Two years. That’s a lot of time for a lot of things to have changed. But Haru never expected Akira to start believing in Illumin. So, he was rather surprised when she thanked the supposed god for her survival and recovery at the bonfire the previous night. As much as he tried not to judge, there was a part of him that couldn’t help it. They heal her—not even completely—and boom, she starts believing in Illumin? he thought to himself as he walked towards the infirmary.

Honestly, he wasn’t going to talk about her new beliefs. But when he didn’t find her in her hospital room and the nun told him that she had gone to the chapel to offer her prayers, he groaned and rolled his eyes—much to the nun’s horror. He gave her a not-so-apologetic smile and walked towards the chapel.

The morning service had begun and the chapel was a bit more crowded than usual. No matter the crowd, finding Akira wouldn’t be a problem anymore, thanks to the bright orb that hovered over her head. Haru made his way to the bench she was sitting on and took the seat next to her. “Really? Prayers?” he asked in a hushed tone. The old woman sitting on the other side of Akira heard him unfortunately and gave him a scathing look. The priest began his preaching and he sat there impatiently. “How’s the wound?” he asked in a whisper, and yet again was subject to the angsty look from the old woman, which he masterfully ignored.

This was getting far more annoying than she had expected. To play the part of the faithful was taxing. Especially if it involved waking up an inhuman hours (for her anyways) and slowly going through the cumbersome morning routine. All that only to pretty herself up and make her way to the chapel. Even when she was almost in too much pain to take herself for the morning prayers, the healing nuns used a lacrima powered chair to hover her there. Apparently, it was out of the kindness of their heart, so as to not steal the opportunity to pray and show her devotion to Illumin from her.

They were convinced that faith in itself had restorative powers. That it would earn her the grace of Illumin, which would miraculously fix her curse. The Shimada's practical and scholarly self couldn't disagree more. But there was no room for her beliefs, or lack thereof. Not on her mission. She wasn't sure whether to continue going through with it, considering that her magic was not exactly functional and she had not found a way to relay that fact to her mentor for further analysis. But meanwhile, since she was already in the belly of the beast, she couldn't possibly waste the opportunity.

So there she was, listening to the father preach. His words were disjointed and he often mumbled. The church was crowded, which was expected given that this was the aftermath of a rather brutal incursion. Somehow, the Church was among the only buildings which was left entirely unscathed. Not just that, it wasn't even threatened. Perhaps that just served to enhance the hope and faith people had towards the establishment. The Shimada wasn't expecting company. But when she noticed her ex-partner, she felt relieved. Not what her patronising hushing and shushing relayed though. 'Shh... Not now.'

Haru just sat there blinking stupidly when even Akira shushed him. She had not answered his question. But from the looks of it, he could only assume things haven’t gotten worse since the previous day. Surely, the nuns would have allowed her to rest if it was absolutely necessary… right? Or did they think her presence at the morning service was more important than her recovery. When he thought about it, he figured they were one and the same in the eyes of the religious.

Seeing how he was stuck there and had nothing better to do, he decided to listen to what the father was preaching. He never really finished any of his sentences, and if he did, then no one heard him. And yet, the crowd seemed rather devoted to his words, with most of them listening keenly. It wasn’t like the teachings were cruel or immoral. Almost everything that the man said, Haru agreed with. The only thing that he couldn’t truly connect with was the worshipping part.

The swordsman lost his patience when the father began repeating the same thing, only in different words. He found the paintings on the walls and the architecture of the chapel a lot more interesting. As his gaze moved from one painting to another, he saw something rather unexpected. A large wall-size painting slid slightly away, opening a small entrance, and out came a man. Immediately after he came through, the wall closed behind him, leaving no trace that it was a door. The man looked around, as if to see if anyone saw him come out from there. Haru swiftly looked away from his direction to ensure their eyes didn’t meet.

Haru was curious. After what he heard from Adelaide, he couldn’t help but imagine it to be the base of the fanatic side of the Holy Knights. Especially since the man who came out looked like he didn’t want to be noticed by anyone.

There were so many pieces of her that wanted to reach out to her ex-partner. Mentally and physically. Her hands were firmly flattened against her thighs to prevent any of those parts of her from acting out. She even kept her gaze planted on the preaching man. Though she could hear his words, she didn't pay much attention to them. She was far too distracted by the presence on her side. The ex-healer had forgotten everything that had happened between them, and he had showed up for her. He had not even bothered to inquire about all those rumours that were flying around about her.

She wished it was because he didn't care, or could find reasons for the choices she'd made. But it was also likely that he was simply being prudent considering that Adel had been with them. His presence made her nervous. Was it time for that confrontation? She had not been particularly polite about the conflict with Baldanti, maybe she was misjudging his intents all together. Suddenly, her thoughts were colored quite differently. Her fingers closed into a fist. The Shimada had easily discerned that Tsuru was a little on the edge about the change in her faith. In fact, he'd made it a point to let her know that...

She could only hope that with time things would crystallise and provide meaning. For now, she could definitely not risk a scene in such a public place. It could ruin the carefully laid out plan. It was rather painful to risk their relationship, especially now that it seemed that it could be a possibility yet again, but duty called. She decided to not acknowledge his presence as anything too significant for the time being. As the sermon wrapped up, she got up and with a polite nod she excused herself, hoping he would understand and not follow for the time being.  

The sermon went on for about fifteen minutes, but it felt like an hour. When it finally came to an end, he thought he would get some time to talk to Akira. He didn’t want to dig up the past. Not the one before they split up or the one after. The Lieutenant simply wished to talk her into joining the Knights again. He had seen people who had done far worse things still remain within the organization without as much as a mark on their file. He wasn’t going to let Akira be used as a scape goat for the faction. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as interested in returning as he was in having her back. When the service was done and the crowd dispersed, his ex-partner left with the crowd with nothing but a nod towards him.

Haru let out a soft sigh and nodded back. He didn’t get up and follow her. Instead, he just sat there until there was no one else in the chapel except him and the father. So far, he wasn’t sure how or when to approach Akira with the topic. Now, he wasn’t sure if he should at all. He started to wonder if she was better off with the church and its Holy Knights. Adelaide was still part of it. So, they weren’t all bad.

As he sat there wondering, his eyes fell upon the wall that had the secret passage. His curiosity took over and he looked around. Even the priest had retired to his chambers by then. He was all alone in the chapel. Haru got up and walked as silently as he could towards the wall. He figured whatever mechanism that opened the passage must be behind the painting hung on the wall. His hands raised to touch the painting, but before he could, he heard a voice behind him and he turned swiftly to meet the one who interrupted him.

It was the same man who had come through the passage. “Can I help you?” he asked. Haru was shocked and couldn’t understand where he came from. But he had to come up with some excuse quickly or he sensed he would be in trouble. “Er… The painting. It’s beautiful,” he stated abruptly. “Yes! One of the most famous and prized possession of this church,” the man replied calmly. But his tone changed rather quickly. “Which shouldn’t be touched by the likes of you,” he added rather poisonously.

Haru’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t understand what made the man have such hatred for him. But he knew he had to get out before making a scene. “Sorry!” was all he managed, as he raised both his hands and began to walk away. He could feel the man’s eyes on his neck, sending a chill, as he exited the church. Now, he was certain there was something sinister hiding behind that painting.