Falsum Caelum

Chapter IV

"Sixty years ago... I was about your age, I believe. There were soldiers from Haven that came to this very village. They said they were merely on patrol, so we left them alone. A few of them warmed up to the townsfolk; I remember my late husband inviting a few inside our home for dinner. They treated us nicely, and we had a joyous time. However... Hm... I cannot remember how exactly it started, but there was a fight between the old man, Reed... Or was it, Paul..? One of those two old men, I believe... He was shouting and cursing at the soldiers. Oh, dearie, it was a nasty sight. They had to incapacitate the poor man and put him in chains. I do not know why he was shouting... But I do remember that, after this ordeal, the townsfolk became hostile towards these soldiers. I do not know what they did to deserve such treatment, but I can understand why after what they did to us. A few days of hostility passed, and the soldiers were about to leave the town, but before they did, they set the entire town ablaze... The intense heat and bright orange flames devasted everyone. All of the homes were burnt to ash in mere hours...."

She pauses, wiping her eyes at the memory. I cut in,

"Hey... You don't have to tell me everything else... I know how horrible this was for you."

She smiles and chuckles gently, patting my hand,

"It's quite alright, dearie, but thank you. It was a long time ago, and now our town is peaceful and thriving."

I smile at her, but something about her story doesn't add up.

"Miss Lana, I'm a bit confused. Why would the entire town hate Haven's soldiers because of one man's actions? And why would the soldiers even light the town on fire for no reason?"

"I do not know, but I can never forgive that horrible place for what they did to us. When I went traveling with my husband a few years after the incident, we were still in the process of rebuilding, so we had to collect wood from outside of the town. We stumbled upon Haven's walls and saw them getting rid of elderly bodies through the walls, as I mentioned earlier. I do not know the reasoning for this myself... You said that the elderly go to Heaven, yes?"

"Yes. All of the people at the age of sixty are taken through the grand doors in the front of the palace to climb the stairs to Heaven."

Lana pauses, deep in thought, then continues,

"Dearie, you can see that this is a lie now, yes?"

Hold on a minute. Why on earth would Father Uriel lie about this in the first place? I suddenly feel really sick. There's no way Heaven was a lie, right? I clear my throat,

"Lana, I don't feel so well. I want to go to bed and process this... It's..."

"Ah, take your time dear. Take your time. I will be right out here if you need anything at all."

"Thank you, Lana... Actually..."

I turn back towards her before walking back to my room.

"I have a question for you specifically."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

She stares at me, wide-eyed and confused at the question.

"I'm a complete stranger to you. Not only that, but I come from the place you hate the most. Wouldn't you have more of a reason to hate me than care for me?"

She smiles to herself, then looks at me with her cheery, sparkling eyes,

"Oh ho, dearie, I could never hate you! You're a victim of Haven's crimes, not the cause of them. I wanted to do everything to help you poor thing."

The sickness in my stomach goes away. My cheeks grow warm, and my head fills with a calming fuzzy feeling. I step forward and hug the old woman.

"Thank you, Lana!"

I can feel the corners of my mouth curl up and tighten into a smile. This feeling... I've never experienced anything as incredible as this. To be comforted and cared for by someone with more experience than me, to embrace such a person... Is this what it's really like to have a parent? I break away from Lana, thank her for her kindness once more, then head back to my room. Lying on the bed, I try to process everything that's happened this morning, but every time I think about anything related to Haven, or Father Uriel, I feel ill. But Lana, I feel so safe and happy with her. I've never been around someone so old before, but now I'm happy I got the chance. I can't believe Haven would kill people like her- My eyes well up at the thought of that, and soon after I feel the gentle stream of tears trickling down my face. I've been lied to. My whole life I've been lied to. I clench my fists in anger. I cannot believe Uriel would lie to us, his children, about this. My anger overcomes my sadness. I can't really do anything about it though, but I am curious. I want to know why I've been lied to, and why those soldiers massacred this town. The more I think about it all, the more my drowsiness overcomes me until I succumb to it.