Thousands of feelings ran through Valorth's heart at once, but it was disbelief that was most prevalent.
Priest Yadon, the man I killed a few days ago...
He can't be alive. I watched him bleed out onto the floorboards!
It took all he could to control his breathing. Dante looked at him with a worried eye from the side, easily picking up on his partner's unease.
"Valorth?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"
Meanwhile, the congregation continued. Priest Yadon delivered his words of praise to the people of the church as though everything was normal. It wasn't hard for Valorth to envy him.
What should I do? Should I wait and kill the man a second time? Report him to the White Hand for suspicion of demonic rituals? Talk to him?
Valorth slowly peeked his head up from above the pews and looked directly at the priest, confirming to himself that he was the same Yadon he had killed. Then he glanced at the innocent young boy beside him, and realised that whatever decision he made would greatly affect Dante as well.
No... I need to think wisely.
Placing an arm around Dante's shoulder, he whispered to the boy that they needed to leave. With lowered heads, they wasted no time exiting the church and making their way back through the sunny streets of Uradesh.
"That man was a priest named Yadon," Valorth started to explain. "A few days ago I found him practising demonic rituals in his room at the Mother's Arms. In self-defense, I ended up taking his life. I'm certain of it."
Valorth was worried that Dante would fear him after finding out that he had taken the life of another man, but instead, the young boy seemed completely unbothered by it. After all, he had faced many hardships himself.
"So how was he in the church preaching?" Dante asked curiously.
"That's the problem. I have no idea. I can only assume that it's some sort of reanimation ritual."
The concepts of reanimation and zombification were well known throughout the four corners; however, it was a practice that was heavily prohibited in most countries. Not only did it require demonic possession, but it was also seen as sacrilegious to cheat death in most of the world's religions.
The punishment for such a crime was often penance through the means of the religion. For example, in the Central Empire, who worshipped the angel of Arms, they would be baptised by steel. Their bodies would be hung from a rope as they were pierced over and over again by heated swords. The process would be performed in a way that ensured that it lasted for as long as possible.
This was enough to make humans and demons both hesitant to perform such an act, yet it seemed Father Yadon had dared to pull it off.
Valorth felt a shudder run through his body at the thought. After all, there was a high chance that the man would return to the tavern to seek revenge.
"We need to head back and get Adion," he said as they made their way back home. "After that, we can form a plan."
---
They arrived back at the tavern by twelve in the afternoon, and waited until two o'clock for Adion, which was the meeting time.
However, by the time three o'clock struck and there were still no signs of the young man, Valorth started to worry. Not because of his friend, as he felt confident that he had probably been caught up in some adventure and would return home with a tremendous job opportunity.
What he was worried about was Priest Yadon.
Valorth had entered the man's church and felt unsure as to whether he had been spotted or not. If he had, then it was certain that the priest would come and hunt them down. After all, he couldn't risk word getting out that he was who he was.
If they waited for Adion, there was a high chance that it would be too late. That only meant one thing. Valorth sat on the bed opposite Dante and looked the boy deep in the eyes. Despite the circumstances, he didn't seem frightened at all. It simply seemed like he was waiting for Valorth to make a decision.
After letting out a great sigh, Valorth finally spoke.
"I'm going to head back to the church and finish what I started."
"Okay. I'm coming with you," Dante responded immediately.
Valorth was left stunned, staring at the boy with his mouth slightly agape. It was the response that he had hoped to hear, as Dante's powers could prove to be incredibly useful, but he would never have forced the boy to join him.
He asked multiple times whether Dante was sure, and expressed that it was perfectly fine for him to stay in the tavern and wait for his return. The boy had no intentions of doing so. It seemed that in just a day, he had taken a liking towards his new friend. Or perhaps he was simply afraid to disappoint him.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Regardless, Valorth wasted no time explaining a plan that he had swiftly formed in his head. It wasn't foolproof, but he struggled to come up with anything else.
"Listen closely, Dante; we can't afford to make mistakes here."
---
Outside of Saint Lucy's church, Valorth and Dante lingered on a bench, keeping a close eye on the double doors. The congregation had long since ended; however, there were still some people exiting who had stayed behind to confess their sins to the priest.
By the time that the last person left, the sun had started to set. Their plan started with waiting for the priest to leave the church and tailing him back to his place of residence, but by the time the sun had fully set, Valorth realised that it was unlikely that the man was coming out.
Could he possibly be one of those priests who sleep in the church?
No... If that was the case then he would have had no need to rent a room at the Mother's Arm tavern.
After waiting for another half hour and finding no signs of the priest, Valorth almost rose to his feet and marched into the tavern, deciding to confront the matter openly. Only when he considered that the priest might be expecting him, and have something prepared to take him down, did he decide against it.
"Valorth..." Dante suddenly started, eyes keenly watching the door as though he had his own personal vendetta with the man inside. "How strong was the priest when you fought him?"
Valorth was taken aback by the question, but he recalled his battle with the priest. He wasn't a Hearteater, but he had an ability that granted him small claws, and saliva that stung the eyes greatly.
Overall, the priest was nothing special, and if he was able to be affected by the Eye of the Rememberer, then the fight would have been even easier.
"Not that strong. Any Hearteater with abilities that aid in combat would be able to take him down, especially if they were armed."
Dante nodded his head as though he had come to some sort of decision.
"Then let me go in there. I can pretend to be an orphan who seeks a relationship with the Angel of Arms. I can sneak-attack him with your knife. If that doesn't work, then..." Dante placed his hand on his heart, suggesting that he would use his Dreamer abilities.
Valorth was stunned by the boy's suggestions. His first instinct was to decline immediately, claiming that it was far too dangerous for him. However, he himself had just said that a Hearteater with abilities to aid in combat could take the priest down.
Did Dante not have the most powerful ability for that?
Valorth scratched his chin in deep thought, contemplating the boy's request. If Dante performed, then there was a high chance that he could succeed, especially since it was well known that after reanimation or zombification, one would lose a lot of the strength that they previously had.
Five minutes of deliberation passed before Valorth finally let out a great sigh and came to a decision.
"Listen carefully," he said, pulling his knife out from his pocket and holding it out for Dante to take. "As he prays, you get close enough to stab him directly in his heart. It's a simple plan that minimises the risk. However, if he manages to notice something wrong, scream, and do not hesitate to use your Dreamer powers. I'll be lurking by the entrance, ready to come and give you aid straight away."
Dante listened as he took the knife from Valorth's hand and allowed a youthful smile to spread across his face.
"Don't worry, Valorth. The priest looked chubby, so I think I can beat him."
---
Dante's small knuckles rasped on the giant doors of Saint Lucy's church. Even from outside, he heard it echo through the walls within.
However, after knocking again and waiting a minute, he realised that he was receiving no answer. He then tried to push against the door, and to his surprise, it slowly crept open, granting him a view of the darkened interior.
Nervous, Dante looked back at a nearby bench where Valorth was sitting; however, he was facing away, lest Priest Yadon open the door and spot him watching. After peeking his head inside and seeing only the empty sermon room, he decided to enter, quietly closing the door behind him.
As he hesitantly made his way through the pew stands and towards the stage, his gentle footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Other than that, there were no other sounds Dante could hear. He stood on the stage, and for once would have stood taller than the average man, if there were any other men in the room. But all the signs pointed towards the church being empty.
That was until Dante realised that there was an area on the stage where it felt more hollow than the others. He looked down, and found that there was a handle on the ground.
A trap door.
His earlier nerves returned as he realised it was highly likely that the priest was down there.
Maybe this is where he sleeps. That's common, right?
Dante wondered whether he should turn back and tell Valorth what he found. But at the same time, he didn't want to appear as a coward. He had told Valorth that he would slay the priest, and if he was correct about the man being asleep, then there was no better time than now to do it.
Dante placed a hand on the door handle and gently pulled it open. As he did, he was met with a dull stone staircase with no light but a red glow that shone somewhere deep in its depth.
Demon hearts already beat faster than the average human's, but Dante felt as though his was really reaching its limits.
Swallowing his nerves, he started to descend into the darkness, making sure that his footsteps made no noise. He carried Valorth's kitchen knife in his hands, ready to use it at any moment.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, arriving at the source of the light, Dante stood at a small, tunnel-like corridor with two doors on each side. The sounds of mumbling came from the only door that was open, which was the one furthest on the right.
His hands were pale from his tight grip on his weapon, as his feet carried him to the door.
He peeked his head round the corner, uncertain of what he would find. Once his eyes had found the source of the light, Dante didn't know what to think.
There, in the room, was the chubby priest Yadon. He wore the same suit as he had when delivering the sermon. The man stood outside of a glowing red circle that was scratched into the ground beneath his feet. His arms were outstretched and his palms were facing upwards as he stared up into the heavens with wide eyes.
Dante's eyes landed on an object in the centre of the circle, which seemed to be fed by the power of the circle and the actions of the priest. It was an object that Dante was awfully familiar with, as he had consumed one only days earlier.
A demon heart.
Priest Yadon muttered words beneath his breath in a language that Dante didn't understand, and yet a dark presence seemed to come from them as they strengthened the glowing red circle. A chill ran down Dante's spine as he felt his grip faltering around the handle of the knife. The scene had dragged his young mind into a state of fear and he didn't know how to relax.
Clank.
His hands let go of the knife and it fell to the ground, ringing against the stone. Priest Yadon's words stopped as he turned his head towards the door, finally released from his trance and noticing the young intruder.
His eyes were pure white, yet his gaze pierced like a knife. The circle stopped glowing as the priest lowered his arms and turned to face the young man with a frown spread across his lips.
Then, without saying another word, he charged toward him.