Teach That Lying Priest a Lesson

Akalai was born in the slums. He was worth only three copper coins.

At sixteen, Akalai killed his own father and became a gang enforcer. Over the next two years, his hands were stained with blood. The blood of his father had long since disappeared beneath it all.

"Omen," "filth," "demon": those were the labels people pinned on Akalai. He was used to them and didn't care what others thought of him.

That was until Akalai met the priest.

The priest had dazzling golden curls and pale blue eyes as clear as a lake. Those beautiful colors were the only ones in Akalai's gray life.

"Father, can someone like me be redeemed and ascend to heaven?"

For the first time, Akalai knelt at the priest's feet. His scarred hands gently held the priest's fingertips, which rested in his palms, as he listened reverently to the priest's voice.

"Of course, Akalai."

The priest's voice was clean and pure. Just hearing him speak made Akalai's heart pound wildly.

For the sake of ascending to heaven, for the sake of the priest's compassion, Akalai gave everything he had to him. His money, his loyalty, and his love. Everything.

Akalai thought he had been redeemed. But one sentence from the priest shattered his heart all over again. The priest hadn't noticed him. He was only stroking the head of the boy beside him as he said indifferently,

"Akalai? That wretched slave from the slums? How could someone like him be worthy of serving our Lord? As for heaven, that's a ridiculous fantasy."

Ah, so the priest had lied to him. Why had he lied? He could have just kept pretending. Why make Akalai lose hope?

Akalai took the priest away.

When the priest woke, the eyes Akalai loved were full of fear and dread. Akalai covered them with his hand and leaned his head against the priest's shoulder, clinging to him. His black hair tangled with the priest's golden curls. Then he placed three copper coins in the priest's trembling hand.

"Father, shh. Keep your voice down."

"You were right. I'm a filthy person. So, Father, pray to God for me like you used to."

"I don't care that you're a hypocrite. But you lied to me, so you owe me compensation."

[Notes]

1. The inspiration for this story was recorded on November 29, 2025. It's set in an imagined version of Western Europe, with lots of made-up details. It's just the author's wild imagination, so don't expect historical accuracy. ouo

2. I'm working on finishing this story. If you like it, please add it to your collection. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you!

3. For questions about updates, please see the author's note in Chapter One. If you have other questions, leave a comment and I'll reply when I see it. Sending love~

Theme: Don't lie. Lying is bad. Be honest.