In the flea market of Gambit, this morning made the people more excited them ever. Especially for the victims of storm. The devil who brought the doom upon them would be executed by the Temple. Justice had served.
"Have you heard it? The temple announced that they will let Leila atone for her sin."
"Atonement?"
"Yes. She will not be executed as a criminal."
"What? How could they let a devil be reborn in better life?"
"I heard Mr Longbart gave a lot of gambles to temple."
"He must have bought them. How shameful."
"Well at least, we should watch her death. Let's hurry. It will start soon."
When they reached, the town square where the Temple sat was already fulled of spectators. With the plaza fulled, some men climbed the houses and watched from it. Windows were also fulled with spectators.
Unlike any other days, the statue of Mordu', which always looked south, was turned to the north, facing the temple by the servants. It was as if the lord Mordu' himself was to be there to grant mercy and cleanse the soul of Leila.
A beautiful stage was built at the stairs of temple. The pole with a hanging rope was placed in the middle. A stool was placed right below the loop.
The servants of temple were all in white robes lining up from the entrance to the stage along the stairs. The guards of Temple stood their ground in front of the stage, halting anyone who approached near.
The stage for the atonement was set.
Even at dawn, the sky was dark and cloudy that day. A small drizzle poured down to the earth. The mood itself was sorrowful for those who sympathize with Leila; devilish for those who hate her.
A faint chanting of prayers could be heard through openings of the temple. Some people prayed along with it.
The chants ended right after the statue of Mordu' was fully turned north toward the stage. Then the door of temple slowly opened and three Ayeegyee of Gambit, his holiness, his benevolence and his wisdom stepped out of the temple with Templers as guards. Followed by them was high Templer Ferde, together with Leila.
She was wearing a grey cloth to signify being a sinner, yet not as dark as black. A rope was tied to her hands to the back. As she was dragged by Templer Ferde, she saw a huge crowd and intimated by them. She could not believe a lot more people came to see her death than when she was named Duchess. Her heart sunk.
As soon as they walked out of the entrance, the whole crowd became alive, pushing eachother, standing on toes, just to get a glimpse of their faces. For commoners, a glance at great Ayeegyee was a rare occurrence. A prayer directly from his holiness was a once in life time blessing. Mr Longbart and Mrs Borger also pushed through the crowd to get to the front, to see Leila's face, one last time. They could not passed through the packed.
Ayeegyee slowly walked up the stage and took their place. Leila followed them. Just before she walked up the stage, a woman from the crowd threw a rotten tomato at her. It hit her shoulder. The red stained like blood on her grey.
"Devil!" The woman yelled and threw an another one. "That was for my little boy."
A man also followed her lead and threw a rotten egg. "It was for my wife. She was blessed with a child before you took her away."
The crowd got wild. Curses and rotten foods flew over the plaza, toward her. Templar Ferde hurriedly stood back as he left Leila there to be a target. Unfazed on the chaos, the three Ayeegyee also sat on their chairs as if nothing happened.
Leila was left down there, alone, scared and humiliated. Frightened and shocked, she learned the world she grew up happily was no beautiful garden. It was dark, cold, ugly and miserable.
It broke his heart to see his dear daughter humiliated, he turned his head away. Meanwhile Mrs Borger charged toward the front and stole a tomato from the basket. From behind she threw it hard to the high Templer. It hit the unexpected Templer Ferde right in his groin and the viscous white dropped off his pants.
The whole crowd was startled by the sudden event. All the flying was stopped. Embarrassed, Templer Ferde ordered his men to arrest everyone with the basket. Mrs Borger held her laugh and stealthily returned to the back.
Only when the missiles stopped raining on her, Leila dare raise her head again. She watched as the guards rammed into the crowd and arrested the people. She mumbled quietly, "I am sorry."
Suddenly she saw a man with a cloak within the crowd amid chaos. His stature was somewhat familiar for her.
"Ethan?" She looked there again. The mysterious man disappeared. She was not sure herself. Worry filled in her mind.
To settle the chaos, his wisdom stood up from his seat finally and addressed to the people. Leila was also led to the stool and stood on it.
"Dear followers of lord Mordu'. It is a pleasure to see faithful congregated to spectate His graciousness. The time has come. Let us knee and pray his holiness, the great Ayeegyee, the pupil of Mordu', to blessed us with his graceful wisdom. Mordu'!" He put a roof over his forehead.
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"Mordu'!" The crowd followed the sign of homage.
"Good. Good." The great Ayeegyee smiled contently, "the people chaotic earlier become serene and calm in the name of lord. It is the yolk of his teaching and the true purpose the Temple served. The betterment of all humans. That is his love upon all of us mortals. Praise the Mordu'."
"Mordu'."
"Before you is the girl, she who gave her first to a mortal, forgetting it was a gift by his. She who angered him, tricked to hid her own sin. She who brought the storm, unforgivable in the eyes of mortals. Yet in his eyes of limitless kindness, love and mercy, the devil girl could still be atoned for her sin."
He looked around the crowd and he saw some concurred with him, while some confused and some refused.
"Yes. You may doubt. How? A sinner of such offense be forgiven? There is a way. Today sermon will guide you a way of living to cleanse your sinful soul and promise of reborn in better life."
After his claim, no one could stayed still. All of them were excited with the new revelation. A way to end the suffering of sin, to live a better life. It was everyone's ultimate wish. The doubt was crushed by the brimming hope. They all kneeled.
"It was known yet forgotten to practice by lots. Offering to His almighty and his son, lord Mordu'; praising their grace; ensure your rebirth in higher realms. Praise the Mordu' for enlightening of this truth."
"Mordu'."
"Offering mean bodily services as well as material possessions of one's. You all well know how generous Longbart family is to the cause of Temple. And it does not betray them. His lord Mordu' remembered her name and bestowed mercy upon them. After atonement, she will be reborn in one of the high realms! And that opportunity is given equally to all of you. Donate your offerings and your sin will be forgiven!"
After his speech, the white servants, who were lining up the stairs, stepped down and entered the crowd with their metal bowls to collect the offerings. The people, one after another, rushed to put something they own into the bowl and prayed toward the statue of Mordu' to cleanse their sins. It looked back smiling or so they thought.
Leila watched them from above and stared into the statue. She was forgiven? Really? Then why she had to die? She looked to the grey sky.
"What a worst day to die. A dawn yet I could not die watching a beautiful sunrise."
As she yearned for the beautiful sun, she saw a figure over a roof of building along the east horizon. It was that same cloaked man. He was lurking over the houses.
"Ethan?" She smiled unconsciously. She told herself she wanted him out of danger. However she could not lie her heart, she was happy to see him. She wanted to be rescued. She did not want to die.
Suddenly the figure took off the cloak. She saw a man with long white hair. He was not Ethan. He was Fagün and one by one, his friends appeared from other roofs. They were patrolling the area.
It sunk her hope. Tears soaked her eyes. Not to fall, she switched her focus back to the crowd. There she saw her father and nanny inside it.
She smiled at them. They did not know how to react. They could not smile back at her.
She mouthed to them, "I am fine. Don't worry."
Seeing her like this, her nanny was not able to meet her eyes any longer, she turned away. Mr Longbart controlled his emotion, nodded back. He comforted Mrs Borger and turned her back to Leila. "Mara, she wants to talk with you."
Mrs Borger acted fine and looked at Leila. Leila mouthed "Ethan?"
"He is safe." She replied.
Leila smiled halfheartedly. She had mixed feelings. She was happy to hear him safe and disappointed that she would never meet him again.
Meanwhile the great Ayeegyee stood from his seat." The time had come for the sinful girl to atone for her sins."
He approached Leila and saw her smiling surprisingly. He asked with curiosity.
"Why are you smiling?"
"My sins cleared and I will be reborn in high realms." She answered nonchalantly.
He chuckled, "ha ha* Forgiven? Then I would have freed you. No, I never forgive those who lied to me. You will not be reborn in high realm."
"So I will be damned in hell?"
"No. You will be in somewhere worse that you will wish be damned in hell."
"Bastard! You lied to my father?"
"Think of it as karma. You lied to me, I lied him back. Thanks to your father though, I got this great idea and got a lot of offering in a single day. This is a new record."
"You lying cheap bastard. I will reveal your lies."
"No. You won't."
As soon as she opened her mouth, he kicked the stool away, hanging her in the air.
The abruptness surprised everyone. So did it shock both her father and nanny who flopped to the ground after seeing Leila strangled to death
She felt tension and pain around her neck, while her head congested and her lungs desperate. With her hands tied behind her back, she struggled to be freed. She wanted to shed off his mask before she died.
Then she saw her father and nanny crying. It broke her heart. She decided not to show her suffering anymore. She gave up.
She felt dizzy and her vision turned hazy. Before she lost to the dark, she saw a light shining through a gap in the grey sky and bestowed upon her.
"So beautiful." She muttered. She smiled one last time and entered the dark.
"Behold the mercy of him. He cleansed her soul with his light and took her to the high realm," shouted the wisdom as he pointed to the sun and the ray of light shining upon leila, "praise him! He is just. He is loving. And he is merciful! Mordu'."
"Mordu'!!" The crowd chanted as they threw more offering into the metal bowls of the servants while the body of Leila was taken back into the Temple by the holiness.
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Three day after Leila's death;
The gold finder camp;
A cloaked woman walked into the inn and sat a the corner. She asked the boy from the inn who came to collect her order.
"Have you seen this man?" She showed a sketch of Ethanial and asked.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"No."
"Is 'no' the only thing you can say?"
"Look woman. Many new faces come here every day. How will I recognize everyone of them."
"Right. It was stupid on me. Just gave me a bowl of whatever soup you have."
"We have herbal soup. It is expensive but it seem like you need it. You look like a dying person."
"Just give me anything that will come fast. I am in a hurry."
"Tsk*" the brat left disappointed and came out with a bowl immediately.
She finished the soup with minced frog meat quickly and continued her journey.
As soon as she walked outside, the muddy water from the puddle splashed onto her long skirt as a horse galloped by. She did not care.
It had been drizzling since that noon for three days; as if the sky itself was weeping.
Soon she reached a beautiful road where the straight path was domed by the trees and fragrant flower bloomed alongside the path with the view of Mount Waza ahead.
However the woman had little care for this beautiful nature. A cart passed by from behind as she walked slowly toward the mountain. It stopped abruptly in front of her. Three men were surprised.
One of the men asked, "hey are you a woman? It is dangerous to travel alone here even for a man."
Another man concurred with him, "right. Don't be tricked by its beauty. Some villagers were killed here a few months ago. See that flower bed with the fence. The bodies were piled there." He pointed to the wooden fence beside the road.
"So it was here." She smiled mysteriously. It creeped them out. The oldest one signalled the driver to go. However the young driver kindly invited her to the cart.
"You are headed to the mountain, right? Get on. It is all uphill ahead. Without a horse, you won't reach anywhere under this rain." He reached out his arm and pulled her up.
Although the other two were wary of her the entire trip, the kind driver drove her to where she asked. They stopped in front of a cave.
"Are you sure? This is no where near the mountain camp," asked the driver.
"Yes. This is where I must be." She looked to a horse and answered. It had white rings around it's ankles.
She entered the cave and saw a man sitting near a pond. She took out the sketch and threw it away.
It startled Ethanial.
"Ethan?" She said as she pulled off her cloak.