Lucian remained silent, his presence blending with the darkness he resided in, yet it seemed the scarred man who had called out to him was overly certain that he was there. The young boy was well aware of the kind of men these were; they were not untrained scavengers like the thugs he disposed of, nor were they corrupt cops reliant on advanced weaponry. Disguised in the gentle facade of holiness, they were skilled killers.
Seeing the scarred man's unrelenting gaze, Lucian took a single step, emerging from the darkness that concealed him, and in a gesture unbetraying of any panic whatsoever, he met the gaze of the scarred preist. A flash of recognition flickered in his eyes.
"Areth?" the man muttered to Lucian, surprise flooding his expression.
"Areth... that is my name, isn't it?" Lucian muttered to himself.
When he had woken up in the alleyway, he had completely lost all memories of his life prior, only having flashes of his trial in heaven and who he was. However, after the appraisal of the priest and the activation of the runes, something seemed to change. All his memories of the slump child he was flooded back to him.
"Did you do this, Areth?"
Lucian thought for a moment. He could lie; after all, it was unlikely a child like him could kill someone as skilled as the head priest. However, like he had mentioned earlier, Lucian had worked for these men in the past, and they were very aware he was more than just a child.
"Yes."
The scarred man, along with the other priests, looked at the boy. An eerie composure engulfed his form. He was not flustered by the fact he had just committed murder or by the fact he was before four armed men.
"Take the holy one's body and leave," the scarred man commanded. The other priests hesitated as if to object but remained silent and did as they were instructed, picking up the body of the murdered priest and leaving Lucian with the scarred killer.
The priest gazed at the frail child for a moment before turning and walking towards the row of chairs not far from where they stood. Without uttering another word, he reached and sat, and almost as if in a moment of shared thought, Lucian did the same, seating himself on the row of seats beside the priest.
Both men stayed quiet for a while, simply gazing at the front of the cathedral. Once a shrine sacred and holy adorned with the idols of gods, it had now become a mural for vandalism and blasphemy.
"The Gods are dead."
"The Gods are evil."
The words were spray-painted across the altar of worship, and in the jittery continuity of the red paint, one could almost see the frustrated trembling hands that were driven to such declarations.
"He deserved to die," Lucian muttered refrencing the murderd priest, his gaze not shifting from the altar.
"Perhaps. He was a man of many sins... as we all are."
Lucian's eyes peeled away from the altar, turning to the scarred priest.
"What will you do? I am certain you don't draw the line at murdering children."
"No, under normal circumstances, we would have done all in our power to take your life. But I'm well aware we are unable to. You are a chosen, are you not? No one else could so easily kill the holy one."
"What does that change?" Lucian turned back to the altar.
"Although he was a man of many sins, the gods still spoke to him, and he had made a prophecy: by nightfall tomorrow, will be the doom of Namek, a hellgate will open."
For the first time since the speaking with the scarred man, Lucian showed emotion. His eyes widened and his heart's pace quickened. He felt fear. Just as the scarred man said, the head priest indeed heard from the gods, hence why he had the ability to tell the sponsors of chosens. And if he said a hellgate would appear in Namek, then it was most certainly true.
"You know it as well. If that happens, we all die horrible deaths... however, we have a plan to escape Namek, but we need you as assurance."
"Assurance?" Lucian raised a brow.
"Yes, if in the process we do encounter a demon, anyone not a chosen is a dead man," the scarred priest explained, Lucian catching on to what he was proposing.
"You're saying I be your bodyguard in the event of an unlikely dire situation. For what in exchange exactly?"
"A ride out of Namek."
Lucian leaned back into the seat, contemplating his options. Namek was a heavy containment city, meaning all who lived in it could never leave it. The world's system kept the filth mingling among themselves, along with their crimes and diseases safely contained. Its borders were heavily manned and guarded, leaving was basically impossible.
However, Lucian could not remain here, especially not with a hellgate going to open. And if these gang of priests were going to be his only chance out, he had no choice but to take it.