The religions of Fiore were something that Jian held no interests in whatsoever, yet, he had to admit that the monuments created as a result of them were truly magnificent. As he sat within the dimly lit cathedral, he could do nothing but marvel at the sculptures within while a few others merely prayed quietly to themselves as they praised their deity.

Illumin, as they called him, was a false god. The idea of such a god was something that rang hollow, as there was no need for one within his own religion. Despite how he felt in regards to Fiorians being lead astray by this so called "God", he had to admit that he admired the strength of their fealty to it. In fact, it was that same dedication that inspired him to walk through the doors of this church.

It had been far too long since he last prayed to his ancestors and formed a connection with the other side through meditation. Though a church like this was nothing like the temples back home, he figured that a place like this was better than nothing. Thus, as the others within the church continued to pray to their God, Jian closed his eyes as he sat within one of the pews and began to meditate.

Chad had just completed a rigorous cleansing of his body after his string of unfortunate encounters had left him somewhat depressed. He had encountered so many people that he assumed would be able to give him an enjoyable fight, but in the end all of them ended up as part of his dry cleaning bill. It was frustrating to him that he couldn’t find a decent match for himself, even though he wasn’t that strong in the grand scheme of things. The cleansing that Chad had gone through wasn’t the most traditional one, as it had involved purging his system of the ridiculous amounts of booze he had been drinking. It also involved making sure his clothes were nice, clean, and free of blood stains, as no self respecting monk would be seen walking around with unclean robes. Besides making sure his clothes were nice and clean, Chad also took it upon himself to go and visit some of the religious sites in this town, as he felt it would be a good change of pace from the very violent lifestyle that he had been living for the past few weeks.

Given that he was planning on visiting a place of worship, Chad thought the he should be as respectful to the people there as possible, even if he didn’t share their religious beliefs. To make sure that he lived up to his own expectations, he took special care to make sure his bald head was shiny and immaculate, without a single sign of hair on his face. He had even gone out of his way to make sure his body was as clean as he could get it, having visited a public bathhouse earlier in the day as another part of his cleansing ritual. Upon his large body frame he had decided to wear all of the fancy vestemants associated with a monk of his previous status, including the complicated ornaments and cloth accessories. It was a much different look from his normal appearance, as he appeared far more regal and deserving of his title as a monk. This was further compounded by his handsome appearance, making his demeanour seem more ethereal and disconnected from the mortal world.

It was quite a juxtaposition from his actual beliefs of course, as he was the type to indulge in most forms of what the monks back home would call ‘degeneracy’ without batting an eyelash. Regardless of such things, Chad set out on a small pilgrimage to the nearest cathedral, hoping to experience something that could take his mind off the meaningless violence he had been brooding over. His foreign appearance and attire along with his unique bearing made many heads turn as he traveled through the streets. A sinese monk was not a common sight around this part of the world, but Chad was used to attention like this, so he continued on without paying much attention to ooglers. After traveling for some time he arrived before the cathedral. It was a large building, towering over the surrounding structures in a way that drew attention to its importance and grandeur. While Chad did not share the same religious views as the worshippers here, he still appreciated the workmanship required to create a structure like this.

After enjoying the scenery for some time he made his way through the large doors of the cathedral to take a look inside. For some reason he was expecting to see a large amount of people worshipping the idols carved into the walls, similar to how there were always monks meditating around places of worship back home, but it seemed as though he was not as familiar with the religious ways of these people as he thought. The large expanse that made up the inside of the cathedral was dusty and empty, with there only being a few sparse people within. One specific person caught Chad’s eye as he began to walk towards the central altar of the cathedral. This person stood out to him because he wore clothing from his home country of Sin. Chad had yet to meet anyone from Sin since he had come to this land, and the prospect of meeting a fellow countryman after so long caused him to bubble up with excitement. The thought put a smile on his face as he made his way towards where the man was sitting.

As he drew closer he noticed that the man was meditating instead of praying like the rest of the patrons. Seeing that the man was still adhering to the tenants of their home country brought satisfaction to Chad’s psyche, pushing out the negative thoughts associated with his recent murders. The only issue that Chad could see arising from his contact with this man would be that he might find his way of following the religion unorthodox and shun him. Chad wasn’t the type of hide his beliefs though, so he decided that if the subject of his religious beliefs were brought up, then he would speak the truth and hide nothing about how he worships. Though he was somewhat apprehensive when it came to sharing their common interest in their religion, he still felt that he needed to introduce himself so that he could form some form of connection.

After arriving about three feet away from the pew the man was sitting in, Chad said, “Amitabha Benefactor. What brings you so far away from home?”

He spoke in Sinese of course, to prove his origins and intentions. While speaking to the man, Chad placed his palms together in a position of prayer and gave a slight bow for the man to see when he turned around. Having gotten closer to the man, he was able to take a decent look at him even though he had yet to turn around. He was able to determine that he didn’t recognize the person and that he was quite young. It was a surprise to see someone so young but so far away from home, though Chad wasn’t one to talk, as it was possible this person was even older than him. All he had to do now is await the man’s response.

As Jian continued to meditate within the sanctuary that the church provided, he found himself falling into a deep, trance-like state. This wasn't out of the norm when it came to his meditation habits. Growing up, on top of allowing him to "connect" with the other side, it had always been something that Jian could turn to as a coping mechanism. The ability to simply let all the worries and hassles of the physical world melt away as he attempted to reach a state of cohesiveness with the entirety of the world around him. He felt that all were connected, and through that connection, understanding of all things could be achieved. This "connection" took the form of the spiritual world in which a majority of those of Sinian descent believed existed parallel to the physical plane. It was through the existence of this parallel world that the spirits of the dearly departed were still able to have such much influence on the world of the living.

This religion was one that taught that death was only a beginning, not an end. Everyone held a spirit, and through death, they were introduced into a world in which no pain, illness, or struggle existed. They became one with infinity, and were able to continue bestowing their favor upon their descendants - continually watching over them until it was their time to join the collective as well. It was a religion that provided hope to those that believed, and through this religion, Jian too had found the hope he needed to continue to strive for more in life.

Lost in these thoughts, Jian had failed to notice that a Monk he remembered very well now stood only a few feet away from him. It had been years since Jian had seen the man, but the words and ideas that he'd shared with the young Feng noble had stuck with him for years. Despite the age of the monk, he seemed to possess wisdom well beyond his years, enough so that Jian had begun to question very fundamental things about the religion that he held so dear.

It wasn't until Jian heard the words of his beloved language that he was broken out of his trance. In all honesty, he had't even heard what had been said - simply that Sinese was being spoken, and the voice didn't belong to his brother. He quickly turned around to face the speaker, only to find himself at a loss for words for a few moments, yet he soon began to reply in the Sinese language.

"Is that truly you, Mahasthamaprapta?"

Despite asking the question, Jian was able to recognize the man in front of him almost immediately. Though the years had certainly aged him, there was no way to forget a man that was able to produce this sort of "aura" about him. He hadn't changed at all.

"You've been in Fiore all this time?"

While he waited for for the former Monk known as Mahasthamaprapta to reply to his question, he couldn't help but be distracted by an obnoxiously loud voice that he hadn't heard in years. With the rumblings occurring within the church from his fellow patrons, it seemed they weren't thrilled to hear this distracting voice either. Though years had passed since he'd been in the presence of the woman this voice belonged to, he wasn't exactly sure if he should face the woman in question. He could have tried to act as if he weren't inside, but the fact that she was aware of his presence meant this likely wouldn't have worked at all. Why was she here? How did she even find him? Had she been sent by Sin?

There were simply far too many questions now, and Jian knew he needed to get to the bottom of all of them. With a nod in the direction of Mahasthamaprapta, he began to bit himself adieu.

"There's a festival occurring in Orchidia soon. I was planning on traveling there to take part. Maybe I'll see you there."

With that, Jian was off to meet his sister and catch up. He found himself immensely curious about what she'd been up to all these years.

[Exit]

Chad will filled with excitement at the prospect of being able to interact with someone from his home country, given that he had been away for so long. It was even better that this person was someone around the same age as him, as he would be able to relate with them a bit easier than older folks. What surprised him about this youth though, was that he actually recognized Chad. This made him quite confused and somewhat embarrassed as he couldn't recognize the youth before him. Given the way he was dressed it was possible he was a noble of some sort, but Chad did not want to be rude and make assumptions.

After standing in shock for a moment, he heard the youth ask him a question about how he had been in Fiore this whole time, as though he had been searching for him or something. Chad could not think of any reasons why this youth would be searching for him, but his thoughts were cut short by the piercing sound of a shrill female. Every member of the church congregation stopped what they were doing and looked over in disbelief at what had just happened. On top of this, the youth Chad was talking to suddenly mentioned a festival and left along with the loud woman. This left Chad dumbfounded of course, but the idea of a festival was appealing to him, so he decided that he might as well go to it and see if he could find anything interesting to do.

[exit]