Archpriest Judas

The praying figure realized there's someone else in the temple, "Who's there," it quickly picked up a candle from the altar in front of the sculpture of Hermes and ignited it. Kanito remembered how he also saw Fiona in flickering candle light. However this was not Fiona, he was certain.

This was a feminine, saintly figure which gave off a mysterious yet serene aura.

'She's... gorgeous.' Even in that precarious moment, Kanito couldn't help but feel drawn to her beauty.

With a confused and skeptic face, the lady further inquired, "Who is there?" The voice was louder and more insistent

Kanito's voice trembled as he replied without thinking, "I-I am a mobster."

"What? Who are you?" The priestess shouted angrily at the poorly conveyed reply, her voice was filled with resolve.

"Come towards the altar, wherever you are."

Feeling the wooden seats, Kanito slowly walked forward and stood with an extremely humble posture, slight bent, like a shivering beggar.

When the priestess saw Kanito, dressed in a white, knee length robe, having messy black hair and yellow eyes, her face changed into mercy, it also gave off a sense of familiarity.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, he took the chance and said with desperation, "I.. I am chased by the guards, madame. I am falsely accused of terrorism."

The priestess' gaze lingered on Kanito. She nodded and didn't question further, she only pointed to a direction, beside the decently tall wooden seat, "Hide there." She said.

Kanito's skepticism warred with his gratitude. Nonetheless, he went to that side of the chair with a pounding heart and scrambled himself to hide.

The distant, wooden backdoors of the temple, which Kanito had carefully closed earlier, burst open with a loud crash. Three heavily armed guards, clad in metallic armours and wielding sharp spears, barged into the temple.

The three guards noticed the saintess stand before the altar and stepped out of the shadows, before they could advance further, she spoke with serene authority, "Gentlemen, halt there." She commanded.

"St. Brianna, there is a notorious mobster hiding inside the temple, please let us arrest him before he can do anything to you."

St. Brianna stepped forward slightly and extended the candle in front, "I am here since evening and I have not seen anyone enter the Lord's sacred temple, no harm can be done here. Moreover, it's forbidden for people not affiliated with the temple to enter it after sunset."

The guards even though taken aback, replied, "Priestess, according to the revised constitution, religious laws are to be superseded in times like this. You cannot legally stop us from searching."

Hearing the confrontation with a shivering body, Kanito only joined hands and prayed fervently for the guards to leave. St. Brianna tactfully positioned herself in front of the wooden seat where Kanito was lying and extended a hand down.

The guards were unable to notice St. Brianna's subtle movements which was supported by the dimly lit atmosphere of the temple.

"Alright then, go ahead and search." St. Brianna declared. 'What?' Kanito got extremely confused.

The three guards discussed for a few seconds and divided the temple into three sections for each one of them to check. One of them started to approach St. Brianna, Kanito's heart sank in fear, but when he turned to the seat on which Kanito's was lying, he saw nothing. Kanito was made invisible.

The guard was addled, he expected to find him somewhere near the saintess, but his expectations were not met. She gave the saintess an inquisitive gaze before turning back to continue his search in other areas.

After a few minutes, the guards glanced at St. Brianna and each other, "Where did he go then?"

A neutral expression covered her dimly lit face, she said loudly, "So what is your next argument, gentlemen? That I've cleverly squeezed the mobster into a tiny hiding spot, like a puzzle piece?" The teasing tone slithered like a snake in the dark temple.

St. Brianna moved away to the altar and placed the candle down on its mensa, the faintly lit figure of the saintess seemed even more mysterious. The guard's felt defeated and were about to leave but then, one of them turned back and declared, "We will wait outside the temple till morning and we shall resume our search when the temple gets well-illuminated."

St. Brianna closed the book on the altar and said softly, "Well, gentlemen, you do realize that the people who spend their night outside a temple are usually beggars."

Another guard replied instantly, "Let us join the rank of a beggar then, if it means that this mobster will be caught."

"The Eurashio family is blessed to have such determined guards." She replied.

The guards slowly walked out of the backdoor, slamming its wooden planks close.

Kanito who heard the verbal confrontation, gazed at the saintess beside him, she again walked down into the aisle and performed a small hand gesture, "They are gone." She said.

Although deeply hesitant, Kanito slowly rose from his seat and stood in a frail posture. It was only now, as the ordeal drew to a close, that he became acutely aware of the crushing physical and emotional toll that constant running and thinking had taken.

Kanito finally had a chance to have a look at the saintess.

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, she had a sagacious and modest face and wore an elegant white stola having blue-decorative embroideries appliqued all around the waist, collars and sleeves. A red palla artfully draped from her left shoulder, all the way to her ankles. She had night-black hair however a few silver strands glittered in them, like fine lines of light. She wore a circular cap with a padded roll and a translucent white veil that draped parallel to her hair. Looking at his saviour, he pondered whether he should utter a "Thank you" or not.

"The doors will be sealed for an hour, and dawn will break soon. I have saved you temporarily but I'm also powerless in front of the law, I cannot halt their inquiry." St. Brianna said, she had an unexpected flash of concern in her eyes.

'Is she being kind to me because she is a priestess? Why would you be kind to a mobster? Given that the mobster is also a stranger.'

"Ma'am, you went out of your way to save me, I won't be very surprised if a net comes flying from somewhere and entraps me." Kanito said with a judging tone.

The saintess laughed mirthfully at his words, "Why are you laughing?" He asked.

"I have heard the prince's messengers talk about you. You are that boy who was accused of arson and attempt to royal muder, under Article 8, Section 3 of our nation. But the prince had faith that you were framed, and attempted to save you."

St. Brianna walked up to the altar again and took out twenty candles from an illusive desk that protruded out from the altar. She also took out four, silver candelabras, each of them having five arms.

"Be honest, are you really affiliated with the Diluvians?" asked St. Brianna while arranging the candles on the candelabras.

'Diluvians? Is this the name of the terrorist organisation that caused the explosion that day? The name though.. it's ominous.'

"No," Kanito replied.

"I know." St. Brianna took out three incense sticks and a decorative censer and placed them on the middle of the altar.

'According to greek mythology, Hermes is the deity of tricks, travels, languages, games and most importantly messages. While searching for me, one of those guards was literally looking at my face but still was not able to see me! How is that possible? Did she cast some kind of invisibility spell on me? I must make her an ally and learn that spell from her.'

"Can I know your name? I want to remember you for the rest of my life," The politeness he discovered within himself back in the Revolutionary World came to his tongue again.

"I'm the Cardinal Priest of Temple of Hermes in Bakerheim, Brianna Jover. What is your name?" She asked.

Surprised, Kanito replied, "I am a mobster yet the authorities didn't care to figure out my name?" Kanito was relieved inside, even though he showed a confused exterior.

"No, we don't, I don't think the prince knows your name either, the only possible item the royal family is using to trace you is your picture. The royal family even interrogated your elder brother Yuriel but.. uh, I think I should not mention it."

'Yuriel lied about me being his brother? That's great. But, Yuriel did know my name, so did he reveal it? Also if he did, does that mean that my secret as a refugee is also... no! No way!'

"St. Brianna, you can mention it, what did my brother say?" Kanito asked.

"Well.. he shared about your shared childhood, how your father was an alcoholic and never cared about your family and how your mother passed away without giving you a name. He said that he was so busy taking care of you and the job that he kept on adressing you as 'brother' and never had the chance of naming you."

St. Brianna smiled softly as she added, "I love the way Yuriel concluded by saying that when you both grew up, he tried to give you a name multiple times, but you humbly denied it, saying that being his younger brother is so great an honour that it can remain your only identity."

'Yuriel said all that?'

St. Brianna wiped a small tear from the corner of her eyes as she laughed, "Oh, my bad, I get emotional too easily. Hearing all this from the royal messengers alone caused me such grief, I wonder how heart-wrenching will it be if I heard it directly from Yuriel."

'Yuriel kept my secret. ' The cruel, skeptic edges in Kanito's heart were somewhat softened, he thanked Yuriel deeply in his mind.

St. Brianna's expressions changed instantly, "My camouflage sermon's effect will be over in a few minutes, and there also only a few minutes left for morning and yet we didn't find a strategy, what should we do?"

'Ah, I almost forgot about that. The guards are outside.'

"Uh.. can't you make me invisible again?" He said panicking,

'Now don't tell me that your spell has a cool down.'

"I have to wait another hour for that. Ah, I should've drunk a nectar of Hermes from beforehand." She looked around with tension, but then said, "Wait.."

St. Brianna went quickly to the side walls of the temple and materialized an illusive door, she went inside the inner chambers of the temple and only a few moments later, came back with a pair of strapped sandals and other various clothes in her hands, "Change into these. Archpriest Grollice left these behind when he was ex-communicated by the Holy Temple of Hermes. This attire will help me to cast the 'Disguise' sermon on you and make you look like a completely different person."

Kanito took the clothes in his hands. Unlike the white robe and the lost black cloak he used to wear, these clothes were more in congruity with Ashfelt's tradition : a white chiton with yellow trim and a yellow broach to fixate a black chlamys on the shoulders, a black linen belt, an olive wreath and a pair of black strapped sandals.

Kanito took these clothes and went inside the illusive gate to change into his new outfit. St. Brianna quickly stopped him and said, "I will introduce you as the replacement of Archpriest Grollice, who was sent by the Holy Temple of Hermes. But archpriests do have names. What name should I use to call you?"

'What can be the major problems that can arise if I tell her my real name? Using a fake name won't make any difference either. At the end, names are just variables that even if replaced won't change the person.' Various similar thoughts swirled in his mind in a single moment.

"What happened?" St. Brianna asked,

'But still, I have not got a clear picture of this world's politics, religions and societies yet. I don't even know my exact location in Bakerheim, St. Brianna seems to be a reliable person but I'm sorry, I cannot trust a stranger enough to tell them my name.'

"Uhh.." Kanito stared at St. Brianna for a moment with confusion.

"How about the name... Judas."

St. Brianna nodded, "I just needed a name. Archpriest Judas, got it."