Distant...?

At the top of the church, where only one room can be built, inside the room lies a medium-sized bed at the center where Max peacefully sleeps. He now wears a pure white fabric, making him seem one with the pure white bed. A few hours passed and he woke up from a familiar voice ringing inside his head.

[CURE THE ILL.]

His eyebrow twitched. With aching stomach, he slowly sat and tried opening his eyes. He was stunned. He was surrounded by eleven people kneeling deeply to him, their whole body covered in white robes. But that was not what surprised him the most, it was the sight of place without dark, lurking, whispering, mocking, cold smokes of evil spirits, he was met with a warm feeling and a peaceful atmosphere, like what he felt when he was at his old room back to their mansion.

"Are you alright?" A girl at the door asked, eyes full of worry, but her expression was emotionless. She wears a dark robe that made her out of place inside the church. Her face, at the right cheek has a deep scar that resembled a bird doodle of a child. She walked towards Max and carefully slipped her left hand to Max's opened stomach, her right hand caresses Max's hair, to ear, then to his neck. The pain from his stomach subsided and the wound healed. "You seem to be fine..... If anything hurts, anything at all, tell me. My name is Cleo, call my name and I will come to you." She introduced herself before kissing Max's forehead.

Max hugged his knees.

"It's you, isn't it? My Yin?" Max asked without looking at Cleo's eyes. Hiding himself from the person in front, hiding from the truth, truth that he no longer has any control of himself and is now caged to his own destiny.

"Yes, you are my Yang." Cleo answered, her voice was cold, but the way she looked at Max was the eyes that just realized 'what a beautiful thing love is.'

Max took a peek and locked eyes with Cleo. He got himself out of the comfy bed and face towards her. Cleo was a head taller than him.

"..."

"Apologies, could I ask you all to leave?" Max asked the eleven people who remained kneeling with their head touching the cold floor to go. The people left in an orderly manner, and Cleo who was about to follow them from behind stopped taking steps when Max spoke once more. "I'm going somewhere." He informed Cleo like his life was no longer his own business.

"I will follow you whether it pleases you or not."Cleo answered firmly. She, as one of the two people in the prophecy had been trained and educated by the church's priestess and priests to fulfil her duty as the partner of their Messiah. It was the duty to protect her partner from harm and be the evil(if must) for the safety of her partner. She nearly lost her feminity in the process, and just before she could have given up her everything for lifelong training, she found her reason why she must do what duty she was given of. The lad before her was quite strong, she knew it, but looking at the lad's condition and appearance, she was inevitably thinking the opposite. 'I must protect him.'

"Can you fly?" Max asked after getting her answer and walking towards the window where he plans on jumping off to know where the mission given to him is. To a place full of people suffering from an illness. To place he must suffer.

"....no." Cleo answered.

"...." Both were quiet for a moment.

"Would you allow me to carry you?" Max asked with his arms opened for a hug. Cleo came closer and hugged Max, both heart in synchrony. As Cleo feel Max's heat, Max felt Cleo's coldness. Max removed his right hand from the hug to princess-carry her for a safer flight before jumping out of the window.

"Do you know where there might be people suffering from illness?" Max asked as he look down from above. Unlike the place where he came from, the place where he is now is quite historical, like a space stuck in historical time. He could not help but notice the two moons too. He now asked if he is in another world.

"If it is illness, there are plenty. But if we consider the density, the far outer parts of the church's jurisdiction is the place with most people suffering from illness. The church tried to help them, but they refused our ways and cast us out. We were no longer allowed to set foot on their land. They were slowly dying..." Cleo said, making Max prioritize the said place as it was the only place that the church was unable to help heal caused by the people's stubbornness.

"Could you lead the way?" Max requested and Cleo led them to the place through controlling the force that made it possible for them to fly. Althought it the first time she had ever tried it, she was able to control it without difficulty, it all came to her as natural. As she focus on flying, the hood of her black cloak accidentally got pulled off by the wind and her face was revealed. She had slightly brown skin, her eyes were hinting tiredness, while her eye bags reveal it, her hair was completely black. Her lips were reddish brown and her scar was slight browner than her skin. She glanced at Max to see his reaction from seeing her 'ugly face' especially compared to him. She was stunned, the eyes that stared back at her were looking at her like she was the moon, the only light in the sky where stars don't exist, it was filled with adoration and amazement. Cleo took a peck on Max's cheek. Surprised, Max unconsciously released his grip, she was falling, he was too. Without a care to her own safety, she covered Max and made sure she was the one to brace the impact, she was under him with her back facing the roof far below them. They both float on air.

"We have arrived." She said smiling heartily with her eyes, her lips remained indifferent. Completely no reaction to her near death experience. She was used to it.

'beautiful" Max thought, some syllables muttered, all were heard, one word was understood.

"You too." She replied.

Max made their landing as gentle as possible. By the time they landed, a fist-sized rock aimed at Max's head was thrown strongly. Before the rock hit its target, Cleo caught it.

"Devil worshiper!!" The children shouted. The adults came by from the children's alarming comment. They were holding weapons, all aimed only at Max, thinking Cleo in her black cloak their ally, they swung their weapons towards Max. Max remained calm as he knew no weapons can kill him now, as he is no longer human. But Cleo was different. She thought the reason why Max was calm was because she should handle the mobs. So she swung her fist at the hand of an adult male holding a farmer scythe, when the man had let go of his scythe, she stole it and severed the man's head. The mobs were now scared to come forward, they took three steps back, the children began crying one after another. Max too backed off from her. She felt a pain in her whole existence, instinctively, she looked at Max. She felt uneasy. Unsure of what to do, she stand there in place. Max notice her pause, he ran towards the man who had his head severed and place the head and the neck close to each other and said.

("Your death be undone. Your illness be gone.")

The man's head and neck connected, the body grasped for air, the man jolted awake, energetically—alive.

"W-what did you do?"

"D-demon! He has been possessed!"

"Murderer!"

"Hypocrites!!!"

"Begone!"

"Begone!"

"BeGONE!"

"BEGONE!!"

Their united shouts of rejection towards them grew louder. They had no choice but to leave. They both flew, but this time, Max did not let her have any physical contact with him. As they were leaving, Max noticed the mobs circling at the man he revived. The man was being treated as an outcast, and will soon be dead again too, but this time, by the hands of his once called allies. But something will soon be realized by the mobs—it is impossible. The man was not once hurt by their weapons, punches, and hits, he was protected.

"Why did you kill?" Max asked, tone was calm, feeling was disappointed, blood was boiling, mind in rage.

"They will kill you." Cleo replied. Calmly.

Max remembered his father's words 'Would you rather me getting killed then?'

"Why must we kill?!" Max asked the air. Not expecting any answer.

"Because sometimes it's a must. I MUST protect you." She answered firmly, expression full of resolved. Eyes in confusion.

'My head hurts.' Max complained. He made her flew faster than him and made her land by the entrance of the church while he came back to the top room of the church.