'Verily, I say unto you, thou shalt hold dear the essence of life, for it is as fragile as plain glass, while also being as delicate as a still morning dew.'

'Let thy hands be without stain, for it is decreed that the gates of the mothers' verdant garden shall only accept the most purest of roses.'

'Just as a thriving oak rises amid a barren wasteland, so shall you, my child, remain unblemished and free of sin; for the one sole act the mother shall never forgive is the unnecessary taking of an innocent life.'

Scripture upon scripture flashed through Elias's mind, thoroughly reminding him of the teachings that had accompanied him throughout his whole life.

The Church of Grace were avid believers in the preservation of life, often appearing as saints who held up the mantle of being spotless and clean in the eyes of the gospel. Most of their teachings were in direct opposition to the idea of bloodshed and murder, as they mostly saw the taking of a life to be the most sacrilegious of all sins.

Their creed and belief system held up the ideals that all life is precious—irrespective of the person involved, and often gave room for change to even the most vile of transgressors.

Based on their beliefs, The Benevolent Mother was the only individual capable of ascertaining which life was meant to be taken and which could be saved, as she exists as the sole divine representation of the original source of life and mother to all that exists.

This was why Elias's emotions were currently a mix of conflict and inner turmoil, as he felt like he had not only gone against everything he stands for as a person but everything his faith stands for as well.

Lars observed his brother's blank expression, feeling like he had been a little bit too harsh on him.

Forgetting how mature Elias liked to act most of the time he was still only a teenage boy, a boy who had now accidentally taken a person's life.

It would be perfectly normal for him to act the way he was currently acting, especially because it wasn't a preplanned event and had happened purely based on an accident.

In fact, it was actually Lars who was being too calm about the entire situation, possibly due to the fact that the robed young lady hadn't directly died at his hands.

'You know now that I think about it, maybe I'm the one who is actually acting abnormal. Sigh... I shouldn't be too hard on him, he has had it pretty rough tonight.'

Lars once again looked at his brother's melancholic figure in the faint smoke, paying attention to the weak trembling of his fingers.

He then started to feel a bit bad for his earlier outburst, as he felt like he honestly have been a lot more considerate of the present situation, especially because that is exactly what Elias would have done for him if the roles were reversed.

Sighing, Lars calmly floated beside Elias while saying in a calm but steady voice, "Hey Eli, do you maybe recall the Gospel of Saint Monica?"

Elias kept his empty gaze peeled to the headless body before him but managed to issue a gentle nod.

"Yes, I do. It is one of the most revered canon texts in the church."

Elias's voice was soft but distant, as if his physical body was there but his mind was elsewhere. He really looked like he was going through a series of intense inner struggles.

Lars unknowingly bit the tip of his lip, as it pained him to see Elias in his present state.

He took a moment to calm himself down, knowing fully well that only he could bring Elias out of the encroaching pit of melancholy and depression.

Lars acknowledged the response with a nod, before speaking again in a much more casual tone. "Then you must be familiar with the primary verse in that text, yes? Would you mind calling it out to me, my memory is a bit hazy.”

While saying this he purposely displayed a troubled expression, as if he was really struggling to recall it but just could not remember no matter how hard he tried.

Elias continued to gaze at the dead body that was now covered in a bright pool of red blood, before eventually closing his eyes in silent solemnity.

" 'The goddess deems all life equal but values some more than most. Treasure your life, my dear brethren, for only then can you continue to praise and worship 'she' who watches from above.' "

Elias then slowly opened his eyes, eyes which had now regained a bit of life to them.

"Quoted from the final verse of the Gospel of Saint Monica, also known within the church as The Sacred Announcement."

Lars calmly nodded, inwardly satisfied at his brother's brief change of mood.

He had an inkling that this particular verse would help Elias gain some realization and enable him to combat the sadness welling up deep within him, as it was a verse that was perfectly suited for this particular situation.

The Sacred Announcement was a verse written by Saint Monica at the end of her seclusion from worldly activities during the conclusion of her tenure as a pope of the church.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was said that she immersed herself in fasting and prayer for ten consecutive years, completely sublimating herself into the divine embrace of the goddess which then allowed her to receive a direct revelation from the blessed mother.

Saint Monica, who was now old and on her last breath at the time, quickly completed her 10-year scriptural passage with the final revelation she had received, a revelation which would eventually become one of the most important verses in the faith system of the church and would latter be referred to as The Sacred Announcement.

The revelation was unique in the sense that it itemized two separate topics; one being the fact that even if the goddess did see all life as equal, that did not mean that the equality translated to importance in her eyes.

Such as the king and ministers of a kingdom were seen as vital to the proper functioning and running of the nation, the first part of the verse highlights how the importance of an individual's life varies in the sight of the goddess.

A Pope or official clergyman would ultimately be more important than an average believer, but takes away nothing from the fact that they were both equally granted the gift of life from the goddess in the first place.

As for the final part of the verse, it simply translates to a meaning that says that one should always make sure that their gift of life is safeguarded, as following the gospel is only worth anything if one is alive to do so in the first place.

When both interpretations are applied to the present situation it is clear that Elias had done nothing wrong scripture-wise, as his life would be seen as more important than that of the crazed robe lady in the eyes of the goddess, because not only was he of a divine blessing bearer from birth, but he was also a potential holder of a position in the church's clergy.

He had also made sure to safeguard his life by taking her own, thus satisfying the concluding portion of the verse as well.

Lars was inwardly relieved, as he didn't expect his plan to work as smoothly as it did. Even if Elias was still a bit sad and melancholic, his current mood was a far cry from what it had been before.

Even if he still looked bleak and dull, his presence now radiated a bit of hopeful luster, as if the faith he felt he had lost had now been regained.

This gave Lars the opportunity to crack a joke, as he felt like the mood was still a bit tense and needed to lighten up.

"Sigh, this is exactly why I don't pride myself on being a religious person. The sacred texts always seem to have so many contradictions within them. The goddess herself sent down a revelation on the importance of protecting one's life, yet the Popes and Cardinals still postulate gospels and texts that brand those who protect themselves by taking the life of another as sacrilegious.

"How are believers supposed to make up their minds on what to believe in when everything appears so conflicting?"

The question seemed to be aimed at himself, but it was quite obvious that his goal was to stimulate Elias into a conversation.

He didn't know if it would work but he felt like it wouldn't harm to try, especially because Elias's mood looked to be a bit better.

Elias turned to Lars with a faint smile, before proceeding to walk forward.

"Human involvement is capable of twisting even the most purest of things, Lars. This is why I always say I'm a follower of the goddess rather than the church.

"The Mother only sends us down her messages of gospel, it is up to us to interpret it however we see fit."

His voice was solemn and faint, wafting through the dilapidated corridor like a gentle hum.

"The Popes and Cardinals decide how the scriptures shall be interpreted, so a majority of the common man has no choice but to go along with it while knowing no better."

Lars took no time to express his disapproval.

"But isn't that perilous and dishonest to a general belief system that dictates the lifestyle of hundreds of thousands of people? Look at our present situation, you almost let yourself sink into a pit of depression because you thought you had committed an unforgivable sin!"

Elias kept walking as they talked, eventually coming to a halt in front of one of his attacker's sickle-shaped blades.

He bent down to pick it up, before resuming his conversation with Lars.

"That's where you are wrong, Lars. I wasn't despaired because I thought I sinned, I was despaired because I just took a life. They might seem similar, but they actually represent two entirely different perspectives." He walked back to the headless body, before smearing the blade in its blood. "Like you said I am incredibly stupid and naive. I walked into this life expecting to walk out of it with clean hands, but from the moment the ship set sail from the port of Lytton, that possibility became but a faded dream.

"My heart still aches and I can recall every minute detail; from her head detaching from her body to the sound of her blood spraying out like a faucet, almost as if I am constantly reliving that one grueling scene."

Elias gently closed his eyes, his face scrunching up in pain and anguish. He opened his eyes again a few moments later as if nothing had happened, causing Lars to look a bit troubled.

"But a part of The Sacred Announcement struck a chord with me, specifically the final section of the verse. Just as the goddess had declared that only those who were alive could offer praise and worship to her, it's the same way I can only achieve the goals I set out for myself if I were alive and for that, I need to be ready to get these hands of mine dirty."

His gaze drifted down to his dirty hands, before then clenching them in resolution.

"If I have to kill to survive and get back to my friends and family in one piece then that is what I shall do. I refuse to make my loved ones go through what I went through after Father Bernard's death."

His deep gaze traveled to the cold body before him, as he muttered in a low voice. "I refuse it..."

Lars felt a sudden pang of sadness as he watched his brother force himself to fight through the impact the event had on him, but could not bring himself to say anything as this was what he had wanted from him in the first place.

He sighed and gave Elias a reassuring pat on the back, as both brothers stood quietly while observing the smoke-filled corridor with eyes that held a multitude of thoughts and emotions.

...

The trio of Professor Windsor, Damien and Aamiya were making their way through the broken-down hallways as they aimed to give assistance to Elias whom they assumed was in danger.

Damien's expression had broken down in panic, as he paid no attention to the remnant flames and smoke threatening to engulf him as he urgently made his way back to his friend's location.

His heart was beating frantically at the possibility of something going wrong, even going as far as offering a prayer to each of the five gods that Elias would be safe.

Professor Windsor noticed the urgency written on Damien's face and decided to pick up his pace, as he was only moving moderately to match the speed of his two students.

His nose suddenly took in the fresh scent of blood, causing his eyes to narrow slightly as he made his way to the origin of the smell.

What came into his vision was a chaotic corridor of smoke, a headless dead body before a sickle-shaped blade and the bleak figure of an individual standing above it.

At this point, Aamiya and Damien had also made their way into the corridor, and they could only jerk backward at the gruesome scene before their eyes.

The figure standing above the body slowly turned his head towards the newcomers, revealing a set of amber-colored eyes that regarded them with a faint, but tired smile,

"You are late..."