Tortoise and Fox [BL]

3.28

"I desperately wanted to spend time with you today--to tell you something—but I'm about to leave again."

"Hello, I am soon locking the—"

Lucas's mouth gaped mid-sentence as he locked onto Eli's figure sitting in the backmost pew.

"Elijah?!"

Eli looked up after a delayed moment. Confusion lingered past his red eyes and pale pallor.

"Who are you," he asked hoarsely. "Where's Father Anderson?"

Lucas's hopping jog across the tile floor slowed to a tentative, erratic walk.

"He has passed on—I thought you knew already, though."

Eli's shoulders lowered forward, dejected. "Oh."

Lucas quieted to a low whisper.

"Are you alright? You seem... different, somehow. You returned much quicker than I initially thought—you were only in here in a fancy suit last night."

"Ah, well... I'm a relative of Elijah. Call me Eli—we've never met before. But Father Anderson is really gone. He truly was a kind soul."

Lucas smiled and sat down beside Eli. He swung his legs back and forth while inspecting the multi-colored stained glass above.

"He was like a parent to me. I called him Grandpa—which he always grumbled about. Never told me to stop, though." Lucas laughed lightly.

"He always did have a temper, even in the past," Eli mused. "But despite it all... he'd hear out my troubles. I was hoping to find him here one last time."

"You can tell me," Lucas blurted out.

He clapped his hands to his mouth, but slowly put them down, revealing an embarrassed, although sincere gaze.

"I mean, well, if you'd like. I'm an open ear. I may not necessarily have an answer, but sometimes, it can settle the unconscious."

Eli smiled, "Your grandpa said those same words to me when we first met."

"Really?" Lucas laughed while scratching his cheek.

"Mhm."

Eli clasped his hands. His fingers swayed. They folded and unfolded in a smooth, unending motion. The silence stretched thin—thinner than the elongated moonlight slanting down across the pews.

"What if you... didn't have any time left? For anything?

He looked up at the goddess statue. Her praying hands overlapped his shaking ones.

Eli's words quieted.

"To live forever in someone's memory—is possible for the lifespan of a human, but for a demon—that remains unknown. Forever is strenuously long. And yet, my forever is about to end. Just when it feels as if everything was about to begin with Aisultan. It will all come to an end soon."

Lucas didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He clutched at his heart and exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. It... I can't imagine how that feels. How painful it is."

"Don't be. What is there to be sorry for? The only thing left is to live without any further regrets."

Eli's voice tremored. He squeezed his hands tight.

"You're in pain,' Lucas whispered, eyes gentle.

"I am. I don't want this... but is there really any point in mourning my future instead of living it?"