Tess

“What? Ah…”

The purification ritual was the Spiritual Church’s doctrine that brides and grooms facing marriage must purify their bodies and spirits and unite through a sacred ceremony. Iliya knew about it but had never seen it. The leader said that only children born after purification were truly God’s descendants. Since Spiritual Church believers never used contraception, most had children immediately after marriage. This too was a blessing of purification. Children born within this blessing grew up absorbing the church’s doctrine. Without access to other media, it became their truth.

“I’ve never seen it, but…”

Mrs. Rollins didn’t ask further, as if she had already gotten her answer from Iliya’s expression. After pausing briefly, she spoke as if talking to herself.

“The children born all these years… don’t they seem different somehow?”

“What do you mean…”

“Their faces, their faces… Ah, what am I saying.”

“Calm down, ma’am.”

Mrs. Rollins covered her mouth, seemingly embarrassed by what she had just said. Her breathing became irregular. Her hands were trembling slightly. Iliya hoped she wouldn’t continue. It seemed like some forbidden thoughts and words were about to emerge. If asked what they were, he couldn’t answer himself, but that was just his feeling. Mrs. Rollins lowered her hand from her mouth, her lips quivering before suddenly stopping.

“It’s nothing. I said something unnecessary.”

She hastily left her seat. Though there was no one visibly noticeable around, Iliya clearly felt someone’s presence. Could it be the leader’s watchmen? They always observed to ensure no impure forces infiltrated among the believers. Not only watchmen monitored them. The leader’s fervent followers volunteered as surveillants without being told.

Iliya looked toward where Mrs. Rollins had disappeared, then turned to watch the children playing on the opposite side. The children were holding hands, forming a circle and spinning around. As their spinning speed increased, Iliya felt a strange sensation he had never experienced before. Though their hair and eye colors varied slightly, the faces of those children who all resembled each other similarly…

It was like light seeping through the crack of a door that should never be opened. One whose consequences upon opening out of curiosity were unknowable.

*

*

While it wasn’t unusual for Rus to attract attention at parties, interest in him had noticeably increased since the article came out. He didn’t care about people whispering behind his back, but those who approached directly seeking answers were tiresome. Like the man approaching right now. Seeing him coming slowly with one hand in his pocket and a champagne glass in the other, Rus could guess what he was going to say. Why did people with obvious intentions all have similar expressions and postures? It was as if they shared a manual among themselves.

“You’re usually indifferent to everything, but Rus Briane is interested in religion? Or maybe that’s your type? Forbidden relationships, something like that?”

Though he seemed to think he was being cleverly sarcastic, his target wasn’t affected at all.

“I forgot about that day immediately, but the fact that you’ve been thinking about it for days—I didn’t realize I was so important to you.”

“It was quite an impressive article.”

The man held his head up arrogantly, but Rus could see his eye twitching slightly with irritation. He wished he couldn’t see it, but strong emotions with clear meaning were difficult to hide.

“How attentive of you to care about a corner article, not even front page.”

In a gossip magazine, no less. He omitted the latter part out of laziness. Most wealthy people are busy and only receive summaries of key information from secretaries or experts. The implication that the other man had too much free time made him flush with anger. He looked like he wanted to throw a punch, but there were too many watching eyes around.

“Why don’t you practice matching your words with your expressions first?”

After dropping this comment in a low voice, Rus turned away, ignoring him. That type existed everywhere. The same expressions and tone. The same incidents. The same interests. People who mistake their overflowing inferiority for superiority. The man’s words were somewhat accurate. A group caught up in madness was more interesting than a party full of uniformly boring people.

Andrew belatedly assessed the situation and rushed over. Rus wasn’t particularly excited or angry. He was just weary. Or perhaps angry at the tedium. Looking at the time, he felt it appropriate to leave and exited the party. After walking steadily for a while, he suddenly stopped. One minor thing bothered him.

“If you come to a party, just enjoy it. No need for pointless provocations.”

Andrew badmouthed the other man while gauging Rus’s reaction.

“Wait.”

Rus interrupted Andrew. Seeing Rus suddenly staring seriously at his mobile phone, Andrew curiously stretched his neck.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“Not exactly a problem, but the article is a bit subtle…”

“Well, the class discrimination angle is a bit extreme, but other than that? Why, planning to sue?”

“No…”

Rus became lost in thought. He was strangely both indifferent and sensitive. He considered asking Andrew about his doubts but decided against it. If there was enough interest to write an article about a simple conversation, wouldn’t they have mentioned who Rus had spoken with, or which group they belonged to? Much more sensational articles could have been written.

Even if simple gossip was the goal, they could have added accounts from police or other witnesses present. The article contained more of the journalist’s opinions than facts. Was the journalist just lazy? Moreover, there was no mention of the water-throwing incident. That would have been more newsworthy. Something felt subtly strange. Not quite suspicion, but questions arose.

“The ‘Spiritual Church’ you mentioned before.”

“Why bring that up? I knew we shouldn’t have just let it go that day.”

“Are there no other issues with them?”

Andrew pondered Rus’s meaning for a while before lowering his voice.

“Well… As I said before, there was one report filed against them. Other denominations call them heretical or cultish, but such criticism is common. And they’re not large enough to be targeted for attacks.”

“…”

“They pay their taxes properly, consistently donate and volunteer, and appear clean on the surface. They’re hostile toward Alphas like before, but they’ve never actually committed terrorism. There are many strange groups out there, and they’re relatively benign by comparison. If there’s any issue worth mentioning, it’s that they’re closed off, restricting outsiders’ access? They pay taxes but refuse government or city interference, saying they created their village on empty land themselves.”

According to Andrew, they could actually expect positive reactions if an article were published. No denomination dislikes expanding their influence. Looking at the few articles published, the complete absence of mention of the Spiritual Church seemed rather unnatural.

“If there were problems, something would have surfaced by now. Even if such things happened, who would care about a small village?”

Are you looking for something to take revenge on? It seemed unlikely for such a minor incident, but seeing Rus contemplating for once made Andrew interested too.

“Should we look into it? Or shall I introduce you to someone who might know?”

“No, not really.”

Rus’s answer came faster than expected. Andrew felt slightly deflated, but also relieved.

“Right, meddling carelessly could backfire. Religion is a sensitive issue.”

Andrew patted Rus’s shoulder, saying he had made a good decision. But it wasn’t fear of backlash that stopped Rus. The interest wasn’t strong enough to investigate further. Rus just made a mental note of the media outlet and the journalist’s name.

*

*

After the service ended, the leader called Nancy aside.

“The wedding is about a month away, correct?”

“Yes, Leader.”

Nancy, initially pleased to be alone with the leader, soon lost her enthusiasm. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would have to accept Iliya as her husband. Her shoulders drooped as she aimlessly scraped the ground with her foot.

“Nancy, you know about the ‘purification’ ritual, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good that you know. Then Nancy, are you pure?”

“Yes, Leader.”

The question might have flustered others, but Nancy felt no hesitation before the leader. The leader smiled gently.

“Yes. I knew, but I just wanted to confirm. Lying is the greatest sin.”

“I’ve never lied!”

“I believe you. So Nancy, prepare yourself physically and spiritually for the ritual. I’ll call for you soon.”

“Yes, Leader!”

Nancy was filled with anticipation. Though she wanted to delay marriage, she was excited at the thought of participating in a special ritual. The leader smiled maliciously as he watched Nancy skipping away. Iliya witnessed this expression from a distance. One of the watchmen approached the leader, and the two left together, laughing.

Iliya had a nightmare the previous night. Children surrounded him, standing in the center, spinning around. At first, they jumped lightly, but gradually accelerated. Eventually, they spun so rapidly that their forms became invisible. They connected like a single ring and then completely melted away. Like the tiger in the Sambo story he had heard as a child.

Iliya called out to the children in alarm. No matter how loudly he shouted, there was no response. The tiger in the story melted into butter, but the form in his dream writhed and began to take shape again. As the outline gradually became clearer, a familiar face emerged. It was Michael Whaley, the leader.

Iliya turned and ran. It grew larger and pursued him, as if about to open its mouth and swallow him. He ran desperately, but his steps slowed, and he fell. Just as a terrifying tidal wave was about to engulf him, Iliya woke up screaming.

As soon as he realized it was a dream, he looked around. Fortunately, his father hadn’t awakened. His hair was drenched in sweat. Could it have been because of Mrs. Rollins’s words? In the dream, the children’s faces were identical to the leader’s, as if copied and pasted.