"How long until we finally leave this fucking place?!"
Solomon complained exhaustively as the hot sun shone mercilessly over them, casting rays of heat and light onto their bodies; its scorching temperature reminded them that they were presumably in one of the hottest places across the land itself.
The barren desert stretched out for miles in all directions, with no signs of civilization anywhere near them. It made them wonder if there are any people who actually live here or if they have already died from exposure long ago, leaving this climate empty besides sand and the cruel heat itself.
Bruno sighed at this remark, agreeing in entirety with Solomon, as he also found himself bothered by the intense weather. Not only were they being bombarded by the blazing sunlight beating down on them, but also by how not a single tree, animal, or settlement can be seen from this distance. Thus making travel through it a very unpleasant experience.
"Probably forever," the poet joked dryly, a sarcastic chuckle escaping his lips. "I mean, look at this place; it doesn't look like an oasis even exists here." He observed the environment skeptically as they continued their journey across this vast desert.
The boy didn't like the answer given to him, as a scowl formed on his face instantly. "I should have known; you're useless as always," he groaned irately under breath while rolling his eyes. "This is going to be a very long day, isn't it?" Solomon muttered irritably, wishing he would have agreed to take a different route than this.
He snorted at the response: "Now you agree with me?" Bruno retorted sharply, crossing his arms defensively as if being accused of something. "I wasn't the one who insisted on coming to this place in the first place," he rebuked angrily towards Solomon while glaring intensely at him.
Solomon kept silent, knowing how wrong he was but still too stubborn to admit defeat so easily. "We will keep going until we find somewhere more bearable," the boy declared firmly, "and once we find one, then you'll owe me dinner and maybe dessert afterwards." He smirked smugly before turning away from him.
Genno interjected themselves into a conversation. "Enough bickering," he spoke up sternly to avoid them from continuing; furthermore, "let's continue walking until we find a suitable place to rest." The monk offered an alternative suggestion, hoping they would take it.
Both travelers agreed reluctantly, though their desperation was still brewing within them. It is better than arguing aimlessly for hours without ever accomplishing anything at all, so they resumed traveling through the sandy terrain for another hour.
Seth led the group without a sign of visible stress on his body, clearly unaffected by the extreme temperatures as always. "We were almost there; I can feel it," he said confidently, ignoring complaints being sent his way by Solomon, who was growing tired by the second.
Sweat trickled down across Solomon's face due to the high levels of heat produced by the sun shining brightly over him. His breathing was becoming labored while beads of salty fluid dripped off his forehead, forming into tiny droplets of moisture that collected on the sand below, evaporating almost instantaneously under these conditions.
It was a matter of time before he suddenly fell on his side, suffering from a heat stroke. "Solomon!" Seth shouted in alarm when seeing him collapse all of a sudden, rushing to the boy's side just to see the child having a seizure on the ground uncontrollably.
"Shit! The kid is having a heat stroke!" Bruno exclaimed with concern for the child's safety, as they weren't prepared for this scenario. Even Genno himself felt panic rising within his own chest at seeing Solomon thrashing wildly about helplessly.
But Seth was not letting anyone here die under his leadership. He won't let death claim another life of innocence again. "Solomon!" Seth cried out urgently, cradling him in his embrace to prevent him from hurting himself accidentally during this moment.
Lifting his own head up, he closed his eyes and prayed for his heavenly father to save the child from perishing away in this godforsaken landscape. "Lord, please save Solomon; give him strength and restore his vitality to fight this sickness plaguing him!" Seth pleaded earnestly, maintaining a firm hold over the young boy and keeping him secure within arms grasp so that he couldn't move anymore. "Have mercy on us and save him!" He pleaded once more before opening his eyes once more.
Faith and hope filled Seth's heart as they watched the clouds release a hail of rain showers down upon them, pouring heavily as if there were a waterfall being dumped onto their bodies continuously, cooling off their bodies from their boiling temperature in seconds prior.
As the rain began to pour, Solomon's seizure immediately stopped the moment Seth called upon the heavenly father to save this child. The other two men were astonished by the miracle they had just witnessed, especially Genno, who found it unbelievable how a mere prayer can cure any disease or injury instantly.
They stared at each other in mutual surprise, wondering what the hell happened and where the sudden rainfall appeared; however, they knew one thing: that their friend was truly the Son of God sent to save this world by granting salvation to its inhabitants through grace alone.
"What the fuck just happened?" Solomon sat up abruptly, bewildered by current events, before noticing everyone else soaked in wet garments. Oh, "did it just start raining?" He wondered, confused as to how they ended up covered in water when, just a moment ago, he was unconscious on the ground.
"My father saved your life."
Seth calmly stood up from the ground with a smile on his face, not even wet by the heavy raindrops that fell around them. He placed both hands upon Solomon's shoulders reassuringly and said, "I will never allow anyone else to suffer or die under my watch; trust in me, I will keep you safe," promising solemnly.
"Wow, Seth," Bruno awed in amazement, amazed by the holy spirit itself guiding Seth's actions and miracles that occur around him with each passing second. "You never cease to amaze me about this deity you claim to worship and belong to," he complimented sincerely.
Blushing at the comment given by Bruno, Seth tried brushing aside of his flattery: "Ah, well, thank you for being so understanding; I appreciate it very much," smiling timidly, embarrassed to receive such compliments from others who followed him out of faith alone.
The monk approached his best friend, expressing gratitude for what he has done: "Your father has blessed us with this miraculous downpour of rain; we are forever indebted to Him for providing us with relief from scorching the heat," Genno said appreciatively.
"Thank you," Seth humbly replied, looking down bashfully while scratching his cheek sheepishly as he always does whenever anyone praises him like this. "You are too kind to me, my friends," he said, smiling thankfully at them once more.
Solomon gazed upon the sky, and the heavy rain continued to pour down onto their bodies. "God." He commented under his breath, quietly looking at the heavens above before lowering his gaze onto Seth once more, "the deity he claims to worship and follow." Wonder filled inside of him once again as he saw their leader standing there, appearing ethereal and unblemished as the holy man happily conversed with the others.
He doesn't understand why the very man he considers to be a father figure dedicated his entire life on behalf of the divine creator, claiming that He will take care of them while he spreads the gospel message to others in hopes of bringing them into eternal salvation through redemption and grace alone.
Being a misotheist, the boy despises all gods except his own, regardless of who they are. Despite this, Solomon found himself entranced by Seth, who genuinely believes in God, the supreme and loving creator of the universe, a deity who has mercy and compassion upon all His creatures while never showing favoritism amongst any species, unlike other divine entities he encountered in the past.
Something else piqued his interest: if what the doubtful Christians claim is true about him being the Son of God, then why would the heavenly father send His only child to this world? Wouldn't it make sense for the Lord to just keep Seth in heaven rather than here?
In a place of cruelty and suffering, he doesn't understand why God would do this to someone like Seth; the man is so kindhearted, humble, and virtuous that he wouldn't kill or harm innocent people, never using his powers unless absolutely necessary or against evil itself.
"Are you ready, Solomon?" Seth smiled as the rest turned their attention to the boy. "I'm sure we will reach civilization soon; believe in me and doing so, you believe in God," he assured optimistically before offering his hand forward in front of him, which made the boy hesitant at first.
Can he really trust in this man fully when Seth is a worshiper of a deity? No god had heard his calls ever since his mother died, and the entire village was slaughtered by the empire's knights, who burned everything down without mercy.
He didn't have faith in Seth's father or anything else for that matter; it was hard to believe anyone when none had helped him before; not throughout the month of hunting down those assholes, people just didn't care about him for what he had suffered.
And here he is, having been saved by Seth and his God, whom he loves so dearly. This is an experience he never wants to forget, as this man who saved him was so kind and forgiving despite having lost everything, like himself. Slowly but surely, he accepted Seth's hand, taking it into his own firmly.
"I trust in you," words slipped out of his mouth instinctively without thinking twice about it, shocking him by what he had just said. "I trust in you," he repeated again without realizing it while staring into Seth's eyes, which sparkled brighter than any star both had ever seen.
Smiling gracefully at the boy's acceptance, Seth helped him stand up on his feet once again and say, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," blessing everyone present in this moment of respite with these comforting words.
Eyes widening in disbelief, Solomon held the hand tighter than ever. "Will He comfort me in my losses too?" The child asked hesitantly, fearing that his question may sound foolish or idiotic to Seth, whom he is still getting used to being around.
Nevertheless, the holy man answered Solomon's inquiry with ease: "Of course He will, my son. The Lord is an all-knowing and omnipotent being who loves everyone unconditionally," Seth confirmed gently as they gazed at one another like father and son.
Tears streamed down the boy's face, letting go of the hand and suddenly embracing the man as he wept openly for unknown reasons that only existed within his own mind. "I miss her so much," he whispered hoarsely through chokes of misery mixed with emotions that have been bottled up within him ever since his mother's death.
Genno and Bruno watched in solemn silence, understanding what was happening right now. The two especially sympathize with this young child, whose cries resonated through the rain as Solomon continued sobbing silently like a baby being burrowed against a father's embrace.
God's Son lifted his eyes up to the heavens, and the rain continued falling down upon everyone who had gathered around the two. "Lord," he asked as the rain itself began to dissipate slowly and gradually. "Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." A single tear trailed down his face after finishing his prayer to the mighty one.
