☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- Let's go. You'll need more energy than I do, - the priestess lied.

That night, Lord waited until Aiyano went to sleep and secretly left their room, and then the hotel. Given the nature of his profession, this act came to him with great ease, and yet the anxiety in his chest did not subside; the situation he found himself in was too unfamiliar. Flying through the dark streets of the city like the wind, his feet inevitably stopped at the threshold of the Arselia church. He silently enters and finds Abbot Bruno in the middle of his nightly prayers - the man's body is bowed before the statue of Arselia, and church chants are heard from his lips. Sensing the arrival of an uninvited guest, Bruno decides to ignore him and steadfastly continues his address to the Goddess. The Phantom does the same - he waits, like a shadow, until he is finished.

- Oh, son of Anuzish, what brings you here at this late hour? - finally finishing his duty, Bruno stood up and met the guest's gaze, - even though you are a great sinner, the house of God will not turn you away in a difficult hour... Tell me, why have you come and how can this servant of Arselia be of use to you?
- Tomorrow morning, Aiyano will come here.
- Who...? Oh! That otherworldly being... And so?
Remembering the purpose of his visit, Lord suppressed a surge of anger.
- Listen to her.
- I'm afraid I don't understand what you want to tell me.
- I do not intend to pressure you in any way to change your opinion about her or force you to tell her lies. That would be disrespectful to her feelings and sincerity, but... - In a completely alien gesture, Lord bows his head low. - I ask you, just open your heart to what she wants to say. - This strange scene lasted for a whole minute, and after it ended, Lord headed for the exit. - That's all I wanted to say.

The next morning, Aiyano found a plate of syrniki with sour cream and a note: "Good morning and bon appétit, Aiyaiya." Lord himself was nowhere to be seen. He was apparently busy fulfilling his promise from yesterday and was scouring the city in search of potential participants for the picnic.