Chapter 08: The Priest

"..."

The boy stared at the man. 

Just as the man tried to step forward, the boy grabbed the pistol on his side and aimed it at the man.

"..."

"...."

The man smiled and raised his arms up in the air.

"I don't have any intentions of hurting you, boy. Cease your hostility."

The boy's eyes narrowed to a slint.

"Who are you?"

The boy asked.

The man looked at him, "I am Jehov. A devout believer of the Lord."

The boy stared at him, studying his every movement.

".... Oh, how cruel." The man let out a soft yet sad smile.

"A child like you to live in a world like this."

The man then kneeled down, still raising his hands, "Child, i have no intentions to hurt you. Trust me."

The man looked at the boy, his eyes resolute with conviction.

The boy hesitated for a moment, remembering his promise to the man, he put down his gun.

He shouldn't hurt others who had not hurt him yet.

The man saw that and let out a soft sigh.

"You can't put your trust into someone so easily, boy." The man uttered.

"You are naive, unfit to live in a world of war like this. If you were truly trying to protect yourself, point the gun at me and leave slowly."

"..."

"Don't wait for me to hurt you before you try to hurt me. You would only suffer grievous wounds if you continue like that."

"...Then what do you want me to do?"

"...As a devout believer of the Lord, i should teach you to forgive your enemies and love them. But in these warring times, a child like you would only be used and discarded." The man slowly stood up.

The boy aimed the pistol at him once more, prompting the man to smile.

"Yes, that's it." The man spoke, "Protect yourself without hurting others."

"...Why are you telling me all this?"

The boy aimed the pistol at him, softly landing his finger on the trigger.

The man saw it but remained calm. "Shoot me, child. If you must."

The man stared at him with conviction.

"Even if you hurt me, I'll still forgive you."

"...Forgive?"

The boy looked to the cross, then to his face.

"Forgive? Boy, forgiving is harder than hating someone."

"..."

"For you to forgive is to forget everything that person has ever done, ignore it and leave it be. Hug that person, tell him that you forgive him. For hatred will only poison your heart while forgiving lets it free."

The boy stared at the man. He was bewildered and didn't know what to say. He didn't understand.

The boy was still young.

His mind trapped in that room for eternity, he didn't know values, morals, common knowledge....

And...

People.

People in general.

When the man preached to him, he didn't understand a single word that the man was saying.

It was incomprehensible for him who only knew pain.

The man stared at the boy, looking at his confused yet still expressionless face.

"I am a devout believer of the lord, a preacher of his words. I am a lone priest who travels around this warring world in hopes of helping others."

The boy stared at him.

"Would you like me to help you, child?"

The man reached out his hand. Hand filled with wounds, blemishes, and callousness. 

'Never trust anyone so easily. If someone tries to help you, see if their trustworthy first. As for how you see their trustworthiness, if it made you feel safe, protected, or perhaps amazed...'

"...Why?"

The man smiled, "Because i want to."

The man then softly sat down while still raising his arms.

"Kindness is a virtue." He muttered, "The truly kind are those who help people without any hesitation and any other reason other than to help them. A person like that is kind."

He looked at the child and said, "I'm trying to be that kind of person. A Kind Person."

"..."

The boy looked at him, then softly put down the gun but still holding it in his hand. He then backed away slowly before turning around and ran to the forest.

The man stared at him, then to the cross on his neck before standing up and followed after him.

Albeit slowly so that the child won't be scared of him.

The boy ran to the trees before squatting down inside a bush. Then he looked back and saw the man following after him.

Why?

Why did the man follow him?

'Because i want to.'

...But why does he want to help? There must be something....

Something that he needs from me.