Chapter 18 (Part 1): The child in the cave

"….Huh…??"

So…. Who is going to explain why she found herself inside a dark cave like basement?

Because it was so dark to see anything except a faint shining stone that was embedded in a statue, Yuna wield her fire creating a butterfly whose heat is negligible but make it so that it was bright enough to lighten up the narrow dark underground cave.

"A….are you God?"

A soft voice rang out in the damp dark cave like basement.

"Holy sh—" Yuna bit her tongue in the last minute as her eyes land on the skeleton like child who was kneeling down in front of the statue and change her word unnaturally "Holy light shine on you...child"

Okay, what nonsense...blame the voice for talking about God so suddenly.

Its' okay to herself if she swear before older teenagers but it's not okay to swear in front of children, she has this few not necessary principle that she maintain as much as she could.

Because she was startled and was occupied with the alert thought of not swearing before a child as well as being spook with his bony appearance and making a hasty redemption, Yuna failed to register the child question and failed to notice the child bright eyes as she greets him jokingly.

After greeting the child, Yuna fall into a contemplation.

So….what is going on again? And should she be vigilant of this child in this dark damp place?

The child who was kneeling moves forward while the chains that bind his legs make a rattling sound.

He raises his hand that was bind in a chain as well and touches the fluttering butterfly that emits a warm light.

The butterfly disperses once the child get in contact with it before the scattering heatless flames binds again forming a butterfly.

"Its' warm….. beautiful…. And bright…."

The child mumbles, his eyes curios and bright looking at the butterflies that light up the dark, damp and cold place.

Only hearing the rattling sound did Yuna notice the chain that binds the child inside this basement caves.

"How did you end up here….no… Why are you here?" Yuna asked the child, still staying in her place and not approaching the child. Basic vigilance should be there even if the child does not look threatening.

Although the child look like a corpse, all skin and bones with sunken cheek; his bright golden iris conspicuously stood out.

"They put me here, they said only when I am in constant darkness will I crave for light and produce a powerful light" The child answers obediently, he looks up from his sitting position and question "Then why are you here?...."

The child stretch as if wanting to add something but holding back.

He wants to make sure something first.

"I heard your voice then I found myself here" Yuna replied simply because that is what happened.

Yuna want to panic and make noise but she was more scared of attracting danger so she forcefully calm herself and remain poised. It takes a whole lot of strong will. The bony corpse like child that was tied in a chain makes the situation even worse.

At Yuna answer, the child golden eyes seem to sparkle into millions of fireworks. It was as if the greatest treasure in the world has been given to him.

"...You really is my God"

The child mumble quietly such that Yuna could not catch his word....as if.

Her hearing has been sharpened so much so that right now, she can hear sound from miles away if she concentrates much less the sound of someone who is so close.

"My name is Yuna, a human being, not God" Yuna correct.

'I suggest you rectify your misconception child, I am a normal human that eat, sleep and poop....ugh….. eat…maybe, poop….ugh… not anymore, also, if I am a God, the world will end, I'm not kidding'

Okay, lets' not entangle on being human or not.

What makes a human being human is not their ability to poop, eat and sleep. It's their principle, perception and awareness that makes them, them.

"…..En, I know…. God cannot come to this world in their original form, they need a vessel" The child said elatedly as if showing off his knowledge, and there was even a hint of wanting to get praise for being knowledgeable.

Yuna choke at the child interpretation.

"I'm not God" Yuna try to explain but the child just nod his head as if showing his understanding which let her know that her meaning does not get through the child at all.

"I— forget it, who are they?"

Yuna gave up explaining, she is the type that does not like to entangle herself in explaining twice and this momentary laziness to explain things clearly will be a catalyst, something she will regret deeply in the later years to come.

The child looks down as if afraid of something.

"Can you not say it?" Yuna probe, she really wants to know what the hell is going on, the child is the only living breathing person at the moment and she want to get as much information as possible.

The child hurriedly waves his hand "I can say it but….." he stretch as he give a furtive glance at Yuna.

Yuna gave an encouraging gaze "Go on" I don't bite.

"….They are the high orders of Light God temple and must be much closer to you. So, chaining me up here must be for my own good, look I meet my God, I meet you" his voice tinge with elation.

"Hmmm….."

Yuna eyes became dark looking at the child who shows her a bright smile. The smile is not even cute with his skeletal appearance.

This feels like it contain a story that she will not like to hear. I don't feel like hearing it.

Still....

Looking at the chain and the now visible bruised and skinny child Yuna opens her lips and asked a question that she would like to avoid "How did they treat you and why, tell me first and I will decide whether what they did is good for you or not"

Damn her nosy self!

…..

Lucian, a blessed child who awakened a light element.

An orphan that was taken care of under the banner of the Light God temple.

On the day he awakened, Meira flower also nicknamed god of light flowers blooms beautifully around the light God temple.

His ordinary brown eyes turns Golden as if signifying that he is god of light beloved child for the god of Light is said to have a golden eye colour.

Lucian was brought inside the temple personally by the Bishop which makes him overwhelmed of receiving such a favour, he who was raised at the temple orphanage have great respect and admiration of Light God and its high rank worshipper whom they said is close to god.

From the moment he gain awareness, he was sorrounded with nothing but God's preaching.

Lucian who have the dream of being treated kindly and dream of serving the god he greatly admired didn't know that he enters hell and that it was the beginning of his hellish treatment.

He was immediately chained inside a deep dark basement cave and start receiving lashing and various form of physical torture.

They said they did it so that it could enhance his self-healing ability of those who awakened light.

He would groan in pain the whole night, sweat dripping and bloody. His healing ability was push to the brink to heal his body that was wounded and tattered so that he could survive and live.

He was only five years old then.

Day after day, night after night, he will endure torture and pain. Once his healing ability caught up with their torture, they will device a more pervasive method to torture him.

But after a long while later, his torturer would come only after a week or sometimes a month later because his healing ability caught up to their rhythm of torture.

Meals are given only once a week and his drinking water was made due with the dripping water inside the cave.

Night and day does not differentiate inside the dark cave. It was lonely and cold.

The silent and loneliness at times felt more torturing than the physical torture. He sometimes even makes a wishful thought that his torturer would torture him a bit longer so that he will not have to endure the loneliness.

He started loathing everyone but at the same time crave for someone.

His only company is the statue that was put inside the cave with a faint, negligible glowing stone on its chest. His torturer said that it was God statue.

Lucion simply believe his torturer word not noticing the mean joking face his torturer had at the time.

He spends his days alone and in pain inside the cave and one day, the Bishop finally visits him.

He still has that amiable smile and still talks to him ever so gently as if he was not the one who causes all his suffering and led him inside the cave with his hand.

He hated him, the person who is the catalyst of all his suffering but he is pathetic, he craves for his company. Crave for the company of anyone.

He will visit him once every three month and he will nudge towards him like a dog enthusiastically greeting his master. How much Lucian loathed himself.

After a while, he didn't come for a year and only visit him only once a year. His sole company became the statue which he naively believes it to be God statue. Even if he realized that it was not, he'd rather believed that he is accompanied by anyone, even if its' as omniscient and omnipresent as god which he cannot feel the accompany of.

Just the though of some omniscient being with him make him less afraid of the darkness.

At least, his mental state will be held together knowing that some omnipresent being is with him. He hold on desperately to not be numb and lose his sanity, becoming a mindless puppet of fear.

Because he was so lonely, he will pray and chat with the statue every day and felt attached to the only faint glowing stone.

He grew dependent on the statue and started to strongly desired for God, desperate for the God to really accompany him in his lonely confinement.

His only companion, his only God.

The Bishop said that he will no longer visit him as well as the torture ceasing to exist. He will no longer be given food so that his body can be purified. He said that once he craves for light enough, his potential will unravel and that all his hunger, pain and longing will no longer exist.

It might be true because in his hunger, desperate state and one last attempt, he called out ceaselessly for God and crazily crave for light such that the stone on the statue glow brightly and then a person appears before him.

That person creates beautiful butterflies inside the cave that emits warmth and light.

"A….are you God?"

He carefully asked.

The person looks at him, her black eyes fell on his face and she said slowly "Holy light shine on you...child"

The person voice, finally some voice he craved.

It must be God, Lucion thought still in a state of disbelieving.

A butterfly flies beside him and he moves slightly to touch the beautiful butterfly. It was warm.

"How did you end up here….no… Why are you here?" The person asked him, looking at him carefully.

It has been years since a person gaze land focusedly on him, he enjoy the attention so much that Lucion want to burst into tears but he forgot how to shed tears. His torturer have taught him not to spill tears and later, he became numb himself of the things done to him.

The Bishop even if he visits will keep a distance to him and does not even want to look at him as if he is filth.

"They put me here, they said only when I am in constant darkness will I crave for light and produce a powerful light" Lucion answers obediently, he looks up from his sitting position and question "Then why are you here?...."

He wants to add God but Lucion reserve himself.

What if it was not the God? He prays for God and if he mistaken it for some one…..Lucion eyes darkens menacingly, his God, no one is allowed to pose as it and no one is allowed to tarnished it.

"I heard your voice then I found myself here" that person said.

Lucion heart started to beat wildly when he heard the answer.

It is….it really is…..

"...You really is my God" Lucion whisper softly, he hold his chest to suppress his wildly beating heart that wants to go to its owner.

He has prayed, prayed that if his God came to him, his body, heart and soul will belong to his God enternally.

And his God….came to him.