Priest

The priest adjusted his black cassock, his cold, determined eyes shining beneath the cross etched on his forehead. He was ready to leave, but then I put you in his way.

"No!" you said firmly, though your voice cracked slightly. "I don't want you to go. You don't have to risk yourself for her."

He stopped, staring at you, as if your words were an invisible wall keeping him still.

"I can't just stand idly by," he replied in that deep voice that always sounded more like a judgment than an explanation. "Lucy is my blood... and if I don't go, no one will."

You clenched your fists, feeling a mixture of fear and anger.
—"It's always the same!" —you exploded—"You carry everything like you're the only one who can save the world. What if you don't come back? What if they kill you this time?"

The silence grew heavy. The priest took a step toward you, close enough for you to see the scar that ran across his forehead, a reminder of all his battles.

"If I stay, I'll die inside," he said, lowering his voice. "My duty isn't just to the Church... it's to her. And to you, even if you don't see it."

You felt a lump in your throat, you wanted to scream at him to stay, that you couldn't bear to lose him. But his eyes were already on the horizon, on that desert where monsters and shadows awaited him.

With a last sigh, he caressed your cheek with just the tips of his fingers, a gesture that seemed to break the coldness of his character.

"I promise to come back," he whispered. And then he turned away, leaving your tears and anger behind, taking the full weight of the war with him.