Nineteen years ago…
Deep in the mountains of a remote region in the Human Plane, laid a temple. The temple belongs to a Spiritualist sect that cultivates in the path of abstinence. This sect and its disciples refrain from sex, alcohol and other temptations that were secular in nature. Under strict watch from the temple elders, the disciples spent their days studying the ancient scripts and praying to the gods.
The temple took in men and women disciples and trained them during the day, while at night each group would live in separate sleeping quarters. After the numerous trainings and classes ended for the day, the disciples were to not mingle with each other, but head straight to their quarters. This prevented either men and women from being tempted, by limiting their opportunity to communicate with each other.
If a man or woman disciple were caught being too friendly or worse, committed fornication within the sect, they were punished severely. The punishments ranged from public whippings, confinement or being exiled from the sect. There were no exceptions granted to the offenders. Even though this was the absolute rule of the sect and everyone knew it, there were still those who would dare defy the sect rules.
During the daily morning prayers, one day, in the main hall, there were rows and rows of disciples knelt in prayer. There were clasped hands and quiet murmurs of the 'Exalted Prayer' being recited like a mantra by the disciples. It was during this prayer that a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, slyly looked to her right at the young man who kneeling, a row in front of her. At the same time the young man, who looked to also be in his early twenties, had his head bowed but looked to the left and caught the stare of the young woman. Seconds passed before both looked away and closed their eyes, resuming their prayer. They did not want to be caught.
Most of the man and woman's days passed by in their usual routine: they prayed, sat in on their lessons from the elders and did their chores. Occasionally, they would pass notes to each other. They'd leave the notes in predetermined areas within the grounds or ask fellow disciples they trusted to pass on messages for each other. Some days they were even able to meet up silently off the temple grounds, by the river or behind storage sheds. This would be a non-issue for most disciples, however, there was a major exception in this situation. These two disciples were madly in love.
Today was no different for the two secret lovers. They would complete their training and do their chores while stealing glances at each other. However, that night they planned to finally meet each other completely alone. There would be no disciples around to watch them or caution them against the worst. They planned this in total secrecy, preparing to meet outside the temple grounds deeper into the forest. There was an abandoned shrine that was no longer in use and that was where they were to rendezvous.
Their day went by in a blur and soon the disciples were dismissed for bed. Everyone bid their goodnights to each other and the men headed in one direction, while the women went in the other direction. The two lovers decided to wait until late at night when everyone had fallen asleep and sneak off the temple grounds to their meeting spot.
The woman lay in her bed until well past 2 a.m., pretending to be asleep. When she decided that it was safe to get up. She quietly got out of her cot and snuck out the back door to their quarters. Making a quick detour to the storage shed, she grabbed a lantern and lit it before walking down the shallow path leading out the back of the temple grounds.
Walking deeper and deeper into the forest, she heard nothing but crickets chirping and the occasional flutter of wings. She was slightly frightened by being alone in that deep and dark forest, but her wildly beating heart stilled when she thought of reaching her lover at last.
Walking until she reached a small opening, the outline of the small, abandoned shrine came into view. Walking up the short shaky steps she reached for the door when suddenly the doors opened and a hand reached out toward her. The woman started to scream before the hand covered her mouth. Blinking in surprise, she finally recognized her lover.
"Shhh," the man hushed with a small smile on his face. He finally let go of the woman and settled his hands on her shoulders calming her.
"You scared me!" the woman chastised but she returned his smile. He held out his hand for her to take and when she did, he led her into the shrine and closed the doors. The woman placed her lantern on the floor by the door and sat in the middle of the shrine. The man securing the door, followed suit and came to where the woman sat pulling her into his embrace.
The two stared into each other's eyes before the man grabbed the woman's chin and lifted her face towards his before kissing her deeply. They kissed passionately, mouths sliding over each other. The man silently moaned before embracing the woman once again. The two kissed like they were starved for each other and picked up a frenzy pace. Hands were rubbing over each other's bodies and grabbing at their robes. Before the man knew it, he was hovering over the woman. He had leaned forward while lowering her to the floor, laying atop her as he continued to kiss her.
Gentle hands pushed at his chest and finally the woman broke the kiss and while panting said, "Are you sure, we should? Maybe we should stop before we go too far?"
The man was also panting when he asked, "Do you love me?"
The woman blinked and her cheeks turned pink. She darted her eyes while the man waited patiently. Finally she said, "Yes."
"I love you as well. The gods will understand our heartfelt love for each other. They would never condemn us or forsake us for this act," the man reasoned. He looked his lover in her eyes before capturing her lips once again in a passionate kiss.
The two were grabbing at each other and suddenly the temperature within the shrine started to rise. The man and woman continued this until both of their robes were removed and they lay naked before each other for the first time. Their eyes roamed over their bodies and continued to rub and caress each other between kisses.
Suddenly the woman started to panic a little. She felt something was present in the shrine with them, but with the dim lantern light, she could not see anything. The man was still rubbing his hands up the woman's sides and over her breasts to fondle them before the woman warned, "I feel a presence, can you not also feel this?"
The man was still in a semi-frenzied state and did not care. "I feel nothing but you, I see nothing but you. Leave it," he said before kissing her neck. The woman's eyes still darted around until she focused on the dark corner in the shrine. The light could not reach the corner, but she knew something was in the shrine with them. Before she could say anything further, the man grabbed one of her legs and wrapped it around himself settling himself between her legs and finally gave a thrust.
The woman cried out, before wrapping her other leg around him. The two forgot about everything else in that moment. They forgot about their training, the teachings, their cultivation, and the consequences. Nothing else mattered to them as they broke the most sacred rule in their sect.
The two moaned and kissed and touched each other in fervor. The temperature rose steadily in the small shrine as they carried out their desire. The man would occasionally change his positions exploring new options with his lover and the woman was very receptive to these changes, crying out her pleasure every time. They were entangled with each other for quite some time before the man finally settled atop the woman again, staring into her eyes as he finally climaxed and dropped heavily on top of her panting. The woman panting in the man's ears furrowed her brows when her eyes finally settled on that one corner of the shrine. The presence was gone now.
.
.
.
The next day the man and woman would steal glances at each other but otherwise didn't let on about their secret tryst the prior night. Days passed by and then weeks, and while the two would still send secret letters and messages to each other, they never met in private again like that night in the shrine. They were too scared. For days they felt like the elders were watching them intently and were beginning to think they had been discovered.
After a while, the two disciple's demeanor had changed completely and others took notice. The man became agitated easily and skirted his duties, while the woman became more and more depressed. One day the woman was gathering water from the stream that ran behind the temple when she suddenly doubled over. She was feeling ill and began to vomit. Another female disciple, who was close by, took notice of the woman and quickly ran over to her. Checking her forehead, she noticed the woman had a slight fever and instructed another disciple to summon the physician to their quarters.
After returning to her quarters, the physician gave the woman a thorough examination and once it concluded, he pursed his lips in a thin line and quickly left the woman's bedside. After an hour, the physician returned, but in tow was the temple's elders. All had grave looks on their faces which made the woman nervous.
"Physician Hammon, tells us you are with child, girl," one elder spoke.
At this, the woman's mouth opened in shock. How could this happen? She was so ignorant about sex that she didn't think that one night with her lover would end with her conceiving a child! The woman looked at the elders with fear in her eyes and began to hyperventilate.
"Tell us who the father is, girl! Was it a fellow disciple or someone from outside the sect? Tell us! Who did you become a whore and spread your legs for?!" another elder shouted.
The woman was visibly crying now. She was so afraid of the consequences but she didn't know what to do. She was now carrying the child of her lover and he didn't know. She was so scared in that moment, but then suddenly thought of her lover's smile and his tenderness. She knew that even if they were punished or exiled from the sect, he would be there for her.
It was with this thought, that she stopped crying and steeled her expression before telling the elders who her lover was. When she told them, they hardened their faces and nodded. Soon after they left her alone in her room to await the consequences.
The man was in the middle of his chores when he was approached by the temple's elders. They stood behind him with pensive expression's on their faces and suddenly the atmosphere became tense. The looks in their eyes told him everything he needed to know. The other disciples that were present, made themselves scarce and left the man alone in the hall with the elders.
"We know what you did. You broke our sacred rule and have now ruined the path of another. The fruit of your indiscretion is growing inside the woman," one elder said to the man who was now visibly shaking.
His lover…she was pregnant. His head was spinning and didn't know what to say in that moment. The panic was beginning to rise in the pits of his stomach and then his throat before he suddenly prostrated himself before the elders and spoke.
"F-Forgive me elders…I have allowed myself to be tempted by another and it is this temptation that made me forget my sacred vows."
The elders looked amongst each other and finally settled on the man again before one spoke, "Explain."
The man rose up and swallowed hard before speaking, "I was seduced by a woman. She would make eyes at me and smile. It didn't matter that we were in the middle of prayer or lectures. She constantly sought me out and bewitched me. Forgive me!"
The elders stared for a while before one finally spoke, "We will have investigate the matter further. You will meet with us later in this hall along side the accused and explain in detail."
Later that night, while the other disciples were asleep in their quarters. Seated in the great hall was the man, the sickly woman and the elders. Seated side by side, the man and woman stole glances at each other. The woman looked at the man with lost, sad eyes shone on her pale face, while the man looked at her with contempt.
One of the elders looked to the woman and spoke. "Child, the man next to you says that you have bewitched him. He says that you seduced him with your body and caused him to falter in his path. What say you?"
The woman looked shocked. Her mouth hung open and then closed before looking at her lover with a confused expression before speaking, "I do not understand…I have seduced no one."
The man infuriated by her response immediately rebutted, "Don't lie!! You would smile at me and get other disciples to pass notes to me to get my attention!" The woman looked crestfallen. How could her lover lie to her like so? The man continued his rant.
"YOU ARE A WHORE! You ripped your robes off your body in front of me while I prayed in the woods! You bared yourself to me and as a man I could only be tempted!" He turned to her completely before saying, "I fell prey to your deception! I gave into temptation and lay with you! I broke all my sacred vows and the punishment, is that hell-spawn growing in your belly!"
The woman was openly crying now. She grabbed her chest and sobbed in front of her lover, the elders and the gods. She went on before a throat was cleared at the head of the room. It was an elder.
"Child, you are accused of seduction, you know the punishment for such acts. Do you admit to this claim, or do you deny?"
A long silence descended upon the room before the woman's sobs quietly stopped. She steeled her face and looked to the elders before shouting, "I DENY!"
This surprised everyone in the room including her former lover. "I deny bewitching this man! I deny and reject the vows I took! I deny the gods! This child is MINE and I made it together with the man next to me in the act of LOVE!" Her voice was shaking as she continued and pointed to the man next to her, "We lay together in passion! I loved him and he told me he loved me too! We knew it was wrong, but loved each other so much…" She couldn't bear to continue, her heart hurt too much.
The elders were silenced in shock. They recovered quickly and turned their attention to the now pale faced man. There was no use in arguing. The man had to only accept his fate. The elders whispered to each other before finally speaking.
"We have decided to punish you both before the gods and strip you of your paths. You will be punished appropriately and then exiled, never to return to these grounds." One elder motioned to the doors where a lone disciple stood. The man or woman did not know when he appeared but they recognized this particular disciple. He was the one who delt punishment for the ones who offended the gods.
"Prepare for the exile ceremony," one elder spoke and without another word the lone disciple at the back walked from the halls.
When a punishment took place, time did not matter. Whether in the middle of the day or late at night. Disciples would be gathered and brought to the courtyard to view the final punishment of those who dare disobey the elders, the sect, and the gods.
The disciples were awakened from their slumber and told to meet in the courtyard. A punishment was taking place. The woman and man were knelt on the cold hard ground, heads bowed in defeat. The lone disciple from earlier, stood behind them to ensure they stayed put.
After a while the elders walked to the front of the courtyard and one declared, "On these sacred grounds we either bring praise to the exalted in heaven or punishment to those in this plane. This night, regrettably, we bring punishment. We have a brother and sister of our sect who has betrayed their vows and forsaken the gods they swore to worship!"
At this, the man was visibly shaking. He had come to this sect as a teenager keen on becoming a Spiritualist and hoping to become the first in his family to ascend to the heavens. His family was deeply religious and were proud of him. Now, what would they think?
The woman was silent. Her eyes were dead. She had also come to this sect as a teenager to escape her abusive home. She was kicked out by her parents and with nowhere left to go she found herself devoting herself to cultivating. It was all she had. Now, her purpose was gone. All she had now was the small life growing in her womb.
"The gods are merciful, but us Spiritualists who are true to our paths, must not be so! We must forgive when necessary and punish when necessary," the elder continued.
When he finished speaking, he nodded to the disciple situated behind the man and woman and without missing a beat, the disciple grabbed the man and dragged him in front of the elders.
The man didn't struggle and just waited on his knees before the other elder spoke. "Due to the condition of the woman, we cannot give her the punishment she deserves. However, you will have to receive it for the both of you."
The man's eyes widened but he still said nothing.
The elder spoke again and said, "You will receive fifty lashes for both you and the girl." And with this, the robes were torn from the man until his back was laid bare. The disciple left the man's side for a moment before returning with a thick leather whip. The man steeled his body in preparation for the lash and firmly rooted himself to the ground, gritting his teeth.
After a second the first lash crossed the man's back with a resounding crack. The red line shone brightly on the man's pale back before beads of blood trailed. The assault continued four more times as the man just grunted in response. Each crack the woman heard made her tense and jump in response, as if she was getting hit with the whip. The disciples who watched stared with emotionless faces. These two were their prayer partners and friends. Yet in this moment they were deceivers and outcasts.
The lashes continued for a while, before the man couldn't hold it in any longer and began to cry out as each lash crossed his back. Tears streamed down his face as he yelled with each contact the whip made with his flesh.
Finally, after a while the assault stopped. The man's back was torn and bleeding, vibrating with the force of his sobs. The elders circled around the man and one finally spoke.
"It is done. The heavens have accepted your punishment. You, the woman and that wretched child will leave these grounds tonight and never return."
After that night, the man and woman packed up their belongings and left the temple grounds. Despite the betrayal, they had no idea how to survive in the outside world. They had known life at the temple for so long and didn't know how to live on their own. The man couldn't return to his family a failure and the woman had no home to return to. They decided they were better off together in the end and left for the city. The city of Roth.