cont. from x || @artisangoldfish
It had been increasingly risky to venture home late at night since the crumbling of their way of life for a thousand years. A good number had not accepted it—a changing of a nation could not be dealt with in one night. The Church was outed for its lies and though Atticus was a Priest, he could not turn his back to those who still called out to him.
Sins of thy father…
He too felt betrayed by the holy scripture he religiously studied for years on end. How he memorized the stories told by the elders, written in the books of Ishgard. Those long grueling hours by candlelight that he traced each sentence word by word in order to memorize it.
How all those times he gritted his teeth and raised his lance to strike down the enemies of his nation. When all along it was their people who started it. Those heretics sought the truth, turned into dragons by the aid of the creature’s blood. Though their method was wrong—it seemingly was the only way to them.
He wasn’t expecting an Auri to clutch his garments and bring him down to her level. She was surprisingly strong and with the hat he wore he did not retaliate. The punch was searing, and a cut raced across his upper cheek. The actions were brought on by alcohol, he could smell the ale exhuming off of her skin.
As she crumpled to the ground and he regained his bearings, he took his hand and grasped her elbow lightly. “My child, I do not curse you for harboring these feelings.” He felt the warm trickle of his abrasion on his cheek, the stinging of the cold bitter winds. “We all were lied to. If I spend all my days healing and saving those that need it, I still will not be able to atone for what the Church did and for what I supported.”
He slew those dragons that sought justice. He felt as though his sins weighed far more on his shoulders than those who merely spread the word of law. “Come, you are in no state to stay on these cold cobblestone streets.” With that, he guided her to stand on those wobbly legs. “And a cup of tea.. let’s flush out the alcohol.”