His eyelids slowly blinked open, and he found himself staring at the ceiling for long moments, unable to recognize his surroundings, for he had never been in this place before. The familiar smell of a warm fireplace was the only indicator he had for anything related to being safe.
Having a few seconds to gather himself together, he carefully sat up and swung his feet onto the rocky surface as he looked down with a sweaty forehead and heavy breathing, recalling everything that had happened after he went back home.
"Where...am I?"
As he rose his head to scan his new environment, there were several candles and lanterns littered around, casting the room in a yellow glow. The walls and floors themselves are made of rock, making it very homely to live in, as he soon realized this was a cavern of some sort.
Aside from the notion, he caught the sleeping forms of Morgan, who was currently asleep on the many unoccupied beds he had slept on, while Billy was fallen asleep with a new weapon, a strapped bandolier, and a leather bag at his waist.
But no sight of Guan Yu was present anywhere, leaving only a faint impression of where the man might be—"probably outside or something," guessing with no real idea or reason as to why. All he knew was that the old man was likely relaxing somewhere.
Standing up while groaning at the sudden soreness of his body, Seth was confused at how long since he had been out cold and the events that transpired on his trip back home after murdering those three men whom he had to act in self-defense.
Being reminded of that had left him shuddering. It still bothers him greatly that he had to kill those men, but in his defense, he was scared and worried about what he had done. "Still..." Glancing at his dominant hand, he clutched the crucifix tightly and said, "I had no choice," finally accepting it and coming to terms with himself.
He had a long, lengthy conversation with his ego about his guilt about having to take life, learning how he wouldn't be able to avoid killing to survive. Not like he was enjoying it, but the fact that he was getting used to it scares him. And yet, he knows now that sometimes violence is the only way to resolve conflicts. "Do I have to use it again?" He has some doubts about using his cross as a weapon.
Indeed, he has to. There is no denying this when it is reality. Seth must accept that he must either use the weapon he has to fight back or get killed by others who want nothing but to take his life or those whom he loves. "I...promise myself to never enjoy hurting anyone," making an oath within his own heart.
Tightly gripping the holy symbol of his religion, he took a long and deep exhale as he reached an important conclusion: "As long as it is only the last resort and not out of pleasure or hatred..." Holding onto hope that he wouldn't lose control, he said, "I will only use this power in dire situations," knowing this is the best he can do, as the boy realized.
It isn't to take human life; some people are fine with it, but there are special individuals like him who wish for peace and tranquility. The boy is one of those people. He would rather talk things out or make peace with the other person than use violence, "and hope they would do the same," smiling weakly at this.
Getting over the dreadful experience and already acknowledging that he couldn't do anything about the past, "huh?" Suddenly turning to where the set of stairs is, an idea came to his mind: "Maybe Guan Yu is upstairs?" Asking himself if he should check and confirm, he said, "It won't hurt to try," nodding in agreement with his own suggestion.
Now confident and mentally prepared, Seth proceeded to walk towards the steps as a cool breeze could be felt. A whistling sound played in his ears while his feet took him to the top, where the door stood before him. "Guan Yu?" I knocked in hopes of getting a response, but to no avail.
After a few tries, he decides to open it and steps outside, revealing the starry night sky of the top mountain with the moon glowing in white luminosity while the air is freezing cold to the bone. Along with being nearly shrouded in darkness if it weren't for the moon itself.
Placing himself into the clearing, his eyes landed on a mysterious girl who appeared to be the same age as him, standing on the edge of a cliff with a melancholic expression as her long black hair danced with the wind, swaying gently along the nightly breeze.
She seems to be stargazing and enjoying the peace of the atmosphere, but as much as he wants to ask who she is, his own shyness prevents him from saying anything other than awkwardly stare at her back like a weirdo, unable to find the right words to start a conversation.
But his nervous demeanor quickly ended when she turned around, her brown eyes briefly widening before they switched back to an expressionless look, "Your Morgan's companion." The unexpected voice wasn't girl but rather boy, much to Seth's shock.
He didn't realize what stood before him was actually a male, but the more he looked at this person from the perspective of the hand's size and stature, this mysterious teen definitely looked like a girl from a distance, but when seen up close, Seth found that he was in fact a boy.
"I'm Genno Shinsho," introducing himself with monotone as he then gave a simple bow in courtesy, "I was simply looking up the night sky to bask in its beauty," voicing out his reason for being out here but nonetheless seemed welcoming to company, "also for introductions sake, may I inquire what your name is?"
Trying his utmost best to keep calm, he said, "Seth, I am Seth," raising his left hand in greeting, "nice to meet you," and offering a sincere smile to the boy. He was a little surprised when Genno only stared at his hand without much emotion behind his face.
Did he do something wrong? Anxiety slowly crept inside, unable to decipher whether or not his greeting was bizarre or foreign to him. "Not into handshakes?" Cautiously putting down his arm in defeat, he forced a smile to cover his own disappointment in this outcome.
Shaking his head, "we were too far away to reach each other," the boy pointed out while making a gesture at his position, "the gap is so big that we cannot shake hands unless I approach you or vice versa," noticing how embarrassed Seth had become after realizing this crucial mistake.
"Oh..sorry..." Blushing heavily, he felt stupid for doing that. "Sorry about that," he immediately apologized by bowing. "I was, um..." Apologizing once again for the mistake he made without realizing how ridiculous it was until now, "Why are you out here, by the way?" Changing the topic in hopes of lessening the awkwardness between them.
Raising an eyebrow at this, the boy tilted his head ever so slightly. "Watching the night sky, what else?" As if he doesn't understand the question in itself before turning around to resume his gazing, "would you want to join me?" He added while shifting his attention to the moon.
Glancing back at the door, wondering what he should do—either return downstairs or join him—"I..." Remembering the many friendships and moments he spent time with his companions, he then sighed in defeat at this notion. "I'll join you," said Seth while making his way towards the teen.
The two then sit down side by side on the edge of the said cliff, their legs dangling along with the wind. The night sky and stars were an excellent sight to behold, as they left Seth awestruck at their beauty. It is indeed a breathtaking sight to be able to witness such a sight.
Although, despite the ever-so awkward silence between them, he was unsure how to start a conversation; not like he doesn't like Genno or anything, he is just extremely shy, to the point where he is scared of messing up in every situation.
Taking a peek at the silent teen, Seth could tell the boy seems to be pondering with himself as his eyes are locked onto the moon above with a clouded expression, as if he is focused on thinking or contemplating.
Wanting to break the ice, he decided to make a small comment: "The weather is really good tonight." Despite being shivering slightly due to the cold, he ignored it in order to keep his potential friend company. "What do you think of the moon and its appearance?" Hoping to get a reaction from him.
This made him frown, his eyes narrowing for a bit before responding, "It's a crescent moon tonight, but also a super moon as well." Mentioning casually, as if it were normal to know, "the weather is also cold, not freezing, but can make your fingers numb," calmly explaining as he turned to Seth, "May I ask why you came up here?"
Remembering his original task, it finally clicked in his mind of what he originally wanted to do: "I was looking for Guan Yu, but he isn't here," feeling disappointed before glancing down to see the large landscape of forest trees in the distance. "I'll ask him later what he is doing." Shrugging his shoulders.
Genno expression quickly changed; horror was plastered on his face; his eyes widened and his pupils dilated; it almost made the boy appear ghostly pale when he said, resulting in Seth blinking in confusion at this sight. "You don't know," was what the teen mumbled.
Concerned, "Know what?" He was already dreading what he might hear when his own brain began to run wild in fear. "What did I miss?" Surely this isn't what he is thinking, right, that this long-haired stranger is implying the worst-case scenario possible.
Averting his gaze away from Seth's, "you don't know..." He repeated the same sentence before sighing in resignation of his fate. "It is better if you ask Morgan," Genno explained with a clear reluctance to talk about the topic in itself that involves a dead friend, "it is not my place to speak of it."
When the other teen mentioned this, he was alarmed at first but had no words or confirmation as to whether to force the truth out of him. "Okay..." Said in an uncertain matter, agreeing to whatever he had told him because there was something Seth caught in his voice that made him instantly notice this; regret of not telling why.
Nonetheless, the silence then returned to their small party, continuing their nightly vigil of watching the celestial bodies in the void of space. While Seth still feels anxious and fearful of what he might hear from them, it is better to be patient.
What is the worst that can happen?
"Can I ask you something personal?" Seth nervously questioned, hoping to end the long, enduring silence between them and to make this night more interesting, "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to," exhaling as he mentally prepared himself for a potentially upsetting inquiry.
Only to receive a nod from him, silence answered before a faint sigh was heard. "Go ahead." The response was short and concise, but it was enough to encourage Genno's new companion to proceed in making their conversation interesting by asking his first question.
He smiled as he finally found a suitable and easy question to ask: "Do you believe in the existence of God?" The young boy curiously inquired while not turning his attention from the stars, feeling the cold nightly breeze brushing across his cheeks as anticipation grew strong.
Genno was surprised by this: "God? There is many gods," was the answer he gave, tilting his head as he looked at his companion. "Why do you ask this?" He returned his eyes to the skies, his eyes momentarily hidden beneath the long, dark bangs that is covering them.
Rubbing his own head, Seth was unsure where to start but decided to ask, "Okay, but...um, what if there is one supreme God who created everything and it turns out he was a bad person?" The boy voiced out the possibility before continuing forward: "And lets say in nearly all your life, you have been worshiping that God who is evil in essence," his tone now grim.
Stunned at this information, he thought for a moment, thinking thoroughly of this notion, as while his father was a monk at some point who believed in the ideology of the Buddha, the very thought of the supreme God who controls and created everything was foreign to him.
"Strange question," humming in concentration as he slowly raised his index finger, "my father once told me to live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods who are unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but you will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones," were the insightful words spoken by his late father.
Seth was shocked and speechless, not expecting his words to be so profound and intelligent. "Oh..." Ever since the conversation with his ego, the question in regards to his relationship with God and the reason why suffering persists still lingers in his head.
Despite not receiving a definite answer, he managed to understand and gain the insight that faith can lead people to many paths and choices. "That is some nice words of wisdom," he said, grinning at his newfound friend, who in turn looked at him with interest.
"May I know of your religion?" He said, glancing at Seth's crucifix, "especially since you are holding something like that?" Pointing to where the holy cross is within his companion's grasp, "I am eager to know," he spoke with clear excitement. A small smile could be seen on his lips.
Clearing his throat of this request, he tried to collect himself with a shy laugh, "Sure," then he returned a smile of his own, "What is it that you want to know about Christianity?"
