The villagers flocked around the southern district, where the temple was the only building in the area. Being large and spacious, it provided enough room for the whole population to gather; from a bird’s eye view of the people themselves, they looked like an ocean of flowers. On both sides of the temple, towers stood and intruded the clouds with an ornament of stars hanging on the top. A trio of arches at the front part of the building concealed a giant pair of wooden doors. There erected at the four corners of the roof some miniature spires, which the people went down on their knees and prayed upon them. Soon, all of them entered the temple. As they came, the voices of the abbots and clergymen resonated their ears, they were singing a hymn that was enough to make people shriek.

Inside, there were sections of velvet chairs separated in countless aisles, allowing the people to find and claim their seats at ease. Clung onto the interior’s walls were boxes of balconies, and those places held reservations for upper-class members of the village, such as philosophers, businessmen, and other people with well-paying occupations.

At the opposite side of the place held a stage that the High Order would use for their services. It was shaped like a box, structured in wood panels, and it had a pair of curtains behind it. The stage itself was not the primary thing that captivated the villagers; a jade statue of a monk was there. Its color over time began to fade away due to an apathy of maintenance, and it bore the sculpture naked in a dirty yellow. To make it a bit strange to some, the statue’s eyes were shut, its hands were on its lap, and overall it seemed to breathe like it was alive. Amidst the cacophony of the villagers, the monk was meditating. Nobody including the High Order knew where the statue came from or who built it; they inferred that the gods had bequeathed the object as a gift of gratitude.

Everybody being inside, the villagers occupied their seats, and the Young Guards sat near the stage area. For the young ones, they went with their mothers and fathers. Neha and Sachen were next to each other, with their parents situating themselves two seats ahead of the duo.

From the pain that was still on the wound, Neha squealed.

“What is it?” Sachen asked. “Your foot still hurting?”

“My foot has already healed, thanks for asking. But this place is so creepy.” Neha stretched her feet, jitters spread throughout her toes.

“Creepy? Well I can’t argue with that. There’s barely any sunlight coming through here. I wonder who made this place though.”

“I don’t know.” Neha snuggled her head next to Sachen’s arm, and Sachen giggled in light of her discomfort. “Ugh, I’m starting to feel a bit weird. I want to go home”

“Don’t you worry! It’ll be over in an hour.”

Her eyes widening, Sachen stared at the blank space of the stage. From this point, going to sleep was a better option than to listen to the droning voices of the High Order officials that she still could not bear every Sunday. But like everybody else, she had to power through the day. After all, her parents woke her up early for this.

Sachen glanced at the edges of the balconies, which held a succession of portraits. They all depicted the Lamas that had ruled this village, about twenty-eight in total if one count the current ruler. In every painting, the Lamas displayed drooping eyes with soft lips, their right legs were crossed over their left. Their robes, being red and yellow, brightened the entire canvas in contrast to the dullness of their faces. It might be that the painters of such illustrations wanted to present the rulers in a weary way, so as to bring the villagers into gratefulness for their hard works.

From the gazes of the Lamas in the portraits, Neha shivered. At any point in time could they emerge out of the painting and haunt her, though that was only part of her imagination.

“Neha, the service is about to begin.”

“O-okay.” Neha straightened her back and brought her gaze towards the stage.

From the door behind the statue, a line of abbots and clergymen arrived. As they went to the front of the stage, they ceased their hymns and stood. There was a clear hierarchy in the High Order; the abbots were the lowest, they abided to every order of their superiors, and the clergymen were the second-highest in the ladder. The latter tend to associate themselves with the Lama in regards to religious matters. The Lama of course, was the top dog; he controlled and watched over everything. Every four years, the villagers would elect their next leader based on the candidates that were qualified to run, and the winner had the privilege to pick their own posse more so on their competence than social connections. But this Lama, the 28th one, did not get into power by elections. Rather, the fervor of the people and certain circumstances led him to the throne.

The abbots holding incense sticks, the clergymen grabbed and lighted them with a match. Once the flames settled on the incenses, a bitter smell lingered through the air. The villagers at the front rows rushed to the stage and kissed the ashes that were on the floor, and the ones at the balconies laughed their hearts out. The abbots shooed them back to their seats. It was then that the clergymen placed the sticks on the ash bowl before the statue. When they were done, the officials occupied the chairs next to them.

The door remaining ajar, a figure emerged. The crowd roared and shrilled upon his presence. As he walked to the statue, he held his stomach with his right hand and waved at the populace with his left.

“Praise the Lama, the Lord of Lords, the one who is all holy to the glory of the dove and salvation!” Everybody chanted this with tears in their eyes, they’d do this every time. The young ones imitated the adults, albeit some of them gave babbles and such. Neha and Sachen kept quiet, they winced at the hysteria since they had no incentive to join in. They shrugged and rolled their eyes.

The crowd went silent. The Lama ambled to the podium that teetered near the edge of the stage. It was now his time to speak. He narrowed his eyes, lowered his shoulders, and flicked his robes to remove the dust. He let out a sigh.

“I hereby bless every single of you here today, and by being here, you are devoting yourself to the heavens for salvation. Now, although today is Sunday, and all of you are required to go to this temple, today will be very important. You must listen carefully of what I have to say, or else you will slip under the cracks.”

Neha raised one of her eyebrows. “What does he mean by important?”

“Surely, it must be trouble with money or something, but I don’t know.” Sachen tilted her head down. “I could care less though.”

“You shouldn’t. Maybe we will have to participate in their troubles.”

“But we are kids. We don’t know much. It’s their jobs, not ours, to deal with their own stuff, you know? All we can worry about is school.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Neha returned her attention to the podium. Sachen did the same.

While the Lama was about to resume speaking, the people at the balconies smiled at each other and gave compliments, they had little devotion to the service. Among the crowd, somebody lurked. With tattered robes and long hair, a woman lurched at the edge of the balcony. She aimed her attention towards a woman with an emerald necklace and a pointed hat. That woman, in the midst of the villagers’ silence, blabbered to herself about how her daughter was not attending service due to excuses. She remarked that she’d drag her with a leash if she had to. The female at the balcony then muttered a remark, and she slammed her hands against the railings. She seethed and retreated into the crowd.

The ruler clearing his throat, he spoke again with an increase of volume in his voice.

“It is imperative, and I should remind you all, that we have received grave news from the gods themselves. We, as a little village, are surrounded by the wonders of nature and earth. But soon, we will be surrounded by the ones we are scared of the most—that is, the tribes! The ones from the north, the south, the east, and the west have all conspired to attack us, they have broken our twenty-year peace treaty! We have done nothing wrong, and yet, they are willing to start a war against us. Such a thing makes us so scared, and it seems that we can’t do anything about it! Our peace treaty is now null, and here we are, defenseless and unprepared, with little hope left. Worst of all, from the callings and beckoning of the gods, they are angry and wrathful at us. With that, we are soon to hurl ourselves into the darkness. We have clearly done something wrong, and all of you know what that is! That is right, we have failed to appease the gods, even though we have toiled and broke our bones in working hard for them! Despite the fact that about two years ago, we have suffered from famine, economic destitution, and civil war from the corruption of the previous administration, we are still here today. But our chance of survival is dim; we are beginning to lose the power to maintain this village. However, now, it is our job to reclaim our glory, by participating in this war and by crushing our foes! It is clear that we need to exert more effort to make the gods happy, so that they can support us in the upcoming war!”

At the end of his words did the Lama wheezed. Then all around him, the officials and the villagers clapped and cried, for his words touched their hearts, and they chose to support the village as a whole in the catalyst of war. They had no doubts that the enemies could unleash ferocity, but their trust of the High Order and the gods assured them of victory.

It was the second time that the people in the front rows invaded the stage again. With watering eyes, the Lama replied that they should not worry any longer since the Holy Army was there for them. The abbots then again stowed the people away from the stage.

Hearing the matter about war, the kids knocked their heads against the chairs and they clung onto their parents. Chills blanketed Neha and Sachen, never did they expect for war to happen the second time in their lives. The first time war occurred in the village, they were absolutely lost in terms of the situation, but now this time they felt immense terror.

Neha latched herself onto Sachen again, not willing to let go of her. “War, why must it be this way?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Sachen stroked her friend’s head. “Maybe the bad guys will be wiped out in time, and all things will come to peace again. We are strong after all!”

“Hehe, I like the way you think.”

“Yep! Maybe, they will let us fight against the enemies! With sticks and stones, we can stop them!”

“Ah, I’m not sure about that. Regardless, I am still scared about the war. I don’t know what it will be like, but for sure, it will hurt all of us once more.”

Sachen nodded, and Neha released her embrace. They had in their heads, an impression of the upcoming conflict as full of blood and dying people. All they wanted for the rest of their lives was to live without having to feel sad or worried about everything. With such a thought however, they became uncertain; that desire might or might not come true.

The Lama, who was quiet among the shock of the villagers, recomposed himself. His hands gripped onto the woodwork of the podium, and he creaked open his mouth. Not a single shred of sweat and tears were on his face.

“The fact that the tribes have the audacity to go against our kind is despicable. As a community, we shall support the Holy Army, for they have the experience and the capabilities to defeat the devils of the frontiers, once and for all. The farmers, the quarry workers, even the accountants, you all shall rise up and acknowledge our struggles. No matter how frail and poor you are, how haughty and prideful you may be, there is no denial that even the tiniest bit of your support will help us tremendously. We are the backbone of this village after all, and we shall continue to be one for as long as the gods will allow us to live. You shall listen to our battle cries, you shall walk a mile in our shoes just to feel our struggles, and you shall be happy and joyful that the military will be fighting for the preservation of our existence. The hordes from the outside world will burn into the scourges of their own sins. Even if we aren’t in the battlefield, we shall hear from afar, the cries and moans of the ones who have caused the gods to stray away from us! Once they are eliminated, we shall relish in our glory! Long live the village!”

“Hurrah, hurrah! Praise Yebuka, the Lord of Lords!” The people stirred their words into a whirlwind, and it blasted the officials off their seats. Yebuka raised his right hand and motioned it up and down.

“But before we can do anything, before we can raise our hands for the gods, we must appeal to the heavens first and foremost! In order to do so, we must perform… sacrifices! Yes, you heard me! As you can tell, the gods are hungry for fresh blood, so to have us perform them under the sky and above the earth will be considered a confirmation of our loyalty! By the heavens and their presence alone, we will, without any questions, do what it takes to make our actions meaningful. New flesh, a new beginning. The village has awoken into a new hour, one that will determine our fate for the future. If we shall die, then let us die by pushing ourselves into the fight at the last possible moment. If we shall live, then let us destroy them! Also, along with our sacrifices, we shall reinstate the tradition that we have followed since the old times: that is, the spiritual missions. As always, the High Order requires two candidates, a male and a female, regardless of age and weakness. He and she will go far away from here—it will be something that requires them to endure suffering, to lose their patience, and to persevere throughout the mission. This is so that the gods will pay heed to their causes, showing that we are still devoted to salvation!”

Yebuka brought his head forward, he then scanned at almost every villager in the temple. The kids, along with Neha and Sachen, shuddered and cracked their necks. They feared much of what the Lama was going to do from here.

The pupils of the ruler grew large. He gulped saliva down his throat. When he saw Neha and Sachen, he winked at them, and it left them shaking even more. His current demeanor alone drove most people to drop their knees and beg to him that they should become the candidates. As much as they looked like fools from the upper-class citizens, they were willing to serve him at all costs. Such enthusiasm they had, their glowing faces satisfied the Lama.

Yebuka glanced at the Young Guards and smiled. He tapped his stomach. His eyes narrowed towards a particular person.

“I have finally found a boy that can help us. Vice-President of the Young Guards Kuraizang, will you please come over?”

“Yes I will, my Lord,” Kuraizang said, he walked to the stage. “I shall help you in any way you can.” Being there, Kuraizang bowed before the officials. They gave a round of applause and chanted his name a million times. Kuraizang then shook hands with the Lama, and in turn, the villagers hollered more and more to which their voices caused the building to shake. They considered such a gesture from the leader to be a divine one.

Just as Sachen saw him, she grunted and folded her arms. “I guess it makes sense now, from the words of our classmates about Kuraizang and his impressions.” She knew nothing about what the spiritual mission might involve for the boy, but it could be full of risks.

Moving Kuraizang’s bangs aside, the Lama traced a triangle on his forehead and chanted a short hymn. He then turned to the audience.

“This young man is distinguished for his honors and achievements at school. It is now time for Kuraizang to make the next step. My abbots, escort him to the back door. Change his clothes and train him until next week.” The vice-president walked to the back side of the statue, and the abbots led him to the door. Kuraizang departed from the Young Guards, which the president and the members of his sections said their grace and wished for him many successes in the endeavors.

The clergymen announced that service was over for today. For whatever reasons the Lama had in mind, they said that he needed to meet one of the kids afterwards. Thus in the end, the clergymen started to escort the people from their seats. Since the villagers were still in head over heels from the Lama’s speech, some of them fought and slapped the personnel. It already became a struggle, but this happened almost every Sunday, so it was normal. Then soon with the cooperation of the Young Guards, the High Order was able to push them out of the building; in a matter of minutes, the place was empty.

Neha and Sachen were also about to depart, but the president of their section stopped them. Telling that the Lama had called for Neha, the latter refused at first. She stepped back and shook her head, fearing that he might take her to a weird place. Sachen suggested to the Young Guard member that she should accompany her friend, and the president accepted it. They walked along the aisle and reached the stage. The Lama, seeing them, brought both his arms out. The girls gave him a handshake. Sachen then retreated to the steps leading back to the aisle, scowling at the ruler and keeping watch of anything that might go wrong.

“Hello little one,” Yebuka said. “You caught me in interest when I gazed at you, for you hold a very special aura. What is your name by the way?”

Rubbing her cheeks, Neha clammed her eyes. “N-Neha is my name!”

“Splendid! Now Neha, your father is in the military right?”

“Ah, yes!”

“He is working very hard at the moment, in an expedition against the enemies in the desert. That is not part of this war though, as we started to punish the evildoers a year back, but you don’t have to worry. He is leading his troops well and hearty, and there are no instances that he has lost a battle, not a single one! He has a brave heart, and an assertive voice. His troops love him so, that they don’t want him to be gone, and isn’t that fabulous?”

Neha nodded and stood firm. “When will my dad come back? I miss him so much, and I worry about him every day.”

“Why need to ask my dear? He will come back soon. At best, with the war looming, I estimate that he will return in two months. Since the barbarians have decided to wage war against us, he will get more involved.” The girl curled a smile from hearing that. “Say Neha, to change the subject, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Well… I want to be a charity worker, so that I can help the poor. This nice woman named Usheniko gave me the advice to become one, and I feel grateful about it.” Neha chuckled to herself.

Dark clouds then filled the eyes of the Lama. With a grimace, he heaved his stomach as though he was developing nausea. Facing the other side away from Neha, he sighed many times and uttered curses to himself. There must have been something wrong within Neha’s words that allegedly offended the leader, but she did not heed to ask such a thing.

“What’s the matter?” Neha bobbed her head downwards, she was about to walk off.

Yebuka patted his stomach. Turning back to the girl, he groaned and made his posture rigid. One of the clergymen nudged at him.

“O-oh, it’s nothing, nothing at all. Well Neha, it’s been nice chatting with you. My apologies for looking gloomy by the way. This is out of topic, but I can sense that you hold grace and potential to become a useful person. Maybe someday you might help us. Have a nice day.”

“Okay…”

“Let’s go.” Sachen said,. She picked herself up, dragged Neha, and together they went to the front door. “That guy is so creepy. Did you see the look on his face a moment ago? Ugh!”

“Yeah, but I’m not really concerned. I just want to know when my father will come back to our side. Out of all people, I asked the Lama about the matter. Goodness me, I was so nervous.”

“I’m sure he will come home soon! He’s a good person, he will never leave you and your mother!”

Sachen slapped the back of her friend’s shoulders, and her smile warmed Neha. Then came comfort and reassurance for Neha that somehow and someday, her family would be one again. She hoped so.

The girls left the temple and reunited with their families. Today’s service commanded a considerable impression on the masses. Even so, the duo spun their heads as they lacked any understanding to what Yebuka’s speech meant for them. Perhaps there was a meaning deep under the surface of his oratory.