The Church

I was sitting in a chair, savoring the last bits of the breakfast. My father came downstairs and he had a sword sheath tucked into his belt at his waist. He spoke as he sat on one of the stairs and adjusted his leather shoes to his heel. “Are you ready, Kurose?”

“Yes, father.” I replied and stood up, then added. “Can I go outside?”

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you.” I ambled, then broke into a run toward the door. I reached the door’s handle and looked behind. “Father, come outside once mother is ready.” I pushed the door forward and made my way down the pair of stairs, onto the gravel pathway. The weather was sunny today with puffy clouds over me and the wind wasn’t strong today, just ample to feel through your skin. A week had passed, I gazed up at the light-blue sky and faintly smiled. According to him, we were going to a village near the house. Since this was the first time I was going somewhere outside the house, I was excited. I dashed toward the wooden fence gate, pushed it forward and went outside.

He had told me the village was on the east-side of our home, and since it was a little far away, we had to take a wagon to reach because it was tiring to walk there. I glanced at my clothes once again. My mother had dressed me in a warm-colored shirt, followed by a black long coat down to my knees. I wasn’t used to attire akin to this, but she insisted. I had no choice but to wear it down. I thought it would feel a little strange, but to my surprise, it was pretty comfortable and easy to move around. It felt as if it was made for Kurose only.

The gravel pathway came to an end, and a dirt path stretched at each of my lateral sides. The left pathway between the farms led downhill to a forest. At the latter, the dirt pathway stretched relatively closer, to a farm in front of me, then to left and right. My father had said that the village was on the latter side. I ran toward the farm with a puzzled expression. I turned my head to my left and saw there was nothing but a dirt pathway stretching downhill far to the west as far as I could see. Then when I looked at the eastern side—my eyes widened and I froze in place.

A white tower soared into the light-blue sky, reaching the fluffy clouds. It covered the houses beneath its looming shadow. The vast and tall border walls, yet not even comparable to the tower encompassed the village. A village? The borders stretched so far in the east that for a second, I thought it was a town. As I pondered, a strong breeze passed against me, almost blowing the hat over my head. I gripped the hat tightly and a hand rested on my head.

“Kurose, I told you to give me the hat, right?” My mother said softly, puffing out her cheeks. “I understand you liked the hat, but let me—your mother! Carry it so it doesn’t blow away with the breeze.”

“...Sorry.”

“It’s fine, Kurose. You’re a kid after all.” My mother warmly wrapped her arms around me.

“Hely,” he said, walking behind her. “If you spoil him too much, he’ll become a spoiled child. Is that alright with you?”

She embraced me even more. “It’s alright for me! He’s my son, after all.”

“I see. Then shall we go?”

“Yes.”

After a while, a wagon approached us. My father opened the door and we stepped inside the wagon’s cabin. I was sitting beside my mother and my father was in front of me. As minutes passed, my eyelids began to flutter gradually, and eventually I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes, feeling a comfortable and familiar feeling on my right cheek as if my head was resting on a soft pillow. I rubbed my eyes and realized I was on my mother’s lap. As I looked up into her eyes, a blush crept across her face with her hair strands softly curling when they my face.

“...Mother, are we there yet?” I said, smiling faintly as I turned to the side again.

“Yes, Kurose,” she said, stroking my hair. “We have reached the village.”

Someone knocked at the windowpane that was behind my father. “Sir, I’m at the village’s main gate. Do you want to go in or leave?”

“Drop us at the Church.”

“Got it.”

I rose from my mother’s lap and looked outside as we entered through the main gate. As we passed, I noticed a decked up wooden signboard, decorated with what seemed like flowers. I couldn’t read what was written on it because the wagon passed it sooner than I thought.

I yawned. Perhaps, I was still a little tired.

“Kurose? Still sleepy?” My mother asked, looking at me.

“No, mother. I’m a little tired.”

“Hmm?”

In a moment, my mother tapped on my shoulder, pointing at a stall. “Kurose, do you wanna eat it?”

“...What’s that, mother?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

My mother looked into my eyes, raising one finger. “Chicken skewers.”

“...” I didn’t know what to reply. She was looking at me with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. I had to reply to her, though.

“Yes!” I said excitedly. “I want to eat it!”

After a few moments, we had reached the church. We stepped out of the wagon’s cabin, and I darted my eyes around. Huh? Where’s the church? The church was nowhere in sight.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.” He said, lowering his hat.

Huh? Really, where’s the church— As the wagon moved forward, I stopped cold.

There stood an edifice, built with black stone bricks that shimmering beneath the sunlight. The prism windows were all around the structure. As I brought my gaze down to the iron-framed dark door. I noticed carvings of a woman on it. She was hovering in the air with arms spread wide, the people beneath her tried to reach her with arms, and it seemed as if she was descending upon the earth.

I could only make one guess.

Goddess…Clartia?