The Virtues

In the dim, large church, there was only silence. The scent of air was humid, akin to being in an old building, which stood out amongst the silence.

In such a place, however, a strange power existed. It is a quiet power, and it only descends onto the shoulders of those whom may enter a holy...or unholy place.

An unworldly power fell down onto the shoulders of those who enter to kneel.

It insisted.

A coercion

A demand.

A compulsion to worship.

It doesn't press down on the body, but the mind and soul.

With each footstep, a loud echo travels through the entire dark cathedral. Sometimes, if one were to listen closely and with rapture, the sounds of whispers, muttering secrets. Sometimes, others may hear a distant choir, singing praises to their Lord God Almighty. Along the sounds of singing, comes the quiet, yet deep vibrations that comes from the instruments that may only exist in large churches.

Organs.

An instrument that can shake and tremble the entire cathedral.

In such a large church, the only light that normal beings can perceive are the light of candles. The tiniest flame dances and weaves on the wax candles, effusing a dim orange glow. Even if there were many, in such a dark place, just a few candles were not able to light up the majority of the shadows that cover the walls, the corners, and the many pews.

Even the chandelures, barely hidden within the shadows of the ceiling, were not able to light up most of the ceiling.

All in all, there could be spots where anything can jump out and ambush their victim.

Jonah knew right from the start this place gave him the creeps. He felt his heartbeat becoming quicker and quicker each second, and his lungs strained. As if every breath here was sacrilege.

His head throbbed and pulsed with pain, wary of the littlest of noises. He felt like there was movement at the corner of his eyes, in the shadows.

If his little sister were here, his head would burst.

Yet, after all this, he had the privilege to even think about a joke.

'And I thought I was naive. Look at this guy.'

Jonah glanced at Erebus. Although his eyes were still closed, and his smile never changed, Jonah saw how he sneakily covered his yawn.

He felt just the same way as him.

"I am before you as your supplicant, in your house, the house of god. Your child, who is lost, prays to you. Your love fills me, for I am your lost lamb..."

""...""

Jonah and Erebus quietly watched the Rector as he trailed on and on about his glory. It had been minutes since he started, and the cloaked man still hasn't finished.

Jonah sincerely tried to listen-he really did! About a couple minutes in, he felt lethargic and yawned. He relaxed his grip on his spear, and felt a twinge of pain from his hands. Looks like he gripped the spear too hard.

After listening for a while, it felt like this place wasn't that dangerous at all, and that this 'Rector' isn't a crazy zealot.

'No, he may not be a zealot. There's a chance he may just be your average, religious priest who truly loves the Lord God Almighty. Probably,' Jonah sincerely prayed to whoever this placed worshiped.

While the cloaked man spoke his prayers, the white haired boy finally felt he could relax a bit more. Looks like nothing will hurt him right now. Taking a peak at the Rector, who seemed occupied, and Erebus, who was listening to him while trying to hide his yawn, Jonah slowly approached one of the windows that decorated the sides of the church.

Approaching it, Jonah examined it. It was a stained glass window, and just like the other windows, it had a different picture.

The one he looked at had some colors of red and gray, but due to the dim light from the candles, he wasn't able to see it clearly. All Jonah could discern was that the picture was a flame, surrounded by multiple rings.

He tried to squint at it, but to no avail. It was just too dark in here.

Jonah took another glance back. The Rector was still praying, and Erebus was still there, still trying to hide his yawning. So, he took another look at the stained glass window. Instead of looking at it, he tried to find the clearest transparent glass to look outside.

Taking a couple peeks, he finally found one suitable to look outside.

The outside was completely foggy, and no matter how much Jonah looked, he wasn't able to see at least a couple meters past the window.

He felt lethargic just looking outside. He was already suffocating here, and outside...

Jonah shook his head, and he rubbed the window.

'Oh Chaya...I hope you're okay. This nightmare is taking too long, and hopefully this is just a dream. A dream I'll wake up soon...'

"-oh Lord God Almighty, please protect this poor lamb. Amen...amen..." the Rector whispered, then put his hands together in prayer. Bowing his head, the cloaked figure exhaled a long sigh.

Jonah, seeing it was over, quietly walked back to Erebus's side. Well, he tried to be quiet. His footsteps still echoed throughout the hall of the church. Feeling embarrassed, he took a peak at the two. Looks like they were both occupied with something.

"Finally," Erebus muttered. He quickly coughed into his hand and his bent back straightened.

"Mr. Rector, I've politely waited for you to finish your prayer, and I prayed to the Lord God Almighty to end your prayer-I mean, to help your prayers come true. Other than that, I'm interested in the 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘦 you were talking about."

The kneeling Rector, still silent, was as still as a statue. After hearing Erebus, he slowly nodded his head.

"Ah, yes. My apologies. The virtue."

The kneeling cloaked man stood up, and he slowly turned to face them. Jonah and Erebus both took the chance to see anything under the hood, but it overshadowed his face. It didn't help that the candles were too dim of a light, and the church was dark.

"It is with his infinite grace and wisdom that The Lord Almighty knew that what he asks of his children is too much. And so, The Lord Almighty gave man seven virtues."

"Virtues?" Jonah interrupted, but then almost kicked himself in the shin. Luckily, the Rector didn't seem to mind as he only nodded.

"Yes. Virtues. Each virtue contains a great power, a power to defend their home, family, and friends from his punishment. Now then...let the gospel of the Lord God Almighty share its wisdom with you all."

The Rector began emitting a strange aura. A holy white light emanated from him, and its lights passed through Erebus and Jonah.

Jonah instantly felt a chill.

"What is-"

"Chastity," the Rector said, and the world around them became heavier.

...

The pressure was too much for a child who isn't even a teenager yet. Jonah almost sagged to his knees, and the air became more and more suffocating. Each breath was a challenge for the poor boy. Sweating and keeping his makeshift spear as a support, he tried to look up at the Rector. The person in question was giving off an aura of more and more power.

The same power Jonah felt when he walked into the church. The same power he felt when he was inside the church for a few minutes.

A power like when he was hiding against the Fifth Apostle, but much holier.

Erebus stood tall, but even Jonah could tell he was sweating. Before the two were given a chance to recuperate, another booming voice washed over the two.

"Temperance."

Jonah immediately fell to one of his knees, with his face facing the floor. Erebus also knelt with one knee. His scabbard tried to resist the pressure as Erebus tried to raise his head against the pressure.

"Charity. Diligence. Kindness. Patience. Humility."

With each word came a soft, yet booming voice. A strange, rigid dichotomy that shouldn't exist together, but yet at this moment, it did.

The two children couldn't help but sag even further to the ground. Eventually the last word made them put their heads against the ground, in a bowing position.

The Rector stood tall over them, and he slowly began imparting his teachings.

"Chastity, to be pure. Some say chastity means to be a virgin, to be loyal to one's partner, to not engage in intercourse before marriage. However, that is not a true requirement. The Lord God Almighty seeks man to achieve balance within oneself, to be at peace. Reason, will, and desire can harmoniously work together to do what is good."

"Temperance. Some say it is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. Some say it is usually described in terms of what a man voluntarily refrains from doing. The Lord God Almighty wishes for man to restrain themselves from revenge by practicing non-violence and forgiveness. He wants man to restrain themselves from arrogance by practicing humility and modesty. He wants man to restrain themselves from excesses such as extravagant luxury or splurging. Finally, he wants man to restrain themselves from rage or craving by practicing calmness and self-control."

The Rector seemed to take a moment to let them think from his stupidly long lecture. Jonah, in the meantime, still tried to raise his head. To resist this power.

Unfortunately, it was impossible, no matter what he did. So he simply gave in, listening and thinking about what the cloaked figure said. He didn't seem to want to really hurt them, so Jonah guessed he could take a moment to listen.

He couldn't see Erebus though, but he thought the swordsman should be struggling. After a minute, the Rector continued.

"Charity, it is...

...

A deep voice, aged and wise, echoed throughout the dark cathedral for a long time. As if it was a gospel, all those who heard it were silent, listening closely to whatever the voice said.

Finally, it ended, and all became silent.

By the time the Rector finished, both Erebus and Jonah was sweating like they were working under the hot sun for hours and hours on end.

Even so, Jonah tried to listen to what the Rector was saying. From his words, he understood the meaning of the seven virtues, and tried to simplify it all.

Chastity, to be pure. To be free of desire.

Temperance, to restrain oneself to the limit from desires.

Charity, the closest to the Lord God Almighty's vision when making man. The true perfection of what man could be. To love one's neighbors and to love oneself. To love The Lord Father, and to love others just like they love themselves. The one true requirement for happiness.

The Rector couldn't help but stress the importance of the virtue. It was said to be the embodiment of the Lord God Almighty wish for man, and so Jonah tried to memorize it.

Diligence was simple. It was to move forward and work hard every step of the way, never stopping. It was as simple as that.

Kindness was also simple enough. The act of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward. Helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped.

Patience, to endure difficult circumstances. Perseverance, tolerance without anger or rage, being able to wait for a long amount of time without getting irritated or bored...

All in all, it is just to endure. To remain steadfast.

Finally, Humility, the antidote to shame. It was similar in regards to Temperance. Neither having pride, but also not indulging in self-deprecation.

At the end of the lecture, the world around the two finally began to feel lighter. Jonah immediately began trying to breathe in large amounts of air.

From the noise Erebus was making, Jonah also knew he was doing the same. While he was trying to calm down, the white haired boy couldn't help but reflect on what he learned.

Jonah noticed that all of the 'virtues' were connected to each other in some way. They relate to each other, they support each other, they build off each other.

He didn't know why this 'Lord God Almighty' separated them all in the first place. Why not combined them all into one?

'Were humans unable to accept them all into oneself?' he thought.

When the two began trying to get up on their knees, the cloaked figure continued.

"These seven virtues, given by god, were shared amongst seven," the Rector said. "However, it is a power for those who are truly worthy in the eyes of The Lord God Almighty. For those...who are 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴."

As he said that, he turned to look back up at the statue. Even now, the light of the candles were not able to extend above the feet.

"...heroes?" Jonah muttered tiredly. He didn't feel too interested. Even then, when he tried to connect himself with any of the virtues, he couldn't help but feel...a sense of shame.

Inferior.

While Jonah felt a blow to his self-esteem, the Rector mentioned something else.

"Yes, heroes. Heroes who are capable of even fighting the great Calamities and their Apostles, sent down to judge man."

Jonah's head perked up. Who knows, with these so-called virtues, maybe he can protect his little sister after all?

'No, could it also be a burden as well?' Jonah thought for a moment as the Rector continued talking.

"Unfortunately. it is said that after the Age of Calamity, these virtues are said to have been lost, scattered to the far reaches. Away, because no one was worthy to obtain them. For a thousand years, not one of these virtues came to light, and so no true heroes have been born."

Then, the Rector turned to look at the two. The two boys were already beginning to stand up. Erebus looked very much annoyed, even when he was clearly trying to hide it nehind his closed eyes and smile.

Jonah just felt depressed.

They were too weak.

"Perhaps...a new dawn is rising, and one of you will be able to obtain a virtue, if not one of the seven 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴."

""Gifts?"" Erebus and Jonah asked simultaneously.

"A story for another time," The Rector waved his hand.

"You just need to know that the Lord God Almighty also loves his other children. He never discriminates, for he is wise and all powerful."

The two boys only looked at the Rector, but he seemed preoccupied. He turned his back on the two once more.

"However, before anything else...a test is required."

As the Rector said that, two figures came out from the shadows, both on opposite walls. A swordsman, and a spearman. Both were covered in a strange cloud of fog, but their armor, made from unknown materials, barely reflected the light from the candles. Their helmets full covering their faces, their chainmails cover every part of their body. No skin was shown.

It was obvious what this test was.

Jonah felt his shoulder's slump.

'When is this dream ever going to end?'