"It's pretty late and a little unusual to be coming all the way here just to pray."
The silver-haired boy didn't turn around immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the statue looming high above them, his shoulders still visibly tense beneath his cloack.
"Prayer can be done at any time," he answered, his voice tight, hoarse from crying but fiercely defensive. "The God doesn't keep a schedule. I didn't realize the temple had set hours for who is allowed to seek comfort."
Zarius nodded slowly, a faint smirk playing on his lips in the shadow of his hood. "Fair enough. But it seems to me like you've got a huge problem if you're sneaking out here in the middle of the night just to beg for a hearing. Normal people usually do their pleading when the sun is up."
