his intentions—Bosia's heart started to race. Dealing with violence always has suitable methods; with enough training and quick reflexes, there's no need to fear the Qiraji, but dealing with power is another matter; it can act while ignoring individual characteristics.
Hylan spoke.
"Have you said everything you wanted to Benedictus?"
Bossia was stunned for two seconds, then answered somewhat uncertainly, "Yes... I have."
"That's good. His soul will be pleased."
Yesterday, Bossia was granted permission to visit Benedictus's grave. Although guarded by soldiers, she still fulfilled her promise: to apologize, pray, and bid farewell. When she first saw the tombstone, she felt conflicted, wanting both to stay still and to keep looking at it, even until dark. Other than that, the impact of the whole event wasn't as great as she had imagined. Since returning to Menethil, she had constantly heard talk about Benedictus's death and had long been accustomed to the fact. The time wasted in Stormwind and the doubts and distress caused by being under house arrest brought her mental state closer to the time when she was just starting to adapt to Silithus but wasn't yet familiar with Bassario. She did not regret her decision to reveal her identity and return to Stormwind, but she also did not intend to praise herself for it.
Thinking of this, she suddenly realized a possibility.
"Was it you who arranged for me to see him?"
"Yes."
"And the free time I had...?"
"I spoke with Nehari. He agreed it was the right thing to do."
From yesterday, Bossia no longer had to follow a set schedule and could even leave the house, accompanied by guards, to move around a certain area of Stormwind. These decisions were conveyed by a servant, but he didn't specify who gave the orders. From the start, Bossia didn't think Nehari had suddenly become lenient; she estimated it was a collective decision by the church's senior leaders. Now, it seemed both matters were led by Hylan.
"I know Nehari withdrew from the election to support you. It seems his support is wholehearted."
"Perhaps you're asking if he decided to withdraw because I persuaded him? We did have a long conversation about it. Obviously, as people pursuing the Light from different paths, we still had many disagreements. For whatever reason, Nehari was convinced that most of these disagreements were his fault, so he wanted to remove the obstacles they caused, to better serve the church's shared pursuit."
He saw through Bossia's intentions and immediately answered, avoiding embarrassing her.
"So, during the last archbishop election, did you withdraw from the competition with my godfather for similar reasons?"
"I was very ill then, and I didn't think I would make it, let alone live to this age. This was public knowledge, so if you know I withdrew, you should also remember this explanation. It was almost twenty years ago. Have you always wanted to ask me this question?"
"No, not really..."
Bossia hadn't planned on asking about the past, which contradicted her mental preparation to be cautious. Maybe it was because of Hylan's help and subtle care that her mindset temporarily returned to the past, when the white of the church symbolized everything to her. Children's questions often lack implications, usually just a lack of logical connection; her sudden question about why Hylan withdrew from the election back then was prompted by his explanation about Nehari.
"Telling you the reason today doesn't matter anymore. At that time, I felt I wouldn't recover and couldn't meet the physical demands of being the archbishop. The deeper reason was that I was very afraid of death, which made me reassess everything in faith and life. Withdrawing from the election was just the beginning; seeking answers in a secluded place was what I truly needed. Now, I don't feel like I lost anything back then. Benedictus was a child who would fall into more focused, painful contemplation than I did when facing major changes, and he must have gone through a similar process before his soul was touched by the Light. I hope he ultimately found the answers he needed."
Child. Hylan's choice of words struck Bossia, like a small, loose clump of earth suddenly cracking open without anyone touching it. Before "child," he used "once." Compared to Hylan's "once," her own "once" seemed too weak, Shawlt, and insignificant. It wasn't just about age.
She couldn't help but recall her godfather, Benedictus, when she was three, five, eight years old. Strictly speaking, he wasn't the best guardian. In trying to solve economic problems or set an example for Bossia in life rather than religion, his great efforts often only yielded modest achievements. Such a person had indeed once been a child. She suddenly missed him more than she did yesterday at the tombstone. The Benedictus in the painting behind Hylan now had the face he wore when he broke off relations with her. Those eyes contained no one, only his own illusions.
They said he died in pain. They said he suffered like someone infected with the plague. People wish for a peaceful death; he suffocated in an earthquake.
"Don't stand there anymore. Sit down," Hylan said.
Bossia sat in a chair beside her. She brushed her left thumb against her eye, then quickly lowered her hand. She felt she could discuss things with Hylan that she couldn't with Nehari.
"Did he... leave anything for me?"
"Yes. It's in a small box, and only you have the right to open it."
"What do you think is inside?"
"I don't know, Bossia. It should be something only you can understand the significance of."
"I... I don't want it. Even if I get it, I don't want to open it."
"You don't have to decide about these things yet. For many complex reasons, the church hasn't decided to give it to you yet."
Bossia knew she was saying this out of low spirits: verbally rejecting something that might further trouble her. She had no idea what might be inside. Benedictus, before his death, had left something, hoping she would one day return to Stormwind. The burden might be too heavy. She initially intended just to come back, visit once, and then leave. She had once abandoned the faith; now, if she left the relic, it would be another abandonment: the Light was something Benedictus gave her in life, and the relic was his posthumous trust. If she took it, she'd need another sense of responsibility to open it. It couldn't be some small item that once belonged to her, and Benedictus wasn't the kind of person to leave assets in any special form. According to the will, if she didn't return to Stormwind within twenty years, the box would be destroyed, indicating how important the contents were. Ultimately, she still hoped to receive her godfather's relic, but now she wanted to hide in her words for a while.
She recalled the simpler life with Bassario and their simple promise: to go somewhere else together. A foggy barrier lay between her current situation and Silithus, and everything beyond the barrier was becoming faint; she was alarmed to find this included Bassario's image and quickly suppressed the thought. She had to dispel the impact of her earlier evasive words with a question unrelated to emotions.
"Why can't it be given to me? Because I'm an apostate?"
"That's part of it. It also relates to the current situation with the MI7. You must have heard about Jorgen, right?"
"...Yes, I've heard."
"Before you left the faith, you had a period of fighting the MI7 and Benedictus alongside him. In this sensitive time when Jorgen has become a major suspect, some suggest investigating your relationship with him in more detail. Some even think you disappeared in Menethil back then because you accepted work from the MI7. I believe that's nonsense, but they do have the right to investigate. Jorgen has gone through a lot over the years, and I intend to tell you some important parts of it now, after which you can decide if you want to meet with him."