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Chapter 86

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A few hours have passed since they left that place; some of the passengers were asleep while others are still fully awake. Seth, on the other hand, was the only one in this wagon who hadn't fallen into slumber. Instead, he kept himself busy by observing the surrounding area.

However, no matter how hard he tried to keep himself distracted, images of his imaginary deaths were constantly flashing in front of his vision, as if they were never stopping. He groaned softly at this while gripping his own temples tightly, trying desperately not to panic in front of his friends.

Seth closed his eyes while taking deep breaths as steadily as possible, not wanting to lose control and cause commotion amongst everyone. As he did, the fear was still present, but he managed to remain composed through sheer willpower and faith alone.

He wonders if anything he does is meaningless prior to the moment he contemplates life and existence altogether. However, seeing others sleep peacefully around him eased his heart after realizing something else: that there's more to life than just living.

Just as he was about to ponder more about the subject, his ears were consumed by the cries of help in the distance, opening his eyes to see a frail old man laying his head on a rock outside of the dirt road. "Someone help me!" The old man cried, stuck in the same position.

Everyone ignored his pleas, merely passing the poor man, who was clearly paralyzed to death from his waist down and suffering greatly. He could not move, let alone roll himself over, to reach any destination. He was helpless and desperate.

"Driver!" Seth called the cloaked man, "Halt!" He ordered firmly, much to the driver's irritation, "Someone is in need of assistance!" The holy man said again, pointing his finger in the direction where he saw the man laying nearby.

"What?!" The carriage driver scoffed in disbelief. "I ain't going to waste my time to stop just because of an old fool who doesn't have the sense to move on," he growled back angrily, glaring at Seth. "Just leave him to die; this isn't our problem to deal with," shrugging shoulders dismissively.

He frowned deeply upon hearing that response: "We should help one other as family, not let them suffer alone!" Shouting out loud enough for everyone else to hear, "what if he was your grandparent, father, mother, or child? Would it not hurt to see them like this?" Trying to persuade them otherwise by being gentle rather than aggressive, like a warrior would do,.

The driver finally sighed in defeat, "Okay! Okay!" He yielded while shaking his head in disappointment, "You better hurry," mumbling under his breath while reluctantly slowing down to halt in close proximity to the helpless fellow.

Without further ado, Seth hopped off his seat and dashed over to where the injured individual lay dying as his friends followed suit from behind. "What happened?" He inquired, concern laced within his tone of voice, while kneeling next to the person with both of his knees sitting on the ground, examining closely.

"Some rogue bandit attacked me while I was traveling through this land." The aged fellow replied weakly, barely able to maintain eye contact due to being completely frozen like a statue. "He broke my lower region, and that caused this paralysis to happen. Please,  I beg of you. Help me up!" Whimpering like a frightened child, awaiting rescue by a knight in shining armor,.

Bruno, Genno, and Bruno stood behind Seth, watching the duo with sympathy for what happened while also wondering how they should handle this situation since none of them specialized in healing arts nor knew any spell that could counteract the injury placed upon human anatomy.

"Can any part of your body move?" Seth gracefully inquired, resting both hands gently atop his knees with a gentle gaze reflecting kindness towards him, "If not, we might be able to carry you onto the wagon with us," gesturing towards his friends for assistance, "either way, you can't stay here alone in plain sight."

The elderly man nodded affirmatively. "My limbs are intact, but the whole body itself can't move, not even my damn limbs and ears except my mouth and eyes," he confirmed through gasping breaths as sweat drips down his forehead. "Are you able to take me away from here or not?! Because if not, I suggest you kill me now instead of letting me rot to death in broad daylight," scowling bitterly of being doomed to be here.

"Kill you?" Seth was shocked to hear that, "I'm going to heal you." The answer was quite straightforward, catching the frail old man's full attention: "You aren't going to die under my watch," smiling reassuringly at him as Seth began focusing entirely on helping him with his task.

He was in disbelief of hearing that. "It's hopeless; I can't move anymore," the injured man lamented with sadness coating every inch of his vocal cords. "Just kill me already so I don't have to suffer anymore," he said, speaking in a quiet whisper, unable to resist tears running freely across his cheeks.

Closing eyes shut tightly, Seth grabbed the man's hand before placing another on top of his, "Lord," praying faithfully as he focused on all of the energy into the palms, "show thyself, take away this illness, and provide comfort for them in return," whispering with a warm smile forming across lips while radiating a holy aura of divine essence, "in your name, Amen," ending the ritual by putting forth magic into fingertips that lit up brightly before releasing grasp.

When he opened them back open, he saw the once-injured man who was testing his hands and fingers without difficulty or problem by moving around. Immediately, the senior citizen jolted upwards like a bolt being struck by lightning, tears streaming uncontrollably through his pupils with overwhelming joy.

"I can move...!" He was in static, gawking in utter astonishment at being able to walk again without any hindrance whatsoever. "Thank you, oh thank you! You have no idea how grateful I am for saving me today! Oh my goodness, thank you! Thank you so much!" Crying out emotionally at this miracle.

Standing up, Seth was immediately embraced by the man, whose arms wrapped around tightly in a hug similar to an eagle clutching prey within talons before letting go just as quickly afterwards. "May I know your name?" He asked kindly, hoping to learn more about who he helped earlier.

"It's Andreas," the older male revealed while wiping away moisture off cheeks with sleeves of clothing. "You have no idea how many people ignored my pleas of help!" He sobbed once more, his tears glistening brightly in the sunlight.

Seth frowned on hearing that "there were others before me." Hurt was evident in his voice as he crossed arms over his chest. "How long have you been out here?" Important questions needed answers to know how long the person was abandoned here for.

"Several days," Andreas explained through sniveling noises, "no one stopped; no one even went down to help me!" Sadness crept inside my heart, but at least Seth came by to save him. "Some just stopped and looked at me before continuing their merry way."

Solomon and Bruno felt regretful at hearing that; they had done that many times before, silently guilty in the past for ignoring people in need when they encountered them. Now that they reflect back on it after meeting the holy man, it was their own ignorance and stupidity that prevented them from doing anything.

Genno took the opportunity of moving to where they stood, entering their conversation like he owned the place. "Many people are selfish beings," he said to them while they stared blankly at him unexpectedly. "They only care for themselves rather than other people," his voice cold as ice while shaking his head sadly.

Andreas sighed in understanding, "But this man..." Turning his attention to Seth as he smiled happily, "he didn't hesitate for a second to save me when everyone else disregarded my existence," he praised the holy man before hugging him once more with joyful emotions displayed openly upon facial expressions.

The holy man chuckled sheepishly while patting back lightly in return. "Come with us," the two said, withdrawing from each other. "We were heading to the capital; it's a long way ahead, but I am happy to allow you in our humble cabin," respectfully inviting the stranger to tag along.

"After what you have done, I am honored to come with my rescuer," Andreas nodded fervently. "If there is anything you need, I will try to assist however possible," offering as much as he can with excitement burning in his heart of traveling with someone who saved his life.

Seth smiled at this. "I shall tell you once we head back to the wagon," he said, gesturing for his friends to follow before returning to their vehicle as Andreas trailed closely from behind. Soon they went back on board, causing the driver to turn his back on them.

"You finished now?!"

Genno calmly nodded. "Indeed, we are," he replied with politeness despite the mannerisms exhibited by the driver. "Please resume our route; the man we rescued wishes to come with us until we reach our destination," the monk said without hesitation.

Grumbling under his breath, the cloaked individual flicked leather straps onto the horses' rumps before they galloped down the road once more, where the other wagons had passed ever since they made a brief stop just to rescue some nobody.

"Andreas," he said to the old man, "you do not need to reward me with anything." Seth began politely with a soft smile gracing his handsome features, glancing towards the old man, "I am not here for wealth nor fame," assuring him that it was unnecessary, "but I will be happy if you do this one little thing."

"What is it?" Andreas responded with interest sparked within grayish hues, remaining attentive to every word uttered by the holy man: "Ask of me, and I will do whatever it is that you want. It is the least I can do for someone who saved me from certain demise," eagerly anticipating his response.

The holy man paused for a brief moment, his mind wandering back to a previous conversation from earlier: "What do you know about Christianity?" He suddenly questioned them while maintaining direct eye contact between them.

For a brief moment, the old man was confused by that for a couple of seconds, eyeing his rescuer before his eyes widen in realization, "Wait..." The answer clicked into place immediately without being forced or prompted at all: "Are you the messiah everyone was talking about?!"

Solomon rolled his eyes while Bruno shifted his own seat uncomfortably at the mention, while Genno chuckled lightly. "I suppose you could say that," Seth answered modestly, rubbing his neck anxiously before answering truthfully, "Yes, I am indeed that man," admitting that to him.

Andreas took a deep breath slowly through his nose as he calmed himself down by exhaling just as quietly, "You want me to worship you as my Lord and Savior?" Excitement crept into veins that sent goosebumps rising across his wrinkled skin.

Seth nodded his head. "That is what I desired from you if this is what you wanted," he admitted out of honesty while resting his hand on his shoulder as if to reassure him everything would be fine between them. "Do you believe in me, Andreas?"

"After everything you've done," the old man grew a wide grin on his face, revealing rotting teeth underneath parted lips and nodding vehemently with enthusiasm that couldn't be contained within himself. "You've earned my faith and trust, holy man. If I could be of any service to you, please don't hesitate to ask of me," he promised ardently while bowing his head respectfully towards his benefactor.

The holy man smiled gleefully upon hearing those words spoken: "then you are saved." Happiness flew across Seth's being like a butterfly fluttering its wings frantically towards a flowery bush. "The Lord is pleased with your decision," he said, turning his own head away to face away from the carriage, where it showcased landscape scenery of greenery mountains stretched across fields for miles ahead. "I pray that he will always be by your side in these harsh times," he ended.

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:37, Nov 23 2024