New Hope and Future [C]

The Rustic Slums

The scenery to him was all but too familiar in his eyes as he wandered the slums of Piros. The sun's beams which always seemed cast a rustic blanket of red over the streets and buildings, the dusty roads which had scattered pieces of what once was a cobblestone path littering every inch of the ground as far as the eye could see. Many memories would come flooding to his mind, of a time where part of his training in the Church was first learning to survive the mean streets among the more desperate of the poor. He could recall a number of times where he had found himself beaten by numerous beggars, nearly to the point of death, only for him to come back stronger every time. There were few families within the slums who had either aided him with food or medicine, even allowed him to stay for a night or two to at least escape the cold of night, even with what little they could provide for themselves. Once he had been taken in by the King, his time at Piros had more or less come to an end, save for the times when Illas would have him accompany him on a trip here. As for why, that had never truly clicked with him until he had become a Clansmen himself.

For one to be a King, one must do more than simply be strong, charismatic, and able to rule when necessary. One also had a duty to his people, be it Clansmen or normal citizens alike. It was a lesson that took a while to sink in, but one that made its point, nonetheless. A King is only as strong as his followers, and the more followers he has, the stronger the bond between nobility and civilians became. Without his people, the King is nothing more than a man of decoration with no power behind his authority. It was the same lesson in which His Excellency tried to teach him aside from being his personal assassin. It was in this lesson that would allow him to continue the routine visits to Piros in order to pay alms for the poor.

There was but one location left within the city for him to leave gems with, or at the very least to check up on the residents living there. However, on his way over, he would stop in time to find a youthful man slipping from the rooftop of a building and right into a trash heap on the side of the road. Of course the young man would hope that the priest had not witnessed it, only for eyes to be met with Lucifer turning his head and covering his mouth to stifle a laugh that dared to come forth. However, he would take in aquick breath before turning back with a small smile. "I am afraid that I saw it all, my son. Despite how humorous it may have been, I do bid that you be a tad more careful in the future."

Introduction Is In Order

"Ah, my apologies. I meant no malice, nor offense by my comment. As for my form of address, 'tis a habit that comes with the profession, I'm afraid." Lucifer would place a hand over his chest with an open arm, taking a humble bow with a smile upon his face as he prepared to introduce himself to the young man before him. "I am Saint Lucifer of Chrysos - A Priest of the Holy Order of His Excellency." Perhaps the introduction may have been a tad...extravagant, but it weren't as though he were lying to the man. After all, he was brought up under the strict teachings of the Church, and was favored by The King of Raduga as an adviser, as well as skilled assassin. However, that wasn't really here, nor there in the current circumstance.

The priest would raise his head with a tilt of his head, a warm smile curling on his lips before he straightened himself, hands lacing themselves together as he looked the young man over. There was something rather peculiar about this one. Could it be that flaming red hair that seemed to burn as passionately as the very color red itself? Or maybe it was the man's duo-colored eyes that reminded Lucifer of his own during his grueling days of training? Or perhaps, it was that the priest could faintly sense some form of power from him? Yes, that could most likely be it.  Whether he was a Clansmen or not was a different story. Though it didn't seem the boy would cause him any trouble, so he would remain lax for now.

"Now then, my dear boy, what brings you to Piros? Are you a resident? Or perhaps you came to sight-see?" The joke was obviously a bad one, though the fact remained that Lucifer was curious as to what business one such as this man would have in Piros. He didn't really look the part to be one who lived in a place that was left in such a decrepit state, but then again, one of life's many lessons was never to judge a book by its cover.