Octavius
Octavius' steps echoed in the great hall as he walked inside, face aggrieved. He was not familiar with the schedule of services in the temple, so he was glad to be lucky enough to have come on a day when no one seemed to be around. As soon as he entered, he felt how this place summoned the presence of the Gods in all its grandeur. He had never been inside a temple so enormous; the one back at the manor seemed minuscule in comparison. He walked in slowly, looking around, trying to get his bearings. After a moment, he noticed the smaller altars along the walls, and walked through a pew to get closer.
Each altar was dedicated to a different deity or herald, some more lavishly decorated than others. Octavius admired them as he passed before stopping at an altar with a statue he recognized. The visage of Vi in all his glory was displayed in a statue that looked down upon Octavius, with various decorations in silver and gold at his feet, along with some offerings from previous visitors. Octavius looked around for an unlit candle, lit it with the proffered matches, and set it down at the front of a large group of them already placed beneath Vi's gaze. Then, Octavius knelt on the cushion before the altar and began to speak quietly.
"Glorious Vi, God of all life, please accept my repentance and forgive my sins. Today, I could have helped someone in need, but I didn't. Instead, I allowed them to suffer at the hands of a superior officer," he said this under his breath, ashamed at even speaking the words aloud. The memory of that poor man being abused was almost too much to bear. "I didn't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Perhaps Mother was right about all this, and I should just resign," as soon as he said this, he regretted it, and quickly added, "But I have been able to help people this way. I don't wish to resign, truly. I just wish this injustice never occurred, or that I had the strength to stop it." He didn't know how to end his prayer, so he just went with the generic one he knew from childhood.
"May Caido bless us with His radiance. So it is." When he was finished, he lifted his head to look up at Vi once more and didn't move for a time.
Each altar was dedicated to a different deity or herald, some more lavishly decorated than others. Octavius admired them as he passed before stopping at an altar with a statue he recognized. The visage of Vi in all his glory was displayed in a statue that looked down upon Octavius, with various decorations in silver and gold at his feet, along with some offerings from previous visitors. Octavius looked around for an unlit candle, lit it with the proffered matches, and set it down at the front of a large group of them already placed beneath Vi's gaze. Then, Octavius knelt on the cushion before the altar and began to speak quietly.
"Glorious Vi, God of all life, please accept my repentance and forgive my sins. Today, I could have helped someone in need, but I didn't. Instead, I allowed them to suffer at the hands of a superior officer," he said this under his breath, ashamed at even speaking the words aloud. The memory of that poor man being abused was almost too much to bear. "I didn't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Perhaps Mother was right about all this, and I should just resign," as soon as he said this, he regretted it, and quickly added, "But I have been able to help people this way. I don't wish to resign, truly. I just wish this injustice never occurred, or that I had the strength to stop it." He didn't know how to end his prayer, so he just went with the generic one he knew from childhood.
"May Caido bless us with His radiance. So it is." When he was finished, he lifted his head to look up at Vi once more and didn't move for a time.
i wake up alone, with only daytime between us
