Anastasia turned to run but the bishop grabbed her arm. She quickly turned to order him to let her go, but when she turned back, the eyes were gone.
The golden eyes were replaced with the color of stone. The princess stared in shock and confusion making the bishop look back at the statue. He stared for only a moment before looking back at the girl confused before replacing it with concern.
"What is wrong Sophia?"
Anastasia at first was too stunned to respond. She remained in her own mind where thoughts swirled in a violent twister.
"Were those… real eyes? How can he be?"
"Sophia?"
The words were like cold water over her face. She flinched her head to the bishop's direction, eyes still wide.
"I'm fine. It just… the smell reminded me of the slave cages," she lied.
Sebastian's expression softened at those words.
"I see. Another oversight on my part. I must sincerely apologize."
"No no. It's alright. Really. But why have you brought me here?"
Sebastian paused for a moment. He then turned and began to speak.
"You said you believed in the Aeon's, right?"
"Yes. I do."
"You believe in their kindness, yes?"
"Of course. How could I not?"
Again, he paused, piecing together words to try and make the girl understand.
"If that is the case, then why do atrocities still occur across the world?"
He turned around to face the girl again to see her reaction to the question. All that was reflected on her face was confusion.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because evil people exist."
"But why do they exist? Why are they allowed to continue to do harm to those who don't deserve it? To the innocent."
His voice had changed. Gone were the warmth and comfort in his words. Now, only cool, cold and calculating words came out.
"Shouldn't you know that being a bishop," Anastasia asked, "It's because the Aeon's aren't allowed to interfere with the affairs of man."
"But why can't they interfere? They didn't seem to have an issue making themselves known when it was them being threatened. So why not destroy those who would do harm? Or even aid those less fortunate? Maybe even work with kings to help better their kingdoms?"
Anastasia's face contorted in a mix of confusion and annoyance.
"I don't know. But it's not something for me to know. The divine have no need to justify their actions to those lesser."
"Maybe so. Or maybe, they have no justification."
Those words made Anastasia's heart quiver.
"Maybe they only say that in order to quell the brave souls that questioned them," he continued.
"What the hell is this guy saying? Those 'brave souls' are nothing more than blasphemers."
But she had no rebuttal for the man. All she could do was deflect the conversation.
"What is the point of this talk? Is the only reason you wanted to bring me here was to question my faith?"
"Of course not. It was to show you the truth."
He began to walk towards the front of the room, towards the statue of the man. Anastasia hesitantly followed him; fearful the statue would suddenly attack her.
"Who is this?" Anastasia asked.
Sebastian took a moment to respond.
"Salvation."
The amount of blasphemy coming from the bishop shocked the girl, even knowing he wasn't truly in the faith. The ease at which he dropped the façade surprised her.
He turned to her, a serious expression replacing the kind one before.
"He is the man who will free us humans from the shackles that have been placed on us by the Aeon's. For too long we have relied on unanswered prayers and delusion."
A small chuckle came out of the girl. It quickly turned into a hard laugh which didn't seem deter the man. This, however, did to deter the girl. She realized, this man was being serious.
"You must be joking. Salvation? Shackles? What in the world are you talking about?"
"This is no jest child. There is a truth that has been held from the rest of humanity. A truth that would shatter the minds of most."
He turned away from the girl and looked toward the dark ceiling of the room. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to speak words no child should hear.
"The divine have abandoned us."
A cold silence hung in the air after those words were spoken. Anastasia didn't know how to respond. To her, those words were pure heresy. Though laws were not as strict as they used to be, one could still be arrested for saying something like this.
"You may find what I say insane. I understand. I did too when I first heard them. But the more I saw, and the more I experienced, the more I couldn't ignore them. And soon… I came to accept them as truth."
Suddenly, Sebastian's face softened again.
"In time, you will realize what I say to you to be true. When you do, come back to me. I promise, I will guide you through the maze of life and show you, that you were meant for more."
He offered her his hand again. She didn't bother to even look at the gesture. She quickly turned and walked out of the room leaving Sebastian behind.
"He's insane. He's absolutely insane! I don't think I've met a more deranged man in my life. The Aeon's abandoning us? That's so crazy, I'm surprised they didn't strike him down immediately. Such blasphemy. Didn't even get any good information from him either."
As she walked, she continued to berate the man and his words. But in the back of her mind, the image of a once proud and strong woman lay in bed looking decades her senior. Frail, cold hands going limp as she breathed her last tired breath. Despite all the nights she prayed, tears falling down her cheek, no savior came.