Mercy of God (Prologue)

Algora was a dreary little village tucked away in a forgotten corner of the world. The buildings were made of old, crumbling bricks that had seen better days, and the streets were filled with potholes and cracked cobblestones. The houses were small and simple, harshly contrasting with the dark, oppressive forest surrounding them. The smell of smoke and burning wood lingered in the air. The moonlight shone down on the village, casting long shadows across the empty streets. In the distance, chanting could be heard, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard it. Throughout its history, Algora had been ruled by religious extremists who kept its people in fear and denial.

One night, Ha-lee snuck out to wander as he did most nights, away from the town's constant mockery of religion. Walking through the brownish house ruins, he comes across graffiti that writes, "stray from them." He hears stomping and sees yellow lights; it's the emissaries. As a violent, paranoid religious cult, the Gathering of Marked Emissaries, also known as "the emissaries," will stop at nothing to preserve its ideology. Ha-lee hides behind rubble, praying they don't see him. The emissaries, all holding a torch, marched right past him. He took no chances and ran opposite them as fast as he could, leaving no time to look back. Blinded by the desire for survival, he ran into the forest. The ground was damp and covered in a thick layer of moss that seemed to swallow his feet as he ran. He stops at a tree, resting his body on it and trying to catch his breath.

An eerie feeling crept up his spine. The trees were gnarled and twisted and seemed to be reaching out to him with their long, bony branches. The moonlight cut through the canopy of leaves, casting strange shadows across the forest floor. The sounds of screams echoed through the night, adding to the tension that was building inside him. The air was thick and heavy as if the trees were holding their breath. He could feel the eyes of the forest on him, watching his every move. Ha-lee sat down on the ground. Trying to make sense of his life. Just then, he remembered the emissaries marching into town with torches. The memory gave him chills.

He thought of his mother. "MOM" Ha-lee exclaimed

. And ran home as quickly as possible. Upon arrival, Ha-lee spotted the Emissaries again, but they were at his house this time.

The self-assumed Jesus, Joseph Malfox, shouted from the bottom of his mud-spotted black leather boots to his heinous head that was almost as ugly as his poison of words. "Athiraren Malfox, for your crimes against God and your involvement in sinful resistance before the watching of the Gathering of Marked Emissaries, I, and the good persons of Algora, sentence you and your bastard son to death. Too long have you strayed from the Lord's path, putting this family and the world's faith in debt."

"PLEASE, NO!" Athiraren cries, but the burning of the house is too loud, and her cries sound like muffled screams.

"May God have Mercy on your soul," Joseph says.

Ha-lee could barely comprehend what he was seeing as he stared in horror at the spectacle in front of him. A hot tear slid down his cheek as the orange flames engulfed his childhood home. He could hear his mother's screams from the burning building, but he was too scared to move. He could feel the heat of the fire on his skin and the smoke stinging his eyes. Running to save his mother was his only option, but his feet remained firmly planted. Athiraren still had fight left in her.

She scrambled to every window of the house, desperately trying to pull it up. Her hands desperately grasped at the glass.

Ha-lee and Athiraren locked eyes, their souls connected in a silent, aching moment. "I love you, Ha-lee," Athiraren mouthed.

Ha-lee wept painfully, his tears streaming down his face like unstoppable floods. Ha-lee watched in silent anguish as the fire spread, consuming the house and everything inside. His childhood house collapsed. Ha-lee screamed and ran to the house. An emissary stopped Ha-lee from getting close to the home.

They pinned him down and called Joseph to check him out. "What do you want me to do with him?" the emissary asked.

Joseph grabbed Ha-lee's face, inspecting it. "Throw him in the forest. If he can survive and make it out the other side, the council and I will decide what to do with him."

He felt like he was in a nightmare. The flames licked at the sky, reaching higher and higher until an orange glow illuminated the sky. He could see the emissaries' faces, lit up by the light of the flames, their eyes shining with cruel satisfaction. The emissaries stood in a circle around the fire, their hands linked and their voices raised in a joyful, eerie song.

"Paul and Ma'oz," Joseph called out to two loyal emissaries.

"Yes, sir?"

"Take the boy to the middle of the forest and leave him." Joseph commanded.

Paul and Ma'oz complied almost immediately. The two men shackled Ha-lee, picked him up like a rag doll, and threw him in the back of the truck. Ha-lee didn't even resist. His youth had vanished.

"What's going to happen to me?" Ha-lee thought to himself.

Ha-lee thought through all the outcomes of the desertion, none of them hopeful. He'd never even been camping. How could he survive without food or water or even proper clothing on his back, still in his pajamas? Ha-lee looked up at the night sky. The moon was too blinding to gaze at. The sky was a blanket of stars, twinkling in the night sky. Ha-lee felt the truck lurch and shake as it drove through the thick, dark forest. The trees seemed to whisper secrets that only the night could hear. The air was heavy with the smell of damp wood and wet earth, and the darkness seemed to swallow him whole. He could feel the eyes of the forest on him, watching his every move. The truck drove on, the night growing thicker and thicker with each passing minute. The trees seemed to stretch for miles. The crunching of dry leaves and broken branches echoed as the truck rumbled forward.

The car stopped suddenly, and Ha-lee felt a cold chill run through him. Paul and Ma'oz jumped out of the truck, and Ha-lee realized he was at his destination. The two men grabbed Ha-lee and hauled him out of the truck, and he felt the cold ground bite into his bare feet. He looked around in terror, realizing he was in the middle of nowhere. Paul and Ma'oz unshackled Ha-lee's chains and locks. Ma'oz kicked Ha-lee down.

"Please don't do this to me, please. Drop me off at the border. I will never come back, I swear to you. I'm just a child." Ha-lee pleaded.

Ma'oz gave Ha-lee a cold, calculating look. "Your plea falls on deaf ears, child. You have been sentenced to the forest, where you will remain. The Lord has spoken, and your fate is sealed."

Paul scoffed, "IF you are meant to be a man, a man you will be."

Paul and Ma'oz hopped back in the truck and drove away swiftly. Thus began Ha-lee's journey to survival. Ha-lee whispered to himself, almost inevitably, "I am going to die." In that thought, he was comforted by the belief that he'll be with his family. No more tears, no more pain. It's over. It's finally over. Ha-lee sat in the forest's darkness, his back against a tree, feeling his world crumble around him. He could feel the desperation and hopelessness rising inside him. He thought of his mother and what she would have wanted for him. He thought of all the dreams she had for him and the future she wanted for him. He thought of her courage and heart.

"My mother, leader of Algora, servant to none." he chuckled. "Now look at her son."

"It can't end like this." Ha-lee said out loud.

She had shown him how to be brave and never give up, even when the odds seemed insurmountable. Ha-lee remembered the feeling of being safe in her arms and the warmth of her embrace. He could still feel her love. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. The surface was replaced with deep loneliness and overwhelming despair. He was utterly alone in a strange, dark forest. He had no food or shelter and was exhausted from running and scared of what the future held. The darkness of the night seemed to be closing in on him, and he felt like he was being suffocated. His breathing became more labored, and his vision blurred. He felt himself drifting into a deep sleep, his consciousness slowly fading. As he drifted off, the last thing he felt was the warmth of the moonlight on his skin and the gentle rustling of the leaves in the wind.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Loud footsteps awoke Ha-lee. The moonlight shone through the azure trees, illuminating a small clearing where a pack of giant white wolves gathered. They slowly advanced towards the center of the clearing, encircling Ha-lee, who stood still and silent. Suddenly, a bright white figure stood opposite Ha-lee, and a hand emerged from the light, gently stroking Ha-lee's cheek.

His eyes watered in disbelief as he uttered a single word: "Mom?".

The hand pulled away, and the wolves closed in, nuzzling Ha-lee with their heads and licking him, one even pushing its full head into Halee's mouth and pulling from within another person, another Ha-lee. The wolf laid it on the ground; it was in a fetal position covered in slime. Ha-lee's eyes widened in horror at the sight of himself, and he fell to his knees. The wolf took its white paw, raised it, and smashed the original Ha-lee's head until he lay still.

The white figure moves to Ha-lee in the fetal position and whispers in his ear, "all flowers in time bend to the sun."

_______

The bright sunlight awakes Ha-lee. He's bewildered; he gets up and begins to walk, searching for a stream he can drink water from.

Sweat was pouring off his body as his mind raced to recall what had happened the night before. "Abandoned here, sent to die. Fire... Mom's dead," he muttered, a wave of terror washing over him. He had to know what had happened before that.

Ha-lee let out a primal-bloodcurdling scream, and he fell to his knees so filled with emotion that he began to retch. Ha-lee rises to his feet, determined to survive. He looks around for anything that can help him. He spots some berries and eats them to sustain himself. He finds a stream and drinks some of the water, feeling instantly refreshed. He continues walking, looking for a way out of the forest. As he walks, he notices the trees and the plants around him.

He remembers the words: "All flowers in time bend to the sun." He takes this as a sign and follows the sun, hoping to find his way out. The sun slowly rises higher in the sky, and Ha-lee continues to follow it, walking for what feels like hours. He notices the trees beginning to thin out, and the air is filled with the smell of fresh grass and birds chirping. He is filled with hope and newfound strength, knowing he is close to finding his way out.

The sun is now high in the sky, and Ha-lee can see a clearing in the distance. He quickens his pace and begins to run, exhilarated by the possibility of freedom. He is met with an incredible sight as he reaches the edge of the clearing. He stands in an open meadow, surrounded by towering trees, a small stream trickling through the grass, and a flock of birds flying overhead. Just ahead are the old houses of Algora. He takes a deep breath, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, he smiles. A new day is here, and freedom is the future.