Chapter Text
This was the last time Gabory was following Jophiel out.
“Maybe it’s best for us to head indoors.” Gabory advised, rain drenching one side of his body while he struggled to keep the other side over Jophiel, who carefreely skipped along the wet cobblestone path.
“Relax, it’s just rain.” Jophiel chuckled, walking faster.
“You might catch a cold, or trip, and break your skull.” He muttered that last part.
“Psh, I’ll just heal that.” Jophiel said, somehow hearing him over the downpour.
Gabory was suddenly more than inclined to keep the umbrella to himself.
“At least walk a little slower.” He sighed. One foot slid back and sent him tripping into Jophiel.
“Maybe worry about breaking your own head.” Jophiel said, casting him a cheeky grin while somehow keeping both of them upright.
How her balance was better than him in heels was another question not even God could answer.
“We’re near the Cathedral, just a little longer.” Jophiel winked. Gabory decided against speaking further.
They continued down the road, it seemed Jophiel had actually bothered to consider his words since she had slowed down to a manageable pace. A little odd, but he wasn’t complaining.
“Gabory, do you feel that?” Jophiel asked, frowning as she looked around aimlessly.
“No?” Yes, he felt cold. And he was definitely ending up with one by the end of today.
“Pause for a moment.” Jophiel said, abruptly holding out her hand. Gabory ended up walking into it and somehow slipped again. He was very certain he was not so weak as for an arm to knock him down.
She gestured down the dark alley they stopped next to, and he had a very very very bad idea where this was going.
“Let’s go down there.” She suggested just as he said, “no.”
“Why not?” She asked.
It was damn dark, it was raining, the umbrella didn’t fit in that gap, it could be flooded, what if there was someone waiting inside to rob them—kill them, they could slip and get a concussion and die there—
“Gabory, are you coming?” Jophiel’s voice called from down the alley way.
He didn’t even notice her leave his side.
The loud sound of thunder nearly startled him off his feet and he dropped the umbrella, within seconds he was soaked.
“Yes.” Gabory said while screaming curses in his head that would probably get him excommunicated. “Wait up.”
A faint echo was all he got as Jophiel’s reply.
He reluctantly creeped into the alley, regretting his life decisions for the third time that day and reconsidering his position in life for the second.
Of course, that’s all to distract himself from the walls that seemed to grow narrower the further he went in.
The water dripping from the rooftops somehow made him feel even more drenched, he could tell he was getting closer to Jophiel as the little light she conjured up started growing bigger.
“Gabory, I need your help!” She shouted.
He instantly sped up into a sprint, his shoulders bumped roughly against the alley walls he tripped into. “What happened?”
No reply.
“Jophiel!” He shouted.
A wave of golden light washed over the ground, breezing past his feet as a faint dome shot overhead. Little runes encircled the circumference with lines all leading towards the centre, where Jophiel clasped her hands in prayer.
She had activated her Holy Domain.
“Why did you…” Gabory finally caught up. Black spots buzzed in front of his eyes as it adjusted to the sudden change in lighting.
When it finally focused, his heart nearly fell to the ground.
Two children—boys, no older than 10, cradled in Jophiel’s arms. Little lines of gold shimmered along their arms and back, from wounds she was in the midst of healing.
“Gabory, take one.” He knelt next to her and she gently lowered one towards him. This one’s hair was black, the other white.
They were so small. Clothes tattered and soaked through.
“This one’s stable.” Another wisp of gold swirled around Jophiel’s hand and hovered over the child in his arms. “Him too.”
“Gods, how did you find them?” Gabory said, pulling the kid in in hopes of shielding him from the rain, futile as it may be.
“I told you, I felt something.” Jophiel snapped, shocking Gabory enough for him to keep quiet. “Let’s take them back. I don’t know what happened to them, but it’s nothing good.”
“Right.” Gabory slowly stood up, angling his body so the kid’s legs didn’t scrape against the brick walls. The kid shivered and he instantly felt guilty for a reason he didn’t understand.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe.” He hugged the kid closer, god the kid was freezing. “You can rest.”
The kid cuddled closer, one hand gripping tight onto the collar of his robes while curling the other in.
They left back into the street where their umbrella had blown off to god knows where, come to think of it he really should’ve closed it and taken it along. Jophiel immediately darted down the street with grace and elegance(somehow) that didn’t match the weather, Gabory kept up with a debatable degree of success, most of his effort was going into not falling and injuring him and the kid.
“Goddamit.” The kid was so pale, more so than a ghost. Jophiel’s Holy Domain had its limits and it ended at healing wounds. “Hang in there.”
***
The giant doors of the cathedral were thrown open before the guards standing by could open it for them, by none other than Jophiel of course.
She stormed right towards the infirmary, the commuting priests and bishops were quick to give way.
Gabory expected at least some sort of outrage but the clergymen knew better, for fear of suffering the wrath of a very anxious, very desperate Holy Maiden.
When they entered, the kids were taken from their arms and quickly handed to the more experienced nurses—much to Jophiel’s protest but she actually couldn’t do anything about that. The nurses told them to go change, lest they catch a cold(which he definitely did).
Gabory had to pry her away from the bench outside which only happened after a nurse helped him drag her too.
He had never seen her run to her room so fast(in heels too). By then he was already exhausted, so he didn’t bother to keep up with her.
When he returned back to the front of the infirmary, Jophiel was standing in front of the door, wringing her fingers so tightly he swore they were purple.
“Jophiel.” He used to tease her for taking hours in the shower. “You’re fast.”
“Do you think they’re alright?” She asked, biting her lip.
Gabory frowned at her lack of a warmer robe and handed her the extra cardigan he brought, knowing full well that it would slip her mind. “Yes, the nurses know what they’re doing and you’ve already healed their external wounds.”
They sat down on a different bench since the other was still damp. Jophiel struggled to get her other arm into the sleeve, and almost punched him in the head.
“What do you think happened to them?” He asked, he didn’t see the full extent of their wounds, which might be why she was so nervous.
“Lots of burn wounds and some on their back.” She said, voice unusually quiet.
“…slaves?” The words unknowingly slipped out.
His head sharply snapped to the side as a stinging feeling shot through his cheek. It took him a second longer to register that he had just been slapped.
“Sorry sorry sorry.” She apologised profusely. Gabory sighed and rubbed a hand along his cheek.
“Nah, I deserved that.” His mind-to-mouth filter was loose.
“Slavery is outlawed in Aculon. I saw one of their eyes, it’s golden. Only people of noble blood have those eyes.”
“Last time I checked, the last noble family with those eyes died out 300 years ago.” He said. “Maybe it’s one of those magic people—mages, right. Those guys usually have funky eyes.”
“You’re jealous because yours are boring.” Jophiel said.
“So are yours.” Gabory countered.
“Mine can glow three different colours.”
“Holy magic doesn’t count, give me 2 years and I can do that too.” He said while knowing full well he was out of her league.
“Please, I’ll be waiting for so long I’ll have to take a break from that to take a nap instead.” She scoffed.
The infirmary door opened and Gabory gratefully took the opportunity to divert Jophiel’s attention.
The kids were lying on neighbouring beds, the blanket tucked up to their neck. Low light from the bedside lamps cast a warm shadow over them, with the faint hum of music coming from somewhere in the corner.
“They’ll be alright?” Jophiel asked the nurse.
“Yes, good thing you found them when you did.” She said, “The poor things are exhausted, they’ll be awake tomorrow.”
“That’s good.” He wasn’t sure why he was so worried for them, once Jophiel used her Holy Domain they would be stable enough not to die.
Jophiel pulled a chair to sit down at the foot of their beds and Gabory joined her. It was rare for her to be so down, like a book not fully pushed in.
“They’re related, brothers.” The nurse informed them, swiping through a panel hovering over a watch on her wrist. “One’s 12 and the other’s 10.”
Older than they looked.
“Sorry, can we have a little time with them? Alone?” Jophiel asked.
The nurse gave them an odd look, but left the room without much protest. Once the door shut, Jophiel immediately sprung up and rushed to their side.
“Do you know them?” Gabory asked.
“No.” She answered.
“Really?” For someone who met those two less than an hour ago she was an awful lot worried.
“Jealous?”
“What gave you that idea?”
She shrugged and looked back at them, it was hard to tell with her back turned to him but Gabory could almost imagine a fond smile on her—
Nononononono. He knew what that smile meant.
“Jophiel, no.” Gabory crossed his arms.
“I didn’t say anything.” Her lips curled up into a mischievous grin.
“My answer stays the same.”
“Come on, look at them. They’re so cute!” She aggressively gestured at them, hands fanned out and waving.
“We aren’t keeping them!” He doubled down, refusing to look at them because he knew damn well Jophiel was right.
“We’re a church, we take in orphans—like you.” To hell with it all, Jophiel was giddy.
“We’re both orphans shut up.” He snapped.
“So, the only logical conclusion is: they’re ours now.” She said, raising up a finger to shush him.
“What if they don’t want to be here?” Gabory tried to reason.
“I’ll convince them to.” Jophiel said, placing a proud hand on her chest. “I’m very persuasive.”
“You blackmailed me.”
“I saved you.” She corrected him.
“Mhm.” Gabory deadpanned. “Totally.”
“Whatever, back to the main point.” She gestured back at the kids. “We are keeping them.”
“No, we’re—” A small huff came from the kid with black hair as he rolled to the side, hugging the blanket closer around him.
God fucking dammit that was cute.
Jophiel gave him the fattest, smuggest smirk she could.
“Fine—FINE!” Gabory shouted, grabbing onto the sides of his hair. “Do what you want.”
“Awww, how sweet of you.” Jophiel clasped her hands together by her cheek, leaning to the side with that shit-eating grin.
He stormed out, dragging his feet behind him. “I’m going to bed now.”
“Good night!” She waved.
Gabory slammed the door behind him(and instantly felt guilty because that could’ve woken the kids up dammit).
***
He was in bed.
His brother wasn’t next to him.
And that was all it took for Saparata to fully wake up.
“Micro?” He asked. His voice was terrible, he could really do with some water.
Saps slowly sat up, squinting at the little shadows around the room. That’s when he noticed what he was wearing; white robes that were too loose for him.
Where’s Micro?
Soft breathing came from his right, a bed pushed closer to his. Saps pushed off the covers, placing one foot on the wooden floor between them and swiftly got to Micro’s side.
“Micro, wake up.” He said, gently shaking his little brother’s shoulders.
“5 more minutes.” Micro mumbled, turning away from him and hugging the blanket closer.
“Micro, we escaped.” Saps flipped his brother over. An odd fuzziness lingered in his mind, fogging up the back of his head.
“Escaped from where?” Micro grumbled, eyes still closed. “Lemme sleep.”
“Escaped from…” Saps frowned, the fuzziness started buzzing louder. “…from that place.”
“Whatever. Mum will call us later, sleep now.” Micro said, trying to push his brother away.
“Micro, we aren’t there right now.” He snapped, shaking his brother’s shoulders. “Look around, this isn’t our room.”
Finally, his brother’s eyes opened.
“I can’t see anything, it's too dark.” Micro complained.
“I’m right in front of you, there’s light right there.” Saps gestured at the lamp right next to them.
Micro sat up, frowning as he looked around more. “Are you hallucinating?”
That was when Saps noticed that something was off with his brother’s eyes. “Micro, your eyes are gone.”
Micro’s pupils were faint, leaving behind a ghostly image of his once golden eyes that Saps could barely make out with the bad lighting.
“You’re definitely going crazy.” Micro scoffed.
“It looks scary.” Saps said.
“Where are we?” Micro asked, looking around.
“I don’t know.” He recalled someone carrying him, a golden light and shouting but that was it.
And rain. Lots of rain.
“Do you know how we got here?”
“We were running away to the upstairs place, remember?” Saps repeated, all while his mind refused to register what the ‘upstairs place’ was.
“Yeah, mum wanted us up early because…” Micro’s eyes furrowed together. “Because the ceremony was happening right?”
“She woke us up and took us to the secret room.” Something clicked in Saps’s head, clearing something in the annoying fuzziness. “Then dad started looking for us, and everyone started looking for us.”
“Mum told us to hide there.”
“She told us not to open the door for anyone, and then when the ceremony started we should run to the upstairs place.” His memory was finally piecing itself together. “We watched it from the little crack in the floor. You wanted to stay and watch, but then—”
“They’re gone! I’ve snuck them to the surface and handed them to the church, you’ll never find them!” She cried, arms bound behind her back.
A loud slap echoed through the hall, a man in red roughly grabbed onto her chin and forced her to look at him. He tilted her head to the side before shoving her away.
“This one will do.” The red man said.
Two people grabbed onto her by the sides, she struggled, kicked and tried to bite but once she was tied to the pole in the centre of the room there was no way out.
“Is one enough to appease the Lord? They asked, stepping past the intricate carvings of fresh blood that surrounded her.
“The Lord punishes those who stray. We’ll choose another for dusk.” The red man said.
“Set it alight.”
A torch was lit and held close to the piles of firewood that lay under her feet. The red man started chanting and others hidden in shadow joined in.
“Oh, you’re both awake!”
A cheery voice jolted him back into reality and he nearly fell off Micro's bed, a hand protectively shot out in front of his brother as he turned around.
Standing in the doorway was a lady with blonde hair in an intricate braid, Saps curled a little closer to his brother who was holding onto his hand in a death grip.
She smiled so brightly. Saps didn’t know people could beam like that.
“Hello! I’m Jophiel, what’re your names?”
***