Creak!
The large door opened slowly.
The creak echoed through the hallway and bouncing off the walls.
As a ray of streetlights gone through the gap.
A man sits on his chair at the end of the building.
Hands folded, praying.
He turned around to see who it was coming here so late.
"Hi...reverend Becker." I said.
"Lukas, what makes you come here?" He asked gently.
Closing the door, I walked up to the front.
And sat in a chair near him as I looked at the seven lords sculpture.
"Yesterday was an...unlucky day." I said.
"Hm...I presume you got drafted."
"Yes...even all of my friends got the same draft notice that day."
"How unfortunate, I am truly sorry."
"...What am I going to do now?" I asked.
I clenched my hands together as I tried to get the words out of my mouth.
But I couldn't.
The sheer thought of it overwhelmed me.
"I...wh-what will I do!? Get fuckin-sent to the frontline! Spent years in the muddy bloody pits as I watched my friends suffer beside me!? I-I can't bear to see them that way! N-Not after w-wh-what happened L-Laura!" I kept on stuttering as I attempted to say it.
"Tell me Reverend! What will do! What can I do!? See my friends die before my eyes? Get my limb shot off? Experience death? Gideon, Tomas, Wesley and Amelia! I-I-I...I don't wanna die..." I clasped my hands around my head as I thought.
Not again.
"My mom wanted me to flee the country alone. Going together wouldn't work because the military will hunt us down for treason! She wanted me to flee the nation and start a new life in the south! Where if she stays, she can be framed and stop them chasing me!
B-b-but I-I can't do it! Can I? I don't wanna leave her behind.
Tell me Reverend! How come the lords allow this! Shouldn't they be saving us just like how they saved us during the age of despair! Where beasts owned the lands and us humans were the prey!? How can they allow this! Am I damned!? What have I done to deserve this!
Tell me Reverend! Is our lords really our savior! If they allow these bullshits to happen!"
I jumped up from my seat as I yelled at him.
But him with his pretty white cloth that covered his face acted indifferent.
"Say something! I need to hear something please! Just one word!
...Please."
Slowly my eyes watered up and a single tear dropped.
And soon another one.
And another.
And another.
To the point the tears wouldn't stop coming.
"You're the only person I could talk to...
Not my mother...not my friends...not any relatives.
Only you..." I dropped my knees and covered my face with my hands as I tried to wipe away my tears.
I held the pendant around my neck.
Trying to get any form of comfort as if that was going to do anything.
Suddenly something pressed on my shoulder.
Looking up, it was the Reverend placing his hands.
"Oh, Lukas." He said solemnly.
He stood up from his chair and slowly walked up the lords sculpture.
"Yes, you are right. How come the lords allow this matter. Millions of innocents dying before their hands whilst the rich become richer. The land becoming barren, only covered up with mud and blood. Littered with human corpses.
A parent losing their child.
A brother losing his sister.
A sister losing his brother.
Friends losing friends.
Lovers losing loved ones.
Everywhere you go, you see death and despair. And we have always questioned this."
"You did?" I asked.
"Yes, we always have. We said
Why lords, why? Why can you allow this? Why must innocents die!
Is this your plan? If yes then it is a cruel one.
So we asked why in moments of despair.
And they answered.
Hope."
I tilted my head in confusion.
"You see Lukas. They didn't just save us and just left.
They left a gift for us. A gift so great, we were able to survive this long.
Their greatest gift was Hope.
Without it, we couldn't have made it this far. What makes you thing why it was called the age of despair?
Because we didn't fight for it."
My eyes widened when he said that as if it was the biggest revelation ever.
"So what you should do is hope. And most importantly.
Are you going to fight for it?"
"...But hope can be a dangerous thing." I replied.
He nodded.
"Yes, but we still endured. We still hoped. And we received.
Don't expect it now. Expect it later.
You can't expect the Lords to do all the work.
So, Lukas. What are you gonna fight for." He said.
"I...I want to protect my friends. And find my sister." I replied.
He slowly nodded in approval.
I smiled and quickly wiped away my tears.
"Thanks, Revered Becker."