MANDATES OF DIVINITY

EPISODE 13

Episode Thirteen

And when our might failed

He appeared like the brilliant sun

Only he lifted was a finger

And his enemies were no more

-Saint Giannis

Book of deeds.

A single headlight was anchored over his head. Save for the single desk, the entire room was blacked out, like a secret was being hidden from inanimate objects apart from the table. Smoke wafted from a red vase flanked by a big bundle of heavy books. A red pipe stood slouched against the vase, its smoke mingling with that from the vase.

Bent over the table was a very intent Xandar, boring over a giant mapped sheet, taking notes and making doodles in another sheet. Every now and then, he puffed at the pipe and continued his study session.

The charge hasn’t been given just yet, but soon it will be. He was confident about it. The church has been rattled to the core following Vio’s death. But just before it collapsed to the floor, he had intervened… “To the Glory of the giver and man,” he muttered silently to himself. Luckily, his shoulders were made of steel and was rock steady enough to handle the church’s structure.

The day of reckoning will always arrive. The church cannot continue to ignore the fact that they have to move on from Vio, who apparently cannot be buried. And the structure of the institution is under threat as the damned will surely take advantage of this seeming weakness to attack the church.

Ramblings under the floor got his attention. It was like chaos found its hold below. A little bit startled and curious, he started to pack up his study sheet. Discreetly, he placed the study sheet in a booklet, tucked inside a book which was tucked in another book closet and gently tucked a metal drawer. Quick raps hit the door. Xandar didn’t turn to address it. He stared coldly at the book bundle hosting his study sheets, keeping his gaze steady over the title.

“I’m studying,” he said rather impatiently.

“Your Eminence, you should see what we found.” The voice calling from the other side said.

“Call some other Bishops at their quarters. I’m busy. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“Alright, your Eminence,” the voice sounded resigned. “Some priests are already at the site of the scene. They confirmed that we have been infiltrated by members of the damned.”

“What scene?”

“We found a body four hours ago, early this night.”

Xandar glanced briefly at the clock on his desk. Then with a bored yawn said dryly.

“Late last night.”

The voice paused for a moment as though he wanted to check his throat.

“Ur… Yes, your Eminence. Late last night.” He must have discovered the time was 3am.

“Pass my orders to every ordained priest at the site not to leave until I get there. And double reinforcements at every checkpoint.”

“Yes, Your Eminence,” the voice said before a set of trailing steps accompanied it.

Xandar yawned again and stretched tightly till his knuckles cracked. He was obviously tired. It had been a very draining session at the drawing board. But first, he had to attend to the emergency on hand. Pulling off his bed robes and putting on a white cassock along with a short prayer, he left the room muttering to himself.

“Whoever it was, he is still within this territory. We’ll spread out on all external fronts and press tightly inwards till we find him and crush him.” Then the door snapped shut.

At that moment, a facial outline with a very sly smile materialized on the top of the metal drawer and slowly, a figure climbed out of the framework of the drawer, like he was a part of the drawer. He was totally metallic, then the metals seem to recede into his bloodstream. Satisfied that he was flesh and blood again, he dragged the book bundle that Xandar placed in the metal drawer.

He had every chance in the world to attack Xandar. Yet, for some reason, he chose not to. There was something about Xandar that needed checking up. What was it that made an impatient man stay up all night, scribbling seriously and hard?

Vigo’s answer wasn’t far away from him. He removed the wide sheets and spread them out on the table. All he saw were mappings. They looked like some military mumbo-jumbo. The church would be wise to start mapping out defense strategies in the wake of their weakness after the death of their genius Pope, he thought to himself.

But what was the church doing all those peaceful years? No reinforcements, no alternative measures in the case of dire necessity, just like the one they just found themselves in. It’s what happens when one gets too comfortable. Delusion is easily experienced in this stage.

See how he found his way in without a scratch. It was quite easier than he’d anticipated. The church had gone really weak. Anybody could attack their temples now and take as much treasure as they want. Just like the guys that just made the weird murder. Whoever they were, if the church isn’t so over-panicky, it is just confirmation to Vigo that the ants are already eating up on the sweet cake. Even those within the walls of the church are desperately seeking its downfall.

Probably, everyone is tired of the boring church story. The world evolves constantly. And the church was programmed against progress and change. It’s only a matter of time before the progressive times loom over the church like a grim haunting shadow and swallow it up.

That brought Vigo to the question: On hindsight, can it really be said that Vio was successful? Or just plain untested?

For a moment, Vigo was disgusted he shared the same name-letters with the deceased pope.

Something flashed suddenly across Vigo’s eyes. He peered closer at Xandar’s mapping sheets. It suddenly got so familiar to him. He had seen this sort of diagram somewhere once and he knew what it did to human history and the direction of civilization. This one was quite improved but with a ton of weight. What was the church up to? An even better question, why is Xandar…

His train of thoughts suddenly stopped. Instantly, he rolled the sheets back and stuck it in the book bundles, went straight for the drawer and returned them, merging with the silver sheets of the drawer once again. He came into the room with questions, now he was leaving with no answers and double the number of questions.

Xandar walked back in tired and a little bit stunned. The body was truly a product of an act of some miscreants from the Blue provinces. And God help the church it wasn’t the same people who attacked Vio. Or the person… the mere point of one person matching up to the Pope was sickening. The entire cardinal order combined together would still find it hard to take down Vio, not only because Vio had monstrous power, but because he was also the Pope!

Those involved will be found. Xandar was fully confident of that. If the church doesn’t find them, they’ll open up themselves. Either way, it would be just a matter of weeks. The plan to whisk them out was already there, upstairs, in his head.

Even in the church’s burning moments, even when they get reduced to flakes, there is always the one weapon that has gone undefeated, which they currently possess. And that fairly unfair advantage was brought in at no better time than this moment of need.

But while it’s one thing to know a solution was close by, it’s another thing to be able to identify that solution. He had tested the signs, tested the rumors, and tested his personal suspicions. If anything at all, the sight of the Godling was always eluding the church. Throwing signs and mark posts everywhere but in such a way that those very signs masked him.

Or her…

She was his best bet at the moment. She fit the bill. She wasn’t mature but she was able. If she was he, why she isn’t opening up is another mystery in its entirety. Was it for want of better timing? Was he just there to watch the direction of the church till the moment he was needed the most, then he reveals himself in full glory and honor?

Well, he might not be wiser than the Godling, but he has his own plan to reveal the Second Coming before his timetable. He might not be able to pinpoint the entity, but he would be able to pinpoint his location.

But first, they’ve got to fish out these miscreants. Some members of the Sancti Primus were already analyzing the remains of the freshly decayed body. Reports to emerge the next morning would be the pacesetter for what’s to come next. Overconfidence bit the church hard, the same overconfidence will kill these spawns of the unclean.

The church might be miles away from whatever level of advancement the Blue Provinces currently has, but never in the history of mankind was it said that darkness outshined the light. Most especially when light himself walked the floors of the earth.

A bit angry that his concentration on his study desk had been interrupted due to the chain of events, he decided to finally clear his thoughts and take up his spiritual exercise towards elevation. Sitting gently on a flat elevation, he crossed his legs, took deep breaths and slowly transcended deep inwards to his spiritual temple.

The serenity was gracious. Then came an unexpected… “SNAP!”