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Something is wrong.
The earthquakes have never lasted this long.
I know that I'm not the only one who's concerned about this, there have been rumor's swirling around town since the summer festival.
Things in the church haven't been better either, there's been whisper among the priest, and my brother has been locked in his office for two weeks.
Something is going on, and no one is telling me anything...
It isn't unusual for me to be kept 'out of the loop', I'm more of an analytical person, not a social one.
Although I try to stay cordial with my peers, They seem to be weary of me due to my family's influence.
The only time I have to myself is when I'm outside,
I suspect that my brother has had someone keeping tabs on me, when I'm inside the church walls,
I feel like... I'm being watched.
I sigh, and leave the bench I was sitting on.
I have to find my roommate, He tends to know what's going on.
He always seems to mysteriously have the information that others don't know or don't want spread around.
I would be concerned on how he does it, but it has been proven useful in more instances than one...
I've known him for over a year, yet I feel like I know nothing about him, well, besides from our shared interest of course.
I walk around the church garden, then the library, then our shared room, but I cant find him.
He use to be so easy to find, he was always in the garden or had his nose stuck in a book. but now? It seems like he's never around...
I walk past one of the new priest that I never bothered to remember the name of.
"Excuse me Father, have you seen Malum?"
He looks at me with disdain, like I've offended him by simply talking to him.
"Brother Malum is in the library." he corrects me with a snooty tone.
"I've just come from there, I haven't seen him since breakfast." I say ignoring his tone.
"Perhaps he's gone into town." He says dismissively, walking past me, making it clear he wants nothing to do with me.
"Egotistical prick" I mutter under my breath
Obviously I would've know if he had left for town, my brother is the one you have to get permission from to leave.
Besides, he always tells me goodbye before he leaves.
I roll my eyes and continue my search, perhaps calling him an "egotistical prick" in the house of God isn't the best thing to do, but I'm sure God would forgive me for telling the truth.
I return to my room and flop on my bed defeated.
Maybe I should ask my brother if he has requested to go into town, but...
I really don't want to see him right now, and especially when he's busy. It would only lead into another argument about my career choices.
I don't see why he insists on me becoming a priest when he knows I'm already studying for my doctorate.
I understand that I'm living here free of rent, but I make up for that and more by doing my duties around the church, I'm the only one who works to keep this place running, the others are far too proud to actually get their hands dirty.
I suppose I'll check the garden again, I don't know where else to look, it's not like there's many places to hide around here...
I get up and as I do, something on the desk catches my eye.
An ornate, small, golden knife?
A letter opener?
I've never seen it before.
I pick it up and look at it, it looks expensive.
The blade is golden, the handle black with a single red gem.
It's heavy.
Although I doubt that it's real gold.
I assume this belongs to my roommate, although where he would get the money for something so frivolous is beyond me.
Something about it... makes me uncomfortable.
I put it back, just touching the thing makes me feel weird.
I shake the feeling, and go back to doing what I was doing, I take one last glance at the knife as I leave.
I suddenly have an idea where my disappearing roommate might've gone off to.
I leave quickly, going back outside towards the garden, ignoring someone as they call my name.
Walking past the small garden, I leave into the woods.
He hasn't been here in a while.
Brushing past the branches and avoiding the thorns, it's only a few minutes walk into the woods to get to my secret garden.
I say my garden, but It's more of Malum's spot than mine.
You have to follow a precise path to avoid all the thorns,
but if you know your way it's easy, I've come here almost every day since he's shown it to me, so I know this forest like the back of my hand by now.
We use to take walks together often. but he started acting strangely recently, and he hasn't had much time to do anything.
I'm just hoping that he's here, I don't know where else to look.
I make it to a small clearing canopied by the tall oak and pine trees, no tall vegetation except the few plants I've decided to grow for tea, and a few wild flowers.
I look around, hoping to see him. My shoulders relax when I see him sitting by my spearmint, and I let go of a breath I didn't realize I've been holding.
"Malum!" I say getting his attention. He turns to look at me and he smiles.
He's smiling, but I can tell that he's upset.
"You finally made time to visit our little garden?" I say in a teasing tone.
He chuckles. "We both know that this is your garden, not mine. You're the one who planted everything."
"You're the one who showed me this spot in the first place. I wouldn't of have been able to get some decent tea without it." I say sitting next to him.
"What about the community garden?" He says while he picks at the dirt with a stick.
I laugh. "Yeah right, and have a bunch of strangers prodding around my precious chamomile? You know I don't like eating food that could've been tampered with." I say stretching my arms towards the sky, enjoying the sun on my skin.
"Besides, I like this place." I say happily.
I look at him and he looks uncharacteristically worried, and almost, guilty?
His black hair seems to have a few more grey hairs then I remember, and his complexion although still darker than mine, still seems far more pale then it use to be, as if he hasn't been outside for a long time...
"What's wrong." I finally say.
"Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to see how your plants are coming along. It's been a while..."
"What's wrong." I reiterate firmly.
He scrunches up has face, and I can see that he's torn on rather or not he should tell me.
He's always been easy to read, but lately he's been acting weird.
"Do you, still have that book I gave you?" He ask quietly.
"Of course I do, It's not something I could just toss away."
As soon as I answer, I realize where this conversation might be going...
"Why?" I ask nervously.
"You know when we said we would stop reading those stupid books, because they were obviously fake and fear mongering?" He says, looking even more guilty.
"Yeah?" I say confused.
"Well... I never stopped." He confesses
"Malum! Is that why you've been sneaking around?!" I say shocked that he would do such a thing
"Do you realize what kind of trouble you could get into-"
"Of course!" He cuts me off
"Studying the occult isn't something the church takes lightly!" I say angrily
"You think I don't know that!" He yells back
We both fall silent, not sure what to say next.
"Why?" I say breaking the silence.
"Morbid curiosity? I don't know! Besides, we started this together. remember?"
"Yeah, but I stopped! It was stupid." I snap back
"It's not stupid." He says quietly.
"Your not making any sense!
And why tell me this now?"
He tenses up.
"I think... they found out.
And I think they're going to-" he stops.
"send me away." He continues.
"I went too deep, I've stumbled on things I wasn't suppose to."
There's no way he's being serious. Right?
"What is that even supposed to mean!?
Why would send you away?"
I say quickly, a thousand questions flooding my mind.
"I can't tell you, it would only put you in danger as well." He looks away from me.
"That book. You've got to get rid of that book!" he continues.
"I'm not doing anything until you explain yourself." I argue
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"I'm sure you've notice it too,
the 'earthquakes' or 'the rumblings' or whatever you call them, they're not what you think.
Have you ever wondered WHY they've always stopped after the summer festival!?"
"What are you talking about?
The tectonic plates just shift this time of year.
What does the festival have to do with any of this?" I say furrowing my brow
"The earthquakes always stop after the summer festival, but it's been TWO weeks since the festival, yet it's worse then ever? I wanted to know why.
and why they stopped after the festival every previous year.
The only reason I joined this church was to find out!
My curiosity got the better of me, I didn't know how deep this rabbit hill went.
I was reckless, and stupid!
Now I'll have to pay the price for my stupidity."
He snaps the twig in his hand, causing me to jump.
"Your just trying to scare me" I laugh nervously.
"I'm trying to warn you." He says coldly.
"If I leave, I'll let you know before I do, I promise you-"
"You can't just leave! The church would never allow it!" I interrupt.
"I have to." He says sternly.
"I'll say goodbye to you before I leave." He says as he stands up.
"When will you leave? Will they even let you leave?" I ask anxiously.
And as if on cue, the ground shakes,
another earthquake.
"I have to go as soon as I can.
They can't stop me if they don't know I'm leaving, I have to leave, and it has to be tonight." He says in a hurried voice.
I don't know what's gotten into him, he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks.
I don't know if that's the cause of all this madness he's spewing, or if he hasn't been sleeping because he genuinely believes in what he's saying.
"Just, promise me one thing?" He says lending me a hand to stand up.
"Depends on what it is" I say as he pulls me up.
"No matter what happens,
Don't come looking for me."
"You know I can't promise that." I say jokingly.
He looks at me and sighs.
"Fine. Promise me you won't follow in my footsteps. Forget about all this 'occult' business, forget everything I said, and get rid of that book I gave you.
Don't get yourself mixed into this mess.
You can't leave as easily as I can."
"If anything, you've only piqued my interest more~" I joke
"Flug." He says sternly.
"I don't even believe in any of that stuff anyway. WE didn't believe in any of that stuff.
I don't like how this is getting to you. Those books are made to get inside your head, and it's working."
"I'll explain more later, I might not be able to tell you everything, but I promise to stay in touch once it's safe."
"Well?" He says, putting his hand out to shake mine.
"If you don't believe in any of the occult stuff we read, then it should be easy to promise to forget everything we learned in those books, and to never try to get involved."
I stick my hand out, but don't shake his hand yet.
"I promise to get rid of the book, and forget everything we read about the occult.
IF you promise to say goodbye to me before you leave."
He smiles and shakes my hand.
"Deal."
"I'll be in my room at midnight." He says as he turns to leave.
And I watch him leave for what will probably be the last time.
That, was an interesting exchange...
I sit back down in the grass, unsure how to feel.
I sigh. This is what happens when I try to be friendly with someone, they end up going crazy and thinking that the occult is after them, and that the earthquakes are going to eat him, or whatever it was that he was raving on about.
I agree that the earthquakes are weird, but to blame the occult?
I should've known it would end up this way.
He did give me all those books about the occult and 'dark magic' after all.
It was only a matter of time before it got to his head.
I'll miss him... He was a good informant.
I need a cup of tea.
I stand back up and dust off my pants, walk over to my plants and harvest some of the spearmint.
I harvest a few springs and put it in my pocket, being careful not to crush it.
I suppose he's just finally lost his mind...
I make my way through the small path lined by thorn bushes and go back towards the church, trying to stay quiet, I try to get to my room without being noticed.
I enter my room, being careful to not make any noise. I heard someone calling me earlier, and I don't want them to know I'm back, the more responsibilities I avoid the better.
My room isn't anything special, just two beds, and a desk in the middle for me and Malum to share and a trash bin. It isn't great, but it's the closest thing I have that feels like home.
I start the kettle on the desk and start making myself a cup of tea with the mint I have.
We're not allowed to have food or drinks in our rooms, but I put up a big fuss with my brother and he finally allowed me an electric kettle. Having your brother be the bishop who runs this church comes in handy once in a while, even if the other priest hate you for it.
I sit on my bed and look out the window,
I take a sip of my tea, but it's not very good. I should've processed it better, I should've crushed the leaves before adding it to the water.
oh well, next time...
I glance over the desk, and notice that some stuff is missing, including that knife.
I suppose he's started packing already.
I'm interrupted with a knock on my door.
"Come in" I say, not bothering to get up.
Another priest I don't recognize comes in, so many priest have been coming and going lately, it's hard to keep up.
"The bishop wishes for you to have dinner with him in his office this evening" he says welcoming himself into my room.
I sigh.
"Fine. I'll be there." I say annoyed, making it clear I don't want him poking around in my room.
He notices my tone and turns to leave, but he takes one last look around my room, his eyes scanning my desk as if he was a warden looking for contraband.
He leaves without saying a word, shutting the door behind him.
"Why does everyone have to be so weird around here, why couldn't I be stuck in a normal church." I mumble to myself.
Dinner starts in about half an hour, I should get going, I don't know why my brother wants me to have dinner with him, but I'm probably in trouble for something.
I put my half dranken cup on my desk.
I stand up, but lose my footing as another earthquake starts.
My tea cup falls off the desk and shatters, spilling tea all over the hard wood floor.
"Great."
As soon as it stops, I hunch down and pick up the shards of glass and start throwing them in the trash bin, being careful not to accidentally cut my hands.
I pick up a bigger shard, as it hits the light I notice an oily sheen to it.
Which is, strange...
I don't have time to think about it as I'm knocked over with another, stronger earthquake. I hit the ground, the piece of oily glass cutting my hand.
As soon as the earthquakes stops, I hear frantic foot steps running down the hall.
Still sitting on the floor, I look at my hand and see blood.
Of course.
I stand up with a huff and throw the bloody shards into the trash, I open my desk drawer and pull out the first aid kit, grabbing some gauze to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.
I wipe off some of the blood and look at the injury to my palm, luckily it's only a small cut.
My first aid kit is already almost empty, I always seems to be getting injured, I'm not sure if I'm clumsy, or if it's just bad luck.
I pocket some extra bandages, and head to the bathroom to wash up, leaving the mess for me to clean up later.
I leave my room and into the hall,
and it's... quiet?
I look around for signs of where everyone went, but I don't see, nor hear anyone, which is strange for this time of day, it usually gets pretty lively around dinner.
I shrug it off and leave for the bathroom.
I throw open the bathroom door still annoyed about the situation. I rinse my hand off under the tap, it stings for a moment, but quickly feels better under the cold water.
I turn off the tap and shake the excess water off my hands. It looks like it's stopped bleeding, but I put a bandage on it just in case.
I hear the 6 chimes of the church bell, it's dinner time.
I leave into the hall, and I still don't hear anyone. Strange...
I leave towards my brother's office, and I start hearing the sound of overlapping voices.
I go to knock on the door, but stop when I hear my name mentioned.
I can't make out what their saying. I hear lots of yelling, my brother sounds angry, which is out of character for him.
I stop and listen for a little longer, but I hear my name mentioned again, and I have to know what's going on.
I knock, and the talking stops.
I don't wait for permission to come in, and I open the door.
I enter my brother's office, and I'm met with unwelcoming looks from unfamiliar faces, there's about five or six people in here, and I don't know anyone besides my brother.
"You wanted to see me?" I say breaking the silence.
Nobody speaks, they look to my brother who's sitting at his desk.
My brother looks uncomfortable and a little worried. "Yes, but I'm afraid dinner will have to wait. However, I wish to speak to you." He looks at the men in the room and waves them away.
They all leave without saying a word, shutting the door behind tham.
"Kenning." He says sternly.
"Flug. It's Flug, remember?" I snap back at him, crossing my arms.
"My dear brother, I wanted to see you about-"
"Who were all those people." I interrupt.
He sighs,
"Kenn- Flug." He corrects himself.
"They've been here for weeks, they're here to help from the city. If you had bothered to learn their names or tried to integrate yourself into the community more, maybe you would know that." He says frustrated.
"We have an image to maintain, I try my best to humor your needs, honoring your little name change, letting you live here for free, keeping the fact that your getting a doctorate away from Father." He lectures me.
"What do you want" I say bluntly, hoping to skip the guilt trip and get straight to the point.
"What I'm trying to say is, I want you to try, try to do better by your community, try to make friends." He says defeated
"I have friends." I lie
"You always say your going to do better, but I'm getting reports that say otherwise."
"You are having people keep tabs on me!" I say offended
"No. But people confide in me,
they tell me that you've been acting strangely." He says getting visibility annoyed
"It's not my fault I can't be 'the golden heart of the community' like you." I say bitterly.
"Not this again" he says standing from his desk.
"I know that you don't want to be a bishop, and I've been lenient towards your needs for a long time. But people keep asking questions, they're wondering when you will stop being a simple priest, and become a bishop, like me~"
"Maybe never." I say taking a step backwards, towards the door.
He puts a hand on my shoulder.
"You know that that isn't an option."
I brush his hand off of me.
"I know." I say quietly.
"What else have people been saying about me?" I say angrily.
He sighs. "Nothing that you should concern yourself with."
"Is that what all the people where in here for? To complain about me?" I say with an uncomfortable chuckle.
"No, it had nothing to do with you " he says looking away from me.
Liar.
I heard them.
And even if I didn't, he's always been a terrible liar.
"That's all I wanted to see you for, I simply wanted to let you know that the others is the church believe that you haven't been giving your all to your faith. I know your busy with your studies, but please make an effort with the people here." He says sitting back down at his desk
"Of course~" I lie
"I'll leave you be." I say as I start to leave.
"I'll be busy for the rest of the night, or else I would have you join me for dinner, perhaps tomorrow." He says as he hits a stack of papers on his desk, straightening them.
"Yes, tomorrow." I say with a fake smile. I just have to suck up to him for now until this group of priest leave, and it all blows over.
I turn to leave.
"Oh and Flug?" I hear him say from behind me.
I turn to look at him.
"Tell your roommate I said goodbye, I don't have the time tonight to tell him myself."
I feel my blood run cold, How... did he know?
"Will do~" I say trying not to show any fear.
I quickly leave and shut the door behind me.
I run to my room, ignoring the glares from the other priest.
I throw open my door, and I'm surprised to see that his stuff has already been removed, his bed made, the tea I spilled already cleaned.
I take a closer look at the flood, and notice that my blood is still on the floor?
They cleaned the tea, but not the blood?
...
This is MY blood, right?
I don't remember where my blood had dripped, but I think it's in the same spot? I wasn't exactly paying attention to where it landed.
I rub the floor where the tea had spilled, it's dry.
I look at the blood again, I know I couldn't of have been gone for more than ten minutes, but this blood looks wet... fresh.
Now I'm doubting myself. Was Malum the one who packed his stuff up? Or was this down by someone else?
If my brother knew that he was leaving, who else?
And...
Is this blood mine or Malum's?
I stand up, and start looking around the room. Surely if he left, he would've left a note, or something? Right?
I searched around the room, looking for any spot he might've left me a note, a clue, anything! I end up completely making a mess of my room.
But I can't find anything.
If he left on his own accord, He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.
He said he would meet me here at midnight, maybe...
Maybe, if I just wait here, he will show up.
I decide to skip dinner, and wait here for him.
He said midnight, but I don't want to miss him if he shows up earlier.
So I wait. And wait...
It hits midnight. Nothing.
1am, 2am, 4am.
I still wait, just in case.
I check the clock, 5am.
He's not coming back, Is he...