Humanity: The Fall

The next morning, as always, we woke up at sunrise. We made our beds, got dressed, and went to light the fire. After completing our morning hygiene, we headed to breakfast. Since it was Sunday, the meals were more abundant. For breakfast, we had eggs and crispy bacon, fruit salad for dessert, and a choice of milk, water, or tea to drink.

Maria waved happily from her usual spot, though at mine sat the girl Anna. I was delighted that Maria had found a friend. As for me, I sat between Quinn and Al, pestering them with questions about duties and subjects. They told me we had 12 subjects and showed me the weekly schedule.

According to the schedule, after breakfast, we had "Psychology and Temptations," taught by Father Gregory. The lessons covered human behavior, the study of the mind, and resisting the intrusion of evil into our thoughts and hearts. Following that, we had linguistics with Father Frederic, where we studied grammar and the rules of English and Latin. Before lunch, there was "Morality and Ethics," taught by Sister Eva. In this class, we analyzed virtues and flaws, discussed temptations and how to overcome them, and learned to distinguish between right and wrong.

After breakfast, we went to our rooms for a short rest. When it was time to head to psychology class, Father Dominik stopped me in the hallway, separating me from the others, and asked me to follow him. Al assured me everything was fine, saying everyone went through this and it was better to hear it directly from them.

"Alright, but you'll have to tell me everything you learn today!" I called out to Al, who was walking down the hallway. I then followed Father Dominik.

He led me through narrow corridors that resembled a large labyrinth until we reached a wide, beautifully decorated hallway. Statues of religious figures lined both sides of the hall. Finally, we stopped in front of a door, and Father Dominik opened it, revealing a room filled with colorful stained glass windows.

To my left and ahead of us, there were seven windows each, depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross. On the right wall, various decorations emitted trickles of water. The floor was covered with colorful tiles, and the ceiling was adorned with paintings. At the farthest point in the room, directly in front of me, there was a large crucifix. Below it stood a semicircular table with seven chairs. Six people were already seated, and Father Dominik joined them.

Out of the seven people present, I recognized Father Dominik, Brother Samuel, and Sister Eva. The person sitting in the middle wore a white robe tied with a gold cord. He was the first to stand.

"Good day, young man. I am the head of the monastery, Bishop Francis Haalway." His voice was commanding and clear. He had a neatly trimmed beard, sharp, focused eyes, and stern facial features that conveyed intelligence. I didn't know why, but I instinctively felt that crossing him would be unwise. Despite being around sixty years old, he looked vital and, in some strange way, formidable.

"The world today is harsher and more dangerous than it has ever been, and I am sorry that this is the case. But it's time for you to grow up. You were brought here because your parents believed you would be safer here and, ultimately, needed here. Perhaps you're too young to understand everything I'm about to tell you, but you'll have time to reflect on it during your studies."

He glanced around at his colleagues, who sat quietly, watching me. Then he took his chair, brought it in front of me, and sat down.

His gaze gentle yet serious and he spoke slowly and clearly.

"My son, do you know how sometimes the rain comes, washing away all that is dirty, and then the sun shines? Something similar happened to our world, except this 'rain' was God's wrath. God was deeply disappointed in humanity. Many people had done bad things—hurt one another, lied, cheated, and forgotten how to love and be good.

One day, God decided to punish humanity to teach them a lesson. He sent His angels—great, strong, fearsome—to cleanse the world of sin. But these angels made no distinction between the wicked and the good. Everyone was in danger.

Our world would have been lost if not for one man. That man was very brave and decided to help humanity by making a deal with a being not from Heaven, but from Hell. Sounds frightening, doesn't it? But he did it to close the gates through which the angels were coming, giving us time to prepare.

This is why you are here. We are preparing for the day those gates will reopen, and it will happen soon. When that day comes, the angels will return, but this time, we will be ready. You and your sister, along with the other children here, are special. You have pure hearts, which is a rarity in this world.

God has said that only those who live without sin can summon the angels who will defend us—the good angels who will stand by our side. But this is not easy. To be pure means you must live by the rules, always choose what is right, and never give in to evil.

I know this is difficult to understand, and you may feel afraid. But know this: you are part of something greater. Your existence, your prayers, your heart—all of it can help save this world. Though you are small, there is great strength within you.

Our duty is to prepare you, to show you how to be strong, how to have faith, and how to love. Your duty is to stay on this path, no matter the obstacles. In time, you will understand more, but for now, it's enough to know this—the world needs you, my son."

He smiled gently, placed a hand on my shoulder, and stands, leaving me to ponder my words.

After the bishop's words ended, I felt a flood of emotions wash over me—fear, confusion, and even a small sense of pride. I didn't fully understand everything he had said, but I could sense the importance of his words. I looked down at the floor, trying to organize my thoughts.

Bishop Francis stood upright, looking at everyone present, while the other council members sat calmly, not breaking the silence that had settled in the room.

Father Dominik stepped toward me and, with a gentle yet firm voice, said:

"Now you know why you're here and what is expected of you. You won't understand everything immediately, but you'll have enough time and guidance to figure it out. We will lead you, but the decisions and effort—they're up to you."

I was still silent. My head was full of questions—who was the man who closed the gates? How is it possible for the angels to return? What if I'm not good enough? But I didn't have the courage to ask any of those questions. I simply nodded, which was apparently enough for them.

The bishop smiled slightly and added in a gentle tone:

"It's time for you to return to your lessons. We won't keep you any longer, but I want you to remember this—you are not alone in this. Guard your heart, my child. Within it lies a strength that neither angels nor demons can break."

Father Dominik opened the door and motioned for me to follow. I took one last glance at the bishop and the council, and they watched me with seriousness, but also with some strange sense of hope. My footsteps echoed as I left the room and stepped back into the hallway, where the silence of the narrow passages awaited me.

As Father Dominik led me back toward the classroom, I couldn't shake his words from my mind: "The world needs you, son." The sense of responsibility, though unfamiliar and heavy, began to settle in me like a pebble tossed into a still lake, creating ripples that spread further and further outward.

I had the feeling that my head was going to explode from all the questions. After the psychology class, which I didn't pay attention to because I was trapped in my thoughts, I asked Father Gregory to answer a few of my questions. He understood what it was about and gave me a sad smile. He told me that everything would become clearer if I regularly attended lessons and paid attention in the subject "History of the Holy Battle" with Father Irwing, but I could also ask my friends to tell me what they had learned.

So I immediately headed towards Al and Quinn, knowing that they might be able to help me understand at least something. Both of them were silent, as if they sensed the weight of everything that had happened. When I approached them, they both looked at me, and Al spoke first.

"I know you have a lot of questions," he said, "we all do. It's not easy to understand all these things. Here, in the monastery, a lot of things are different from what we're used to. It's not always clear, but over time, you'll understand."

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, even though we don't always understand everything ourselves, we know we're here for a reason. We have to believe. That's really all we can do right now. If you listen and learn, the answers will come."

I could feel that their promises and words were encouraging, even though I wasn't sure exactly what I believed. I felt the need to learn as much as I could, to find answers to my questions, but it wasn't easy. "I understand," I said quietly, although I wasn't sure if I would ever fully understand.