"This is a holy site," he said seeing through our confusion as he walking slowly toward us.
"Long ago, when the God of Fire and Purity... Agni, came to the mortal world, he rested here. Not for a day, not a week, but a whole decade." He said, his eyes full of passion and devotion.
"A god... Lived here?" Jay asked, a bit suprised and taken back as he looked at the foot prints again but now, in different light as if seeing something... Divine.
The priest looked at jay with a smile and nods at him. "Yes. It's said Agni's flames blessed this land. Since then, those who come here to pray, especially with pure hearts are sometimes touched by his favour."
With a pause, he looked behind him, where a beautiful sculpture of a man with sword on fire was standing tall above everyone else.... "Strength, courage, protection... Fire burns away the weak, but it also lights the way for the strong."
As I glanced at Mira, I saw her with her eyes wide, full of that hopeful from earlier... And her face eager to here more.
"You three came all this way, even sneaked out... It might not be an accident," the priest said. Then he stepped aside and pointed to the front. "Go on. Offer your prayers. Who knows God may be watching tonight."
Mira nodded fast as she walked towards sthe altar and sculpture before kneeling down as Jay too followed, and I joined them last, kneeling on the stone floor.
Somehow... The air around us felt warmer now as we prayed to the altar...
I didn't pray for power. Or freedom.
Just… something better. For all of us... For Alex, mara and Jay.
After a while, we stood up as the priest simply nods towards us, saying nothing more and walking deep inside.
With one last look, we too left as when we were walking back toward the big doors, something near the corner caught my eye.
Something shiny, half-buried under a dusty old cloth as I stopped and crouched down, pulling the cloth aside to see what it was.
A small pendant, simple, a bit worn out, but with a warm red stone in the center. It looked like it had been there for a while, just waiting for someone to notice.
I picked it up, wiped off the dust.
"Hey," I muttered, mostly to myself, "Alex would like this."
Slipping it into my pocket, I smiled a little, then jogged to catch up with Mira and Jay.
[You got an Item.]
What was it that I saw at the corner of my eye? Probably a fly or something.
.
.
.
It was a great night, filled with adventure and stuff but all good things must come to an end just like this little adventure of ours as we slowly sneaked back into the orphanage.
However, we were wrong about one thing... That we could safely make it back as... "Welcome back, little ones." We heard someone say that while we were walking down the dark hallway.
To be honest, we were thinking that we are hidden and no one can see us in this dark but the momentary success of escape made us confident it seems that we let our guard down.
The light suddenly switched on as we slowly looked back, there a fat man in his 40s was standing, as he looked at as with a cold smile... It was the orphanage director.
A chill ran down our spine as the the director slowly walked towards us, we took a step back slightly before rooting on our spot from the slight fear of the guy before us.
We were stupid... I realised that, do we really thought we would be able to sneak in out successfully? It was completely stupid of us and now, we are about to pay for that.
"How dare you kids sneak out like that?" he said, more like shouted at us as no one said anything.
Mira looked like she was about to cry as she looked down quietly, just like Jay who too stayed quiet.
I too clenched my fists, ready for whatever was coming but... Somehow, seeing those two kids like that, thier faces replaced with unfamiliar faces for a second and...
"It was my idea," I said as I stepped forward. My voice might be really calm, but anyone could see that my hands were literally shaking. "I was the one who planned everything, and asked them to follow me."
I said... I know I was lying. I wasn't the the who planned this. But still we were all in this together and now took all the blame? I don't even know how and why am I doing this but... I can't see Rin and Lala crying like that.
Mira looked back up when she heard me say that as, "That's not-" she tried to say something but I quickly reached out and stopped her.
Just a small touch on her mouth and I shook my head to her as she looked at me with her eyes wide... It was the first time I was noticing her red eyes to be honest... and they were beautiful.
Anyways, she was about to say something more, but I stopped her as she just bit her lip and stayed quiet.
"So you're the ringleader, huh?" The director said as he looked at me and then without warning, he grabbed me by my shirt before lifting me like nothing.
It made me grown slightly due to pain, but I didn't cry out, least I let him enjoy what he is about to do... even when it hurt.
"You need to be taught a lesson," the director said as he then turned towards Jay and Mira. "Both of you, get back to your room... Now." He said as I slightly tilted back my head with all that difficulty.
Looking at Jay, I moved my lips and when tho I never siad anything, he still understood... "Leave" he thought in his mind as he nods before pulling mira with him.
Even tho she kept looking back, she still let Jay pull her as l just kept looking at them with a slight smile on my fa-
SLAP!!