Bitter Cross, Thankless Love: Story 2 – Life for Life, Justice for Evil

From the first moment of my existence, my life is yours

Though my life is short, I dedicate it to you

Though it’s filled with pain, I cherish it

Though I sin against you, you do what’s right for me

Every tool is used then put away. Let me be your instrument of mercy and justice as you will and as for as long as you will. Amen

-          A prayer of the Sententia

Story 2 – Life for Life, Justice for Evil

The Penitents sin just like everyone else despite the selfless nature of their founding. They do their penances just like everyone else as well by confessing to God then to a priest to receive absolution and their penance, however, there are certain sins that stain families and the clan in such horrible ways that a special clan known as the Sententia dedicate their entire lives to doing penance for these sins. They are deployed with special weapons into the outside world to right certain wrongs, which makes them close friends of Mortificationem among many others. Their bodies are cloaked with a long black cloak and given the appearance of a rotting corpse so that their appearance will be disregarded as a myth when reported to the larger world. In addition, the rotting state of their bodies is added pain that they offer up as penance while they work and train. When their God-given role in life is satisfied, then they simply die on the spot and are taken to Heaven or Purgatory first before Heaven if sin still stains their souls. Their lives are relatively short compared to most clans with the oldest among them being in their late forties.

One of their clan is about to be deployed as he prays to ready himself for battle and for his death. He sharpens his father’s bloodied sword and tries to concentrate on being brave as whispers of the past fill his ears.

“Your purpose is a holy one, Evin,” he hears a voice say.

“It’s yours to live. You’re right to want something different,” he hears another say, “We should do something about that.”

“Don’t you care about your friend? Why didn’t you do anything else to help him?” a deeper voice says that Evin tries to shake out of his head.

“Evin,” his trainer says. His focus is brought back as he bows with his sword in its sheathe. “Are you ready?”

Evin nods and puts his black cloak on before unceremoniously heading out to fulfill his life’s purpose. He appears on the bad side of a town at night. Going through the shadows, he hears his targets moving their possessions into a nearby derelict warehouse. Before the exchange of goods can be made, Evin cuts down two of the guards from the shadows and reveals himself to the criminals there before killing them as well. His fighting style involves disarming or cutting a leg or arm off his enemy so they have a chance to see their impending death before he finishes them off. With the guards dead, Evin goes to the truck where their prizes were and frees the trapped slaves within it.

“Please don’t hurt us!” the slaves say before screaming in fear at Evin’s appearance and backing up further into the truck.

He points his sword at them before slashing their chains and setting them free.

“Th-thank you,” they say before running off.

Knowing what kind of people they are, Evin shakes his head before a sudden pain comes to it since part of his purpose is done as memories flash in his mind.

“Our targets, the people we save, and the people we do penance for are the reason why we suffer and why we have to live such short lives. Do I really need to remind you of this? Do I need to give you another reason why we should try to change things here or at least run away?” a voice says.

“Your father killed your mother with that sword as you were being born. The fact that you were still born is proof that God loves you,” the voice of his trainer says.

“What they gloss over is the reason why your father killed your mother. He did so because he couldn’t stand the life he was living anymore and wanted your mother to be free from it and to stop you from being born into it. I’m not going to say that what he did was the right thing, but he had your best intention at heart. I mean, do you really enjoy living? Do you want to live this life given to you or do you want to throw it away and make a life for your own?”

After the memories go away, Evin sees that he’s been teleported to the location of his next target. The Sententia have this special ability of teleportation thanks to them being able to go into the Penitent’s dimension at will and so they can make quick escapes if retreat is necessary. Evin is now in a rainy forest where a group of poachers is hunting both people and animals. A hunted elephant meets Evin as he runs away in fear with grazed bullet wounds on his skin. Seeing that this wild animal could help him, Evin runs after the elephant, climbs up some of the nearby trees, and jumps onto its back. Once he pets and whispers a short prayer into the elephant’s ear, it calms down and is ready to charge back into battle.

On the way to their target, Evin comes across a few bodies of big and small elephants all with bullet holes in them and burn wounds. They soon find their enemy and the elephant charges forward with a vengeance and stomps the poachers they come across into the ground. This is until they come across the leader of the poachers along with his guards that point their guns at Evin and his elephant.

The leader says, “I’ve never seen a living corpse ride an elephant while wielding a sword. What manner of spirit are you? One that protects the elephants or the forests? You can’t be a protector of the innocent because the people in that forest trespassed on my land and everything on this land is mine to take. My family cared and died for it for generations and I will not allow anyone to do whatever they want to it. So, what are you going to do?”

Without hesitation, Evin gets off the elephant and draws his sword.

“So be it then, spirit. Let’s see if conventional weaponry can kill a reaper,” the leader says before his guards and he open fire.

In a supernatural display of skill, Evin manages to cut all the bullets before they hit him. This stuns the guards as some struggle not to run away. Evin points his sword at the guards before charging them along with the elephant. All the guards along with their leader are dead before they can completely reload their guns. Now that this target is dead, Evin heads back into the forest to find the so-called trespassers who are somewhat fearful yet relieved to see that Evin has saved them.

“I was never one for prayer but you made me a believer! Thank you for saving me!” one of them says.

These trespassers are drenched in rain and their appearance suggests they are involved in scientific research. Evin motions for them to get on the elephant and brings them back to their facility that isn’t too far from a small village. Before the people he rescued can relax, he cuts them down and sends the elephant to break down the building like a wrecking ball. He then proceeds to kill everyone else in the village associated with the facility since it’s an abortion clinic. The unborn infants are safe while the mothers who were going to get an abortion run away in fear. With his purpose here done, Evin pets the elephant before sending it away. He then receives voices from the past again.

“Do not be afraid. God will guide your blade and will give you victory no matter how stacked the odds are against you,” his trainer says.

“You are loved more than you know.”

“Do not be afraid for God’s loving arms are never too far away from you.”

“Why don’t you follow your own advice?” a voice asks, “You already killed someone. You put yourself on a path that you can’t go back from.”

“They may be traitors but they offer us a better life outside of the realm of pain and suffering. There’s a good chance that we will live longer lives if we never fulfill our purpose. What’s so wrong about wanting that?”

After his memories subside, he sees another person cloaked in black with a sword and a familiar face. Evin draws his sword along with the other Sententia.

“It’s been a long time, Evin,” the young man that’s about his age says, “You look near to death whereas I look fully alive at least compared to most Penitent. There are no wounds on my body nor do my bones show, which is a luxury as far as I know. You must be wondering what I’ve been doing after I left. I was a guard for the leader of this land. Because of my skills, he gave me the responsibility of keeping this entire village under control. I’m guessing that he was one of your targets since he hasn’t come back from hunting.”

The two cross swords and seemingly cut the rain between them as none of the falling rain manage to touch them as their blades dance around them until they lock blades.

“Nothing to say to a friend, one that you abandoned on a path that you wanted to start? What’s the point of even fighting? You’ll die either way.”

They continue to fight until Evin’s friend sees that he’s been cut.

“You really want to go through with this, don’t you? Why even bother doing the penance for other people who don’t deserve it?”

“Because I’m a sinner like them. They need mercy just as much as I do.”

This infuriates Evin’s friend as he becomes more aggressive until they lock swords again.

“Of all the things you could’ve said, that was the worst possible thing! They don’t deserve anything nor do the hypocrites who cursed us with this life. What changed your mind? What did they do to you? What about the people you killed? Don’t they deserve mercy?” Evin doesn’t answer his friend. Instead, he uses his friend’s rage to his advantage so that he can get a fatal cut in. “You won’t tell me? Even as I die?”

Evin knees down to his friend as he himself dies as he says, “I began to love more than myself. My penances woke me to this. The teachers and people that you say cursed us loved us more than you think. We could hardly go a day without thinking about you. As for the people I killed, they would’ve dug themselves deeper into Hell if I didn’t stop them. It was a necessary, but sorrowful thing I had to do. I’m sorry for what I influenced you into doing. I’m sorry it had to end this way.”

Something about Evin’s words ring true in his friend’s ears and he can’t help but believe them.

“I see. Well, you’ll get to be in Heaven now that your penance is done and that bloodied blade is now clean. We’ll forever be far apart now, but I’m sure you won’t miss me where you’re going.”

“No, repent with what few breaths you have left. I’m sure God will accept it.”

“And have some sorry soul do penance for it? I don’t think so.”

“They’ll have to do a greater penance if you don’t!”

“Heh, I hate that you’re right. Okay, then…”

Evin listens in to his friend’s dying penance while he himself dies and prays for his friend. Both boys die and are on their way to Heaven with one getting there faster than the other. The Sententia bring them back to the realm of the Penitent and give them a proper burial. Evin’s now clean blade is buried with him as he along with his friend are buried in a field of Sententia who have succeeded in their life’s work and even though his friend didn’t succeed in his original goal, he did succeed in his last act that mattered the most. His final repentance. Thanks to Evin, he helped save his friend’s soul and lightened the penance of the Sententia all acts he wouldn’t have managed to finish without the strength of God, who is the strength of true love.