NoGift

THAT MORNING, everyone in the town of Kaurr thought it would be just an ordinary day. Just like how it was for most of their lives. But that's where they're wrong. Before they could start they're day, a huge projection above the town suddenly appeared. They were confused at first, but then the projection showed images with matching sounds. And then they were all just horrified.

It first showed the image of the new Bishop berating the other priests with scathing words. Then he ordered one of those priests to bring a servant girl to his room. That priest dutifuly did so. Later, a pretty girl was sent to the Bishop's room. And then that's when the horror truly began.

The Bishop ordered the girl to strip. The girl with quivering fingers started to do as she was told. Once naked, the Bishop pulled the girl and threw her on the bed. Then he tied her on the bedpost. They thought it couldn't get any worse than that, then he started inserting objects in the girl's private parts. And he's doing it with a monstrous glee in his eyes. As if he's enjoying what he was doing immensely. Then the horror intensified. The Bishop parted the girl's thigh and proceeded on raping her.

Some people couldn't take it anymore and just vomitted on the sidewalk. Some couldn't even look at it. Of course, some were in denial. They just couldn't believe what they're seeing. Who would, really? They grew up believing that the Temple of Gaia was the symbol of holiness and that includes the priests who served under it. The higher the position of the priest, the holier they were. But now, they're seing this. And they just couldn't begin to fathom just what they were seeing.

When the Bishop was done, they thought that was already the end. But then the scene change and they saw the Bishop kneeling. He started stating everything he had done since he arrived here. Including raping and torturing a number of servant girls. Everyone couldn't believe what they were hearing. They were just completely petrified. Like everything they believe in was starting to crumble under their feet.

One of the people in the crowds was Mr. Wicks. Frankly speaking, he couldn't say he was surprise. The Temple was no different from any large organization. There would always be a part that's full of corruption, greed, and perverseness. The people here just refused to see that.

He suddenly thought of Miss Blackbourne's second visit to his shop yesterday morning. She told him that the Temple here would have a huge crisis soon and they wouldn't have the time or even the inclination to bother with him. So he should take that chance to import sPhones here. Soon, someone from Silver Corporation would contact him to finalize the deal.

Was this the huge crisis Miss Blackbourne was talking about? Were they the ones behind this? Well, no matter. Whatever the answers were, all he had to do was do a good job and properly promote the sPhones here. Mr. Wicks turned around and entered his shop.

The same thing was happening in the other four corners of Shandra. Images projected of the Bishop's wrongdoings. Those images would continue to flash for the rest of the day, embedding it on the people's mind. Even if they continue to be in denial, there was already a crack on the belief they were so proud of.

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At this time, Argent and her three companions were already inside the flying car and travelling towards the area where Clay left his sister and friends. It was no doubt that their plan was a huge success.

On the day that suspicious Luc showed her the hidden passage leading to the residential area of the Temple, Argent went back there at midnight and went to the Bishop's private residence. It was not that hard looking for it. She just went to the biggest building. According to what that Luc said, the Bishop kept calling servant girls to his room. So Argent knew that the Bishop's room was an infinite source of dirty materials. She put a small surveillance camera inside the room - to record the Bishop's activity. And the Bishop didn't disappoint.

The next day, Aurum, Clay, and Black left the town. They flew using the flying car, Black was the one driving. They went to the four biggest villages in the North, South, East, and West part of the country. They put the small projectors in those four villages. Then Clay went to disguised himself as the 'bandit' Argent using the holographic choker. He ran around a certain village, making sure that people would see his face. While Argent stayed at Kaurr to pick the perfect time to disguised herself as Flora.

And the rest, as they said, was history.

Now those projectors were showing the dirty deeds of the Bishop and also his confession. Argent was just glad she already had those projectors at hand. She just made it a week before they flew to Shandra. Who would have guessed it would come in handy so soon? She was not worried about people finding it. Because she programmed it to self-destruct once it finished showing the recordings.

Argent yawned. She barely slept last night. After getting out of the residential area of the Temple and walking out of Kaurr, she met with Aurum and Black who were waiting for her at the outside forest. Then they met with Clay who was just done parading himself as the 'bandit'. While inside the flying car, Argent edited the video recorded by the small camera in the Bishop's room. So it would show the Bishop's nightly activities more clearly. She also edited the girl's face and replaced it with a slightly different face. It's a small thing but it could at least save the little bit of dignity the girl still has.

Just watching that recording was enough for her to lose her appetite for a week. It's really regretable that Argent had to forego on killling that pig. If he died, then there's a chance that the Temple could turn things around. They would probably spin the events around and tell everyone that the Bishop was also a victim of sort. But bad news for them, the image of the Bishop raping and torturing that girl would forever remain in the minds of the citizens of Shandra.

Clay suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence inside the car.

"What are you giggling about?" Aurum asked. She was now using her real face since Clay had already seen it.

"I'm just imagining the look of those damn priests right now. They're probably already shitting themselves in anger."

"Does Clay really hate the Temple?" Black asked innocently.

Clay messed Black's hair. "Isn't that already obvious?"

"Because they treated you and your sister badly when you were still living in that village?" Black asked again, remembering the story Clay told them about the village they grew up in.

"Not only that." Clay went quiet for a moment, thinking on how to continue. Or if he even wanted to continue. But in the end, he still chose to say it. "They killed my parents. Setting our home on fire."

"Why would they do that?" Aurum asked, curious.

"We weren't originally from Shandra. We're from a country in the Southeastern continent. The Temple wanted to take an ancient artifact our family had been guarding for centuries. My parents, of course, refused to tell them its location. When they did that, those animals brutally murdered them," Clay answered, a trace of anguish in his voice.

He could still remember the fire and the blood. And his father putting an amulet on his neck and telling him to take Flora away. Clay absently raised his hand and felt the amulet under his shirt. As always, grief and rage just filled him. If only he was powerful enough to protect them.

Argent's interest was piqued when Clay mentioned an artifact. "The Temple didn't ask you the location of that artifact when they sent you and your sister to the village?"

"They didn't know who we really are. They thought we also died during that fire. It's only sheer luck we managed to survive. But then again, we still ended up in their hands anyway," Clay said bitterly. "It wouldn't matter if they knew who we were. Flora and I both have no idea about the location of that artifact. It's probably better that way. At least now its location would forever remain buried together with my parents' remains."

If Clay didn't know its location, then he probably also didn't know what it was. Argent wondered what could that artifact was that the Temple even went so far as to kill its guardians.

She noticed that they were nearing their destination. Argent carefully landed the flying car on the familiar clearing. They all got off the car.

"So this is it, huh," Clay said while facing the three.

"I'd say I'll miss you, but truly I won't," Aurum said.

Clay laughed. "Same sentiments, blondie." He looked at Black and pinched his cheek. "Take care, kid." Then he turned to Argent. "Thank you, for everything."

Argent turned off the effect of the choker and showed her real face to Clay. "You did your share of the job. I'd say we're even now."

Clay stared at Argent's real face and then looked at Aurum's. They truly were siblings, having probably the two most beautiful faces in the world. He just shook his head and grinned before he turned around and walked towards the direction of where his sister and friends were. Wondering if they would meet again in the future.

Aurum stared at Clay's back for a while before turning to her brother. "Where to now?"

"Now, we're going back to Albion," Argent answered. "But before that." She opened her light brain and contacted White. "White, there's something I need you to do."

"What is it, Master?" asked White's soft voice.

"I will send a recording to you. Make sure it would appear in every [Jiffy] account and that it would trend for a week."

"Understood, Master."

Argent sent the recording and then cut off their connection. She glanced at her sister who was now grinning mischievously at her. "What?"

"Are you going to release the video of that Bishop?"

"Yes."

Aurum hugged her arm. "Good. People should know just how dirty the Temple really is."

That was not really the reason why Argent did it though. It was her own little revenge. After that video was released, the Temple would never again shelter that Bishop. It's his fault for making her remember those unwanted memories.

She patted her sister's head. "Let's go. It's time to go back to Albion."