Chapter 4 : The Saint
Adam remained motionless for a long moment, alone within the vastness of the cathedral. His thoughts drifted back over the events of the day and the revelations that had taken place. First, he had sensed an unexpected disturbance connected to the Chaos Sea, the place of his awakening, but he had not had the time to investigate or uncover what had happened, although he already had a vague idea of the cause.
Meanwhile, in a place filled with exotic flowers, the Garden of the Sun, where sunlight revealed a breathtaking spectacle, two figures sat on a white wooden bench. One was a middle-aged man, appearing to be around forty years old, with the warm and gentle face of a kind elder. The other was a little girl dressed in a violet dress tinged with black, her face filled with curiosity and wonder as she gazed at the immense garden before her, seated beside the kind man.
« Mr. Priest, how is it possible that these flowers can sing? » the little girl asked, turning toward the man beside her. But before he could answer, she continued with more questions, « Are they living beings? And if so, what are they doing in this garden? »
« What a curious and lively child, » the middle-aged priest thought before calmly answering her questions. « You are right, these flowers truly emit a song, but it is not natural. » he began, shifting his gaze toward the various flowers within the greenhouse. « These flowers have received the Lord's blessing, which allows them to act as they do now, but before, they could not. » As he finished speaking, one could feel many emotions in his voice : joy, happiness, faith, and an absolute devotion to his Lord.
Hearing about this ''Lord'' once again, Elara could not help but recall a conversation she had with her mother before coming to this planet.
...…
« Tomorrow, we will go see your father, and you will live with him, » her mother had told her. Despite her curiosity about this father she had never met, she also felt a bit shy and couldn't help but wonder what he looked like and why he didn't live with them so their family could be complete. As a child, she couldn't help but envy other children her age who had both a mother and a father. But now that she was finally going to meet him, she was excited to see that he truly existed. That didn't mean she felt alone, after all, she had Silver Wolf and Blade, even if she called them big sister and big brother.
« What does my father look like? » Elara asked timidly, trying to hide her feelings from her mother, but how could Kafka fail to see through a little girl? « Why isn't he with us? » she added before her mother could answer, her voice carrying both anxiety and hope ; anxiety because she didn't want to hear that her father had abandoned them, and hope because maybe he was simply too busy to be with them.
« You'll find out tomorrow in person, but if you really want to know, I can at least tell you he's a very handsome man, » Kafka replied with a slight smile, deliberately avoiding the second question.
« During this visit to your father, could you do a favor for your mother? » Kafka asked her five-year-old daughter. But without waiting for an answer, she continued, « You'll be staying with your father for a while, and I want you to keep an eye on him for me. »
« Watch over Dad? » Elara asked, confused by her mother's intention.
« Yes, sweetheart. Like I said, your father is very handsome and an important man. So I'd like you to make sure no bad women try to steal him away from you, » Kafka lied as naturally as breathing. « You wouldn't want someone to take your father away, would you? » she whispered softly into her ear.
...…
The day before her departure, her mother had asked her to watch over her father and those around him. But now that she thought about it, Elara couldn't help but remember what her mother had said, she was right, her father was very handsome.
Lost in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten the middle-aged man sitting beside her. When she turned to look at him, he was still watching her silently.
« So, Mr. Priest, » Elara began, trying to hide her embarrassment after drifting off during the conversation, « could you tell me more about my father and this ''Lord''? Is he an Aeon? » she asked directly, without hesitation and, strangely, without any malice.
Hearing this child refer to the Saint so casually as ''father'', the man couldn't help but feel a cold sweat run down his back. Their Saint—the embodiment of perfection, a being without flaws, had a child with the famous Stellaron Hunter, a group of criminals wanted by the IPC…
« The Lord is the Sun God who freed this planet from corruption, famine, and poverty, » the priest said calmly. « Before, this planet was nothing like what you see now. Millions were dying of hunger, and constant war only made things worse. But when the Lord awakened, he sent the Saint to spread his will. That is when everything changed, » he added fervently.
« The Saint? » Elara asked, confused. She had already heard that there was a Saint, the highest authority on this planet. As she waited for an answer, she recalled a moment from earlier, this priest had addressed her father as ''Your Holiness''. « Is the Saint my father? » she asked the man beside her. Though phrased as a question, it sounded more like a certainty.
« Yes, you are right, » the man confirmed before continuing. « The Saint is the voice of God in our mortal world. He is the son of the Lord, and His Will. Five years ago, he traveled across the entire planet, sharing the revelations that the Lord had entrusted to him. But… » he stopped, letting out a pained sigh.
After a second of silence, as if preparing himself for something important, he whispered, « At the beginning, the Saint suffered greatly because no one wanted to believe a ''stranger''. Everyone mocked him, insulted him, even threw things at him, calling him a liar. But he persevered. Despite everything, he always kept that warm smile. » he said, tears forming in his eyes as he recalled that time, as if he had lived through it himself.
Hearing this story, Elara couldn't help but feel her own eyes grow red.
« So Father suffered so much in the past… yet he still smiles despite everything he endured, » the little girl thought as she listened to the story of her father and his hardships.