"Faith must be truly novel, beautiful and timeless, so gives life to thee."
Act 0
Chapter 4 - Diary.
Phanuhel got up from his seat, and Xavier followed him out of the room and into the main area of the church. They walked through the empty pews, their footsteps echoed throughout the vast open space.
As they walked, Phanuhel began to explain the duties and responsibilities of the church, how he had built it from the ground up, and how lonely he was feeling over the years.
As they reached the end of their tour, Phanuhel turned to Xavier with a serious expression. "I have a favor to ask of you."
Xavier looked up at Phanuhel and nodded. "Of course Father, what do you need?"
Phanuhel hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I want you to lead the church. Not to replace me completely, no. But to become its spiritual leader. You see, I'm not getting any younger. And I don't want what I've built here to fall into the wrong hands. We'll have a deal - I give you and your children shelter, and you help me take care of this nasty place, when i need you to."
Xavier was taken aback by this proposition. He had not expected to become the spiritual leader of such a place, however it gave him a sense of purpose. "But... how can I lead a church?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty. "I know much less than you do about the Word of the Creature."
"You will find a way out for yourself. If you really want to study, go back to my house behind the church and take some books from the closet on the second shelf from the top." Phanuhel grinned, rubbing his nose, imagining what he could get Xavier to do for him.
Xavier nodded, feeling a sense of awe mixed with curiosity. He wondered what tasks Phanuhel had set for him. "I'll do anything, but father... I'm embarrassed not to call you by name," he said. "At least when not in public, can I call you just Phanuhel?"
Phanuhel sighed, starting to get irritated. "You can do as you wish. And get rid of these excessive manners, like some kind of machine," he said, "hell... go and study already. Don't come back until you understand something for yourself. I will wait for you on a bench under the oak tree, at the entrance to the church."
Xavier nodded again, and left with a smirk on his face, like a child. He started to move towards the exit, when Phanuhel's voice stopped him. "Wait," he said, his voice stern. "One more thing."
"I give you two commands," Phanuhel put up two of his fingers, with the same annoyed face as a minute ago. "First... no matter what, don't enter the basement... don't question it," he mumbled."And do not touch the grave behind the church, but take care of it. If you can, find flowers and put them near it. Thank you, now get out." Immidiately after Phanuhel finished, he turned away.
"Oh.. And make sure the children are comfortable." mumbled Phanuhel.
"..." Without thinking for a second, Xavier bowed obligingly, feeling uneasy at Phanuhel's words. Something made him start to trust Fanuel, as if he had always been honest. And he knew better than to question his orders.
Without another word, he walked out of the church towards the house behind it.
The house behind the church was small, neat, and seemingly uninhabited. Xavier pushed the front door open and was immediately struck by a weak scent of dust. "I'm going to have to clean this place... and to see Isabella and Dubur sleep in here so peacefully... Damn it. I should at least open the windows." Xavier thought to himself. Although he was here previously, it was clear that it had been a long time since anyone had lived here.
Xavier glanced at the books, and he had chosen three, feeling a twinge of curiosity about their contents. It was a book by an unknown author, that looked even older than Phanuhel, "What eyes can't see, the Great Creature", The second book had was "Beneath the skin of history, hidden in plain sight.", that was written by Elizara Bizeret.
Although Xavier didn't know who that was, but the surname sounded very familiar to him. He set the other two aside and looked at the diary, titled "The Church of St. Cyrchos: A Primer for its Keepers," Despite his dislike of reading, he found it interesting. As he scanned the front page, he chuckled to himself. Phanuhel seemed to lack originality in naming things.