Chapter 76

Previously in NWC-

Reno and Luna purchase a bag for Luna to use during their trip. They also decide to get Reno a set of leather armor that Kent says he will resize. With that purchase out of the way, they begin making their way to Lyn's to meet up with CeCe and Lyn. However, on their way there Reno notices the church open and gets curious. Suddenly, as they approach, a man meets them...

In front of them was a man who stood roughly Reno's height of 6 feet (~1.8m), just slightly shorter. His face appeared extremely relaxed and gave off the aura of someone who was calm and collected through experience. His visible outfit was a simple white garb with a water drop on either side. The sleeve cuffs as well as the middle had golden embroidery to give the clothes just a hint of personality without making too much of a statement. The man has short gray hair, the largest identifying factor of the man's age. While ultimately youthful, his face has a small amount of wrinkles around his mouth and under his eyes. He wore squared glasses with green rims that seemingly accented his brown eyes. Despite having never met him before, the man gave off the air of an old friend, surrounded in a cloud of nostalgia. He slowly reaches out a hand towards the group, bowing slightly. "Hello, my children! I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet! My name is Donny, and I am the priest of this humble church" He smiles warmly as he waits for any sort of response.

Reno awkwardly shakes hands with the man, smiling in return. "Hello, sir. My name is Reno, and this is my sister, Luna." Reno nods his head at Luna.

Donny nods his head and smiles, his eyebrows rising in excitement. "You're the Reno that Ben has been telling me so much about?! It's quite an honor to finally meet you in person!" He lets go of Reno's hand and bends down, meeting Luna's height and softly offering his hand to her. "I hadn't heard he had such a precious sister! It's nice to meet you, Luna!"

Luna gently shakes his hand, smiling. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Donny!" She nods her head in excitement. Even if Donny wasn't aware of it, Luna was ecstatic to meet the only one who preached about her. To Luna, this was like meeting a celebrity, and she was taking in every moment of it.

Donny lets go of Luna and slowly rises, struggling a little bit. He stands up straight and bows his head slightly. "I welcome you to our humble church. Have you two heard of the goddess Mixzys?"

Reno nods his head, pulling out the necklace the mayor had given him. "The old man mentioned her. He gave me this that he and his son supposedly made."

Donny nods his head slowly, letting out a noise of amusement. "Ahh! Interesting! Our Ben is very fond of you it seems! I remember that day when he brought his son in and they made those together one Saturday! Seeing that old necklace get attention truly warms my heart!"

Reno suddenly feels a slight bit of panic building in his heart. He looks at the necklace and shakes his head. "The old man said they'd made a bunch of these! How do you know exactly which one this is?"

"May I?" Donny gently holds his hand out, patiently awaiting Reno's response. Reno gently hands over the necklace and Donny gently feels the fabric holding the piece together. "As I suspected. When Ben's wife unfortunately passed at a young age, they honored her memory and devotion to Mixzys by using strands of her wedding dress to make necklaces. They wanted to make one for everyone in the village, but time just seemed to run out it seems! They made quite a few, but this one you can tell is the first."

"(I kind of feel guilty denying this at first. I had no clue he used his dead wife's wedding dress to make this!)" Reno scratches his neck, beginning to get nervous. "How can you tell?"

"The material of this one is made of rope!"

Reno's face sours as he raises his voice. "You scared me! I thought I was holding on to something super important!"

Donny chuckles watching Reno's reaction. "On their wedding day, poor Emily's wedding dress broke, and it didn't fit anymore! She was convinced Ben wouldn't want to marry her anymore, but that's when he tied it together with this small rope, telling her 'We're getting married no matter what it takes!' I remember it like it was just yesterday." Donny returns the necklace, smiling. "They kept that small piece of rope and loved to joke that no matter what happened, that little rope would keep them together, just like Emily's wedding dress."

Reno sighs, shaking his head. "So it is important! Why the hell did he give this to me?!"

Donny chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. "I suppose we'll never know!" His eyes glint with playful mischief.

Luna watches, smiling. "You seem to know a lot about the mayor, Donny. You two must have known each other for a long time?"

Donny nods his head. "That is correct! We were both born here many years ago. Back then the village wasn't even a village yet. It was just a handful of people. Just a group of adults with a dream and us kids!" Donny smiles sweetly, reminiscing on the past.

Reno's eyes widen as he hears this. "So, you guys are kind of like the founders, then?! That's amazing!"

Donny nods his head slowly. "You could say that! We might have been young, but I suppose we were here when Bambadale officially became a town. So, in a sense, I guess you're right!"

Luna tilts her head slightly with curiosity. "It might be a little off topic, but now I'm curious. Do you mind answering a question?"

"Not at all, my child!"

Luna smiles slightly. "How'd you become a priest for Mixzys? I guess what I really mean is; how did word of her travel out here?"

Donny visibly perks up at being asked about Mixzys, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "A great question indeed! In my time of need, I was in a very bad place. It seemed like everything was getting worse and that it would never get better. That's when I happened to come across a small book. I wasn't able to get rid of it, so I ended up getting curious and reading it. Let me preface with I used to think I wasn't easily swayed, but this book opened my eyes. It wasn't a magical book in the sense of it being a grimoire, but it had a magical aura to it. As I read more and more, I felt that the aura seemed to be comforting me, like the entire purpose of the book wasn't meant to teach me or entertain me, but it was solely designed to comfort. I read it from front to back and it changed my life. I later discovered the book was the bible of Mixzys, a goddess that used to be more widely celebrated, but recently has lost traction. Something about that resonated with me, so I decided to explore it. I soon became absorbed with the teachings of Mixzys, and I made it my life's goal to ensure her word is preserved in hopes that the future generation would one day discover her once more." The entire time Donny speaks, his smile never fades. It's apparent that the topic of his religious beliefs is something he holds dear to him.

"I see. That's a very beautiful tale, Donny." Luna listens, her heart tightening more and more. For her, this was the first time in many years that anyone had spoken highly of her as a goddess. Donny has no way of knowing that the same goddess he worships was right in front of him, and it takes everything in Luna's power not to announce her return. She gently reaches up and squeezes Reno's hand to get his attention.

"Hmm?" Reno glances down to see Luna on the verge of tears. He sighs, understanding what she was trying to get at. He smiles, looking at Donny once again. "It was really nice meeting you, Mr. Donny! So nice I almost forgot we were a little busy! Luna and I need to go take care of some things, but we'd really like to hear more later!"

Donny nods his head and bows humbly. "The church of Mixzys is always open to all! Do not be afraid to stop by anytime!" His smile grows slightly as he bends down to meet Luna's height. "Oh, and little Luna." He gently places a hand on Luna's head, sighing. He nods his head, seemingly affirming a suspicion. "I can feel it. Mixzys is with you, my child. I haven't felt this much of her presence since I picked up that little book many years ago." He slowly stands back up, letting out a long breath. "Be safe, you two!" Donny bows his head slightly before retreating into the church.

Reno looks down at Luna and tilts his head in curiosity. "You okay?"

Luna wipes her eyes, nodding her head. "I'm sorry, Reno. I'm just a bit overwhelmed."

Reno watches as Luna recollects herself. He smiles, nudging her. "Would it make you feel better if I got you some cookies from Lyn?"

Luna is silent before speaking weakly. "Can we?" Finished with their detour, they make their way to Lyn's to meet with her and CeCe to discuss their plan for tomorrow. 

TO BE CONTINUED...