8

Additionally, the cult members kept sending assassins after him resulting in numerous attacks that eventually forced him to abandon the region completely.

"emily!" he exclaimed anxiously upon seeing me for the first time in three months "What are you doing here?"

She sighed sadly shaking her head "You mean besides trying to avoid my inevitable death? Or perhaps, I just wanted to see if you'd changed in the years I was away."

"How long have you been following me?" he asked curiously "Where did you come from?"

"...a long way," she answered honestly before glancing at me apologetically "I couldn't resist the temptation of catching a glimpse of my beloved husband. Unfortunately, I came to the realization that I shouldn't have bothered. Judging by your current appearance, I'm afraid I was right all along. You're still exactly the same as always. The man who enjoys killing defenseless beings because of personal gain."

"It's not like that," he insisted firmly "It's not as easy as it sounds."

"Don't act like you don't know why I'm here," she glared suspiciously "The truth is, you were going to join the church. But then fate intervened saving us both from your sinful desires. I should thank you for sparing me but unfortunately, I don't feel any gratitude towards you. I'm surprised you don't realize this yet. You see, I've always had second thoughts about marrying you. In fact, I never wanted to marry you at all. But you kept on pushing me into it without giving me a choice. Consequently, I lost the ability to voice my objections even though I had many reasons to object. I'm sure you remember telling me to trust in God since He knew what was best for me despite how unhappy I was all the time. I had no idea you were secretly plotting to betray me while pretending to worship Him faithfully. Well now that you're here, I can finally reveal everything to the rest of the world and let them judge your actions accordingly."

"...you can't blame yourself for the things I did," he protested stubbornly "Besides, we aren't the only ones who chose to stay in the sect long enough to obtain the proper skills. There are dozens of others willing to do the same if given the opportunity."

"You think there's no such thing as 'too late' after it happens?" she countered angrily "I mean, you're right. You managed to fool people into believing you were a good person simply by performing good deeds. But that doesn't necessarily make you a nice guy. After all, the real definition of goodness is knowing when to take action. Unfortunately, you didn't know when or how to do so even after you'd gained the appropriate skills. In addition to that, you failed to recognize which kind of behavior was acceptable and which wasn't. Hence, you couldn't distinguish between right and wrong for fear of losing the trust and respect of others. Now that you've made your peace with God, you intend to do something about it. That's commendable but it's too little too late. I don't understand why you didn't do it sooner. Then again, I can't imagine what it must have felt like for you. After all, you were raised to view murder as an act of mercy. You weren't even taught the concept of forgiveness nor the importance of learning from your mistakes."

"...the reason I didn't say anything sooner is because I feared for your safety," he confessed "I knew some people might try to harm you out of frustration. You know what happened to the last priest who exposed the church's secrets."

"Yeah..." she answered sadly "...my former mentor...what a waste. He was the smartest person I ever met. I miss him dearly."

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely "And I'm sure he did everything in his power to protect you. However, he was ultimately betrayed by the rest of the clergy which resulted in his untimely death. I know how hard it must've been for him to watch the church members kill his friend right in front of his eyes. He never knew it was coming nor did he have a chance to prepare himself mentally. I don't blame him for succumbing to despair but I doubt you'd want to experience the same trauma. Therefore, you should consider leaving while you still can. The church will stop sending assassins after you after you reveal your true self to the world. I know because the last guy who tried ended up dead. Furthermore, if you manage to escape, you'll never have to live in constant fear of being discovered ever again."

"That's probably the main reason why you decided to keep me around all these years," she reasoned "You wanted to ensure that I was safe at all costs. I get it but it was wrong of you to assume things would always turn out this way. You're forgetting about the others who died or were punished for attempting to expose the church's secrets. I'm just a mere victim of circumstance. Nevertheless, I'm tired of hiding my true identity from the public. I just wish you'd allow me to do what I need to in order to achieve a fresh start."

"No," he shook his head adamantly "It won't work like that. You're not just another innocent member of the public who needs to be saved. You're my wife! My soulmate! My lover! And my greatest accomplishment! There's no way I'd sacrifice this dream simply because someone threatened to expose the church's secrets. Even if I had any regrets regarding the past, they wouldn't justify doing such a horrible thing. So, give up on your plan already. It's over!"

She scowled in response "Fine!"

"What?" he demanded confused "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I'll tell the whole world about the dark side of the church, the corruption and cruelty that runs rampant through its ranks," she informed him seriously "I'll expose every single vile secret they don't want the general population to discover. In return, I'll receive full immunity from all legal proceedings as well as your unconditional support and protection. Will you agree to my terms?"

"You can't possibly-" he argued hastily "You must be joking."

"I swear I'm not," she glared back angrily "I'm sick and tired of pretending to worship the Creator blindly for the rest of my life. I've seen enough to prove that the church is nothing more than a greedy organization that preys on the weak for personal gain. No one should be afraid to speak out against it, especially when it's been done by a trusted servant of God. If you think I'm bluffing, why don't you try calling their bluff. Call me an impostor and challenge me to a duel in front of the entire congregation. If I win, I'll reveal everything and if I lose, you can have your way with me. How about that?"

"...you're serious, aren't you?" he asked cautiously "You aren't just going to give up on revealing the truth?"

"Absolutely not!" she retorted vehemently "I'll do whatever it takes to make this happen! In fact, I'll kill anyone who stands in my way. I swear to God this is the only way to end the cycle of violence. You don't want to risk losing me, do you? I'll be there with you from start to finish. I'll provide you with every possible resource and do whatever it takes to make sure you survive. You may not believe me but I'm willing to face my fears, take responsibility for my actions, and fight tooth and nail for what I believe in. I promise you that I'll do everything it takes to bring down the corrupt system and bring peace to this world once and for all. Do you trust me? Please say yes...because I trust myself."

"...yes, I do trust you," he nodded in reply "But what will you tell the people?"

"...that's none of your concern," she declared "All that matters is that I bring down the church's corrupt system before it ruins the lives of innocent people all over the world. It's time to change the way things have been done for centuries. I don't want to see any more people dying in the name of religion. This will never happen under my watch! Do you understand?"

"I do," he nodded reassuringly. "Now hurry up and get back to the village. I want to help you however I can. Plus, I'd hate to witness another painful tragedy involving you."

"I'll take care of everything," she assured him "You go back to the village and let everyone know what's happening. I'll join you later. I need to do this first. You can't possibly expect the other villagers to trust a woman who looks exactly like a former member of the sect. In order to restore their faith in the church, I have to convince them I'm no longer a part of the organization. Besides, I need to talk to my former mentor. I have some things I need to discuss with her in private."

"Alright," he agreed "Be careful, I don't want to hear about your death in the news."

"Thank you," she smiled gently before turning on her heels and disappearing into the woods.

He stood there motionless for a moment contemplating his next course of action.

"You're back," she greeted him once she arrived "What did you decide?"