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Chapter 42

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Morning has finally arrived after everyone in Cirencester calmly exited their homes to attend business or simply have chit chat among themselves, and they are pretty excited about starting another day together. Despite being part of a different culture, these people have always been happy and content with their lives as they are.

Exhaling in relief, Seth breathed in the fresh air of the outside as the beautiful sun rays touched his skin, smiling in gratitude to have been alive and well despite everything. Last night was interesting; he and his friends have experienced a lot. The automaton known as Nye took them in for safety from the undead that lurked through the darkness.

Although he was nonetheless thankful for the woman's help, despite being informed she wasn't human in the first place, Glancing around at the people, he notices they don't look different or have clothes that match modern times. In fact, no one here looked out of place except one.

At the corner of his eyes was a group of children playing tag near one of the cherry forests. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until his very own eyes landed on a particular boy who looked very unusual compared to the others and was wearing a white sleeveless tunic shirt. Seth noticed something odd about him.

Sitting in the background within the woods is what he was drawn to learn about this child, as he can't break the feeling that someone is in need of help, and being the Son of God, it is his duty to save all that requires salvation. Stepping his foot onto the grass, he carefully approaches the isolated kid.

As soon as the young man came into the boy's line of vision, he instantly froze in his spot. The blank expression was difficult to read due to his black hair covering his eyes altogether. However, Seth didn't stop moving further to meet him.

"Hello," Seth greeted casually, stopping beside the quiet child. He took note that he doesn't respond to or care about it. "What's your name?" He asked kindly, hoping that he would answer back with confidence in speaking his name.

Unfortunately, Seth got nothing as the boy remained silent. In addition, he doesn't seem to have an interest in speaking to anyone whom he understands deeply. When he was a child himself, the idea of speaking with others, let alone having friendships, seemed impossible.

Until he met his precious companions, who helped him become the man he is right now. And because of that, he hoped to help these lost souls by saving them from their despair by offering them faith or guidance to improve the lives of those around him.

After a minute of silence, the quiet boy shifted awkwardly in this uncomfortable atmosphere they're having between themselves, "Pino," finally speaking to him in a whisper manner. Nothing else was said after that, but Seth was willing to wait for him as long as it took.

"Nice to meet you, Pino," Seth smiled gently, continuing the conversation. "May I sit with you?" He asked, pointing out the log. The child nodded his head slowly, signaling that it was fine. Sighing happily, he took a seat with ease, as though he was used to it already.

"I will not hurt you; do not worry," reassuring him with a gentle expression, hoping to ease his worries; "my name is Seth, by the way," introducing himself. This doesn't seem to work in gaining trust, as Pino looked down at his feet with lowered shoulders while remaining silent.

Aside from the doll joints with which this child appeared, he didn't care what kind of person he was talking to, for every creature is accessible to God's love and grace. It also hurts Seth's soul when people feel lonely and unloved. This is why he will do anything to remedy their loneliness by healing their broken hearts.

"Why don't you go play with the other kids?" He inquired, tilting his head sideways, "Don't they treat you nicely?" Asking with curiosity. While they're not that far from where everyone else is, this is probably one of the reasons why he is distanced from the group of children who are having fun.

There are times when children aren't able to get along with others, including when they are left out entirely. This goes to people who have lost purpose and still believe they are children at heart; growing older never stops the childlike wonder of their imagination.

"I don't like them. They hate me." The quiet boy mumbled softly, shaking his head slightly from side to side as he hugged his knees tightly against his chest. This confirmed Seth's theory, causing him to frown in disappointment. He wished people would at least make an effort to become friends with one another.

It saddened him greatly to learn how cruel youth can be. Children are naturally curious beings, but that doesn't mean they are completely innocent either. He had seen what they're capable of, and it can get dangerous when their actions go too far beyond comprehension.

"Do you know why they're acting like this, Pino?"

Pino nodded, feeling too uncomfortable to even respond.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" Seth leaned closer to him, concerned. "Are they bullying you? What is the reason that prevents you from becoming friends with them?" Question after question, he needs to learn about the problem.

"...scary..." He simply answered, burying his face between his legs as he remained seated, "They think I am a monster because of who I am," answering truthfully while sighing sadly, "everyone treats me like I'm different," melancholy in his tone.

This is most disappointing to hear. He wanted him to bring the knowledge of God to the boy so Pino could feel better about having faith in him, but it doesn't sound like the right thing to do. Seth isn't the type of man who forces others to listen to his beliefs.

Instead, he will try another approach to making people fight their inner darkness that corrupts their minds. Only by defeating their fear can they become stronger to embrace themselves as whole and then seek the light of God, "Is it because you are not human?" Successfully in guessing correctly, "No one should be afraid of different kinds of people," and explaining it to him with a firm stare.

"...yes..." The quiet boy confessed quietly, confirming everything: "Geppetto was my father; he was a well-known carpenter in the village who is responsible for creating an abomination of me," tears dripping down on his cheeks, "everyone treated me differently except him." The sadness in his voice is obvious in how much he misses his creator.

Then it tickled him like a bell, finally helping him understand how Pino's problems overcame him. Seth always knew that the only thing that can destroy man is grief, along with doubts and insecurities. Humans are like candles; the brighter they burn, the faster they burn away.

And unfortunately, most humans do not realize this fact. Instead, they prefer to remain ignorant because it's easier than facing reality. It's easier to know that old age is inevitable than to worry about it, but sometimes ignorance can be a blessing rather than a curse.

"May I ask what happened to him?" Seth questioned with uncertainty about his fate, "What happened to Geppetto? Is he alright, Pino?" Gazing at the boy, even though he himself already knew the answer, he wanted to make sure the poor child was willing to say it.

"Father died..." A teardrop fell onto his lap, leaving a wet mark. "Old age is what these humans claimed; he was good to me, but others feared and hated me for being what I am." Remaining quiet for a moment, he sobbed into his hands, crying quietly with the holy man.

Not bothering to wipe away his tears, Seth scooted closer to comfort the boy with a warm embrace. The warmth of another person can heal even the most damaged of hearts. It was something that Seth learned early in life and continued to practice for years afterwards.

Soothing the quiet boy with an embrace, "you are not alone," he whispered kindly. "You may think that no one cares about you or loves you, but that is far from the truth; you are always loved, and just because you are not human doesn't mean everyone are going to cast you aside like some common beast," Seth assured him.

Mankind liked to view themselves as the superior race. They are responsible for the many extinctions that they brought upon any animal. Seeing such deaths and destruction, it would make sense why God was so disappointed and saddened by His creation.

God's creations are filled with life and beauty. However, it is humanity that pollutes the world and destroys everything that comes into contact with it. All of them are sinners after all; nothing can cleanse the evils that are engraved deep within their very bones.

Even so, what is more hurtful is the fact that when man created machines, they were sorrowful and fearful of the fact that they were capable of outdoing them. To them, artificial intelligence is frightening to the point that they wish to destroy it completely, in fear of losing control or dominance of their own civilization.

Putting all their blame and problems on these machines, as they always needed excuses for their misdeeds. Always find a way to justify their actions, even though it was their fault entirely, but he knows better. Fear is what drives them. But is it safe to say that this boy's embrace is worth being afraid of by others?

What defines a soul as a machine when one learns to be sentient? Do humans and animals have souls? They do so because they were created by God. Then does that mean robots have a soul as well? The only difference between them and humans is the bodies that house them; their appearance differs greatly, but their minds are just the same.

And yet, he views Pino like a robot, except for the part about being soulless. Seth can emotionally connect to him because Pino has feelings, not in terms of what he is made of but in regards to the feelings that he possesses. Just as the boy deserves rights due to the complexity of mental life, not because of any biological makeup,

Out of the blue, their wholesome embrace was cut short when a desperate mother was crying from the woods, rushing in the open as she held her daughter close to her chest, "MY CHILD IS HURT!" The woman shouted, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

Quickly, he moved towards her as a crowd was gathering around the grieving mother. "What happened?" Seth inquired urgently, examining her injured eight-year-old girl, who was bleeding profusely from her stomach. He can clearly see that she was stabbed, likely by a blade, but the shape of the wound indicated something different.

"It's terrible!" The mother wore a pained expression as she looked at the holy man. "We were exploring in the woods before a skeleton with a sword attacked us!" Staring down onto the floor as her baby continued to cry in distress, "he tried to kill us, but we managed to escape before she was pierced by an arrow," she explained what happened.

It seems that Seth has to intervene in this ordeal because it's becoming serious. "I'll save her," he promised to the panicked woman, turning around to face the crowd as they watched the scene before them in anticipation. "Please everyone, give me space!" The holy man commanded politely.

They nodded and backed away, giving him room to work. Slowly kneeling to the ground, he placed one hand on the girl's bleeding stomach and closed his eyes. Gently placing his palms on her wound, a miracle was occurring in front of everyone as her serious injury magically healed at rapid state.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves in awe, awestruck by how quick it was, as there were no traces of any injury whatsoever. Her mother burst out in joyous laughter as she thanked him, "Thank you so much!" Tears filled her eyes before she swooped the girl into her arms.

Seth stood up, happy to lend a hand to anyone in need. "You are welcome." Kindness was shown in his smile, radiating goodness from him. "The power of healing is given to me by God," he explained to them. "It is the Lord who helped me save her by granting His mercy upon this child." Seth's eyes softened as he spoke those words.

The people murmured in surprise, as they had never seen such power before in their lives or even heard of this type of God before—an actual healer who could save people in ways never known to be possible. "Is he some kind of healer, miss?" A man inquired about the once-grieving mother, pointing at him.

Letting her daughter step down from her grasp, she nodded in confirmation, "No." Closing her eyes, the woman let out an exhale and paused before opening them. "This man is a saint who saved my child from certain death." The words caused an uproar of cheering and applause throughout the audience as they cheered.

The woman bowed reverently before the holy man, followed by the little girl, "I have nothing to offer, so what we can—" Seth placed his hands on their heads, his smile was ever more pleasant than before as he looked at them with teary eyes closed.

"Go and do good to others."

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.043 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 10:37, Dec 26 2024