I stepped down the aisle of red carpet, the dark wooden pews on either side of me glistening in their pristine finish. The high ceiling and pure white walls towered around me, and still I stepped forth. I looked to the feet that stood at the top of the few steps in front of me. They were frail, old legs, as if tired of standing. The white robe that flowed down to his ankles largely concealed them, leaving him looking much less unstable than he was.

I reached the first step and knelt down, head facing the ground. The floor was soft, but cold, lifeless. Nobody was in this cathedral but the two of us.

“You know why I have called upon you this day.” An old voice strained against the throat of the old man, quivering as it left his mouth. He stepped forward, standing directly over me.

“I do not, Your Holiness.” I responded with deference, lowering my head further.

“Such respect is not required between the two of us, Roland.” He brought his bony, cold hand down, his long and slender fingers touching my chin, beckoning it up. I looked up at him, seeing his smile.

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It was a sad smile. His eyebrows fell over his sunken eyes, the wrinkles on his clean-shaven face becoming more defined by his deep dimples. His wiry white hair fell past his hood, making all the more evident just how long he had lived.

“Understood… Benjamin.” I took time to recall his name. It hurt my heart to see that it had been so long since I addressed him directly that I had all but forgotten who he was as a man rather than a figure.

“I am sorry, but it is my duty to bring you into this.” His smile fell. That harrowed face of his took me from that nostalgic feeling of endearment towards a father figure to an indelible sadness. He did not have much time left. “This is the last mission, no… request that I give you.”

I was shocked. “All of this time, and…” I spoke, stuttering as I tried to find the words to say. The conversation I was in hurt my heart. I felt cold, vile. I could do nothing for him.

“And it is likely the most difficult.” He spoke, looking down into the rich crimson carpet. “Roland… I need you to save the world.”