Chapter 4 - The pupil of the sky

Dozens of armored eyes were staring at him, each with a different shade of brown. More appeared from the temple's sides, as whispered words began to float around. 

Some were sharp, others drooping, and a few were wide open. They all have a trait in common: the dark bags under their eyes.

Everyone was focused on the skinny man for whom the entire Settlement went on alert. His skin was as pale as their armor had once been, in stark contrast with his dirty, dark, and oily hair. 

Only those standing in front of the temple steps could see his icy eyes widen, leaving only a tiny black dot staring up at the sky. 

***

"So... Wrong."

Instinctively, he grabbed with all of his might both guards' shoulders. The right hand's fingers found dents on the black shoulder pad. The left ones found defined muscles and bones. 

 He didn't care if everyone was looking at him, even if he had been naked. 

The only thing that mattered was the burning sky. 

Beyond a faint black mist, there was an unpredictable spectacle. A sky that is as close as it is distant, painted with all shades of orange.

In some parts, it was calm and wavy. Different shades of orange met, were absorbed, and mixed. Sometimes in a whirlpool, other times they bounced back or passed side by side.

In other parts, they were like a burning fire.

It was cruel, aggressive, and more unpredictable. The brightest shades of orange, tinged yellow, were eradicating the rest of the sky. Newborns whirlpools erased, cut through it, and absorbed.

Sometimes two burning fires met each other, stopping and devouring each other, without either of them winning. Then, they were extinguished by the calm waves.

A giant black circle stands unbothered in that chaos, like a pupil of an eye. It was majestic and dreadful at the same time. It covered the real sun, which could only show little fingers all around it. 

<> Greth talked, looking at a large wave being dragged by a near whirlpool. 

Then, he looked at the nameless boy. 

<> He talked slowly, watching carefully every inch of his face. 

The nameless boy heard him, but couldn't look away from that noiseless and brutal spectacle.

<> That was all he managed to say.

"It doesn't remind me of anything."

The Leader looked at the armored crowd near the temple steps. 

<> He shouted, moving his hand as if to shoo away a fly. <> 

Only about half of them walked away reluctantly. Another wave of whispers floated around. There were nods between those who stayed and those who left, sometimes just shrugs, other times even pats on the back. 

One of the guards, who was leaving, hit another guard on the head and gestured to leave with him.

They went towards the long wall that passed through a large house with broken windows.

It was made with debris and stones of the same material as the temple, but they were much more damaged and dirty. 

At the right side of the large house, which stood in front of the temple, there were two large and tall doors, sealed with a wooden bar. Near it stood a tall wooden watchtower. 

The ground was all paved with barely seen tiles, covered with dirt. 

The nameless Savior's eyes were fixed on the black circle.

("...The only hope... for me.")

<> The nameless boy's hoarse voice caught Greth's attention. <> He managed to ask before coughing. Suddenly, he returned to feel every single pain in his body.

<> Shout the Bastard to someone, overpowering the faint rhythmic sound of his coughing. 

Luckily, that round of coughs was short. 

Greth stared at him for a long time before taking a deep breath.

<>

Still agonizing, he raised his head with an overly surprised expression. His face wasn't a pretty sight. 

<> Greth was gesturing a little with his hands as he talked.

In that moment, three chickens passed behind the guards, running away from two men, one older than the other, each with a green net. 

<> He raised his arm and pointed at the black sun.

<>

Greth gave him a moment of pause to reflect on all of that. 

The head of the nameless Savior was exploding. Too much information at once. 

"UH?!" 

"No, wait. He said that I died. He brought me back alive. He talked to me."

<> Said the boy, curving in on himself. He would have fallen if it hadn't been for the two who were holding him up.

<> Greth's finger dug through two ribs, pointing at his heart.

<> He said with an uneasy calm.

The nameless Savior was surprised by those warm and concerned words. It was the first time since he had been resurrected that someone had spoken to him as a human being. 

<> The boy asked hopefully. His blue eyes shone so bright that Greth couldn't help but close his.

The loud sound of water hitting the large tiles was followed by quick footsteps. 

Finally, the Leader opened his eyes and met the gaze that reminded him of a long-lost hope. With his callous hand, he touched the dirty and beardless face of the Savior.

<> He talked as a father to his son.

The nameless Savior couldn't help but smile through the pain. A tear came out on its own from his right eye, taking away all the dirt and blood it found in its way down.

The words were faster than the thoughts.

<> He asked with a bloody smile. 

<> He said, leaving the parental warmth from his face. <> He ordered the two guards. 

In that moment, when both nodded, a wooden bucket full of water was suddenly placed on the stones. 

A man with a long, black beard, badly cut hair, and laboured breath was leaning on the side of the bucket. His dirty thumbs were immersed in the crystal clear water.

With that order, the armored crowd slowly scattered into small groups, returning to their previous tasks. Some glanced back at the boy, talking faintly to their friends. Some just walked away, disappearing to the left side of the temple. Few remained there, joking about stuff the boy didn't care about. 

The man over the bucket raised his head, and his brown eyes met the Bastard's. 

<> His words carried a terrible fatigue. 

<> Jest honored the nameless boy with only a glance. 

The Bastard nodded and began to walk. 

The man over the bucket took it, and his little, but dense muscles flexed, becoming iron. He raised the bucket and walked fast in front of them, spilling water with every step. 

Jest increased his walking pace, forcing the Bastard to follow him. 

They descended the five steps of the temple in a fraction of a second. Soon, three children ran past them, one calling his dad repeatedly. 

They all looked at him with hate and distrust. 

The nameless Savior lowered his head and closed his eyes, feeling only the sensation of his feet sliding across the large, smooth tiles. 

 Once again, the harsh sound of the bucket placed on the ground was followed by splashes of water. 

His legs began to tremble from the huge weight on them. Air was passing through his hair, moving it away from his face. He opened his eyes and saw ancient wooden planks approaching him at high speed.

His knees were the first to hit the wooden floor, then his hands and elbows. Lastly, his head. 

He turned his head but saw only a wooden door closing and heard a sigh of relief beyond it. 

Next to him was placed the bucket of crystaline clean water. 

"I'm tired."

Despite that thought, he desperately moved on all four towards it. His head easily passed over the bucket. 

He could see his own reflection on it, but he didn't care. He immersed his head in the water. 

 He wasn't drinking it.

He was biting it.