Tirsday, 21st of Juno, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

Timotheus had sat quietly while crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he concentrated on the worries of his future brother-in-law. As Johannes was talking and laying out his complicated feelings, Timotheus couldn't help but smile apologetically. A lot of Johannes' worries were in no small part also caused by Timotheus' strained relationship with his parents and their apostasy.

Timotheus noticed Johannes' had finished talking and was waiting for his thoughts on the entire matter. Timotheus didn't immediately give his thoughts, choosing only to nod as he felt the waters of the river pass through his toes. Some small fishes might have been nibbling on his feet or perhaps it might be the sand.

He finally exhaled a sigh before looking at Johannes with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Jojo, I truly am. Both to you and to Maria." Timotheus said as he turned once more towards the river reflecting the shine of the moon.

"I… That's not what I meant, lae. I didn't mean to say any of that to blame you for anything. You don't need to apologise…" Johannes placed an arm around Timotheus' shoulder but it did little to comfort him.

"There's a lot I need to apologize for, Jo." Timotheus shook his head "Perhaps not to you or my sister directly despite all the difficulties. But…"

The young priest's words trailed off as his gaze grew downcast. Johannes didn't press on any further. Perhaps Johannes knew that his own feelings about the situation remained very muddy.

"I'm a lousy priest, aren't I?" Timotheus asked his sister's lover once more. Johannes didn't dare to answer though Timotheus thought the answer was an obvious yes. "On the one hand I preach of the saviour's forgiveness and mercy yet I seem to find those virtues lacking within myself. Most especially towards the two people of whom scripture compels us to honour the most… I won't lie, even until now I don't know how to face my father or mother. I have many things to wrestle with and these aren't easy problems to solve."

Johannes nodded as it appeared he was sympathising with Timotheus. The young priest continued to chuckle at his own perceived failures.

"Did you know all of their issues really started when the Ephorus wasn't able to do anything about Togar's condition?" Timotheus asked.

"I do know, yes." Johannes nodded.

"Maria really does tell you everything, hahaha." Timotheus shook his head as he chuckled. "It wasn't the child's fault he was born sickly, but the extent to which my parents went to… Questioning one's faith is something I'm sure everyone struggles with especially when it comes to matters of one's children. Lord knows even I had been tested during the whole ordeal. But the extent to which my father and mother went? To use profane pagan blood magic? The price of it is steep and I am unsure I could live with such a consequence…"

"I won't defend what they did, lae. But I'd be lying if I said I couldn't understand it. It's their child after all. Your own brother."

"I do understand, which is what makes it all the harder for me…" Timotheus shot back, his tone rising a bit but he quickly recomposed himself. "...I'm sorry. It's… I just want you to know that above all else, I'm very thankful for you. I really am. As Maria's brother, I thank you for giving her a proper shoulder to cry on. I thank you for being ears that could properly listen to her complaints with my biases. It's a hard ask, lae, but I truly do pray for the best. With my family's situation and my own shortcomings, all I can ask is that you continue to give your grace once you become one with Maria. Continue to be her support… Be the person I failed to be as her brother."

"Of course, lae. You needn't even mention it." Johannes nodded affirmatively. Timotheus nodded too.

"Tell you what, I have something I need to ask of you, lae." Timotheus asked Johannes who lifted his head at the request.

"Sure, anything. What do you need?"

"Can you pray for me, lae?"

"I'm not sure I heard that right. You want me to pray for you… the priest?" Johannes asked incredulously.

"Oh, so now because I'm a priest I can't ask my brothers to pray for me anymore, is that it?"

"No, that's not what I meant, I'm just very surprised, because I-…"

"Just pray for me and after that, I'll bless you." Timotheus cut Johannes off as he immediately bowed his head and folded his hands in prayer, not wanting for Johannes to refuse any further.

Johannes heaved out a small sigh before following suit and bowing his head as well. He then started, "Marhitehite goarni Debata Ama, dohot Anak, dohot Tondi Parbadia. Lord in Heaven Above, we thank you for Your grace and mercy upon us that we may be gathered here together in relative good health… Lord, You know of all the trials and tribulations that we may be going through, especially for our brother Timo here. Lord, I only ask that you give to him the grace to act as Your servant, both in his ministry within Your church, as well as in his capacity as a brother and a son. Give him the patience to endure and to understand both his family and his own needs. And above that we ask for Your spirit to work in the hearts of our beloved parents, Tulang Partogi and Nantulang Lamria. All this we ask in Your Name, Amen."

Timotheus did not wait too long before he got up and placed both his hands to Johannes' head to bless him. He prayed, "Dame ni debata na sumurung sian saluhut roha, i ma na mangharamoti ateate dohot pingkiranmuna, di bagasan ni Kristus Jesus Tuhannami. Amen! (the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen!)"

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When Timotheus concluded his blessing, Johannes thanked him for it. The two were about to head back for the night but it was then they saw his father, standing there alone with his hands behind his back.

"...I need to speak to you, Timo…" His father looked at him with a stern expression. Timotheus had sighed inwardly at the sight. He complained in his mind before shooting a glance at Johannes.

"Remind me not to ask for prayers from you again, lae." Timotheus said half-jokingly. "It seems that God has a penchant for answering them quickly in the ways that we least expect it."

"Duly noted, lae." Johannes gave an awkward smile before excusing himself. "I… I think I should head back now too. It's getting very late…"

"I think that'd be for the best." Timotheus said.

Johannes quickly walked up to Timotheus' father before giving him the 'salim' gesture and leaving.

"You take care, Jojo. I don't want to see you coming late for the sibuhabuhai." Partogi said as he gave Johannes a few taps on his back.

"Of course, tulang. You take care of yourself… I'll be going."

With Johannes leaving, it was only the two of them left. An estranged father and son with an equally strained relationship.

The Lord truly did work in mysterious ways. Timotheus had asked for patience in dealing with his family, but the Lord sent the Arch-heathen himself to appear before him. No prior practice but just straight to the

***

Partogi had stood a while from afar when he saw his son placing the blessing upon Johannes. He really was a priest of the church. A full on devotee of the foreign religion that had taken deep roots in Goria.

Perhaps if this was a decade ago, Partogi would've been very proud if someone told him his son was to be the youngest priest in the realm. But looking at where he was currently in regards to his faith… It was still surreal. They stood at opposite ends of a deep chasm that looked to be widening even further.

"So what is it you wanted to say to me?" Timotheus said curtly as he stood, his chest puffed out and his gaze sharp. He was showing a great discourtesy towards him as his father.

"Well, at least this time you're willing to at least talk to me." Partogi said "Perhaps your prayer for patience did something after all. Lord knows you'd need the patience with that temper of yours."

"I had promised bapatua that I wouldn't contend with you any further. At least until I can spare myself of your presence when you leave once more for Saorma."

"You say that as if I had a choice in my exile."

"You had a choice in your decision whether or not to abandon your faith." Timotheus' tone grew sharper and sharper as Partogi saw his fists were beginning to clench. "Do not fault oppung for his decision in that."

"I made the choice to save your brother's life!"

"Did that require you to leave your faith?! You could have asked for mercy afterwards! A confession of your sins!"

"Then that would force me to live out a life of a lie!!" Partogi shouted at his seemingly petulant son. He didn't even realise that his aura was beginning to leak from him. It hadn't been too long since he attained the fifth star rank and he was still adjusting his body to the changes. He quickly swallowed the words he was about to shout as he clenched his own fists.

Partogi cleared his throat before trying his best to not raise his temper against his openly rebellious eldest child.

"To confess one's sins, one is required to truly repent of one's actions." Partogi said "But I have nothing to repent of for my conscience is clear. I did no wrong and there is nothing you could say to convince me otherwise."

"You participated in a profane blood ritual!! You saved the life of my brother with the cost of a direct sacrifice of another human's life!" Timotheus held his head in frustration as he shouted.

"It was the life of a criminal scum! A beast who was captured for the drunken murder of his own wife and unborn child! The laws of this land would have demanded for his life to be taken anyways, why not put such a wretched soul to good use in the saving of an innocent's life?! I would've done the same thing a thousand times over were we to turn back time once more!"

"A god who would accept the sacrifice of such a blemished soul is no god worthy of worship." Timotheus uttered. "Unlike your 'gods', my one God doesn't require any sacrifice to please Him, save the sacrifice of His own self for us! My God doesn't require unworthy lives, He gave His life for our unworthy souls! But I'm being stupid telling you all of this when YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TAUGHT ME ALL THIS TO BEGIN WITH!!"

Partogi faltered when for a split second he saw the genuine pain in his son's eyes. A feeling of hurt and betrayal. It was something he was all too familiar with but he couldn't afford to back down at that point. Not when his own flesh and blood was showing such disrespect.

"Where was this Great God of yours when your brother was about to die?! Where was he when your mother was in pain from all the stress?! My gods may not be as 'perfect' as yours but at least I know what I'm getting when I give my supplications to them! The ancestors didn't sell us false hope of everything being okay so long as I worship them!"

"Are you fucking daft? Is this truly the great and knowledgeable 'Lord Partogi' whose intellect is spoken far and wide as one of the best minds in all of the Halaklands?" Timotheus scoffed condescendingly towards his father. "I would give you the answer of how God doesn't owe us anything, but it would be lost on you. Perhaps I was truly mistaken. If such a thing was enough to shake your faith then perhaps you never had any true faith to begin with."

"You pompous, irreverent, and arrogant child! Is your brother's life worth so little to you?! To your damned principles?!" Partogi couldn't quite contain his anger towards his son's disrespectful tone. What did he know? He didn't have a child. How could he know what it feels like for a parent to fear that they would lose their child? "You would think your brother's death to be a just punishment for sinners like me and your mother, is it? You were more concerned with whether he was baptised or not compared to whether he would live or die!"

"I care for my brother! I was concerned for his immortal soul! But even besides that, do you not think Maria and I toiled to no end to find a solution for him through medical means? We consulted all the physicians, we looked through all the tomes, and we were still in the middle of that when you decided that blood magic was the best option!"

"It was the only real option!!" Partogi finally said, frustrated. "Why can't you see that? Why do you insist that the life of some criminal is somehow worth as much as the life of your brother?!"

"Don't you dare put words in my mouth, you damned liar! I never said that!" Timotheus resisted "Blood magic always has a price and when you start seeing the lives of humans – regardless of who they may be – as acceptable pawns and sacrifices for whatever goal you have, where is the logical endpoint? Perhaps for such a sickness only so and so is needed, but what of the next illness? What if that next illness required the blood of an innocent? What would qualify then?"

"You don't know that!"

"Neither do you, you old fool!"

Partogi grit his teeth. It seemed like their argument would only continue on and on at this rate. He had thought of backing down, but this child in front of him won't see any value to that. If argumentation is what he wanted then argumentation is what he'd get!

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