Are You Listening?

If he was completely honest, his father's last sentence dazed him to no end.

Something doesn't feel right, his father is a man of good and is always a religious man, that kind of breakdown should be impossible. Moreover, he was saying that sentence in tears, Samael has never seen him cry, and that put more weight into his sentence.

But as his mind was completely rattled, he bumped into someone that snap him out of his daze.

Looking at the person he just bumped into, a woman with flawless blonde hair that falls to her back wearing a plain white kirtle, his mind fully came out of its daze, "M-Mother!" he yelped, the person he just bumped into is his mother, Diana.

"Samael? Are you done with your night prayer?" She inquired, turning her body to face Samael.

Upon hearing this Samael nodded his head, he was still out of it as his father still occupies his mind. Diana noticed this almost instantly, she glanced at the end of the hall where the prayer room is located before she looked back at Samael. "It's not good to muse during the night" she said.

"I'm sorry, mother. I'll hurry back to bed then" Samael replied, excusing himself.

Just as he was about to pass his mother, Samael halted when he heard Diana call out for him. "Samael, wait," she said, walking up to him with fluid grace and standing in front of him once again.

Smiling warmly, she then asked, "Did you hear your father?"

"Y-Yes..." Samael replied nervously, averting his eyes away from Diana. He can't lie to his mother.

With an understanding nod, Diana met her son's conflicted gaze and offered him a reassuring smile. "Though there are many righteous people of faith," she said softly and paused, "desperate times can corrupt even the noblest of man. Your father is realizing that now. But you mustn't worry, he will not be corrupted, and he'll protect us from any trials God will put in our way"

"Now... go to bed, it's getting late" she added, stepping out of the way.

Although he can't comprehend what his mother said clearly, he decided to take it as an assurance that his father will be fine and nodded his head before making his way to his bedroom. Diana gave her son a candle before she went over to the prayer room and disappeared.

Samael continues his way to his bedroom, located near the back of the house.

Many intrusive thoughts swirled inside his mind from the unexpected events that happened earlier after his night prayer. But he kept walking through the dark hallway with a candle in his hand, God graced the world nighttime to rest.

It will be unwise of him to deny that grace by staying up late, especially over midnight.

Upon reaching the door of his bedroom, his body jolted once again when he heard someone call out to him from the back with a somewhat gentle and light voice. "Sam!" A figure showed herself from the dark corners of the hallway, it was Lily.

Samael stopped in his track and retracts back his hand that intends to open his bedroom door.

"How is it? Did you ask your father about that thief? Is there any progress about finding him?" Lily quickly asked with high expectations a series of questions after she approached Samael with light steps.

But that expectation was quickly extinguished when she noticed the look on Samael's expression.

A heavy sigh escapes Samael's mouth before he answered, "I already asked my father about the thief, he's still looking for him but hasn't been able to make any progress." Despite feeling guilty, he decided to speak up.

An awkward silence then filled the two after his words, nobody said a thing for an entire moment.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally forced out the hard words yet again just like his father said to him earlier, " Maybe... maybe it's time we dropped this, Lily. Maybe my parents are right, maybe aunt Sophie really did die out of a rare sickness instead of being poisoned as you said"

"W-What...?" Lily's eyes widened, and a hint of bewilderment can be heard in her voice.

Knowing that these words would definitely come as a shock for Lily, Samael quickly added stutteringly, "I- I mean, the thief came after aunt Sophie's death. My father also said that he know something about the thief that he was reluctant to say to me, but it doesn't seem anything related to aunt Sophie's death. If it's related, then there's no reason for him to hide it from you or me"

Once again, another awkward silence ensued. Lily looks down with clear shock on her face.

"It's time for you to let go of your mother, Lily... Let her rest or it will become a seed of evil inside of you" Samael added, trying to persuade Lily of accepting her mother's death as nothing but fate and a natural cause that takes action.

Lily then raises her face once again, sorrow can be seen in her eyes.

"Okay... Maybe I truly am still not over my mother's death. I'm sorry for dragging you to this, and persuading you to keep asking your father about this, Samael." A crystallized tear fall down her cheek, amplifying the guilt in Samael's heart. "I'll try to let her go as you said, good night..." she uttered with a soft yet trembling voice.

More tears rolled down her face as she turned away, showcasing her grief at this moment.

Samael stretches out his arm but he was not able to hold Lily, he wanted to embrace him but that would not be right in the eyes of God. That moment of hesitation makes him unable to reach her, she already walked away.

"Lily..." he mutters softly, watching Lily's back fade away into the darkness.

Days went on, and there was a strain between him and Lily ever since that night occurred.

Every time Samael went back home after helping Adrian and Heath train, he never saw the usual figure waiting for him outside with a concerned look. Even though the healing ointments and bandages are placed at the usual spot, he can't complain as he used to as he doesn't see Lily anywhere.

It's clear that there's a distance made between them because of that night, and Lily is avoiding him.

To make matters worst, Samael doesn't know how to act in front of his father. Adrian and Heath also got stronger and stronger, his regenerative ability can't keep up as the wounds started to pile up. It was an added burden for him as he has not seen results for years.

Now his home is now full of invisible tension that makes him choke his days by.

On a particular night after the night prayer, his father went back to normal again and leaves right after. But this time, Samael wanted to pray more yet he can't find any good excuse for his father as he doesn't want to talk about what he was feeling right now.

Because of that, he decided to sneak out in the middle of the night to go to church.

Samael was particularly nervous this night as he has never sneaked out of his home like this, he also has never walked the pedestrian street this late at night when nobody is around. The citizens of the town are in the comfort of their own homes.

For some reason, the night air is colder than it should be. It seeps through the skin with an icy chill.

Arriving at the church, he takes out the key before he unlocked the door open and stepping inside. Since his father is the Priest of Light that spends most of his days inside the church, his family has the key to the church.

Closing the door behind him, he looks around and finds nobody is inside.

Walking through the carpet that leads to the altar with the God of Light statue on it, Samael kneels in front of the statue and assumed a praying position. 'Dear God, forgive my humble self for staying up this late and denying your grace. But I need your guidance... I need your help' he looks up at the God of Light statue.

Samael's eyes peered into the God of Light statue's eyes, flickering with hope and anticipation.

It's been a couple of days since that restless night that he experienced, but his mind can't shrug off the last sentence of his father. Something that a Priest of Light shouldn't think much less said out loud, 'What does father means by that...? How come he can't see your light anymore?'

As his father had always lived life as a saint, the illumination of God should keep shining onto him.

Even though Samael has been pondering about this matter for days, he can't find any reason that the light of God would cease to shine upon his father. His mother said something about corruption, but she doesn't hint specifically that his father was the one corrupted.

So then why? Samael kept asking why his father is unable to see God's light anymore.

His only reason for being inside this church right now is to seek for that answer, he wanted God to give a revelation that would expose him to the answer. But even though he has been praying for half an hour, he receives no revelation whatsoever.

'Father is devoted to you, so why make him experience misery? He should've lived a good life...'

Samael looked down helplessly as the sight of his father crying fractured his heart, he know that his father doesn't deserve whatever he was experiencing right now which makes him shed a tear. A light doubt swells inside his heart.

Looking at the God of Light's statue again, no hints can be seen, and his eyes turned helpless.

'God... are you listening to my prayer?

Silence, the entire church was filled with an unearthly stillness, a coldness that had the feeling of night air's icy fingers creeping to the skin and into his heart. It was a sensation of coldness that seemed to suck away all warmth from his body.

Nothing answered his prayer, and Samael received nothing for his plea for help.

Samael paused, kneeling still for a moment on the ground. As he silently pondered to himself, his lips began to move involuntarily, expressing doubts that had been brewing deep within him. "If you're out there, God," he muttered under his breath in frustration, "why don't you answer me?" He waited for an answer but heard nothing but silence again.

As he received no answer, his lips tighten before he asked again, "Are you even real...?"