Divinity's Divinations: Chapter 3 – Child of Saints

Chapter 3 – Child of Saints

Inside the church of Saints Patrick and Anthony, I pray in silence in an adoration chapel with Jess, who just seems satisfied with being with me. Eventually, the peace of the chapel makes her fall asleep. Not feeling much closer to the answer, I walk around, see Sister Margaret, say hi to her, and let her know how my day’s been so far.

“It sounds like you’ve had an exciting day. If you’re still feeling unfulfilled, we can play a game.”

“Really? You play Divinity’s Divinations too? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given how you and Father Miriel win at the casinos.”

“That’s right. You better be on your toes when you face me. I’ll even let you go first without flipping a coin. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good, sister.”

Sister Margaret and I sit at a nearby table and set up our cards. “If you win, I’ll tell you a secret I’ve been wanting to tell you since you were born. It may help you in finding fulfillment and the direction you’re searching for.”

“Okay. Now you’ve got me motivated to beat you. I play the Fool, and with its Up effect, I play a ten. Don’t think I don’t see the tricky, but simple effect of your Dealer that you need to make me win by playing high-numbered cards, thereby making you win.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It really is a simple card for casual play that you don’t need to think too much about.”

“Right, right. I know you’re good at bluffing and wearing a good poker face. Flipping over the Prisoner modifier, the Down effect activates, so I’ll play a random card from my deck, in this case a four, and I’ll draw one less card the next turn. For my final modifier of the round, I flip over the Divine, get its Down effect, and take three cards from your deck, two tens and a nine.”

“I play five cards: two tens, one nine, one eight, and a five, and end my turn, and what should be the game with that move.”

“Wow, that was a very impressive first move! You learned a lot from your games, haven’t you?”

“I have, but I’m sure you have your own tricks up your sleeve, so I’m excited to see them.”

“I won’t keep you waiting any longer then. I play an eight and a nine, flip over Poor Spirit, and use its Up effect to switch it with your five and four. The Homeless modifier flips over to its Up side, two of your tens are shuffled into my deck, and I play a ten, draw a call to play, and use a nine. Finally, Grace flips over, gives me its Down effect, so I draw a card, a ten, and exchange it with one of your eights. For my last move, I play a one and pass the turn back to you for the second round.”

“Oof. What a play, sister. You are almost as merciless, if not more, than Regina.”

“I was just blessed by providence, is all. My win condition is fulfilled, so unless you can remove the five cards I played for you, then you lose, and if you get your automatic win condition, then it’ll be a draw.”

“Alright, alright. I play the Worker. No, I didn’t get its Down give effect. The Leader is next. Nope. Didn’t get its Up give effect. Huh. That’s it then, isn’t it? I can’t use my Chain cards, unless they’re activated by giving, so the game is over, isn’t it?”

“You were just unlucky, is all. Providence decided that I should win that game when the cards were set. How about you play with Father Miriel if you don’t want to be beaten by me again? Ask him to tell you our secret if you beat him. I’ll watch over your sleeping wife.”

“She isn’t my wife.” Sister Margaret giggles in response. I go upstairs, find Father Miriel praying in one of the pews, and tell him what the sister said.

“Sure thing, Bonaventura. I’ll be happy to play with you and tell you our secret. Let’s go to a table at the back of the church to play.” We set up our cards, flip a coin, and Father Miriel goes first. “I use the Rabbit of Lust modifier, its Down effect allowing me to take a card from your deck, use it, and put another card on top of it so the cumulative value of both cards gives me a singular value; in this case, a nine from my hand and a ten from your deck, giving me a nineteen. The Pig of Excess and Dragon of Greed automatically activate because I took a card. The Pig’s Up effect allows me to draw two cards and multiply my final score by the number of cards in my hand. As for the Dragon, its Up effect will multiply my final score by the number of cards and playing card spots I take.”

“Why did I think it may be simpler playing against you than Sister Margaret again?”

“Don’t despair, son. You still have a turn or two to turn things around. I play all the cards in my hand, a five, seven, eight, and nine, and end my turn. Go ahead and show me what you’ve learned from your many games.”

“I’ll do my best. The Leader is flipped over, and with its Up effect, I give you a card from my deck, a two, and make you play a card from your hand; in this case, a two, since it’s the only thing you have. My chain modifiers activate. The Lovers’ Down effect allows me to take a card from your deck, and the Penitent’s Down effect forces me to give a modifier of mine. Take the Worker and use it.” Father does so, gets the Down effect, and gives me two cards from the top of his deck and takes one card from the top of mine. I set down all five cards in my hand, an eight, a five, a two, a six, and a four, and end my turn, and since I have twice, my score is now one thousand, two hundred twenty five while father’s is fifty, which doesn’t matter much if his modifiers multiply his score over mine and he gets his automatic win condition.

“That was a great opening move, Bonaventure.”

“Do you think so? I might’ve shot myself in the foot by giving you a modifier and getting you closer to your automatic win.”

“I don’t know the official rules, so I won’t count it for your sake.” We draw two new cards.

“Now, my turn.” Father flips over the Wasp of Hate. He gets its Down effect, takes a card from the top of my deck, and removes it from play. Afterward, he plays the Ant of War, and its Up effect makes us show each other’s hands. The cards in my hand add up to the higher value, so I decide to switch decks rather than hands. The Parasites of Subjugation is the next card Father plays, and its Up effect allows him to pick a card he played that’s across from mine and add its value to his, so he adds eight to his nineteen, giving him twenty-seven. “I play a ten and end my turn.”

“Your cards are themed very strangely, Father. They’re all named animals and are being associated with sins or some sinful act.”

“The essence of struggling against sin means to master yourself against them when tempted. When you do so, you bear the fruits of the opposing virtue, get closer to God, and be closer to the person God made you to be.”

“Naturally. I hope I’m doing a good job of that and repenting and being more virtuous than I am being sinful.”

“Please. You’re doing great! I’ve seen you grow up and helped teach you in school since you were a child. I’d even say you’re a more virtuous man than me.”

“I doubt that, but thank you, Father. Now, for the match-defining turn and card flip. Flipping over the Prisoner, I get the Up effect and force your last modifier to stay down.”

“Whelp. There goes my automatic win.”

Continuing to turn over cards, I flip over the Divine and get the Down effect. Not what I wanted; however, I do get the Down effect with the Fool, securing my automatic win, so I play a four and a three and end my turn, sealing and securing my victory.

“Good job, Bonaventura. Now, for the secret Margaret and I were meaning to tell you. Can you please join us, Margaret?”

Sister Margaret walks out from the corner she was watching us play from. “You threw that game, didn’t you? There’s no way you’d lose that easily.”

“Maybe I did, but you would too if it was your last chance to talk about our secret.”

“Maybe, or maybe I’d just spill the secret even after I won. We did teach Bonaventura that most things worth winning are hard to get.”

“What is this secret you two are blabbing about? Just come out with it.”

Sister Margaret and Father Miriel whisper to one another, then look at me. “I’ll just come out with it. We’re your actual parents.”

I wait for them to say they’re joking or at least say more, but they don’t. “Huh? Really?” They both say yes. “This is a lot to process. How did that happen?”

“Margaret and I weren’t exactly the most virtuous people in our younger days, gambling, drinking, and being together in ways that an unmarried couple shouldn’t. We were planning to get married after you were born, but then we had the sudden urge to become clergy, after praying on it.”

“To avoid any public drama, we gave you to the parents you have now, who promised to raise you as their own and keep our secret. Of course, some of our friends know and sometimes let the secret slip by calling you the Saint Child because you’re the child of a nun and priest and a very virtuous man at that.”

I rub my face. “Okay…huh…alright, I…I don’t know what to do with this revelation. Why did you want to tell me now?”

“Because you’re struggling to find direction in your life, despite everything that you have and built up so far. Margaret and I feel a bit guilty for it. Must be that famous Catholic guilt wanting us to blame ourselves for your problem. We’re sorry that we kept the secret from you for so long for no good real reason, and not being good parents to you.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve both been teaching me ever since I was in school, and I always come to you for advice and spiritual guidance. You’ve always been great parents to me, Mom and Dad.”

My parents burst into tears, smiles on their faces, and embrace me. “You don’t know how much it means to hear that coming from you! Thank you, Bonaventura! Thank you so much, my son!”

“He gets his best qualities, like his way with words, from me.”

“Excuse me. You were the one who partied the most and took advantage of me a lot when we were inebriated.”

“Ah, that was the old me, not the one our son learned from.”

We laugh, and I learn more about my real parents’ past and stories of them and my other parents who raised me. I return to the adoration chapel where Jess is now waking up from her nap.

“Sorry for falling asleep. Did you find the answers you were looking for?”

“I’m getting there. I found out something else, but I’ll tell you about it later.”